The art of paper-cutting in China may date back to the second century, since paper    1    (invent)by Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty in China. As paper became more affordable, paper0cutting became one of the most important    2    (type) of Chinese folk art. Later,    3     different regions adopting their own cultural styles, this art form spread to other parts of the world.    4     (usual), the artworks are made of red paper, as red is associated with    5    (happy) in Chinese culture, but other colors are also used.

With    6    (it) long history, paper-cutting,    7    originated in China, has been very popular among the ordinary Chinese people. People put up papercuts on walls, windows and doors at wedding ceremonies or festivals     8    (strengthen) the cheerful atmosphere.

Chinese papercuts are rich in content. The auspicious（吉祥的）designs symbolize good luck and the avoidance of evil. The child, lotus and bat designs suggest a family with    9    large number of children and grandchildren. Birds, livestock, fruit, fish and worms are also familiar objects    10    (accept) by Chinese farmers. In a word, papercuts used in different occasions have different meanings.

If you live in northeastern China, you expect long, cold winters. People     1    (live) in Harbin don’t just stand the cold, however, they welcome it. The city is home to the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival,    2    is considered to be the largest ice festival in the world. Even with temperatures usually close to zero, thousands of people head to city parks     3    (see) great ice sculptures, many bathed in colored lights.

The festival includes several thousand ice sculptures. Some of these works are the recreations of castles, historic landmarks and famous people, lit up at night in bright colors. There     4    (visitor) can climb ice stairways and go down ice slides (滑坡). They can also take part    5    sporting events, including skating, ice football     6    well as ice swimming.

The city started     7    (it) icy event in 1963 with the Ice Lantern Garden Party, a     8    (celebrate) of the tradition of creating lanterns out of blocks of ice. The larger festival     9    (begin) in 1985 and added sculptures, which have grown in number and size over the years. As it has gotten bigger, the festival has become popular outside the city.    10    (official), the festival starts on January 5th and lasts over one month.

Coffee is an essential part of people's daily life in the West, so is tea in China. One can see teahouses along the streets of China. The Chinese have such a close relationship with tea     1     they have developed an entire “Tea Culture”. Tea Culture     2     (include) articles, poems, and paintings about tea, as well as the art of making and drinking tea and various related     3     (custom).

Tea plays a significant role in Chinese social and emotional life. Always, a guest     4     (offer) a tea immediately upon entering a Chinese home. Serving a cup of tea is more than a matter of mere     5     (polite). It is a symbol of togetherness，a sharing of something enjoyable，and a way of showing respect to visitors. In some areas of China,     6     might be considered bad manners not to take at least a sip.

The Chinese attach great attention to their tea and     7     way they drink it. People have high requirements for the quality of the prepared tea leaf, the water they use     8     (make) tea and the wares they use to prepare and serve tea. Normally, the     9     (fine) tea is grown at altitudes of 3,000 to 7,000 feet. People select their water carefully. The Chinese emphasize（重视） water quality and water taste. Fine water must be pure, sweet, cool, clean, and     10     (flow). Water from good springs is considered best, as is rainwater from autumn and the rainy seasons.

Festivals are meant to celebrate important times and events. The Western Halloween takes place on October 31 every year.     1     (obvious), it had its origin in old     2     (belief) about the return of the spirits of dead people.

However, children nowadays celebrate it in their own ways and they are always looking forward to its     3     (arrive). Many young people also have great fun with each other, playing music and dancing to it.

Li Hua, an exchange student in the USA, pays great attention to     4     (learn) about the customs and cultures here.     5     this festive night, he as well as his band,     6     (dress) in fancy clothing, is giving     7     (amaze) performances in the open air. The song which     8     (sing) on the stage now was just written by Li Hua,     9    whom being a famous musician is his forever dream. Actually, it is the same interest they share     10     brings them together.

Brazil, the    1    (large)country in South America, is famous for the Amazon rainforest and soccer. But on the hottest days, people travel there for another reason – the Carnival. Full of excitement and fun, the Carnival is held    2    (annual) in February or March.

The word “Carnival” comes from the Portuguese “Carne Vale”,     3    means “farewell to meat”. In the early 1600s, the Portuguese    4    (bring)Europe traditions to Brazil.     5    (inspire) by black people brought there by the slave trade, they started    6    (they)own carnival with dances and music.

With its beautiful floats (花车),     7    (attract)clothes and happy people, the Samba Parade is the most fantastic event of the Carnival. Samba is said    8    (be)the soul of Rio. “This is    9    the passion for samba lies – the atmosphere is electric as even the oldest men and women sing and dance    10    the music,” travel guidebook Lonely Planet noted.

Chinese are the first people to have tea. One thousand and two hundred years ago, Lu Yu wrote a book called “The Classic of Tea ”,     1     is honored as “The Bible of Tea”. The book gives a detailed    2    (explain) of the origin, the processing skills and the classification of tea.

However, Chinese tea culture goes far beyond tea     3    (it). Take green tea for example, the ideal temperature of water should be around 80 degrees Celsius. If the water is too hot, nutrients(营养物质)in the tea     4    (destroy). On the other hand, if the water is not hot enough, the tea     5     (leaf) won’t open up and you will miss the pleasantly fresh flavor. So Chinese people are used     6     drinking hot tea. When you visit a Chinese friend, your friend will     7     (constant) add hot water to your emptying cup. It is polite     8    (offer) the tea cup to guests with both hands. Of course, the guests should pay respect as well,     9    (take) over the cup with both hands.

Talking about adding water to the tea cup, there is     10     saying: Wine full, full cup. Tea half, half cup. For wine, the full cup symbolizes whole heartiness. For tea, the half cup means modesty.

The fireworks are being prepared. The red envelopes     1     (fill). And around the world, hundreds of millions of people are coming together     2     (celebrate) the Chinese New Year. Across the UK,     3     (lantern) are being hung in Manchester. Liverpool, Nottingham and many of our other great cities, including here in London, home to one of     4     (big) Chinese New Year celebrations outside Asia. The festivities are     5     (undoubted) one of the highlights of Britain’s cultural calendar, showcasing the     6     (strong), vibrancy and diversity of our multicultural society. And they are     7     reminder of the incredible role that our Chinese community plays in British life- from students who have just arrived here to study,     8     families whose roots in this country go back well over a century. It is a legacy and a contribution that I celebrated here at Downing Street last week,     9     (bring) together leading figures from across our Chinese community, people without     10     the UK would not be the successful, dynamic country it is today. So wherever and however you are celebrating. let me wish you a very happy new year, and a prosperous and auspicious year of the Pig.

This summer, have you been     1     (amaze) by women wearing hanfu, or Han-style clothing, at subway stations, shopping malls, or scenic areas? Hanfu has enjoyed a public popularity in recent years,     2     (especial) among young people.

    3     2018, the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League(共青团) of China set the third day of the third month of the Chinese lunar calendar,     4     is generally considered to be the birthday of Chinese people’s ancestor the Yellow Emperor as the annual(每年的) Traditional Chinese Garment Day. Since then, the beauty of hanfu     5     (gain) more and more recognition and acceptance by common people.

Generally, hanfu refers to traditional Chinese clothes worn by     6     Han ethnic(种族) group before the Qing Dynasty. Historically, Han Chinese clothing has also influenced some of its neighboring cultural costumes(服装),     7     (include) the Japanese kimono, Korean hanbok, and clothing of Mongolia, Vietnam and Bhutan.

Hanfu appears elegant and not only because of the thousands of years of culture behind its beautiful design. This     8     (tradition) dress also stands out because of its excellent craftsmanship (技艺), from materials to    9    ( decoration).

Hanfu     10     (represent) not only admiration for living, but also continuation(延续) of traditional Chinese culture. Nowadays, more and more fashion designs look to hanfu for inspiration, producing fashionable examples of hanfu for a new era(时代).

Whenever Prince George steps out for an engagement, like on the royal tour of Canada, or poses for    1    (office) photographs, he only ever wears shorts,     2     has long confused royal watchers.

According to William Hanson,     3    expert in ceremony, there’s a very good reason for this—and it has nothing to do with fashion, but rather a royal tradition that     4     (date) back to the sixteenth century. A new born baby would be dressed     5    a gown for their first year or two. Then he was “breeched (穿裤礼)” and wore articles of clothing like shorts. The usual custom is that a boy graduates to trousers around eight years old.

With time    6    (change), middle class boys began to wear trousers but they     7     (consider) suburban(土气的) by the upper. Hanson explains,“    8     is a very English thing to dress a young boy in shorts.” The British upper are always keen to hold on to tradition, and this also silently marks them out from “the rest”. However, as for William and Kate, the     9    (decide) to dress George in shorts is     10       (likely) down to tradition than a class issue.