There is a common expression in the English language     1     (refer) to a blue moon. When people say something happens “ only once in a blue moon”, they actually intend to indicate the     2     (frequent) of it. This expression has been around for at least a century and a half; there are references to this expression that     3     (date) from the second half of the nineteenth century.

The expression “a blue moon” has come to refer to     4     second full moon occurring in any given calendar month. A second full moon is called a blue moon not because it is     5     (particular) blue or is any different in hue (色彩)     6     the first full moon of the month. Instead, it is called a blue moon because it is so rare. The moon needs a little more than 29 days     7     (complete) the cycle from full moon to full moon. Because every month except February has more than 29 days, every month has at least one full moon, except February, which has a full moon     8     there is a full moon at the end of January and another full moon at the end of March. It is on the occasion     9     a given calendar month has a second full moon that a blue moon occurs. It happens only three or four     10     (time) in a decade.

When people use the saying “七尺男儿”，they're usually referring     1    a man who is tall and strong. However, it's not easy    2     (tell) exactly how long 7 chi is. As a traditional Chinese unit of length, the     3     (measure) of chi has changed frequently over time.

In earlier times, such as the Shang Dynasty, I chi was the same as 15.8cm. So 7 chi would be equal to about 110cm. A 7-chi-tall man at the time would be a little person.

During the Warring States Period and Han Dynasty, 1 chi     4    (be) equal to 23cm. So 7 chi would be about 162cm.

When     5    came to the Three Kingdoms period, 1 chi became longer and reached 24.2cm. So 7 chi would be equal to about 170cm, which would     6     (regard) as medium height today.

In the following     7    (dynasty), chi continued to become     8    (long). It became 24.5cm in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, 29. 6cm in the Tang Dynasty and 31.2cm in the Song Dynasty.     9    (final) in the Qing Dynasty, 1 chi was 35.5cm,     10     means that 7-chi-tall man would be 248.5cm. That would be a real giant!

Today, 1 chi is measured around 33.3cm. So 7 chi would be 233cm.

The Palace Museum,     1     is also known as the Forbidden City, is a much-visited and much-photographed tourist attraction. This Chinese palace     2     a history of about 600 years receives millions of visits every year and lots of TV programs     3     (show) the place in recent years.

However, it still has secrets, and a new program     4     (design) to explore those unknown areas and the stories within is set to show the palace in a new light. The variety show, Shang Xin Le Gu Gong, broadcast its first episode (一集) on Beijing TV and online streaming media site, iQyi.com, on November 9, which won wide acceptance from audiences and     5     (think) highly of on Douban.com. “It brings many elements together, and everything in the show is     6     (perfect) matched and turns out amazing,” said     7     online user. “It brings me the thrill I felt when I stepped into the Palace Museum for the first time.”

In each one-hour-long episode, the actors and actresses switch between playing guides and historical figures     8     (include) emperors and royal family members of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). They explore areas that are still not     9     (access) to the public and the stories surrounding them. In the show, the actors and actresses are also joined by designers who will create     10     (product) based on what they see. The most popular ones, based on an online vote, are to be turned into souvenirs for sale.

I felt butterflies in my stomach when I started calligraphy class ten years ago. I wondered what I was doing there. At that moment, I couldn’t have known that I’d just made one of the best     1     (choose) of my life.

I sat down and listened to the teacher     2     (introduce) the tools of the craft. Then it was time for me to try my hand. I took up the brush, using the correct gesture,     3     (dip) it in the ink, and carefully wrote “one”     4     Chinese.

After nearly five years of practicing, I started to make versions of well-known poems. Calligraphy seemed like a bridge,     5     connected me to authors from centuries past. Stroke(笔画) by stroke, word by word，I could feel their emotions, cherished my own peace and learned     6     (appreciate) my daily life.

Now, calligraphy is not just     7     hobby, but     8     a way to remove myself from the worries of life. Rolling out the paper, I can write for a whole day. Calligraphy     9     (enable) me to balance my busy schedule and live    10     (peace).

There is a special custom near Poyang Lake in Jiangxi province, China. When someone’s family establishes a new house there, they     1     (choose) an auspicious day of the zodiac (黄道吉日) to host big banquet (宴会) to celebrate     2    .

Three days     3     the banquet, they begin to prepare dishes, drinks and tables for the big day. The banquet begins with dinner. At the same time, the guests will bring     4     (gift) for good luck like eggs or lucky money in a red envelope to the new house.

Early on the second day, the builder of the house will start to throw "coins" down from the top floor of the new house. The villagers usually get extremely     5     (excite) and try to grab these “coins” with anything they can use. After lunch at noon on the second day, the banquet is     6    （official) over. This year, I attended my sister-in-law’s ceremony to celebrate     7     (move) into a new house. Her new house was built by her husband, so it was his turn     8     (throw) down “coins”. Unfortunately, I missed this event for the reason     9     I had to go and visit my grandma's house instead. Frankly speaking, I hope such     10     special celebration will be held in my own family. My parents will build a new house soon!

Since the very beginning of human race, diverse civilizations     1    (feature) different layers and distinctiveness have been formed on the     2    (base) of villages, regions, clans, religious communities, and so forth. On the one hand, each culture is     3     system that fits into its environment, a crystal of people’s experiences in life for thousands of years, and a human heritage of     4    (history) and artistic values. Therefore, it has always maintained its unique form of civilization. On the other hand, various forms of communications and exchanges     5    (perform) between different civilizations through daily association and economic activities     6     some ties. And with the     7    (form) of a world capitalist market, the local and national self-sufficiency and door-closed policy have be en replaced with the intercourses and mutual dependence in all aspects between each nation. The spiritual products of each nation have some common wealth, which makes national unilateralism and limitedness     8    (increase) impossible. As the development of world history shows, it is the opposition and     9    (unite) as well as integration and exchanges between different civilizations     10     have enabled the development of civilizations and the progress of society.

In the third century BC, the full stop (句号)or period     1    ( introduce) by Greek literary critic Aristophanes of Byzantium. It is used     2    (show) the end of a sentence. However, the full stop has a different meaning to teenagers and those in their early 20s,     3    interpret it as sign of anger. And there is a reason for that.

The younger generation has grown up using the texts as their primary means of communication. When sending messages ,they tend to break up their thoughts by sending each one as     4     separate message, instead of using a full stop. They feel the full stop once     5    (use) in traditional texting is not essential at all because the message is now ended just by sending it.

David Crystal, one of the world's leading language     6    ( expert) , argues that the usage of full stops is being revised in a really fundamental way. In his book, he says that the full stop has become an emotion marker that     7    ( remind) the receiver that the sender is angry or     8     (annoy).

Though the full stop has taken on a different meaning to the younger generation, specialists noted that it is important to take language environment     9     account. For example, using full stops in an email is     10     ( perfect) acceptable and is not considered rude.

Summer Palace, which     1     (literal) means “the garden of perfect brightness”, was an estate of gardens, temples, palaces and towers in the northwest of Beijing. However, it was broken into by Anglo-French in 1860,     2     numerous national treasures, including the 12 animal head statues, were taken away.

In September 2007, Stanley Ho in Macao purchased the horse-head statue at a price of HK $69. 1 million ($8.9 million). It     3     (donate) back to the country in November 2019.

On Dec 1, 2020, the horse-head bronze statue returned to its original home,     4     (make) it the first animal-head statue to have come back to Yuanmingyuan. There is good news     5     the statue will be regularly displayed in the Zhengjue Temple area in Yuanmingyuan.

“The horse’s head holds the     6       (memorize) of history and our nation’s shared emotion,” Pansy Ho Chiuking, Stanley Ho’s daughter, said at the handover ceremony. The return of the statue sets an example     7     the international community to bring more lost relics back to their     8     (origin).

So far seven of the 12 statues including the horse     9     (come) back to China, and now the rest six are housed in the National Museum of China and Poly Art Museum. The search is     10     for the remaining five: a dog, a rooster, a dragon, a sheep and a snake.

Venice is suffering     1     worst flooding that the city has experienced in 50 years. “The city is ‘on its knees’”, Venetian Mayor Luigi Brugnaro tweeted(发推特) as water    2     (flood) much of the famous historical city by then.

    3     floods are a normal part of life there, they have never happened so often before. Experts say that climate change is     4     (like) to blame. But it has proven difficult     5     (take) effective measures.

Flooding is just one of the impacts from climate change that is being experienced with more     6     (frequent) and globally threatens many regions. There is a threat that is not often considered — the damage to the world’s heritage(遗产). Climate change will influence them in different ways. Some will     7     (hit) by flooding, like Venice, others by extreme weather events or     8     (rise) temperatures.

Meanwhile, changes in the ocean will also have a profound influence     9    many of these sites. Experts say that the solutions to saving them will be varied, but many will be very expensive.     10    , they suggest that countries should work together to protect heritage sites.

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.