When it comes to the Chinese culture, we can’t ignore the importance of tea. Tea culture not only includes tea production, tea brewing, tea art and ceremony, but also     1     (contain) artistic value and traditional Chinese philosophy. It is linked     2     literature, art and religion. In the Tang Dynasty,     3     Buddhists were thinking, they found tea could reduce sleepiness and clear the mind. Therefore tea drinking was promoted and became     4     artistic enjoyment among the public.

Before the Song Dynasty, people used to put tea into a pot     5     (fill)with water and cook it. And then the traditional tea cooking was gradually replaced by the tea competition. In tea tasting, people brought their own tea and water and judged the quality of teas by     6     (check)the color and foam of the water. During the North Song Dynasty, tea     7     (compete)were widespread and brought to Japan. It gradually became the popular “chado” or tea ceremony In Japan.

Drinking tea is not only a     8     (health)habit for people, but also a cultural activity in Chinese daily life. The Chinese believe drinking tea can be helpful     9     (clean) the mind. People who love tea can     10     (easy)find inner peace and happiness.

Liu Ruying,     1     grandfather is a huge fan of Peking Opera, has been interested in Peking Opera for much of her young life. Her grandfather is a great influence     2     her. At the age of 8, she     3    (begin) to practice the classic art. It wasn’t easy for a little girl     4    (experience) the difficult training, as performances combine martial arts, dancing and acrobatics(杂技).

“Sometimes I was tired,“ she said. ”I had to balance my studies and other     5    (course) I was interested in, such as dance. But the great charm(魅力) of Peking Opera made me always practice it.”

When Liu got the news that her region would have a cultural exchange with other countries, she had the idea of     6    (introduce) Peking Opera to the world in English. With     7     help of her mother, she took part in the activity after several months of practice.

“I     8    (extreme) love traditional Chinese culture,” she said. “Peking Opera has a long history of about 200 years and     9    (consider) a treasure of our nation. We should let     10    (we) make great efforts to carry forward our culture and protect the cultural diversity of the world.”

Shadow puppetry (皮影戏) is a Chinese folk art known for its special storytelling skills,     1     dates back to the Han Dynasty. When thinking about shadow puppetry, most Chinese people remember their experiences of watching shadow plays when they were little. Now, one can enjoy a whole shadow show just by     2     (put) on a VR headset. The designer hopes that with the help of modern technology like VR, more young people will become     3     (interest) and pass down this ancient performing art to prevent it from gradually disappearing.

Crosstalk, also known by its Chinese name Xiangsheng, is a traditional Chinese comedic performing art, and one of China’s most popular     1     (culture) elements. It originated in North China and     2     (become) popular in Ming Dynasty. With the development in Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China era, Xiangsheng     3    (gradual) developed from one’s vocal imitation (口技) to stand-up comedy. Chinese crosstalk has three birthplaces: Beijing Tianqiao, Tianjin Quanyechang and Nanjing Confucius Temple. Xiangsheng lay the foundation in folk life and society, thus     4     (make) it popular among folk people. Xiangsheng can be performed by one person (solo comic talk), two players (comic dialogue), and three or more people (group crosstalk),     5     it is typically in the form of a comic dialogue     6     two performers. In a comic dialogue, as     7     rule, the leading actor, helped by the supporting actor, amuses all the audience with funny remarks. Due to     8     (it) humor and irony (讽刺), Xiangsheng has spread far and wide. Xiangsheng     9     (perform) in ethnic languages, such as Tibetan Xiangsheng, has appeared in remote regions and     10     (area) inhabited by ethnic minorities. Furthermore, Xiangsheng has been introduced abroad and becomes popular in Southeast Asia including Burma, Singapore and Malaysia.

A major fire broke out at Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris on Monday, one of France’s most visited landmarks. Flames burst     1     the roof of the cathedral, live TV pictures showed. Firefighters cleared the area around the cathedral,     2     marks the very centre of the city.

    3     (build) in the     4     (twelve) century, Notre Dame is the     5     famous of the Gothic cathedrals of the Middle Ages. “It’s been 800 years that the Cathedral watches over Paris”, Pascal,     6     French historian said. “Happy and unfortunate events for centuries     7     (mark) by the bells of Notre Dame.” The cathedral is home to incalculable works of art and is one of the world’s most famous tourist     8     (attract), immortalized by Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Its     9     (price) treasures include a Catholic relic, the crown of thorns, which is only     10     (occasional) displayed.

There are a great number of festivals around the world every year, most of which are just for human beings.    1     (actual), there is one day for animals—World Animal Day.

World Animal Day is a day on    2    the whole world cares for animals and    3     (work) towards the health and happiness of animals. It    4    (hold) on October 4th of each year. The goal is to make    5    earth a better place for these human friends.

World Animal Day can be celebrated in many different    6    (way). One way is that people can buy some books on how to protect animals to educate    7    (they). Meanwhile, what people can also do is to email their local newspaper or social media website to tell them the    8    (important) of the day. Other possible ways include donating or    9    (volunteer) at local shelters; adding animal-friendly equipment    10    your garden such as birdbaths; adopting a homeless animal or even just buying your favorite animal a special meal.

The Chinese people are without doubt the ones who best understand the nature of tea. We attach great importance     1     tea in Chinese culture.

While records of tea in Chinese literature go back to about 5,000 years ago, the beginning of tea’s use as     2     kind of drink is unclear. At first, tea was valued for its medical qualities. It has long been known that tea helps digestion (消化),     3     is why many Chinese would like     4     (drink) it after their meal. The rising of tea drinking to an art form     5     (begin) in the 8th century, with the publication of Lu Yu’s The Classic of Tea. His work contained several useful tips for     6     (produce) tea, many of which are still in use today. In the centuries following the publication of Lu Yu’s work, tea’s popularity spread     7     (rapid) throughout China.

Not only did tea drinking become a fitting subject for books and poems, but the rich presented tea as     8     (gift) to friends and guests. Later, teahouses started to spread all over the country. While the Chinese have never developed an     9     (office) ceremony (礼仪) surrounding tea drinking like the Japanese tea ceremony, they have respect for     10     (it) role in their daily lives.

Winter Solstice Festival (冬至)     1     (fall) around December 22nd. The Winter Solstice is one of the traditional Chinese festivals and also one of the 24 solar terms（节气). On the day, the Northern hemisphere has the     2    (short) daytime and people usually eat dumplings or tangyuan     3     (celebrate) the day.

The winter solstice festival was originated from the Han Dynasty and thrived in the Tang and Song dynasties. The reason     4     the Chinese people celebrate the Winter solstice is related to the theory of Yin and Yang. The ancient people think from the winter solstice, the Yin is at its peak and     5     (disappear) gradually, while the Yang or positive things will become stronger and stronger. So winter solstice is regarded     6     an auspicious(吉利的) day, when people have one day off, sacrificing to the heaven and the ancestors and visiting each other with delicious food.

    7    , traditions and customs for the day vary in different areas of China. In the northern part of China, people usually eat dumplings, wonton and mutton for celebration. In the     8     (south) part, tangyuan and noodles are the festival food. In some places, people pray at the     9     (tomb) of their ancestors and late relatives on the day.

For many people, winter solstice is a time for the family to get together. Family reunion is     10    Chinese people attach great importance to.

HOUSTON, Oct.15(Xinhua) — About 50 American students and their parents experienced the Chinese culture Tuesday at the 2019 Open Day event in the Chinese Consulate General in Houston, Texas

The event,    1     (name) “Experience China”, was enjoyed by students from Charter School of Texas,     2     was set up in 2012 and provided English, Spanish and Chinese classes for students from kindergarten all the way     3    high school.

Calling language learning a good way to experience     4     (differ) cultures, a Chinese official Cai Wei encouraged the students    5     (learn) more about Chinese culture by learning the Chinese language.

“Looking forward, the more languages you learn, the     6     (bright) your future will be,” said Eddie Conger, headmaster of Charter School of Texas.

At the event, young Chinese diplomats (外交官) gave speeches about China’s history, politics, economy, education and culture    7    three students performed Chinese fan dance.

Tenth-grade student Russell Leach who    8     (study) Chinese for about nine years so far, told Xinhua that through learning Chinese, he is in love with Chinese culture and its people.“I like the people.They are very nice and very considerate,” he said,     9     (hope) to study in China someday in     10    future.

The Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar year.It is in early summer,     1    （mark)the beginning of the hottest season of the year.

The tradition of the Dragon Boat Festival started more than 2,000 years ago.In the old days, dragon boat races    2     (organize) only by Chinese people.However, in recent years, people from other cultures have also taken part in the races and enjoyed the fun.

There is a special food for the festival.It is called zongzi,     3    is sticky rice in fresh bamboo leaves.