From London’s Trafalgar Square to major cities across Britain, tens of thousands of British people have joined Chinese communities     1    (welcome) the arrival of the Chinese New Year.

In Manchester there was a Dragon Parade,     2     (lead) by a very breath-taking 54-meter long dragon, ending in Chinatown     3     people could enjoy a wide range of Chinese food and enjoy a spectacular fireworks show.     4     (celebrate) also took place in Liverpool, Birmingham, Lake District, Durham, Edinburgh, Leeds and Newcastle.

Academic Dr. Wu Kegang said that the Chinese New Year event in Britain “is now     5     (impress) than ever and it is growing every year”.

    6     arrival in Britain 26 years ago from Guangdong, south China, the first thing Wu noticed was that Chinese New Year was celebrated     7     (main) in towns and cities with big Chinese communities. “You would go to London Chinatown and join your countrymen to celebrate,     8     to Chinatowns in places like Liverpool and Manchester for events almost only held for Chinese people,” Wu recalled.

“    9     is different now, is that we are seeing local communities all over the country taking part alongside their own Chinese populations,” he said. “It is clear to me that the event will continue to grow in Britain where Chinese New Year     10     (earn) its place in the calendar of events so far.”

Many artists draw with pens and brushes, but few “paint” with knives. Wang Jing, a woman from China, has been engaged     1    this novel art form for 27 years. In 1995, Wang believed that she may have created something out of     2     ordinary when inspired by an accidental cut by a knife on a piece of red paper, which left a white line.     3     (use) knives and paper, she then completed a painting of a pair of peacocks that later became a source of motivation for her 27-year effort.

Unlike traditional paintings, onto    4     colors are “added”, “knife painting” uses blades to take away colors on specially made coated paper. “Knife painters” apply varied pressure on the paper in different directions    5     (create) different colors and tones. The novel art form was known to few people just     6    Wang created it. Even Wang herself was not expecting to make it something big at the beginning. But    7    (thank) to her huge enthusiasm for the art form, she has persisted with it for the past 27 years. “Painting on paper with knives    8     a delicate art and each line in the painting is as thin as a hair, ” said Wang, adding that once the marks are left on the paper, they cannot    9    (cover), so it requires the painter to be    10     (complete) absorbed in the work.

Britain’s National Health Service will be offering a traditional Chinese acupuncture (针灸疗法) to treat back pain. This is the first time that it     1    (support) officially.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellent NICE, however, says there is     2    (evident) that acupuncture may be     3    (effect) than expensive X-rays or injections, so patients who have been     4    (suffer) for over six weeks should be given a choice. As     5     alternative to acupuncture, patients will be able to choose either a course of spinal manipulation(脊椎推拿),     6     a series of special exercise sessions.

In the UK, acupuncture is regarded    7    a complementary (辅助的) treatment. It is the term given to a medical procedure     8    hasn’t gone through the strict trials and scientists prove some treatment work.

Some are still skeptical about the effectiveness of acupuncture. Research from the US earlier this month found that simulated (模拟的) acupuncture     9    (use) toothpicks(牙签) could be as good as using real needles. So while some are yet to be convinced, back pain sufferers will be hoping that acupuncture is     10     (benefit) to their health and helps get them feeling mobile again.

You may sometimes notice athletes with purple circles on their skin from cupping. Or maybe you know someone     1     swears by acupuncture (针灸) for their back pain. More and more people use practices from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to not only fight disease, but also prevent it. TCM is     2     ancient system of health and wellness that     3     (use) in China for thousands of years.

Western medicine focuses mainly on treating disease,     4     TCM looks at your entire well-being. Western medicine tends     5     (view) the body a lot like a car. It has different systems that need the right inputs and outputs. TCM doesn’t focus on science and medicine. Instead, it is based     6     balance, harmony, and energy.

There are two central ideas behind TCM. One is qi, the other yin and yang. Qi is also called life energy or vital energy. The belief is that it     7     (run) throughout your body. It’s always on the move and     8     (constant) changes. Yin and Yang are opposites     9     (describe) the qualities of qi. The belief is that everything in life has its opposite, and balance is the key. For example, a drug from your doctor might heal a disease. But it’s     10     (harm) if you take too much of it.

You may think you couldn’t live through summer without air conditioning.     1     in ancient China, hand fans were almost the only way to drive the heat away.

Chinese people started to use hand fans over 2,000 years ago. The fans came in different shapes and     2     (make) of various materials. Palm leaf fans were cheap and easy to make. Feather fans marked the owner’s high status. Sandalwood fans could send out     3     sweet smell. Later, hand fans became far more than just something     4     could cool you down. They developed into     5     (work) of art, in which Tuanshan — round fans, and Zheshan — folded fans, were the most common. In the shape of a full moon, round fans were made of silk. They had beautiful embroidery (刺绣)     6     (feature) birds and flowers on them. Women,     7     (especial) those in the royal palace, liked to use them. Poets in ancient China often compared a woman’s round face to round fans. A poet in the Qing Dynasty, Nalan Xingde was a typical example. He wrote, “If only life were as beautiful as we first met, why should the autumn wind bother     8     (pity) painted fans?” Meanwhile, men liked to use folded fans to paint and write poems on them. It was a way to show     9     their skills in literature, painting and calligraphy. Today, Chinese people still use these fans, though not many people write or paint on them     10     more.

China’s Double Ninth Festival means the Chongyang Festival. It     1     (happen) every year between October 1st and October 30th on the 9th day of the 9th lunar month;it fell on a Sunday this year.

It is an     2     (importance) folk holiday focused on good health and long life, with a large number     3     celebrations.

Nine is     4     very good number in Chinese culture because its pronunciation means “long” in Chinese. According to the Book of Changes, the number six     5     (think) “yin” while nine is “yang”. The ninth day of the ninth lunar month in the Chinese calendar (日历) features two nines, so the day gets     6     (it) Chinese name “Chongyang”.

    7     the Double Ninth Festival was marked as a ritual (礼制) to worship (敬拜) the gods and ancestors in the past, nowadays, more meanings are given to this festival.

In 1989, the Chinese government set it as a day for showing respect to the elderly,     8     requires people’s care, love, and help to the elderly.

It was also a festival     9     (show) respect to one’s ancestors. Sweeping graves and     10     (pay) a visit to elderly members in the family are usually what people do on this day.

Hanfu, meaning “Han clothing”, is based     1     the costumes worn by China’s Han ethnic (种族的) group in the past. Some of the most popular styles are from the Ming, Song and Tang     2    (dynasty).

In recent years, it has become     3    (extreme) popular though there are some opposite views. About three-quarters of Hanfu lovers are between 16 and 24 years old. Members of this generation often see it as       4    way to rediscover Chinese traditional culture. It’s pretty exciting     5    (see) young Chinese people building up their self-confidence and     6    (develop) their individuality (个性) to show the world what they love. For more Chinese, this dress style might become a good starting point to further explore the beauty of China’s long history and rich culture. Li Siting, president of the Hunan Hanfu Culture Promotion Association, often communicates with people from     7    (variety) places. Last year, she     8    (attend) the 7th Chinese music conference in Wuhan,       9    she met overseas Chinese culture lovers coming from Japan, France, Argentina and other places for the first time. Many people think Hanfu is not only the perfect bridge for young people to connect with Chinese culture,     10     a medium to promote Chinese culture.

For the first time in 94 years, the Palace Museum has extended its opening hours, allowing the public to celebrate the Lantern Festival at night in the ancient palace.

About 3,000 lucky visitors received free tickets from the government, among     1     was Zhang Zhifu, a 77-year-old public security volunteer. It’s a mark of gratitude     2     her volunteer work. “It is     3     (true) an honor to be given this special right,” Zhang said.

To guarantee the safety of the palace, festival organizers planning this year’s Lantern Festival event used LED lights rather than traditional paper lanterns and red candles. It’s a     4     (fascinate) event for visitors to absorb     5     (they) in the festive atmosphere in the museum. Discussion of the Palace Museum’s new look lit up social media following Tuesday’s display.

Since Shan Jixiang became director of the Palace Museum, many changes     6     (bring) to the world’s     7     (large) royal complex (建筑群).Once in a speech     8     64-year-old director shared his idea about how to make traditional     9     (treasure) come alive again. “What matters to a museum is not how many visitors they have,     10     how close they are to people’s daily lives,’’ he said.