The Chinese New Year is now     1     (wide) known as the Spring Festival because it starts from the beginning of Spring.     2     (it) origin (起源) is too old to be known. Several explanations are hanging around. But all agree that the word Nian, which     3     modern Chinese means “year”, was originally the name of a monster beast     4     started to eat people the night before the beginning of a new year.

One legend goes that the beast Nian had a very big mouth that would swallow a great many people with one bite. People were very     5     (frighten). One day,     6     old man came to help them, offering to subdue (制伏) Nian. He told people     7     (put) up red paper decorations on their windows and doors at each year’s end to scare away Nian in case it came back again, because red was the color the beast feared the most.

Today, the custom of putting up red paper and setting off fire-crackers     8     (be) still around.     9     , people have long forgotten why they are doing all this, except that they feel the color and the sound add to the     10     (excite) of the celebration.

Over 180 North American teenagers and university students have participated in a “cloud dialogue”, learning about the legendary Sanxingdui Ruins in China.

Named “Night at Sanxingdui Museum”, the one-hour online event targets foreign youth     1     are learning the Chinese language     2     are interested in Chinese culture.

    3     the help of 3D technology, the event presented various kinds of cultural relics in the Sanxingdui Museum, including the Bronze Standing Figure, Bronze Sacred Tree, and Gold Mask.

Xu Danyang, a 27-year-old archaeologist who was in charge of the excavation of a sacrificial pit in the Sanxingdui Ruins site,     4     (introduce) the cultural relics’ characteristics and historical background, as well as the excavation process via live-streaming. He also answered questions     5     (raise) by the curious participants. The participants also engaged in     6     interactive activity to restore and decorate the cultural relics and craft their own     7     (create) works.

Discovered in the late 1920s, the Sanxingdui Ruins have been called one of the world’s greatest archaeological     8     (discovery) of the 20^th century.     9     (cover) 12 square kilometers, the ruins are located in the city of Guanghan in Sichuan. They     10     (believe) to be remains of the Shu Kingdom, which survived for over 2,000 years. The ruins date back at least 4,800 years.

The Statue of Liberty,     1     internationally-known symbol of freedom that     2     (complete) in 1886, is certainly an impressive structure. The statue is of a woman     3     is wearing long, flowing robes. On her head, she has a crown of seven spikes that represent the seven     4     (ocean) and the seven continents. The statue     5     (weigh) 450,000 pounds and is 152 feet high.     6    , the statue appears much larger because it stands on a pedestal that is about 150 feet high. In her raised right hand, the woman holds a 12-meter torch, which stands for light and freedom. In her left hand, she     7     (carry) a tablet (书板) with the date “July 4, 1776”, which is the birthday of the country, written     8     its cover. At her feet lie     9     (break) chains, which symbolize an escape to freedom. The Statue of Liberty is an     10     (amaze) monument.

Bridges made out of living roots of trees have been put forward for UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

The root bridges are in the Meghalaya region of northeast India. The region gets    1    lot of rainfall and is one of the    2     (wet) areas on Earth, which creates lots of lakes rivers and waterfalls,    3    (make) it difficult to build roads. However, for hundreds of years the local Khasi people have been trying    4     (they) best to grow root bridges across rivers and streams to make it easier for them to move around the area.

The bridges    5     (build) by stretching the roots of living trees over the river and winding them around bamboo structures to guide them in the right    6     (direct). The roots can take up to 20 years    7     (grow) into a complete bridge.

The India government has suggested Meghalaya’s root bridges should be added     8    the UNESCO World Heritage List. This means they will get special recognition-just like Egypt’s pyramids or the Great Barrier Reef in Australia-    9    should attract more tourist and money to the area.

Morningstar Khongthaw from Meghalaya said, “We want to spread this knowledge so that future    10     (generation) will benefit.”

By drawing patterns on the surface of a cup of tea, chabaixi, an ancient Chinese tea trick     1     (display) in a recent TV drama, has become a hit for its apparent similarity with modern latte(拉花) art. However, ten years ago this technique was close     2     disappearing completely.

Chabaixi can create endless patterns such as bamboos and mountains or even calligraphy. There are over a dozen     3     (step), from grinding (碾碎) tea for fine powder, to pouring boiled water,     4     (stir) the mixture for thick froth, and finally drawing the patterns. It is different from making latte because people use clear water as the object to put into the cup instead of milk. When the water     5     (touch) the surface of whipped (起泡沫的) tea, it will turn into a white color and disappear in 20 minutes. The process before the drawing is known as the tea-making technique, diancha. The quality of diancha is crucial to whether patterns can be     6     (success) produced later.

The technique     7     (list) as part of China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2017, after it was recovered by Zhang Zhifeng, a practitioner of chabaixi. He started researching the origins of chabaixi in the 1980s and brought the technique back in 2009 after decades of trials and practice. “Chabaixi is one of the countless forms of tea-making techniques in China. Not only is this technique unique in the world     8     it gives us a window into people’s lifestyle in the Song Dynasty when leisure activities in some ways were similar to     9     we have now,” Zhang said. “This technique is key to the tea culture of the Song Dynasty, and it would be     10     shame to let it fade. This technique must be passed on to the next generations so they can understand its history. ”

A comics exhibition     1    (launch) in Sydney on Wednesday, offering glimpses of the city of Chengdu, capital of southwest China’s Sichuan Province, and the Chinese animation industry.

The     2    (fascinate) Comics 2022-Chengdu Excellent Cartoon and Animation Works Exhibition, co-hosted by the China Cultural Center in Sydney and Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Culture, Broadcast-TV and Tourism,     3    (present) more than 80 original artworks from Chengdu.

Through different types of artistic     4    (approach), the exhibition showcased posters of Chinese animated productions and original selections     5    (feature) Chengdu’s culture, food and landmarks, such as panda, hotpot and the West Pearl Tower. Many artists also shared their     6    (enthusiastic) for Chinese mythology, literature and martial arts in their designs.

“Chengdu is known as ‘    7    capital of animation’ in China. Many artists and production houses are committed     8    integrating traditional Chinese culture with modern art,     9    develops products with original IP,” said Xiao Xiayong, director of the China Cultural Center in Sydney. As 2022 coincides with the 100th anniversary of Chinese animation development, the exhibition will become a platform where both countries can be     10    (mutual) supportive and improve the animation industry together.

Music is one of the first things you think of when someone mentions Brazil. It is everywhere from the bars, restaurants, beaches to sporting events, businesses, homes and even the mountains. Brazilian music is a     1     (practice) way of keeping many of the significant historical moments alive, as well as     2     amazing means of passing traditions down through the generations.

All family     3     (celebrate) focus on music. It is always a part of carnivals and religious services. It     4     (use) to reflect the heart of the people and often tells a story or shows important events. The words speak to the history and soul of the people,     5     (express) the desire for freedom and love. Some even mention those things key     6     survival such as food, water and weather.

Bringing together the styles of many different backgrounds, Brazil has created a unique sound     7     (recognize) worldwide. The African influence is easily seen in the Brazilian drum music called Sambass,     8     is a mixture of bass (低音) with various drumbeats and rhythms. The folk music of the native people is mixed with a more modern sound     9     (create) Brazilian pop music.

Music is     10     (definite) an essential part of the Brazilian culture.