Do you have any idea of New Year paintings?     1    (know) as “paper paintings” and “painted pictures”, New Year paintings are a special art form in Chinese folk culture. Without New Year paintings, our traditional Chinese folk culture would be much less     2    (color). The paintings get such a name because they are     3    (most) posted during the Chinese New Year holiday for     4    (decorate) and they are also accepted as a symbol of New Year’s greetings.

NewYear paintings appeared around the Tang Dynasty,     5    (replace) the previous door pictures believed to be able to protect the residents and drive away ghosts. In the Song Dynasty the New Year paintings     6    (create) on a large scale (规模).    7     the printing techniques improving, the content and forms of New Year paintings became various. The development of the paintings matured (成熟) in the Ming and Qing Dynasties,     8    the art reached its golden age.

There are many     9    (tradition) printing methods of New Year paintings, including woodblock printing, stone-block printing, offset printing, watercolor painting, etc.    10     is reported, woodblock-printed New Year paintings are the most popular and interesting ones, according to a recent survey.

2 . Specialists(专家) say that it is not easy to get used to life in a new culture. “Culture shock(文化冲击)” is the _______ these specialists use when talking about the _______ that people have in a _______ environment. “There are three stages of culture shock”, say the specialists. In the first stage, the new comers like their new environment. Then, when the _______ experience dies, they begin to _______ the city, the country, the people, and everything else. In the last stage, the new comers begin to adapt to their surroundings and, as a result, enjoy their life _______ .

There are some obvious factors in culture shock. The weather may be unpleasant. The _______ may be different. The public service systems—the telephone, the post office, or the transportation—may be difficult to _______. The most simple things seem to be big problems. The language may be _______ .

Who feels culture shock? Everyone does in this way or that. ________ culture shock surprises most people. Very often the people having the worst culture shock are those who ________ had any difficulties in their home countries and were ________ in their community(集体). Coming to a new ________ these people find they do not have the same established positions. They find ________ without a role, almost without an identity(身份). They have to ________ a new self-image.

Culture shock gives rise to a feeling of disorientation(迷失方向). This feeling may be homesickness. When homesick, people feel like staying ________ all the time. They want to ________ themselves from the strange environment, and create an escape inside their room for a(n) ________ of safety. This escape does ________ the problem of culture shock in the short term, but it does nothing to make the person familiar with the culture. Getting to know the new environment and ________ experience—these are the long-term solutions to the problem of culture shock.

7 . If you look around your city, you might spot girls wearing hanfu in subways or people wearing T-shirts with Chinese characters on the streets. A new trend is taking hold in China — guochao, or “China-chic”.

The term characterizes the rise of China’s native fashion trends. It has expanded the concept of “Made in China”, which has been recognized as the representation of Chinese culture and aesthetics (美学) offered by homegrown Chinese brands.

China-chic came into the spotlight in 2018. Before that, big-name foreign companies, such as NIKE, ADIDAS and PUMA, dominated the world market. But that year, Chinese sportswear brand Li-Ning changed things up. During the 2018 New York Fashion Week, Li-Ning introduced its Taoism-inspired Wu Dao collection. The collection not only had a trendy look, but also included elements of traditional Chinese culture. It immediately grabbed attention at home and abroad. As a result, the company recorded 20 percent profit growth in 2018, marking the first time the brand’s revenue had hit the 10-billion-yuan mark since its founding.

The trend to embrace domestic brands has since spread rapidly to various sectors and products, from food and drinks to clothing, mobile phones and electric vehicles. For example, White Rabbit, whose sweet candy brings back childhood memories for many, launched its perfume and lip balm. “We want White Rabbit to be a brand that young people want to share,” said Shen Qinfeng, the company’s marketing manager.

Now, the guochao trend is “moving to the next stage, where its success will rely, first and foremost, on gaining cultural confidence rather than Western recognition.” according to Kerra Zhou, founder of brand strategy consultancy Kerrisma. No matter how the guochao trend develops, there’s one thing that won’t change: Behind the craze is people’s positive attitude toward the country’s development and their recognition of growing confidence in national culture, added Zhou.

8 . Think of any objects in your house, meals you eat, or gestures you use, and you’ll find evidence of culture.     1     You should learn more about it and know how you can keep it strong. Here are some tips.

※ Share your culture’s art and techniques.

Each culture has its own clothing, music, visual arts, and many more significant features. Other members of your culture will be overjoyed to share or talk about their interests, what they do for fun, and fine works of art they appreciate. This may include traditional artifacts you can find in a museum, but material culture goes far beyond that.     2    .

※ Cook family recipes(食谱).

It’s never too late to learn some recipes from your grandmother’s cookbook.     3    During the process, you might remember meals from your childhood or festivals. Just reading a recipe can teach you how much ingredients and kitchen tools have changed.

※     4    

Your city or village may have some cultural events, which you should actively participate in. If you don’t know about any in your area, some tribes or ethnic groups in your country almost certainly celebrate major cultural festivals. Travel to these places to get a broader view about your culture.

※ Speak your local dialect.

If you know someone who shares your culture but speaks a native language better than you, ask him or her to teach you. Language is an important part of a culture.     5    Plus, if the language is rare in your area, nobody will be able to understand what you’re talking about.

The Winter Solstice Festival (冬至) is one of the most important     1     (festival) celebrated by the Chinese on or around December 22. As early as 2,500 years ago, China determined the point of the Winter Solstice by     2     (observe) movements of the sun with a sundial (日晷).

The Winter Solstice became a festival during the Han Dynasty. The Han people     3     (regard) the Winter Solstice as a “Winter Festival”, so officials would organize activities. On this day, both officials and common people would have     4     rest. In the Tang and Song dynasties, the Winter Solstice was a day to offer sacrifices (供奉)     5     Heaven and ancestors. The Qing Dynasty even had the record that “the Winter Solstice is as formal as the Spring Festival,” showing the great     6     (important) attached to this day.

The Chinese often celebrate the Winter Solstice Festival together with     7     (they) families.     8     people eat generally depends on where they come from. In some parts of North China, people     9     (traditional) eat dumplings on this day, while in parts of South China, the whole family will get together to have a meal     10     (make) of red-bean and sticky rice to drive away bad things.

Chinese Herbal(草本的) Medicine

Genuine Chinese people have found thousands of plants and herbs associated with the     1    （treat）of diseases, so herbal medicine is really     2    large system. Doctors would analyze their nature or property such as “cold and hot” or “yin and yang”, use all sorts of raw     3    （material）, and mix them to cure disease. Thus it is also different from the western medicine.

About the classification, in the Compendium（纲）of Material Medical by Li Shizhen in the Tang Dynasty （618-907）, there are 1892 types     4    （record）. Today we can     5    （brief）divide them into roots, rhizome(根茎), leaf, flower, seeds, grass, vines（藤蔓）, and so on.

Of course these raw（生的） herbs cannot be eaten when put before you; they need your own hand to prepare.     6       patients take is decoction（煎汁）of the herbs.

The quality is concerned     7     the decocting jar, quantity of water, and the frequency of decoction. Doctors suggest that water amount       8    （control）according to the nature of absorbing. Because the herbs bought from the chemist’s are usually dry, most of     9     need to be immersed into the water for 1-3 hours before decocting. The effect after 2 or 3 times’ decoction is     10    （good） than once. The mount patients will take is about 200-300 mi for children and 400-600 ml for adults.