feather fan                       round silk fan                                folding fan

Last year, I went to Italy as an exchange student. Before     1     (leave), I asked my mother what gifts I should choose for the teachers and the students there. Mom said that the Chinese fan was a good choice, because it is an     2     (importance) part of Chinese culture.

I went shopping and bought three kinds of Chinese fans.     3     first kind was the feather fan for the teachers,     4     was made of bird feathers. The fans I     5     (buy) for the girls were silk fans. They are also called “round silk fans”. The silk fans show paintings of beautiful women, birds or flowers. They are very popular     6     women of all ages. As for the boys, I     7     (pick) the folding fans from Rongchang, a place in the west of Chongqing. The folding     8     (fan) are made of paper and bamboo and there are great paintings and calligraphy (书法) on them.

At the welcoming party in Italy, my new teachers and classmates were all     9     (excite) to get the wonderful fans. And they were even more excited after learning about the stories and culture behind     10     (they).

I’m happy you would like to learn about the Dragon Boat Festival as it is one of my favorite festivals.

Best wishes.

Yours

Li Hua

Glad to know that you’re interested in the Chong Yang Festival in China. I’d like to share something about it with you.

All the best,

Li Hua

In Beijing this weekend, several young ladies in flowing clothes became the center of attention. They invited passers-by     1     (complete) ancient Chinese poems written on a board, and people     2     made it would get a flower. The ladies are hanfu lovers from a club whose aim is to spread the culture of hanfu, a style of clothing     3     (traditional) worn by the Han people. “We     4     (hold) several similar events recently in some big cities,” said Fu Jiamei, one of the activity’s     5     (organizer). “We hope that more people will understand the beauty of hanfu and the culture behind it,” she added.

“The growing popularity of hanfu     6     the young people comes from their increasing interest in traditional Chinese culture and     7     (they) desire to wear something Chinese to show their cultural identity,” said Gao Wenjing,     8     expert at Tsinghua University Art Museum. Gao believes that many young people love hanfu as a result of increased cultural     9     (confident), while the love for hanfu, in turn, helps them to learn more about Chinese culture and history. “This is     10     (meaning),” she said.

7 . On May 4, Fan Jinshi donated 10 million yuan to set up the Fan Jinshi Education Fund. Fan is ______ as a famous archaeologists (考古学家) in China, and her ______ will support further research into Dunhuang.

All people present were ______ by her love for Dunhuang. Fan Jinshi, also ______ as “the Daughter of Dunhuang”, ______ from Peking University and then ______ for the Northwest Desert. Since then, she has ______ herself to protecting the caves in history.

Fan used ______ technologies to protect the caves, and now Dunhuang ______ tourists from around the world.

Today, Fan is still trying to promote talks and ______ between Peking University and the Dunhuang School.

Fan said, “Though now I work, I am a student of Peking University, and I was able to ______ to the caves in Dunhuang. I hope that the fund can help ______ the Dunhuang studies of Peking University.”

The fund ______ Fan’s prize money and her savings. She believes in taking money from the right place and spending it in a ______ way to ensure that it is used for the benefit of society.

Fan Jinshi’s speech ______ so many people, and the research on Chinese archaeology will continue developing.

10 . British Tea Culture

Tea was first introduced to Great Britain from China in the 1600s and in the centuries since the British tea culture has been going strong.

British-style Tea

For everyday tea, the British simply boil water and pour the water over a tea bag in a cup. After the tea brews for a few minutes, the tea bag is removed. Fresh milk and sugar are usually added. Biscuits or cake may be eaten with tea.

The British prefer various types of black tea. Brands like Twinings, Tetley, and Lipton are popular in the world tea market.

Formal Tea

For a formal tea, tea sets made of fine bone china or silver are used. The set includes a teapot, cups and saucers, a creamer for holding milk, and a sugar bowl. All are cried on a tray. All the pieces of a proper English tea set have a matching pattern.

Elevenses

“Elevenses” refers to a snack consisting of tea or coffee and a finger food like biscuits or cake. It is taken mid-morning so the name refers to the time of day (11:00 am).

Afternoon Tea

Afternoon tea is a light meal served with tea in the late afternoon. It began among wealthy women in the 1840s, but it soon spread to hotels, tea rooms, and tea gardens across Great Britain. The food served typically includes small sandwiches and sweets. A formal afternoon tea has fancy desserts presented on tiered stands.