China is one of the earliest countries to adopt coins. The round coin with a square hole, which had been used for more than 2,000 years, had     1     extremely far-reaching impact upon some countries and regions of Asia. Before the     2    (appear) of coins, people bartered (物物交换) trade. For instance, a sheep was traded for a bag of rice. During the Spring and Autumn Period, there appeared copper coins in the shape of a knife, spade and circle but they were     3    (cost) and hard to produce. In the year of 221 BC, with the whole country     4    (unify), Emperor Qinshihuang adopted a round coin with a square hole in the middle as currency. Such coins should be held together by a string and carried     5    . In 621, Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Dynasty adopted coins called Kaiyuan Tongbao. From then on, coins     6    (name) after the dynasty code. This system continued until the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China,     7     is more than 1,000 years.

In the late Northern Song Dynasty, 16 merchants of Sichuan Province     8    (joint) issued the earliest paper currency in China,     9    (make) China the earliest country to use paper currency. Today, ancient Chinese currency     10    (become) a precious collection.

In the ancient Shuowen Dictionary, trust is defined as a combination of sincerity and reliability,     1     (emphasize) the importance of keeping one’s word. This concept was     2     (deep) valued in ancient China, with many proverbs highlighting the significance of integrity in personal and professional relationships. CaoCao, the     3     (rule) of the Wei state during the Three Kingdoms period, embodied (体现) this spirit of trustworthiness, which played a crucial role in his ability     4     (draw) numerous heroes to his side.

During the Three Kingdoms era, a time     5     (mark) by division and conflict among the states of Wei, Shu, and Wu, loyalty was a prized yet rare commodity (商品). Cao Cao’s relationship     6     Guan Yu shows his understanding of trust and respect as foundational     7     (element) of leadership. After capturing Xu Province, Cao Cao encountered Guan Yu. Guan Yu’s surrender (投降) to Cao Cao, under the condition     8     he would leave once he learned of Liu Bei’s whereabouts, presented     9     unique challenge. Cao Cao’s acceptance of these terms, and his subsequent efforts to win over Guan Yu, demonstrate a strategic approach to leadership that     10     (value) talent and honours personal loyalty.

90 percent of the world’s fireworks are produced in China. The biggest importer is the US, which     1     (ship) in more than US $650 million worth in 2021.

The details of fireworks’ invention are lost to history, but     2     folk tale tries to fill in the gap. It goes that monk named Li Tian created fireworks around 1400 years ago by packing gunpowder into bamboo tubes     3     (scare) off evil spirits.

An explosive mixture of gun-powder and chemical compounds (化合物) is     4     makes fireworks flash in pretty colours and fun shapes. The images they make depend on the placement of these compounds inside the shell of the firework. Crowd     5    (favorite) include “comet”, featuring a long trail of sparks; “peony”, a flower-like burst; and “strobe”, which produces a blinking effect.

The single biggest firework shell ever shot was part of a 2020 winter-carnival display in Colorado, US.     6     (weigh) 1268 kilograms, it rose more than a kilometre into the sky     7     bursting, turning the night sky red.

For centuries we had to light firework     8     hand, but since the 1980s, there’s been another option: computer-controlled lighters, which made music at displays more     9     (precise) timed and safer. An even greener alternative recently     10     (adopt) is using drones to trace flashy patterns in the sky. The future of fireworks, like so much else, may be robotic.

Large cloisonne (Jingtailan in Chinese) vases, striking plates and other colorful pieces     1     (display) in Beijing Gongmei Group’s arts-and-crafts factory’s studio near Yonghegong in the capital attract a lot of visitors.

Gaze upon these long enough, and you will be surprised by the     2     (diverse) of distinctive Chinese patterns traced by countless thin golden wires.

“It’s said that there are 108 steps in     3     process of producing cloisonne goods,” says Zhang Yongzhen, the factory’s director,     4     has practiced the craft for four decades. “The traditional handicraft is very complicated. No one can finish the process     5     (complete) by himself or herself. It’s a delicate art that takes dedication to every small step.”

The fundamentals of making cloisonne include     6     (shape) the object’s body; bending and inlaying copper (铜) wires     7     (present) surface patterns; coloring these wires; heating and finally, polishing and gilding (镀金).

Te technique was introduced     8     China in the late 13th century. It’s believed that cloisonne reached its peak and     9     (give) its present Chinese name during Emperor Jingtai in the Ming Dynasty. Lan means blue in Chinese. The craft was     10     (far) developed in the Qing Dynasty, following innovations in copper-smelting techniques.

As one of the major schools of opera in China, the Sichuan Opera has a long history. It     1     (date) back to the end of the Ming Dynasty,     2     there were several different forms of popular theatre in the Sichuan area which gradually developed and combined to emerge as the present Sichuan Opera.

Today’s Sichuan opera is a     3     (relative) recent combination of 5 historic theatre styles. It is characterized by solo singing, skillful acting and incredibly funny     4     (comedy). Performers wear brightly colored costumes     5     move to quick and dramatic music. They move their heads up and down or back and forth in an instant,     6     (change) the thin painted masks over their faces. Their movement is so quick and frequent that you will be left amazed at how they could control the masks so skillfully.

    7     (attract) the audience, Sichuan Opera uses vivid, humorous narration, singing, and actions. Its     8     (perform) is always full of wit, humor, lively dialogues, and     9     (pronounce) local flavors.

Most Sichuan Opera repertoires (轮演剧目) are adapted from the Chinese classical novels, mythologies, legends, and folk tales. Statistics show that     10     total number of Sichuan Opera plays is over 2,000.

Documentary A Hazy Dream World D from Ancient China has been shown on CCTV-9.

The documentary is based on the ancient Chinese literature work The Classic of Mountains and Rivers, or Shan Hai Jing.     1     (consist) of legends, geography, history, astronomy, animals, plants, medicine, religion and other     2     (subject), the book is regarded as an encyclopedia (百科全书) of ancient China.

It is generally believed that the book originating from folk literature that had been passed down orally     3     (write) before the Warring States Period and then     4     (continuous) revised.

Taking “peculiarity (奇)” as its theme, the 8-episode series     5     (describe) several legendary figures, mythical (神话的) animals and their related myths. Having referred     6     other related historical resources, it combines cartoons, dances as well as on-the-spot video shooting with the interpretation of experts,     7     leads audiences into a fanciful world.

In episodes such as Goddess Nüwa Mends the Sky: Where I Came From and Zhulong: God of Time, the documentary discusses some legendary stories     8     (know) to all Chinese people.

Zhang Yiwu, a professor at Peking University, said, “This documentary has made     9     interesting visualized illustration and given a complete introduction of the important Chinese literature work Shan Hai Jing. It also shows CCTV’s great effort     10     (promote) the traditional Chinese culture.”

A piece of fossil sponge (海绵) that formed during the early Cambrian period was recently discovered in Changde, Hunan Province.

The     1     (discover) fossil sponge can date back to 540 million years ago. It ranges around 4 centimeters in     2     (high) and 3.5 centimeters in width. Paleontologist (古生物学家) Zou Hesi told the Global Times that the size is giant for a sponge from that period of time.

“Sponges become bigger and bigger over time; another fossil piece     3     (date) back to around 300 million years ago was also recently discovered in Ireland, for example. It was about 50 centimeters,” Zou told the Global Times. Found near the Cliffs of Moher, the piece     4     (name) as “Cyathophycus balori”. It is so far the largest known fossil sponge in the world.

    5     4-centimeter Chinese piece was unearthed     6     (unexpected) during a field survey that local researchers were conducting in the Taoyuan District, Changde. Tong Guanghui, a research fellow at the Hunan Museum of Geology,     7     (tell) the media that the team found a piece of rock on their way     8     research destination in the town of Sanyanggang.

“So we stopped, and used a geological hammer     9     (examine) the piece. It was unearthed in such a complete condition,     10     made us all thrilled about the discovery,” said Tong.

Giant panda Fu Bao arrived at Chengdu on Wednesday night after being delivered on a chartered flight (包机) from South Korea. The panda is     1     good health and will be subjected to a month-long quarantine (隔离) period until it meets the public again.

In order to welcome Fubao back home, the Shenshuping giant panda base     2     (start) preparations early. Currently, the center has prepared an enclosure, built multiple work teams, and carefully established     3     animal care team including two     4     (experience) keepers. A special seasonal “menu” including fresh bamboo shoots and arrow bamboo shoots has also been     5     (special) prepared.

In order to help Fu Bao readapt to life in his hometown Sichuan, during the one-month quarantine period, two Chinese keepers will remain on call along with Kang Cheol-won, Fu Bao’s breeder (饲养员) in South Korea,     6     accompanied the giant panda on her flight. They will also assist the panda in     7     (overcome) a “language barrier” after Fu Bao returned to China-learning to understand Chinese, especially Sichuan dialect.

As for when “Fu Bao” can     8     (see) by the Sichuan public, expert Zeng Wen from the center said that it is difficult     9     (estimate) at the moment. Based on past experiences, the adaptation period for giant pandas can range from 1-2 months to 7-8 months, or even     10     (long).

Hubei Shennongjia is located in the Shennongjia Forestry District and Badong County in China’s Hubei Province,     1     is on the ecotone (生态过渡带) from the plains and foothill regions of eastern China to the     2     (mountain) region of central China.

The property covers 79,624 hectares and consists     3     two components, the larger Shennongding/ Badong component in the west and the     4     (small) Laojunshan component in the east. A buffer zone of 45,390 hectares surrounds the property. Hubei Shennongjia includes 11 types of vegetation which are characterized by a diversity of altitudinal gradients (海拔梯度). Hubei Shennongjia exhibits     5     (global) impressive levels of species richness. Hubei Shennongjia is one of three centres of biodiversity in China. The site features prominently in the history of botanical research and was the object of international plant     6     (collect) expeditions in the 19th and 20th centuries. Shennongjia has been     7     place of significant scientific interest. From 1884 to 1889 more than 500 new species     8     (record) from the area.

The property     9     (remain) in good condition and threats are generally not of significant concern. However, the     10     (divide) of the site by National Highway 209 and the associated 10 km wide corridor is a cause for concern as it affects wildlife movements and ecological connectivity.

March 8 is International Women’s Day. It’s a time to celebrate women’s achievements, demand equality and fight for basic rights and freedoms.

International Women’s Day takes place every year on 8 March. It is an opportunity to celebrate women’s achievements     1     create positive changes for women and girls. All around the world, people are demanding gender equality and protesting about situations     2     women do not have basic rights and freedoms. International Women’s Day is a time to do this work together.

International Women’s Day started with a protest that     3     (take) place in New York City in 1908. Fifteen thousand women went out onto the streets to demand equal rights and working conditions.    4     particular, they wanted     5     (short) working hours, better pay and the right to vote.

At the International Conference of Working Women in Denmark in 1910, a woman     6     (call) Clara Zetkin proposed the idea of an international day for women. Everyone agreed it was a good idea     7     (make) use of the same day every year to take action for women's rights. The first International Women’s Day happened the     8     (follow) year, in 1911.

    9     (general), people celebrate International Women’s Day in many different ways and for a     10     (various) of reasons, but a common goal is gender equality.