Poetry is a form of literature that celebrates abstraction and the beauty of words.     1     (write) poetry is thought to have been recorded about 2000 BC with The Epic of Gilgamesh.     2     the poetry of today has transformed in form and function, the root of its purpose can still be found in poets’ desire     3     (explore) the human condition through the power of imagery and metaphor. Poetry has become an underlying source of     4     (relieve) to much of humanity’s existential dilemmas, exploring ideas from within. It sheds light on the beautiful and the ugly     5     tries to understand the function of both.

For these reasons and many others, poetry has been given its own holiday. World Poetry Day     6     (hold) each year on March 21 to celebrate “the unique ability of poetry to capture the     7     (create) spirit of the human mind”. It was founded in 1999 by UNESCO in the hope of promoting poetry     8     a way to communicate across borders and cultural differences. Since then, it has achieved just that. The event is celebrated around the world in different forms of readings and ceremonies,     9     (honor) poets of high achievements. All in all, it is a day dedicated to poetry: an art form that     10     (exist) for centuries and continues to enrich our understanding of the human condition to this day.

During the 2023 Spring Festival Gala, an acrobatics how titled “Me and Grandpa Walking on Stilts” impressed global audiences. With children    1     (show) off their stilt-walking skills, the show definitely brought the joyful atmosphere to the world.

Stilts walking, or Cai Gao Qiao in Chinese, is a popular traditional folk performance often    2     (see) during the Spring Festival. It often appears at circuses or parades across China,    3    has the meaning of standing tall and having one step up in the new year.

Stilts walking has a long history in China and has been listed    4    a national intangible cultural heritage.    5    is believed that the practice started with ancient Chinese people using stilts to harvest fruits on trees and for fishing in ponds. Later, the practical use of stilts     6     (transform) into an art form with brightly-colored costumes, make-up, and even acrobatic moves.

The stilts are mostly made of wood with    7    support point in the middle partition (隔板)    8    can be used as a standing platform by the performers. Stilt walking requires a high degree of skill land the walkers must be brave enough to get around with merely two thin sticks tied to their    9     (foot). They need to practice a lot to learn to be steady while walking and to perform more beautiful movement patterns, they need to be even more     10     (exceptional) skillful.

The Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo, once struggling to sustain its     1     (survive), has undergone a remarkable turnaround. It has become a popular destination     2     visitors can glimpse diverse animals and appreciate the beauty and significance of life.

The man behind     3     U-turn is Shen Zhijun, an animal welfare advocate. Last August, Shen took to the Internet     4     (publicize) his decade-long reform efforts—a comprehensive campaign transforming the conventional zoo into a conservation-focused sanctuary (保护区). During his 30-minute speech     5     (title) A Zoo’s Pursuit, Shen showcased the successful changes that he had performed.

After witnessing the helpless and hopeless expressions of the animals, Shen’s team set about making changes.     6     (initial), they removed animal shows, which traditionally serve as the financial backbone of zoos. Subsequently, they transformed the park’s landscape, cleverly using the     7     (exist) mountainous terrain of Hongshan to reproduce the natural habitats of animals in the wild. Plus, they introduced “multi-level villas” where animals belonging to the same ecological zone but not occupying the base of the food chain can     8     (house) together, based on their ecological and geographical distribution.

This zoo has emerged     9     the most animal-friendly zoo in China. Striking a balance between respecting animals’ dignity and providing visitors with enjoyable experiences is a challenging task,     10     Shen’s team has successfully achieved it.

Sichuan Cuisine and Hunan Cuisine are both known for their hot flavors, which might appear similar at first sight. That’s why Americans are pretty confused about how they are different.

This confusion has its roots in how Hunan food     1     (introduce) to the American public. According to Kian Lam Kho, the author of Chinese food blog Red Cook, a group of Chinese chefs are said     2     (train) in both Hunan and Sichuan Cuisines in 1945. When they later     3     (seek) opportunities in the United States, they brought Hunan and Sichuan Cuisines to New York,     4     these two cooking styles were adjusted to suit local tastes.

As Kho puts     5    , these two cuisines offer different flavors. Sichuan Cuisine is characterized by the use of Sichuan peppercorns (花椒粒), which provide     6     unique numbing feeling. Hunan Cuisine, on the other hand, is famous for its bold and burning flavors, which features the     7     (combine) of fresh chilies (辣椒) and garlic to create a powerful and intense spicy taste.     8     Sichuan Cuisine, Hunan Cuisine does not typically include the numbing sensation of Sichuan peppercorns.

“It is amazing     9     distinct Hunan cooking is compared to its confusing Sichuan cousin. It is truly worthwhile to seek out restaurants or cookbooks that     10     (faith) capture Hunan flavors in their menus or recipes.” Kho notes.

Cheng Yuyan never expected that the interest group “We Love Strolling in the Park”,     1     she casually created four years ago on Douban, a Chinese social media platform, would now approach 100,000 members.

According to     2     225-year-old from Shanghai, establishing this group was just a spur-of-the-moment decision,     3     she didn’t invest much time in managing it afterwards. However, park enthusiasts from all over China and even overseas have spontaneously made     4     their gathering community. People share park experiences, post photos     5    (take)in parks, and offer recommendations and reviews about parks.

Within this group, there is a tag called”20 minutes for parks”, which     6    (come) from a theory originating from the International Journal of Environmental Health Research. According to the theory,     7    (spend)20 minutes in a park daily helps to reduce stress, regardless of     8     people exercise in it or simply take a walk.

Huang Bingbing, living in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, is an enthusiastic     9    (support) of this idea. “On that patch of grass, I could connect with living plants and animals, allowing me to refresh my mind and heal     10     the stresses of the workplace,” Huang said.

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.

Dunhuang is famous for its ancient Mogao Caves,     1     treasure house of Buddhist art and texts. Over the past 30 years, the concept of Digital Dunhuang     2     (emerge).

Digital Dunhuang involves the use of modern technology such as 3D scanning and virtual reality (VR) to create digital copies of the caves and their     3     (price) contents. By doing so, it breaks     4     geographical barriers and allows people from anywhere to experience the beauty of these artworks without physically being there.

One notable project within Digital Dunhuang is the creation of a virtual library where     5     (scan) Buddhist texts are stored and can be accessed online. This not only aids in the     6     (preserve) of the delicate documents but also facilitates research and education globally.

Furthermore, the VR headset offers such an authentic scene of the cave     7     users can have a close-up view of the wall paintings and sculptures. This technology even permits a behind-the-scenes look at restoration efforts,     8     (develop) an understanding of the challenges faced in protecting these ancient wonders.

In essence, Digital Dunhuang is a proof of     9     cutting-edge technology can serve as a powerful tool for cultural conservation. It provides a bridge between ancient history and the modern world, ensuring that the legacy of Dunhuang remains alive and accessible for generations     10     (come).

Nowadays thanks to the Internet, modern pets are getting online. It sounds crazy, but about 17 percent of British pets have their own social media accounts!

It’s said that your personality     1     (reflect) in your pet. “Dog people” are supposed to be friendly, enthusiastic and loyal, while “Cat people” are introverted, proud and     2     (sense).

The British are well known as a nation of animal lovers. In the UK, 52% of owners describe their pet as their “best friend”,     3     in 2021, 18 million homes had at least one pet, meaning for the first time there were more households with a pet than     4    .

In the 1800s, people started using the word “pet” to describe the emotional connections,     5     they felt to a special animal, and gradually it became     6     (norm) to keep pets indoors. Family pets became more popular as people’s living standards    7     (increase). And by the Victorian era, people kept various animals as their pets. The famous Victorian poet, George Gordon Byron, once owned four pet geese. For the Victorians, cats were feminine and weak. They admired the qualities     8     (associate) with dogs, like self-confidence and loyalty, being strong and unchanging in support of your friends.

    9     (change) continually throughout history, Britain’s relationship with pets, from the manly British Bulldog to funny cat     10     (video) on YouTube, has been quite a journey!

The Monkey King, also     1     (know)as Sun Wukong, is the main character in the traditional Chinese book Journey to the West. The image of the Monkey King has been taken into the     2     (heart) of Chinese people and is one of the important symbols of Chinese culture. Because of his amazing     3     (intelligent), he gains great powers.

The Monkey King is not just a normal monkey. He is a brave, clever, wise and interesting monkey. In fact, he sometimes does not even look like a monkey. This is     4     he can make 72 changes, turning himself     5     different animals and objects.     6     (fight) evil souls, the Monkey King uses a magic stick. Sometimes he can make the stick so small that he can keep it in his ear. At other times, he is able to make it big and long. The Monkey King’s image appears     7     (frequent) in Chinese culture, not only in literary work,     8     in different entertainment forms, such as movies, TV shows, cartoons, and games.

Chinese children are excited when they see him. They are also interested in reading about him because the clever Monkey King keeps fighting to help     9     weak and never gives up. Sun Wukong has become a classic image in Chinese culture. His image     10     (represent) the spirit of courage and never giving up. At the same time, the story of Sun Wukong also inspires people to have the courage and wisdom to face all kinds of challenges and difficulties in life.

Stretching from east to west for over 60 kilometers, Songshan Mountain is acclaimed in folklore (民俗学) as the “origin of all mountains”. Its well-preserved angular rock shapes     1    (form) by three violent movements in the earth’s crust, and the most recent happened 570 million years ago,     2     the Himalayas and the entire Qinling Range were submerged under the sea.

However, it is the 1,529-year-old Shaolin Temple,     3    (locate) in a mountain forest near Dengfeng, and its style of kung fu that have left the biggest impression on the world. Today, Shaolin Temple attracts     4    (rough) 7 million Chinese and international tourists and martial arts enthusiasts every year.

While the area is famous around the world for Shaolin Kung Fu, it is also becoming known for other cultural     5    (aspect) including Chan Wu Yi, which combines Zen meditation, kung fu and traditional Chinese medicine, and has been promoted by Master Shi Dejian for 30 years.

In 1994, Master Shi Dejian, under the     6    (guide) of his teacher, started the restoration of the academy’s damaged buildings     7    (study) and promote Chan Wu Yi. Eleven years later, with Shi Dejian     8    (work) as its director, the Songshan Chan Wu Yi Research Institute was established. “It has become     9     normal part of our lives to practise internal cultivation, and     10     can be said that Chan Wu Yi is our basic way of life.” he said.