Chinese Loong is the fifth animal of the 12-year Chinese zodiac cycle,     1    (consider) to be mythical and symbolic of fortune. Recently, sales of things with dragon elements have witnessed explosive growth on e-commerce platforms.

Data from an e-commerce platform show that searches     2     dragon-related goods via its online marketplace have reached 23 million.    3     is said that since January, goods with dragon-themed elements, such as daily necessities, alcohol and gold jewelry,     4    (prefer) by consumers.The purchasing excitement is expected to     5    (huge) boost consumer confidence and improve the recovery of consumption．

Purchases by the post-1990s and post-2000s generations accounted for nearly 55%, while consumers in Guangdong province, Beijing, Jiangsu province in that order,     6    (be) the top three spenders on dragon-featured items.Because the dragon is an important symbol of Chinese traditional culture     7     good luck, Chinese consumers are expressing their hopes for     8     better life in the new year.

“Brands should capitalize on traditional Chinese culture to launch more innovative     9    (product),” a research fellow said,     10    (stress) that Spring Festival is the traditional festival Chinese people attach the most importance to, and it’s also a peak season for consumption.

2 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

It took 25 long years, but 52-year-old Xie Kefeng was finally reunited with his son, who had been snatched as a baby. The power of technology,     1    (specific)a facial comparison algorithm played a major role in bringing about the happy outcome.

In 1998, Xie’s wife stepped out of home to buy groceries, leaving their three-month-old second son, Xie Qingshuai, on the bed     2     the door unlocked. When she returned 10 minutes later, the child     3    (disappear). The couple reported the incident to the police, but the child could not be found.

In late November this year, Xie Kefeng received a call from the police informing him that a facial comparison had led to Xie Qingshuai     4    (find). A DNA comparison confirmed that it was indeed his long-lost son.

Xie Qingshuai, who now     5    (prove)outgoing, positive and diligent, was reunited with his family for the first time. Unknown to his family, he had been sold to a couple     6     lived in Xingtai as well. After the man he knew as his father died, his wife remarried and moved away, leaving Xie Qingshuai to be brought up by his adoptive grandparents.

On Sunday, Beijing DeepGlint Technology Co,     7     artificial intelligence technology company, announced that a facial comparison algorithm developed by it had played a vital role in the reunion.

    8    (base)on the principle that facial features among relatives tend to be similar, the company’s algorithm can identify highly relevant potential     9    (match), significantly improving the     10    (efficient)of the search process.

China is a country with a rich cultural heritage (遗产)     1     (stretch) back thousands of years. However, with the passage of time and other factors such as natural disasters and wars, many of its cultural treasures have been damaged or destroyed. In recent years, China has used technology to protect its cultural heritage through digitalization so that it can     2     (preserve) for future generations to enjoy and study.

One of the most notable     3     (example) of China’s digital preservation effort is the Dunhuang Mogao Cave Project, the goal of which is     4     (create) a digital profile of the Mogao Caves with the help of 3D scanning and virtual reality software. Another example is the Palace Museum Project. Through the use of technology, the Palace Museum is now able to showcase the relics to visitors from all around the world     5     risking damage to the precious artworks.

Digital technology has the potential to aid in the restoration of damaged artworks. A 3D printing technology enabled Chinese researchers to recreate the cultural relics, including ancient Buddha statues and     6     bronze (青铜) lion from the Qing Dynasty.

    7     (additional), China’s digitalization of cultural heritage has been instrumental in research and education. The digital achievements have enabled researchers to study the artworks in greater detail     8     ever before.

Digitalization has made cultural heritage more     9     (access) to the public, particularly to people living in rural areas     10     would otherwise be unable to visit these sites in person.

Spring Festival Gala sees viewership rise nearly 13% to 679m

This year’s Spring Festival Gala, a celebration     1     (annual) produced and broadcast by China Media Group (CMG), unfolded on the eve of the Chinese New Year on Friday evening. This occasion signifies a cherished time when Chinese people around the world gather with their     2     (family) to welcome the Chinese New Year, attracting 679 million viewers,     3     15.13 % increase from the previous year.

The gala was also broadcast in about 200 countries in 68 languages,     4       (receive) warm feedback.

This year, the gala, besides Beijing,     5     (have) four branch venues in Shenyang, Liaoning province, Xi’an, Shaanxi province, Changsha, Hunan province, and Kashgar in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Audience enjoyed a     6     (diverse) of local cultural elements from those places, such     7     folk musical instruments and folk dances.

    8     (support) by ultra-high-definition production, the gala was telecast on TV screens, public large screens, and mobile devices.

    9     its inaugural (创始的) broadcast in 1983, the annual CCTV Spring Festival Gala has become an integral part of celebrations in the country to usher (引领) in the Chinese New Year. A major entertainment during Lunar New Year’s Eve, the gala marks the joyous moment     10     families gather together to celebrate the upcoming year.

To my great joy, I have broken away from my bad habit which almost ruined me. Two years ago, I happened to come across Tom,     1     was lost in gambling (赌博). Things of one kind come together. As I was also not interested in schoolwork, we became good friends. Though every day, the teacher assigned us a great deal of homework, we took no notice of it. In the classroom, I couldn’t focus     2     what the teacher taught. As a result, my academic performance was becoming from bad to     3     (bad). As I couldn’t find any fun in school, I played poker whenever I was free. At     4     beginning, we just played for fun, but not soon later, we played for gambling.     5     really made me happy even excited. However, I felt upset because I     6    (lose) quite a little money in the gamble. I began to be worried all the time. My father found     7     happened to me and shouted at me, saying that I would end up in prison     8     I didn’t attempt to leave those who gambled. He tried to persuade me to go back to school and begged my head teacher     9     (help) me with my study.     10     (follow) his advice, I tried to study hard. It seemed as if I never ran out of my energy. Where there is a will there is a way. I became one of the top students in my school.

The audience and viewership for this year’s Spring Festival TV gala, which was aired on Feb 9, Lunar New Year’s Eve or Chinese Lunar New Year, both reached record     1    (high), according to ratings statistics.

    2    (support) by ultra-high-definition production, the gala was telecast on TV screens, public large screens, and mobile devices. A total of 250 million people watched the live streaming of the show via     3    (they) mobile phones with the total views reaching 420 million, up by 37.97 percent and 57.58 percent,     4     (respective), compared with 2023. The China Global Television Network (CGTN) worked with over 2,100 media organizations in about 200 countries and regions to live broadcast or report the show in 68 languages,     5    (result) in over 1.5 billion instances of viewing,    6     increase of 12.69 percent year on year.

This year, the gala, in addition     7    Beijing, had four branch venues. Audience enjoyed a diversity of local cultural elements from those places, such as folk     8     (music) instruments and folk dances.

Since its broadcast in 1983, the annual CCTV Spring Festival Gala     9     (become) an essential part of celebrations in the country to greet the Chinese New Year. As a major entertainment during Lunar New Year’s Eve, the gala marks the joyous moment     10     families gather together to celebrate.

Some people might be of the opinion that heritages    1     (be) not necessary in the modern world. Maybe for some people they aren’t, but for most of us, being able to explore our heritages gives us many    2     (benefit).

Personal heritages can serve as connection with our past. For example, we might have some of the toys that belonged    3    our ancestors. As a part of our families’ heritages, they are important because they tell us where we come from.

It is true that knowing our personal heritage doesn’t    4     (full) define us. However, it can help us find our starting point in life. It can even help us find out the direction in which we wish to go. For example, if we happen to have people in our families    5    have done great things, we might find that we want to further    6     (they) achievements.

Understanding the cultural heritages, such as homegrown music styles, widely    7     (celebrate) festivals and unique cooking methods, allows us    8     (identify) with other communities that have a similar background. Cultural heritages can actually provide us with a sense of belonging and unity within a group. In a sense, the more globalized the world becomes,    9    more important it is not to lose forever these    10     (tradition) roots (根).

Carved out of a rocky hill, the Temple of the Rising Sun had showed the power of Egypt’s greatest pharaoh to the Nubian people in the Upper Nile. Over time, the great temple and the smaller buildings became     1     (cover) in sand for centuries, until     2     (they) rediscovery in 1813.

But just over a century later, the southernmost relics of this ancient human civilization were threatened     3     the rising waters of the Nile following the construction (建造) of the Aswan High Dam. The construction of the Dam was meant to develop agriculture (农业) as well as economy, and led to a global debate     4     has appeared on the front pages of every newspaper in     5     world ever since: Why should people care for ancient stones and buildings when so many people need food?

In an attempt     6     (save) the temples of Egypt, UNESCO said that humanity does not have to sacrifice (牺牲) the past to develop economy in the present. Cultural heritage sites help us understand who we are     7     also mean massive opportunities for development.

The race against time     8     (begin) in 1964, when experts from different    9     (nation) started working together. The whole site was     10     (careful) cut into large blocks, lifted and moved to a new location 65 metres higher and 200 metres back from the river, preserving it for future generations.

Located in the northeast of Zhaoping County, around 200 km away from Guilin, Huangyao Ancient Town boasts a rich history     1     (span) almost 1,000 years. Renowned as one of Guangxi’s most-visited tourist spots, this charming town showcases the region’s characteristic karst landscapes and abundant water resources, offering numerous expansive caves for     2     (explore).

Huangyao Ancient Town, with its thousand-year-old legacy, features majestic mountains     3     (dot) with caves, unique folk houses, delicate pavilions and temples, ancient trees, and stone pathways. Siting amidst steep mountains, the town’s strategic location not only makes it easy     4     (hold) but also poses challenges for potential attackers. As a result, Huangyao has been isolated from the outside world, allowing for the preservation of valuable relics, some of     5     include writings and paintings by distinguished Chinese scholars like Han Yu,       6     poet from the Tang Dynasty, and Liu Zongbiao, a man of letters of Qing Dynasty. Thanks to its isolation, many buildings in Huangyao still remain     7     (changed) in their architectural styles from the Ming and Qing eras. Traditional festivals and customs     8     (observe) for centuries, adding an authentic cultural touch to the town.

A visit     9     Huangyao would be incomplete without sampling its signature local delicacy, Huangyao tofu. This treat coupled with fermented (发酵的) black soybeans, exclusively crafted within the town,     10     (offer) a unique flavor that can’t be missed.

When young urban couples get married, they usually hire a fleet of about 10 cars to escort them and their family to the wedding venue. But one new couple in Dalian, Liaoning province, did something a little different — they     1     (choose) to rent a public bus instead.

    2     (look) back on their wedding day on Oct 5, the bride, Yang Le’er, said she still felt joyful about the bus experience,     3     added special meaning to the wedding.

On their wedding day,     4     red electric bus carried the bride and groom, and the guests to a hotel. “We played festive music along the way, and friends sang along. Even though my parents didn’t sing, they     5     (attract) by the atmosphere and didn’t show the traditional     6     (sad) of a daughter’s marriage,” Yang recalled.

    7     a cost of 10, 000 yuan, which included the decorations, she said getting the bus was     8     (relative) cheaper than hiring a fleet of cars. Besides, using a bus as their wedding car was so much cooler than a luxury car. On the road, they drew a lot of attention. Pedestrians took out their phones     9     (take) pictures and waved at them. When the bridesmaids and groomsmen shouted to passersby that “we’re getting married”, they received smiles and cheers in response.

Song Jian, the head of Dalian Transportation Advertising Co, said the company will explore more creative “theme buses”     10     expand related businesses in the future.