Following the tradition of wearing new clothes for the Chinese New Year, hanfu, or traditional Chinese clothing,     1     (experience) substantial growth recently. The horse face skirt is particularly popular for     2     (it) combination of traditional and modern elements, especially among young Chinese.

During the Spring Festival, many performers and tourists in Luoyang, Henan province, showcased the horse face skirts. Gorgeous hanfu shows in Caoxian county, Shandon g province, one of the major hanfu production bases in China, highlighted the     3     (elegant) of the long tradition of Chinese clothing.

Consumers expressed their desire     4     (promote) traditional Chinese culture as hanfu styles become     5     (common).

The sales of horse face skirts are booming,     6     (lead) production enterprises to optimize (优化) processes to meet demand.     7     annual sales surpassing (超过) 7 billion yuan, the sales of new year’s clothes for the Year of the Dragon,     8     (primary) horse face skirts, exceeded 300 million yuan in Caoxian county.

Additionally, local companies are dedicating efforts to     9     production and development of more Chinese-style clothing fabrics. The new trend of Chinese-style fashion,     10     was led by horse face skirts, is gaining popularity among overseas consumers as well.

It is no secret that China has an incredibly rich, complex and ancient history and culture. My first     1     (expose) to Chinese culture came totally by chance. At 8, I walked into a bookshop and picked a book from one of the     2     (shelf). Nevertheless, the book turned out to be the “Tao Te Ching”, a deeply philosophical book of Taoism. As an 8-year-old, the book’s content was     3     (obvious) lost on me, but it provided me with an early connection to a profound philosophical tradition by       4     I am still influenced today. At school I began studying Chinese. My interest in the language developed early on,     5    (combine) my love of travelling with my love of meeting new people.

Culture and food are closely connected and perhaps nowhere else can this be seen more clearly     6     in China. In recent years there     7    (be) a rise in restaurants offering a variety of foods here. I have introduced many of my friends to Chinese history and culture through a     8    (share) love of food.

    9     is safe to say that my journey has only just begun. These first steps are only a drop in the ocean of lifelong learning, but as the Chinese philosopher Laozi said, “A journey of a thousand miles     10     (begin) with a single step.”

Not long ago, China’s traditional tea-making techniques and their associated social practices successfully     1     (become) a UNESCO’s latest World Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

“Stove-boiled tea,” a new way of drinking tea, has recently gained     2     (popular) in China. The process of drinking tea has     3     sense of ritual (仪式) and becomes a new favorite of young people.

    4     (general) speaking, the process of boiling tea on a stove consists of highly roasting tea leaves before brewing them, sometimes with rosebuds    5     sweet osmanthus (桂花), in a pot over a charcoal-filled stove. The art of boiling tea is a time-consuming process     6     requires constant attention to the temperature in order to properly “cook” it. People sit around the stove and have snacks such as fruits, nuts, and desserts with their hot tea. People also post their moments of stove-boiled tea while     7     (wear) traditional Hanfu in these ancient teahouses.

Similar     8     other trending lifestyles such as cycling and camping, “stove-boiled tea” reflects young people’s desire     9     (escape) from cities in order to embrace the nature and experience a peaceful mind.

“Stove-boiled tea” is also a latest “Guo Chao” or “National Trend” to blend Chinese cultural elements into people’s     10     (day) lives.

China’s first overpass for wildlife migration has already come into use. The bridge     1     (lie) over the newly constructed National Highway 214 is able to link animal habitats which are separated     2     the road.     3     (cover) with sand-much like the surrounding land, the overpass can fit in with the environment well.

It has been about two years since the national highway     4     (begin) and it was designed with environmental protection as a top priority. A project environmental engineer for the highway said the construction of these man-made corridors (通道)     5     (base) on years of observation of wildlife migration in the region. The bridge, for example, is built according to the region’s natural conditions and with     6     purpose of reducing the highway’s effect on the animals significantly. Wildlife overpasses and underpasses assist animals       7     (safe) crossing over or under busy roadways and allow them to continue to use their customary paths,     8     would otherwise be blocked.

Those passageways,with a total     9     (long) of 59 kilometers, enable antelopes and other animals to cross the railway freely. So far, China has put great effort into achieving     10     (harmony) coexistence between human development and the protection of wildlife. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the world’s highest railroad, has 33 underpasses for migrating animals.

In China, even for the most accomplished chefs, cooking     1     (involve) improvising with the ingredients (原料) on hand: feel and taste. For the Chinese, the idea of exact time and amounts in cooking is an alien concept. In fact, times and measuring cups won’t be found in a traditional Chinese kitchen. Nor will a Chinese cook asked     2     he or she makes a particular dish respond with clear     3     (quantity) of ingredients and an exact cooking time, for such concrete instructions are almost not     4     (exist) in the world of Chinese cuisine.

    5     (make) Chinese food can be very time consuming. One reason is     6     the preparation before the actual cooking takes time, as ingredients for the same dish are     7     (typical) cut into uniform shapes, and preferably into bite-sized pieces. Chinese cooking employs different methods according to the nature of the ingredients, the length of cooking time, and the degree of heat. The major     8     (emphasize) , though, is on enhancing the natural flavor of ingredients, as well as retaining nutrients.

Almost every Chinese kitchen has     9     bamboo steamer. In this method, foods are put in the steamer above boiling water. This technique preserves the colors, ‘flavors, and nutrients of the food. A good cook knows which techniques to use     10     (combine) the natural flavors of the ingredients for the best taste and nutrition.