The Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, has been officially listed as a UN floating holiday in its calendar of conferences and meetings as from 2024.

The UN General Assembly, in resolution (决议) , acknowledges the significance of the Lunar New Year, which     1     (observe) in many UN member states and invites the UN bodies at headquarters and other duty stations to avoid holding meetings on the Lunar New Year. The resolution encourages this arrangement     2     (take) into account when future calendars of conferences and meetings are drafted.

Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said the adoption of the resolution     3     Spring Festival featuring family reunion and good wishes for the     4     (come) year has been listed as a UN floating holiday is very meaningful. It not only bears the ideas of the Chinese civilization of peace and harmony but also carries the common values of humanity like     5     (harmony) family, social inclusion (认同感) and sound relationship between man and nature.

The resolution serves     6     a showcase of the influence of Chinese civilization and aims to enhance interactions between diverse     7     (civilization) worldwide. “It also reflects the values of diversity and inclusion     8     (promote) by the United Nations,” he said.     9     listing of Spring Festival as a UN holiday was     10       (wide) welcomed among member states and staff members of the UN Secretariat, Dai added.

Humans successfully reached the top of the world, Mount Qomolangma, for the first time in 1953. On May 23, 70 years later, a Chinese expedition team reached its peak and     1     (carry) out scientific research, which celebrated the historical adventure. The journey to the top is     2    (extreme) dangerous and takes both bravery and good physical health     3    (complete). Climbers fight against the harsh (恶劣的) environment and go beyond     4     (they) limits.

The main reason why scientists fearlessly continue this climb to the top can be the rich information that Mt Qomolangma provides. Due to its biodiversity, it can     5     (see) as a “micro Earth”. The drop in altitude (海拔) from the top is huge, forming     6     wide range of climates and creating its own ecosystem. Also, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (青藏高原),    7    Mt Qomolangma is located, is an important ecological resource.

“The expedition has transformed from ‘I want to conquer you’ to ‘I want to understand you’,” said Yao Tandong, team     8     (lead) of the expedition. The scientists’ work was beyond     9     (collect) samples. Advanced equipment like drones (无人机) and 3D laser scanning, was used to better monitor pollutants and changes in glaciers. With those new technologies, the expedition resulted     10     important international influence.

Learning Chinese calligraphy was listed as one of the must-do things when I     1     (come) to China. Now, I’m in the course of learning this unique art,     2     value is considered very high in China, even across East Asia today. It is not only     3     ancient artistic form of human language, but it also reflects Chinese traditions.

As a person who paints, draws, and loves all     4     (create) things, at first, I assumed I would be rather good at Chinese calligraphy. But I was     5     (total) wrong. I have no idea about the different     6     (type) of calligraphy and the meaning hidden behind each one. Also, I have to hold the brush in a very special way. I need to be very     7     (care) when changing the angle or direction of the brush, especially if I press too hard     8     the paper.

After     9     (take) the lesson, I now understand the difficulty of calligraphy and that it will take efforts     10     (master) this art form. Yet, I am grateful to learn such a special Chinese tradition.

The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year    1     24 solar terms. Winter Solstice (冬至) comes as the 22nd solar term of the year. On the first day of the Winter Solstice, the Northern Hemisphere experiences the    2     (short) day and the longest night in the year, as the sun shines directly at the Tropic of Capricorn (南回归线). From then on, the days become longer and the nights become shorter. The Winter Solstice also marks the    3     (arrive) of the coldest season in the year.

There was     4     saying in ancient China, “The Winter Solstice is as important as the Spring Festival.” As early as the Zhou Dynasty, great events    5    (hold) on the day of the Winter Solstice,     6     was also considered the first day of the new year.

The Winter Solstice became a winter festival during the Han Dynasty. The celebratory activities were    7     (official) organized. On this day, both officials and ordinary people would have a rest. During the following dynasties, such as the Tang, Song and Qing dynasties, during the Winter Solstice, it was also common for people    8     (offer) sacrifices (祭品) to ancestors.

In the winter, people suggest    9     (eat) an appropriate amount of nuts, such as peanuts, walnuts and chestnuts, which does good to one’s body. Traditional Chinese medical science teaches people that most nuts help to    10     (strength) the brain and heart. During the Winter Solstice in North China, it is essential to eat dumplings.

When foreigners come to China, they may be surprised at Chinese’s special     1     (prefer)for seals(印章). To Chinese, seals are an art of deep cultural roots,     2     combines both calligraphy and sculpture(雕刻) and inspires generations to study, to appreciate and to collect.

It is believed     3     seals appeared as early as 8, 000 years ago. People at that time tried to make marks on       4     (they) own objects to prevent them from     5     (steal). When the first dynasty     6     (establish), the king began to use seals to show royal power. And only the king’s special seal was then called “Xi”,     7     (stand) for the highest authority. The first emperor of China, Qinshihuang, had his “Xi” made out of a kind of jade called “Heshi Bi.”     8     (similar), the local governments also needed to use seals     9     a powerful symbol. Meanwhile, private seals were carved     10     variety of lucky characters and vivid animal patterns. As a result, the sphragistics(印章学) came into being.

A group of 11 children from Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in South China, fearlessly embarked on an     1     (education) trip to Harbin. Dressed in orange coats, they     2     (refer) to as the “little tangerines (砂糖橘)”,     3     the oldest just six and a half years old and the youngest only three years and five months old. The nickname symbolizes both     4     (they) cute orange outfits and Guangxi’s prominent citrus production.

Wherever they travelled, they were     5     (warm) embraced and showered with affection by the locals. In Harbin, they tasted the local food and watched a fireworks display amid     6     snowy landscape. The lead teacher of their tour confirmed their     7     (arrive) in Mohe,     8    a local travel agency welcomed the tour group. At the northernmost police outpost of China, they     9     (sing) the national anthem and saluted the border guards,     10     (mark) an important part of their trip.

One day a young man was walking along the road     1     he heard a cry. It seemed to be coming from underneath a bridge. As he got closer, the cry got louder and then he saw     2     surprising sight. There,     3     (lie) in the muddy riverbed, was a little dog about two months old. whose front legs were tightly ted with ropes. It had wounds on its head and was covered with mud.

The young man wanted to help the dog,     4     as he walked closer, the dog started to bark. The young man did not give up. He sat down and started     5     (gentle) talking to the dog. It took a long time but finally the dog     6     (stop) barking and the man was able to touch it. The young man carried the dog home, focused     7     its wounds, and gave it food and water. Even with all of these, the dog was still     8     (friendly) every time the young man approached. But the young man did not give up. Several     9     (week) went by and the man continued attending to the dog. Then one day, as the young man approached, the dog wagged its tail.

It was true love and kindness     10     won a lifelong friendship of trust and loyalty.