Thirty Buddhist cultural relics have been returned to the Chinese mainland     1     Taiwan.

Most of the relics were believed to     2     (steal) from Shanxi province before being taken overseas. They were transferred to the National Cultural Heritage Administration on Monday,     3     (mark) the largest return of lost relics to the mainland from Taiwan in recent years.

Thirteen of the returned pieces, including the heads of broken Buddhist images and painted sculptures of Buddha,     4     (show) at the National Museum of China on Monday.

In March 2016, Hsing Yun, the     5     (found) of the United Association of Humanistic Buddhism association, and his followers escorted (护送) the lost head of a 6th-century Buddhist stat ue to Beijing and donated it back to the mainland. At the donation ceremony in 2016,     6     was also held at the National Museum of China, Hsing Yun promised     7     (bring)more lost items back.

He died about a year ago.

“Hsing Yun established     8     outstanding example for people to safeguard Chinese cultural relics,” Sun Yeli, minister of culture and tourism, said at the museum on Monday. “Again, we see his unfulfilled wish get realized.”

Sun said comprehensive studies of the relics will be soon launched. Related exhibitions will also be organized to allow people on     9     sides of the Strait to benefit from the fruits of the joint protection of cultural relics.

“Cultural communication has always played an     10     (extreme) crucial role in enhancing people-to-people connectivity across the Strait and strengthening our links,” Sun said.

Though Peking Opera and English don’t     1     (normal) go together, they fit together like a dream. They have made up the best     2     (moment) of my life.

After     3     (win) a prize at the age of 10, I went on to win the Silver Award for the National Children’s Peking Opera Contest on CCTV Channel 11. I delivered     4     impressive performance of qingyi, the graceful female role in     5     (tradition) Chinese drama. It was by singing Peking Opera in English     6     I won the judges over and got into the final round of the     7     (compete).

I’m proud that Peking Opera and English come together in my life,     8     brings me the dream to introduce Chinese culture to the world by performing Peking Opera in English. With this dream in my heart, singing Peking Opera in English, I     9     (participate) in the 2019 National Star of Outlook English Contest, and won the first prize.

In the coming days, I’ll keep working hard on Peking Opera and English     10     (realize)my dream of performing Peking Opera in English across the world.

Since respect for elders is very important in Chinese culture, there is a special festival     1     (call) the Qingming Festival in Chinese. The words “Qingming” literally mean “clear” and “bright” — quite a fitting     2     (describe) of the beautiful weather around this time of the year.

During the festival, Chinese families     3     (usual) visit the graves of their ancestors to sweep away dust and fallen     4     (leaf) in order to keep the family tombs clean. That’s     5     it is also known as the Tomb-Sweeping Day. After that, many families will go on a spring outing,     6     (take) full advantage of the nice weather and the opportunity to gather with family members. In Mandarin, we call this outing “taqing”,     7     refers to families gathering upon the soft green grass to play and eat. Flying kites     8     (be) also very popular with children in this festival due to the fine weather.

In Chinese culture, it’s important to respect our elders. In life, we respect them by making them     9     (pride) and taking care of them in their old age. After death, we respect them by keeping their tombs clean and remembering them. Therefore, the Qingming Festival is not meant to be a day of sadness,     10     a day for remembering one’s heritage. Celebrate this festival by taking some time to remember your heritage.

Sleeping is of great importance to us. However, many people have experienced strange sleeping patterns, bad dreams,     1     a feeling of discomfort during their nights' sleep. So what can help you sleep well?

There are a lot of wrong beliefs related to sleep, some of     2     can be quite damaging for our health. Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher     3     (famous) claimed that she only slept for five hours a night. But this is very bad     4     health. Likewise, sleeping in front of the TV is another thing     5     (avoid). The bright lights can stop you from entering deep sleep.

From a young age we     6     (tell) to count sheep to help us fall asleep. However, some     7     (expert) advise getting up and doing something mindless, like folding socks, to help us get in the mood to sleep.

Psychologist Seth Gillihan recommends walking to help out. He talks about a sleep study     8     (publish) in Sleep Health which suggests that those who walk more will experience     9     (good) quality and duration of sleep. Watching     10     you eat or drink can also improve your sleep.

The Water-Splashing Festival, also     1     (know) as Buddha Bathing Ceremony, is the New Year’s celebration of the Dai ethnic minority in Yunnan Province. For Dai people, the annual Water-Splashing Festival is the most important holiday, attracting tens of thousands of locals and     2     (tour).

Jinghong, the capital of Dai Autonomous Prefecture, usually     3     (celebrate) it from Aprill3 to 15. On the first two days, a grand celebration marks the beginning of the festival. An outdoor market is set up,     4     locals come for new-year shopping. At night, the banks of the river are     5     (colorful) lit, and locals float river lanterns on the river. The third day     6     (reserve) for water splashing. The Dai people will put     7     their newest and best clothes, and then gather at the local Buddhist temple. It isn’t until people splash the Buddha statue with clear water     8     they can flock to the streets, parks or squares with pots or bottles, to splash each other with water.

For Dai people, water is     9     symbol of holiness, goodness and purity. Therefore, splashing others with water during the Water-Splashing Festival is     10     (wish) that person good luck and happiness.

As awareness of the human impact on the environment     1     (increase), people are becoming more willing than ever before, to accept clean lifestyles. But some people aren’t totally sure where to begin. While large steps require planning, smaller steps can    2     (take) right away.

In many cases, your choices will depend     3    various factors: where you live, the resources available to you, your lifestyle, and others. Therefore there is probably no “one-size-fits-all” solution to going green. But there are plenty of things you can do     4     (live) a greener life, through your day-to-day     5     (activity), and most of these apply to just about anyone.

Save water. Every drop of tap water you use consumes energy. It might just be water, but a lot of fossil fuel (矿物燃料) is consumed in processing it. You can turn the tap off while       6     (brush) your teeth and collect rainwater for use in your garden.

Wear the right clothing. Your choice of clothing can make a big       7     (different) to the environment. One of       8    most heavily grown crops is cotton. Chemicals       9    are used as insecticides (杀虫剂) harm the environment, and harm people’s health. Try to find and buy clothing that uses these       10     (nature) materials. Wearing such clothing is also better for your health.

It is well-known that the Great Wall is a symbol of China and enjoys great popularity. In c. 220 B. C., under Qin Shi Huang, sections of earlier fortifications (防御工事) were joined together     1     (form) a united defence system against invasions from the north. Construction continued up to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644),     2     the Great Wall became the world’s largest military structure. Its historic and strategic importance is matched only by its architectural significance.

The Great Wall was     3     (continuous) built from the 3rd century BC to the 17th century AD on the northern border of the country as the great military defence project of successive (连续的) Chinese Empires, with a total     4     (long) of more than 20, 000 kilometers. The Great Wall begins in the east at Shanhaiguan in Hebei province and     5     (end) at Jiayuguan in Gansu province to the west. Its main body consists     6     walls, horse tracks, watch towers, and shelters on the wall, and includes fortresses (要塞) and passes along the Wall.

The Great Wall reflects conflicts and exchanges between     7     (agriculture) civilizations and nomadic (游牧的) civilizations in ancient China. It is one of the significant physical     8     (proof) of the far-sighted political strategic thinking and mighty military and national defence forces of central empires in ancient China, and is     9     outstanding example of the superb military architecture, technology and art of ancient China. It embodies incomparable significance as the national symbol for     10     (safeguard) the security of the country and its people.

The Well That Changed The World

There used to be some problems in many developing African countries,     1     which how to get enough drinking water was the largest. Ryan, a six-year-old Canadian schoolboy, had difficulty     2     (believe) it, because there were quite a few drinking fountains in his small school. “Life is easy for me, but hard for them,” he thought     3     himself, “why don’t I help?”

    4     (determine) to build a well in Africa for them, he tried and managed to earn 70 dollars in a few months. However, he     5     (tell) he needed to make at least 2,000 dollars to have a well dug in Africa. He then started to ask     6     could donate money in his school and neighborhood for help. Only in a few months, he raised 2,000 pounds, with which a well was built near a primary school in Uganda. The local people were too grateful for what he     7     (do) for them and invited him to visit.

On arriving there, Ryan was struck by the     8     (surprise) poor life they lived. But all the students were always wearing a big smile on their faces. Nervous though he was on the first few days, what he saw filled him with     9     (warm) soon.

Today, more and more people joined him,     10     this makes it possible to build more wells. Tens of thousands of people in Africa have benefited.

Hanfu, the traditional Chinese clothing, has become increasingly popular as a symbol of Chinese culture,     1     (attract) enthusiasts (爱好者) from around the world.

Rian Neves, a 29-year-old Brazilian, is a hanfu lover. Six years ago, he traveled thousands of kilometers to China where he experienced a       2     (total) different culture, experiencing a huge culture shock (文化冲击).

To deal with his loneliness, Rian made Chinese friends     3     provided selfless support and introduced him     4     different Chinese cultures.

In 2019, Rian and his friends saw a group of youngsters dressed in hanfu in Hangzhou.     5     (impress) by hanfu, Rian developed a fascination (兴趣) for this traditional clothing. Then he moved to Xi’an,     6     starting point of the ancient Silk Road, where Rian discovered many people wearing hanfu while exploring historical sites, taking pictures, and making short videos.

Rian decided     7     (try) and experiment with making hanfu videos. He     8     (support) by his friends. He started on his first video shoot in 2022, in which he presented     9     (he) in hanfu on Chinese social media platforms, receiving words of encouragement from several Chinese     10     (viewer). Now Rian has more than 15,000 followers on Xiaohongshu, a lifestyle platform popular among young people in China.

In 1996, Yi Shu, one of Hong Kong’s most beloved novelists,     1     (deal)with parent-child relationships with the book: Cheng Huan Ji(Bringing Joy to Parents). Now, 28 years later, this story has been adapted into the new drama, Best Choice Ever,     2     has soon become a hit since its recent release on Tencent Video. With Yang Zi and He Saifei starring as a 29-year-old woman Mai Chenhuan from Shanghai and her commanding mother, the drama focuses     3     the girl’s self growth. Chemuan sticks to her own desires for love and professional success,     4     (struggle)hard to live up to her mother’s expectations at the same time. Originally the novel     5     (set)in Hong Kong in 1995, however, scriptwriter Li Jingling has successfully changed the story to a more recent period in Shanghai, noting its unique     6     (explore)of parent-child and family relationships. Despite the fact that Tian Yu, the director. along with most of the key creators are not natives of Shanghai, the drama has got Shanghai’s city life properly. During     7     special three-month visit to Shanghai, Tian Yu visited local attractions, cafes, and restaurants to know more about the citizens and     8     (they)daily life. Excited about the drama’s popularity, Li Jingjing also wished that the series would inspire younger viewers     9     (have)a better understanding of their parents and can     10     (true)embrace their parents’ values by learning how to balance filial love with the pursuit of their own ambitions.