“Only when I take the needle out and touch the silk thread, I feel     1    (full)comfortable,” says Zou Yingzi, an inheritor of Su embroidery(刺绣), an ancient craft that originates from the garden city of Suzhou in Jiangsu province.

The day before the interview,     2     53-year-old woman worked more than 10 hours, until late into the night, on a large piece of Su embroidery. A piece measuring around half a meter can take her months     3    (complete). From Zou’s mother to her grandmothers, all the women in her family are good at needlework, particularly Su embroidery, which features rich stitches(缝针)and the creative use     4     silk threads dyed in various colors.

Su embroidery has a history of more than 2,000 years. A piece of fabric with silk embroidery     5    (find) from a tomb in the area showed that the craft dates back to the Spring and Autumn Period(770-476 BC). In ancient times, needlework was a must-learn skill for women,     6     had to make clothes for their families. It was a tradition that mothers should make wedding clothes with exquisite(精美的)embroidery for their     7    (daughter).

Zou     8    (recall)that, when she was little, her grandmother was busy every day, making wedding clothes and quilts for granddaughters. At the age of 6, she started to help her mother to make Su embroidery items, all of which     9    (sell)to support the family.

She had a dream to become a     10    (paint). Now, the needle helps her to realize that dream.

The “Understanding Contemporary China” Foreign Language Contests were held in Beijing from December 4 to 8．

Nearly one million college students from more than 1,300 universities participated , with about 2,500     1     (enter) the national final. The contests aimed to     2     (deep) college students’ understanding of China, enhance their linguistic (语言的) abilities and intercultural communication     3     (competent), and provide a platform for them to tell China’s stories well.

The champion of the English group     4     (determine) through a simulated (模拟的) “Global Youth Summit”. Three contestants discussed     5     (topic) including cultural diversity and the future development of mankind with Xinhua News Agency’s reporter Simon Keith Robinson,     6     tested their knowledge and ability to handle diverse subjects.

Xu Chengcheng, from Beijing Foreign Studies University, won     7     national championship of the International Communication Contest. She demonstrated a high-level of English proficiency(熟练)and strong communication skills in the prepared speech     8     the Global Youth Summit session(会议).

A special session of “Multilingual Champions Showcase” was part     9     the closing ceremony, where champions used their foreign language skills     10     (share) stories about their understanding of China and communication with the world, showcasing youthful insights.

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.

What does traveling mean? Visit, enjoy and discover.

Every year hundreds and thousands of people come to the UK. And London, the capital city     1     (be) usually their first stop. What can they see? What can they experience?

    2     (get) around in London is not difficult. There is the underground train, the oldest in the world, or the     3     (tradition) double-decker bus (双层公共汽车). A boat trip along the River. Thames takes you     4     the Tower of London.

Going around the city center on foot is easy. The maps in the streets will show you     5     is around you in five-minute walk. You can     6     (amaze) get a great view of the city from meters upon a huge wheel, the London Eye. Look across the river     7     you will see the Houses or of Parliament and the famous clock tower, Big Ben.

There are over 240     8     (museum) in the capital, but the two most popular are in South Kensington and cost nothing to get into. In the Natural History Museum, the keyword is Big. Next is the Science Museum. It     9     (have) those great British inventions, the history of fight and     10     (explore) of space.

Gather together a couple of good friends and take a leisurely walk through the streets—this is what many youngsters in China enjoy doing when they pay a visit     1     a new city. To them, Citywalk means “wandering around the city” on foot. Participants can follow a special urban route, exploring old     2     (building) or enjoying real local snacks.

The origins of Citywalk can be traced (追溯) back to London, England. Strictly speaking, this form of urban tourism     3     (be) not as casual and aimless as it may appear. In the beginning, Citywalk referred to tours where participants followed a     4     (plan) route under the guidance of tour conductors, exploring deep into the city’s history, culture, landscapes     5     other aspects. Gradually, the concept of Citywalk,     6     focuses on the quiet appreciation of urban lifestyle and cultural atmosphere, has gained popularity worldwide.

Up to now, the Citywalk trend     7     (spread) from first-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai to second-tier and third-tier cities, encouraging more participants and event organizers to get involved. Some organizers invite folk culture researchers and enthusiasts (爱好者)     8     (act) as tour guides.

In short, Citywalk not only offers     9     way for young people to interact with a city but also provides them with a new social scene, where people wit the same interests and ideas can     10     (easy) make friends.

The xiao, a traditional bamboo instrument, is now attracting more and more attention with     1     (it) long history and rich cultural meanings. In ancient China, bamboo was a symbol of honesty, and a spirit of trying to make progress. So, many used it to refer     2     their pursuits (追求) in poems. For example, the poet Su Shi once wrote, “Better to eat without meat than live without bamboo”, suggesting the     3     (important) of bamboo. Therefore, the xiao,     4     (make) of bamboo, was not just     5     instrument, but something the ancient literati (文人) often held in hands or put on walls to remind themselves of their pursuits.

“From the Tang Dynasty on, usually the xiao was used for the purpose of     6     (gather) the educated. It was so popular,” says Shen, a xiao player. “The instrument     7     (keep) its unique attractiveness, which paved its way     8     (become) alive again. It produces pleasant music,     9     agrees with the traditional Chinese sense of beauty — the greatest music has the faintest notes.”

In Shen’s view, compared with others, the xiao is an     10     (extreme) simple instrument.

Since it is so simple that you can hardly make any changes on it, you can only change yourself to make your music performance better and better.

Imagine biting into a juicy burger that was produced without killing animals. Meat grown in a lab is turning that     1     (imagine) into a reality. Several companies are developing lab-grown beef, pork, poultry and seafood. And the field is attracting millions in funding.

If widely used. lab-grown meat, also     2     (call) clean meat, could reduce much of the cruel treatment of animals     3     are raised for food. It could also reduce the environmental costs of meat production     4     (great).

The meat     5     (produce) by first taking a muscle sample (样本) from an animal. Scientists collect stem cells from the sample and multiply (使繁殖) them to form more muscles. It’s said that one muscle sample from a cow can produce enough meat     6     (make) 80,000 hamburgers.

Many companies say they expect to have products for sale within the next few years. But clean meat will have to overcome     7     number of difficulties, such as reducing the cost and proving the safety     8     the meat before it appears on the market. The good news is that despite all these     9     (challenge), the clean meat companies are keeping trying. If they can succeed, clean meat could make our lifestyle     10     (green) and more ethical than before.

On October 18, world leaders came together in Beijing for an eye-catching forum (论坛) to celebrate     1     tenth anniversary (周年) of the Belt and Road Initiative (“一带一路”倡议). The forum was considered     2     (extreme) important in building the Belt and Road.

Chinese President Xi Jinping     3     (give) a speech at the opening. He said that over the past 10 years, plans of Belt and Road cooperation had been turned into real projects. He also said that China would take eight major steps     4     (support) high-quality Belt and Road cooperation,     5     (include) green development and the advance of science and technology.

So far, the Belt and Road Initiative has become the world’s     6     (large) platform (平台) for international cooperation. By June 2023, China had worked together with 152 countries and 32 international     7     (organisation) to build the Belt and Road. Over 3,000 cooperation projects have been started in the past 10 years, one of which is the China-Laos Railway.     8     was put into use in December 2021, helping Laos become a country with easy transport in Southeast Asia.

“Belt and Road cooperation was suggested by China,     9     its fruits are for the world to share,” President Xi Jinping said. There is no doubt     10     the Belt and Road Initiative will continue to make a great difference to the world in the future.

The Tang Dynasty opened a new age of prosperity and innovation(创新) in arts and technology. During this period, China was the     1     (large) and most influential country in the world. The Tang Dynasty is also considered by modern Chinese scholars as the golden age of Chinese poetry, when poetry     2     (reach) its peak.

In this age, poetry had developed well as the most important literary form, the writing of    3     became the feature of everyday life in China. Even Tang rulers were often poets themselves. Tang poets are perhaps the best     4     (know) and most admired of all Chinese literary figures. Furthermore, composing poems was introduced as one of the requirements in the Imperial Examination(科举考试), which was held     5     (select) talents for the government.

During this long period of nearly 300 years, more than 50,000 poems     6     (create) by more than 2,200 poets from all walks of life. A book worth mention is 300 Tang poems by a Qing scholar Sun Zhu, a    7     (collect) of Tang poems which are very popular among people. Sun’s book became the best seller soon after its publication. The compiler(编者) said,“    8     (learn) Tang poems three hundred by heart, you can chant though you know not the art.”

Tang poems are characterized by     9     variety of forms, the beauty of imaginations and the broadness of themes. In general, Tang poetry has strict patterns, written in sentences of fixed length, usually with each line having five     10     seven characters long.

Education is very close in my heart. My father grew up     1    a small village in China.

In those days, not many villagers could read. So my father     2     (open) a night school to teach them how to read. With his help, many people learned     3     (write) their own names; with his help, many people learned to read newspapers for the first time; with his help, many     4     (woman) were able to teach their children how to read.

As his daughter, I know     5     education means to the people, especially those without it. After generations of hard work, China has come a long way in education. I myself am a beneficiary (受益者) of the progress. Otherwise，I would never become a soprano (女高音)     6     a professor of music. My father,    7     was poor but determined, made a small difference in his village. Together we can make     8     big difference in the world. Once I     9     (ask) about my Chinese dream. I said I hope all children especially girls can have access to a good education. I believe one day education will no longer be a dream;     10     will be a reality by every young woman on this planet.