As night falls, the sound of drums fills the air as an 8-meter fish-shaped lantern swims through the streets of Wangmantian village, Huangshan, in East China’s Anhui province.

Within the crowd, Wang Lijun — a 27-year-old villager who serves     1     the “head fish” — leads the procession, sometimes cheering on those behind her. Traditionally     2     (hold) by respected elders, the position of “head fish” has attracted younger participants to take on the role     3     (voluntary).

Every year between     4     13th and 16th of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar, villagers hold fish-shaped lantern     5     (parade). In old times, the mountain village,     6     (consist) of a lot of wooden structures, faced the risk of frequent fires. Therefore, villagers used to gather to parade with fish-shaped lanterns,     7     symbolic meaning is “water overcoming fire”.

With a history of over 600 years, the fish-shaped lantern     8     (recognize) as a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage in 2022. Villagers in Wangmantian have established     9     (profession) fish lantern performance teams. These teams have gone to cities such as Shanghai and Nanjing, Jiangsu province     10     (give) performances.

As fish-shaped lanterns continue to benefit local tourism and related industries, the future looks brighter than ever.

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.

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.

Carpet weaving is done either by hand     1    by machine. While machine-woven carpets are primarily for practical use, hand-made ones are for decorative purposes. The skill of carpet weaving     2    (be) mainly represented in pattern (花样) designs.

The Chinese carpet design is based on the ideas of famous paintings or ancient stories. After the design is completed, it will then be enlarged into a blueprint and marked with colours in different     3    (part) for the weavers to follow.

The silk     4    is woven into the carpet needs to be coloured first. Previously, the pigment (颜料) was     5     (general) taken from natural plants and mineral materials. With traditional colouring processes, the pigments stick firmly to the silk under normal temperatures and thus give good     6    (protect) for the layer of silk. Nowadays, however, chemical pigments layer of silk. Nowadays, however chemical pigments are often used     7     (increase) colour diversity.

Artisans engaged in this creative work may     8    (group) into two categories according to the style of their works: experts working for arts and crafts schools, and professionals working in the industry.

    9    large number of carpet weaving professionals can be found in Beijing, Tianjin, Shandong Province and Hebei Province, among other places. Works     10     (create) by professionals are relatively more traditional, with patterns mostly featuring flowers and human figures.

Pan Yuzhen, a master of embroidery (刺绣), was embroidering flying butterflies and flowers with her back     1     a window, saying, “Foreigners are so fond of our embroidery products    2     they even queue up just to buy one for their families. I never     3     (think) the traditional skills handed down by my ancestors would become so     4     (market) abroad.”

“As you can see, Miao embroidery is not only the     5     (proud) of our Miao people, but that of our Chinese people,” Pan said,     6     wants to pass her embroidery skills down to the younger generation, hoping that they can continue to promote the unique skills. Now, almost all families in Taijiang County together with Pan     7     (involve) in the Miao costume business.

Zhang Yanmei, Pan’s daughter, having difficulty     8     (walk) like normal people, has taken over her mother’s business and helped her run a clothing processing plant. Zhang also serves as the chairwoman of an association for the     9     (physical) disabled, helping them to grow special plants used for dyeing (给……染色) cloth and instructing some of them     10     (complete) Miao embroidery orders. Today, the Miao embroidery industry has become a major distinctive industry in Taijiang County.

China Before China,     1     eight-episode documentary that tells stories of the origins and early development of Chinese civilization based on archaeological findings, is airing now.

The documentary     2     (start) from the Qin and Han dynasties and then traces key points at the dawn of Chinese civilization. The overall narration of the work remains clear, logical and     3     (accurate) conveys the sites and relics. “    4     we want to explore are the characteristics of Chinese civilization and its spirit transmitted through our blood, from which we can trace the cultural genes that make us the Chinese people,” says Jin Ruiguo, chief supervisor of the documentary.

The crew spent months     5     (examine) archeological reports and articles. For instance, they explored the     6     (symbol) meaning of dragon through dragon-shaped artefacts. To make this brief history of early Chinese civilization work, the production team filmed 230 domestic sites and museums, and these video clips will also be screened at 18-museums     7     (involve). Based on the information, they used digital technology     8     (bring)-ancient architecture and cities back to life, and invited actors to re-create scenes of daily life. All of this provides the audience     9     a direct and visual idea of the long past. It vividly illustrates the process of historical development, which is the ultimate goal of historical research and archaeological     10     (explore).

As the Year of the Dragon approached, sales of products with dragon elements have seen explosive     1     (grow) on major e-commerce platforms. Dragon, or long in Chinese,     2     (consider) as an important symbol of Chinese traditional culture, is believed to bring good luck and fortune.

Since January, products with dragon-themed elements, such as clothing, daily necessities and gold jewelry     3     (gain) popularity. Items such as red envelopes, mobile phone cases designed for the Chinese Year of the Dragon have also been favored by consumers, and    4     (they) sales have surpassed those in the Year of the Rabbit last year.

Chinese consumers who buy dragon-themed goods are hoping     5     (live) a better life in the new year and displaying a strong sense     6     national pride and confidence in Chinese culture. The rich cultural meanings and the good wishes     7     the dragon carries have not only stimulated people’s passion for buying, but also satisfied their rising demand for personalized and     8     (create) products with unique cultural symbols.

Spring Festival is the traditional festival Chinese people attach the most importance to, and it’s also     9     peak season for consumption. The shopping craze for dragon-related products ahead of Lunar New Year is essential for     10     (promote) the recovery of the consumer market.

Chinese pastries (糕点) have a rich and divers history that spans thousands of years. Traditional Chinese pastries are popular     1     their beautiful shapes, delicate flavors and cultural symbolism.

The origins of Chinese pastries can be traced back to ancient times when they were primarily made for     2     (religion) ceremonies and special occasions. Over centuries of evolution, Chinese pastries    3     (develop), combining various regional flavors and techniques.

During the Tang dynasty, Chinese pastries experienced a significant     4     (grow) in popularity. The Tang dynasty emperors were known for their love of desserts and pastries,     5     led to the development of numerous delicate and complicated pastry recipes.

It was during this time     6     many symbolic pastries were created, and the art of pastry-making reached new heights.

Mooncakes, closely     7     (associate) with the Mid-autumn Festival, are among the most famous Chinese pastries. Mooncakes have a history     8     (date) back over 1,000 years. They were    9     (original) used as an offering     10     (honour) the moon goddess during the harvest season. Mooncakes are often imprinted with amazing designs and symbols that represent good luck and prosperity.

       Each region in China has its own pastries with distinct flavors, ingredients and making methods. Chinese pastries are an essential part of Chinese cuisine and cultural traditions.

Many young people wants     1     (become) great athletes. They exercise and lift weights in the gym. But the fact is that they don’t become stronger,     2     makes them unhappy.

Therefore, some of them are considering     3     (take) pills, which they think will help them become     4     (strong) than before. However, the truth is that these pills usually have some unintended side     5     (effect). Some of them may even affect     6     (they) liver or heart.     7     fact, some great athletes such as Griffith Joyner, died very young because they     8     (take) some pills.

For the above reasons, I suggest that young people be     9     (care) not to take pills.     10     best way to become stronger is going to a gym to work out.