When BBC’s Planet Earth came out in 2006, the documentary series     1     (praise) for its thrilling footage of wildlife from around the world. Hosted by famed naturalist David Attenborough, this project aims to showcase the beauty and     2     (diverse) of the natural world; and, by doing so, it has urged the public     3     (take) care of our planet. Fast forward 17 years, Planet Earth III has made     4     to the airwaves (电视无线电波).

A few weeks ago, BBC shared a trailer (预告片) of Planet Earth Ⅲ,     5     whales swim across the ocean and wolves walk on a     6     (freeze) body of water. And while there are some anxiety- filled encounters, the video does point out who the real threat is. Seals are trapped by fishing nets, and primates     7     (cautious) cross a road where cars are zooming by.

Critics point out while the footage is breathtaking, there’s a layer of heartbreak to it. Some of the species     8     (have) some positive developments over the last few years. But     9     show also presents how other creatures have had to adapt not only to climate changes, but also to the direct effects humans have had     10     their habitats. Echoing Attenborough’s urgent appeal from 2022, Planet Earth III presents the hardships these creatures face and also reminds the audience why they’ re worth fighting for.

Blue-and-white porcelain (瓷) is     1     (probable) a good example of the global market in the ancient world. This Chinese ceramic variety     2     (gain) a global reputation during the Yuan Dynasty (1271—1368) and over the following centuries, became one of the country’s signature     3     (product) on the flourishing Maritime Silk Road.

Nonetheless, when people look back at how this thing began, they may discover     4     interesting fact—this “made-in-China” product was also an example of the international supply chain in the past, as the raw cobalt pigment (颜料) initially used to make its amazing blue came from modern-day Iran.

This is just one of the stories     5     (tell) through the 266 cultural artifacts     6     display at Historic Encounters: Interaction Between China and West Asia in History.

“In the blue-and-white porcelain on exhibit, you’ll find many typical West Asian decorative patterns and inscriptions,” Ji Luoyuan, the exhibition’s curator and an associate researcher with the Palace Museum,     7     (say). “But China gradually developed its own materials during the Ming Dynasty (1368—1644) and adopted more traditional Chinese patterns,” he adds.

Just as bronze,     8     originated in West Asia and once enriched ancient Chinese civilization, silk from China may also have shaped the path of     9     (develop) on the other side of the continent, as it once inspired merchants (商人)     10     (experience) the tough desert crossing in search of wealth.

The “Sharing China — Happy Chinese New Year Contest 2023” concluded its final review recently in Beijing and unveiled its     1     (win) entries.

    2     (launch) on Dec 20, 2022, the con test called for photography works and short videos themed on Spring Festival culture and     3     (memory) moments from Chinese New Year celebrations overseas. Over 11,000 photos and 231 short videos from more than 20 countries and regions were submitted to the online     4       (submit) platform as well as the event page on Facebook until Feb 12.

Several rounds of assessments were conducted by a panel of experts,     5     evaluated the submitted works based     6     three standards: Value of international communication, theme and quality. The experts     7     (final) selected 5 first prize collections, 15 second prize collections and 30 third prize collections for the photography contest, and 1 first prize collection, 2 second prize collections and 6 third prize collections for the short video contest.

The contest was hosted by China International Culture Association     8     organized by Chinadaily.com.cn and Chinaculture.org. Since 2015, the “Sharing China” contest     9     (hold) for seven sessions successfully. Many of the works collected during these years were of professional quality, and     10     (include) in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s publicity material used for ministry’s cultural activities or cultural products, such as exhibitions, publications, posters, photo album designs and promotional videos.

As an old saying in Xunpu, Fujian province goes, “Put flowers in your hair in this life and you’ll also be pretty in the afterlife” . The colorful and special floral headdress is known     1     zanhua or zanhuawei. Zanhua     2     (list) as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2008.

The headdress inspired Huang Rongbing’s career choice. In 2016, he and his older sister opened a salon. There, tourists can get their hair styled in the Xunpu tradition and have their photos     3     (take). “We have been fully booked and now there are over 200 businesses offering services     4     (dress) tourists with a zanhua,” said Huang.

The increase in tourist visits has made Huang happy. That’s because it not only keeps the business busy,     5     also helps spread the history and culture behind zanhua headwear. After     6     (go) through the full zanhua experience, Hu Titi, one of Huang’s     7     (customer), even brought zanhua culture to Paris in France last year. Under the Eiffel Tower, she shot photos and videos of herself dressed in     8     (tradition) Chinese clothes with a zanhua in her hair.

Huang said the women of Xunpu,     9     are famous for catching sea food, are hard-working, warm-hearted and brave. “When they put a zanhua on their heads, they express their wish for happiness. The flowers are seen as     10     symbol of hope,” he added.

Living in Yunnan is like living in nature. This is a place where you can feel the growth of all things.     1     (locate) in the northwest of Yunnan, Gaoligong Mountain is a     2     (true) special place that showcases the diverse natural beauty.

Reaching across over 900 kilometers from the bottom of the Red River Valley     3     the Kawagarbo (卡瓦格博峰) Peak, Yunnan is home to a wide range of natural environments that are waiting     4     (explore).

Every year in March and April, Gaoligong Mountain     5     (come) alive with the breathtaking beauty. The mountain is covered in snow at     6     top while the middle slopes are painted red autumn color. As you make your way through the foothills, you’ll be greeted by fields of golden flowers. It is often said     7     great birds appear from deep mountains, and Gaoligong Mountain is undoubtedly the     8     (good) choice for bird watching. When you step outdoors, you can observe different birds happily singing and playing on the branches, searching for food in the forest.

Gaoligong Mountain offers     9     (visit) the opportunity to witness the earliest signs of spring. Its beauty remains largely undiscovered, making it the perfect destination for those looking to involve     10     (they) in the heart of nature.

“When I was young, I told my mother that I would go to China to learn kung fu one day,” says Max Yollando, a young man from the Cote d’Ivoire,     1     (share) his affection for Chinese culture.

Yollando is also known as Yanming, the Chinese name that he     2     (give) by his teacher at the Shaolin Temple,     3     today is well-known all over the world. Due     4     his passion for Chinese culture, Yollando took part in the Confucius Institute to study Chinese and got an opportunity to visit the temple in Henan Province on a three-month exchange. Later, he remained there for six years.

His years at the temple reading, exercising, and practicing kung fu     5     (great) changed him, and allowed him to better understand and appreciate     6     (tradition) Chinese culture. He says the most impressive things he noticed that deeply rooted in Chinese culture are the love of work, respect, and     7     (recognize).

“My purpose of studying Chinese culture is to introduce Chinese values to my country. The culture fascinated me because in China, people make an effort     8     (work) better, and they are very respectful and grateful to     9     (they) family and country. When I make connections between Chinese     10     African culture, it seems to me that they have a lot in common,” he says.

Lyu Haowei, a sanitation (环境卫生) worker, braves the bad weather at Yulong Snow Mountain in Yunnan Province, China, to clean the area at     1     altitude of 4,500 meters. With a safety rope, clamp, and trash bag, he and his team access hard-to-reach spots to collect waste     2     (leave) by tourists. Despite the thin air and rain, they focus on the glaciers (冰川) and cliffs when collecting abandoned items.

Yulong Snow Mountain, a 415-square-kilometer area with a peak at 5,596 meters,     3     (see) a significant increase in visitors since the 2000s. Recognized as a national scenic spot in1988 and a 5A-level area in 2007, it now has a     4     (day) visitor limit of 10,000 to manage the surge (蜂拥) in tourism. The mountain’s popularity has led to an increase in trash, with workers     5     (fill) nearly 200 bags during peak travel times.

Their day begins at 5:30 a.m. in     6     (prepare) for welcoming the first wave of visitors eager to see the sunrise, and     7     (end) at 7:30 p.m. when they go down the mountain, after a laborious shift.

He Dejun, another sanitation worker, and his team are responsible     8     maintaining walkways and platforms, and transporting the collected trash down the mountain. Now in their     9     (eight) year at the scenic spot, Lyu and He are pleased to see an increase in environmental awareness among tourists,     10     leads to less littering.

The Double Ninth Festival, also known as the Chongyang Festival, is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated     1       the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. This festival holds cultural significance, representing longevity and respect for     2     elderly.

One of the most     3     (wide) accepted stories credits the Han Dynasty poet Cai Yong with the creation of the festival. Legend has it that Cai Yong     4     (trouble) by an evil spirit that took the lives of his family members. On the advice of a sorcerer (术士), he climbed a mountain, carrying dogwood branches, and wore them     5     (avoid) the spirit. From then on, climbing mountains and wearing dogwood     6     (become) customary during the Double Ninth Festival.

It’s a time for family reunions and showing appreciation for the older generation. One popular custom is climbing mountains,     7     (symbolize) the promotion to a higher level of life and health. Another practice is wearing cornel branches or dogwood leaves,     8       are believed to keep away from evil spirits and bring good fortune. Additionally, some     9     (region) have the tradition of drinking chrysanthemum wine, which possesses qualities that benefit the immune system and promote longevity.

The Double Ninth Festival is not only a celebration of the elderly     10     a reminder of the importance of the value of family connections in Chinese culture.

May 21 this year marks the fifth International Tea Day     1     was designated (指定) by the UN on Nov. 27, 2019. As a large producer of tea in the world, China     2     (begin) tea consuming about 5,000 years ago and is a home     3     a variety of teas.

Tea developed from the earliest fresh-boiled tea taken as a kind of soup, to later dried-and preserved teas, and from simple green tea to the blending of six major     4     (kind) of tea. It is said that the first person to discover     5     effects of tea was Shen Nong — the father of agriculture and herbal medicine in China. There are     6     (difference) versions of the story. Whatever the story, tea interested Shen Nong and attracted him to do     7     (far) research into its characteristics.

The tea ceremony in China consists of not only the choice of tea,     8     also many other elements such as type of water, utensils (器皿), time and presentation. Many traditional Chinese families drink tea after dinner or when     9     (greet) visitors, which is     10     (usual) regarded as a healthy habit and reflects rich culture and history. Chinese people can have a chat with a friend for a whole afternoon over a pot of good tea.

This winter, the city of Harbin has spared no effort to show warmth and creativity in welcoming tourists     1     all over the world. During the New Year holiday, Harbin received over 3 million tourists,     2     (achieve) a revenue (收益) of 5.9 billion yuan.

The success is not pure luck. The city     3     (work) out plans since the beginning of 2023. He Jing,     4     (direct) of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Heilongjiang said, “We pay special attention to the comments     5     (publish) on social media platforms. Whatever tourists are not satisfied with, we act and improve     6     (immediate).”

To “rescue” tourists who were not used to the cold weather, the city built many temporary (临时的) heated rest rooms for     7     (they), providing warm drinks for free. Frozen pears,     8     local food, were cut into the shapes of flowers to please tourists.

Touched by the city’s “small details,” tourists share their heart-warming moments online,     9     in turn draws more curious tourists to the city, pushing the city to the top of hot topics online. If you have never been to Harbin before,     10     you want to go there next year?