A music concert “Echoes of Ancient Tang Poems” jointly performed by iSING! Suzhou and the Philadelphia Orchestra was staged at Kimmel Performing Arts Center in Philadelphia on Jan. 6.

Another concert featuring Tang poetry was    1    (successful) held at the Lincoln Center in New York on Jan. 7. Fifteen iSING! Suzhou singers from 10 countries led by Liao Guomin performed songs    2    (write) by young composers from 6 countries. The songs included many well-known    3    (poem) from the Tang Dynasty, such    4    Luo Binwang’s Singing of Goose and Li Bai’s Quiet Thoughts by Night.

The iSING! Suzhou International Young Artists Festival    5    (set) up in Suzhou in 2014 as China’s first international vocal (声乐) art festival. Over    6     past eight years, the festival has attracted outstanding young singers from all over the world, spread    7    promoted Chinese and classical music, and enhanced cultural exchanges between China and the West, becoming a cultural card for Suzhou to go    8    (globe).

The performances were also held to commemorate(纪念) the    9     (fifty) anniversary of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s China tour in 1973. The Philadelphia Orchestra, as the first American orchestra    10    (visit) China, bridged the two nations in the field of culture.

I’m not usually a big risk-taker. I like to make plans and stick to them,    1    is exactly what I intended (打算) while travelling New Zealand. I’d planned    2    (catch) a long and scenic bus ride from Franz Josef to Wanaka.

Soon after we set off, the driver announced that we’d make a quick detour (绕路) to drop off a couple of    3    (passenger) at the skydiving (跳伞) centre. He joked that any last-minute requests to skydive could follow them. My friend    4    (turn) to me with a smile and said, “Let’s go skydiving today.”

It had been something we were    5    (interest) in, but I had never tried to skydive before. With the chance laid out in front of me, I    6    (simple) couldn’t refuse.

    7    (look) down from the plane, I was very nervous.    8    an instructor’s guidance, I jumped out the door at 16,000ft. That minute of free-fall over the Southern Alps was    9    most eye-opening moment.

You really never know what experiences are waiting for you if you take the risk and change    10    (direct). While I never did get to enjoy that scenic drive, I truly believe this moment changed my attitude towards travel for the better.

A Lifelong Journey, a TV series     1    (adapt) from writer Liang Xiaosheng’s novel has been a huge hit on TV and online. Some famous actors, such as Lei Jiayin, Song Jia, and Yin Tao, join in the show, which     2    (focus) on the ups and downs of Zhou’s family over five decades. It is set in the 1970s so it’s not     3    (surprise) that the family has to deal with lots of social changes. The show explores themes of family, friendship and romance. Many viewers describe the show     4     a time machine reflecting how we get here.

Painting a picture of ordinary Chinese people living in the changing times, the novel won the writer Liang, the 10th Mao Dun Literary Award, one of China’s top literary     5    (award). Millions of people have been touched by the family’s story,     6     makes readers find out what lies deep in their hearts.

Translating such a series of stories to the small screen had been     7     challenge for scriptwriter Wang Hailing. “    8    (frank) speaking, it is very difficult,” Wang said. “The lives of the three siblings (兄弟姊妹) are telling the story of a small family. But when we consider the bigger picture, the country     9    (it) is made up of millions of such small families.” According to Cheng Wu, producer of A Lifelong Journey, a deep sense of responsibility inspired him     10    (produce) the best adaptation of the work.

Chopin was born on March 1st, 1810. He is a Polish French composer and pianist of the Romantic period, best     1    (know) for his pieces for piano. Although he wrote brief works, Chopin ranks as one of music’s greatest tone poets by reason of his superb imagination.

All Chopin’s family had artistic leanings, and even at an early age, Chopin was always strangely moved when listening to his mother or eldest sister playing the piano. By age six he was already trying to reproduce     2     he heard or to make up new tunes.     3     following year he started piano lessons with the 61-year-old Wojciech Zywny, an all-around     4    (music) with an intelligent sense of values. Zywny’s simple instruction in piano playing     5    (leave) behind soon by his pupil,     6     discovered for himself an original approach to the piano. Later, Chopin was allowed to develop     7    (smooth) by academic rules and formal training. Chopin found himself     8    (invite) at an early age to play at private parties, and at eight he made his first public appearance at a charity concert.

Piano playing was not alone responsible for his growing reputation as a child genius. At seven he also wrote a Polonaise in G Minor, which was printed. Chopin had a great gift     9     music and grew up with his efforts,     10    (become) a world-famous musician finally.

Watching the stars while lying in a tent hotel    1    sitting under a large outdoor shade with a cup of coffee certainly sounds like an appealing treat. Chinese travelers are appreciating such    2    ( experience ), as glamping (豪华露营) has emerged as a new vacation trend.

During the recent holiday, Zhao Yue from Bejing joined her friends for a vacation in a camping site in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Gannan.

Located at    3    average altitude (海拔) of 3 ,000 meters, a vast grassland there offers the perfect    4    ( relax) in nature. The site has a row of camping tents as well as steel-framed tents with Tibetan-style decorations and modern facilities， offering campers like Zhao a mix of tradition and luxury.

“The hotel is    5    fantastic nature meets modern luxury, and spending a night there, surrounded by mountains, is like living in the nature," Zhao said. Although a room cost 1 ,000 yuan, Zhao    6    ( treasure) the opportunity to relax in the natural environment.

Such tent hotels    7    ( build) in forests, valleys, on the grassland, or along rivers are gaining    8    ( rise ) popularity among Chinese tourists. Many travelers also prefer to set up their own tents on campgrounds by renting equipment.

Glamping, this absorbing new vacation trend，features camping with basic conveniences.     9     ( like) traditional camping, it is a different way    10    ( ease) the pressure of urban life with the adventure recreation.

The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics on July 26, 2024, will take place on the River Seine. The government     1     (announce) the news last Monday, breaking the long-held Summer Games tradition of a stadium procession of athletes and officials.

More than 160 boats     2     (load) with athletes and officials from more than 200 countries and regions will sail almost 6 kilometers between the Pont d’Austerlitz and Pont d’Iena bridges in central Paris. The closing ceremony is scheduled     3     (hold) at the Trocadero, an expanse of gardens and fountains which overlook the Eiffel Tower.

“Today is     4     standout moment,” said Tony Estanguet, a three-time Olympic canoe C1 gold winner     5     heads up the Paris 2024 organizing committee.

“There are a lot of emotions and a lot of enthusiasm. The opening ceremony is by far the biggest of markers.”

Paris 2024 organizers are expecting crowds of 600,000 people for     6     they call the largest ever Olympic ceremony-ten     7     (time) more than could attend in the Stade de France.

Part of the public will be scattered (分散) along the banks of the Seine in ticketed stands while the rest are able to take part     8     free.

French President Emmanuel Macron supported the idea of     9     (arrange) the ceremony on the Seine in July despite some concerns voiced over how to best ensure     10     (safe) for such a big event that passes by many well-known parts of Paris’ iconic cityscape.

The 49th International Cervantino Festival is scheduled     1    (occur) both online and offline this year, according to a news conference in Mexico City.

Chinese dance drama, Confucius,    2    (produce) by the state-level China National Opera & Dance Drama Theater, will represent Chinese performing arts as part of the virtual (虚拟的) activities. Confucius is China’s great philosopher and     3    (educate). His philosophy has greatly influenced China. The dance drama     4    (vivid) describes his tour around ancient China to promote his philosophical ideas.

According to Mariana Aymerich, the festival director, artists from 20 countries and regions across the Americas, Europe and Asia will participate. 89 of the scheduled 110 performances will be given     5     public in major theaters in the Mexican city of Guanajuato, the rest of     6    will be broadcast online, Aymerich said. As an     7    (influence) event of performing arts in Latin America, the International Cervantino Festival     8    (take) place annually since 1972. Due to some reason, all of the offline events     9    (abandon) in 2020. Cuba, the guest of honor for 2020, will continue     10    title this year.

Each morning, amateur    1     (cycle) Cui Yue rides his bicycle along the Tanglai Canal in Yinchuan, capital of northwest China’s Ningxia Hui. Autonomous Region, to enjoy the picturesque natural scenery. Born and    2    (raise) in the city, 68-year-old Cui said cycling along the canal allows him to experience the city’s improving ecology after several waterfront parks were built in recent years.

The over-2,000-year-old canal that Cui     3    (frequent) was built during tne Han Dynasty, aimed at bringing the Yellow River water to present day Ningxia    4    helping him the region with vast deserts into farmland. The canal    5    (include）in the World Heritage Irrigation Structures in 2017. Through the ages, it is still functioning     6    an ecological corridor and is the largest    7     (natural) flowing trunk canal in the Yellow River irrigation area.

Along the canal’s 75-km section    8    (run) through urban Yinchuan, several parks have been built with walking and cycling routes, contributing to the city’s expanding green space mapped out for public leisure. In the city’s rural areas, the canal is a water source for farms and wetlands,playing a role in    9    (agriculture) development and ecological protection. It is also one of the water sources for wetlands and a large artificial lake,    10     have become habitats for hundreds of migratory bird species.

feather fan                       round silk fan                                folding fan

Last year, I went to Italy as an exchange student. Before     1     (leave), I asked my mother what gifts I should choose for the teachers and the students there. Mom said that the Chinese fan was a good choice, because it is an     2     (importance) part of Chinese culture.

I went shopping and bought three kinds of Chinese fans.     3     first kind was the feather fan for the teachers,     4     was made of bird feathers. The fans I     5     (buy) for the girls were silk fans. They are also called “round silk fans”. The silk fans show paintings of beautiful women, birds or flowers. They are very popular     6     women of all ages. As for the boys, I     7     (pick) the folding fans from Rongchang, a place in the west of Chongqing. The folding     8     (fan) are made of paper and bamboo and there are great paintings and calligraphy (书法) on them.

At the welcoming party in Italy, my new teachers and classmates were all     9     (excite) to get the wonderful fans. And they were even more excited after learning about the stories and culture behind     10     (they).

With just over 600 day    1    (go) until the opening of the next Olympic and Paralympic Games,     2     official mascots of Paris 2024 have been revealed.

Now it’s time to meet the Phryges, the mascots for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, who have been tasked with an important mission: to show the world that sport can change everything and     3     it deserves to play a major role in society. Kain Phryges (pronounced fri-jeeuhs) are small Phrygian caps,     4     represent a strong symbol of liberty, and the ability of people       5     (undertake) great and meaningful responsibilities.

The Olympic Phryge is triangular in shape, and comes with friendly smile, blue eyes and big colored sneakers, the golden Paris 2024 logo     6     their chests, which is bound to gain high     7     (popular). The Paralympic version     8     (feature) a prosthetic leg (假肢) that goes to the knee. Ever since Shuss, a red, white and blue mascot on skis, appeared at the Olympic Grenoble 1968, mascots have been fun and     9     (festival) ambassadors of the Olympic Movement. “The mascots have always occupied a special place in the history of the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Paris 2024 president Tony Estanguet. “They form the emotional bond between the Games and the people,     10     (contribute) to the atmosphere and high spirit in the stadiums.”Organizers said they want to deliver the idea that sport can change everything and that it deserves to have a leading place in the society through the mascots.