Chinese scientists have successfully cloned the world’s first Tibetan sheep in Northwest China’s Qinghai Province,     1     (hope) to improve the breeding efficiency (繁殖率) of the species by preserving their superior individuals.

The research team from Northwest Agriculture & Forestry University and the Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center in Xining, capital of Qinghai, have jointly bred a cloned Tibetan sheep,     2     was developed with the somatic (躯体的) cell cloning technique. This was done to improve the breeding efficiency of the species by cloning their highly productive individuals. The     3     (health) Tibetan sheep weighs 3. 4 kilograms. So far, two cloned sheep     4     (produce).

To produce 43 cloned embryos, the joint research team     5     (careful) selected three excellent breeding adult male sheep and one adult female sheep of the breed of Oula sheep, including     6     adult male sheep weighing over 200 kilograms. After the cloned embryos were transplanted into the surrogate (代孕的) sheep, their pregnancy rate reached 58.1%     7     first and 37.2% after 120 days. A group of lambs are expected     8     (be) born soon.

In the next step, with the     9     (establish) technology system, the scientists will expand and promote the reproduction of the high-quality Tibetan sheep to promote     10     (employ)and incomes of farmers, according to experts from the animal disease prevention and control center in Xining.

An exhibition, featuring around 200 cultural artifacts from the era of interaction between the Chinese and French royal courts in the 17th and 18th centuries, kicked off at the Palace Museum in Beijing on Monday,     1     (mark) the opening of the 18th edition of the Festival Croisements,     2     celebrated the 60-year diplomatic bond between the two countries.

    3     (launch) in 2006, the Festival Croisements is dedicated to promoting exchanges and dialogue between Chinese and French art institutions and artists. A     4     (various) of activities in fields such as the visual arts, crafts, theater, music and dance will be held in multiple     5     (city) across China as part of the festival that spans (持续) to the end of the year.

The number 60     6     (indicate) a cycle in Chinese tradition. The unveiling new cycle will generate more collaboration and     7     (far) promote cultural dialogues and mutual understanding between the two countries.

Croisements, meaning crossover in French, symbolizes mutual (相互的) influence and connections between Chinese and French cultures. The name reminds people     8     a gathering where different cultures strengthen each other, which is     9     reflection of our daily life, either of our career or personal life. The festival will provide opportunity     10     (discover) new art forms.

The Sixth Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo     1     (kick) off on September 6, 2023 in China’s Gansu Province. This year’s Expo, the two-day event has attracted over 1,200 guests     2     more than 50 countries, regions and international organizations.

With “Connecting the World: Cultural Exchanges and Mutual Learning among Civilizations” as     3     (it) theme, “Dunhuang Forum” aims to explore the core of Silk Road culture and try to build a model of cultural heritage protection     4     a highland for Dunhuang culture studies. Dunhuang culture is a popular     5     (academy) topic. It has a big fan base in China and abroad,     6     (particular) among young people.

At the Expo, cultural performances “Meet Dunhuang” presented fine Silk Road literature and art together,     7     (tell) wonderful stories about the historic Silk Road, and showing     8     richness, brilliance and inclusiveness of Silk Road culture. The Expo participants agreed that Dunhuang culture’s philosophy, spirit, values should     9     (cherish).

The Belt and Road Initiative was put forward.     10     (inspire) by the ancient Silk Road, the development strategy aims to establish a new platform for international cooperation and to facilitate global development.

Recently, Ma Xiaohui, a famous Chinese erhu     1     (perform) and composer with the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, held     2     erhu concert with the theme of “Erhu Holding Hands with the World, New Music Trend, New Cultural Tour” in the Delegates’ Room at the UN headquarters in New York City.

Attendees from different backgrounds and participants in the World Madam Global Awards Ceremony were     3     (deep) moved by the unique charm of traditional Chinese musical instruments     4     (display) during the concert.

The concert began     5     the song “Woman Flower”. In the first movement, “Seven Colors of Erhu, Walking with Beauty, Colorful Silk Road,” melodies from Chinese and Western songs created an “ink painting” of the Silk Road.

In the next three     6     (movement), a classical repertoire (曲目) including “Butterfly Lovers”, “Thoughts on a Silent Night”     7     “The Spirit of My Erhu” attracted the audience. Next     8     (come) the theme song from the movie “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”,     9     beautifully celebrated the classic dialogue between erhu and cello (大提琴).

“This beautiful and     10     (inspire) concert wonderfully mixed classical, Chinese, and cross-cultural themes. It was a feast (盛宴) for the ears and souls,” multimedia artist Ranjit Bhatnagar said.

Every Lunar New Year, China introduces a zodiac(生肖) sign from a cycle of 12 lucky animals. This year, it’s the Year of the Dragon, or more     1     (accurate), ”the Year of the Loong”. Then what’s the difference?

The Western     2     (describe) of dragons as “fire-breathing winged creatures” was inspired by literature such as Beowulf - the Old English epic about a Scandinavian hero     3    contribution was killing monsters, including a dragon. Greek fairy tales also presented dragons    4    violent sea monsters or guards of valuable     5     (possession). By contrast, “loong”, a word    6     (create) in the 19th century, reminds people of strength and fortune, and should    7     (distinguish) from its Western cousin. In Shiji,     8    2, 000-year-old Chinese history book, the emperor’s mother dreamed of a dragon lying on her body,     9     (predict) the birth of a future emperor. Exactly for this reason, Chinese people proudly claim they are “descendants of the Loong” .

Therefore, some culture experts have been calling for a switch to ”loong”     10     (tell) the Chinese dragon from the frightening monsters of Western tales. The call is also in line with the push for cultural confidence to choose the preferred translation of the Mandarin word for a creature long respected in Chinese culture.

Patrick Sommier, a French theater director, is dovoted to passing on the true meaning of Chinese operas to the French public.

On the occasion of the     1     (celebrate) for the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France in 2004, Sommier     2     (invite) to cooperate on a joint project to spread Peking Opera in France. Sommier says that when he arrived in China, like many other     3     (European), he showed great interest in Chinese operas. The beauty of Peking Opera     4    (immediate) caught his heart, he says.

Recalling his first cooperation with the Chinese team, Sommier says he was impressed by the actors’ makeups, costumes,     5     the characters of incredible strength. He was also touched by the Chinese professors’ effort     6     (pass) their acting skills to their students by acting with them. One professor explained, “In China, opera is     7     art requiring lifelong devotion and the effect of the performance largely     8     (depend) on the actors’ inner strength and acting skills.”

Sommier began exploring into different performance forms and suggested introducing Chinese operas     9     the French audience. The team then gave some     10     (origin) performances, some without makeups or costumes and some with students performing classics in a traditional way.

When you come back home     1     a hot summer night, you find that the air conditioner     2    (work) for 20 minutes to cool the room. This is     3     example of the convenience a smart home brings.

A smart home is a convenient home     4     users can remotely control appliances and devices from anywhere through the internet. There are    5    (count) kinds of smart home products, from heating to lighting to entertainment and security. Heating products equipped with temperature or humidity sensors can automatically turn on or off when     6    (require). Some appliances even have self-learning skills and can learn the homeowner’s schedules and make adjustments     7    (according).

    8    , there are still a few issues with smart products. Some are not as easy to stall by users as advertised. Apps associated with smart appliances are always badly designed and frustrating. What’s worse, every device has its own app, leading to an overwhelming number of apps for consumers    9    (deal) with.

Good news is that based on smart homes are smart communities whose goal is to improve the overall quality of the community,     10    (provide) convenient services, like applying for water delivery and reporting for repairs, and mutual assistance in daily life for its residents.

Everyone loves a day at the beach, but if you come across litter on the sand, it makes everything worse. One man is doing his part to clean up local beaches, and has invented     1     (innovate) tools to help with that job. Based in Texas, Glenn Morris uses custom grabbers to pick up the rubbish and a remote-controlled car     2     (top) with a waste container to make the process easy and efficient.

Morris     3     (found) the group LitterBuggies a few years ago, and hopes that these remote-controlled cars will make     4     easier for others to keep their surroundings clean. “There are an estimated 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic waste in the ocean     5     have significant impacts     6     marine life. This number is expected     7     (double) within the next ten years,” the litterBuggles website states. “We hope to expand our activities into a larger movement, with the goal of making as big a     8     (different) as possible.”

A couple of days a week, Morris visits local beaches equipped with his grabber and remote-controlled car, and films himself     9     (collect) rubbish littering the shore. It is inspiring to see how Morris     10     (patient) picks up all the waste, leaving behind a clean and tidy beach.

Nowadays about one     1    (five) of the global population celebrate the Spring Festival, making it a worldwide festival. The Spring Festival, widely known as Lunar New Year,     2    (honor) as the United Nations Floating Holiday on December 22, 2023.

    3     is announced that the UN will try to avoid     4    (arrange) conference activities on the day. This resolution reflects the great influence of Chinese culture. It will promote Chinese tradition     5    (global) as well.

With a history of 4000 years, the Spring Festival has continued all the way to today and it has spread     6     many countries in the world. Therefore, it is     7     bond between China’s present and past. It is a strong connection between Chinese people at home     8     abroad. Why has this been possible? Featuring family reunion and well-being, the Spring Festival inherits the treasure of Chinese culture: harmonious coexistence. It also expresses a common goal     9     all countries should pursue: to create a world with a     10     (share) future of harmony and prosperity.

This morning, a shocking headline grabbed my attention: “Passenger Dies in Driverless Car Crash.” The article discussed growing     1     (opposite) to driverless car development, with some arguing that certain technological advances are not just unnecessary     2     could be dangerous. The car company apologized     3     the accident, but the families sorrowfully insisted it wasn’t enough. Still, the company maintained its belief     4     most people would soon be using driverless cars.

On one side, there are communities, like the Amish, who refused modern technology, living confidently without cars, TV, or the Internet. They prioritize hard work, family, and community,     5     (suggest) that a simple life     6     (focus) on these values might be better than chasing luxuries. Their quality of life, grounded in nature away from polluted cities, challenges the idea that progress always     7     (mean) a better life.

On the other side, technological progress has brought numerous benefits. Advanced weather programs provide early warnings for disasters, saving lives. The Internet connects people     8     (globe), maintaining relationships across distances. It also opens up opportunities, with social media creating extensive networks.

Personally, I’ve benefited from tech advances. I found my AI design career through social media and improved my health with a     9     (wear) monitor. While new tech can be scary, I choose     10     (see) the positive side of change and accept it rather than resist. As technology evolves, I remain open to the potential benefits it may bring.