A farming-themed reality show has taken Chinese social media by storm. The show,     1     (name) Become a Farmer, highlights the importance of agriculture in Chinese culture. Many young urbanites (城市居民), however, may be unfamiliar     2     the word “farming”.     3     (bridge) this gap, the 50-episode program invites 10 young men from diverse backgrounds to experience life on the farmland. This show aims to provide insights into farming     4     (activity) and modern agricultural production.

Yang Changling, chief director of     5     program, said it intends to show farming through a documentary approach. By sharing these young people’s experiences and personal growth stories, it hopes to deepen the audience’s understanding of agriculture and raise the     6     (aware) of food security.

Wu Han, the producer, said the show aims to promote traditional Chinese farming culture while     7     (strengthen) communication between urban and rural residents (居民).     8     (additional), cast members document their experiences through vlogs,     9     contents vary from building a hen house to digging up fresh bamboo shoots.

In one vlog, 27-year-old Jiang Dunhao recalled helping with the birth of lambs, writing on Weibo: “A newborn lamb struggled to stand, but after resting, it gathered its strength and finally     10     (rise).”

Become a Farmer has emerged (为人所知) as an influential show that not only entertains but also educates, which has becomes a hit.

A few years ago, I stood underneath a red overhanging cliff near my hometown. The day was amazing.     1     deer chewed on the brown grasses, an eagle rode the wind. I was tied in, ready to climb. I was attempting     2     (do) a route first try, “onsight,” which means I didn’t know     3     I was climbing into.

Just as I was about to climb, nerves in my body, which I hadn’t felt yet,     4     (say) hello. That’s not good for any athlete. Desperate, I painted a coat of     5     (confident) on my inner walls of doubt. “You can do this, and success is certain.” I firmly told myself.

It didn’t work. I fell near the top.     6     (defeat), I lowered to the ground and realized powerfully that the desire to climb the route had kept me from doing it. In a flash, I told myself that on my next attempt, success or failure was not important. “Make one move at     7     time. That’s all.” I gave myself a pass from whatever would happen. It worked.

While     8     (stand) on the top, I was deep in thought. At some point, I framed this experience for myself in terms of simple arithmetic: When I added determination, courage, and desire, I failed. When I took away the desire for success, I improved. I enjoyed it more as well, which,     9     an athlete of 30 years, I didn’t think was possible. I     10     (eventual) discovered the power of subtraction (减法).

Walking through his neighborhood supermarket in Australia,     1     packs of Chinese sauerkraut (酸菜) line the shelves, Huang Xiqing feels like he’s shopping in his hometown of Shenyang in Liaoning province. “The sauerkraut soup tastes just like home,” says the 45-year-old Chinese living in Canberra,     2     (sound) a little homesick.

Chinese sauerkraut, a pickle which     3     (make) of Chinese cabbage, is a traditional specialty of the northeastern region and is now sold around the country     4     exported overseas. Chinese cabbage has gained     5     (popular) with ordinary household, because it is cheap and can be stored for a relatively long period of time.

During the last decades, Chinese businessmen have set     6     several sauerkraut companies. Among them, the Xinmin agricultural product company of the Heilongjiang Cuihua Group has sold its Chinese sauerkraut not only     7     (domestic), but also to countries including Canada, Japan and the United States. When people were making purchases for Spring Festival, sales of Chinese sauerkraut on Douyin increased more than10-fold,     8     (compare) to the previous year.

But for Huang, Chinese sauerkraut is an everlasting link to home. “Although I have tried delicacies from across     9     globe. Chinese sauerkraut is still one of my     10     (favourite), and reminds me of my hometown,” Huang says.

Kites were invented around the 5th century BCE during the Warring States period. They were made of wood and silk, and had military (军事的)     1     (purpose) such as measuring distances, signaling, and reconnaissance.

Over time, kites gained popularity as recreational toys. They were flown during festive occasions and celebrations, symbolizing good luck and driving away bad luck.     2     (additional), competitive kite flying appeared, with participants showing their skills in     3     (achieve) the highest altitude and performing complex movements. Kite flying became a way for artistic expression. People started applying artistic designs     4     decorative factors together to kites, including delicate paintings and calligraphy on silk surfaces. This allowed kites     5     (become) a medium for showing traditional Chinese culture and beauty.

As kite-making developed, there were significant technical advancements. Experiments with different materials and designs     6     (lead) to the transition (过渡) from wood to bamboo frames, as well as the use of paper and fabric instead of silk.

Kite makers also added tails and explored     7     (vary) shapes and sizes to improve stability and flight performance. Kite flying continues to be popular     8     China. There are kite festivals and competitions     9     show good designs and movements, keeping the tradition alive. The influence of Chinese kites has extended beyond China, promoting designs in other cultures. Besides, the concept (概念) of flying kites has served as     10     (inspire) for scientific advancements in different fields.

In recent years, food has apparently become a new hot spot for Chinese cities to attract tourists. Following Zibo and Harbin, Tianshui,     1     ancient city in Northwest China's Gansu Province, became the     2     (hot) tourists destination of 2024 because of malatang, a local street dish.

Malatang,     3     (literal) meaning “numbing, spicy, and hot” in Chinese, is a common street food that can be found all over China, but its tastes differ depending     4     the region. In Tianshui, malatang features a mix of fresh vegetables and meat     5     (boil) in a hot, spicy chicken soup.

Tianshui went viral when a student     6     (post) a seven-second video in February on her social media. In the video, she suggested     7     (make) Gansu malatang a national dish. The video,     8     quickly received millions of likes online, attracted food lovers to the city     9     (experience) this local dish firsthand. Malatang also helps draw more visits to key     10     (attraction) in Tianshui, such as Maijishan Grottoes and Fuxi Temple.

A special tea picker has been operating at a West Lake Longjing tea plantation in Hangzhou recently. It is the world's first tea-picking robot. The robot uses two mechanical arms to move back and forth as it searches     1     tea buds （芽）. When it locates one, it uses a pair of scissors and a suction （抽吸） device     2     (attach) to the end of its arm to cut and collect the tea buds. It     3     (equip) with a pair of 3D eyes that can     4     (automatic) identify tender tea leaves through artificial intelligence technology. People firstly take many photos to tell the machine about the targets     5     it can pick, and when the photos are enough, the machine will learn by     6     ( it). The technology is also constantly improving. It has now been upgraded to the fifth generation, and it takes just 1. 5 seconds     7     (pick) a tea bud, with an     8     (accurate) rate of 86 percent.

Ruan Jianyun, a tea expert, said, "We still have two problems. One problem is the efficiency and quality of tea picking, and     9     other is the cost of the machine."

In recent years, mechanization has been widely applied in the tea production industry. However, the picking of high-quality tea still     10     (rely) on human labor.

Beloved as they may be, many Chinese dishes only show up on family tables once a year,     1     (mark) holidays or seasonal observances. When the Qingming Festival approaches each spring, qingtuan, a sweet, jade-coloured treat begins to appear in supermarkets     2    bakeries all over the country

“In Chinese culture, it’s really important to always honour and remember your ancestors,” said Lillian Luk,     3     founder of the London pop-up Shanghai Supper Club. During the Qingming Festival people all over China go on trips to their deceased loved ones’ burial sites    4     ( sweep) the graves, burn incense and present offerings.

    5     (make) with glutinous rice flour, qingtuan dough is emerald-green because of the addition of mugwort (艾草). “Mugwort also gives the qingtuan a nice medicinal benefit. It’s meant to    6     (low) blood pressure,” said Luk, who now makes and sells the green    7     (treat) at her pop-up restaurant when the Qingming Festival rolls around.

In recent years, Luk     8     (notice) qingtuan evolving. She’s seen all sorts of novel versions pop up, from dumplings dyed green with matcha (抹茶) instead of mugwort,     9     ones filled with custard or sweet potato. Luk acknowledges the value of unexpected flavour options—seeing her children become excited and curious about foods from their culture. “Somehow, I have kind of woven this thread     10     ties my kids to my heritage, unintentionally,” said Luk.