Visitors have flocked from far and wide     1     (visit) the world’s largest ice and snow festival dubbed (称为) “Disneyland on ice” recently. This is China’s Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival — a family friendly, fun-filled dream land     2     (fill) with intricately designed ice sculptures. Although visitors are treated     3     masses of ice sculptures throughout Harbin City, Sun Island and Ice and Snow World, are the two main areas. Ice and Snow World area is largely open at night, and     4     (feature) illuminated ice skyscrapers. This year, they’ve also added such a towering snowflake Ferris wheel     5     visitors can take in the     6     (complete) of this impressive winter wonderland from the air. The festival has established     7     (it)as one of the best winter celebrations worldwide, and has been pulling in an estimated 28.7 billion yuan per year.

One travel guide said: “I’ve always had     8     difficult time with winter, or at least the idea of it. I’ve associated winter with misery, irrespective of how I     9     (physical) react to the cold, and have gone to great     10     (length) to deny its very existence. But exploring China’s Harbin Ice and Snow Festival brought me indescribable joy.”

China Central Television (CCTV) News Channel and Xinwen Lianbo, a daily news program     1     (produce) by CCTV, disclosed in a 2-minute video that the Huawei Mate 60 series,     2     is currently selling well, uses Chinese-made chips, and more than 10,000 components were made in China,     3     (bring) more hope to the surrounded Chinese technology industry.

Despite over four years of continuous pressure from the U.S., Huawei has not only survived but also continued to grow.

Since May 2019, the U.S. has enforced multiple sanctions (制裁) on Huawei, prohibiting U.S. companies from selling related technologies and products to it. According to market research data, it     4     (hold) an 18% share of the global smartphone market in 2019, ranking first globally, but the market share decreased to 2% in 2022.

Huawei claims that the Mate 60 series is the “    5     (powerful) Mate smartphone ever” and the world’s first mainstream smartphone to support satellite calls. Even without ground network signals, it can make and receive satellite calls. The new device also uses the HarmonyOS 4.0 operating system and     6     (integrate) Huawei’s PanGu artificial intelligence model. In terms     7     durability (耐用性), the phone uses highly reliable glass, doubling its drop resistance and increasing its compression resistance (抗压性能) tenfold.

The video from CCTV states, “Huawei’s breakthrough shows that there is great potential in independent     8     (innovate). Self-reliance and self-improvement in technology will bring     9     bright future. We     10     (firm) believe that the future of China is promising.”

Kwanzaa is a week-long secular (世俗的) holiday celebrated in the United States in the African-American community.     1     (develop) by Dr. Ron Kaurenga, the holiday was first celebrated in December 1966 in California. Kwanzaa celebrations are from December 26th to the 1st of January. It     2     (estimate) that 4 million people in the United States celebrate the holiday every year.

Contrary     3     popular belief, the holiday did not start in Africa. The holiday was created during the social and political changes that were affecting the African-American community in the 1960s. According to Kaurenga, the holiday originally started as     4     alternative to the Christmas holiday and to give African Americans the opportunity     5     (celebrate) their own history and tradition. Kaurenga adapted several African     6     (tradition) for the holiday because Kaurenga felt that African-Americans would be     7     (little) likely to celebrate it if they knew immediately of the holiday’s American origins. The timing Dr. Karenga chose for the celebration was     8     (practice) because the time between Christmas and New Year’s Day was the height of party season for many people.

The term Kwanzaa comes from the Swahili word kwanza,     9     means “first fruits”. A Swahili term was chosen     10     (specific) to emphasize the Pan-African spirit of Kwanzaa.

It was a soccer match     1     no red carpet, no stars and no professional players, but at least 50,000 spectators watched it on-site and millions of others online.

At the Village Super League finals in Rongjiang county, Guizhou province, Saturday night, very few people were concerned about the final score. It was the passion and sportsmanship of these amateur players and the cheerful, warm and relaxing atmosphere on the field       2     inspired the crowd.

“The match itself is more important than its result,” said Dong Yongheng,     3     team is named after his village, Zhongcheng, the Chinese word for     4     (loyal). “By running, fighting and giving my all on the field, I am reminded that I still have a deep passion for life and soccer.”

Dong runs a snack bar in the village but has loved soccer since he     5     (be) very young. In this Village Super League season, which began on May 13, he scored multiple goals,     6    (make) him popular among the spectators who     7       (close) followed the matches.

All the players in the Village Super League come from different     8     (walk) of life. Some are students, while others are butchers, construction workers, drivers or businesspeople. Among the referees are schoolteachers, government workers and villagers. But all are united in their passion for soccer.

For spectators who have traveled from across the country     9    (witness) one of China’s most popular sports events this year, the Village Super League is more than a midsummer soccer fest. It is also     10       successful campaign (运动) presenting everything unique about Rongjiang county, including its culture, landscape, folklore and food.

The Shoton Festival is one of    1    (important) festivals for ethnic Tibetans. “Sho” means yogurt and “Ton” banquet in the Tibetan language, so the Shoton Festival    2    (call) the “Yogurt Festival.” as well. The seven-day event occurs between the end of the sixth     3     the beginning of the seventh month of the Tibetan calendar.

Originating(起源) from the mid-11th century, the Shoton Festival used to be a religious activity. After 1642, the Drepung Monastery(寺庙),     4     the fifth Dalai Lama, leader of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism, lived became the     5    (politics), religious and cultural center of Xizang. Every year on the 30th day of the sixth month, thousands of people would crowd     6     the monastery to present yogurt to the fifth Dalai Lama and asked for     7    (bless). Local Tibetan Opera troupes would also come to perform for him at the monastery. Since then, the Shoton Festival     8    (become) a religious and cultural festival.

During the period of the eighth Dalai Lama    9    (live) in the mid-18th century, the main venue of the Shoton Festival was moved to Norbulingka and ordinary people were allowed     10    (enter) to watch Tibetan Opera performances. From then on, the Shoton Festival became a fixed festival.

Khoomei is a unique singing style and outstanding creation of the Mongolian ethnic group.     1     (mean) “throat” in Mongolian, Khoomei is a kind of double- or multiple-part singing art.

Khoomei originated from the Altai native people during the 12th century,     2    it spread throughout the vast region. As a product of the     3     (mountain) hunting culture of the time, in China, it is now     4     (primary) distributed in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, while outside China it can be heard in Mongolia and Russia as well.

One of the     5     (old) art forms of the Mongolian ethnic group, Khoomei keeps many elements of the original singing style. It is a kind of ancient echo (回声) from the     6     (depth) of many people’s memories,     7     is closely related to the history and culture of ethnic Mongolians. The art form conveys ethnic Mongolians’ deep philosophical thinking and understanding of the natural universe.

However, in Inner Mongolia, only the bass (低音) part of Khoomei has been preserved, while it is also     8    the edge of being lost in the Altai region of Xinjiang. Therefore, it is an urgent task     9     (save) and protect this special singing art from extinction(灭绝). In November 2019, Khoomei     10     (include) as part of the first of items added to China’s National Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

The traditional oilpaper umbrella is made with a wooden frame and hand-colored paper     1     (polish) with candlenut tree oil. As well as providing shelter from rain and sun, the 2,000-year-old art form     2     (regard) by many people across Asia as a tool for escaping evil spirits.

Although they almost     3     (disappear) from Chinese society 40 years ago, some artisans stuck to the craft in the hope of reviving (复兴) it. One bamboo shoot, five rolls of cotton thread, 18 pieces of Chinese painting paper and 36 wooden frame brackets are incorporated into     4     umbrella in a total of more than 70 procedures. In particular, the umbrella frames should be made from five-year-old bamboo that is     5     (special) treated to make it soft, flexible and resistant to mold (霉菌) and pests. The cover of the umbrella also requires special Chinese painting paper     6     can bear strong force. Usually, it takes at least 10 days     7    (finish) one umbrella.

Some artisans created new designs by     8     (keep) the traditional roots. During this process they also found some details, materials and functions that they transferred into other products such as lamps, storage, trash bins     9     even chairs. They are searching for the future of the traditional paper umbrella.

Oilpaper umbrellas have not exactly enjoyed a revival yet, but     10     (appreciate) of them is beginning to grow.

The Canal Culture and Food Festival     1     (hold) at the renowned Sen Long Restaurant last month to show the signature dishes of Huaiyang cuisine     2     people in Beijing.

Sen Long Restaurant was established in Beijing in 1924 by Zhang Sanlong from Jiangsu province.     3     initial(最初的)location of the restaurant changed because of subway construction in 2005, and in 2019 it was reopened in Dongcheng district.

According to its general manager Wang Peixin, a master chef     4     specializes in Huaiyang cuisine was hired to preserve the authentic(正宗的) flavors of the     5     (tradition) dishes while upholding the nature of Huaiyang cuisine. “In the past, Sen Long Restaurant positioned     6     (it) toward the high end market, with relatively expensive prices that put off many ordinary people. After reopening, the restaurant has shifted its pricing strategy to be more affordable,     7     (aim) to make it possible for everyone     8     (taste)the authentic flavors of Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisine,” Wang said.

Wang said all the ingredients of the dishes of the food festival were gained from the     9     (place) along the Grand Canal. In July, the restaurant took part in the food skill competition of “Taste the Canal” in Beijing and     10     (win) the creative restaurant award.

The Sanya Nanfan (南繁) Seed Breeding (繁殖) Base, located in south China’s Hainan Province, plays a vital role as a seed centre in China.     1     (unique) blessed with nature’s gifts and a wealth of the country’s resources, it serves as the dedicated ground     2     skilled agricultural experts contribute to feeding our nation and addressing global hunger.

Dr. Xiao Feng stands at the forefront of agricultural innovation in Nanfan. Jokingly     3     (refer) to himself as a “mudskipper”, he is often spotted with rolled-up trouser legs knee-deep in the     4     (mud) fields. Dr. Xiao, along with other Nanfan researchers,     5     (commit) wholeheartedly to improving grain production, ensuring that people’s dinner tables are filled.

“Life can be compared to a seed, remarks Dr. Xiao.” Occasionally, it may either not grow as expected     6     remain inactive. Nevertheless, hope and opportunity persist. The seed of life will always manage     7     (emerge) through the ground.“

The term ”Nanfan“ itself implies to the practice of transplanting summertime crops from northern latitudes to Hainan during its winter. This makes for an     8     (extend) of growing seasons. Shortening the breeding cycle     9       half or more, Nanfan accelerates the breeding process.

Hope is a humble seed; when     10     (plant) in fertile ground, it transfigures (美化……的外表) into new life bearing fruits of change. The researchers at Nanfan are those seeds of hope.

When Clint Liddick from the United States lived in China, he was more than busy, studying at college during the day and     1     (try) to master martial arts in another city in the evening.

For breakfast, he would grab a tray of steamed xiaolongbao, a type of dumpling, and a tea egg. After finishing his college classes, he would take     2     40-minute subway trip from Guangzhou to Foshan, both in Guangdong province, to go to a kung fu     3     (master) house and train for several hours before making the return trip. He repeated the same routine almost every day.

Liddick said “it’s exciting when someone really wants to learn something”, and someone really wants to share their knowledge. “I’m not super skilled,     4     I learn quickly. I wanted to learn as much as I could take in,” the 33-year-old who studied Chinese kung fu, or wushu, for 20 years, said. “Teachers want to share as much as they have.”

“It’s your individual achievement. You are competing only with     5     (you) to get better and better,” he said. “It’s a sport that pursues a wonderful balance between body and brain. It’s very     6     (physical) demanding; you have to really work hard at it     7     (have) any skill to do the movements correctly.”

Liddick grew up in a Christian family on the East Coast of the United States,     8     he said there wasn’t much cultural diversity. However, through his mother he     9     (expose) to different beliefs — including Buddhism and Taoism, which developed his interest     10     Chinese culture.