In my forties a number of people suggested that I should benefit     1     and enjoy tai chi. At the time I thought I did not have time to add another activity to my over-busy life as a parent and full-time worker. Twenty years later,     2     (drive) by my 62nd birthday and a health scare, I arrived at the Box Hill Central and     3     (nervous) started the class.

That was over six years ago, and how     4     (please) I was that I found the Celestial TaiChi College. Mind you, my first thoughts were not “Eureka, this is     5     I have been looking for”! In fact I was rather daunted (失去信心) by everybody else’s competence (能力) and my body’s unwillingness     6     (learn) new tricks. I recall feeling quite frustrated (沮丧的) by the slowness with which I was able to learn new moves, and I began to understand why several of my friends     7     (start) tai chi but then given it up.

Grand Master Eng Chor Khor and my other patient teachers always gave us positive encouragement, although they also stressed     8     necessity of practising. Eng Chor would often tell us     9     (beginner) that, although progress might appear slow, we would see it with the passing of time. And we did! I worked hard and completed each level with a real sense of     10     (proud).

He could still remember the day when he first met her.

It was a bright morning     1     (fill) with the sweet smell of flowers in the air. While    2     (walk) along the path, he saw a girl sitting under a tree, reading a book. Her longhair flowing in the breeze, she seemed like an angel. The book she was reading,     3     classic, caught his attention. He really had a strong desire     4     (talk) to her, but he didn’t have the courage. Finally, after gathering up all his     5     (brave), he walked towards her. “Excuse me, but can I join you?” he asked. She looked up, and her big eyes,     6     were like shining stars, met his. A smile appeared on her face. “    7    (sound) great!” she replied. For the next few hours they talked and laughed about everything, sharing their stories and dreams     8     particular.

He thought that maybe this was the beginning of something wonderful, something he had been waiting for all along.     9     he didn’t know that this moment     10     (become) a memory he would hold dear for the rest of his life.

－Adapted from “Wuthering Heights”

On the day of Longtaitou, people traditionally go get their first haircut for good luck. As an important traditional festival in folk culture, the customs of the Longtaitou vary     1     (different) from the north to the south.

In the north, there are several customs related to agricultural production. The festival     2     (celebrate) around the time of “Jingzhe”, the third of the 24 Solar Terms, a time     3     all creatures become active and diseases tend to arise, posing a threat to crops. Therefore, people perform the rituals of yinlong, which literally means “summoning the dragon”,    4     (drive) away pests and ensure the safety of people.

In some areas of Northeast China, people knock on the beams (梁) of their houses     5     long sticks on the morning of the day of Longtaitou. The ritual is called qiaolongtou, or “knocking on the dragon’s head”,     6     (intend) to awaken the dragon and ensure peace for the community.

    7     it is in the north or the south, the cultural connotations of Longtaitou cannot be simply divided into worship of the dragon or the earth spirit based on geography. It is through the     8     (integrate) and evolution over generations that the festival has gradually formed     9     unique set of customs and significance.

The diverse culture and rich history of such traditional festival customs show the country’s ancient     10     (wise), respect for nature and good wishes for life.