Shadow play, a conventional form of theatrical entertainment,     1     (survive) for centuries. The origins of shadow play     2     (believe) to date back to ancient China where it was later spread to other parts of the world.

The creation of puppets (木偶) is such a complex process that it demands extreme precision     3     is a test of the commitment as well as skills of craftsmen (匠人). These puppets are in     4     (they) works of art. Distinguishable character qualities appropriate for shadow performances are presented through the     5     (adopt) of realistic and abstract approaches.

In a typical shadow play performance, puppets are held behind a screen, with light cast onto the screen     6     (create) shadowy images that tell a story. The themes and characters     7     (feature) in shadow play performances vary widely depending on the cultural context.

While     8     (tradition) shadow play often involves fancy handmade puppets and fascinating storytelling, contemporary artists have explored new techniques, pushing the boundaries of     9     is possible with shadow play.

Despite the rise of digital entertainment, shadow play, a timeless tradition that goes beyond borders and generations, continues to exist     10     a valuable art form in many parts of the world.

As a pioneer bullet train (动车) driver, Li Dongxiao, 52, is part of the history of China’s high-speed railway network. In 2008, he drove China’s first high-speed train,     1     (reach) 350 kilometers per hour, between Beijing and Tianjin.

    2     number on Li’s bullet train driver’s license is 0001, which led the media to give him the name of China’s “first” bullet train driver. “Over 14 years, the length of the network has grown     3     zero to more than 40, 000 kilometers, and more varieties of Fuxing bullet trains have been developed and adopted, ”he said.

However, all those     4     (impress) achievements came from the ground up. Driving at high-speed is among certain     5     (profession) that require strict training. In March 2008, Li, along with some of China’s best train drivers,     6     (select) to undergo training to operate bullet trains at the manufacturer, China CNR Corp. He participated in more than 200 test runs and created a guidebook for bullet train drivers,     7     was named after him as the “Dongxiao Manual”.

China’s high-speed rail network     8     (see) rapid development over the past 20 years. Li’s development has been intertwined with the evolution of China’s high-speed railway system. He no longer     9     (operate) bullet trains himself, but is now head of the Huairou North locomotive depot (机务段) in Beijing, which is the center of train operations, repair and maintenance. Even more importantly, it is     10     all the drivers receive their training.

It is believed that Chinese knotting, also known as zhongguojie, originated for recording information and exchanging messages     1     writing was invented. Over the past thousands of years, knots     2     (play) an important part in the life of Chinese.    3     (initial), Chinese knots acted as good -luck charms to drive away evil spirits. Today, Chinese knots are widely used to decorate homes during festivities.

A major characteristic of Chinese knots is that they are often tied from a single continuous length of string. The knots are commonly named     4     the shape it takes. Chinese knots are created in a     5     (various) of colors such as gold, green, blue, or black, though the most commonly used color is red,    6     symbolizes good luck and prosperity.

Crafting the Chinese knot is a three-step process     7     (involve) tying knots, tightening them and adding the finishing touches. The knots     8     (pull) tightly together and are strong enough to be used for binding or wrapping, making them very practical.

Today, most of such knots are often mass manufactured in factories. Skilled knot artists weave complex knots that you might see     9     (sell) as souvenirs that you can take back with you. If you have time, why not try your hand at it? Perhaps these age-old charms can add     10     touch of good luck to your daily life?

A freight train loaded with grain from Kazakhstan arrived in Zhangjiakou on Dec 13. It came after a journey     1     passed through the Horgos railway port in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

It was the first freight train from overseas     2    (arrive) in Zhangjiakou since the launch of the China-Europe (Central Asia) route at the end of August, and took 10 days to travel more than 4,000 kilometers.

The government said the train’s arrival signified the     3    (office) opening of the Zhangjiakou section of the route in both directions, enabling two-way trade and establishing an important     4    (found) for the development of Zhangjiakou     5     a multimodal transportation. It also marked     6     significant step forward in constructing a comprehensive international trade corridor in Zhangjiakou, enhancing its level of openness     7     expanding the logistics network around Beijing.

The name of the trains, “Jingzhang”,     8    (combine) characters representing the cities of Beijing and Zhangjiakou. The train to depart from Zhangjiakou left the freight railway station in Xiahuayuan district on Aug 29, carrying 59 containers with 1,322 tons of goods.

As the train network continues to expand, more cities in Hebei, Shijiazhuang, Handan, Langfang and Zhangjiakou     9    (include), are joining the cross-border railway transportation system. Zhangjiakou is becoming part of a comprehensive international trade corridor     10    (follow) the opening of the railway route to Europe and Central Asia.

China Mobile, the world’s largest telecom carrier by mobile subscribers, has successfully launched the world’s first satellite to test 6G architecture，    1       (mark) a milestone in its efforts to explore integrated space and ground communication technology.

The low-earth orbit test satellite is the world’s first to employ 6G design architecture, and it    2       (launch) on Saturday along with another satellite that comes with China Mobile’s 5G technology.

The 6G test satellite     3       (host) a distributed autonomous architecture for 6G, which was jointly developed by China Mobile and the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Innovation Academy for Microsatellites. The system, using domestic software and hardware, supports in-orbit software reconstruction, flexible deployment of core network functions    4       automated management, enhancing the efficiency and    5       (reliable) of the in-orbit operation of the satellite core network, China Mobile said.

Set at an orbit height of approximately 500 kilometers, these experimental satellites offer advantages such as low latency and high data transfer rates     6     (compare) with high-orbit satellites     7       travel at 36,000 kilometers.

Positioned as     8     crucial platform for future integrated space and ground networks, low-earth orbit satellites can address telecom signal coverage gaps in terrestrial mobile networks, providing higher bandwidth satellite internet services    9     (systematic), according to China Mobile.

China Mobile said     10     plans to conduct in-orbit experiments based on these test satellites, accelerating the integration and development of space-to-ground technology industries.

In ancient times, Quzhou, a city in the western part of Zhejiang province,     1     (know) as a center for spreading Confucianism. However, with time it lost its     2     (significant), and some people cannot even pronounce the city’s name     3     (correct), as the first character, qu, is written in a complicated way.

Quzhou,     4     (boast) a population of about 2. 27 million, has become one of the most popular tour destinations for young Chinese this year, thanks to the     5     (power) impact of a number of pop stars, who have added the city to their performance schedules.

In March 2023, singer-songwriter Xue Zhiqian held two concerts at the Quzhou Sports Center, which was designed by architect Ma Yansong     6     has a capacity of more than 30, 000. Hotels in the city reported record-setting occupancy levels, even though they raised their room rates due to the surging demand.

The nation’s booming performing arts scene has also helped promote tourism, a report     7     (release) by the China Association of Performing Arts said. Large cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, are no strangers     8     pop stars drawing up tour plans. However.     9     handful of third-tier and lower-tier cities were also included in artists’ schedules.

Since March, Quzhou     10     (stage) concerts by other pop stars, including Jeff Chang and Alex To. along with music festivals and galas featuring singers such as Li Yuchun and Pu Shu.

Tanghulu (also known as bingtang hulu) is a traditional Chinese snack consisting of hardened sugar coated fruits on a stick.     1    (classic), tanghulu is made of hawthorns that are rich     2     vitamin C. In recent times, tanghulu makers     3    (add)variety to this traditional snack by using other fruits such as cherries, strawberries, pineapples or grapes.

Tanghulu can taste sweet or sour, depending on your fruit. Traditional tanghulu using hawthorn berries is said to taste like a     4    (combine)of both. You can, of course, make your own Tanghulu using any fruit you desire.

Tanghulu is easier     5     (make)at home than you might think. The trick is to use the correct water to sugar ratio (比例) and boil the sugar water mixture     6     its temperature reaches 150 ℃. Then quickly dip your fruit skewer (扦) into the sugar mixture. This will result in fruit that’s coated in a thin layer of hard candy that cracks when     7    (bite)into.

Tanghulu is commonly eaten in the winter. You can find     8    (travel)traders roaming (游荡) in the streets, selling this unique snack. If you want to try the sticky treat     9     (you), you can find Tanghulu stands near most of the popular tourist attractions in China. Tanghulu isn’t expensive, as a skewer costs only $1. So, what could possibly stop you from giving one     10     try?

    1     (create) in 2010, Chinese Language Day was designated to celebrate multilingualism and cultural    2     (diverse), and promote the equal use of the six official languages within the United Nations.

The Confucius Institute at Ljubljana University in Slovenia held an event Thursday     3     (mark) the 14th annual Chinese Language Day. Nearly 300 people participated in the event, teachers, students, lovers of the Chinese language and culture, and overseas Chinese visitors     4     (include).

“The Chinese language is increasingly becoming the very bond     5     links friendly relations between China and the world,     6     (particular) Slovenia, and promotes mutual understanding and trust between Chinese and Slovenian people,” Chinese Ambassador to Slovenia Wang Shunqing said.

The Confucius Institute also     7     (organize) workshops, such as calligraphy, painting, tea art, cultural     8     (perform) and food tasting, to showcase traditional Chinese culture in an all-round way and to build a platform for people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and Slovenia.

    9     the end of 2021, more than 180 countries and regions around the world had offered education in Chinese language, more than 70 countries had included Chinese in their national education systems, and     10     number of people studying and using Chinese in countries other than China had reached 200 million, according to the United Nations statistics.

Breathing dirty air causes the premature death of at least 1,200 children across Europe each year. Actually, many thousands more     1     (trouble) with physical and mental health problems that could have lifelong impacts.

    2     it comes to air pollution, we can’t think of children     3     little adults. They receive more pollution, and it starts in the womb (子宫) and continues in kindergarten and onwards.

Children are more exposed to dirty air than adults because they have a     4     (fast) breathing rate, are closer to the ground and are outdoors more. They are particularly     5     (sense) to dirty air, and pollutants can have a permanent impact on their development. The impacts begin before birth,     6     contributes to low birth weight and premature birth.

Reducing the     7     (source) of air pollution, including road traffic, coal and solid fuel burning, and industrial emissions (排放物), is key. Action should also be taken     8     (reduce) the specific risks to children. These could include putting clean air zones around schools, where traffic would     9     (restrict) and idling engines (怠速运转) prohibited. Local authorities and schools should also consider     10     (plant) trees, ivy screens and hedge fences around playgrounds.

China is known as the home of tea. It is said that Shennong discover tea around 2700 B.C. At first, tea leaves     1     (chew). During the Tang dynasty,     2     (advance) were made in the processing of tea. The leaves were steamed, oxidized (氧化) and pounded into cake form. This made tea easier     3     (transport) and more pleasing to the tongue.

The earliest batch (批次) of tea is often ready to be picked before Qingming. This precious small output of tea, widely     4     (seek) after for its outstanding quality, is called Mingqian tea. The seasonal tea is known     5     its tender leaves and fresh flavor. They have     6     better flavor than the later batches which can be grown overnight.

East China’s Zhejiang province is acknowledged as a major producer of tea. In spring, local hillsides     7     (fill) with tea workers sowing seeds on their land. In the peak seasons, many tourists flood to witness the beautiful scenery of tea farms for     8     (they), while enjoying a cup of tea.

There are many ways you can experience tea culture in China. You can visit a tea plantation in Hangzhou or elsewhere to learn     9     tea is grown and harvested. You can sit inside a     10     (tradition) teahouse and take in the classical atmosphere as you drink tea.