Ancient China covered a vast and ever-changing geopolitical landscape,     1     the art it produced over three thousand years is, unsurprisingly, just as varied. Still,     2     continuous technical developments, and the influence of foreign ideas, there are certain qualities inbuilt in Chinese art.

Among these essential qualities, a love of nature, a belief in morality, and an interest in viewing the subject from various respects     3     (include). An important difference between China and many other ancient cultures is     4     many Chinese artists were not professionals but amateurs who were also scholars. Art, throughout most of China’s history, was meant to express the artist’s good character and not merely be an     5     (interpret) of his practical artistic skills.     6     (natural), there were professional artists too, employed by wealthy officials     7     (decorate) the walls and insides of their fine buildings. Of course, there were, too, thousands of workmen     8     (make) precious materials into objects of art for the few who could afford them.

Chinese art remained highly influential throughout     9     history of the country, inspiring greatly that of its neighbours in East Asia. And the worldwide appreciation of its achievements, especially in carving, painting, and building     10     (continue) to this day.

Li Hongbo is a Chinese artist who makes     1     (incredible) complicated and stretchable paper sculptures, drawing on a rich history of traditional Chinese folk art. For thousands of years, paper     2     (use) to create lanterns, festive decorations and children’s toys.

“There is a Chinese saying, ‘Life is as fragile as paper,’ ” says Li. “It has had a huge impact     3     me.” Painstakingly constructed, each artwork opens out like the bellows (风箱) of an accordion(手风琴),     4     (reveal) a beautiful honeycomb pattern hidden between each layer. His works might be read as a visual challenge to     5     above-mentioned saying, arguing instead that, while life may indeed be as fragile as paper, there’s     6     (strong) in numbers.

Some of his larger artworks are made from 7,000 to 8,000 pieces of paper, all carefully     7     (glue) together at specific points by hand, resulting in a block     8     can move, bend and expand. Then this block     9     (carve) into shape with various tools.

These exceptional 3D paper sculptures are vivid and     10    (fascinate), showcasing Chinese craftsmanship, creativity and innovation.

On recent weekends,visitors from surrounding cities, provinces and even     1     (far) away are rushing to try Zibo barbecue. A local citizen surnamed Wei said, “We locals can’t even eat at nearby barbecue restaurants on weekends due to the long queues.” Pancakes,scallions and table-top barbecues     2     (see) as essential items for customers, and the immersive barbecue mode has met the taste and social needs of young customers.

“Zibo barbecue going viral is not     3     (accident), ”Yin Qidi, head of the city’s commerce bureau, said at     4     news conference held to address the barbecue craze on March 10.

    5     terms of transportation, Zibo is known to have newly added 21 customized barbecue bus lines and cooperated with China Railway Jinan Group Co Ltd to add weekend railway lines fromZibo to Jinan of Shandong province.Arranging volunteers at Zibo railway stations, publishing maps marking recommended Zibo barbecue cateries,     6     providing accommodation discounts for out-of -town students are some of the convenient services Zibo provides.

Previously, the city’s culture and tourism bureau, along with 10 representatives from popular Zibo scenic spots,     7     (board) the special weekend train G9321 on April 8     8     (promote) tourism in Zibo and beneficial policies to passengers,     9     have made the low-profile industrial city     10     (expect) one of the most popular tourist attractions in China in the post-epidemic era.

The Hainan gibbons (长臂猿), who live in rainforest trees over 10 meters tall, rarely set foot on the ground.     1     (know) as the world’s rarest primate(灵长类动物), the Hainan gibbons have been listed as     2     (critical) endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Fortunately, conservation efforts have seen positive results in recent years. According to the latest     3       (office) figures, the gibbon population in Hainan     4       (estimate) at 36individuals living in five family groups, from 30 in four groups in 2019. The increase in gibbon population comes as China enhances efforts     5     (construct) the National Park of Hainan Tropical Rainforest.

This national park,     6     covers 4,269 km², is home to China’s most concentrated and well-preserved tropical rainforests. Many wildlife that     7       (disappear) previously are returning to their homes thanks to the park. In recent years, Hainan has promoted the construction of the park, strengthened the restoration of tropical rainforests,     8       carried out ecological relocation projects in core protected     9     (area), such as planting more trees to provide food for the Hainan gibbons.

A research center has also been established,     10       experts from home and overseas jointly providing suggestions for their protection. The population of the gibbons is expected to hit between 60 and 70 in 2035, as long as current protection efforts and environmental stability can be sustained.

Canadians are extremely enthusiastic about renewable energy, and public opinion is     1     (clear) moving towards a clean energy vision for the future. But when you look at the latest polls, there are still some major obstacles to aggressive climate action.

You’ve probably heard that most Canadians want governments to do more on climate. That’s what two-thirds of the public tell pollsters when     2     (ask). But the same two-thirds will tell you they’re pretty satisfied and think Canada is doing a decent job dealing     3     climate change.

It’s not because Canadians aren’t worried. Three quarters of the public are concerned and the level of worry is rising — half of us now describe climate change as a “very serious threat.” But most people think we’re already pulling     4     (we) weight. Just 25 percent of Canadians think we’re doing less than our “fair share.”

One of the really     5     (worry) trends in public opinion is the number of people who think tackling climate change is already a lost cause. About half the public think we won’t be able to limit climate impacts “before it’s too late.” Just 35 percent have     6     (confident) in governments creating policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

And another big obstacle is     7     the majority doesn’t yet have a mental picture of the possible pathways forward.     8     there is good news in the latest public research. Canadians’ vision of the future is shifting rapidly. There is     9     (mass) support for renewable energy, across all demographics and across party lines. Meanwhile, support for fossil fuel expansion     10     (decrease).

Flower arrangement is the combination of several elements to produce visually pleasing display of fresh, silk, or dried flowers. General design principles include unbalance, and harmony,     1     often involves the use of light, space, and accent. Despite parts of the world use     2    (vary) design techniques for flower arrangement.

The art of Chinese traditional flower arrangement, originally     3    (serve) as offerings at temples and decorations in the palace, has survived over the centuries. “    4     a history of more than 3,000 years, the image of flower arrangement sometimes is still limited bunches of flowers in flower shops.” Zhang Yan,     5     master of the art, said.

In recent years, Zhang has been     6    (devoted) popularizing the traditional flower arrangement, hoping people will be familiar with the art, take pride in its centuries-old history and hold an ability     7    (appreciate) the beauty in life.

In Zhang’s view, Chinese traditional flower arrangement is not only a decoration, but also a form of psychological     8    (treat) for modern busy bees. The art emphasizes simplicity, and the arranger must decide on     9     is truly necessary in his or her work and life. The healing effect of the art     10    (realize) when the arranger comes to terms with what they truly want.

For travelers who used to think that Chinese farmers live in poor conditions, the rural tours can be quite an eye opener.    1     (travel) to Jiangsu's rural villages, many of which look like beautiful postcard scenes, might be totally different from     2     you have imagined. A rural tour to the province might allow travelers to have a glance at their daily lives as well as the    3     (develop) of China's rural areas in recent years.

Longshang village, which has 140 people from 51 households, is    4    (locate) at the foot of Youzi Mountain in Nanjing's Gaochun district. It used to have ruined houses,     5     (mud) roads and annoying flies everywhere. In 2017, experts     6     (invite) to design the village's landscape and help restore its ancient buildings. Now it has become    7    “internet celebrity” and attracted many visitors    8     (draw) by its tea houses, cafes and book stores.

Also in Nanjing, Bulao village in Pukou district, known as Never Aging village, has attracted many who are interested in finding the secret of staying young.     9     clean water and refreshing air, the village impresses many by its stone streets, ancient-style farm houses and various sports venues     10     people can go hiking, play baseball and go fishing.

“Time waits for no man”—or so the saying goes. We can’t stop time and we can’t control     1    , although sometimes, in our minds, we think time flies. But if this year     2     particular feels like it’s passing more quickly than others have done, there could be a scientific     3     (explain).

Of course, we know a year is usually 365 days long. Clever scientists calculated this a long time ago. They also worked out that every four years, we need an extra day     4     (call) a leap year to keep our calendar in sync (同步). But 2021 isn’t one of those years, and yet it’s not behaving like     5     normal year. Scientists have done the math and discovered the Earth is moving faster than it ever has in the last 50 years,     6     means that 2021 is going to be the shortest year in decades.

Apparently, this is     7     the Earth is spinning faster, quicker than it has done in decades, and the days are therefore shorter. But they are only short by a tiny amount—around 0.05 milliseconds—so don’t panic if you haven’t noticed! However, long-term these milliseconds add up. Graham Jones from Time and Date told The Independent newspaper: “If the Earth’s rotation continues to     8     (quick), we may at some point require a negative leap second. If this happens, our clocks would skip a second     9     (keep) up with the hurrying Earth.” Since 1972, 27 leap seconds     10     (add) to our time.

The difference between a part-time bookseller and a professional one isn't a clear line in the sand. At one time, a professional bookseller might have been defined as someone     1    primary occupation was selling books. Changes in both technology and the market    2    （influence) that a little, with the Internet allowing anyone to list books for sale.

A professional bookseller is an individual who has thoroughly studied how to identify books and     3    （accurate)describe their condition.That knowledge can be gained by years of experience working for another bookseller or as     4     buyer and collector.

A professional bookseller     5     (value) their customers even more than the     6    （sale) of individual books. The professional is in the business for the long term. Individual books in their list come and go,     7     the relationship with their customers gets closer.

A professional bookseller pairs their knowledge of books with salesmanship,     8    (help) communicate the value of a book to potential customers. The ideal description of a book combines an accurate list of important features along with a     9     (detail) description of the condition of the individual copy. There's plenty of room in an online book description for a professional bookseller to stress on the     10     (important) of a particular work.