Tang Yan gave up a promising career in 1992 to save an almost lost art—that of “Beijing silk figurine” (北京绢人) . In 1997, she established a studio with five other enthusiasts. Then they spent     1     entire year making several figurines, only to find there was no market for their products.

“A figurine could cost     2     (basic) the annual salary of many people at the time due to precious materials and complicated handicraft techniques. ” Tang said. “Many potential customers were amazed by the beauty of our products, but their price     3     (drive) them away.”

The first failure taught Tang     4       they needed: finding ways to reduce production costs. She made many creative and bold     5     (adaptation) to the traditional figurines, like using machines to paint the clothes. These measures cut the price to less than a tenth of the     6     (origin) one. However,     7     (lend) the dolls a sense of delicacy and craftsmanship, she preserved several handmade processes for hair and makeup.

After decades of whole-hearted devotion     8     the craft, Tang now runs her own Beijing figurine product brand Tang Wawa. “Girls in China need their own dolls. When I was little, dolls     9     (call) yangwawa, meaning Western dolls.” Tang continued. “I wanted to create dolls     10     (bear) a cultural connection to Chinese people, figurines with a rich historical implication. ”

Xi’an, an ancient capital of China, has secured a place among the most popular     1     (destination) for the enchanting appeal. While     2     (it) historical and cultural landmarks awe visitors, it is the varied, mouthwatering selection of snacks that     3     (true) captivates their hearts.

With its strategic location along the Silk Road, Xi’an is a melting pot of cuisine influences from far and wide, and its history of growing wheat     4     (bring) the creation of a display of flour-based dishes, with noodles taking center stage.

From the iconic biangbiang noodles to the inviting oil-splashed noodles, Xi’an’s noodle scene is a     5     (delight) journey through flavors and textures. Biangbiang noodles, are named for the “biang-ing” sound the noodles are said to make when     6     (beat) on the table as they are being formed. While the appeal of biangbiang noodles is     7     they are wide and hand-pulled, their toppings with tasty ingredients are also a highlight. Another iconic snack, roujiamo, is often referred to     8     the “Chinese hamburger”. This sandwich-like delight has a lengthy history     9     (date) back approximately 2,400 years.

Whatever you’d like to experience in Xi’an, you’ll not only have     10     taste delight, but be amazed by the wisdom of our ancestors throughout history.

With a history of more than 2,000 years, the Silk Route dates back to Han dynasty. Through this route, the Chinese highly     1     (qualify)silk made its fame to the western countries. The merchants in different regions     2     (seek)the opportunity of trading Chinese silk     3     they indeed made their fortune along this route. That route functioned     4     the life blood of international trade at that time. Meanwhile, the Chinese civilization     5     (introduce)to the Western countries and vice versa. The Silk Route was considered as a new chapter     6     (record)the friendship between the European and Asian peoples.

Throughout all these years, many great figures have made significant contributions to the development of the Silk Route. Today, the Silk Route has a     7     (poet)name called One Belt One Road, aiming to help those connected regions in culture and economy exchange with a more advanced road. The main cities alongside it are becoming     8     (large)and more important in helping trade and culture exchange. Many countries have gained great     9     (benefit)along the trading process. All in all, the ancient Silk Road is more like     10     historical textbook for everyone to read and to know about what happened during that ancient time. It has been playing a significant role in the development of the civilizations of China.

Located at a 30-minute drive from Wuzhen, Maming village is the polar opposite of the famed     1     (tour) destinations. There are hardly any crowds here. The old houses are not as well maintained. Time seems to stand still in the village, making it a perfect day-trip destination for travelers who want     2     authentic experience of rural life.

    3     most people are sill asleep at 3 a.m., Tu Yuanqing and his father are already up on their feet, arranging cups, boiling water and preparing tea     4     (leaf) for their teahouse. Around 4 a.m., the space is a hive of activity as elderly residents, most of them     5     (age) sixty and above, sip cups of tea while     6     (chat) cheerfully with one another. Some villagers can also     7     (find) playing mahjong in a small room lit by a solitary light bulb.

Here, tea is a way of life. The street that the Tu teahouse is on may only be fifty meters long, but there are three other similar establishments. Not that anyone really cares about the     8     (compete). Tu says he helps run the teahouse, which was handed     9     to him by his grandfather,     10     (simple) because it is an integral part of their village culture.

It might be surprising to know that ice-skating has appeared in the ancient times. Believe it or not, it     1     (be) once a warriors’ (战士的) art with ice skates. The sport was then called bingxi, and it was practiced because Manchu men needed to master the skill of moving 350 kilometers in a single day     2     (reach) their enemies.

When the Manchu men moved from the north to the capital city of Beijing     3     came to power in the Qing Dynasty, ice-skating became     4     traditional sport. Every winter, there were 200 proficient ice-skaters     5     (select) to perform on the frozen royal lake.

Ice-skaters during those times wore knee pads, and they secured their shoes with leather. Their shoes     6     (fit) with single iron blades for speed, and double blades for security. There were also     7     (compete) for figure skating, ice acrobatics (杂技), and speed skating     8     were held for the benefit of the royal family.

China being one of the oldest and longest     9     (last) civilizations in the history of the world, the ancient Chinese were also involved     10     different sports. And most of their popular sports are still being played up to the present time.

Henry Dunant (1828—1910) was born in Geneva, Switzerland. In 1856, he created a trading company which did business in Algeria, a French colony at the time.     1    , the company ran into legal troubles, and the authorities were of no help to him, so he decided     2     (appeal) directly to the French leader, Napoleon III, in 1859, at Solferino, Italy. His experiences there of attending wounded prisoners led to the     3     (create) of the Red Cross in 1863. Dunant continued on with his trading company, but it was     4     failure. Everyone he knew turned their back on him and he     5     (force) to leave Geneva. Having failed at ever achieving his worldly ambitions, he gave up the idea of making money and devoted     6     (he) to volunteer work. He lived in poverty in     7    (vary) cities in Europe for years. In 1887, he began receiving a small income from distant relatives, and went to live in Heiden, Switzerland.     8     time, he slowly began making friends and admirers again. In 1895, while out on a walk, he met the editor of a local newspaper, who wrote a story about him. The article was     9     (wide) reprinted throughout Europe and led to a great deal of interest in him,     10     (make) him win first-ever Nobel Peace Prize in 1901.

Do you know what “noodling” is? It has nothing to do with the noodles that you like to eat. In the    1     (south) United States, noodling is a kind of fishing where you just use your hands. Most of the fish     2     (catch) by noodlers are catfish, which like to hide under overhanging banks. They think their     3     (enemy) can’t see them, so they’re safe. But they’re not! Noodlers feel around under the stream bank, size resting catfish,     4     pull them out of the water.

I learned about noodling when I lived     5     the State of Ohio. Later I moved to Colorado,    6    trout (鳟鱼) swim in mountain streams. I wondered     7     noodling would work on trout, but my friends told me they were too smart and too fast.

Well, I thought it would be worth     8    (try). In the fall, big, beautiful brown trout move into the shallow parts of the Cache la Poudre River. I found a place and, luckily, there were two big trout. When I tried to get close to them, they     9     (hide) themselves under the overhanging bank. I went over and “snacked” my hands under the bank. I felt one! And it didn’t   move.         10       (care), I slid both hands the fish, and then quickly lifted it out of the water onto the bank. Success! I could really noodle trout.

My friend has a sweater that her uncle bought in the 1970s. That sweater is still going strong and she wears it everywhere. Well-made, long-lasting clothing is    1     we should buy and wear. In reality, however,60% of clothing nowadays     2    (abandon)within a year of purchase, which produces vast quantities of waste that global landfills (垃圾填埋场) are struggling    3     (absorb).

If we choose long-lasting clothes, it helps solve two key    4     (issue) at once-overconsumption and the declining quality of many clothes in stores these days. A focus on quality would make us likely to pay     5    (much) for better-made items, which would reduce the desire to keep shopping, while slowing demand for fast fashion overall.

You could buy secondhand clothing, too, as    6     useful way to extend the lifespan (寿命) of items already    7     (create). But I've come to think that whether you buy something new or used       8     (matter) less if you commit to keeping clothes in use for decades. The same goes for    9    (nature) fibers; this xkw quality counts, of course,    10    it is less important if you throw away clothes within a few months from time of purchase. The most important thing is to make them last.