Horse-face skirt, also known as “horse-faced pleated (有褶的) skirt”, is one of the main skirt     1     (style) of ancient Chinese women. It is not only a kind of clothing, but also a treasure of Chinese culture. Originating in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the horse-face skirt     2     (grow) popular during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) due to     3     (it) functionality and aesthetic (美学的) style. During the Ming Dynasty, deeply pleated versions of the skirt were     4     (extreme) popular. After the development of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, the horse-face skirt has gradually become     5     unique dress style.

Today, designers skillfully combine traditional elements with modern design     6     (create) an amazing fashion work, which makes the horse-face skirt shine with new vitality. Wearing a horse-face skirt, as if stepping     7     the time tunnel of thousands of years, we can feel the ancient and mysterious charm. It carries the memory of history     8     conveys the feelings of the nation. In the eyes of experts and fashion industry insiders, traditional Chinese clothing,     9     (represent) by the horse-face skirt, is a significant symbol of Chinese civilization     10     has influenced western fashion for many years. Let’s enjoy the charm of horse-face skirt together, pass on the elegance of the treasure, and dazzle the world.

Dazhai, a village     1     (surround) by mountains on all sides in Guangxi's Longsheng autonomous county of various ethnic groups, which boasts around 66 square kilometers of terraced (梯田形的) fields that have been cultivated for around 2,300 years,     2     (attract) tens of thousands of visitors every year. Its terraced fields follow     3     landform of the mountains, at heights ranging from 300 to 1,200 meters above sea level. So far, from swiftly flowing river valleys to mist-covered mountains, dense forests and steep cliffs, wherever there is water and soil, terraces     4     (dig).

Those in Dazhai are important     5     (representative) of Longji terracing, a well-known type of terrace that can be found all over the county. The highest tier (层) has more than 1,100 levels,     6     (wind) from the foot of the mountain to the top, creating a magnificent landscape     7     resembles a staircase to the clouds. The largest terrace is no more than an acre     8     size, while the smallest only accommodates a handful of rice seedlings (秧苗).

Longji terraces are based on an environmental practice that focuses on harmony between humans and nature     9     the dynamic balance of forests and fields. They are not just beautiful landscapes but also carriers of Zhuang and Yao culture.

Longji terraces are an important model of ancient Chinese water     10     (manage) and agricultural civilization that has been passed down to the present day. Visitors can appreciate the way the Zhuang and Yao ethnic groups have farmed the terraces and how ancestral farming methods have been preserved.

The National Healthcare Security Administration said on Monday that the coverage of China’s basic medical insurance is stabilized at over 95percent. It also said that the quality     1     the system had continuously improved.

Data from the administration show that from 2003 to 2023, the government’s     2     (contribute) to basic medical insurance for rural and non-working urban residents rose faster than the personal part,     3     offers further support for low-income households and other people in need.     4     (specific), if an ordinary resident is insured continuously from 2003 to 2023, the individual contribution is 2,640 yuan (about 371. 9 U. S. dollars),     5     (account) for about 30 percent of the total insurance expenses.

Throughout the years, a total of 744     6     (drug) have been added into the medical insurance catalog, and more than 80 percent of innovative drugs can     7     (include) within two years after entering the market. Currently, the compensation rate for inpatient medical bills     8     (cover) by basic medical insurance for rural and non-working urban residents is about 70 percent. In 2023, individuals     9     (pay) 349.7 billion yuan of the total insurance expenses of basic medical insurance for rural and non-working urban residents, while the government subsidy (补贴) was nearly 697.8 billion yuan. In this year’s government work report, the government committed to improve medical services with     10     patient-centered approach.

China’s “ice city” Harbin in Northeast Heilongjiang Province has definitely become a tourism hotspot,     1    （attract） millions of tourists from home and abroad. Beyond the attraction of ice and snow tourism, the lesser-known     2    （diverse） and rich cultures of local ethnic（民族的） minority groups have also been brought under the spotlight.

At the tourist-packed Central Street, a street famous     3     its Western architecture during different times in downtown Harbin, a group of Aoluguya Ewenki（敖鲁古雅鄂温克民族） people     4    （dress） in their ethnic costumes with seven reindeer（驯鹿） are singing their     5    （tradition） songs while walking down the street. Tourists crowd around them,     6    （excited） taking photos and videos.

The Aoluguya Ewenki is the only ethnic group in China     7     raises reindeer. According to media reports, sometimes people confuse the Ewenki people with the Oroqen people, one of     8     smallest ethnic groups in China. The Aoluguya Ewenki decided to take advantage of the opportunity of Harbin’s booming tourism industry     9    （show） their unique culture and identity to visitors from all over the country.

Since the Aoluguya Ewenki people’s public appearance, more and more local ethnic minority groups     10    （do） the same, with some from other parts of the nation even journeying to Harbin. “If you want to see China’s rich multi-ethnic cultures, you should come to Harbin now,” netizens state encouragingly on social media.

What is the secret of the charm of Yunnan Province? Beautiful scenery, rare plants and flowers, local specialties? These are all part of the answer,     1    they are definitely not everything.

Yunnan boasts not only fabulous natural landscapes, but also fascinating ethnic customs. Among the 25 ethnic groups of Yunnan, the Yi people have    2    unique culture, which over thousands of years     3    (develop) into colourful customs with distinctive features.

The Yi people adore tigers, fire and the colour black. Many festivals have developed from the ceremonies for     4    (worship) these objects. The Torch Festival is the most widely celebrated, with a very strong    5    (religion) element.

The Yi people, who call    6    (they) the “fire nationality”, think fire possesses a superhuman power which can drive away evil and frighten off ghosts.

During the festival, at the entrance to the villages, a grand “torch tower”, made of pine branches and dry firewood and    7    (stand) more than 20 meters high, is decorated with fresh flowers and fruits.

After dinner, as darkness casts its shadow, young and old rush    8    (enthusiastic) to the “torch tower” square.     9    such a brilliant night, all the participants are intoxicated(陶醉的) by the grand spectacle and the atmosphere of celebration.     10     (dress) in splendid costumes, young men and women sing and dance hand in hand around the bonfire to express their gratitude for a life of plenty and good wishes for the coming year.

What is archaeology?

It’s more than just digging and putting things in museum cases.

Archaeology tells the full story of humanity. Archaeology is the study of the human past. What, then, separates it from history? The key is that     1     history primarily uses the written word, archaeologists study the human past through things. Archaeologists use the material     2     (remain) of human societies in order to reconstruct everything.

Archaeologists use every kind of material that has survived into the present day, not just the things that you might expect, such as pottery and stone tools,     3     items such as animal bones and shells and even the microscopic silica deposits (phytoliths 植物化石) that plants produce, which can survive for centuries after plants die. Every tiny piece of evidence gives us     4     insight into how the world used to be, and how people lived, ate,     5     (interact), and constructed their landscape.

Archaeology ranges     6    the splendor of well-known wonders such as Stonehenge, the Terracotta Army and Machu Picchu, to     7     (small) but no less wonderful discoveries.

Archaeology’s relevance is not only in the past, though, it is a fundamental way of understanding the current state of the world.

It takes a huge workforce     8     (understand) the ancient world, people from all backgrounds     9     (work) together in different ways to build up a     10     (comprehend) picture of our shared past. The most known are those who work as field archaeologists.

Students looking forward to     1     (study) magic and the occult (神秘学) could soon pursue an academic program. According to     2     Guardian, the University of Exeter in the UK will offer a Master’s Degree in Magic and Occult Science.

The program will begin holding courses in September 2024. As the UK’s first postgraduate program in magic,     3     will combine the study of the history of magic with a wide range of other subjects such as history, philosophy and drama     4     (show) the role of magic in both the West and the East.

Emily Selove, the leader of the program, said that as yet there     5     (be) a lot of interest in the course, with the university receiving more than 100     6     (inquiry).

The goal of the program is to help students develop skills such as creative and     7     (analysis) thinking, curiosity, and a commitment     8     lifelong learning.

“This course will allow people to re-examine the     9     (assume) that the West is the place of rationalism and science     10     the rest of the world is a place of magic and superstition,” Selove told the BBC.

Chinese speakers tend to use “spear and shield”     1    (describe) anything that’s contradictory. Actually, now the Chinese phrase for “contradiction”     2    (call) Mao Dun or “spear and shield”.

Nearly 2, 000 years ago, there was a man living in the State of Chu. One day, he went to a market to sell spears and shields—two most common     3    (weapon) at that time. When a small crowd gathered around the seller to look at his goods, the man     4    (decide) to advertise his shields first. He said, “Please look at my shields. They are certainly the     5    (strong) ones you can ever find in the world.”

Then some of the potential buyers came closer to have a careful examination of the shields,     6     they couldn’t see anything special about them. The seller then moved on to brag about his spears. “Now please have a good look at my spears. They are the sharpest weapons     7    have ever been produced. So, no matter how firm a shield is, my spears will pierce (刺穿) through it     8    (easy).” After listening to the seller’s pitch, a man stepped forward and said, “You just told us that your shields are the strongest in the world and then you claim your spears are the sharpest. How about     9    (use)your spears on your shields?” The seller was unable to respond.

So today, instead of saying “you are contradicting yourself”, Chinese will say “you are attacking your shield     10     your own spear”.

Poetry is a form of literature that celebrates abstraction and the beauty of words.     1     (write) poetry is thought to have been recorded about 2000 BC with The Epic of Gilgamesh.     2     the poetry of today has transformed in form and function, the root of its purpose can still be found in poets’ desire     3     (explore) the human condition through the power of imagery and metaphor. Poetry has become an underlying source of     4     (relieve) to much of humanity’s existential dilemmas, exploring ideas from within. It sheds light on the beautiful and the ugly     5     tries to understand the function of both.

For these reasons and many others, poetry has been given its own holiday. World Poetry Day     6     (hold) each year on March 21 to celebrate “the unique ability of poetry to capture the     7     (create) spirit of the human mind”. It was founded in 1999 by UNESCO in the hope of promoting poetry     8     a way to communicate across borders and cultural differences. Since then, it has achieved just that. The event is celebrated around the world in different forms of readings and ceremonies,     9     (honor) poets of high achievements. All in all, it is a day dedicated to poetry: an art form that     10     (exist) for centuries and continues to enrich our understanding of the human condition to this day.

In a specially designed theater in Hangzhou, New Dragon Gate Inn is brought to life by a Shaoxing Opera performer, Chen Lijun, an actress who rises to fame recently.

Adapted from the 1992 classic martial arts film of the same name, the presentation successfully     1     (capture) the interest of a younger audience by blending traditional Chinese opera with modern theater models and dramatic concepts since its release.

Upon leaving the theater, these audience members feel a sense of satisfaction that prompts them to willingly share short clips of the performance online. Initially, most of the audience     2     (be) regular opera lovers. But gradually, more     3     (traditional) theatergoers, many of them young people, began attending with the special love for this traditional show and Chen Lijun.

Born in a modest family in Zhejiang Province, she showed talent and interest in performing arts. At     4     tender age of eight, she was crazy about Shaoxing opera, and that marked the beginning of her lifelong passion for this traditional art form.     5     (help) achieve her potential, her parents enrolled her in local opera school,     6     she received rigorous training under the guidance of skilled teachers.

    7     her undeniable talent, Chen encountered numerous roadblocks along her journey. Traditional Chinese opera, Shaoxing opera     8     (include), has faced a decline in     9     (popular) in recent years. As a result, Chen also had to confront the challenge of revitalizing interest in the art form.     10     (luck), her hard work eventually paid off, winning her numerous awards. Her success tells us that success is not simply handed to us; it is something we must strive for day after day with unwavering determination.