Primary schools now attach great importance to labor education, advocating students to do activities such as cooking, making handicrafts     1     decorating houses.

Xue Youmei, a Grade 3 student, spent the winter holiday in Guangxi. Everything about village life was novel to Xue who was used     2     urban life. Xue joined her family to work at a farm field planted with Chinese water chestnuts. Xue,     3     (wear) a pair of gloves, helped her father pick up water chestnuts at the field.

For Yang Liqiao, a Grade 6 student, the past winter holiday gave her     4     new identity-garbage sorting guide. Yang wore a volunteer’s vest and recorded the situation of the garbage sorting work at her residential community.     5     (additional), Yang also invited her classmates to walk around the park nearby to pick up garbage on the ground. Yang’s father observed labor activities offered students a chance     6     (acquire) knowledge, which was not taught at class.

At the same time, some schools in China also assigned specialized homework during the winter vacation to let students enjoy play-based learning. Some students     7    (ask) to cooperate with parents to decorate their homes with New Year     8    (painting). The task aimed to develop students’     9    (innovation) thinking. And some were required to collect physics-related Chinese poems, make an     10    (analyse) and draw a conclusion.

During the summer holiday I had the chance to visit Pingtang County, Guizhou Province in southwest China. It’s     1     experience I will never forget.

Traveling to Guizhou by high-speed rail from Beijing, I     2    (astonish) at the rapid change in scenery from skyscrapers to beautiful tree-filled mountains     3     (rest) under a clear blue sky.

Upon arrival, I visited the Pingtang International Experience Planetarium, which displays China’s     4     (remark) achievements in science and space technology. The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) there is the largest one of its kind in the world. To visit FAST, visitors are not permitted     5     (bring) any electronic devices due to security measures. So they must record this once-in-a-lifetime moment with their hearts and minds.

    6    (truthful), my favorite part of the trip was my personal interaction with the local community. Following the instructions, I worked on two community farms, went hiking and swam     7     a fresh community river alongside fish. I was educated on the regional history of the Miao people     8     culture is rich in fashion, food, pottery and music.

After this adventure, my     9     (appreciate) for Chinese culture has snowballed. While I am content living and working in Beijing, Pingtang County in Guizhou has opened my eyes to the endless positive     10     (possibility) China has to offer.

Bungee jumping originated with an ancient adult initiation ceremony on the Pentecost Islands in Vanuatu,    1    young men jumped off    2    high platform with vines (葡萄藤) attached to their feet as a test of their courage and passage into manhood.

    3    (inspire) by this, three men in England staged the first modern bungee jumps off a bridge in Bristol in 1979. This led to a number of people    4    (make) bungee jumps for TV shows or as a way    5    (show) off their skills, often off    6    (extreme) famous structures such as the Eiffel Tower. One of these men, Alan John Hackett, opened up the first    7    (commerce) bungee jumping site at the Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge in New Zealand.

Since then Hackett    8    (open) up a large number of other bungee jumping    9    (site) around the world and is perhaps the single person most responsible    10    making bungee jumping a safe and popular adventure sport. Through Hackett’s efforts, New Zealand has now become a center for adventure sports tourism, and people still travel from around the world to bungee jump at Kawarau Gorge.

The Grand Canal is the longest and     1     (old) canal in the world. It forms a vast inland waterway system in China, running from the capital Beijing in the north     2     Zhejiang Province in the south.

    3     (construct) in sections from the 5th century BCE and completed and maintained by several     4     (dynasty), it formed the backbone of China’s inland communications system, which enabled the supply of rice     5     (feed) the population. The Grand Canal reached a new peak in the 13th century, providing an inland shipping network consisting of more than 2,000 km of artificial waterways,     6     linked five of the most important river basins in China, including the Huanghe River and the Changjiang River. Still     7     major means of internal communication today, it     8     (play) an important role in ensuring the prosperity(繁荣) and stability of China over the ages.

The Grand Canal bears witness to a remarkable and early development of hydraulic engineering(水利工程). It is an essential technological achievement     9     (date) from before the Industrial Revolution. It is a perfect example of dealing with difficult natural conditions, as is reflected in the many constructions that are     10     (full) adapted to the diversity and complexity of circumstances. It best demonstrates the technical capabilities of Eastern civilizations.

It is familiar to us Chinese that the year of 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit,     1    reminds us of the “rabbit” on the moon, China’s Yutu-2 lunar rover (月球车).

The Yutu-2 is named     2     the pet rabbit of the Chinese moon goddess Chang’e. On January 3, 2019, the rover was brought to the far side of the moon by China’s Chang’e-4 lunar probe. It was the first-ever soft landing on the    3     (previous) uncharted area of the lunar surface.

The Chang’e-4 lunar probe consists of a lander and the Yutu-2 rover. Before its launch, a relay satellite     4     (send) into space in May 2018 to facilitate earth-moon communication. So far, the rover has collected    5    (value) data on solar wind, soil, gel-like rocks and dead volcanoes. The data and images sent back by the Yutu-2 have enhanced geography knowledge of the landing site,     6     (deepen) understanding of the formation and evolution of the moon.

Of the many pictures of the lunar landscape    7    (take) by the Yutu-2, one square object caused great debate among people on Earth. When the rover finally approached the object, it turned out to be    8    rabbit-shaped rock. What an interesting coincidence!

The Yutu-2    9    (travel) more than 1, 400 meters on the far side of the moon till now. It will continue to uncover more    10    (mystery) of the moon.

Daocheng Yading is located in the Southwest of China’s Sichuan Province. This is a kingdom     1     (surround) by breathtaking views of snow-capped mountains, steep glaciers (冰川), clear lakes and thick woods. It is called the last pure land on this blue planet. Every September, the scenery here is     2     (extreme) attractive. It’s like placing people into a colorful fairy tale world which is beyond     3     (imagine).

There are three mountain peaks in Daocheng Yading. The most beautiful is called Yangmaiyong. It is about 6000 meters     4     height, and has the shape of a perfect pyramid. Back in 1931, the American explorer Joseph Rock first introduced it to the world with     5     (photo) for the National Geographic Magazine. He wrote, “She is the most beautiful snow peak my eyes have ever seen”. Next to it stand two other mountains: Xiannairi and Xianuoduoji. The top of the mountains is covered by snow most of the time. No one     6     (reach) the top up to now. They are called the “Three Holy Mountains”. It is     7     irreplaceably sacred place in the hearts of the local people. “    8     (walk) round the holy mountains three times, you will achieve your wishes for this life,” the locals say. However, it’s such a great challenge to both one’s physical ability and mind because of     9     (it) altitude. What drives them to do that? Perhaps it is simple faith. It is the last pure land     10     can purify the soul.

My first visit to China

I was really excited when I     1     (offer) the opportunity to go to Guangzhou in China for my work and I spent a lot of time visiting schools and observing lessons. The schools I visited were all     2     (good) equipped with computers, video screens and interactive whiteboards in most of the rooms. The buildings were     3     good condition and there were spaces for the children to play badminton or basketball.

I noticed some interesting differences in the school routine. When it was time for a class to begin or end, music was played on the intercom. I thought this was a really nice idea. There were also short breaks for eye exercises with music     4     (play) on the intercom. This was something I had never seen     5     heard of before so I was very interested in it. In some of the schools I visited, the habit of     6     (take) a nap at lunchtime is something I really like. The schools made us     7     (feel) very welcome and the children took great interest in us. They were very keen to practise their English and ask us questions. The pupils seemed to be very     8    (enthusiasm) about their English classes.

I really enjoyed my 10 days in China. It was a great experience and opened my eyes to a very different culture. In some ways it was better to be there on work than as a tourist. You learn something about people’s everyday     9     (life). If you go on work I think you learn more about the real culture of a place because you can see normal people doing normal things in normal places.     10    , next time I go to China I would like to spend some time as a tourist rather than working all the time.

The artists of Dafen can paint like Van Gogh

The village of Dafen was once thought     1     (produce) the most oil paintings in the world every year.     2     (recognize) as the “world’s art factory”, Dafen impressed visitors with its many workshops, in which painters created mock masterpieces by Van Gogh, Monet and Warhol. But the village was always seen more as a production line     3     a place of culture. Today the future of Dafen may depend on     4     it is able to earn respect of the art world.

Things started to change for Dafen in 2008,     5     the global financial crisis cut down overseas orders. With more demand     6     (come) from domestic market, artists began painting different subjects. New customers preferred Chinese styles, says     7     painter in Dafen. He learnt the art of Shan Shui which involves representing natural landscapes. In some ways Dafen reflected the broader economy. As exports start to decline as a share of GDP, domestic     8     (consume) plays a larger role in driving growth.

China is the world’s second-largest art market.     9     it is not clear where Dafen fits in. Li Jinghu, an artist from nearby Dongguan, often visits the village hoping to discover new talent. But locals say the demand for their paintings     10     (decline) in the past two pandemic-struck years. “Most people would probably be surprised that Dafen still exists. It does and it will,”says Lisa Movius, a writer in Shanghai who covers art.

For Greek photographer George Doupas, Beijing is home now. During the past decade, he has been photographing the city, capturing its beauty     1     sharing these photos online and in exhibitions.

“This     2     (true) represents Beijing — the old and the new, nicely mixing together,” Doupas said while showing his photograph of the Zhihua Temple, a delicate Ming Dynasty building. It     3     (locate) in front of a modern office building, Galaxy SOHO, which features weaving bridges and interlocking passageways.

With rich historical heritage, Beijing     4     (be) an important center of traditional Chinese culture since the Ming Dynasty. Doupas often gets     5     (lose) in the city’s splendid ancient architecture. Meanwhile, he is also amazed by the modern city     6    (combine) high-end businesses and various industries. “It is fascinating to see a rapidly-developing city that invests so much effort in preserving its past, which is     7     I decided to pursue my career here,” he said.

Doupas is determined to continue with his career in China, hoping to serve as     8     bridge between China and the West. The     9     (display) that show his photos about Beijing have attracted a large audience in Greece and the Czech Republic.

“I call Beijing my home now,” he said, “I’ll keep sharing photos of China     10     the rest of the world.”

Traditional Chinese tea-making techniques were     1     (official) recognized by UNESCO on November 29, when the techniques and social practices     2     (add) to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. With 43 items (项目) on the list, China keeps its No.1 position in the field.

With the application started in March 2021, the list of world intangible cultural heritage has recognized the knowledge, skills, and practices     3     is about the management of tea gardens, picking of tea leaves, hand-made processing, and the drinking and     4     (share) of tea.

The result has been widely praised     5     the Chinese people and experts because it is     6     important step for conservation and promotion of traditional tea culture.

“Chinese tea culture     7     (become) widely known by people in many     8     (country) around the world years ago through the ancient Silk Road. The     9     (success) application of Chinese tea-making can further help improve     10     (it) international influence,” Zheng Changling, general secretary of the China Folk Culture Innovation and Development Center, told the Global Times.