Shadow puppetry—also called shadow play—     1     (get) its start thousands of years ago in China and India. This unique form of storytelling is the     2     (old) type of puppetry in the world so far.

    3     is placed between a light and a screen is a vividly—shaped shadow puppet. Moving it creates the illusion(错觉) of a moving image on the screen.     4     experienced puppeteer can make figures appear to walk, fight and dance.

The first shadow puppets were likely made out of animal hides (兽皮). Their strength and     5     (flexible) allowed the puppeteer to move the puppet easily to create the desired effects. Today, a wide variety of materials are accessible     6     people. You might see shadow puppets made out of paper, plastic, wood or cloth. There’s no end to how creative puppeteers can be when     7     (make) puppets.

Shadow puppets are usually constructed in     8     (whole) separate pieces that are then put together with strings or wires. The strings or wires are usually attached to long rods (杆) that the puppeteer will use     9     (control) the movement of the puppet.

Although shadow puppets can be very creative and elaborate, they also can be very simple. With little       10     no experience, a classroom can put on a simple shadow play with little expense and just a little time.

Mamianqun, also known as Horse-face Skirt, is one of the     1     (representative) of the ancient Chinese style skirt.     2     appeared in the Song Dynasty and grew popularduring the Ming Dynasty. Ever since, it has reserved its     3     (distinction) “horseface” structure and undergone a fascinating evolution.

This traditional skirt is composed of two overlapping panels of fabrics, each of     4     is identical and forms half of the skirt. With four openings, two in the front and two behind, the skirt is well-suited     5     women planning to go horseback riding. Typically, the decorative patterns of mamiangun     6     (divide) into individual and broad embroidery (刺绣) fabric patterns,     7    (carry) unique meanings respectively.

Up to now, Hanfu designers and enthusiasts     8     (develop) more modified andmodern-style mamianqun.     9     (additional), to bring new life to this historical cultural costume, Hanfu enthusiasts have integrated mamiangun with more casual clothes like T-shirts or blouses, presenting     10     more casual look.

Happy 18th birthday! You’ve officially reach     1     (adult) in a lot of ways, even though I know you’re already mature beyond your years.

Many bittersweet events will happen in the next ten years. There will be highs. Stick to     2     (cherish) every single second. There will also be lows, and you may feel     3     (dishearten). But you’ll surely be committed to     4     (make) it through, and    5     (gradual) you’ll get stronger than before.

The world will always throw new challenges at you.     6     a consequence, your strength will be tested again and again. Looking back to what has happened over the last decade, I feel proud of how far you’ve come. Approve     7     everything that contributes to your     8     (become) fearless and independent.

As you become an adult, jump at every opportunity     9    comes your way. Celebrate every chance you get. No doubt you’ll always ponder     10    it and make the right decision.

Happy birthday, Kelsey! See you in ten years.

28-­year-­old Kelsey

It is a beautiful drone (无人机) shot,     1     popular kind of video you might see in a travel video. However, there is no drone     2     camera, and you needn’t travel in person because the video was generated by AI, which is from a new tool programmed by Open AI called Sora.

It’s not perfect, but it’s a large step up from what we’ve seen before. What most people don’t know is     3     Sora can do more than just create videos from scratch. It can combine separate videos into one scene. And its videos can be up     4     a minute long and in 1080p resolution.

    5     (compare) with Runway ML, the difference with Sora is that it’s coherent. Previous system have a     6     (character) morphing (图像渐变) quality as the video     7     (progress). With Sora, that’s vastly reduced or gone altogether. The     8     (object) remain stable even when covered by things in the foreground. We’ve seen something similar to this in research since 2019, but what is new is the ability     9     (combine) two videos together in one scene. It can also make up different camera angles of a single scene with just one prompt.

Sora, like digital audio workstation     10     (envelop) recording studios several years ago, must be a trend soon.

As a distinctive visual art symbol of China, Chinese paper cutting, has been around for centuries. With     1     (simple) a piece of paper and a pair of scissors, diverse patterns ranging from portraits to animal zodiacs     2     (create) with delicate designs.

Due to their     3     (culture) value and low cost, Chinese paper cut-outs are popular ornaments used to decorate windows and mirrors. When light shines through the negative spaces of the cut-outs,     4     elegant pattern is formed indoors.     5     (refer) to as ‘window flowers’, the pretty cut-outs decorating windows are significant in Chinese traditional culture.

The oldest     6     (survive) paper cut-out is a symmetrical (对称的) circle from the 6th century found in Xinjiang, China. The art of Chinese paper cutting is believed     7     (originate) in China even before the invention of paper by Cai Lun in 105 CE. There have been documentaries     8     record the Chinese using other thin materials such as leaves, silk, and leather to carve hollowed patterns. It was found that during the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-771 BC), people had already cut tree leaves into various art forms     9     given them out as presents. They created paper-cuts to depict beautiful things, worship, and express good     10     (wish) .

We’ve all heard the advice to “get out of your comfort zone” by taking on a new challenge. A recent study goes a step further: Make discomfort a direct goal. That’s more likely to motivate you than if you focus on     1     you hope to learn.

In the first of five experiments, the researchers assigned several hundred students training at Second City Chicago     2     (participate) in a small-group improvisation (即兴) exercise, and then instructed half of the group that their goal during the session was “to feel awkward and     3     (comfortable).” The rest, those in the control group,     4     (tell) to “feel yourself developing new skills.” Members of the first group kept at the exercise longer than the others did and took     5     (great) risks. Experiments involving other dimensions of personal     6     (grow) — engaging in expressive writing, learning about gun violence, and hearing about opposing political beliefs —     7     (produce) similar results.

Reframing anxiety as excitement has been proven a way to improve singing in front of strangers, and     8     (think) of stress as a means to boost achievement a demonstrated stress-management technique.

“When people reinterpret negative experiences as functional, they are more willing to engage     9     tasks that call forth those experiences,” the researchers explain. “Instead of seeing discomfort as unrelated to the goal     10     a signal to stop, they will start perceiving it as a sign of progress toward their goal. ”

Since its first appearance in Paris in mid-December, the Yuyuan Garden Lantern Show     1     (attract) huge crowds to admire its fine designs and     2     (color) lights during the cold winter nights at the 163-year-old Jardin d’Acclimatation amusement park.

It is the first time that the lantern show,     3     national intangible cultural heritage (非物质文化遗产) item in Shanghai, has been held outside China.

The show, which opened on Dec.15 in Paris at the same time as the one that opened in Shanghai’s Yuyuan Garden,     4     (be) among events celebrating the     5     (sixty) anniversary of the establishment of China-France diplomatic relations. It also welcomes the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism. The show will run through Feb. 25.

According to the event’s organizer Yuyuan Inc., 3,000 online tickets     6     (buy) up in a day, with additional ones being sold in-person.

At the brightly lit double dragon-shaped gate, long lines     7     visitors can be seen at the entrance.

    8     (theme) on “Classic of Mountains and Seas”,     9     shares the name of the ancient Chinese mythology (神话) Shan Hai Jing, the event comprises 60 large Chinese lantern sets and 2,000 traditional lanterns,     10     (allow) visitors to appreciate the breathtaking art of Chinese lanterns and broader Chinese culture.

Farmers begin to grow cacao trees in some provinces in South China.     1     (origin), the trees grow in the shady areas of rainforests near the Earth’s equator, which require     2     exact amount of water, warmth, soil and protection. After about five years, cacao trees start producing large fruits     3     (call) pods, which grow near the trunk of the tree. The seeds inside these pods are harvested to make chocolate. There are several kinds of cacao trees. Most of the world’s chocolate     4     (make) from the Forastero cacao tree. But Chinese farmers can also grow Criollo or Trinitario cacao trees. Growing cacao trees     5     (be) very hard work for farmers because cacao trees grow n on farms are much     6     (easily) threatened by diseases and insects than wild trees are. They have to find many ways to deal with the damage.

Today, chocolate industry is developing Chinese elements as chocolate shapes. The “big chocolate     7     (consume)”, such as Belgium, Italy, Germany and other European countries, also have designers to integrate Chinese elements into the chocolate modeling. In recent years, cultural and creative chocolates have been introduced     8     a variety of ways. From delicate cloth coins and silver locks to national     9     (treasure) and ancient buildings, they can be turned into delicious food on the tip of the tongue,     10     people can taste buds through the time tunnel and feel the history and culture.

China’s Changan     1    (sign) a deal last week with the Thai authorities to build a vehicle-producing plant in the Southeast Asian country, as     2     state-owned carmaker speeds up efforts to explore overseas markets,     3    (especial) those involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

The Chongqing-based carmaker said it will invest 8.8 billion baht (around $240 million) in the production facility, initially     4    (design) to produce 100,000 new energy vehicles a year.

The NEVs to be produced in its Thai plant     5     (sell) in the country and exported to other     6     (market) such as Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Changan is joining the ranks of other major Chinese carmakers including SAIC, Great Wall Motor as well as BYD,     7    have release d plant plans or are already producing vehicles     8     Southeast Asia.

Their local production can boost the local automotive industry and will allow those Chinese carmakers     9    (become) more competitive in the market, said Yahaya Ahmad, technical leader of the ASEAN New Car Assessment Program.

Ahmad said the     10     (popular) of Chinese branded vehicles is growing thanks to their improved quality.

“I would expect Chinese carmakers to be competitive…they can compete in terms of the safety, in terms of the cost, in terms of the quality,” he said.

Many quick service restaurant owners are looking ahead to a future where automation will play an important role. They believe it will be the key to greatly     1    (increase) their thin profits and allow their workers to shine in the tasks no machine can do.

Many people are afraid of being replaced by a robot. But the    2    (smart) and most creative robotic companies are creating intelligent machines that work alongside workers to make efficiency and profits increase     3    (dramatic). Take Flippy, the arm-like robotic kitchen assistant    4     an example. It turns burgers over, cooking them to     5    (perfect), and lets its co-workers know the orders are ready. Not competing for people’s jobs, such robots    6    (design) to be cooperative ones, the cost-effective machines created to work with humans, not against them.

Quick service restaurants with tools like Flippy are the kind of places     7     you keep coming back--you know the staff will always have time to give you    8     answer to your detailed question and you will have your order on time, perfectly cooked.

Automation in restaurants will become even more crucial in the future. Owners then     9    (need) workers to enforce updated safety regulations and interact with dissatisfied guests. With Flippy having their back in the kitchen, they won’t have to worry about     10    (burn) burgers.