Located in Lichuan, Hubei proince, Tenglong Dong is one of the world’s largest caves. The cave     1     (list) as the 74th longest cave of the world and the third longest in China with a length of 53,210m. The cave offers extraordinary big passages and one of the     2     (tall) cave entrances on earth, 74m high and 64m wide. The cave     3     (it) is a huge passage, only slightly smaller than the entrance.

The cave is entered at one point by a huge river,     4     (call) Qingjiang River, a branch of the Changjiang. This river first drops     5     almost 10m high waterfall, right before it enters the cave. Here a path was built about 20m above the water,     6     (enter) the river cave. The water deepens and calms down, while it is narrowed by the cave     7     (wall).

The first written mention of the cave is from the Qing dynasty. The cave was     8     (original) named Dong Po or Shui Dong     9     means Water Cave, probably in the meaning river cave. It was renamed     10     the unique name Tenglong Dong, after a Chinese evergreen about flying dragons (龙). And of course, there are mountains in the cave, caves in the mountains.

It’s a harvest that’s almost magical: growing rice in saline (含盐的) soil and making a fortune at the same time.

Wu Zaizhou is     1     local farmer in Da’an, Jilin Province. He says his secret for success is following a     2     (science) recipe that really transforms the saline soil, a kind of soil even the scientists     3     (them) called “problematic”. But by     4     (pull) in opinions from some 1,400 scientists, a way was found to transform that unwanted soil. It’s a comprehensive     5     (solve) that involves treating and improving the soil itself, screening salt-tolerant crop varieties, and employing special planning techniques as well as caring for the overall environment.

“We call it Da’an Model,     6     improves the soil, the seed and the technique in agriculture. It’s proven cost-effective, easily repeatable, and     7     (wide) applicable and good for Jilin’s saline oil area,” said Wu.

Since 2021, lots of land (almost 5,000 square kilometers) in the province     8     (transform). That was previously almost impossible for agriculture, including Wu’s cropland.

Wu said he’s not only expanding his field, but his experience has convinced some of his     9     (neighbor) to join him. “In the new year, we will continue to work     10     (change) the saline land into fertile (肥沃的) land, and we may have a good harvest of rice from here,” he said.

An exhibition of zodiac (生肖) sculptures,     1     (call) Peak Life and Water, opened in Chengdu, Southwest China’s Sichuan Province on Saturday.

The 12 zodiac signs are     2     (traditional) used in Chinese culture to mark each year. Each zodiac sign also corresponds to twelve hours in the day. In addition     3     the traditional calendar function, the 12 zodiac signs are also a kind of folk custom and culture,     4     reflects Chinese people’s understanding of the year.

Each sculpture     5     (base) on a single zodiac animal. For example, the tiny golden birds     6     (stand) on the head of an ox remind visitors of birds settling on an ox, chewing the worms they have just captured. In another, a monkey balances     7     golden peach on the head. For the dragon sculpture, a golden and glorious ball floats in front of the intimidating dragon.

The expressions of these zodiac sculptures are vivid but calm. Some of them seem to be resting, content in their mediation. Only the snake has     8     (it) eyes open. If you see a snake’s eyes are closed, that     9     (mean) it is in hibernation (冬眠). The elegant and exquisite modelling has delighted visitors so much that even before the opening ceremony of the exhibition, some collectors expressed a desire     10     (buy) the sculptures.

What’s been the most successful film at the worldwide box-office this year? James Bond, Disney cartoons and Marvel logo remain a license to print money. But none of them have taken as much     1     The Battle at Lake Changjin, a film that     2     (make) over 800 million yuan so far. It is even more impressive because it’s     3     (basic) only played in one country, and that country is China. It’s now the     4     (big) market for movies. Actually,     5     (watch) the films often gives us a better idea about the people of this     6     (wonder) land. The Chinese film market has experienced a noticeable     7     (recover) this year. The annual box-office earnings for Chinese cinemas in 2023 were 50 billion yuan on November 13, taking 317 days     8     (achieve) this milestone, according to data. Domestic films accounted     9     41.7 billion yuan, or 83.4%, of the total. Because the Chinese market is so large, it will come as no surprise that Hollywood has taken     10     interest, which will lead to more co-productions.

China is known as Xia for its grand etiquette (礼仪) culture, and known as Hua for its beautiful attire (衣裳). With the     1     (change) in society, economic development, and cultural development, clothing has evolved over thousands of years. However, while the forms may have been changed, the essence (本质)     2     (remain) constant.

“In ancient China, emperors like Huangdi. Yao, and Shun brought peace to the world through their clothing.” Clothing holds     3     significant place in Chinese culture. It is not only used for daily wear,     4     (cover) the body and protect it from cold but also as an instrument of management. In ancient Chinese society, there were strict rules and dress codes about clothing. The presence of clothing distinguished civilization     5     barbarism (野蛮), while changes in color and style     6     (gradual) developed into a form of etiquette. Their design conveyed behavioral norms and     7     (they) patterns were rich in cultural significance. Moreover, ancient attire were also an important carrier of morality. China has always been known as a nation     8     values formal attire and etiquette.

What is the Chinese style? It is something that makes people think of China as soon as they see it. For example, the horse-face skirt, which     9     (favor) by international brands and Chinese people for many years, will continue to be attractive. Chinese clothing, as a classical style. has been known to the world overnight with good opportunities. It’s not just a traditional costume style but also a source of     10     (admire).

The 78th United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution (决议) on Friday, officially     1     (announce) the Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, as a UN floating holiday. Experts said the move shows the     2     (significance) influence of Chinese culture and will contribute     3     the promotion of the Global Civilization Initiative.

The Lunar New Year not only bears the ideas of peace and harmony     4     (value) by Chinese civilization but also carries the common values of humanity such as family harmony and harmonious coexistence between humans     5     nature.

The reason why the Lunar New Year can pass national borders and is increasingly welcomed by many countries     6     (lie) mainly in the rich cultural heritage of China and the driving force of globalization. As the world’s second-largest economy, China’s cultural elements have spread alongside its economic influence. In the trend of globalization, people’s interest in diverse cultures is     7     (gradual) increasing, and the Lunar New Year has become a major means for people     8     (communicate) and connect.

Therefore, the official     9     (recognize) of the Chinese New Year as a UN holiday fully reflects an emphasis on the inheritance and innovation of civilization,     10     will promote exchanges and mutual learning among diverse world cultures and actively embody the UN’s values of diverse and inclusive cultural ideals.

    1     (decorate) with cobalt blue pigment on a white ceramic body, qinghuaci ware (瓷器) in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, is considered the best     2     quality.

With a tradition of making ceramics dating back more than 2,000 years, Jingdezhen is known as the country’s “porcelain capital”,     3     (attract) artists from home and abroad.

“Ceramics embrace change. I’m here to inherit the tradition in a     4     (create) way.” Cai Wenjuan, a 36-year-old craftswoman, says. In 2012, Cai established her own company and     5     (build) the ceramics-themed brand China Story. “The charm and story behind the blue-and-white porcelain can     6     (tell) through the way the young feel connected,” Cai says, adding that porcelain can be stylish.

As a provincial-level inheritor of the blue-and-white porcelain-painting, on a video-sharing platform Douyin, Cai has posted more than 60 clips     7     (popularize) the craft and the culture.

In 2014,     8     exhibition area of ancient kiln and folk cultures in Jingdezhen,     9     covers a total space of 83 hectares, was assigned a top-grade scenic spot. Today, antique porcelain ware from Jingdezhen is still highly valued by collectors all around the world.

Like Cai, young artists are considering a career in porcelain-related businesses in Jingdezhen, with the local government rolling out supportive     10     (measure) for a variety of startups in the field.

Du Wei, co-founder of Zeblaze, a company     1     a variety of smartwatches are made in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, sent a new batch of these products to the warehouses (仓库) before Spring Festiyal.

“We prepared 10,000 watches in advance for Chinese New Year. To my surprise, all of them sold out via online marketplaces during the weeklong holiday, and our sales increased     2     more than 200 percent year-on-year,” Du said, adding that most of the company’s customers come from Europe, North America, Latin America and Southeast Asia.

Increasing sales were also reported by Chinese home appliance giant Midea Group for itsfloor cleaning robots, with orders     3     (receive) more often this year from Spain, France and Russia through AliExpress, Alibaba Group’s business-to-customer platform.

Like Zeblaze and Midea, tens of thousands of vendors (供应商) based in China now sell their products     4     (global) through cross-border e-commerce platforms. Meanwhile, more Chinese     5     (brand) are gaining popularity among overseas consumers, which experts said is an affirmation (肯定) of the country’s manufacturing and supply chain capabilities.

Cui Lili, director of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics’ Institute of E-commerce, said the popularity in overseas markets of products made in China shows these cost-effective commodities have gained wide     6     (recognize) and raised brand reputationabroad in recent years. “In the past Chinese consumers usually     7     (tend) to buy imported and foreign-branded products, but nowadays, China’s major online shopping festivals have become more international,     8     (have) a greater influence on overseas shoppers who are increasingly willing to buy Chinese brands via cross-border e-commerce platforms,” Cui said. Faced with emerging opportunities, Cui said Chinese companies should make full use of cross-border e-commerce platforms to quickly grasp demands from overseas markets, learn more about closely     9     (relevance) laws, regulations and quality standards in these countries, and adjust supply chains to make products that meet local requirements.

Amazon Global Selling, which helps Chinese merchants sell their products abroad, said that     10     nation’s vendors are paying more attention to building brands and expanding their presence in overseas markets, given the rapid growth of cross-border e-commerce.

Here is a little tale about the Chinese zodiac     1    (know) as Shengxiao, and     2    the rat became the first sign.

Legends tell us there was a great race between the     3    (animal) to decide the order of the lunar calendar. The finish line laid on a vast river, but the cunning rat hitched a ride on ox’s shoulder, singing a song to make a go faster, and got to     4    opposite bank without even     5    (get) his feet wet. Just before the finish line he quickly jumped off and slipped ahead to take first place. Diligent ox came second while     6    (speed) tiger and rabbit in third and fourth. Parting the clouds, brave dragon flew into fifth with small snake moving just behind. They     7    (follow) by horse and sheep, two kind and modest animals who each let the other go first. Monkey had fallen behind but made up ground to come     8    (nine), while rooster, dog and pig killed the last three places. With the race over and the places     9    (decide), the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac came     10    being.

Analysis of millions of infrared (红外线) photos and tens of     1    (thousand)of videos shows that the Sanjiangyuan area in the heart of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has one of the most complete food chains in the world. The analysis    2    (carry) out by the Shan Shui Conservation Centre more than a decade ago. A professor of conservation biology at Peking University,    3    founded the center in 2007 and has    4    (continuous) worked on the preservation of Sanjiangyuan for 17 years, said, “Conservation of nature is not about shouting slogans (口号) related to keeping rare animals alive It is not something you can learn from textbooks. Reality always    5    (tell) us what the problem is. Apart from protecting animals and the environment, we need to pay attention to the people who share the natural environment     6    wildlife. Wildlife conservation is all down to humans”.

Since her 20s, the professor has been devoted to protecting     7    researching endangered wildlife such as pandas and snow leopards,     8    (promote) the establishment of protected areas and related laws and policies. The conservation center has worked with the park’s management committee     9    (develop) supervisory(监管) systems, and provided product design     10    (solution) for nature experience programs.