Following the barbecue-induced travel craze to the city of Zibo in East China, Chinese social media has once again highlighted the next internet-famous city worthy of     1     (explore).

This time it’s Tianshui, a low-key city in China’s Gansu province that     2     (take) the spotlight recently. It has attracted considerable attention     3     food enthusiasts and social media influencers online,     4     (celebrate) the city’s iconic dish of hot pot.

Known as Tianshui Malatang, which     5     (literal) means spicy and hot, the local dish is popular for its large portion of skewered meat, vegetables,     6     hand-made potato noodles in a pot of boiling broth (肉汤).

Two food bloggers, with over 3 million followers in their account on the popular Chinese Weibo,     7     (be) among the influencers praising the deliciousness of Tianshui Malatang. Their vlogs show eager food enthusiasts lining up on the streets, many of     8     traveled from cities far away.

Dong Liangyan, 29, from Daqing in Heilongjiang province,     9     (locate) more than 2,000 km away from Tianshui, told Xinhua that she was absolutely delighted     10     (enjoy) the local delicacy.

The Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival was established on January 5th, 1985, becoming     1     world-class celebration of ice and snow. The Ice and Snow Festival is the     2     (long) ice and snow festival in the world. It only has an opening ceremony,     3     (hold) on January 5th each year, and there is no closing ceremony.     4     (original) planned for a month, in reality, the festivities begin at the end of the previous year, continuing till the end of February, when the ice and snow activities conclude. During this period, it encompasses (包含) four significant festive events: New Year, Spring Festival (Chinese New Year), Lantern Festival (Yuanxiao Festival), and a skiing festival.

Initially, the festival     5     (regard) as a way to attract tourists and showcase the unique winter beauty and cultural     6     (rich) of Harbin, a city in northeastern China. It has since grown into one of the world’s most famous winter festivals,     7     (draw) millions of visitors from around the globe. Over the years, the festival     8     (become) a significant driver of tourism in the region.

The festival serves as a platform for cultural exchange and collaboration. International and local artists come together     9     (create) beautiful ice and snow sculptures, and the event often features performances, exhibitions, and activities that showcase various cultural traditions. It provides an opportunity     10     people from different backgrounds, in which they can learn about and appreciate each other’s cultures.

People worldwide have enjoyed noodles for thousands of years. But did you ever stop     1     (think): who made the very first noodle? People first started     2     (grow) wheat and making flour in the Middle East around 10,000 years ago. However, until 2002, no evidence of ancient noodles had been uncovered. Archaeologists discovered an upside-down clay bowl in the     3     (ruin) of an ancient Chinese village. When they lifted it, they found a 4,000-year-old noodle. This “mummy” noodle     4     (make) from grain. Traders brought wheat     5     China about the time this ancient noodle was cooked. The Chinese     6     (eventual) mastered the art of stretching wheat dough (面团) into long noodles.

Some people claim that Marco Polo brought pasta (意粉) to Italy. The tale of his discovery was likely enhanced to promote pasta consumption in America. Marco Polo’s writings suggest that noodles were already present in Italy during his time, as he compared Chinese noodles to     7     (that) in Italy. The Middle East also played a     8       (significance) role in noodle history. The oldest written mention of pasta outside China dates back about 1,600 years in the Middle East. Dried noodles were a popular travel food in the region and beyond, making them a likely prospect for spreading the noodle recipe to other parts of     9     world.

So who REALLYinvented noodles? We may never know-the history of noodles is as complicated as a bowl of pasta. But     10     invented them, we’re sure glad they did!

Since the holding of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, teenagers and young children     1     (show) a greater interest in skiing-related activities. Chinese people born in the 1990s and after the year 2000 are the main groups of skiers, according to Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China,     2     (base) the result on data from a renowned travel agency.

“During the winter that just ended, the number of bookings for skiing-related services made by these two age groups accounted     3     60 percent of the total, and the number of children who had gone skiing with their parents was on the rise.” the travel agency said.

With the trend of Chinese consumers’ higher enthusiasm for skiing     4     (notice), a Swiss luxury watchmaker organized a, day on the slopes for young skiers in early winter last year. “This reflected the company’s     5     (commit) to helping children believe in themselves through sports.” it said.

“We     6     (firm) believe that sport is important for the integration of children. So,    7     means a lot to us to be able to create environments     8     children can experience the fun and joy of sport,” said Franziska Gsell, chief marketing officer of the company. China had become one of the most dynamic markets for the company and they were     9     (confidence) about their operations in the country.

The widespread popularity of ice and the emergence of indoor ski resorts and snow parks have enabled people from the southern regions of China     10     (experience) skiing-related activities at any time of the year.

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 cuts 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) .

Domestic cosmetics (化妆品) firms find products that have traditional Chinese culture attract enouger shoppers better. With buying power    1     (rise) among young, domestic brands are winning hearts of heritage-minded consumers with guochao (国潮).

In one case, brands are embracing solar term (节气), a concept based on China’s ancient calendar     2     divides the year into 24 periods. This type of marketing is used to inject a sense of nature     3     beauty routines.

Grain Rain (谷雨), a Chinese skincare brand,     4     (inspire) by the eighth solar term, guyu, which starts around April 20. It uses the solar term’s traditional association with picking herbs.    5     (stress) the label’s herbal skincare branding.

Generation Z, a major consumer group, is being affected by the country’s cultural renaissance and the development of the internet. They are    6     (independent) in their choices and have a greater sense of national identity, while expressing confidence in     7     (they) by using Chinese brands, marketing experts said.

With the rise of guochao, and the influence of the expansion of China’s manufacturing ability, consumers are showing an increased    8     (prefer) for domestic cosmetics brands, according to a recent report. Although China’s high-end cosmetics market has been dominated for a number of years by international brands, the market influence of homegrown brands has been.    9     (rapid) rising. Especially, in China’s smaller cities,    10     rate of domestic cosmetics excels 90 percent.

Chinese achievements in pollution control, ecological recovery and protection, and green development China     1     (make) in the past decade were highlighted at a Friday press briefing,     2     a senior official pointed out China’s     3     (participate) and leadership in global climate governance.

According to the press briefing, China has been the fastest in improving air quality and the PM2. 5 level in cities at the prefecture level and above dropped by 34. 8 percent from that of 2015. Days with good air quality reached 87. 5 percent. Pollution of water bodies and the soil is also     4     (effective) tackled. Ecological systems     5     (protect) and restored. National parks are set and more than 300 endangered animal and plant species saw their wild populations recover, marking achievements in protecting ecological diversity.

The country has taken     6     active part in cooperation on climate change. It has done its     7     (good) to help other developing countries to improve their climate response capacity     8     (reduce) the harmful impacts of climate change. It also has distributed over 1. 2 billion yuan on climate change and trained about 2, 000 officials and experts in the field of climate change     9     more than 120 developing countries.

    10     (head) forward, China will work with all parties to actively participate in the global governance of climate change.

Shoushan Stone was first discovered in Shoushan, Fuzhou. For centuries, craftsmen have been carving stones primarily     1     (mine) from the Shoushan village. The stones are carved     2     figures, animals and many other artworks.

The Charm of Shoushan Stone,     3     ongoing exhibition at the National Art Museum of China,     4     (gather) antique and modern objects which introduce the tradition of stone carving in Fujian. It offers a visual introduction to both the fine quality of Shoushan Stone and the superb skills required     5     (process) it. On show at the exhibition are seals(印章) made from excellent examples of the stone,     6     were sought after among the literati (文人墨客) of the Ming and Qing dynasties. There are also mini sculptures which show craftsmen's different     7     (approach) to carving Shoushan Stone based on its rich color schemes: a red and yellow stone that is suitable for sculpting mountains, flowers and fruits, a black one for trees and stones     8     a grey one for clouds.

So far, Shoushan Stone,     9     (official) named “ China National Stone”,    10     (become) a symbol of elegance, dignity and wisdom, which is worthy of collection.

The market for wearable technology in the past few years has been on a rapid rise. We seem to have too much attachment to data accessible on those devices.     1     is it a good thing that we’re relying on technology more often than not, recording every step we take? Can those tools really maximize your workout benefits? The real questions surround not the     2     (wear), but the wearer.

The challenge for athletes     3     (look) to up their game with data is finding the type of information that is most helpful. If you are hoping to run faster and want to try moderating your pace based on heart rate “zones,” a wearable can help you do so. However, for professionals and those who are new     4    working out, less is more.

Earlier this month, Sara Hall, a professional marathon runner competing in the U.S. Olympic marathon trials, actually     5     (throw) away her GPS watch midrace     6     (avoid) distraction. Similarly, for beginner runners, it’s more important to learn to listen to your body’s signals — tiredness,     7     (ache), bursts of energy —     8     to track your pace or heart rate. Depending on what those goals are, there might be ways to achieve them that are more cost     9     (effect), more fun, more convenient. Dr. Ethan Weiss, a physician at the University of California tells his patients that a different item    10    (attach) at your wrist, like a leash, is more likely to pull you toward more activity.

Stamp collecting has recently emerged as a fresh and innovative approach for young people to document their travels. Instead of     1     (mere) taking photos with famous landmarks,     2     (enthusiast) of this new trend eagerly explore every corner of various attractions, museums, and shops during their journeys in search     3     various stamps. They imprint the stamps, usually with single or multicolored pictures of the scenic spots or images of famous people on postcards or in travel journals, thus     4     (create) a unique memory of their travels. Free or paid, each stamp serves as a representation of the visitor’s     5     (present) at that specific location, becoming a     6     (cherish) part of their memories.

Shi Junchu, 29, from Yunnan province, came across stamp collecting three years ago while traveling in Wuhan, Hubei province. She found it to be a better way of commemorating her travels    7     purchasing souvenirs (纪念品), so she carries a specially prepared notebook for collecting stamps whenever she travels.

“Stamp collecting has added more meaning to my travels. Turning the pages of those notebooks     8     (feel) somewhat like looking at photos. I can recall     9     happened back then just by turning to a page the delicious food I had, and the fun experiences I enjoyed, she said.

She currently operates a private museum in Kunming. Since last October, she has also introduced stamp-collecting services     10    (encourage) more visitors to explore the museum.