Yu Rong, a Chinese artist, thinks of a new way to introduce     1     ancient story of Hua Mulan in her picture book. In the book, I Am Hua Mulan, she tells the story by     2     (combine) Chinese paper-cutting with international artistic styles. She places Shaanxi papercuts over western-style pencil sketches (素描)    3     (create) typical presentation of Chineseelements (要素), which turns out to be a     4     (success) and impressive breakthrough.

Hua Mulan,     5     story has been told by generations in China, was a fighter from the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534). As a devoted daughter, she dressed herself as a man to serve in the army     6     place of her father. Mulan’s character, such as courage, kindness and a disinterested attitude towards fame and fortune, made     7     (she) one of the most respected historical Chinese heroines. Mulan’s story has been adapted     8     (frequent) in modern media. For example, in 1998, Disney produced a film named Mulan, which     9     (consider) a great success by critics and the public right after its release.

To better tell the story, Yu Rong takes inspiration from her several     10     (visit) to sites of ancient battles and Henan Province’s Yu Opera. After years of preparation she finally makes this extraordinary work.

Earth Day is an event    1    (annual) celebrated on April 22.     2    (found) by Senator Gaylord Nelson, an American politician and environmentalist, it was originally aimed at helping the public to know the current situation of air and water pollution and    3     (get) people to care about the earth.

In1962, Rachel Carson’s bestselling book “Silent Spring” created an    4    (aware) of the dangerous effects of pesticides (农药) . Then, a fire,     5     broke out in 1969 on Cleveland’s Guyahoga River, shed light on the problem of chemical pollution in water. Senator Gaylord Nelson dreamed of    6    similar large event that would get people to take environmental issues seriously. In 1969, he was inspired by protests against the Vietnam War and came up with the idea for Earth Day.

In the fall of 1969, Nelson announced it and appealed to the entire country to get involved. Consequently, telegrams, letters and telephone calls    7    all over the country poured in. Since 1970, Earth Day celebration have grown. Later, Nelson    8    (award) the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of his work.

Today, Earth Day is celebrated around the world every April 22. Sometimes numerous communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of    9    (activity) focused on the Environmental issues. In 2017, the March for Science    10    (occur) on Earth Day(April 22, 2017) and was followed by the People’s Climate Mobilization (April 29, 2017).

Chinese weddings are as much about the happy couples as they are about their families. The weddings are     1     (impress) affairs that focus on blessings of happiness. The date of the wedding ceremony is chosen not     2     chance. Many couples carefully choose a favorable date     3     (bring) success to their marriage. The ceremony can last anywhere from four hours to three days,     4     depends on how many Chinese wedding traditions are observed.

The Chinese wedding invitation is     5     (typical) red with a golden Double Happiness symbol, with dates for the wedding and names of the couple     6     (include) inside.

While Chinese wedding traditions have modernized, the journey to pick up the bride     7     (be) still a lively affair. It can involve     8     use of firecrackers, playing drums, or even a lion dance.

Another vital tradition, the Chinese tea ceremony (Jing Cha),     9     (perform) at Chinese weddings to show the new couple’s respect, gratitude, and     10     (appreciate) for their parents’ love and effort in raising them. A red tea set with a Double Happiness symbol is used for the tea ceremony.

After four years of living here, I have a better     1    (understand) of northern China’s food.

Northern China’s hearty food is     2    (general) more acceptable to Westerners. They can enjoy Beijing roast duck, beef and dairy from Inner Mongolia, and Korean dishes in the northeast. Northern China experiences cold and dry winters, and hot summers,     3    (make) calories and salt replacement more important. As a result, northern dishes have strong flavors, compared with the south     4    dishes are lighter in flavor.

Wheat is the main crop of northern China, and you will find a variety of wheat-flour    5     (product). Rice is also eaten in the north, but it is certainly secondary to wheat. Dumplings are very popular in the north,     6    (serve) with vinegar for dipping.

Northerners tend to eat more meat and dairy for the purpose     7    fighting against the cold weather. Most meat dishes     8    (base) on mutton, pork, beef, chicken, and fish.

There are less fresh vegetables available because of     9     cold weather. Fruit is traditionally limited to a few hard seasonal varieties like apples, so it doesn’t feature much in the cuisine, although the northwest is famous for     10    (it) dried fruit and wine.

The historical drama Serenade of Peaceful Joy has been a trending topic since it     1     released on April 7. It has attracted almost 7.5 billion views and over 190,000 comments on Sina Weibo by May 5.

The show is an     2     (adapt) from the novel Held in the Lonely Castle written in 2014 by Milan Lady, with     3     (vary) editions published since 2018. The story follows Emperor Renzong,     4     (play) by Wang Kai, of the Song Dynasty as he struggles between maintaining his ideologies (理念) of governing the country and his love for his daughter, Princess Huirou.

The four-decade reign (在位时期) of Emperor Renzong, from 1022 to 1063,     5     (mark) the high point of Song Dynasty’s powers, has great influences     6     Chinese history. Many of the best-known     7     (writer) in Chinese history lived during this period, some of     8     are featured in the series, including Su Shi, Wang Anshi and Fan Zhongyan.

A few days after its premiere (首映),     9     show is highly praised for its outstanding props, costumes, make-up and writing, which     10     (accurate) described the features of the Song Dynasty.

Trade and curiosity have often formed the     1     (found)of mankind’s greatest achievements. In ancient times, silk from China found its way overland to India, the Middle East, and Rome, along     2     became known as the Silk Road. A trading route across the sea was also extended along the coasts of the Indian Ocean,     3     (center)around Ceylon.

Later, the Ming Dynasty further developed     4     (it)relations with regions to the west of China. Between 1405 and1433, seven large fleets sailed west     5     voyages of trade and exploration. These fleets were a sight     6     (behold). To reach out across the sea remains a strong desire today. Now the ancient sea routes that was once travelled by Zheng He     7     (revisit)with the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road,     8     is part of the Belt and Road Initiative. China has also joined her friends across the sea on other important projects. Also, there are still many other places left to explore     9     (extend).

Hundreds of years on, and with the     10     (late)technology in hand, the need to trade and the desire to enhance relationships will drive China to reach out across the sea far into the future.

Carrying a message of peace and friendship, the flame for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games arrived to a warm welcome in Beijing on Wednesday.

Witnessed by organizers, sports     1     (figure), performers and students, the flame housed in a red lantern     2     (draw) crowds of onlookers as it was accompanied by volunteers into a ceremony held at Beijing’s Olympic Tower. The flame arrived early on Wednesday after     3     (fly) from Greece, the birthplace of the Olympics, where it was lit two days     4     (early).

Public exhibitions of the torch and the traditional national relay (接力) in the host country have been simplified for the Beijing Games due     5     COVID-19 precautionary measures. The relay will take place in three host areas and involve about 1,200 torchbearers,     6     scheduled for Feb 2 to Feb 4, with the route     7     (connect) landmarks, historical sites and major tourism attractions in Beijing and Zhangjiakou. The shortened torch relay with reduced crowds, will help ensure the health and     8     (safe) of all participants as well as that of local communities.

“As     9     iconic (偶像) cultural element of the Olympic Games, the torch relay plays a     10     (extreme) significant role in promoting the host’s international image while spreading the message of peace and friendship,” said Zhang Jiandong, a vice-mayor of Beijing.

Felicity Miller, a 32-year-old British woman,     1     has a Chinese husband, still remembers the     2     (excite) when she first learned to use the “red packet” function on WeChat in 2015. She sent and grabbed(抢) some red packets in her Chinese family. The rule in her family was that the person who grabbed the     3     (high) amount sent the next.

Attracted by this, many foreigners     4     (join) in sending and grabbing red packets so far. Usually, the money in each packet is random. Thus the amount of money one can grab     5     (large) depends on his or her luck, from 0.01 yuan to less than 200 yuan. Many foreigners get more familiar     6     Chinese culture through “red packets”. Two years ago,     7     Felicity Miller was sent 5.20 or 8.88 yuan red packets, she didn’t quite understand the     8     (hide) meanings. Now, she has not only known about them, but also has sent a few.

In Chinese tradition, people send paper red packets     9     (contain) real cash during Spring Festival. It     10     (call) lucky money. People take giving children lucky money as a blessing.

From China’s Changcheng Research Station in the South Pole to Tuktoyaktuk, Canada in the North Pole, Guizhou runner Bai Bin took 433 days and ran 24,000 kilometers     1     (finish) this journey.

Born in Guizhou province, Bai     2     (be) a running enthusiast (爱好者) since childhood. In 2006, Bai took 50 days to run from Guiyang to Lhasa. In 2011, Bai took 150     3     (day) to run from Istanbul to Xi’an. His former experience in grueling (激烈的) sports laid the foundation (基础) for him to push his limits. In 2018, Bai and his friend Li Zhenyu planned the route for     4     (run) from the South Pole to the North Pole. According     5     the plan, the route will be by way of 219 cities and towns in 14 countries. His journey     6     (start) on March 2, 2018. In addition to running, the     7     (extreme) hard environment was a challenge for him. With the help of     8     (he) team, local citizens     9     overseas Chinese, Bai overcame difficulties and arrived in the North Pole on May 8.

However, Bai is continuing on to     10     new challenge. Next, he plans to cross the Bering Strait from the Arctic Ocean and run back to Xi’an.