For the past 20 years, many customers     1    (line) up for lunch and dinner in front of Zhao Xiping’s noodle restaurant—Zhaolaoqi—in Taiyuan, Shanxi.

Zhao, a man     2     is known for Zhaolaoqi knife-cut noodles, which has been listed     3     a city-level cultural heritage(遗产) in Taiyuan, moved to the city from Datong in 2004 and opened the restaurant.

“Datong knife-cut noodles are one of the most famous noodle     4    (dish) in Shanxi,” he said. And according to him, his family’s special noodle cooking skill dates from     5     time of Emperor Daoguang. Zhao learned from his father and developed his own skills and cooking tools. Because of Zhao’s excellent noodle-cooking skills, increasing numbers of customers look forward to     6    (taste) the noodles he cooks in his restaurant.

Well, how to make the noodle?     7    (general), it starts with making the dough(面团); then, the dough is cut with a knife and the noodles     8    (cook) in hot water. When it’s ready, customers can add things designed     9    (make) the noodles delicious.

Zhao has opened restaurants outside Shanxi. With pride, he hoped he could bring the     10    (tradition) food of Shanxi to every corner of the country and even abroad and help more people experience the culture of his hometown.

Known as boba, bubble tea (珍珠奶茶)has taken the world by storm, with its chains springing up like mushrooms around the world.     1     you’ve been living under a rock, it’s easy to notice this Chinese long-standing cultural food phenomenon.

It’s     2     (inspire) to see how this tea preparation has become a full-blown sensation in its land of origin as well as abroad. But     3    on earth came up with the idea of putting chewy tapioca balls in tea?

Bubble tea is said     4     (originate) in the city of Taichung. Liu Hanchie of Chun Shui Tang Teahouse, who claims to be the     5     (create), declares that in     6    early eighties, he experimented with cold milk tea       7     adding fruit, syrup, candied yams and tapioca bubbles.

A decade later, the     8     (addictive) tasty drink reached most parts of East and Southeast Asia with bubble tea shops     9     (pop) up in every mall and street corner. Since then, it     10     (spread) across the globe, including the US, Australia, Europe and South Africa.

The Chinese words for “fish” and “plenty” are homonyms. A whole fish,     1     (eat) on the eve of the lunar new year, which     2     (fall) on February 1st this year, represents a wish for abundance     3     (come). Spring rolls, with their fanciful resemblance to gold bars, represent hopes for wealth. Uncut noodles symbolize longevity.

Such     4     (custom) are not unique to the Chinese word. On the Jewish new year, Jews bake a     5     (tradition) enriched bread in a round shape to signify the cycle of life and creation. The bread is smeared with honey,     6     (symbolize) the wish for a sweet year. On New Year’s Day in America, black southerners have long eaten Hoppin’ John,     7     delicious dish of rice and black-eyed peas, coked with salt pork. The peas symbolize coins, and the greens that are usually served as well stand for dollar bill. Some people put a clean coin in the pot. Whoever gets     8     on their plate will enjoy good luck.

    9     anyone actually believes in a causal relationship between eating these foods and receiving the promised benefits or not is unclear. But people have fond memories of observing them with their parents, and want to pass them     10     to their own offspring. Good fortune, as they suggest, lies all around and is always within reach.

Chinese food and the differences between Chinese and Western diets are both things that cause the    1    (curious) of most people who visit China. Moreover, when    2    (travel) through China, you'll most likely pick up on a few differences in the way of eating food. For example, soup in the West     3    (enjoy) generally as an appetizer (开胃菜) at the start of a meal, while the Chinese prefer to enjoy their soup at the end of a meal.

You might also notice some distinct differences in meal preparation and cooking techniques. Therefore, cooking classes are becoming an    4    (increasing) popular activity among those interested in learning more about China's culture through its cuisine. If you're looking to take it a step    5    (far), keep an eye out for cooking classes    6    (hold) by residents in their own homes.

    7    it comes to traditional Chinese games, the Chinese have always been sociable people. Despite the country's super technological advancement and the increasing popularity of personal electronic devices. the majority of Chinese would rather spend time socializing with others than sit alone at home. From popular board games like Go (围棋) and Chinese chess to kids' games like Chinese jump rope, China offers    8    (vary) options to keep people busy. Most locals are more than happy to share their traditions    9    foreign visitors, so don't be shy to ask the next time you go for    10    walk through the park!