A Stone Age bird sculpture uncovered in China could be a “missing link” in our understanding of prehistoric art. Dating back almost 13,500 years, the sculpture is now the oldest known example of three-dimensional art in East Asia.

Described     1     being in “an exceptional state of preservation,” the sculpture     2    (find) at an archeological site in Lingjing, Henan Province. It was hand-carved from burned animal bone. Researchers say the sculpture depicts (刻画) a bird on a base, pointing to deliberate marks     3     the creature’s eyes and bill (嘴) would be. It is believed that the bird’s oversized tail was made     4    (prevent) the sculpture from leaning forward when     5    (lay) on a surface. This discovery identifies a(n)     6    (origin) artistic tradition and pushes back by more than 8,500 years the representation of birds in Chinese art. The sculpture differs     7    (technologic) from other sculptures found in Western Europe and Siberia, and it could be the missing link     8    (trace) the origin of Chinese statues back to the early part of the Stone Age. Li Zhanyang, who led     9     study, has contributed to other archeological findings in Lingjing, including various ancient     10    (tool) and two skulls belonging to an extinct species of early humans.

The history of Chinese tea is a long and gradual process. Generations of growers and producers have perfected the Chinese way of making tea and     1    (it)many unique regional variations.

The     2    (origin)idea was suggested by the legendary Emperor Shennong,     3     is said to have lived 5,000years ago. His far-sighted laws required that for health     4    (reason)all drinking water be boiled. A story     5    (go)that, one summer day, while visiting a distant part of his kingdom, he and the officials stopped     6    (rest). At his command, the servants began to boil water     7     the officials to drink.     8    (dry)leaves from a nearby bush fell into the boiling water, and a brown substance was injected into the water. As a scientist, the Emperor was interested in the new liquid, drank some, and found it very     9    (refresh).

And so, according to legend, tea     10    (create)in 2737 BC.

Niangao, a sweet rice cake, is a popular dessert eaten during the Spring Festival. It was originally used as an offering before it gradually became a Spring Festival food. The       1     (pronounce) of niangao sounds like “year high” in Chinese, symbolizing a much higher income, a much higher position, the growth of children, and the promise of a much     2     (good) year. It is considered good luck to eat it during the Spring Festival period. Niangao has a legend about its origin. In the Spring and Autumn Period of ancient China, the whole country     3    (divide) into different small kingdoms and people suffered a lot in wars. At that time, strong walls were built to protect the Wu Kingdom from repeated     4    (attack). Many people stopped worrying about wars, except for Wu Zixu. He told his entourages (随从), “Wars should not be viewed     5     (light). In case things go badly, remember to dig a hole under the wall.” After Wu Zixu passed away, a war broke out and many people died from lack     6    food. Some people did what Wu Zixu had told them before     7     found that the wall under the earth was built with special bricks     8    (make) from glutinous (黏的) rice flour. As a result, the bricks     9    (save) many people from hunger. After that, people made niangao every year in memory of Wu Zixu. As time passed, niangao became     10     we eat today.

Many people are     1     (confuse) about the meaning of the names: the United Kingdom, Great Britain, Britain and England.     2    (solve) this puzzle, it is necessary for people to know a little bit about British history.

In the 16^th century, the nearby country of Wales     3    (join) to the Kingdom of England, followed by the country Scotland in the 18th century. In the 19^th century, the Kingdom of Ireland was added to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Finally, in the 20th century, the     4    (south) part of Ireland broke away     5     the UK, resulting in the full name we have today: “the United Kingdom” or “the UK”. People from the UK are called “British”,     6     means the UK is also often referred to as Britain or Great Britain.

Even though the four countries     7    (belong) to the United Kingdom work together in some areas, such as using the same flag, sharing the same currency and military     8    (defend), they also have some differences. Anyhow, the United Kingdom has     9     long and interesting history to explore, which can help you understand much more about the country and     10    (it) traditions.

9 . A large conch (海螺) shell brought little attention in a French museum for many years, but it is now quickly gaining attention. The shell is thought to be the oldest known seashell instrument. And it still works, producing a deep sound, like a horn from the distant past.

The shell was found during the exploration of a cave with prehistoric walk paintings in the Pyrenees Mountains in France. It was believed to be a drinking cup for ceremony. Scientists from the University of Toulouse recently took a fresh look at the conch shell. They now believe it was to serve as a wind instrument. They also invited a French horn player to play it.

“Hearing it for the first time, for me it was a big emotion and caused some worry.” Said archaeology researcher Carole Fritz She feared that playing the 31-centimeter-long shell might damage it, but it did not. The shell produced clear musical notes in C, C sharp and D. The researchers estimate it to be about 18,000 years old.

Conch shells have been used widely in musical and ceremonial traditions, including in ancient Peru, Japan and India. The shell instrument found in the Marsoulas cave is now the oldest known example. Earlier, Gilles Tosello, another archaeologist in Toulouse, said a conch shell instrument found in Syria was estimated to be about 6,000 years old.

The latest discovery was made after a recent inventory (盘货) at the Natural History Museum of Toulouse. The researchers noticed some unusual holes in the shell. Especially important is that the end of the shell was broken off. That created a hole large enough to blow through. Careful examinations with a microscope showed that the opening was made by humans.

Using a model of the shell, the archaeologists plan to continue studying the horn’s sounds. Tosello hoped to hear the ancient instrument played inside the cave where it was found. He said it was wonderful when an object was forgotten somewhere and suddenly it came again into the light.

Several large wooden constructions     1     (date) back to the Neolithic era (新石器时代) were unearthed at the Jijiaocheng ruins site, a prehistoric’ cultural site located in Changde City,     2     (center) China’s Hunan Province.

First discovered in 1978, the site used     3     (be) a city from the Qujialing culture period (3300 BC-2600 BC)-a Neolithic civilization,     4     had roots in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River, primarily     5     (find) in today’s Hunan and Hubei provinces.

Three excavations (挖掘)     6     (conduct) at the southwestern part of the city wall since 2020. More than 30 housing sites were discovered at the 721-square-meter area,     7     a number of wooden architectural relics unearthed that were built 4,800 years ago. Researchers think they are the most complete and     8     (early) wooden structure building foundation in China. Besides, remains of rice husks (外壳) were also found at the site, covering     9     area of 80 square meters.

Researchers believe strongly the new findings will enrich the architectural history of prehistoric China. “The     10     (discover) helps us understand the overall architectural style of the Yangtze River Basin,”said Zhao Hui, a professor at Peking University School of Archaeology and Museology.