Delicate, shining, and soft to the touch. The fabric called silk     1     (find) its way into the heart of Chinese people in the past thousands of years.     2     origin of it is not clear, but the ancient Chinese people     3     (credit) their own wisdom to Leizu, wife of the Yellow Emperor, as the inventor of sericulture (养蚕业).

The style and texture (质地) of silk are     4     (variety). Hangluo satin from Hangzhou,Zhejiang province, is famous for its airy and thin texture,     5     Yunjin brocade from Nanjing, Jiangsu province, a luxurious fabric often     6     (use) for royal clothes, represents China’s silk weaving (纺织) technique at its best time. Yunjin brocade is best made     7    hand, in a complex procedure that comprises more than a hundred steps. Even the most skilled artisans can only weave a few centimeters a day.

In the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC—AD 24), with Zhang Qian     8     (open) up the routes to the western regions, silk graced countries in Central Asia, and later other parts of Eurasia and beyond.     9     (appropriate), its name marked China’s major international trade     10     (route), the ancient Silk Road and Maritime Silk Road.

As one of the wonders of ancient China, silk is not merely a type of fabric but a cultural symbol and a representative of elegance.

3 . What killed King Tut? Historians and scientists have long believed that ancient Egypt’s most famous king was probably murdered. But a recent scientific study claims to have found a different answer to this more than 3,300-year-old mystery. A team of researchers now say that King Tut, the boy ruler, died of complications (并发症) from a broken leg.

Tut’s full name was Tutankhamun. He was just 9 years old when he became the ruler of Egypt. His treasure-filled tomb was discovered almost a century ago. It was filled with royal riches, including a solid-gold coffin, a gold mask, and piles of jewelry.

Unfortunately Tut died at the age of 19. Many experts have thought that Tut was killed by one of his advisers, named Ay, who wanted to be king. But thanks to a major modern science project, it seems Ay is innocent.

Researchers set out to solve the mystery of King Tut’s death by using the tools of science, including DNA tests and electronic scans of his mummy (木乃伊). Scientist Carsten Pusch conducted the tests on Tut for the new study. He thinks a broken leg contributed to the young king’s death.

More than 100 walking sticks were found in King Tut’s tomb. This supports the team’s findings. But how could a person die from a simple broken leg?

Pusch also found DNA evidence in Tut’s body that indicates he had malaria (疟疾), a disease carried by mosquitoes. Malaria severely weakens the immune system.

Pusch and his fellow researchers believe the malaria and the bone disease together caused the king’s fracture (骨折) to become deadly. Finally, the young king was just too weak to recover. So effects of the disease combined with the bad luck of a broken bone — not a jealous adviser — are likely the real causes of King Tut’s death.

4 . To us it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains, but actually the umbrella was not invented as protection against the rain. Its first use was as a shade against the sun! Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient times. Probably the first to use it were the Chinese.

We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade. And there was a strange thing connected with its use: it became a symbol of honour. In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by those in high office.

In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. And the umbrella was commonly used in ancient Greece. But it is believed that the first persons in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against the rain were the ancient Romans.

During the Middle Ages, the use of the umbrella practically disappeared. Then it appeared again in Italy in the late sixteenth century. And again it was considered as a symbol of power. By 1680, the umbrella appeared in France and later in England.

By the eighteenth century, the umbrella was used against rain throughout most of Europe. Umbrellas did not change much in style during all this time, though they became much lighter in weight. It wasn’t until the twentieth century that women’s umbrellas began to be made in a whole variety of colours.

Flames in kilns (窑炉) around China     1    (burn) since the Xia and Shang dynasties. Along the way was born porcelain (瓷器).

Porcelain is made by heating materials, often a mix of China stone and kaolin clay, in a kiln at a temperature as high as 1,200 degree Celsius. Temperature is key to     2    (make) porcelain. Going through the fire of reinvention at a high temperature blesses porcelain with strength and colors. Celadon (青瓷) produced in Longquan, Zhejiang province,     3    technique passed down for more than 1,600 years, is a     4    (character) example of workers’ long-standing dream. It takes 72 steps to produce perfect green. Porcelain has also been a carrier for cultural exchanges. In company with China’s silk and tea, porcelain was one of the first goods     5    (receive) worldwide trade. As it travelled around the globe through the ancient Maritime Silk Road, porcelain enjoyed great     6    (popular) among royal families and upper classes in Europe,     7     were attracted to these beautiful artworks. Porcelain began as a practical container     8     evolved into pieces of art. Even when broken into pieces and     9    (bury) deep in mud, cultural values attached to porcelain would exist.

As a memory that     10    (feel) with both hands, porcelain is touchable history.

As winter comes, hands and feet can easily get cold especially among women. Thick gloves can be one of the best     1     (option) yet some makes wearing them is not convenient, especially when people want to do something with     2     (they) hands.

However, this was not a problem for ancient Chinese people,     3     had a more exquisite (精美的) tool to keep their hands warm: hand warmers.

There is no accurate     4     (write) record regarding the origin of this tool, but there are some tales about its invention.

One folk story concerns an emperor of the Sui Dynasty who visited Jiangsu in the winter. Due     5     the bitter cold, the local official asked manufacturers     6     (design) a small warmer for the emperor that could be held in one's hands. Thus the hand warmer was created.

By the Song Dynasty, the tool was in widespread use. Techniques for producing the tool were     7     (wide) employed in the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty. Many poems and books from this period recorded people     8     (use) hand warmers. A Dream of Red Mansions, the classic novel by Cao Xueqin in the Qing Dynasty, also featured a maid sending a hand warmer to the heroine Lin Daiyu in one chapter.

Zhang Mingqi, a veteran manufacturer of hand warmers, was considered     9     first-class craftsman in the Qing Dynasty. The tools that he produced     10     (bear) his surname, called Zhang-style hand warmers.

Emperor Qinshihuang united the seven major states into one     1     country where the Chinese writing system began to develop     2     one direction. That writing system was of great     3     in uniting the Chinese people and culture. Even today, no matter where Chinese people live or     4     dialect they speak, they can all still communicate in writing.

Written Chinese has also become an important     5     by which China’s present is connected with its past. People in modern times can read the     6     works which were written by Chinese in ancient times. The high regard for the Chinese writing system can be     7     in the development of Chinese characters as an art form, known as Chinese     8     . which has become an important part of Chinese culture.

    9     China plays a greater role in global affairs, an increasing number of international students are beginning to     10     China’s culture and history through this amazing language.