1 . The days when art was an Olympic sport

Did you know that creating works of art used to be an Olympic competition?     1     In the first year, Walter Winans became the first and the only Olympian to win medals for both art and sports. Despite this seemingly optimistic start, the idea of the arts being included in the Olympic Games soon met with disinterest, finally resulting in the removal of the art competition from the Olympic Games.

The idea to include art in the Olympics came from Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who was the founder of the International Olympic Committee, which created the modern Olympics. Coubertin believed that the arts and sports were linked and was impressed by anyone who had a firm command of both a sport and an artistic discipline(项目).

For starters, only amateurs were allowed to compete in the arts part of the Olympics.     3     Having artists of average quality competing while only the most competent athletes were allowed to compete created a dramatic divide and gave the impression that the arts were not as important as sports.

Secondly, works of art created had to have sports as the subject matter.     4     Limiting the subjects also contributed to making the arts part of the Olympic Games boring to the general public.

Finally, one of the biggest reasons was that the arts are subjective. Sports can be judged by time and distance, making it easy to determine who is the winner.     5     This difficulty in judging a definite winner resulted in the arts part becoming a non-competitive exhibition that ran for the duration of the Olympic Games.

Zhao Taisheng, the principal sanxian player in the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra (HKCO), has a mission    1    (keep)the traditional instrument, sanxian, alive and    2     (devote) his career to perfecting his skill on the instrument and preserving this ancient art since he graduated from college.

Musician Zhao Taisheng calls his favored instrument—the sanxian, or three-stringed lute—a voice for his emotions, a vehicle for charm and honor,     3    a ticket to an eventful life. He regards the sanxian    4    an important part of Chinese folk music tradition. He explains that, in the early decades of the 2Oth century, the number of students of the sanxian       5    ( be)similar to that of those studying other traditional Chinese string instruments such as the pipa or guzheng. However, the instrument began to lose    6    (popular) with the adoption of Western orchestra styles, which preferred softer harmonies.

In fact, the sanxian has    7    attractive appearance: lt is usually around 120 centimeters long, and has three strings stretched over a fingerboard,    8    allows for extensive glissando, or the glide from one pitch to another. Like most folk traditions, it is difficult to trace the origins of the sanxian. By some     9    (account), it may date back to the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC). Images of similar instruments can be found in a Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) sculpture, and the characters     10    (literal)mean“three strings”, first appeared in a Ming Dynasty(1368-1644)text.

Discoveries made during the latest excavation of Pit No.1 at the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, China’s first emperor, have allowed Chinese archaeologists to gain more insight into     1     the world-famous Terracotta Warriors and their weapons were made.

According to a recent report archaeologists     2     (restore) more than 140 Terracotta Warriors. They discovered that the arms of these figures were created separately and then attached to the bodies and covered in a layer of fine clay. The carving of fine details was completed     3     the arms were attached.     4     (additional), the pit has yielded a variety of weapons, including long-range attack weapons, shields for defense, as well as drums and drumsticks used for commanding soldiers.

“The Terracotta Warriors used a very special mechanism to connect pieces together. Such     5     (wise) was unique to China,” Lv Qiuxia,     6     expert on ancient Chinese art, told the Global Times on Wednesday. Lv added that the way the warriors were made differed based on their social status and class. “When     7     (analyze) how they were made, we noticed that the warriors were divided into different classes. This contributes to research     8     the burial culture of the Terracotta Warriors.” the expert noted.

Through excavations, Chinese researchers have established the types and arrangement of weapons     9     (use) by the Terracotta Warriors as well as the formations and patterns of the     10     (mystery) underground army.

Working on one of the most famous sites in the world, I’m delighted though tired and covered in dust. I have been digging all day as an archaeology student from England since I     1     (select). The Terracotta Warriors (兵马俑) were discovered in 1974. Some peasants were digging a well     2     they dug up the head of a clay warrior. Can you imagine their     3     (astonish)? Soon archaeologists from Beijing,     4     the whole world knows, dug up 6, 000 clay warriors here. The warriors vary in height according to their roles, with the     5     (tall) being the generals. Eventually Emperor Qin Shihuang’s Tomb was also found nearby. In 1976 another spot was discovered, this one     6     (contain) 1, 400 warriors. The firm belief that there existed life after death got around widely     7     the Ancient Chinese. It seemed that Emperor Qin Shihuang had had the soldiers     8     (make), which were buried near     9     (he) to guard his soul in the next life. Although it lay here hidden and forgotten for so long, the site is visited by tourists from every comer of     10     globe. How fortunate I am working here!

The Silk Road was a network of trade routes     1    (connect) the East and the West in ancient and Medieval times. In addition to silk, varieties of other goods     2    (trade) along the Silk Road, and the network was also important for migrants and travellers, and for the spread of religion, philosophy, science, technology, and     3     (art) ideals. The Silk Road had a significant impact on the lands     4    which the routes passed, and the trade played a significant role in the development of towns and cities along the Silk Road routes.

Many merchants along the Silk Road were involved in relay trade,     5    an item would change owners many times and travel a little bit with each one of them     6    reaching its final buyer. It seems to have been     7    (high) unusual for any individual merchant to travel all the way between China and Europe or Northern Africa. Instead, various merchants specialized in transporting goods through various sections of the Silk Road.

The Silk Road established     8    (early) connection between the East and the West. It was of great significance in the promotion of world     9    (civil) and the progress of human society. Research and development of the Silk Road today continue to have     10    incredible impact.

In 1968, many precious relics were unearthed in the tombs of the Western Han Dynasty including the Changxin Palace Lamp, which is acknowledged     1     “the first lamp of China”.

The bronze lamp bears the shape of a girl on her knees     2     (hold) a lamp. The lamp plate is on her left hand while her right hand,     3     is covered by a loose sleeve (袖子), carries the lampshade. The brightness of the lamp and the direction of the light can be adjusted with a handle and it controls two movable shades.     4     (remarkable), the girl’s right sleeve traps smoke from the burning lamp oil     5     channels it into the hollow body where water is stored, thus preventing the lamp from polluting the indoor air. Apart from that, the six component parts of the lamp can all be taken apart, and     6     (be) easy to clean.

The delicate Changxin Palace Lamp provides a glimpse into China’s glorious past, showing     7     wisdom of ancient Chinese people as well as ancient China’s achievements in science and technology. The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic flame lantern     8     (inspire) by the Changxin Palace Lamp. Being a perfect     9     (marry) of green initiative and the Olympic Spirit, it uses double glass and a hidden division channel     10     (reduce) the smoke and carbon deposition (沉积).

Located in Guanghan city of Southwest China’s Sichuan Province and covering an area of 12 square kilometers. Sanxingdui Site is the remains of the ancient Shu culture, which dates back     1     4,800-2,600 years ago, and is considered to be one of the     2     (great) archaeological (考古的) discoveries in the 20th century. This particular discovery is a strong proof of the     3     (exist) of the ancient Shu State and the integrative pattern of the multi-cultures of the Chinese nation.

In fact, as a cultural site,, Sanxingdui had come into the notice of archaeologists in as early as the 1930s, and     4     (exploration) were made soon. It all began     5     a farmer called Yan Daocheng dug out a number of treasures     6     (accidental) in the spring of 1929. In the summer of 1986, thousands of rare treasures were unearthed from two large newly-discovered sacrificial pits (祭祀坑). The unearthed objects are unique in shape and superior in techniques,     7     (confirm) the extraordinary creativity of the ancient Shu people and their desires     8     (connect) with and understand the universe.

After sleeping for 3,000 years, their awakening has shocked the world. When our eyes     9     (caught) by the creations of the ancient Shu ancestors, it is     10     encounter with a civilization lost for 3,000 years.