Du Fu was a Chinese poet and politician of the Tang Dynasty. He is frequently regarded as one of the     1     (great) Chinese poets.    2     (bear) into a scholarly family, Du Fu received a traditional Confucian education but failed in the imperial examinations of 735.    3    a result, he spent much of his youth traveling. During his travels he was recognized as a poet and met other poets of the period, including Li Bai,     4     is known as a romantic poet.

Du Fu’s early poetry celebrated     5     beauty of the natural world and bemoaned (惋惜) the passage of time. He soon     6     (begin) to write about war—as in “Bingche xing”. And with hidden satire (讽刺), he wrote “Liren xing”, which speaks of the luxury (奢华) of the court. As he matured, and     7     (especial) during the chaotic period from 755 to 759, his poems began to sound a note of sympathy for humanity caught in the senseless war.

Du Fu’s irreplaceable position in the history of Chinese literature rests on     8     (he) superb classicism. He was an expert in all poetic     9     (style) current in his day, and his mastery was at its     10     (high) in the lvshi, or “regulated verse”.

Like almost all types of art on the vast land of China, the style and texture (质地) of silk are also of great     1     (vary). Hangluo satin from Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, is well known for its airy and sheer texture. By comparison, Yunjin brocade from Nanjing, Jiangsu province, a luxurious fabric     2     is often used for royal garments,     3     (represent) China’s silk weaving technique at its prime (鼎盛时期).

Yunjin brocade is best made     4     hand on giant machines for weaving, in a complex procedure that includes more than a hundred steps. Even     5     most skilled artisans can only weave a few centimeters a day. Time, skill     6     patience all play significant roles on its heavenly beauty, or as its name suggests, its cloud-like splendor.

In the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC—AD 24), with the routes     7     (open) up by Zhang Qian to the western regions, silk reached countries in Central Asia, later     8     (extend) its reach to other parts of Eurasia and beyond. Fittingly, its name marked China’s major international trade routes, the ancient Silk Road and Maritime Silk Road.

In the hands of Chinese artists, the     9     (thin) threads can weave pictures of enormous possibilities, and the softest material can travel thousands of years. As one of the many marvels of ancient China, silk is not merely a type of textile.     10     is also a cultural icon, and an embodiment of elegance and grace.

China’s ancient civilisation has continued all the way through into modern times. It is     1     (wide) known that the reason for this bas been the Chinese writing system. At the beginning, written Chinese was a picture-based language,     2     dates back several thousand years to the use of longgu. Symbols     3     (carve) on animal bones and shells by ancient Chinese people. Over the years, there was     4     time when people were divided geographically, leading to many     5     (variety) of dialects and characters. Emperor Qinshihuang, who united the seven major states into one unified country made the Chinese writing system begin to develop in one direction. It was of great     6     (important) in uniting the Chinese people and culture. Even today, no matter where Chinese people live     7     what dialect they speak, they can all still communicate in writing. People in modern times can read the classic works     8     (write) by Chinese in ancient times. Nowadays, Chinese calligraphy has become an important part of Chinese culture. As China plays a greater role     9     global affairs, a large number of international students are beginning to appreciate China's culture and history through this     10     (amaze) language.

When the Library Cave, known as Cave 17 from the Mogao Cave Complex at Dunhuang, China, was opened in 1900, several tons of manuscripts (手稿) scrolls, booklets and paintings on silk and paper were found literally stuffed into it. These     1     (extreme) valuable writings were collected between     2     9th and 10th centuries CE, by Tang and Song Dynasty Buddhist monks who carved out the cave and then filled it     3     ancient and current manuscripts on topics ranging from religion and philosophy, history and mathematics, to folk songs and dance.

Cave 17 is only one of the 735 human-made     4     (cave) called Mogao Grottoes,     5     were dug into a loess cliff about 15 miles southeast of the town of Dunhuang in Gansu Province. Dunhuang’s long and glorious history reflects     6     (it) significance as a center of     7     (culture) and religious exchange. These caves     8     (dig) and maintained by Buddhist monks from 366 CE and were sealed and hidden about a thousand years ago. It was not until 1900 that they were rediscovered.

The Dunhuang Academy was set up in China in the 1980s,     9     (aim) to collect and preserve the manuscripts; the International Dunhuang Project (IDP) was formed in 1994 to bring the international scholars together     10     (work) jointly on the collections. The IDP has put many of the documents, images and translations online.

As is known to all, the Olympic Games are the most important events in the world. They were first held in ancient Greece in 776 BC. And the events were named after Olympia,     1     city in Ancient Greek. Slaves and women could not     2     (allow) to take part in the ancient Olympics, and the     3     (athlete) were all from the same country.

In 1896, the first modern Olympics opened in Athens, the capital city of Greece. From then on, the event     4     (take) place every four years.

Athletes from the whole world can take part in the     5     (importance) events, whether they are men       6     women. The five rings on the Olympic Flag stand for five continents and the union of the whole world.

China didn’t become a member of the modern Olympics     7     the 1950s. And in 1984, Xu Haifeng became the first Chinese     8     won an Olympic gold medal in shooting. With the development of China, Beijing finally succeeded in     9     (hold) the 2008 Olympics, during which the five Fuwa mascots ( 吉 祥 物 )       10     (deep) impressed the whole world.

Counted among the “Ten Great Chinese Paintings”, the famous historical scroll painting “Emperor Taizong Receiving the Tibetan Envoy (使团)”, created by renowned painter Yan Liben (601—673),     1     (make) an appearance in an exhibition at the Palace Museum in Beijing on April 29, 2023. This painting     2     (faithful) displays a scene in the year 641 when Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty received the Tibetan team,     3     members came for Tang Princess Wencheng.

In the     4     (seven) century, Songtsen Gampo, the headman of the Tibetan Tubo Kingdom, sent an envoy to Chang’an to propose a marriage. Emperor Taizong agreed to give Princess Wencheng in marriage to him. In the spring of 641, the envoy sent by Songtsen Gampo arrived at the court     5     (guard) the princess back to Tubo.

Princess Wencheng brought not only Tang Dynasty customs and practices, but also a large group of     6     (craftsman), which had a stimulating effect     7     the Tubo tribal economy and culture. As a result, the Tang Empire and Tubo maintained a good relationship for a considerable period.

In addition to well-known artworks such as this painting, the exhibition also featured a large number of cultural relics     8     (display) to the public for the first time.

The exhibition showcased     9     total of 108 cultural relics, including 13 items from     10     (diversity) units of the Cultural Heritage Bureau of the Xizang Autonomous Region, as well as 95 items from the Palace Museum.