Kites nowadays can be seen in parks throughout the world. But     1     is believed that the first kite was invented by the Chinese more than 2,000 years ago. In the beginning, the kites     2     (use) for military (军事的) purposes and defense. Since the Qing Dynasty, kites have been used mostly for     3     (entertain) and celebrations.

For a long time, kites were used only in China and nearby countries. Businessmen     4     visited China took kites to India, Korea and other parts of Asia. Marco Polo was the first person     5     (take) Chinese kites to Europe, after one of his famous trips to China in the 13th century. He was also one of the first     6     (author) who wrote about the kites,     7     (explain) to the Western audience how to use them. They spread from Europe to North and South America as well.

During the 20th century, kite flying festivals became very popular in China. Weifang, Shandong is considered the kite capital of the world and the Weifang International Kite Festival     8     (attract) many tourists from around the world.

Weifang is also home to     9     (famous) Kite Museum in the world. In the Weifang Kite Museum, it is possible to see     10     impressive collection of kites from all periods. Professionals are able to figure out the period just by examining the materials and decorations used.

Wang Anshi （1021 - 1086）, a poet and reformer of Song Dynasty, is still remembered after a long period of time. This year marked the 1, 000th anniversary of Wang’s birthday. To commemorate the occasion, China Post    1    （issue）a collection of stamps in December（2021）.

When he was young, Wang became familiar    2    the hardships of the peasants. After he passed the imperial civil service exams and became     3     official, Wang wanted to change their conditions and initiated a series of reforms.

He implemented new laws to ease farmers’ burdens, loaned grain to farmers and allowed them to repay their debts after the autumn harvest. He attached great importance to    4    （train）talents in different fields, for example, in laws.     5    （unlucky）, these policies harmed the interests of the upper classes and his reforms eventually failed.

Wang’s     6    （brave） to innovate has inspired many people. The former Chinese Premier Wen: Jiabao- quoted Wang in his speech: A true reformer should fear neither strange astronomical    7    （phenomenon）nor comments.

US politician Henry A. Wallace had a book    8    （record）Wang’s reform policies. When the Unitech States faced sudden economic depression during the Roosevelt administration of the 1930s, Wallace applied Wang’s economic principles and helped the country get through the crisis successfully.

During his lifetime, Wang    9    （pen）more than 1, 000 poems. Often short and plainspoken, these poems contain profound topics,     10    won him wide acclaim（称赞）both at home and abroad.

In human history, many ancient and splendid civilizations were born and died. China is the only country with uninterrupted human civilization. Chinese civilization was born on both     1    (shore) of the Yellow River in 2800 BC. And the rich land     2     Chinese civilization began is Henan Province.

In the long history of Chinese civilization, we may feel that the unique Chinese characteristics are all around us and all within us,     3    (reflect)in Kungfu to a large extent.

Kungfu or martial arts can only     4    (master)through hard work and practice, which contains rich yet profound Chinese philosophy, whether in curing diseases and improving health,     5     in conquering the enemy and preventing conflict. Kungfu can even have an effect on the daily lives of Kungfu fighters.

All styles or schools of martial art originate from Shaolin Temple. So far, Shaolin Kungfu     6    (become)a window of Chinese culture to the world, which also turns Shaolin Temple into the most     7    (influence) “holy land” of martial arts in the world.

Chinese civilization     8     its thousands of years of history is just like an old man,     9    (remain)tough and intelligent. No matter what happens in the world, he is always standing there with a big smile and     10     inclusive attitude.

In 2016, the first phase of the Digital Huang resource database went online. People from all over the world could enjoy high-quality     1     (image) and panoramic (全景的) tours of 30 caves on the Digital Huang website,     2     showed a totally new idea of cultural relics protection philosophy. This project was intended to pursue overall digitization, including the collection, processing and storage of the Magoo Grottoes and related cultural relics using     3     (advance) science and technology.

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.

Dala Horse: The Symbol of Sweden

While    1    (wander) around a Swedish Christmas market, you’ll likely come across booths selling carved wooden horses, typically painted in bright colors and beautiful patterns. These traditional Swedish toys are more than a classic holiday gift    2    a travel souvenir: the Dala horse has become intertwined (交织) with    3    very image of Sweden itself.

The little wooden horses of Sweden were    4    (original) carved by men that worked in the forests during the winter. When they returned    5    their villages, they gave the horses to children as playthings. This was in the 17th century    6    the horses were also sold at market in small towns and villages. The horses were painted in bright colors that    7    (inspire) by the furniture in the region. Finally, even young children learned to carve wooden horses.

The    8    (globe) attention didn’t come until the 20th century in the 1939 New York World’s Fair. That was because an enormous Dala horse was placed outside the Swedish pavilion, which caused excitement throughout the    9    (crowd) of visitors. After this, the Dala horses were regarded as a symbol of Sweden and mass production of the horses    10    (start). Since then, Dala horses have been popular souvenirs.

A great number of artifacts from eight tombs    1     (unearth) from an archaeological site in Hunan province several months ago. According to the provincial institute of heritage and archaeology, these artifacts, including pottery pieces and bronze    2     (knife), are believed    3     (date) back as early as the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220).

Six Eastern Han Dynasty tombs are brick tombs, three of    4     might have had owners from the same family, said Chen Bin,     5     member of the archaeological team of the tomb complex under the institute.

It is also the first time that archaeologists    6    (discover)a trench(战壕)4.5meters west of the back chamber of the largest tomb,     7     (measure) about 0.9 meters in width,     8     (approximate)15 meters in length and about 0.1 meters in depth.

“This excavation(挖掘)is    9     great significance to further understanding the funeral customs of people in southern Hunan, as well as the levels of    10     (economy)development and cultural exchanges during the period,” Chen said.

Many people around the world may know that paper is one of the Four Great Inventions of ancient Chinese civilization,    1    few would know that more than 1,500 years ago, ancient Chinese craftsmen invented a new type of paper,    2    was called Xuan paper and used mainly for writing and painting.

Xuan paper was first made in ancient Xuan Prefecture, now    3    (know) as Jingxian County in Anhui Province. The traditional process of making Xuan paper is    4     (extreme) demanding and involves over 100 steps. The whole process can take as long as two years    5    (complete), and the skills have been passed down for    6    (generation).

Xuan paper is highly water absorbent, making it a perfect medium for conveying artistic effect in both Chinese calligraphy and ink wash painting. In addition, Xuan paper    7    (design) to be able to last for more than 1,000 years and still keep the freshness of the ink and color on it.

Today in Jingxian County, there    8     (be) many Xuan paper factories and workshops, where the paper is still made by master craftsmen using traditional techniques. And because of    9    (it) long history and the essential role it has played     10    the culture of Chinese painting and calligraphy, Xuan paper was included on the first list of China’s national intangible cultural heritages(非物质文化遗产)in 2006.

Oracle bones (甲骨) were believed to be first unearthed in Anyang, once called Yin, the capital of the Shang Dynasty. Villagers then had little idea of what they had found and sold the bones to drugstores as     1    (tradition) Chinese medicines. The medicines gained the notice of historians. The discovery     2    (follow) by a series of archaeological excavations (挖掘).

Over the past 120 years, major systematic excavations have been carried     3    . A relic site museum has been built at the Yinxu site,     4    (recognize) as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Discovering the oracle bones and inscriptions helped explore the cultures of Xia and Shang dynasties,     5     trace the origins of the Chinese civilization.

The content of the inscriptions emphasizes the respect for ancestors and other core Chinese values     6     have been passed on until today. It     7    (appeal) to not only scholars but also those outside the circles of archaeology. Chen Nan, a professor at Tsinghua University’s Academy of Arts and Design, has energized the life of these ancient symbols by     8    (feature) them in the biaoqingbao (emoticons) he developed.

“They represent the     9    (clue) to our cultural lineage (传承), ” Chen says. “I feel     10     our responsibility to communicate about the charm of the primitive inscription with the younger generations and foreigners.”

An epidemic is an infectious disease that     1    (rapid) spreads to a large number of people within a short period of time. Epidemics can be caused by several different     2    (factor), such as a virus or bacteria.

One of the earliest     3    (record) epidemics happened between about 500 and 550 CE. It killed up to 50% of the area’s population,     4    (make) it one of the main reasons of the fall of the Roman Empire. In     5    1330s, the epidemic known as “The Black Death” returned in Asia and spread to Europe. Centuries later in 1918, the Spanish Flu     6    (strike). In 2002, SARS began     7    a case of lung disease in China. It spread to Canada, Vietnam and Singapore and lasted until 2003. Then in West Africa between 2013 and 2016, there was the most widespread outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD),     8    killed over 11,000 people.

Governments worldwide have underlined the fact that they need     9    (far) medical research on epidemics     10    (get) at the causes and come up with cures as soon as possible.