1 . As the weather turns warmer and air becomes ________ , it is recommended that people eat fresh vegetables and juicy fruits to keep ________ hydrated (使吸人水分). Bamboo shoots are among the best foods for this season. Bamboo shoots, a root vegetable with few calories but lots of fiber, are________ harvested and eaten in Zhejiang and Sichuan provinces ________ the climate is ideal for bamboo growth. There are many ways ________spring bamboo shoots, from nutritious soups to fun snacks. Now, we’ll take a look at some crowd-pleasing bamboo shoot dishes.

Dishes with bamboo shoots are enjoyed in almost every household in eastern China in springtime. An all-time favorite dish and symbol of springtime in Zhejiang is Yan Du Xian, a delicious soup ________with fresh spring bamboo shoots, cured pork and fresh pork. In Shanghai, there’s also a famous snack known ________ Xiasha Shaomai, a steamed dumpling from Nanhui in the Pudong New Area. ________use spring bamboo shoots and fresh pork as fillings of it. In the Tianmu Mountain region, there’s ________ appealing local dish called hand-peeled bamboo shoots, which are cooked in salty water and then cooled and packaged as a snack. The hand-peeled bamboo shoots________ as cold appetizers, which are fun to eat.

A leaf fell into the water and changed the taste of it. From this time on, tea was born.

China is known as the home of tea. Since ancient times, tea     1    (succeed) in being accepted into Chinese culture, leaving its strong pleasant smell in poetry, riles and customs. Many tea     2    (lover) enjoy tea not just for its flavor (风味), but also for the beauty of tea ceremonies (仪式).

Picking tea leaves     3    (be) an important spring activity in the Yangtze River basin in South China. The earliest quantity (批) of tea is often ready to be picked before Qingming,     4    is observed in early April when the temperature begins to rise and rainfall increases. This precious small output of tea, being     5    (wide) popular for its outstanding quality, is called Mingqian tea.

East China’s Zhejiang province     6    (regard) as a major producer of tea. White tea in Huzhou city’s Anji county and West Lake Longjing tea in Hangzhou are two famous teas in both China     7    abroad. In spring, local hillsides are filled with tea workers     8    (plant) seeds on their land. In the peak season, lots of tourists go there together     9    (see) the beautiful scenery of tea farms for themselves, while enjoying a freshly brewed cup of tea.

Thousands of years ago, by the hands of the Chinese people, a leaf was made into a delicious drink. It has traveled along way and continues to bloom, even today.

    10    (tradition) tea processing techniques and associated social practices in China were written on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Human in 2022.

4 . Chinese cuisine is widely known and enjoyed all around the world. Who doesn’t long for a favorite Chinese dish? But there is one interesting concept concerning Chinese food which is almost unheard of in the West, and which is becoming increasingly ignored by the youth of the East—the ancient custom of “tonic food”.

Tonic food is food which is consumed to improve one’s well-being or avoid sickness. For instance, it was once the custom for new mothers to eat a sesame oil(麻油) chicken soup every day for the first month after giving birth. It was believed that this dish would benefit the muscles, reduce pain, improve circulation, stimulate sweating, and warm the body. Some foods, such as goat meat and spinach, are seen as “hot”, while others, such as Chinese cabbage and radishes, are seen as “cold”. One should be careful not to eat too much of either “hot” or “cold” food. However, how much “hot” or “cold” food one should eat depends on the time of the year, how the food is prepared and what it is prepared with, and the individual’s health.

The custom of employing tonic food for a healthier life also influences the catering industry. Chinese herbal medicines, such as wolfberry(枸杞子), can be found on many a restaurant menu, either added to fruit tea or as a beneficial addition to a dish. These herbs attract customers, such as overworked office staff, in need of a modest pick-me-up.

So, whether you need to boost your strength with a large helping of chicken soup, or increase your mental powers with a serving of fish soup, you may find that this ancient Chinese custom could be just the tonic you were looking for.

Mochi (年糕) is a traditional food popular in Chinese and Japanese cooking, made from     1    (special) treated rice. It is often presented in the form of a round cake, and is traditionally exchanged at the New Year.

Mochi is made by     2     (put) sticky rice into water overnight, cooking it and pounding it into a sticky paste. The paste is made into shapes ranging from simple to complex rounds, some of     3     are stuffed with sweet fillings. Mochi is often decorated with     4     (flower) or fruits, especially when it is exchanged as     5     gift at celebrations like birthdays and the New Year.

Traditionally, wooden mortars (臼) and pestles (杵)     6     (use) to pound mochi rice. Fresh mochi is usually cooked and served warm     7     a variety of sauces. Steaming and boiling are both popular preparations in Japan, along with cooking. Fresh mochi is soft but it hardens quickly. Prepacked mochi blocks, flattened and cut into square pieces or     8     (shape) into rounds, are available at grocery stores. Mochi can go bad easily, so it’s     9     (good) to cook soon than to keep it in your fridge.

Hard mochi pieces can be cooked, deep-fried, boiled, and more. Cooked mochi is very sticky, so be careful not     10     (choke) on it.