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.

People will connect to their cultural group through similar food patterns. Immigrants often use food as     1     means of keeping their identity. People from different backgrounds eat different food. The areas     2     families live influence food likes and dislikes.

Food items themselves have meaning     3    (attach)to them. In many Western countries, a box of chocolates would be viewed as an appropriate gift. The receiver of the gift would react     4    (different)to a gift of cabbages or carrots. In other countries, however, chocolates might be a less appropriate gift.

Nations or countries are often linked     5    certain food. For example, many people think of Italy when eating pizza. Some families in the United States prefer to eat meat and potatoes. Corns     6    (eat)by families in the southern United States.     7    (region)food habits do exist, but they also change over time. Families move to other locations,     8    (bring)their food preferences with them. They may use some local     9    (ingredient)to try their old recipes, or experiment with new recipes. Because people and food are mobile,     10    (try)to define a country’s culture by what they eat is often inaccurate.

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.

More than20 types of delicacies (美食) from Fujian Province are making mouths water not only in China but across the world.     1     consumers like most are noodles boiled in bone soup served with peanut butter and wontons (馄饨)     2     (fill) with juicy meat in a hot soup.

Twenty years ago, Luo Guangcan, 59, from Xiamao township in the county, worked in a local shoe factory to make     3     living. Now, he earns a lot more     4     operating five restaurants serving Shaxian delicacies in cities such as Beijing, Tianjing and so on.

He has developed these restaurants since 2007, and four years ago,     5     (open) his first overseas restaurant in Singapore. In recent years, the yearly profit from his business has reached more than 1 million yuan. He’s planning to have a business     6     (expand) in Singapore, and he’s also considering     7     (run) one in Malaysia, where there are many overseas Chinese.

Over 60,000 people —    8     (most) farmers — from Shaxian county have run restaurants across China serving Shaxian food since the 1980s,     9     locals traveled far to set up family-run outlets (店). There are now more than 88,000 such restaurants nationwide. And since mid-2018, Shaxian Snacks restaurants     10     (establish) in 62 countries and regions, including the United States, Japan, Australia, France and Portugal.