Dada Band is a popular Chinese rock group from the 1990s. The band     1     (found) in Beijing by a group of young musicians who were deeply influenced by Western rock music but sought     2    (create) a sound that was distinctly their own.

One of their most beloved songs, “South”(Nánfāng), shows the essence of Dada Band’s artistry. This song is a vivid reflection on the feelings of homesickness and longing for their hometown of Wuhan,     3    (especial) as the members were living in Beijing during their formative years as a band. The song’s lyrics (歌词) paint     4     rich picture of personal memories and universal emotions, revealing the essence of     5     it means to leave a part of oneself behind in the pursuit of dreams.

With its soft melodies (旋律) and     6     (touch) lyrics, “South” offers a window into the soul of Dada Band. Dada’s music shows their     7    (remark) skill in harmoniously integrating Western rock influences with the unique sensibilities of Chinese culture, creating a sound that was both familiar and fresh     8     the audience. The track     9    (become) an anthem (赞歌) since its release for anyone who has ever felt the pull of home while navigating the challenges of life away from it.

Their song “South” remains a timeless piece, continuing to touch the hearts of listeners across     10     (generation) and geographical boundaries, reminding them of the power of music to connect us all to our roots and to each other.

The Lion Dance, a treasured art form in Guangdong province and among Southeast Asian Chinese communities,     1     (dominate) by men since it came into being in the Three Kingdoms Period,     2     an outstanding girls’ team, the Nanxing Hexingtang Women’s Lion Dance Team from Renhe town in Guangzhou, challenges this convention. This group of teenage girls has made their mark by creating unique elements such as special flags and banners     3     (label) “women’s team”, crafting pink and purple lion heads, and even designing     4     lion head inspired by a female general named Mu Guiying from Yue Opera.

At the Maofeng Mountain competition before Spring Festival in Guangzhou, they amazed the audience     5     their performance “Tramping Over Mountains and Hills Step by Step”,     6     showed the lion leaping over benches, climbing ladders set up as mountains, falling, getting back up, and finally picking greens. This performance mirrored the personal growth journeys of the dancers     7     (they), as they too have faced and overcome numerous difficulties.

Li Jiawen, 17, a team member acting the lion’s head, balanced her     8     (demand) schoolwork with training every Friday and Saturday evening. Immediately after the high school finals, she was the first to return to the team     9     (focus) on competition preparation. Her     10     (commit) and that of her teammates represent the spirit of perseverance (坚韧) and determination rooted in the Lion Dance tradition.

9 . Universal Rhythm

Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow called music “the universal language of mankind.” Now researchers may know why.     1     And these characteristics tend to be those that gather people, the researchers said.

“Our findings help explain why humans make music,” study researcher Thomas Currie from the University of Exeter said in a statement. “The results show that the most common features seen in music around the world relate to things that allow people to coordinate (协调) their actions.     2    It can be a kind of social glue.”

Currie, along with Pat Savage, a doctoral student at the Tokyo University of the Arts, and their colleagues analyzed music from around the world, examining 304 recordings from the online Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. The music samples came from every inhabited continent, from both vocal and instrumental music.

    3    They systematically coded the features of each piece of music and employed a comparison system similar to those used by evolutionary biologists to classify and statistically analyze organisms. Although they found no features that were part of all the songs analyzed, the researchers did find dozens of characteristics that were present in a majority of songs across different world regions.

Some of these characteristics were not surprising, such as the music’s tendency to use separate pitches, and equally timed beats and short musical phrases.     4    “It fits that we have two legs, so the music is probably related to the natural rhythms of movement,” said Savage. “And also, two is simpler than three, so maybe it’s easier to process and coordinate.”