2 . My friend and I have arrived in Katherine, a town in Australia’s Northern Territory. We’re here to _________ the life and customs of the Aborigines, who are native to Australia. The Aboriginal population might be small, but its _______ is still visible. For example, “Bondi” in “Bondi Beach” is an Aboriginal word _______ “water breaking over rocks”.

To _______ in this vast land on the ocean, the Aborigines had to be in close contact with _______. This shows in their music, too, which _______ the natural world and the spiritual world around them. Most of their musical instruments are _______ just sticks found on the ground, among which there is an amazing instrument _______ the didgeridoo.

The didgeridoo is made from a tree branch which is _______. It has become a treasure and a representative of Aboriginal culture and also a symbol of Australia. To ________ the didgeridoo, you put your mouth on one ________ and blow while vibrating your lips. Unlike a horn, there are no finger holes. The didgeridoo player has to change the ________ of his mouth in order to change pitch. A skilled player can play for a long time without stopping to________. He does this by continually breathing in through his nose while breathing out through his mouth and into the didgeridoo. I tried to learn how to play it, but after trying for ________, I was convinced that I could never make a musical sound with this ________!

3 . On a fresh May morning, with my guitar in tow, I ventured down the road to a busy restaurant. I was about to _______ the fear that had held me hostage for 35 years.

As I reflect upon my childhood, I’m _______ of a kind, sensitive kid with long-term struggles. But there was one bright spot in my life: I loved singing and playing the guitar. It was my grandmother, Peg, who _______ a flame within me, kindling an unyielding love for _______ in me. But then, in the blink of an eye that joy was _______.

I was 10 years old and our entire fourth grade was in _______ for our annual choir concert. The substitute choir teacher had _______ me with a solo in the concert’s finale (终曲): “76 Trombones” from The Music Man. But each time my solo _______ , terror kept a firm hold of my voice. The teacher rushed to me, “You’re wasting all of our time. Let someone else sing.” Since then I hadn’t sung in _______ again for 35 years.

The broad road in front of the busy restaurant was filled with people. I pulled out my guitar. As I ________ the first chord, I heard a voice in my head: “You are going to ________ yourself like never before.” But I gathered the courage, and ________ a cascade (瀑布) of songs that had built up inside of me for 35 years. ________ my voice wasn’t beautiful, my passion and excitement won over the crowd. Afterward, I felt a wave of pride, ________, and happiness coursing through my veins (静脉). Eventually, I ________ myself from the clutches of fear and reclaimed the stolen joy.

4 . Xinjiang has long been known as a place of music and dancing.

No matter which ethnic group is living in Xinjiang, music and dancing are an inseparable part of our lives. From festive holidays to ________ and parties, music, singing and dancing are must-haves, with people of all genders and ages taking part in them. Even young children in Xinjiang, upon ________ music, start moving their hands and stepping on the beat. It is often the case that people say, “Everyone in Xinjiang knows how to dance.” Dancing shows our ________ for life.

When it comes to folk dancing in Xinjiang, the first thing people will ________ is “neck moving”, or more ________, the “head slide”. To do this, you move your cheek to each side.

The moment when I ________ people’s love for the ethnic dances of Xinjiang came during the COVID-19 ________ in 2020. I launched an open course on Douyin. Every day I live-streamed (直播) for an hour. In the 12-day period, more than a million people ________ my course.

Every day I would assign my viewers ________, asking them to shoot a short video and interact with me on the platform. I was flooded with ________ . I could see people of all ages and ethnic groups, even overseas Chinese showing their passion for Xinjiang dances. Many of them even ________ Xinjiang-style clothes and did their hair. I was quite ________ by my students during that period.

Short video and live-streams do not only ________ tourism and sell products, they also serve an important role in ________ a communication channel with the majority of netizens.

I believe so many people would like to connect with me on the Internet because they see me as a down-to-earth, relatable and real director of the ________ and tourist bureau (局).

6 . We are often told that there’s no _________ limit when it comes to pursuing our goals, but it’s truly _________ to see someone achieve them later in life-especially if they are 95 years old.

Angela Alvarez is a Cuban-born singer and songwriter who finally _________ her first album in 2021. Now, she has just won the Latin Grammy for Best New Artist.

Growing up surrounded by music, Alvarez once told her father she wanted to become a (an) _________ singer. However, life wasn’t easy for their family then and she had to _________ her dream of pursuing a career in entertainment for decades, but music was always there to keep her company and bring her _________.

With time, her kids had kids, and one of her grandchildren, Carlos Jose Alvarez, _________ found out that his grandma had _________ over 50 songs throughout her life, he knew that something had to be done. He asked her if she would be interested in going to a studio and _________ her songs. “And her answer was ‘Carlos, my dream is to __________ this life knowing that somehow my music would emerge and last.’ And that was the __________,” Carlos said in an interview.

Alvarez’s story __________ caught the attention of actor Andy Garcia, who decided to become the producer and narrator of Miss Angela, a documentary about this amazing woman. “Her story just blew me away. She __________ a generation, perhaps our generation of Cubans,” said the actor.

The dream reached new __________ as she became nominated (被提名) for a Latin Grammy. When she took to the stage to accept her award, she gave an inspiring speech, “To those who have not achieved their dream, I promise, with __________ and love you can achieve it, it’s never too late.”

7 . On March 18, 2018, I was alone at home in Costa Rica, unaware that my life was about to change. I received an e-mail with the subject “___________ selection result”.

My heartbeat___________   as I read through it: I had been chosen to receive a full scholarship at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Finally, I would be able to___________ the old legends of China, which had always ___________ me.

In Costa Rica, I learned music well. However, it was my professor in Shanghai who guided me in improving my skills. His teachings emphasized the art of letting the music flow as___________ as tai chi.

In my opinion, that’s the___________   of life in China. You can see it on every corner when you notice how the traffic ___________ or on the way people walk throughout China. Similarly, music can go___________ paper, flowing from the musician to the audience and enriching the world one note ___________ .

When I went back to Costa Rica, I held a(n)___________ piece of Chinese music in my heart. One day, I introduced Molihua to my students and___________ their great interest instantly, which made me pleasantly ___________. Music is indeed one of the best ways to show people about the___________ of another country.

This year, I return to Shanghai and continue my___________of China through its music. Words fall short in expressing the delight and gratitude I experience. I hope to spread the joy of music___________and I believe my ambitions will be fulfilled here in China.

10 . Liu Xiaoyu, the Chinese-Canadian ever won first place in the 18th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. And he was the second pianist of Chinese origin to ________ the honor.

It was his first ________ in China when he played at the 51st Hong Kong Arts Festival in February. However, it was his third trip to the special region. He had ________ here twice before when he was three and nine. He ________ remembered visiting some attractions in Hong Kong at nine years old. When he would play the ________ once again, he was very ________ and looked forward to bringing Chopin’s music to the audience in Hong Kong as soon as possible.

At the ________ in February at the Hong Kong City Hall, Liu played Chopin’s two pieces of music, both of which he had played in the Warsaw competition. In the second half of the public performance of music, he played French composer Maurice Ravel’s music. The applause and ________ from the audience made him return to the stage three times to take a ________ as a sign of politeness.

Some say Liu’s musical style is ________, with less romance but more ________. The young pianist just ________ to express his inner emotions clearly and directly. He ________ that if we still play the same music played 200 years ago, the way of playing will be undoubtedly different. To confirm it, he points out, “Austrian. composer Mozart ________ Serenata Notturna (《月下小夜曲》) in a, time of candles, but in the 21st century, we have electric lights—our way of living is ________ the way we play.”