It     1     (turn) out that country music became popular right here in the south of America in the 1940s and then spread     2     the nation. It     3     (grow) out of such music types as the blues and folk music, so the     4     (musician) use many similar instruments, such as the guitar. The tunes are easy     5     (sing) and the lyrics often leave you deep in     6     (think). Most of the songs are about hardship and heartbreak, but also     7     hope—with plenty of humour     8     (throw) in     9     good measure. You can feel an emotional     10     (connect) between you and the musicians.

A music concert “Echoes of Ancient Tang Poems” performed by iSING! Suzhou singers and the Philadelphia Orchestra     1     (stage) at Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia on Jan 6, 2023. Another concert     2     (feature) Tang poetry was held at the Lincoln Center in New York on Jan 7. Fifteen iSING! Suzhou singers from 10 countries led by Liao Guomin, former assistant (助理) conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra, performed songs written by young     3     (composer) from six countries. The songs included many well-known poems from the Tang Dynasty, such     4     Luo Binwang’s Singing of Goose and Li Bai’s Quiet Thoughts by Night.

    5     (establish) in Suzhou in 2014, iSING! Suzhou International Young Singers Art Festival is China’s first international vocal (声乐) art festival. Over the past eight years, the festival     6     (gather) outstanding young singers from all over the world, promoted Chinese and classical music, and enhanced cultural exchanges between China     7     the West, becoming a cultural card for Suzhou to go global.

The     8     (wonder) performances were also held to celebrate the 50th anniversary (周年纪念日) of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s China tour in1973. The Philadelphia Orchestra, as the first American orchestra     9     (visit) China, bridged the two nations in     10     field of culture.

Nanyin, known as a “living fossil (化石)” of music in Chinese history,     1     (date) back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) after people from ancient China’s Central Plains region brought their music to Quanzhou, Fujian province,     2     later gradually combined with the local music.

    3     (feature) a slow, gentle a and elegant melody (旋律), the performance of nanyin is usually given by a group of five     4     (play). Positioned in the middle is the singer, who also plays the wooden clapper     5     (keep) the beat. Usually, on the left are two musicians playing the “dongxiao” and the “erxian”     6     (respective) while the two on the right playing the “pipa” and the “sanxian”.

As for the unique singing style and its extraordinary artistic value, nanyin       7     (list) as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity (非物质文化遗产) by UNESCO in 2009. To aid in passing down this heritage, schools in Quanzhou     8     (make) nanyin a course in kindergarten and primary school already. “    9     it is well-inherited, half of Fujian culture can be preserved. We sincerely hope that more teenagers can join us     10     breathing new life into this traditional culture,” said an inheritor(传承者)of nanyin in Quanzhou.

Yingge Dance, a traditional folk art combining dancing, Chinese martial arts, and Chinese opera, is popular in the Chaoshan area of Guangdong province in South China. Yingge,     1    (write) with the characters for “hero” and “song”, means heroic song in Chinese and Yingge dancers, as their name implies, are the avatars (化身) of     2     (hero). The dancers each hold a pair of short sticks and strike the sticks with force     3     (create) strong beats — an artistic display of masculinity (男子气概). In 2006, the Puning Yingge Dance     4     (list) among the first national intangible cultural heritages in China.

However, just as young people move out of the villages, so are local folk arts     5    (gradual) disappearing all around China. In Puning, Yingge is still danced during holidays such as the Lunar New Year and     6     (it) performers are generally amateurs—farmers     7     have put down their tools and put on costumes. Some of the parts are passed     8     in the family, from father to son, and so far some villages have started giving performers a basic salary.

Dressed in colorful clothes and     9     (wear) heavy makeup, ordinary villagers have created a song of cultural confidence. The performance,     10     must-watch for the local people, graces the village square one more time.

Butterfly Lovers, a masterpiece     1     really deserves to be heard, is a beautiful violin concerto composed by He Zhanhao and Chen Gang.

The music combines Chinese and Western musical elements: it is played     2     Western musical instruments such as the violin. But more     3     (significant), much of the music has its roots in Chinese Yue Opera. It takes the audience through the twists and turns of a classic story about a young couple     4     (tear) apart by their families. When the two lovers Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai first meet, the music is light and pleasant, as if     5     (whisper) to the audience. The tunes then become fast and cheerful     6     (represent) their three happy years of school. Later the music gets dramatic with heavier notes and that is     7     the lovers are separated. Angry and sad, Liang falls sick and dies. Overcome with sorrow, Zhu jumps into his grave. Finally, during the most exciting part, the music takes a     8     (soft) turn and ends on a bittersweet note, telling us how the couple transform into butterflies and fly away to be together forever. What     9     amazing journey! No wonder it     10     (praise) as one of the greatest concertos since it was created.

Lonely Warrior , the theme song of the film Arcane: League of Legends, came out last November, the lyrics by Tang Tian and the singer Eason Chan. It has become     1    (particular) popular among Chinese children.

One woman began singing the song on the street, and dozens of children spontaneously     2    (begin) singing with her. In another instance, a kindergarten teacher set the song as an alarm, and children     3     were taking a nap woke simultaneously when it began playing.

So what’s the secret     4     this song’s success? Not only does it have a     5    (move)melody, but also — and more importantly — heart-touching lyrics. It seems that these inspire children,     6    (empower) them to overcome difficulties. One child wrote in     7    (relate) to the song: “Who said heroes can’t be ordinary souls?I’ll be a man like a lonely warrior and defy life’s storms.”

For Tang Tian, the song is autobiographical. When she was 29, she     8    (diagnose) with cancer of the nose and larynx. She had a passionate desire     9    (hear) Chan, her idol, sing one of her songs. Not only was that desire fulfilled,     10    Tang beat the cancer and regained her health.