Qing Ming is 【小题1】(popular) associated with Jie Zizhui, 【小题2】 lived in Shanxi province in 600 B.C. It is said that Jie saved his starving lord’s life by serving a piece of his own leg. When the lord succeeded in becoming the ruler of a small country, he invited his faithful follower to join him. 【小题3】, Jie declined his invitation, 【小题4】(prefer) to lead a simple life with his mother in the mountains.

Believing that he could force Jie out by burning the mountain, the lord ordered his men to set fire to the forest. To his disappointment, Jie chose to remain where he was and was burnt to death. 【小题5】(memorize) Jie, the lord ordered all fires in every home be put out 【小题6】 the anniversary (周年纪念日) of Jie’s death. Thus began the “cold food feast”, a day when no food could be cooked since no fire could be lit.

The “cold food” festival occurs on the eve of Qing Ming and 【小题7】(consider) as part of the Qing Ming festival. As time passes, the Qing Ming festival has replaced the “cold food” festival. Whatever practice is observed, the basic observation of Qing Ming is to re-member one’s elders by making 【小题8】 special effort to visit their graves, ashes or ancestral tablets. To make the visit even 【小题9】(meaningful), some time should be spent to remind the younger members of the family of the lives and contributions of their ancestors. One of the most important 【小题10】(activity) on this day is to sweep graves to honor ancestors, dead relatives and friends.

Beijing Opera is a national treasure of China. The art【小题1】 (date) back to the late eighteenth century 【小题2】it combines acting, talking, singing, music, dancing and acrobatics. Actors play one of four roles: sheng, male roles; dan, female roles; chou, clown roles and jing roles. Each role has its own singing and acting styles. In the early days, most often Beijing Opera 【小题3】 (perform) on open-air stages in markets, streets, teahouses or outside temples. The music had to be played loudly and performers had to sing with sharp【小题4】 (voice) in order to be heard over the crowd. 【小题5】 (gradual) this kind of singing became a special style of Beijing Opera. Beijing Opera used to be performed on open-air stages 【小题6】 were lit only by oil lamps. As 【小题7】 result, the actors had to wear bright costumes in colorful patterns【小题8】 (attract) the audience’s attention. Symbols also play a very important role in Beijing Opera. Many body movements can represent complex actions. For example, when a lady is【小题9】 (ride) in a carriage, the performer actually walks a flag on each side. Four generals and four soldiers refer 【小题10】 an army of thousands. In other words, every action and movement in Beijing Opera is important.