Shuttlecock (毽子) kicking is a traditional popular folk game. The fun game gained popularity during the Tang Dynasty, when stores 【小题1】 (specialize) in the shuttlecock business appeared. In the Qing Dynasty, shuttlecock kicking reached its peak in terms of both making 【小题2】(technique) and kicking skills.

To make a feather shuttlecock, a piece of cloth wrapped around a coin 【小题3】(need). Through the coin hole you can stick some feathers, 【小题4】 function is to delay the rising and falling of the shuttlecock.

There 【小题5】 (be) a great number of variations in styles and methods of kicking. With one leg fixed on the ground, the shuttlecock is kicked by the inner ankle of 【小题6】other. Some other styles include kicking the shuttlecock backwards and forwards between two people. Those who advance to a high level of mastery can perform some actions that are 【小题7】 (fair) wonderful.

Playing with shuttlecocks is 【小题8】 (benefit) to health. When people are kicking , various parts of the body need to work together, which enhances balance capabilities and physical flexibility and helps them strengthen their legs. Besides, shuttlecock kicking is convenient 【小题9】(play). It can be practiced just about anywhere and anytime.

Since the establishment of the Chinese Shuttlecock Kicking Association in 1987, the national shuttlecock kicking tournament has been held annually, appealing   【小题10】 people of all ages.

Home chefs long for it. Restaurants turn it into new recipes. It’s chili (辣椒). The Chinese condiment (调料), which includes chili peppers, oil and others, is a kitchen powerhouse known for its 【小题1】 (difference) purposes. But how did the must-have get started?

Chilis weren’t always in China, says Brian Dott, a history professor at Whitman College and the author of The Chile Pepper in China: A Cultural Biography. 【小题2】 (original) from Central and South America, the plant was unknown in China until around the 16th century, when the rapid 【小题3】 (grow) in exploration and trade brought chilis to China.

The first 【小题4】 (write) record of chili in China dates from 1591. Gao Lian, a playwright in the Ming Dynasty, wasn’t all that excited about the new condiment, Dott says of his account. Instead, he used it 【小题5】 a decorative plant.

While elite (精英) Chinese admired chili peppers in 【小题6】 (they) decorative gardens, most people 【小题7】 (begin) eating and enjoying the fruit of the plant. Chili peppers were passed from person to person and raised in small crops, says Dott, 【小题8】 (fall) into the hands of skilled farmers 【小题9】 developed even better chilis over time. These chilis — and the condiment made by frying them in oil — became a must for cooking all over China. Finally, they have become so common that they were considered part of 【小题10】 nation’s symbol.

The Huang He Valley, also 【小题1】 (refer) to as the Yellow River Valley, was the birthplace of ancient Chinese civilization, because of 【小题2】 it is often called “Mother River”. The valley is at the center of thousands of years of Chinese history. 【小题3】 China’s second-longest river, the Huang He is over 5, 400 kilometers long. It is called the Yellow River because its waters carry sand and mud, 【小题4】 (give) the river its yellow-brown color.

While the river helps create fertile land that is suited for farming, during certain times of the year the Huang He 【小题5】 (frequent) overflows, which damages housing and crops across the North China Plain, 【小题6】 important agricultural region. For thousands of years, the Chinese 【小题7】 (conduct) major public projects to keep control of the water from the Huang He, including hydroelectric dams in modern times. Despite the possibility of flooding, the Huang He Valley basin is home to a huge population, and many of the country’s oldest cities 【小题8】 (locate) along the river.

Tribes and villages appeared from around 2100 BC to 1600 BC in the Huang He Valley. During that time, tribal leaders came together to solve the problem of the Huang He overflowing and wiping out their villages and crops. With the ability 【小题9】 (control) the Huang He better and save their crops from flooding, a number of 【小题10】 (dynasty) were then headquartered in the region. The valley became the center of Chinese culture, society and learning.