When foreigners negotiate, or register in certain areas of China, they may be 【小题1】(surprise) at Chinese’s special fondness and preference for seals. To Chinese, seals are an art of deep cultural roots, 【小题2】 combines the essence of both calligraphy(书法) and sculpture and inspires generations to study, to appreciate and to collect.

It is believed that seals came out as early 【小题3】 8,000 years ago after our ancestors could make pottery wares(陶瓷)and had private property. They were assumed to make marks on 【小题4】(they) own possessions to prevent them from being stolen. When the first dynasty 【小题5】(found),the king began to use seals to empower(授权)and to show lordly credits. Only the king’s special seal was then called “Xi”, 【小题6】(represent) the highest authority. The first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, had his “Xi”【小题7】(make) out of the invaluable and beautiful jade “Heshi Bi”.

Then the local governments also needed seals for 【小题8】 same function. Meanwhile, private seals were carved in a variety of lucky 【小题9】(character)and vivid animal patterns.【小题10】(gradual). the sphragistics (印章学) came into being.

Around the year 1000 A.D., some people from Northwest India began to travel westward. Nobody knows why.【小题1】 they left their homes, they didn’t settle down any more, but spent their lives 【小题2】(move) from one to another. Their later generations were called the Romany people of Gypsies (吉普赛人). There’re Gypsies all over the world, many of 【小题3】 are still traveling with no fixed homes. There are about 8,000,000 of them, including 3,000,000 in the Eastern Europe. Gypsies sometimes have 【小题4】 hard time in foreign countries because they are different. People may be afraid of them, look down 【小题5】 them, or think that they are criminals (罪犯). The Nazis treated the Gypsies 【小题6】(cruel), like the Jews, and nobody knows how many of them 【小题7】(die) in Hitler’s death camps. Gypsies have 【小题8】 own language, Romany. They like music and dancing. Traveling is of great importance to them, and many Gypsies are unhappy when they have to stay in one place. Because of this, it is difficult 【小题9】 Gypsy children to go to school, so Gypsies are often unable to read and write. In some places, the educational authorities try to arrange special traveling schools for Gypsy children, so that they can get the same education 【小题10】 other children.

As you can see, many Chinese families drink tea after dinner or serve tea when 【小题1】 (greet) visitors. This is not only a healthy habit but also shows rich culture and history. In China, tea can be commonly seen as 【小题2】 sign of respect to the older generation. In the Chinese traditional wedding ceremony, 【小题3】 (express) their gratitude, both the bride and bridegroom kneel in front of their parents and serve them tea. People also make serious 【小题4】 (apologize) to others by presenting tea. These 【小题5】 (vary) tea customs make up the rich Chinese tea culture.

As for 【小题6】 (it) history, tea, originating from China, is consumed around the world now. About 2,000 years ago, tea 【小题7】 (introduce) in Chinese texts as a healthy drink that made people live longer. Additionally, both green and black tea are said to be useful to prevent cancer, heart disease, and many other deadly diseases. The only thing 【小题8】 people should be aware of is that tea should not be drunk along 【小题9】 meals.

Today, tea is gaining popularity around the world. In Japan, a tea ceremony is often held while people are drinking tea together. The ceremony, usually hosted in a tea-house, 【小题10】 (date) from the 16th century.