Major Snow (大雪), the 21st solar term of a year, usually 【小题1】 (fall) in December. It marks the beginning of midwinter. During it, the temperature drops 【小题2】 (significant) and there is a greater chance of more snow days.

There’s a Chinese saying that goes, “A fall of seasonal snow gives promise of 【小题3】 fruitful year.” Most farmers welcome snow because snow can protect crops 【小题4】 cold fronts and keep the fields warm. Even when it melts, snow can provide enough water 【小题5】 (feed) crops in the coming spring.

Major Snow is not only a solar term 【小题6】 reflects farming culture but also a favorable time for skiing and skating. For example, in northern China, Heilongjiang province is a place of winter 【小题7】 (attract), such as ice sculptures, rime (雾凇) natural scenery and ski resorts. In southern China, 【小题8】 the climate is warmer and thus there aren’t many naturally 【小题9】 (freeze) lakes to enjoy, people will go to indoor rinks (溜冰场) to enjoy the winter fun instead.

Though we have lots of fun 【小题10】 (bring) by snow, people should pay attention to the outbreak of respiratory illness. During Major Snow, it is drier and colder, so people should drink more water.

As for the origin of Duan Wu Festival there have been some【小题1】( argue), but the one accepted by the people in general is related with Qu Yuan and【小题2】are the Duan Wu customs that have come down through history. When Qu Yuan threw 【小题3】(him) into the river, people who 【小题4】 (learn) of it rushed their boats over, trying to save him, but he was nowhere to 【小题5】(find). Dragon boat race is an【小题6】(extreme) attractive ceremony held on Duan Wu to show how the【小题7】(worry) boatmen in their desperate efforts tried to save him from being drowned. Every year the Dragon boat races held on the Milo River attract hundreds of thousands of people to watch. 【小题8】the morning of Duan Wu, the local people, dressed in their best clothes, will carry the movable dragon heads and swarm to Qu Yuan Temple for a sacrifice to him and then stand along the river while dragon boats are pushed into the river one by one. 【小题9】the race is about to begin, the dragon head is fixed to the boat, projected high over the water. There are 36 oarsmen in 18 pairs in 【小题10】 racing-boat’s crew. Each oar wears a bamboo hat with ornaments like birds and lowers, a Chinese - style shirt, a pair of trousers and a silk belt.

Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival, one of the top ten ancient Chinese paintings, shows the prosperity (繁荣) of Bianjing, the capital of the Song Dynasty. Regarded as “China’s Mona Lisa”, the national treasure kept in the Palace Museum in Beijing 【小题1】(display) only every few years.

The 528-centimeter-long work is noted for its reasonable 【小题2】(arrange) and perfect composition. With the painting gradually unfolded, the first thing【小题3】(catch) the eye is the early spring scenery outside Bianjing: streams, bridges, boats and sprouting (发芽) trees. Some travelers are hurrying on their way in the thin fog, 【小题4】(present) a typical picture of the Qingming Festival.

At the end of the country road【小题5】(come) the middle part-the Bianhe River, the “Golden Waterway” of Bianjing. Several ships are sailing on the river while some others are docked (停泊) with goods being unloaded, 【小题6】 truly shows the advanced shipping industry at that time.

The last part is the crowded and noisy downtown, where various people are going about various businesses. So【小题7】(incredible) alive does the painting look that it seems as if we could see the people walking by and hear 【小题8】 they are talking about.

Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival serves as 【小题9】window to the Song Dynasty, providing very 【小题10】(value) materials for future generations to understand and study Chinese people’s economic and social life over 800 years ago.