In much of Asia, especially the so-called “rice bowl” cultures of China, Japan, Singapore, Korea, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Vietnam, food is usually eaten with chopsticks.

    Chopsticks are usually two long, thin pieces of wood or bamboo. They can also be made of plastic, animal bone or metal. Sometimes chopsticks are quite artistic. Truly elegant chopsticks might {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (make) of gold and silver with Chinese characters. Skilled workers also combine（使……结合）different kinds of hardwoods and metal {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (create) special designs.

    The Chinese have used chopsticks for five thousand years. People probably cooked their food in large pots, {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (use) twigs（树枝）to remove it. Over time, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} the population grew, people began cutting food into small pieces so it would cook more quickly. Food in small pieces could be eaten easily with twigs which {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (gradual) turned into chopsticks.

    Some people think that the great Chinese scholar Confucius, {#blank#}7{#/blank#} lived from roughly 551 to 479 B.C., influenced（影响）the {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (develop) of chopsticks. Confucius believed knives would remind people of killing and {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (be) too violent for use at the table.

    Chopsticks are not used everywhere in Asia. In India, for example, most people traditionally eat {#blank#}10{#/blank#} their hands.

    For Rachael and Leigh Badman, there is only one wish on their Christmas list this year — that their sick daughter Paige should survive until December 25. Fifteen-year-old Paige suffers from {#blank#}1{#/blank#} rare brain condition, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} affects as few as 12 people in the world, and could kill her any day {#blank#}3{#/blank#} warning.

    And her condition has gone even {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(bad) in recent months. Her parents filled the family home with Christmas decorations {#blank#}5{#/blank#} September 1 so she could enjoy the rest of her life. Since then, she has {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(regular) opened Christmas presents and received visitors — but she sleeps for up to 19 hours a day, her parents knowing that each time she closes her eyes, she may never wake up.

    Mrs. Badman {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(describe) dealing with the condition as "like being on death row" as she never knew if {#blank#}8{#/blank#} daughter would wake up the next morning.

    The mother said: "She always loves Christmas and I get my heart broken when I see her {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(suffer) like this. Our best Christmas present would be having Paige with us on Christmas. No matter {#blank#}10{#/blank#} she leaves the world, we make sure that she is always happy."

    The Palace Museum, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (know)as the Forbidden City, welcomed {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (it)17 millionth visitor on December 13, becoming the museum with the most visitors in the world. The number of visitors has continued growing since it {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (reach)the milestone with 10 million in 2009. There is {#blank#}4{#/blank#} increase of 6.25％from last year in the number of visitors. Although the Palace Museum has limited daily visitors {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (protect)the ancient architecture, the number of off-season visitors has grown {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (steady)this year. Over the last decade, the museum has produced more than 10, 000 cultural items {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (range) from notebooks to lipsticks.

    The official Weibo account of the Palace Museum, with more than 6 million followers, {#blank#}8{#/blank#} keeps showing the palace's charm of four seasons by posting beautiful {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (photo) regularly, plays all important role in interacting with the young people and promoting the museum. The fundamental reason why the Palace Museum has become so popular among young people is that it strikes the right balance between preserving history {#blank#}10{#/blank#} providing many interesting interactive displays.

    Have you ever tasted or perhaps heard of sugar painting? As fewer people choose to make sugar paintings, the traditional Chinese folk craft might have become a{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(distance) memory in some ways. However, a 38-year-old craftsman, Li Jiangzhong, is devoted to{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(keep) the art of sugar painting alive.

    Li worked as a miner for more than ten years. After{#blank#}3{#/blank#}mine closed down, Li turned{#blank#}4{#/blank#}housing decoration until he{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(force) to give that up due to a finger injury. Earlier this year, he discovered sugar painting, something he really had an interest in.

    Since there was no sugar painting craftsman in his village, he studied by{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(he) through large quantities of videos and information on the Internet. Li loved painting when he was young, and he found it easy to learn the skill in sugar painting. He soon mastered the skill and could make{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(vary) of sugar paintings. A sugar painting is made with{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(melt) brown or white sugar. Craftsman{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(basic) paint animals and flowers on a stone board with the syrup(糖浆). When the sugar cools down,{#blank#}10{#/blank#} appears is a piece of sugar art.