(五)(2024·南通市崇川区模拟；传统文化)
The earliest piece of the *guqin* in China, unearthed in Hubei Province in 2016, dates back to the Zhou dynasty. The body of a *guqin* is made of painted wood and the strings of twisted silk. 1. A its appearance looks simple, making a *guqin* is quite challenging. An outstanding piece can take 2. y to create. It is a crystallization of art and time.
The sound of a *guqin* is quiet, ethereal and distant. Vibrations (振动) are used to 3. p undulating and lasting music, with rich empty notes in between. As the listener fills in the space in their own minds, a connection is 4. f between music and men.
The *guqin* was loved by the literati in ancient China. The most famous *guqin* 5. m was Yu Boya in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. As he played his *guqin* in the mountains, a woodcutter named Zhong Ziqi heard the music and understood exactly what Yu wanted to 6. e. This deep understanding formed a strong bond between them, and they became 7. c friends. This is the famous tale 8. b the *guqin* masterpiece, "High Mountains and Flowing Water". The piece has been passed down through generations and is considered one of the most famous and important 9. w in Chinese *guqin* music.
The well - known story about the *guqin*, flowing from brushed fingertips and travelling for thousands of years, is continuing to the 10. p.

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(六)(2025·南通市启东市模拟)
Are you afraid of snakes? Have you ever heard of stories about them?
Maybe because they can move smoothly without 1. l, you think they are very scary. In fact, they are not as 2. d as people think. These creatures are worth studying because they play an important role in nature. And in Chinese history, snakes are 3. c as a symbol of high status(地位), rebirth and a deep connection between humans and gods.
Researchers have found that in Erlitou Culture (18th－16th centuries BC), snake images(形象) often 4. a on beautiful artefacts(手工艺品). These designs were often carved on bronze objects or painted on pottery. They might 5. s for some power or forces in ancient times. An amazing discovery at the Erlitou Site(遗址) in Henan is a long, snake - like animal made of over 2,000 turquoise(绿松石) pieces. Experts think it could represent either a dragon or a snake because they look so 6. s to each other.
Starting from the Shang dynasty, people believed the universe(宇宙) had 7. t parts, with gods in heaven, humans on earth, and the underworld for the dead. Images of humans with snake bodies were then created. 8. T science explains the universe differently now, these old stories remind us of valuable human search for meanings.
Snakes have the ability to shed their skin. "In ancient people's eyes, 9. n could truly kill a snake. It seemed to have died when shedding skin, but soon came back to life," said Han Ding, a professor at Henan University.
Living for so long, the snakes have never been away from Chinese people's culture and life. "They 10. s as a connection between humans and gods, and finally became a zodiac symbol for the common folk," said Wang Fang from Jinsha Site Museum in Chengdu.

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