1 . “The arrow shot is so straight that it hits the bull’s eye. The young people will have good luck…” Dargye sang as he worked on his handmade bag.
Dargye, 56, an artist who excels at traditional craftsmanship (技艺) and Tibetan folk music in Drinba village in Dragyib district, Nyingchi, Tibet autonomous region, remembers many folk songs he learned from his father and uncle. Now, it’s his turn to pass them on.
“I have liked traditional songs and dances since I was a child,” said Dargye, who has four apprentices (学徒). “The songs tell the histories of our ancestors and carry our unique culture, and it’s always a lot of fun to perform these traditional songs and dances at various gatherings.” The song topics vary from archery, love, to labor and praise for the land. In addition to teaching these songs to his family members and apprentices, he also uses social media platforms such as WeChat to teach songs.
His daughter, Chok Butri, also admires the folk culture. After posting a video of her daughter, Tsering Kyi, dancing on Douyin, she gained a lot of new fans on the popular short-video platform. “We are modern people living in a modern era, so it’s important and our responsibility that we use modern tools to pass on our traditional culture to make it last forever.” said Chok Butri, adding that she often posts songs and dances on WeChat and Douyin.
Dargye and his fellow villagers also recreate songs, adding modern elements such as aircraft and trains to the lyrics. Besides singing and dancing, Dargye makes handicrafts decorated with Tibetan cultural elements, including various hide and hair ropes, bags made of leather and cloth, and knife sheaths.
The local government encourages villagers to inherit (继承) and develop folk songs and other forms of traditional culture. Dargye’s efforts to preserve folk culture have been acknowledged by the government. In 2014, he was chosen as a county-level intangible (无形的) cultural inheritor and receives funds every year.
1. Why does Dargye want to pass the culture on?A.He wants to satisfy his interest. | B.He wants to learn from the seniors. |
C.He wants to bring people fun. | D.He wants to inherit and develop it. |
A.To show Dargye’s influence on her. | B.To show folk music’s effect on her. |
C.To stress the benefit of modern tools. | D.To stress the popularity of folk culture. |
A.Ambitious and honest. | B.Talented and curious. |
C.Devoted and creative. | D.Generous and determined. |
A.All efforts to protect culture are rewarded | B.A craftsman inherits songs to protect culture |
C.An artist prefers traditional songs and dances | D.Tibetan culture is being protected and passed on |
2 . “White people food” is trending on Chinese social media platforms as large numbers of users are confused by the typical Western packed lunch. The trend started on the social media platforms Weibo and Xiaohongshu with too many users shocked by quick and easy meals such as cold sandwiches and raw vegetables. Many posts are from international students surprised by the simple meals their peers eat. Similarly, overseas workers and expatriates (侨民) have posted their shock at their co-workers’ repetitive lunches.
Photos of the bland (淡而无味的) lunches have quickly spread through global social media platforms including TikTok and Twitter. Many social media users have promoted the health benefits of the simple “white people lunch“. In response to this, a commenter on Xiaohongshu suggested, “If such a meal is to extend life, what is the meaning of life?”
“White people food” made it beyond the Chinese social media platforms and found itself trending on Twitter. Hundreds of users shared their own experiences of low-maintenance lunches in the US, Australia and across Europe. “When I first came to Australia, I saw a woman who bought raw sliced mushrooms in the supermarket and sat down to eat them,” Marcelo Wang explained in a TikTok video. “Fascination with these meals has spread as many Chinese people are used to cooking with lots of different ingredients.”
A Western user said, “As a white person, I didn’t know we were all packing lunches like this. I thought it was just me being lazy.”Another commented, “It’s literally because we don’t get lunch breaks.” Others warned international TikTokers against making“white people lunches”. They said,“Don’t do it to yourself willingly! We do it because we don’t know any better. Don’t do this to yourself.“
1. What surprised overseas workers and expatriates?A.The simplicity of typical Western packed lunches. |
B.The diverse dietary structures of international students. |
C.The rapid development of Chinese social media platforms. |
D.The influence of Chinese cuisine on Western eating habits. |
A.Doubtful. | B.Worried. | C.Dismissive. | D.Negative |
A.They learn how to cook from TikTok videos. |
B.They have a tolerant attitude towards diverse diets. |
C.They are more than happy to share their packed lunches. |
D.They discourage people from adopting their dietary habits. |
A.A lunchtime surprise encountered by visitors in China |
B.Unpacking“white people food”: a wealth of cultural insights |
C.Surprising cooking trends on Western social media platforms |
D.Improving“white people food”: a growing emphasis on health |
3 . I was brought up in the British, stiff upper lip style. Strong feelings aren’t something you display in public. So, you can imagine that I was unprepared for the outpouring of public grief at a Chinese funeral.
My editorial team leader died recently after a short illness. He was 31. The news was so unexpected that it left us all shocked and upset. A female colleague burst into tears and cried sadly at her desk. Somehow, we got through the day’s work. The next day was the funeral.
Our big boss stepped forward to deliver a eulogy (悼词) and was soon in tears. She carried on, in Chinese of course, but at the end said in English: “There will be no more deadlines for you in heaven.” Next came a long-term colleague who also dissolved in tears but carried on with her speech despite being almost overcome by emotion. Then a close friend of the dead man paid tribute, weeping openly as he spoke. Sorrow is spreading. Men and women were now sobbing uncontrollably. Finally, the man’s mother, supported between two women, addressed her son in his coffin. She almost collapsed and had to be held up. We were invited to step forward to each lay a white rose on the casket. Our dead colleague looked as if he was taking a nap. At the end of the service I walked away from the funeral stunned at the outpouring of emotion.
In the UK, families grieve privately and then try to hold it together and not break down at a funeral. Here in China it would seem that grieving is a public affair. It strikes me that it is more releasing to cry your eyes out than try to keep it bottled up for fear of embarrassment, which is what many of us do in the West.
Afterwards, a Chinese colleague told me that the lamenting (哀悼) at the funeral had been restrained (克制) by Chinese standards. In some rural areas, she said, people used to be paid to mourn noisily. This struck me like something out of novel by Charles Dickens. But we have all seen on TV scenes of grief-stricken people in Gaza and the West Bank, in Afghanistan, Iraq and the relatives of victims of terrorist bombings around the world. Chinese grief is no different. I realized that it’s the reserved British way of mourning that is out of step with the rest of the world.
1. What does the underlined words “stiff upper lip style” mean?A.cold-blooded | B.light-hearted | C.self-controlled | D.warm-hearted |
A.Five individuals made speeches. | B.The writer was astonished by the scene. |
C.Everyone was crying out loudly. | D.The boss’s speech was best thought of. |
A.The English might cry noisily for the dead in Dickens’ time. |
B.Victims of terrorist bombings should be greatly honored. |
C.Chinese express their sadness quite unlike other peoples. |
D.English funeral culture is more civilized than the others. |
A.An editor’s death. | B.Funeral customs. |
C.Cultural differences. | D.Western ways of grief. |
4 . It may seem as if Mother’s Day was invented by a company named Hallmark, but people have been giving a shout-out to Mom for a long time. A more recent tradition was Mothering Sunday, which developed in the British Isles during the 16th century. On the fourth Sunday in April, young men and women who were living and working apart from their families were advised to return to their mothers’ houses.
Mother’s Day as it is observed in the United States started in the 1850s with Ann Jarvis, a West Virginia woman who held “Mothers’ Work Days” to promote health and hygiene at home and in the workplace. During the Civil War, Jarvis organized women to improve sanitary conditions for soldiers on both sides, and after the war she became a peacemaker, bringing together mothers of Union and Confederate soldiers and promoting a Mother’s Day holiday.
Jarvis’s work inspired another 19th-century woman, Julia Ward Howe. In 1870, Howe published her “Mother’s Day Proclamation”, which envisioned the day not as appreciation of mothers by their children but as an opportunity for women to exercise their collective power for peace. Howe started holding annual Mother’s Day celebrations in Boston, her hometown, but after about a decade the tradition faded away.
It was Jarvis’s daughter, Anna, who succeeded in getting Mother’s Day recognized as a national holiday. After her mother died in 1905, Anna started holding yearly ceremony on the anniversary. In 1912, West Virginia and a few other states adopted Mother’s Day. Two years later, Woodrow Wilson signed a resolution naming the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day, making it an official US holiday.
It wasn’t long before whatever ideals the day was supposed to celebrate were buried under an amount of greeting cards and candy. By the 1920s, Anna Jarvis was campaigning against the holiday she had created. “I wanted it to be a day of emotionalism, not profit,” she said.
1. Who plays the most important role in creating Mother’s Day?A.Ann Jarvis. | B.Julia Ward Howe. | C.Woodrow Wilson. | D.Anna Jarvis. |
A.In 1914. | B.In 1912. | C.In 1905. | D.In 1870. |
A.Because the festival was not profitable. |
B.Because the festival made her feel emotional. |
C.Because the celebrations went against the original spirit. |
D.Because she had no passion on holding celebration activities. |
A.The Objection to Mother’s Day |
B.The Argument on Celebrating Mother’s Day |
C.The Story Behind the Creation of Mother’s Day |
D.Different Forms of Celebrations on Mother’s Day |
5 . Ru Ling loves spending time in skywells. To her, these courtyards of old houses are the perfect place to be in on a hot and humid day. From 2014 to 2021, Ru lived in a century-old wood-framed home in the village of eastern China’s Anhui province. She moved there for a change of life after living and working in air-conditioned buildings for many years.
A skywell, or “tian jing”, is a typical feature of a traditional home in southern and eastern China. They are relatively common in historic residences in Sichuan, Jiangsu, Anhui and Jiangxi. In today’s rapidly urbanizing (城市化) China, fewer and fewer people live in skywell dwellings—air-conditioned flats in multi-storeyed buildings and tower blocks are the main forms of homes.
But a revival (复苏) of interest in traditional Chinese architecture is leading some of historic buildings with skywells to be restored for modern times. Meanwhile, as a government push has made low-carbon innovations in the building sector a trend, some architects are drawing inspiration from skywells and other traditional Chinese architectural features to help keep new buildings cooler.
Ancient “green wisdom” such as skywells continues to inspire today’s climate adaptive design and innovations in passive cooling, according to Wang Zhengfeng, a researcher at the Institute for Area Studies at Leiden University in the Netherlands. Passive cooling is a method that incorporates design and technology to cool a building without the use of power.
However, Wang points out some challenges for bringing skywells into modern designs. The mechanisms of courtyards facilitating natural lighting, ventilation and rain collection are well known, but applying these principles needs to be site-specific. Because traditional skywells had different shapes, sizes and features, adding skywells into modern buildings requires designers to be sensitive to their project’s context (环境) and situation, she explains. When asked about why skywells have appealed to modern Chinese people, Wang says that the courtyard is also designed to serve as a gathering space for families or communities. “Perhaps changes in the lifestyle could also lead to nostalgia among people living in concrete and glass forests.”
1. What is the purpose of the first paragragh?A.To introduce Ru Ling’s love for skywells. |
B.To inform readers of the benefits of skywells. |
C.To lead in the topic of popularity of skywells. |
D.To support the idea of living in skywells. |
A.Features and importance of the historic residences. |
B.Appreciation for traditional Chinese architecture. |
C.Reasons for the comeback of traditional skywells. |
D.Great efforts to restore the past glory of skywells. |
A.combine | B.collect | C.invent | D.replace |
A.Lack of enough money and experience. | B.Dependence on natural surroundings. |
C.People’s specific requirements. | D.The fast speed of urbanization. |
6 . Imagine two applicants are in a job interview: one expresses a great passion for the work, while the other points to family encouragement to pursue that field. Which applicant has a better chance of succeeding? Conventional wisdom suggests it would be the one who has a strong personal passion.
Passion is not a universally powerful basis of achievement, but the culture a person grew up in matters a lot. That means universities and companies that frequently rely on passion in candidates are pretermitting talented students and employees.
It seems that passion is a much stronger predictor of achievement in certain societies than others. “This leads to a blind spot among interviewers and is unfair to people from diverse backgrounds,” said Xingyu Li, the lead author of a new study. As a person coming from a collectivist (集体主义的) society, he knows exactly how people feel when they are rejected just because they are seemingly not as passionate as others. This research is novel for its using big data to compare a wider range of culturally diverse societies.
The researchers collected the data including scores from 1.2 million high school students across 59 countries. They found those who felt passionate about science, reading, or other subjects were more likely to be given better scores. This is quite true in individualist societies such as the United States and Australia, compared with collectivist countries such as China, Thailand, and Colombia, where the students felt that having family support for their interest was important.
Individualist countries regard the self as the source of motivation. For example, in the United States, doing well because of what others expect might seem to be evidence of a lack of potential. In collectivist societies, the self is inter-dependent, part of a web of relations, roles, and responsibilities. For instance, in the movie The Grandmaster, the legendary martial arts teacher Ip Man never said that he had a personal passion for kung fu. Rather, his drive to attain mastery came from the desire to live up to what his belt symbolized to his teacher and society.
The findings open up the possibility of designing educational interventions that don’t rely only on the western idea of cultivating (培育) passion. That helps better unlock the potential of our students and workforce.
1. Who is more likely to succeed in a job interview according to most employers?A.Those who have a web of relations. | B.Those who are familiar with the company. |
C.Those who gain much family encouragement. | D.Those who have great enthusiasm for the position. |
A.Neglecting. | B.Harvesting. | C.Exploring. | D.Defending. |
A.To clarify the link between students’ passion and academic performance. |
B.To encourage people to learn the cultures of different countries. |
C.To win people from different cultural contexts more chances of admission |
D.To show the importance of big data in culture-related studies at particular. |
A.An American. | B.A Colombian. | C.An Australian. | D.A Canadian. |
A.The model of motivation varies from culture to culture. |
B.The negative effects of societal expectations on individuals. |
C.The role of self-realization matters in a person’s success and well-being. |
D.The typical personality types in individualist countries and collectivist ones. |
7 . The annual Yuyuan Garden lantern show in Shanghai is an important event in the city’s Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations for 28 years. It is one of the country’s oldest lantern fairs, where locals go to experience the festive atmosphere and wish each other well during the Spring Festival.
This year, the beloved Yuyuan Garden lantern show took place outside of China for the very first time, with 60 large-sized bright structures and more than 2,000 lanterns lighting the Jardin d’Acclimatation — the oldest amusement park in Paris, as a way to celebrate the 2024 Year of the Dragon with an interesting combination of Eastern and Western culture.
From dragon-shaped lanterns to motifs (图腾) inspired by the legendary world of Shanhai Jing (a book dating back to 2,000 years ago, regarded as a major source of Chinese mythology), the Yuyuan Garden lantern show in Paris built a world of lights and imagination for visitors, showing the charm of traditional Chinese culture.
Highlighting various cultural and spiritual symbols, the lantern displays include mythical creatures such as Kunpeng and Yinglong, representing ambition and strength.
Beyond the lanterns, the celebration in Paris also consisted of market events. Visitors could also admire traditional Chinese costumes and accessories, and enjoy traditional Chinese cuisine.
With a mixture of dancing, acrobatics (杂技) and martial arts performances, the lantern show was an impressive experience in the world of Chinese folklore and lanterns, which was open until February 25, 2024.
More than just a lantern show, it also served as an opening activity to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic (外交的) relations between China and France in 1964, which is also the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism.
1. What was special about Yuyuan Garden lantern show this year?A.It attracted more local visitors. |
B.It was held in a foreign country. |
C.It showed the long history of lanterns. |
D.It had more larger lanterns than before. |
A.Taste Chinese food. | B.Buy Chinese costumes. |
C.Dance with the performers. | D.Learn to make lanterns. |
A.To provide more opportunities for the performers. |
B.To attract more visitors and improve the tourism. |
C.To celebrate the friendship between China and France. |
D.To show the its long history and worldwide popularity. |
A.Yuyuan Lantern Festival Shines in Paris |
B.Chinese-French Friendship Gets Strengthened |
C.Yuyuan Lantern Festival Attracts Foreign Visitors |
D.New Activities are Added to Yuyuan Lantern Festival |
8 . Following the tradition of wearing new clothes for the Chinese New Year, hanfu, or traditional Chinese clothing, has experienced substantial growth during the festive season. The horse face skirt is particularly popular for its combination of traditional and modern elements, especially among young Chinese.
During the Spring Festival, many performers and tourists in Luoyang, Henan Province, showcased the horse face skirts. Gorgeous hanfu shows in Caoxian County, Shandong Province, one of the major hanfu production bases in China, highlighted the elegance of the long tradition of Chinese clothing.
Consumers expressed their desire to promote traditional Chinese culture as hanfu styles become more common.
The sales of horse face skirts are booming, leading production enterprises to optimize processes to meet demand. With annual sales surpassing 7 billion yuan, the sales of new year’s clothes for the Year of the Dragon, primarily horse face skirts, exceeded 300 million yuan in Caoxian County.
Data from e-commerce platforms indicate a significant surge in the search volume for hanfu since January. Among the various hanfu styles, the horse face skirt has become the most popular item, with sales of many hot-selling items surpassing one million yuan.
Zhang Mingqiang, the general manager of Haining Xucun Mingji Fabric Factory, expressed both happiness and concern due to the steady stream of daily orders. He currently faces a pile of more than 30,000 orders for horse face skirts.
Expanding production capacity is a top priority for many local enterprises. Newly purchased fabric production equipment is being installed and commissioned by the fabric manufacturer and will be put into use after the Spring Festival holiday.
Additionally, local companies are making efforts to the production and development of more Chinese-style clothing fabrics. The new trend of Chinese-style fashion, led by horse face skirts, is gaining popularity among overseas consumers as well.
1. Why is the horse face skirt particularly popular?A.Because of its sustainable growth. | B.Because of its combined elements. |
C.Because of its display by people in Luoyang. | D.Because of its long tradition. |
A.Unclear. | B.Neutral. | C.Supportive. | D.Opposed. |
A.Because he was happy with the quality of his products. |
B.Because he was pleased with the production capacity of his company. |
C.Because he was worried about the slow-selling of horse face skirts. |
D.Because he gained steady orders but couldn’t keep up with them. |
A.The efforts local companies make to horse face skirts. |
B.The improvement of production capacity. |
C.The popularity of horse face skirts overseas. |
D.The fame of horse face skirts in other seasons. |
9 . What foods do you use to celebrate with your family? Do you eat something special on your birthday or holidays? Among the Hopi people, many foods for special celebrations are made from corn.
The Hopi people are Native Americans who live in Black Mesa, Arizona, USA. They grow special types of corn with long roots (根), which help the corn reach water in the ground in the hot and dry desert (沙漠).
The Hopi use each color of corn for something different. For example, blue corn is used to make some traditional Hopi foods. Piki is one Hopi food made with blue com. It is like a paper-thin, rolled pancake.
A.The Hopi people have a long history. |
B.Corn is also used in Hopi ceremonies. |
C.There are different types of corn as well. |
D.Corn plays an important role in the Hopi diet. |
E.Some Hopi today still live as they did hundreds of years ago. |
F.White corn is used to wish a baby good health and long life. |
G.But both groups still practice Hopi spirituality and other traditions. |
10 . MUSICAL HERITAGES FROM ANCIENT CHINA
Since remote antiquity, Chinese people have used music to record their lives and describe the ideals in their hearts. Catchy tunes are not only played on precious instruments, but also visualized in carvings, paintings, and buildings. Feel free to explore here!
Han Dynasty (202 BC — AD 220)
This period marked the significant development of the manufacturing of guqin and its music. The example unearthed from the Mawangdui Han Dynasty Tomb in Changsha, Hunan province, proves that guqin had developed into the form known today during that period.
Northern Wei Dynasty (386 — 534)
Buddhism (佛教) and its musical culture spread extensively during this period. Buddhist temples provided places for musical activities, which were recorded in many of the-existing stone carvings. Located in Gongyi, Henan province, the Grotto Temple is famous for its reliefs (浮雕) representing musical events. They are precious historical materials reflecting the music characteristics of the dynasty.
Song Dynasty (960 — 1279)
With economic development, a variety of musical cultures emerged to meet the entertainment needs of different social classes. Part of the painting “Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival” vividly reveals a storytelling performance. The painter adopted delicate techniques to truly record a street performer, whose superb skills are reflected by each listener’s show of appreciation.
Ming Dynasty (1368 — 1644)
At this time, traditional Chinese operas developed rapidly, promoting the formation of many singing styles. People began to enjoy operas and drama stages were built. Covering a construction area of more than 160 square meters, the Fancun village drama stage in Shanxi province provides rich materials for the study of the local folk culture.
1. Which heritage would a fan of classical instruments explore?A.The Ming Dynasty drama stage. | B.The Song Dynasty painting. |
C.The Northern Wei Dynasty temple. | D.The Han Dynasty tomb. |
A.Religion. | B.Economy. | C.Politics. | D.Technology. |
A.Ming Dynasty witnessed the boom of traditional Chinese operas. |
B.Most of the drama stages were built during the Northern Wei Dynasty. |
C.The musical culture of Buddhism was developed during the Han Dynasty. |
D.Buddhist temples were the main places for music al activities in the Song Dynasty. |