Culture is more than just buildings, monuments and natural wonders. It can also be oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, religious ceremonies, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe. There are intangible (无形的) parts of culture that are important, too.
ZvonCari, Croatia:
Recognized by UNESCO in 2009，this tradition features two to thirty people who ring the bells. They wear special clothes and hats, carrying a small tree through various villages. They ring their bells to request food and rest before continuing to the next village. Each of them returns to their own villages and burns any rubbish outside their homes.
Jultagi, Korean tightrope walking:
We're all familiar with tightrope-walking, but this Korean tradition—recognized by UNESCO in 2011—involves a comedic routine, fancy completions and lively music. The Jultagi Safeguarding Association provides training for the tradition.
Mongolian knuckle bone shooting:
Not all cultural heritages are about dancing and performing. Some, like this tradition from Mongolia that was recognized by UNESCO in 2014, are games. Teams of six to eight players attempt to land 30 marbles (弹珠) made of bones into a target zone. Each player uses individualized tools to achieve this. Different teams have different practices and skill sets, and games create an opportunity to exchange ideas.
Horseback shrimp (虾) fishing, Belgium:
Twelve families of horseback shrimpers collect shrimp twice a week in Oostdunkerke, Belgium, as well as during special occasions like festivals. This method of shrimping requires trust of one's self and one's horse, to say nothing of the knowledge required to read the sand. It joins other cultural traditions recognized by UNESCO in 2013.
1. What do the people do in ZvonCari?| A．Protect the environment. | B．Offer community service. |
| C．Ask for food from villagers. | D．Ring bells to collect clothes. |
| A．ZvonCari. | B．Jultagi. |
| C．Knuckle bone shooting. | D．Horseback shrimp fishing. |
| A．The sand. | B．The target zone. |
| C．The special clothes. | D．The comedic routine. |
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【推荐1】Happy New Year
Celebrations in the Philippines
In the Philippines, celebrations are very loud in order to scare away evil beings. There is often a midnight feast featuring twelve different round fruits to symbolize good luck for the twelve months of the year. Other traditional foods include sticky rice and noodles, but not chicken or fish, which can be seen as bad luck for the next year’s food supply.
Celebrations in Japan
Japan uses the Gregorian calendar and celebrates New Years on January 1. Families eat soba noodles, and sushi for dinner, and ring bells 108 times at midnight to clear away the previous year. Adult relatives give money to the children in their families, and many people send postcards to their friends and families, making sure that they arrive on January 1.
Celebrations in Italy
Like U.S. southerners, Italians eat vegetable and pork on the New Year, which means “head of the year.” After big family dinners on New Year’s Day, Italians go to their local square for huge firework displays and public concerts. Italians are also known to wear red underwear on New Year’s Day to bring luck for the year to come.
Celebrations in Russia
Russia’s New Year celebrations have been greatly affected by the country’s history. As religion and Christmas celebrations were banned in the Soviet Union, New Year’s celebrations often had Christmas traditions such as decorated trees, which were relabeled(确认) as New Year Fir Trees. As the ban left, these traditions stayed part of the New Year’s Day celebration.
1. Which country celebrates the New Year with midnight feast?| A．Philippines. | B．Japan. | C．Italy . | D．Russia. |
| A．To scare away evil beings. | B．To clear away the past. |
| C．To welcome the friends. | D．To bring luck for the new year. |
| A．It includes traditions of Christmas. |
| B．People wear red underwear on New Year. |
| C．There are firework displays and concerts. |
| D．People usually send postcards to their friends |
【推荐2】December is a “big deal” in Sweden and Finland not only because of Christmas, but because Saint Lucia’s Day is on Dec.13. Starting in kindergarten and continuing all throughout high school, on this day one lucky girl is selected to be “Saint Lucia”. For many girls, this is a big deal, though I personally really fear being picked and much prefer being one of Lucia’s handmaids (侍女).
It is not certain how the Saint Lucia tradition found its way to Sweden, and then also to Finland. The legend of Saint Lucia is known in most European countries, and has its roots in Italy. It is thought that during a time when the rulers of the land did not approve of Christianity (基督教), a woman named Lucia decided to try and spread the word of God and help the poor. Lucia was put on trial, and when she refused to give up her belief, she was sentenced to being burned. But when the guards tried to light the fire, it would not light. Unfortunately, this did not save Lucia, who at last was killed by a knife.
No one knows exactly how this legend has changed into the unique Swedish tradition today, but there are certainly some elements that can be recognized. Saint Lucia, a girl dressed in a long white dress with a crown of candles in her hair, brings light and good spirit to everybody, lightening up the cold December weather.
Both in Sweden and Finland, Saint Lucia is a nationally celebrated tradition. The people of the city or town can then vote for their favorite girl out of several candidates, and the winner is crowned on December 13th together with her entourage (随从). This year, 18-year-old high school student Elin Anderson was crowned Lucia, and following her coronation (加冕礼) she will appear at around 80 different events over the next month in her role as “a bringer of light”.
1. Which of the following is TRUE about the Saint Lucia’s Day?| A．It originated from an Asian country. |
| B．It is celebrated in Sweden and Finland. |
| C．All the girls hoped to be selected to be a “Saint Lucia”. |
| D．All the girls take part in the celebration of the tradition. |
| A．managed to persuade the rulers | B．was severely punished by the rulers |
| C．decided to give up her family at last | D．was in charge of Sweden and Finland |
| A．Take part in various events. | B．Stay in the church for a year. |
| C．Take charge of the coronation. | D．Choose the entourage by yourself. |
| A．Different ways to celebrate Saint Lucia’s Day. |
| B．Different versions of the legend of Saint Lucia. |
| C．Saint Lucia’s Day — A traditional Swedish festival. |
| D．How the Saint Lucia tradition found its way to Sweden. |
The Double Ninth Festival is a special day for older people in China. It started long ago. The festival is on lunar September 9th. On this day, people show love and respect to their grandparents.
There are many ways in which Chinese people express their respect. When an older person enters a room, everyone stands. People are introduced from the oldest to the youngest. When we present a book to an older person, two hands are used. Young people always offer their seats to older people on a crowded subway or bus.
Respecting older people is a tradition in China. That’s because the Chinese know that older people have knowledge and experience that young people can learn. Chinese people are proud of being old.
In Western countries, however, older people seldom think they are old. They are called “seniors” instead of “old people”. They’d rather do everything themselves. Even after retirement (退休) they take up hobbies, part-time jobs and new activities to keep their bodies working well.
Westerners respect their older people, too. Usually, seniors don’t have to buy tickets for trains and buses. They are given discounts (打折) in stores and restaurants.
But Western seniors don’t often live with their children—they live alone. For holidays, the family usually gather at the grandparents’ home, and a great smile and a warm hug for their parents are enough for grown children to show their respect.
1. When is the double ninth Festival?2. Where is it a tradition to respect older people?
3. What can the young learn from older people?
4. Can seniors in Western countries take the trains for free?
5. How do Western grown children show their respect?
【推荐1】Is there intelligent life on other planets? For years, scientists said “no,” or “we don’t know.” But today this is changing. Seth Shostak and Alexandra Barnett are astronomers. They believe intelligent life exists somewhere in the universe. They also think we sill soon contact these beings.
Why do Shostak and Barnett think intelligent life exists on other planets? The first reason is time. Scientists believe the universe is about 12 billion years old. “This is long enough for other planets to have intelligent life,” say Shostak and Barnett. The second reason is size—the universe is huge. “Tools like the Hubble Telescope (哈勃望远镜) have shown that there are at least 100 billion galaxies,” says Shostak. “And our galaxy, the Milky Way, has at least 100 billion stars. Some planets going around these stars might be similar to Earth.”
In the past, it was hard to look for signs of intelligent life in the universe. But now, powerful telescopes (高倍望远镜) allow scientists to discover smaller planets—the size of Mars or Earth—in other solar systems. These planets might have intelligent life.
Have beings from space already visited Earth? “Probably not,” says Shostak. “It’s a long way away. However, intelligent beings may contact us in other way, such as radio signals (信号). In fact, they may be trying to communicate with us now, but we don’t have the right tools to receive their messages. However, this is changing. By 2025, we could make contact with other life forms in our universe and we might help each other.”
1. Seth Shostak and Alexandra Barnett are _________.| A．Astronomers | B．Farmers | C．Singers | D．Drivers |
| A．Earth: The Only Planet with Intelligent Life. | B．Our galaxy: The Milky Way. |
| C．The Age and Size of Earth. | D．Why Intelligent Life Might Exist. |
| A．There were not any smaller planets. |
| B．The astronomers were not interested in them. |
| C．There were not any powerful telescopes. |
| D．The Milky Way didn’t exist at that time. |
| A．They’re afraid of us. | B．It’s a long way away. |
| C．They don’t want to see us. | D．They don’t know how to use radio signals. |
【推荐2】National Geographic Explorer Malaika Vaz knew from early on that she was destined for adventure. “I was someone who spent a lot of time outdoors,” Vaz says. Among her childhood experiences, she recalls expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic, climbing mountains, scuba diving, and windsurfing.
“In my late teens,” Vaz says, “I began to feel like adventure didn’t really mean anything if there wasn’t an intent to protect the natural spaces we were exploring in.” She began to seek an outlet that would both satisfy her desire for adventure and allow her to support the protection of the species and ecosystems.
Vaz had an interest in the medium of film, and decided to pursue a career in wildlife filmmaking. Today Vaz wears many hats in the filmmaking world, as a documentary director, producer, writer, and presenter.
After falling in love with mantas off the coast of her home, she discovered they were being hunted illegally and she dressed herself as a seafood trader to get as close as possible to the issue. She traced traffickers back to many parts of the world to figure out why mantas were being killed. She shares the challenges of going undercover to produce Peng Yu Sai, her Green Oscar-nominated film on the matter.
The subjects that grab her attention, Vaz admits, cover a wide range. And while she’s been asked to define her focus, she prefers variety, and argues that issues she pinpoints are more interrelated than they may appear.
Her work doesn’t stop at recording important stories-she’s also on top of follow-through, ensuring the message is heard. Vaz and her team work with scientists and policy makers to amplify the message of the films they work on.
From Vaz’s perspective, real improvement in the way the planet is cared for lies in the capable hands of many from various backgrounds. “The truth is that we don’t need ten really passionate, committed environmentalists. We need one hundred or one million people who can do a little bit in that field and change things within their ability.”
1. Which of the following helped Vaz combine adventure with nature protection?| A．Wildlife film-making. | B．Free lifestyle. |
| C．Childhood experience. | D．Outdoor activities. |
| A．Vaz’s home on the coast. | B．Vaz’s experience of mountain climbing. |
| C．The history of Green Oscar. | D．The illegal hunting of mantas. |
| A．The backgrounds of policy makers. | B．The influence of films. |
| C．The guidance from environmentalists. | D．The combined efforts of people. |
| A．Enthusiastic but careless. | B．Adventurous and insightful. |
| C．Knowledgeable but proud. | D．Humorous and patient. |
【推荐3】In 1867 when Canada was created, a towering Silver Maple tree standing in front of Alexander Muir’s house in Toronto gave him an idea. He would write a poem and a song about the great tree, so common in Canada and so symbolic, to celebrate Canada’s Confederation (联邦).
His song was called The Maple Leaf Forever and it has been the unofficial Canadian anthem (国歌) to this day.
Last July during a major storm, the tree was knocked down. It fell across a house and a street. But because it was an important historic tree, most of the wood was saved rather than being destroyed.
Recently woodworkers at The Evergreen Brick Works in Toronto, a community projects centre, cut the wood into logs and other usable pieces. The pieces were given to artists to create about 150 different projects.
One artist took a piece of tree. On it, he’ll carve a series of historical Canadian views. Another wood carver is making beautiful round wooden bowls. Yet another made an interesting candlestick from the tree’s branches.
Other woodworkers are making wood wig stands for cancer patients who lose their hair. Still others are taking small pieces of wood and making them into pens. And some of the wood was made into gavels (小木槌) to be used by Toronto’ s city councilors (市议员) . Some of the projects will be on public show while some will be personally owned.
The people in Toronto who have lived near the tree for years and try to protect it from harm are very sad to see the old tree go. But they are glad to see that their maple tree will live forever in the hearts and homes of many people.
1. Why did Alexander write The Maple Leaf Forever?| A．To express his love for the maple tree. |
| B．To celebrate the birth of Canada. |
| C．To go with his poem. |
| D．To memorize the maple tree. |
| A．It was inspired by a maple tree. |
| B．It has been the official anthem in Canada. |
| C．It was adapted from a poem. |
| D．It was created before the year 1867. |
| A．The tree had practical value. |
| B．They used it to honour Alexander Muir. |
| C．They thought the tree was publicly owned. |
| D．The tree was closely tied to Canadian history. |
| A．Maple Tree in Toronto |
| B．Projects of Maple Tree |
| C．A Fallen Maple Tree Was Saved |
| D．Maple Tree Will Live Forever |
