Every so often, a Chinese fashion symbol unknowingly turned the fashion landscape upside down. This time, we unearth the imperial tomb of China’s Empress Dowager Cixi(慈禧)(1835-1908)and find her great passion for luxurious nails.
Ancient Chinese nobles started growing long nails during the Warring States Period to show that they weren’t manual laborers, but it wasn’t until the Ming Dynasty that long nails and nail guards became an important symbol of material prosperity. And the trend reached its peak in the Qing Dynasty, with Cixi as its poster woman. Cixi nurtured a nail length of roughly 20 cm on her ring and pinky fingers and took care of them in gem-laden(镶满宝石), colorful nail guards. During the day, Cixi usually wore nail guards made of gold or silver. According to the memoirs of her maid, before bed, she would switch them into nail pockets made of bright yellow satin(缎子), probably in a motherly manner similar to covering her nail babies into their sleeping bags.
The origins of nail guards began in the Han Dynasty more than 1000 years prior to their mainstream glory. At that time, they weren’t particularly decorative. It wasn’t until the Qing Dynasty that they became as expensive and delicate as people today know them to have been. Common design patterns included plants, flowers, and calligraphy art. Cixi, on the other hand, had unique rights to dragon and phoenix(凤凰)carvings on her nail guards. Needless to say, she didn’t skimp on exercising these rights.
Long nails may no longer be front and center on the fashion stage today. Yet the period drama series like Empresses in the Palace (2011), Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace (2018), and Story of Yanxi Palace(2018)brought in the popularity of the Morandi color palette(莫兰迪调色盘)in China’s nail art circle. Inspired by Italian painter Giorgio Morandi, the manicure(美甲)industry today also adopts a more softened color scheme that gives off a feeling of balance and elegance.
1. What does the writer mainly tell us?A.The legend of China’s Empress Dowager Cixi. |
B.The history of long nails and nail guards. |
C.Long nails plays an important role in period drama series. |
D.Women in ancient times should wear long nails and nail guards. |
A.Cixi took off nail guards when she went to bed. |
B.Nail guards can show the status on the royal ladder in the Han Dynasty. |
C.Ming and Qing Dynasties had lower degree of acceptance of long nails. |
D.Cixi can only wear nail guards with dragon and phoenix carvings. |
A.subscribe to | B.delay | C.be mean with | D.practice |
A.Fashion nail art will permanently be on the fashion stage. |
B.The period drama series are very popular today. |
C.Morandi is a great master in period drama. |
D.There is still a market for nail art. |
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【推荐1】Why did Chinese people have more than one name in ancient times?
In ancient China, people’s names had three parts, their family name, given name and courtesy name. Take famous poet Li Bai for example. His family name, which came from his father’s name, was Li. His given name was Bai, and his courtesy name was Taibai.
People used their given names when they were among family members. But in social life, they called each other by their courtesy names to show respect. This was mostly done among people of similar age. If you were talking about yourself, or if your elders were talking about you, the given name would be used instead of the courtesy name.
Men would get their courtesy names when they turned 20. It was a symbol of adulthood (成年礼). Women would get their courtesy names after getting married.
One’s courtesy name often had something to do with one’s given name. For example, the name of Mencius was Meng Ke. His courtesy name was Ziyu. Both Ke and Ziyu mean “carriage (马车)”. Zhuge Liang’s given name was Liang, which means “bright”. His courtesy name was Kongming, which means “very bright”.
1. How many parts are there in people’s names in ancient China?A.3. | B.4. | C.5. | D.6. |
A.名 | B.姓氏 | C.字 | D.昵称 |
A.To show their love. | B.To show their good relationship. |
C.To show their kindness. | D.To show their respect. |
A.Family name. | B.Nickname. | C.Given name. | D.Courtesy name. |
A.The famous poet Li Bai. | B.Three parts of ancient names. |
C.The ancient names and the modern names. | D.The development of names. |
【推荐2】Wearing ties (领带) was originally the mark of Britain’s most powerful classes. That made the tie itself a symbol of power and respect. And this led the tie to be adopted by a much larger tribe (群体) — the business tribe.
You cannot wear a tie if you work with machinery. So wearing a tie became a sign that you were a man who used his brain to make a living, rather than his hands. It showed you were serious. It showed you were a professional. It meant that everyone who wanted a job in business had to wear one. It was just impossible to take seriously a man who didn’t wear a piece of coloured silk around his neck. This is how millions of people came to be wearing ties across the world. They are part of the uniform of business.
“Ties offer a point of difference,” says John Milne, head of the British Guide of Tie Makers. “They give a chance to say something about their owner’s personality.”
So if you happen to meet a man with a very brightly coloured tie, there’s a good chance that he is the office joker. There’s also a good chance that he will be wearing brightly coloured socks.
Is there a future for ties? The signs are not promising. Tie wearing seems to be rare among the new breed of entrepreneurs(企业家) in the Internet and new technology industries. Many political leaders now go without ties. This shows they are men of the people — but not the people wearing ties.
Up until around 1960, it was common for men across the Western world to wear hats as part of their business uniform. That changed with the election of John F. Kennedy to the presidency of the United States. Kennedy never wore a hat — in fact his nickname was “hatless Jack”. Seeing that the most powerful man in the world did not have to wear a hat, millions of other men decided that they did not have to either. Hats simply vanished across the Western world. Perhaps “tieless Tony” will have the same effect on ties as “hatless Jack”.
1. In Britain, ties were first used as a sign to show a person’s ________.A.personality | B.social position | C.wearing style | D.favourite hobby |
A.it showed you used your brain | B.it showed you got a good salary |
C.it showed you were an employer | D.it showed you were well-trained |
A.Blair is the best leader in the world | B.Kennedy is the best leader in the world |
C.more people will go to work without ties | D.people will wear hats instead of ties |
A.disappeared | B.washed | C.expanded | D.sold |
【推荐3】We live surrounded by advanced technology.
Actually, all of our modern things are based on older technologies. Ancient people didn't necessarily have steel or wheels or, electronic communication. Yet, they built monument (纪念碑) even bigger than Stonehenge.
At first, scientists long believed that the ancients who lived 80,000 years ago were the first to throw spears with stone tips. Then came the discovery of 279,000-year-old stone spear tips in Ethiopia These pushed the date back.
Scientists have been trying to figure out how ancient people developed their tools and build their cities and monuments.
A.Ancient people were really clever |
B.Not all of these technologies are useful |
C.For example, there are skyscrapers and spaceships |
D.They also raised huge stone heads on Easter Island |
E.They use modern technologies to explore the ancient places |
F.Not all of advanced technologies were limited to modern people |
G.And it has been suggested that even prehuman species hunted with spears |
【推荐1】It seems we're always being told to get more sleep. Studies suggest spending less time on sleep can lead to obesity(肥胖) and even cancer. You might even find yourself with a head full of false memories. But rarely does science explore the dark side of sleeping too much. That's because few of us in today's busy world have the luck of exploring that option.
In an August 2018 study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, researchers researched the sleep patterns of those“fortunate”few and found they may not be so lucky after all. In fact, they found people who get more than eight hours of sleep have greater health risk compared to those who sleep together less than seven hours. What's more, sleep-aholics-those who manage to get 10 hours a night-stand a 30 percent higher chance of dying compared to the seven-hour crowd.
The wide-ranging global study involved(涉及) more than three million people who self-reported on their sleep habits and came to an eye-opening conclusion: If you tend to sleep a lot, you may want to buy an alarm clock. As with all things in life, sleep is best taken in moderation(适度).
You may be thinking: What if I only sleep in on Saturday and Sunday, am I still at risk? The answer is yes, according to a 2019 study published in Current Biology. Researchers discovered that even if a person sleeps more than seven hours on the weekends but still sleeps less than that on weeknights, they are at risk of gaining weight and developing sensitivity to insulin, which controls the level of sugar in blood.
For the study, 36 participants were divided into three groups that each had a different sleep schedule: nine hours every night, five hours every night, and five hours from Monday to Friday and sleeping much on weekends. People who get too much sleep tend to feel tired and lack energy. Also, both sleep-deprived(睡眠不足的) groups consume more food and gain weight.
1. Why is the harmful effect of sleeping too much seldom studied?A.Few people have time to sleep too much. | B.Lack of sleep causes much more harm. |
C.It turns out to be a healthy sleep pattern. | D.People's health has nothing to do with it. |
A.Those leading a relaxing life. | B.Those getting too much sleep. |
C.Those with less time to sleep. | D.Those with no sleep problems. |
A.Sleeping much is particularly beneficial to hungry people. |
B.Many people sleep more on weekends than on weekdays. |
C.An alarm clock of high quality is important for good sleep. |
D.People who sleep much only on weekends also have health risk. |
A.It is necessary to save enough time for sleep. |
B.Too much sleep can result in gaining weight. |
C.Sleeping too much does harm to people's health. |
D.People can avoid sleeping much by eating healthily. |
【推荐2】Although most people know there are Seven Wonders in the Ancient world, only few people can name them. This is because most of them are no longer there except the pyramids. However, there is a growing list of wonders of the world today.
About nine years ago, UNESCO’s World Cultural and Nature Heritage (自然文化遗产) List had 411 places and 136 countries were responsible to protect them, and the list keeps on growing. Usually it is the task of a group of 21 experts to decide which places go on the list. The experts are chosen to work for six years. Their work is to examine and discuss the suggestions from different countries. They also manage the World Heritage Fund (基金)which can offer help to countries for protection work. Over the past centuries a lot of cultural or historic places have been destroyed by man or nature. Protecting our natural and cultural heritage is a long and difficult task. Earthquakes, floods, pollution, wars, or even tourism are some of the dangers that harm the heritage.
When a historic place is in great danger, it is put on the World Heritage in Danger List and necessary things will be done to protect it. Places which are on the danger list include Historic Bridges of Indiana, St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, Rosenwald School in Southern U.S., etc.
1. .The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World include ________.A.Golden Gate Bridge | B.Sydney Opera House |
C.the Great Wall | D.the pyramids |
A.UNESCO (联合国教科文组) |
B.the World Heritage Fund |
C.the 21 experts |
D.some countries |
A.There are more cultural heritages beginning to appear. |
B.More countries begin to build cultural heritages. |
C.A lot of cultural or historic places have disappeared. |
D.More and more cultural heritages are in great danger. |
A.People can still visit the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World today. |
B.Rosenwald School is a newly built school in Southern U.S. |
C.More places will be added to the UNESCO list. |
D.The list is decided mainly by the governments of different countries. |
A.Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. |
B.21 Experts. |
C.The Growing List of Wonders of the World. |
D.Some Historic Places in Danger. |
【推荐3】Japanese researchers placed electronic devices(装置)on seals(海豹)in Antarctic waters to collect surprising information about the environment there. Japan’s National Institute of Polar Research started the research project in 2017. The team recently reported its results in a study in the publication Limnology and Oceanography.
Eight Weddell seals were fitted with the devices,which have antennas(天线)to send electronic signals.The 580-gram monitoring devices were attached(缚上;系上)to the animals’heads. They were designed to measure data such as water temperatures and sea salt levels.
Investigative teams on ships have difficulty reaching important research areas in Antarctica. These include areas along continental shelf formations where ice is attached to the shore, the National Institute of Polar Research said in a statement. Nobuo Kokubun led the project. Since the seals are active year-round, Kokubun added, “I thought we should have them collect the data.”
He told Reuters that the research also helps scientists follow the seals’ behaviors and learn about their relationship to the environment. “During the summer, we can go to Antarctica on icebreakers to conduct actual research activities, so that we can collect data there.” Kokubun said. ”But during the winter. such things cannot be done in so many places.“
Information gathered from the seals showed that one of the animals traveled as far as 633kilometers from Japan’s Showa Station in Antarctica. Another dove to a depth of 700 meters.Kokubun said the scientists learned from the data that warm seawater from the upper levels of the open sea reached Antarctica from March through the winter of 2017. The water flowed below the ice, bringing in sea creatures like Antarctic krill, an important food for seals.
Kokubun and his team plan to keep finding new ways to further examine the effects of climate change on Antarctic coastal areas. Next, he hopes to make the device small enough to fit on other animals at the South Pole, such as penguins,“The advantage with penguins is that they come back to the same place and we can collect data from them immediately,”Kokubun said.
1. What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?A.The reasons why seals are a good pick. |
B.The difficulties the researchers met with. |
C.The disadvantages of the research. |
D.The formation of Antarctic waters. |
A.It challenges some traditional views. |
B.It is an eye-opener for the researchers. |
C.It is in urgent need of improvement. |
D.It simply focuses on the seals’ behavior. |
A.They will further study the penguins. |
B.They will make use of the same device. |
C.They intend to expand the research further. |
D.They plan to help the endangered penguins. |
A.Increasing Temperature of Antarctic Waters |
B.Seals Help Researchers Study Antarctic Environment |
C.Seals Are in Danger of Dying out Due to Global Warming |
D.Climate Change and Its Far-reaching Consequences |