Nobody ever imagined that after being lost for more than half a century the intangible cultural heritage (非物质文化遗产) known as Gaolou Mixian would be restored and passed down by a young man. “ As someone of Gaolou origin, I have a responsibility to restore our ancestors’ art form, ” said Chen Guorui, the world’s only inheritor (继承人) of this ancient art.
Gaolou Mixian uses rice paste to glue together selected grains of transparent (透明的) rice to create realistic figures or structures. It is a unique folk art that developed during the Qing Dynasty and reached its peak during the first half of the 20th century. Each household in Gaolou village would make rice structures that they put on display in their ancestral halls (祠堂) during the Chinese New Year, which attracted people from all sides.
However, due to the wet weather in southern China, these rice-made artworks would only last three to four months before losing their shape. It is for this reason that these works are not seen in museums in China. Due to various historical reasons, most people in Gaolou village did not pass down the art form, which caused it to disappear nearly 70 years ago.
Chen found out about this after hearing one former resident express disappointment about its loss. Curious, he started to do research and tried out the methods he heard about from older people in the village. After several months of exploration, Chen finally completed his first successful work.
Over the past five years, Chen has gradually improved his skills and even begun using new techniques, such as making some colorful artworks with colored grains of rice. Since 2017, people at home and abroad have taken an interest in this long-lost art form. To avoid being the last inheritor, Chen has been giving classes to some students at a primary school in Fuzhou with the support of local education authorities.
1. What do we know about Gaolou Mixian?A.It is stable in wet environment. | B.It is mainly made of rice. |
C.It is a popular art form nationwide. | D.It was created for religious reasons. |
A.The techniques of the artworks. | B.The disappearance of the art form. |
C.The disappointment of the villagers. | D.The reasons for shape loss of the artworks. |
A.Cooperative and kind. | B.Outstanding and calm. |
C.Courageous and cautious. | D.Responsible and creative. |
A.It’s never too old to learn. | B.Strike while the iron is hot. |
C.It is no use crying over spilt milk. | D.Nothing is impossible to a willing heart. |
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【推荐1】After posting a short video on April 27 about planting and cooking peas, Chinese food blogger Li Ziqi witnessed her followers on YouTube over 10 million. Li shares short videos recording her traditional and peaceful lifestyle in China's countryside. This makes her shot to fame.
“It's really surprising. I didn't expect such a wide response," Li said in an interview, noting she was surprised by how foreigners on the Internet were taken with her works. Li's videos center on her life with her grandmother in the rura(乡下)parts of Sichuan Province. In the videos, Li, is often dressed in beautiful traditional clothes, rises at sunrise, rests at sunset, plants seeds and harvests flowers, cooks Chinese dishes and makes bamboo furniture.
In response, Li, who was raised in the countryside, said "Most people today are facing huge stress in work and life, so I hope they can feel relaxed when watching my videos." "There are so many ideas in my mind of old craftsmanship(手艺)and food we have been enjoying for thousands of years. Some are almost forgotten. I hope to preserve them through my small efforts.”
"China has tried for so many years to promote our culture globally but made little progress, and that's because of a lack of spontaneity(自发性)and few focus on Chinese people's daily lives," Zhang Xiaoming, director of the China National Center for Culture Studies, said in a recent interview with The Beijing News. "China needs more Li Ziq”.
1. Which of the following can best replace the phrase “shot to fame” in Paragraph1?A.become widely known | B.feel extremely hopeful |
C.grow up | D.gain confidence |
A.Her video is about her life in the city. |
B.She wears formal uniform in her video. |
C.All her furniture is created and designed by herself. |
D.She hopes her video can help reduce people's pressure. |
A.Indifferent. | B.Negative. |
C.Concerned. | D.Confused. |
A.China has made much progress in promoting its culture globally. |
B.There are enough videos about Chinese people's daily lives online. |
C.Chinese culture has been famous globally because of Li Ziqi. |
D.More efforts should be made to spread Chinese culture. |
【推荐2】More than 10 million Chinese cultural relics have been lost overseas, lots of which were stolen and illegally shipped out of China during the times of war before 1949. About 1.67 million pieces are housed in no more than 200 museums in 47 countries, which accounts for 10 percent of all lost Chinese cultural relics, and the rest are in the hands of private collectors.
Most of these treasures are owned by museums or private collectors in the United States, Europe, Japan and Southeast Asian countries. There are more than 23,000 pieces in the British Museum, most of which were stolen or bought for pennies more than 100 years ago.
The major method to recover these national treasures was to buy them back. In some cases, private collectors donated the relics to the government. Also, the government can turn to official channels to demand the return of relics.
In 2003, a priceless bronze pig’s head dating from the Qing Dynasty was returned to its home in Beijing after it was removed by the Anglo-French Allied Army over 140 years ago. Macao entrepreneur Stanley Ho donated 6 million yuan to buy it back from a US art collector and then donated it to the Poly Art Museum in Beijing.
Although buying-back is the most feasible way to recover the lost treasures, limited funding is always a big headache.
In recent years, the Chinese government has improved efforts to recover the precious cultural relics lost overseas. It has started a national project on the recovery of the treasures and has set up a database (数据库) collecting relevant information. It has signed several international agreements with many countries on this matter, and is also looking for international cooperation to recover the relics by working closely with several international organizations.
1. What is the passage mainly about?A.The best way to recover cultural relics. |
B.The efforts to recover Chinese cultural relics. |
C.Stanley Ho donated a bronze pig’s head to Beijing. |
D.Chinese cultural relics were stolen by the Anglo-French Allied Army. |
A.It was made in the Ming Dynasty. |
B.It is now in the Poly Art museum in Beijing. |
C.It was donated by the French government to China. |
D.It was removed by the Anglo-French Allied Army over 150 years ago. |
A.Possible. | B.Difficult. | C.Wonderful. | D.Careful. |
A.China has enough money to buy all the cultural relics back. |
B.Many countries have returned the lost cultural relics to China for free. |
C.The Chinese government has done a lot to recover the lost cultural relics. |
D.China is preparing to set up a database to collect information about the lost cultural relics. |
【推荐3】Situated at the gateway of the ancient Silk Road, Dunhuang was once a place where the East civilization met the West. Thus Mogao Grottoes (莫高窟), which lies near Dunhuang and is a UNESCO World Heritage site, successfully mixed Eastern and Western cultures. For decades, it has attracted many people to protect the thousand-year-old art works and to make sure they are shining on the modern age.
Thousands of kilometers away from Dunhuang, Kuishi, a character artist for Tencent’s (腾讯) popular game, Honor of Kings, is one of them. Using the mural (壁画) of Cave 220 in Mogao Grottoes as the original model, she and her colleagues designed a new skin for the game character, bringing the ancient Huxuan dance, a fashionable dancing style in the Tang dynasty, into the modern era.
“When we visited Cave 220 for the new skin, I not only saw its beauty but was also impressed by the multiculturalism behind those murals,” said Kuishi, noting that the Huxuan dance, which came from Western regions and spread into China, is a sign for international cultural exchanges.
The new skin became a hit in the game industry. Kuishi and her colleagues successfully helped this age-old performance stage a comeback. “Just like the ancient artist left the most brilliant moment of popular Huxuan dance on the mural, we want to remodel the most beautiful moment of the past and keep it from dying over time,” said Kuishi.
1. What can we infer from Paragraph 1?A.Dunhuang was a trading center in ancient time. | B.East and Western cultures competed in Dunhuang. |
C.Mogao Grottoes was once a World Heritage site. | D.People still make art works in Mogao Grottoes. |
A.To play a character in a game. | B.To paint the mural of Cave 220. |
C.To design for a game character. | D.To perform the Huxuan dance. |
A.it was fashionable in the Tang dynasty | B.it displayed multicultural features |
C.it showed China’s influence on the West | D.it was painted in Cave 220 |
A.Giving the game industry a heavy blow. | B.Performing the Huxuan dance on stage. |
C.Imitating the ancient artists’ skills. | D.Helping protect the ancient culture. |
【推荐1】Hotels were full, local specialties were nearly sold out, tourists came in droves from all parts of China… Rongjiang, a small county of Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture in Guizhou Province, has recently gone viral for its “Village Super League”.
Every week, more than 40,000 audiences flooded to the stadium for the “Village Super League”. As of the end of June, 2023, the championship has had more than 20 billion views on the Internet.
“This is a soccer carnival deeply rooted in the soil! I’ve covered varieties of sports events, including the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics. But it is really the first time that I have experienced such a down-to-earth and lively scene as this,” said Han Qiaosheng, a Chinese sports TV commentator.
During a match in May, Wu Chuguo, a decoration worker from Liubaitang village, Rongjiang County, scored a classic 40-meter goal that ignited the crowd. Wu said he was influenced by elders in his village and fell in love with the sport. In the county, rural soccer matches have taken place regularly since the 1990s. When there was a lack of facilities, soccer players used barren land as a field and wooden stakes (桩) for the posts. The boundaries were marked out with lime powder. When they can’t gather enough players, they play futsal, a soccer-based game played on a smaller hard court.
In recent years, the county has focused on gymnastics, soccer, rock climbing and other sports, which has developed outstanding national and provincial-level sporting talent. What sets the Village Super League apart from other sports events are the vibrant displays of ethnic (民族的) cultures and traditions at the championship.
“I hope that more and more tourists will come to Rongjiang to watch the matches, enjoy the folk customs and local cuisine, and have fun,” said Xiong Zhuqing, a melon grower who is also a cheerleader. She says she has sold over 10,000 kilograms of watermelons since the start of the championship. As of June 27, a total of 654 new businesses were established, including 91 in the catering sector, 188 in retail, and 195 in agriculture and food processing, the local government said.
By combining tourism with sports, Rongjiang has found a creative and meaningful way to promote rural revival and rural economic growth.
1. What can we infer from paragraph 4?A.Rural soccer matches are demanding on facilities. |
B.Wu Chuguo started the sports event at Liubaitang village. |
C.Rongjiang County has a deep tradition of soccer matches. |
D.The small court greatly limits soccer players’ performances. |
A.It covers players from all walks of life. |
B.It combines ethnic elements with sports. |
C.It aims to select athletes for national-level games. |
D.It has a cheering team consisting of football fans. |
A.The matches can help promote economic growth. |
B.Rongjiang’s tourism has fueled the sports industry. |
C.Selling agricultural products is key to rural vitalization. |
D.Local companies have offered significant financial support to the matches. |
A.Science magazine. | B.Tourism brochure. | C.Newspaper. | D.Textbook. |
【推荐2】Long long ago, some have predicted there would be robots on the earth. Nowadays we are familiar with a variety of robots that have some special skills in some science fiction movies and some real robots in our daily life. Some may dream of owning one or two or more robots to free them from something dangerous or tiring, challenging... Here's some good news for them.
Zhejiang Aishida Electric Co, also known as ASD, announced plans on Monday to invest at least 500 million yuan (US $ 71. 4 million) to build an industrial robot factory which will help the company establish "a smart manufacturing ecosystem" in the Yangtze River Delta region.
"Besides the new plant in Zhejiang Province, ASD also plans to build ASD Shanghai Intelligent Valley and related logistics(后勤)and research facilities in the region. This ecosystem will cover robotics, smart manufacturing, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things,” said Chen Helin, chairman of Shenzhen-listed ASD.
Despite mounting economic uncertainties, China's robot demand will continue to grow thanks to digitalized and artificial intelligence upgrade trends, industry insiders said. China's annual sales of industrial robots will hit 150,000 units in 2020, and 260,000 units in 2025, according to the Shanghai Robot Industry Association. The new ASD factory, located in Wenling, Zhejiang Province, will produce 20,000 industrial robots annually. About 1 ,000 robots manufactured at the new factory will be used in ASD's production line for cooking pots and other devices.
"ASD will join other industry players to attend the China International Industry Fair, which opens on Tuesday in Shanghai. ASD is "still interested in” being listed on the new Shanghai STAR market through spinning off its robot or smart manufacturing business," Chen said on Monday.
1. What is the function of the first paragraph?A.To present an argument. | B.To introduce some science fictions. |
C.To inspire the readers to read more. | D.To draw a conclusion about robots. |
A.Put in. | B.Take in. |
C.Bring in. | D.Look in. |
A.Build a factory in which workers are all robots. |
B.Establish an industrial robot factory and related system. |
C.Plant trees to make sure its factory has a good ecosystem. |
D.Invest at least 500 million yuan to do research into the robots. |
A.China needs more industrial robots. |
B.The China International Industrial Fair is opening. |
C.ASD will build an industrial robot factory in Zhejiang. |
D.The development of China's industrial robots is speeding up. |
【推荐3】One of the world’s most twisted (扭曲的) towers has been revealed in Chongqing, China. The Dance Of Light Tower, designed by the British architecture firm Aedas and completed in 2022, is 180 meters tall and features a twisted appearance that imitates the shape of the northern lights, according to a press release.
“Located on Xingfu Square in the Jiangbei District of Chongqing, the building utilizes the simple and elegant form of double-twisted appearance to create the impression that the building is being twisted,” the firm said. According to Ken Wai, Aedas lead designer, the appearance “is not only an outlook expression, but also a way of protection that shapes inner spaces into special forms”.
The designers were inspired by the dancing aurora — the rays and spirals of the polar lights often seen in the Arctic and Antarctic — so light plays a key role in highlighting the twisted shape of the structure. The view of the tower varies from different angles as light reflects and bends over the glass appearance. “When night falls, the twisted appearance shows reflections that are similar to the dancing figure of a pretty dancer,” said Aedas in the press release.
Twisted high-rises have grown in popularity over the last decade thanks to advances in construction, engineering and architectural computer programs. Other popular twisted buildings include MAD Architects’ Absolute World Towers, located in Canada and completed in 2012, as well as the 306-meter-high Cayan Tower in Dubai, designed by Skidmore, Owings&Merrill and completed in 2013.
According to Aedas, the Dance Of Light Tower has a “twisting angle” of up to 8.8 degrees per floor, which the studio believes is nearly 1.5 times more than any other super high-rise tower. “As an open public space, the tower has all the credits to be a city icon (图标), especially the significant twisting of the appearance is remarkable,” Wai added.
1. What is special about the Dance Of Light Tower?A.It is the tallest building in China now. | B.The building materials are distinctive. |
C.It is designed by a Canadian company. | D.It copies the northern lights in shape. |
A.Applies. | B.Completes. | C.Decorates. | D.Receives. |
A.The tower has various impressive angles. | B.Twisted towers have gained in popularity. |
C.Lights create different views of the tower. | D.The designer of the tower likes dancing. |
A.The tower has quite different inside spaces. |
B.The tower will attract a great number of visitors. |
C.The tower offers an open space to citizens to seek shelter. |
D.The twisting angle of most twisted towers is about 13.2 degree. |