Zhaobi can be found outside the entrance of a variety of buildings, not to be confused with yingbi which are similar structures found on the other side of the gate, and in their earliest form during the western Zhou dynasty (c.11th century -771BC), were built to serve the function of a wealth and power symbol. They were allowed for only the highest members of society, noblemen, dukes and princes. Seeing zhaobi outside a building would let passers-by know that this is the residence of someone of extreme importance, while also serving the practical function of protecting privacy by blocking the entrance from any spying eyes.
With the passing of time and social changes, by the Tang (618-907) and later Song (960-1279) dynasties, there was less exclusivity about who could build zhaobi, but more importantly there was also a change in the meaning and purpose of the walls. Instead of representing social position, zhaobi took on a more mysterious purpose, coming to play a role in the form of fengshui, a practice which focused on achieving harmony and balance in all things.
It was believed that as well as functioning as a physical block for one’s privacy, zhaobi would act as a deterrent against gui, or wandering dangerous spirits, which would attempt to harm a home, but being unable to turn corners, zhaobi would prevent such action. As well as offering this spiritual protection, their location would allow for better flow of qi, or important energy, helping to conserve it in the building.
Moving further forward in time, zhaobi became more of a form of artistic expression and creativity, with poetry, paintings and characters representing luck and good fortune appearing on the walls, with families using zhaobi as a platform to tell their family history and achievements.
1. Which of the following can replace the underlined word?| A．strength | B．fortune | C．entrance | D．protection |
| A．4 | B．5 | C．6 | D．7 |
| A．By following the time order. | B．By making a comparison |
| C．By showing examples. | D．By listing figures |
| A．The difference between zhaobi and yingbi. | B．The changes in the functions of zhaobi. |
| C．A general introduction of zhaobi. | D．The long history of zhaobi. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Road-traffic noise significantly slows the development of memory and attention skills in primary school children, research has found.
The study of almost 2,700 children aged between 7 and 10 in 38 schools in Barcelona, Spain, is the first to assess the influence of traffic noise on child cognitive development over time and to determine the influence of peaks in noise.
The children in the study are in a critical stage for the development of memory and attention skills, which are important to learning. The research found that children exposed(暴露)to about three times more traffic in the street than other pupils had memory development that was 23% slower and attention ability development 5% slower over a year.
Noise is the second most damaging environmental factor to health, after air pollution. It was already known that noise would increase heart attacks and diabetes in adults. The UN said in February that urban noise pollution was growing into a “global public health problem”, leading to 12,000 early deaths a year in the EU alone, and affecting many cities from Bangkok to New York.
But research on the impact of road noise on children was limited until now. The scientists said many schools suffered noise pollution and that measures such as rerouting(改道)traffic away from schools could help reduce noise and air pollution.
The research showed that peaks of noise heard inside the classroom, such as the passing of loud trucks or vehicles going faster away from traffic lights, had more impact than a higher average(平均的)level of noise. This may be because the peaks divert(转移)attention more, said Foraster.
Prof Iroise Dumontheil, at Birkbeck, University of London, UK, said, “This carefully designed study provides convincing evidence. Considering that many European children living in large cities are exposed to high road-traffic noise levels, this study has suggestions for public policy to reduce road-traffic noise near schools.”
1. What is special about the study?| A．The method of the study is advanced and scientific. |
| B．The subject of the study is from different countries. |
| C．The result of the study is unexpected and surpising. |
| D．The content of the study is about the effect of traffic noise on children. |
| A．The different forms of pollution. | B．The present situation of European cities. |
| C．The most damaging environmental factor. | D．The influence of noise on people’s health. |
| A．Related studies to find more convincing evidence. |
| B．Possible policies to reduce road-traffic noise near schools. |
| C．How to improve school conditions to protect children’s health. |
| D．Health conditions of many European children living in the countryside. |
| A．In a dairy. | B．In a textbook. |
| C．In a guide book. | D．In a science magazine. |
【推荐2】Is it bad to work out in cold weather?
Burn extra calories
In cold climates, your body needs to perform extra heat to keep your body warm. Brown fat is the type of body fat that helps control body temperature. When you’re outside in the cold, brown fat burns calories in order to increase body temperature.
Help increase willpower
Working out in the heat can cause you to become tired more easily, since it increases sweating and your heart rate more rapidly.
Exercising outside during the winter is thought to be one useful way to avoid a type of disorder or depression that tends to affect people during the dark winter months. Sunlight and exercise both have a positive impact on your mental (精神的) condition. They help give out more “feel good” chemicals, including serotonin and endorphins.
Help you sleep better
The combination of sunlight exposure (暴露) during the daytime, fresh air and physical activity can help you relax and sleep well at night.
Exercising in cold weather isn’t for everyone, though. If you have any health problems, it is advisable to talk with your health care provider first.
| A．Support heart health |
| B．Improve your mental health |
| C．It can make you take regular exercise |
| D．In this process it can likely help you to lose weight |
| E．Sunlight is important for controlling your sleep-wake cycle |
| F．As long as you take preventive measures, it is actually pretty beneficial |
| G．On the other hand, exercising in the cold can allow you to work out longer |
【推荐3】Even if you haven’t held a conversation with Siri or Alexa, you’ve likely encountered a chatbot online. They often appear in a chat window that pops up with a friendly greeting: Thank you for visiting our site.How can I help you today? Depending on the site, the chatbot is programmed to respond accordingly and even ask follow-up questions.
Chatbots are a form of conversational AI designed to simplify human interaction with computers. They are programmed to simulate human conversation and exhibit intelligent behavior that is equivalent to that of a human.
Chatbots communicate through speech or text. Both rely on artificial intelligence technologies like machine learning and natural language processing (NLP), which is a branch of artificial intelligence that teaches machines to read, analyze and interpret human language. This technology gives chatbots a baseline for understanding language structure and meaning. NLP, in essence, allows the computer to understand what you are asking and how to appropriately respond.
With developments in deep learning and reinforcement learning, chatbots can interpret more complexities in language and improve the dynamic nature of conversation between human and machine. Essentially, a chatbot tries to match what you’ve asked to an intent that it understands. The more a chatbot communicates with you, the more it understands and the more it learns to communicate like you and others with similar questions. Your positive responses reinforce its answers, and then it uses those answers again.
From customer service chatbots online to personal assistants in our homes,chatbots have started to enter our lives. In almost every industry, companies are using chatbots to help customers easily navigate their websites, answer simple questions and direct people to the relevant points of contact. Personal assistants like Siri and Alexa are designed to respond to a wide range of scenarios and queries, from current weather and news updates to personal calendars, music selections and random questions.
1. Why does the author mention Siri and Alexa in Paragraph 1?| A．To explain how a chatbot works. | B．To show where to find a chatbot. |
| C．To give examples of chatbots. | D．To compare different chatbots. |
| A．Language study. | B．Data transmission. |
| C．Social interaction. | D．Natural language processing. |
| A．Inspire. | B．Strengthen. | C．Organize. | D．Match. |
| A．The future trend of chatbots. | B．The author’s predictions. |
| C．The effects of chatbots. | D．The applications of chatbots. |
【推荐1】As you research music, you will find music that is familiar to you. You will find music which tells of interesting places and exciting things to do. You will find music which expresses feelings that are often your own.
Music is an expression of the people. As you research, you will find music of people at work and play. You will find music expressing love of the country, love of nature, and love of home.
Music is also an expression of the composer(作曲家). The composer expresses his own musical ideas. He studies the materials of music and discovers ways of using them. He looks for new kinds of musical expression.
Music can suggest actions and feelings which we all share. We can enjoy playing and singing music, dancing and listening to the music of the people and the composers of different times and places.
1. In the first paragraph, the author tells us to_______.| A．find entertainment (娱乐) in music |
| B．be friendly to music |
| C．express your feelings in music |
| D．discover the things and places in music |
| A．if we love music, we will love the country, nature and home |
| B．music sings of the country, nature and home |
| C．you may listen to music at work or at play |
| D．music can express how people live, work and think |
| A．you would study with them |
| B．you would share his feelings and ideas |
| C．you would express your own feelings |
| D．you help discover ways of using music and new kinds of musical expression |
【推荐2】Over 70 percent of the “double single-child couples” in China need help from their parents in taking care of their own kids, according to a recent survey.
Women of China magazine and a consulting company carried out a survey recently on young couples of the “single-child” generation, the Morning Post reports. The couples surveyed were around 29 and have been married for three years on average, with university education and monthly income of 4,000 yuan. Among them, 43.5 percent have kids.
Results show that 71.9 percent of the young couples have help from their parents in taking care of their kids.
Grown up as the “single-child”, the only child in a family since the family planning policy (政策) was adopted in 1979, this generation depends much on their parents.
The parents of the “single-child” generation focused more on their children’s physical well-being rather than their attitudes and values, according to some psychologists.
The research also found that the “double single-child couples” follow a rather traditional value system.
Survey shows that 27.5 percent of them got married after dating for one to two years, 25.2 percent two to five years, and 20 percent didn’t tie the knot until dating for five years. Also, 30 percent of the couples were schoolmates, while 43.8 percent were introduced by someone.
Since their marriage is based on enduring relationships, 65.2 percent of the husbands and 62.9 percent of the wives think that compromise and tolerance are necessary in their marriage. Meanwhile, 21.7 percent of the husbands and 37.1 percent of the wives support the idea that happiness is the key standard for a marriage.
1. The best title for the text should be ______.| A．The Problem of the Single Child |
| B．Single-child Family Planning Policy |
| C．Mom and Dad, Take Care of My Kid Please |
| D．A Recent Survey by Women of China |
| A．Most “double single-child couples” in China depend much on their parents. |
| B．Less than 40 percent of the wives think happiness is of significance in marriage. |
| C．43.5 percent of the double single-child couples surveyed have children. |
| D．The parents of the “single-child” generation care more about their education. |
| A．get tied | B．get married |
| C．have kids | D．have jobs |
【推荐3】In the 1970’s, people who managed ponds had a problem with plants and snails in the water. To control the pests, the managers brought four species of carp, a type of fish, from Asia. But some of the fish escaped into rivers and other waterways. Soon, there were lots of fish. And they became troublesome invasive species. These non-native fish can bully ecosystems, quickly taking over. Growing fast and big, they ate lots of the food on which the native fish would normally depend. Bighead carp are an invasive species in the United States. Binbin Wang is using a combination of computer modeling and field experiments to study how the eggs of these and other invasive carp could be transported in the Missouri River.
Today, the descendants (后代) of those carp remain a big problem. And as the fish spawn (产卵), their eggs have been drifting (漂流) far and wide. Anticipating where something will drift can be a challenge. But finding answers may handle the crisis.
At the University of Missouri in Columbia, civil and environmental engineer Binbin Wang is working to figure out where eggs of the invasive fish are spreading in the Missouri River. If science can get ahead of the problem, there’s hope that people may figure out how to stop it. But if science is too slow to answer this question, legions of carp eggs will grow into adults that out-compete their neighbors. Stopping their spread would help reduce the overall damage they cause.
Drifting may seem somewhat random, but scientists are doing researches to make useful predictions possible. Some of these drift detectives want to know if large icebergs threaten offshore oil platforms. Others hope to track the polluted air or water-and determine where they’re coming from. The work is challenging. It also can be very rewarding. Most importantly, their findings may point toward solutions for some important environmental threats.
1. The scientists track the drifting of carp eggs in order to ________ .| A．ensure the quality of their eggs | B．protect the native fish |
| C．stop them from polluting the water | D．make it easier to transport them |
| A．The carp’s spawning. | B．The direction of eggs’ drifting. |
| C．The extinction of the invasive fish. | D．The spread of the invasive fish. |
| A．Where carp eggs are drifting is still a barrier to the research. |
| B．Researches have already found ways to stop the drifting of eggs. |
| C．It’s easy to predict the direction of the drifting of invasive fish eggs. |
| D．Cleaning the polluted water is the best solutions to environmental treats. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Unclear. | C．Positive. | D．Doubtful. |
