The meticulousness (一丝不苟) that drives the craftsman’s spirit, has made the arts of Japan famous worldwide. But how may this traditional spirit of perfectionism, or kodawari, have wide-ranging influences on everyday life in modern Japan?
Nagasawa Rosetsu was an ancient artist who produced Five Hundred Arhats. He drew the 500 chief followers of the Buddha in a work that measures just 3cm square, roughly the size of a postage stamp. You’ll need to take out the magnifying glass (放大镜) for this one!
Back to modern-day Japan, the most well-known modern Japanese artist is Yayoi Kusama. One of her most representative works is her large-scale spotted pumpkin sculptures. Kusama has also produced many hand-painted works with a level of detail that must have taken weeks, if not months, to complete. Having suffered from a disorder for many decades, Kusama applies herself to painting detailed patterns as a kind of treatment; the repetition involved in creating the work allows her to keep control of her mind.
When did kodawari, this Japanese’s seeking of perfection and devotion to detail begin? I suppose it was even as far back as the Heian period, which began over one thousand years ago. In her The Pillow Book, the court lady Sei Shönagon took it upon herself to write lists of objects and situations that she found to be beautiful due to their perfection.
Today there are still many examples of this single-minded devotion to one’s work in Japan. You can find shops that only produce a single product, whether it be pickled vegetables, tofu, or Mochi sweets. It’s often said that at the best sushi restaurants, apprentice (学徒) chefs will often be tasked for many years with washing and cooking the rice and perfecting this skill before they are even allowed to pick up a knife to begin slicing fish.
This single-minded devotion to one’s craft, whether it be in the field of fine art and handicrafts, or at a local sushi restaurant, is surely one of the defining characteristics of Japanese culture today.
1. What can we learn about Five Hundred Arhats?| A．It could reflect the artist’s artistic habits. | B．It may need great craft skills to finish it. |
| C．It was drawn on a small stamp. | D．It was made with fine details. |
| A．To treat her illness in a peaceful way. | B．To make full use of her talent for art. |
| C．To live a full life in her spare time. | D．To get instant fame as an artist. |
| A．The uniqueness of Japanese food. | B．The most successful industry in Japan. |
| C．The exact demands for apprentice chefs. | D．The popularity of craftsman spirit in Japan. |
| A．Who are Japan’s famous artists with craftsman spirit? |
| B．Craftsman spirit: a key part of Japanese culture |
| C．Japan’s food industry: the past and the present |
| D．How are Japan’s art works produced? |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】During the cold winter days, there are some interesting festivals in the world. Look at the following ones.
Harbin Ice and Snow Festival
Place: China
Time: January 5 to February 5
People build incredible things out of ice and snow, decorating them with lights.
The Carnival of Venice
Place: Italy
Time: between February and March
One of the most beautiful festivals in the world, people wear masks and elaborate costumes to hide differences among classes, and there are contests for the best costumes.
Holi Festival
Place: India
Time: late February/ March, on the last full moon day
Hindus and Sikhs, in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka celebrate the main day of this incredibly fun 16-day festival by throwing colored powder and water at each other.
Sundance Film Festival
Place: Utah, the US
Time: end of February
The largest independent film festival in the US. Watch both feature films and shorts. You need to buy a ticket.
1. Which country will you go if you life watching movies?| A．America | B．China |
| C．India | D．Italy |
| A．Sundance Film Festival. | B．The Carnival of Venice. |
| C．Holi Festival. | D．Harbin Ice and Snow Festival. |
| A．In early January | B．In late February |
| C．In early March | D．In late January |
【推荐2】We Brits love the idea of a real Christmas tree—but not so many of us like the realities of dragging a 7ft Norway Spruce through the house and leaving needles all over the place.
If you count yourself among the reluctant group，then it may be time to go fake (假的）.After all, buying an artificial Christmas tree needn't mean accepting defeat. There is a huge range of options and sizes, including pre-lit trees, which will save you the frustration of trying to string your own lights.
Another big bonus of choosing an artificial Christmas tree is cost ： artificial trees can last for decades, so they work out cheaper than paying for a real tree every year. Like now retailers (零售商）are offering great deals at the moment： at Tesco, there J s 25 percent off artificial Christmas trees. Meanwhile, you can take advantage of the current 3 for 2 offer at Argos to fill your house with not one, not two, but three. You may perhaps partner up with friends who are also looking to invest.
Of course, keep your tree for years and years and it will start to pay you back in terms of carbon footprint; however，a “real” one will always have to be transported，used and dealt with every year.
Are there any downsides? Yes. You might think you, re saving the planet, but a fake tree is actually not an environmentally friendly option. Most are made in factories in Asia, resulting in some serious air miles to reach the UK. They’ re made from metal and plastic，and many end their lives in landfill.
Another problem with a fake tree is that they don' t look very natural—and of course you won ’ t get that lovely pine smell either. You ’ ll also need to find space for storage.
1. What does the underlined word “reluctant” in paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Passive. | B．Related. |
| C．Unwilling. | D．Supportive. |
| A．Abundant choices. | B．The lovely pine smell. |
| C．Cheaper than a real one. | D．Free for transportation. |
| A．Fake Christmas trees are environmentally friendly. |
| B．British people like to drag a real Christmas tree home. |
| C．People need to find space to store a fake Christmas tree. |
| D．People may get 3 more if they buy two fake Christmas trees. |
| A．Different reasons for choosing fake Christmas trees. |
| B．Valuable suggestions on choosing fake Christmas trees. |
| C．Efficient ways of saving money on choosing Christmas trees. |
| D．Advantages and disadvantages of choosing fake Christmas trees. |
【推荐3】The Mysteries of The Maya
Extending south from parts known as Mexico into Central America,
The fact that Maya society was technologically primitive makes its achievements all the more incredible and mysterious.
Why Maya civilization collapsed remains a mystery. A deadly disease? Conflicts between cities?
Whatever the reasons, Maya civilization largely disappeared within the deep jungle. Its once-great cities fell into ruin, leaving various mysteries for later people to solve.
| A．The Maya civilization leaves us thinking about the past, present and future. |
| B．But the greatest mystery is what caused the Maya to abandon most of their great cities. |
| C．The complicated writing system of the Maya hasn’t been interpreted completely by now. |
| D．Research also suggests those natural disasters may have led to the decline of the Maya. |
| E．Maya Civilization has been surrounded by mystery since its rediscovery. |
| F．Some research indicates that the Maya people themselves may have played a part in their downfall. |
| G．The Maya's understanding of mathematics and astronomy was also quite amazing. |
【推荐1】Smart entertainment is changing how we engage with leisure. By combining cutting-edge technologies like Artificial Intelligence (Al), augmented reality, and the internet of things with traditional forms of entertainment, this inn ovation is enhancing users’ experiences.
In 2023, Huawei introduced its Vision Smart TV3, transforming your home into your own amusement park. This innovative technology features groundbreaking AI super-sensing cameras and AI vision chips powered by deep learning and big data. These advanced components see and study your movements, enabling you to control characters through your body gestures. Social media is busy with users sharing their experiences of playing motion-sensing games, which require real-life movements like jumping and squatting instead of simply holding a controller.
The Vision Smart TV is not only cutting-edge but also family-friendly. Turning on the kids mode allows the screen to monitor real-time data, offering suggestions for adjusting a child’s viewing distance and posture. This provides a safe and comfortable entertainment experience for the younger audience. TorieZ, a Huawei Vision Smart TV3 owner and a mother of a 3-year-old daughter, shared her experience on Xiaohongshu. “Thanks to the smart screen, my child maintains good posture without constant supervision because her favorite cartoons stop if she slouches(懒洋洋地坐),” she said. When she’s free, TorieZ and her husband enjoy exercising together under the instructions of the TV.
We cannot only play video games merely on the screens; now, with smart entertainment, you can get an immersive experience of Mario Kart, a racing video game, put right into your living room. While playing the game, players can control their karts running in their living rooms. Each kart has an onboard camera on it. The camera can record the layout of where they are and upload it to the Nintendo system. After processing it, some settings, like jungles and snowy landscapes, are created based on the layout and shown on the Switch screen. So, things in your living room, like the sofa and table, your feet or even your cat, can be a part of your game.
Step outside and you can also enjoy smart entertainment experiences. Shanghai Disney Resort uses big data analysis to offer personalized services. In the US and South America, VR World, the largest VR club, gives users super real gaming and travel adventures.
Looking forward, cutting-edge technologies will continue to change how we spend our leisure time.
1. How does Huawei’s Vision Smart TV3 improve user interaction in gaming experiences?| A．Through touch-activated screens. |
| B．Through voice-activated commands. |
| C．Through thought-based gaming controls. |
| D．Through immediate responses to motion gestures. |
| A．By making a comparison. | B．By presenting a reason. |
| C．By giving an example. | D．By clarifying a definition. |
| A．The settings are fixed and can’t be changed. |
| B．Physical objects in the room can become part of the game. |
| C．Players wear VR headsets for a more engaging experience. |
| D．Players interact with AI characters in the game. |
| A．Having fun in new ways | B．How to spend our leisure time |
| C．Cutting-edge technologies | D．Innovative video games |
GALAXIES (星系) OF THE UNIVERSE |
The Milky Way is only one galaxy among a few hundred million galaxies in our universe (each with hundreds of billions of stars). Galaxies are huge groupings of stars, planets, gas and dust. Our sun is in the Milky Way, which measures about 100,000 light years across. That long thin milky bright shape across the middle of the night sky consists of about hundreds of billions of stars in our galaxy. Our galaxy is a spiral (螺旋式的) one, but there are other types. |
 SPIRAL GALAXIES: There are galaxies that have spiral arms that appear from the center. Our solar system is located on one of the arms of the Milky Way. Our galaxy has a huge black hole at its center that billions of stars circled around. |
 ELLIPICAL GALAXIES: There are galaxies shaped like a huge egg. The stars in these galaxies tend to be very ancient. Furthermore, the old stars in elliptical galaxies tend to be yellow and reddish, which based on our understanding of the star evolution, means they are smaller, darker stars. |
 IRREGULAR GALAXIES: There are many other shapes of galaxies that aren’t spiral or elliptical. They all fit into the irregular category. They are smaller than spiral galaxies. Like the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, they have rather unusual-looking shapes. |
1. What can we learn about the Milky Way?
| A．There are only stars inside it. | B．It’s the biggest spiral galaxy in the universe. |
| C．There is a black hole at its center. | D．It takes 100,000 years to get there from Earth. |
| A．Distance from the sun. | B．Size. | C．The number of stars. | D．Shape. |
| A．The Whale Galaxy — shaped like a whale and similar to the Milky Way in size. |
| B．The Cigar Galaxy — a long and narrow galaxy that looks like an ashy cloud. |
| C．Cynus A (3C 405) — the brightest egg shape we can observe. |
| D．The Sunflower Galaxy — a galaxy with multiple arms spreading from its bright heart. |
【推荐3】Have you ever noticed that the stars sometimes appear brighter in December, January and February? There’s a link between cold air and the night lights. “Part of it is that it tends to be drier in the winter,” said Diane Tumshek, an astronomer at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Even though it’s invisible, moisture (湿度) can change the way light moves through the air. And in the summer, moisture can make stars appear more dull.
Air temperature is also what puts the twinkle twinkle in the little stars. “Even on very clear nights, some of the atmosphere is cooler, and some of the atmosphere is warmer,” said Tumshek, who also works with the Allegheny Observatory. And when the light from a star passes through those bubbles of varying temperatures, “it bends and shifts the light, so that we are seeing stars appear to dance or twinkle,” she said.
For star lovers in the United States, there’s another factor that comes into play for bright winter stars, although this is a matter of coincidence (巧合). During Earth’s journey around the sun, “there are just simply more bright stars visible from the Northern Hemisphere in the winter sky,” Tumshek said. If you really want to see a shiny star, just try to find a burning ball of gas called Sirius near the horizon (地平线). At 8.6 light-years away, Sirius is relatively close to Earth and the brightest star visible in the night sky. It is also large — nearly twice as big as our sun and 20 times as bright. So this winter, when the world turns cold and it seems like we should be spending more time indoors, consider asking an adult to go exploring outside. With a warm coat and a clear sky, any night can be turned into a treasure hunt. All you have to do is look up.
1. What does the underlined word “dull” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Not exciting. | B．Not shiny. | C．Not serious. | D．Not smart. |
| A．By making the stars dance and twinkle in the sky. |
| B．By putting the twinkle twinkle in them. |
| C．By varying the direction of the light from them. |
| D．By changing the bubbles around them. |
| A．It is 20 times as bright as the sun. |
| B．It can be found at any night. |
| C．It is a burning and shiny ball. |
| D．It is closer to Earth than other stars. |
| A．To suggest stargazing in winter. |
| B．To call on people to focus on stars. |
| C．To present new research results about stars. |
| D．To explain why stars are more visible in winter. |
