Embroidery is an important art form in Chinese culture. People often embroider handkerchiefs, bed covers, tablecloths and dresses. Sichuan embroidery, also called Shu embroidery, is one of the most famous embroidery styles in China. It is famous for its delicate and bright colors and fine stitches (针脚).
The characteristics are greatly influenced by geographical environment, customs and cultures. Called the “Land of Abundance”, Sichuan Province is rich in grain production. The people of this area also enjoy a slow lifestyle. So when embroidering, they are usually patient and willing to spend time pursuing the form’s complexity and elegance. This could also be a reason why Sichuan embroidery was listed as a national-level intangible cultural heritage in 2006.
Making beautiful Sichuan embroidery products is never easy. It requires superb workmanship. Meng Dezhi was born to a family of embroiderers. She was one of the most talented employees in the Chengdu Shu Embroidery Factory. Even so, the long and repetitive nature of the process often challenges her. And in winter, when her hands and feet are freezing, things become more difficult. But her love for the work has encouraged Meng to continue. Even for an experienced master like Meng, finishing a piece requires several days or even a few months.
“These experiences may sometimes discourage me, but the love for Sichuan embroidery always gives me motivation to continue,” said Meng. Meng has also popularized the culture of Sichuan embroidery when the tradition was at risk of declining. Because many cheap products are made by modern machines, the factory Meng worked in was forced to close in 2005. To make a living, Meng rented a small space to teach Sichuan embroidery skills to the kids and young people.
“In the early days, I set up the company just for survival, but now I really feel that I have the responsibility to pass on Sichuan embroidery skills to young people. It is like sowing seeds — who knows which of them will become an inheritor (继承人) or guardian of our culture in the future?” she told China Daily.
1. What makes Meng Dezhi stick to embroidering?2. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
| A．Art Made with Modern Machines | B．The History of Sichuan Embroidery |
| C．Passing on Sichuan Embroidery | D．A Talented Sichuan Embroidery Employee |
Sichuan embroidery
Paras, 1-2
Paras. 3-5
Though faced with many dificulties,
相似题推荐
“When a guest comes to my home from afar on a cold night, I light bamboo to boil tea to offer him.” — Ancient Chinese poem.
China is the home country of tea. Before the Tang Dynasty, Chinese tea was exported by land and sea, first to Japan and Korea, then to India and Central Asia and, in the Ming and Qing dynasties, to the Arabian Peninsula. In the early period of the 17th century, Chinese tea was exported to Europe, where the upper class adopted the fashion of drinking tea. Chinese tea—like Chinese silk and china—has become synonymous worldwide with refined culture. At the heart of the art of tea—the study and practice of tea in all its aspects—is the simple gesture of offering a cup of tea to a guest that for Chinese people today is a fundamental social custom, as it has been for centuries. China traces the development of tea as an art form to Lu Yu, known as “the Saint of Tea” in Chinese history, who lived during the Tang Dynasty and who wrote The Book of Tea, the first ever treatise on tea and tea culture. The spirit of tea permeates Chinese culture, and throughout the country there are many kinds of teas, teahouses, tea legends, tea artifacts and tea customs. Better-known places to enjoy a good cup of tea in China include Beijing noted for its variety of teahouses; Fujian and Guangdong provinces and other places in the southeast of China that serve gongfu tea, a formal serving of tea in tiny cups; the West Lake in Hangzhou, also the home of the Tea Connoisseurs Association, noted for its excellent green tea; and provinces in southwest China like Yunnan where the ethnic groups less affected by foreign cultures keep tea ceremonies and customs in original tea-growing areas. (307 words)
1. How was Chinese tea exported to foreign countries before the Tang Dynasty?2. How much do you know about gongfu tea? Please share your knowledge about gongfu tea with your partner.
【推荐2】The old Chinese saying "as happy as spending the New Year" might be outdated now in the busy modern world. The Spring Festival is regarded as the most important festival for Chinese people and an occasion for all family members to get together, like Christmas in the West. But many traditional customs accompanying the Spring Festival, however, have weakened in practice.
Setting off fireworks was once the most typical custom of the Spring Festival. People thought the sputtering(爆裂) sound could help drive away evil spirits. However, the activity has been completely or partially forbidden in big cities for years as the government has taken security, noise and pollution factors into consideration.
"In recent years, some cities have begun to allow people to light fireworks during limited hours at the Spring Festival, surrendering to(屈从于) public demand. Respecting folk traditions is a gesture of respect toward public opinion," said Zhou Xing, a folklore researcher.
"As people gain more income and it becomes easier to buy daily goods, the New Year holiday is just like any other. After long workdays, many people use the New Year holiday to take a rest, rather than visiting friends and neighbors. The process of making and enjoying the family dinner on Spring Festival Eve is the most important thing. However, many families would like to eat out to save time and energy," said Li Shunzhi, a resident of Harbin, Heilongjiang.
"I enjoy the holidays very much in the countryside. My family has been preparing for the Spring Festival more than two weeks before the holiday, cleaning the house, buying holiday goods and decorating the house with paper cuttings. On New Year’s Eve, the whole family stays up to see the New Year in, and in the days to follow, a series of activities such as lion dancing, dragon lantern dancing, lantern festivals and temple fairs will be held. Without the ancient traditions, the holiday is nothing to us," said Zhang Hui, from Hebei.
1. Which of the following is WRONG according to the passage?| A．Setting off fireworks has been forbidden in some big cities for years. |
| B．Nowadays, people can light fireworks in some cities at the Spring Festival. |
| C．People believe that the sound of fireworks can drive away evil spirits. |
| D．In the past, setting off fireworks couldn’t be seen almost anywhere. |
| A．what people do during the festival now is different from the past |
| B．people would like to have the family dinner on Spring Festival Eve |
| C．people prefer to visit friends and neighbors rather than take a rest |
| D．the New Year holiday is just like any other day |
| A．Zhang Hui often spends two weeks preparing for the Spring Festival. |
| B．Zhang Hui is used to spending the Spring Festival with his family. |
| C．Zhang Hui always takes part in a series of activities after the Spring Festival. |
| D．Zhang Hui lives in the urban area. |
| A．The Spring Festival is as lively as before. |
| B．The Spring Festival is outdated now. |
| C．The Spring Festival is losing its qualities. |
| D．The Spring Festival in China is more important than Christmas in the West. |
Subject: Autumn! Date: 29 /09 8: 02 PM
Hello, Jenny!
I love autumn! Mid-autumn Festival is this week． We will watch the moon tonight, and look for Chang’e and Wu Gang． My mother bought moon cakes, and I have eaten many of them!
National Day is also in the autumn, on October 1． My mother and father will not have to work for three days! We will do many things together, I like going to the National Day celebration（庆祝）．
The best thing in autumn is my birthday; I will be fifteen years old．
Good-bye!
Li Ming
To: Li-Ming@ yahoo．com From: Jenny@ comp mail．ca
Subject: Thanksgiving Date: 29/09 9:12 PM
Dear Li Ming,
Thank you for your e-mail! I love autumn, too． In Canada, we have an autumn holiday called Thanksgiving． Families always celebrate Thanksgiving together． I will go to my grandmother and grandfather’s house． My uncles, aunts and their children will be there, too．
Canadian Thanksgiving is in early October． In the U．S．, they celebrate Thanks-giving in late November．
Have a good time on your birthday, Li Ming! On my birthday, I have a cake with candles． Everyone sings ‘Happy Birthday’． Then I blow out the candles! Will you have cake on your birthday? Your friend ,
Jenny
1. Americans celebrate Thanksgiving __ later than Canadians．| A．one month | B．less than two months | C．two months | D．more than two months |
| A．Eat cakes． | B．Stay together． | C．Watch the moon． | D．Sing the song． |
| A．Pens． | B．Paper． | C．Computers． | D．Telephones． |
【推荐1】BEIJING, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) — The following is a summary of published science and technology news of China:
SHENZHOU-17 SPACE FLIGHT
China on Thursday launched the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship, and the three astronauts aboard will be sent to stay in orbit (轨道) for about six months on a space station mission.
The spaceship, atop (在……顶上) a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off (发射升空) at 11:14 a.m. Thursday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, according to the China Manned Space Agency .
AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Over 500 experts and scholars from China and abroad came together at the 7th Global Forum of Leaders for Agricultural Science and Technology (GLAST-2023) and its side events to exchange ideas on promoting sustainable (可持续的) agricultural development through technological innovation.
The two-day forum, which began on Thursday in Sanya, south China’s Hainan Province, was themed “science and technology leading the transformation of global agri-food system.”
INTERNATIONAL LUNAR RESEARCH STATION
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has signed cooperation documents with the space agencies of Pakistan and Belarus respectively for joint (共同的) work on the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) program.
The new cooperation effort marks the start of participation by Pakistan and Belarus in the ILRS program, said the CNSA. The program was initiated (发起) by China, with an invitation extended to organizations and scientists around the world to participate.
1. Where was Shenzhou-17 blasted off from?| A．Beijing | B．Sanya | C．Pakistan | D．Jiuquan |
| A．Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship was launched on Tuesday. |
| B．GLAST-2023 finished on Thursday. |
| C．GLAST-2023 was held in Sanya. |
| D．There are two countries in the ILRS program. |
| A．News report | B．Argumentation | C．Exposition | D．Biography |
【推荐2】A food delivery man defeated a master from Peking University and won China Central Television's poetry contest on April 4. Lei Haiwei kept calm during the final of the Third Season of CCTVs Chinese Poetry Competition on Wednesday night, becoming the champion after defeating Peng Min, a master of literature from China's top university.
Lei, 37, from Shaoyang, Hunan Province, is now working as a food delivery man in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. His interest in poetry was inspired by his father, who would write poems down, stick them on the wall of the kitchen and teach him to read them from a young age.
Lei missed the opportunity of going to university due to frequent school transfers when he was growing up. But that didn't diminish his passion for poetry. Since he was too poor to buy books, Lei would memorize poems in bookstores and write them out when he returned home. He used this unique method to accumulate more than 1,000 poems.
Though Lei came to Hangzhou city in 2008 and works as a fast food courier, his love for poems hasn't faded. On his busiest work days,the courier has to deliver more than 50 orders a day. Even so, he seized any available moment to recite poems. "For example, I am used to reciting poems when I wait for food at restaurants,and traffic lights on my way to deliver food. Reciting poems not only enriches my knowledge, but also makes my job less boring," the courier said.
Last November, Lei went to Beijing and began recording the TV show after standing out from more than 70,000 people who signed up for the competition. After winning, Lei returned to Hangzhou and continues his delivery work and the memorizing of poems.
Lei's outstanding performance during the final, and his inspirational story, have amazed Chinese audiences.
"His love of learning is so pure,it moved me to tears,” one netizen said. "It always amazes me how some people simply hunger for knowledge, ” another shared.
1. Why didn't Lei Haiwei have the chance to go to college?| A．He often changed school. | B．He was fascinated with poems. |
| C．He was too busy to study. | D．His family was very poor. |
| A．inspire | B．increase |
| C．reduce | D．encourage |
| A．Lei's work is delivering food for others. |
| B．Lei's daily life is highly stressed at present. |
| C．Reciting poems improves his knowledge. |
| D．Lei uses any available time to recite poems. |
| A．Interesting. | B．Inspiring. |
| C．Fascinating. | D．Shocking. |
【推荐3】With the click of a button, Amanda Eshelman, a 13-year- old girl with hearing loss, regained the ability to hear the world around her.
"Hi, baby, " her mom, who seated herself next to her at St.Louis Children’s Hospital, said before they both burst into tears.
Amanda has been deaf in her left ear from a young age and has been progressively losing hearing in her right ear since she started middle school two years ago.A hearing aid helped her for a while, but it slowly became less and less effective.
A specialist in St.Louis Children's Hospital thought a cochlear implant could improve her hearing—but there was no guarantee.Her parents allowed Amanda to decide for herself.She wanted to go for it.
"They said she hadn’t heard on this side for at least 10 years； we didn't know if it would work, and if her brain would be able to recognize these signals," Amanda’s mom, Betsy Eshelman, told Today.“So we tried not to get our hope up as we walked in.”
In mid-November, Amanda had the surgery and two weeks later, the system was turned on.When the sounds returned，Amanda covered her mouth with her hands in astonishment and then shed tears of joy.
“I like it, ” Amanda said in the video.“It’s a lot better than I thought it was going to be.”
Amanda noted the whirr of the fan system and the buzz of the lights overhead.“I didn’t know the lights make noise.”she said.
Now, Amanda is able to hear all sorts of sounds she has been missing out for years—especially at home.
"It's been great，" Betsy said."She made the comment that she didn’t realize how loud we all were! She didn’t realize how quiet her world had become.”
1. What is the correct order for the events in the story about Amanda?①Amanda received a cochlear implant.
②Amanda lost hearing in her right ear.
③Amanda lost hearing in her left ear.
④Amanda regained her hearing.
⑤Amanda started middle school.
| A．③②⑤①④ | B．③⑤②①④ |
| C．⑤③②①④ | D．⑤①③②④ |
| A．Amanda wouldn't like the cochlear implant |
| B．a cochlear implant wouldn’t help |
| C．a cochlear implant would reduce hearing |
| D．they couldn't afford a cochlear implant |
| A．nervous | B．disappointed |
| C．surprised | D．delighted |
| A．a cochlear implant surgery |
| B．an achievement for deaf people |
| C．a girl who regained her hearing |
| D．how to improve hearing |
