Ever since its completion in 1962, the China National Museum of Fine Art has been the largest and most well-respected gallery of fine art in China. The museum was one of ten key projects that were completed within the first ten years after the establishment of the People’s Republic of China.
The National Museum today lies on grounds covering 30,000 square metres; the buildings themselves cover over 17,000 square metres of that space. The exhibition halls account for more than one third of the buildings’ area, covering about 6,000 square metres. The museum was built in the style of ancient pavilions, with beautiful corridors and buildings decorated by yellow glazed tiles.
The museum is dedicated to the collection, preservation and display of both modern and contemporary works of art, as well as to art research. It is currently home to a collection of more than 60, 000 works of art, both those on display for public viewing and those in carefully preserved archives. The museum’s archives contain not only works of art but also historical documents. The museum frequently compiles and publishes albums drawn from its vast collections. In addition to its main functions, the museum is also involved in the organization of art exhibitions and academic exchanges, both nationally and abroad.
1. What does the museum focus on?| A．Exhibition, pavilions and Research | B．Corridors, Collection and Research |
| C．Exhibition, Collection and projects | D．Exhibition, Collection and Research |
| A．Common areas | B．Private stores |
| C．Hidden documents | D．Sold books |
| A．It is mostly concerned with preserving traditional Chinese culture |
| B．It plays a key role in the preservation and heritage of Chinese culture |
| C．It promotes cultural communication between China and other countries |
| D．It attracts many people who love Chinese art from home and abroad |
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【推荐1】Vegemite (维吉米特黑酱) has been produced in Port Melbourne since the 1920s, with the former Kraft factory recently given heritage protection. The National Trust wanted the Vegemite smell that came from the factory to be included in a “statement of significance” on the site. “The smell is an excellent example of intangible (非物质的) cultural heritage and allows the purpose of the building to be understood.”
However, the City of Melbourne council stopped short of declaring the Vegemite smell “significant”. This is in an effort to ensure no “future development of Fishermans Bend” is put in danger, said the mayor. The historic Fishermans Bend district is being transformed in a project that will see the area house up to 80,000 residents and host tens of thousands of jobs.
He acknowledged the “attachment many people have towards the special smell of the beloved spread (酱)” that comes from the Fishermans Bend factory, but said the council sought to avoid tying “a smell to the ongoing use of the land”. “Vegemite might be the spread that starts the nation, but it shouldn't be the smell that stops the future development of Fishermans Bend.” But he said the smell would be recorded as a “recognised part of the site's history” in the City of Melbourne's heritage study.
“We see this as an appropriate outcome. We are pleased the smell will still be recognised,” said Felicity Watson, head of advocacy at the National Trust. “Our campaign for the smell to be recognised is about acknowledging that the significance of this place goes beyond the bricks of the factory building.”
The idea of recognising smells as having heritage significance was unusual, Ms Watson conceded, and it was the first time the Trust had proposed it in relation to a heritage place.
Internationally, however, the importance of intangible aspects of cultural heritage such as smell is being recognised through the emerging field of “olfactory (嗅觉的) heritage”. Ms Watson said that in recent years countries such as Japan and France had acted to protect areas of “fragrant scenery” and certain sounds and smells of the countryside.
1. Why did the council turn down the National Trust's request?| A．Vegemite has not received official recognition as a heritage. |
| B．The Vegemite smell makes some people feel uncomfortable. |
| C．The former Kraft factory would not produce Vegemite any more. |
| D．They want to secure the future development of Fishermans Bend. |
| A．Puzzled. | B．Disappointed. | C．Reserved. | D．Satisfied. |
| A．Complained. | B．Predicted. | C．Admitted. | D．Recommended. |
| A．Vegemite smell is recognised for its heritage value |
| B．Emerging fields of intangible cultural heritage |
| C．Vegemite's popularity in Fishermans Bend |
| D．The former Kraft factory is transformed |
【推荐2】Singapore's tradition of eating out in places called hawker centers has been recognized by the United Nations for its cultural importance.
A hawker is a person who sells food or goods and advertises by shouting at people walking by on the street. Hawkers are an important part of Singaporean culture. Open-air eating areas where hawkers sell their goods are very popular in Singapore. "These centers serve as 'community dining rooms' where people from diverse backgrounds gather and share the experience of dining over breakfast, lunch and dinner." UNESCO said. Famous chefs like Anthony Bourdain and Gordon Ramsay have praised them. And they appear in popular films like Crazy Rich Asians. The 2018 film showed its stars enjoying meals at a famous night market. Some sellers even received Michelin stars from a famous restaurant rating system for their meals costing only a few dollars.
The United Nations' cultural agency, UNESCO, added the city's hawker culture to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity due to its unique culture. Singapore was eager to have hawker culture added to the list. Now that it has been recognized, Singapore must provide a report every six years to UNESCO. The report must show efforts the city-state has made to save and support its hawker culture.
In the 1970s, Singapore cleaned up its streets so the city moved street hawkers to new eating centers. These areas were part of an effort to improve the island. Now, the centers offer many different low-cost meals for local people and provide a pleasing social setting.
But Singapore's hawker culture does face some problems. The average age of a hawker in Singapore is 60 years old. Younger Singaporeans now want to work in offices. They are less interested in working in small restaurants. The COVID-19 health crisis also hurts sales, preventing foreign visitors from eating out. During the first few months of this year, restrictions on movement and social distancing also stopped locals.
1. What can we know about hawker culture?| A．The hawkers live a poor life in Singapore. |
| B．It is a traditional way of eating out in Singapore. |
| C．Hawkers can only sell food or goods on the street. |
| D．It became famous because of the film Crazy Rich Asians. |
| A．Their meals were tasty and cheap. |
| B．Their restaurant was very famous. |
| C．Their meals were enjoyed by film stars. |
| D．Their food appeared at a famous as night market. |
| A．Hawker culture is important and unique. |
| B．Singapore's hawker culture is facing difficulties. |
| C．The city-state wants to save and support its hawker culture. |
| D．Singapore was eager to have hawker culture added to the list. |
| A．The history of hawker culture. |
| B．The future of hawker culture. |
| C．The crisis of hawker culture. |
| D．The development of hawker culture. |
【推荐3】In 1962, London Bridge was falling down. Built in 1831, the bridge couldn’t handle the ever-increasing flow of traffic across the Thames River. The British government decided to put the bridge up for sale, and Robert McCulloch, founder of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, submitted the winning bid of $ 2,460,000.
The bridge was taken down, and each stone was numbered. Everything was shipped 10, 000 miles to Long Beach, California, and then trucked to Lake Havasu City. Reconstruction began on September 23, 1968, with a ceremony including the Lord Mayor of London, who laid the cornerstone. On October 10, 1971, the bridge was rebuilt.
To reach the bridge from I-40, we recommend going south on Arizona Highway 95, then turn left (east) on Mesquite Avenue. Turn right on Lake Havasu Avenue N. and then right again on McCulloch Boulevard N. to drive over the bridge.
Just after turning onto McCulloch Boulevard N., you’ll cross over Arizona Highway 95. Before you reach the actual London Bridge, it’s best to turn left into the small parking lot near London Bridge Resort. It’s an easy walk along the lower edge of the bridge to the promenade (散步) for photos.
Once you walk west under the bridge, you’ll see a walkway which leads up to the London Bridge visitors’ center where there are some historical photos and other information about the bridge and other attractions and places of interest within about a 100-mile radius (半径)of Lake Havasu City.
Lake Havasu City, which got its start as an Army Air Corps rest camp during World War II, now has over 1,000 businesses, two newspapers and a college. Remember that the next time a man comes up to you and offers to sell you a used bridge!
1. The reason why London Bridge was falling down is that ________.| A．the ships going under the bridge affected it greatly |
| B．its usage life was up to limit |
| C．the bridge could hardly support so many cars and trucks |
| D．the flow of the water in the Thames River did harm to it |
| A．east | B．west |
| C．south | D．north |
| A．it is common for people to sell a used bridge |
| B．the author has some sense of humor |
| C．the author warns you not to buy a used bridge |
| D．a bridge bought can be used as a place of interest |
【推荐1】It is a scene by now observed by countless parents, from Tokyo to Paris and beyond. In a classroom or on a stage, a small army of very young children are playing the violin with great calmness and surprising musical skill. “Little geniuses!” the observers comment admiringly.
Shinichi Suzuki, born in 1898 in Japan, was the man who made the mini-masters. He opened countless Suzuki studios around the world, teaching music to very young children. His approach to teaching was inspired by the “mother tongue” model. Kids start to speak by listening to grownups talking, and, in the same way, they can learn music by getting exposed to a lot of music. Suzuki’s success had him convinced that playing the violin was not, as the Europeans still insisted, an inborn gift of the great players. Rather, it was a specific, learnable skill.
There was a built-in ambiguity (含混不清) in Suzuki’s approach. On the one hand, he didn’t think that musical prodigies were a special class of children, with some special inborn gift. On the other hand, he believed that kids learned music not by drill and repetition but by exposure. All you had to do was expose them early to the right input. This ambiguity proved fruitful as a public-relations tool — he could point to this or that prodigy who had been trained by his method as proof that it worked. But he could also insist, in the face of all the kids who would never play at the concert-hall level, that the point was not to make a prodigy but to allow the power of music to expand their emotions. No bad result was possible.
Most linguists and psychologists these days tend to think that the direct connection Suzuki saw between learning language and learning music is not much more than an appealing metaphor (暗喻). We are all Mozarts in our native languages — fluent, endlessly inventive, able to produce new sentences effortlessly — but, Mozart aside, even the most hardworking of music students progress on and off. Yet it’s hard to quarrel with Suzuki’s practical idea that small children are surprisingly capable of learning difficult things if they’re motivated by their own curiosity and someone else’s enthusiasm.
1. What is the purpose of describing the young violin players in Paragraph 1?| A．To show how well children can play. |
| B．To show how surprised the parents are. |
| C．To show the success of Suzuki’s teaching. |
| D．To show the importance of learning the violin. |
| A．By organizing them to perform on stage. |
| B．By getting them listening to violin pieces. |
| C．By developing their inborn musical talent. |
| D．By making them practise playing repeatedly. |
| A．Uncaring. |
| B．Neutral. |
| C．Positive. |
| D．Critical. |
| A．Most linguists agree with Suzuki. |
| B．Kids cannot all learn the violin well. |
| C．Learning music is similar to learning language. |
| D．Kids can become music masters by working hard. |
【推荐2】Please take a few seconds and think of your personal biggest goal. Imagine telling someone you meet today what you’re going to do. Imagine their congratulations and their high image of you. Doesn't it feel good to say it out loud? Don’t you feel one step closer already? Well, bad news: you should have kept your mouth shut, because that good feeling will make you less likely to do it.
Any time you have a goal, there is some work that needs to be done to achieve it. Ideally, you would not be satisfied until you’d actually done the work. But when you tell someone your goal and he acknowledges it, psychologists have found it's called a "social reality". The mind is kind of tricked into a feeling that it's already done. And then. because you’ve felt that satisfaction. you’re less motivated to do the actual and necessary hard work. This goes against the traditional wisdom that we should tell our friends our goals, right?
In 1982, Peter Gollwitzer, a professor of psychology, wrote a whole book about this. And in 2009, he did some new tests, which were published. It goes like this: 163 people across four separate tests—everyone wrote down their personal goal. Then half of them announced their commitment to this goal to the room, and half didn't. Then everyone was given 45 minutes of work that would directly lead them towards their goal, but they were told that they could stop at any time. Finally, those who kept their mouths shut worked the entire 45 minutes on average, and when asked afterwards, said they felt they had a long way to go to achieve their goal. But those who had announced it quit after only 33 minutes on average, and when asked afterwards, said that they felt much closer to achieving their goal.
1. What do the words "social reality" in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Necessary hard work. | B．Completion of a goal |
| C．A sense of satisfaction. | D．People’s judgement. |
| A．Writing down the goal is very helpful. |
| B．Achieving the personal goal needs more time. |
| C．Keeping the goal secret makes people work harder. |
| D．Making the goal public makes people less satisfied. |
| A．By giving figures. | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By making a survey. | D．By making comparison tests |
| A．You'll be more confident |
| B．You will not gain satisfaction. |
| C．You'll be less likely to realize it. |
| D．You'll be much more motivated. |
【推荐3】A book called Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations has been published in the United States since the 1850s. It started with John Bartlett, the owner of a bookstore near Boston, Massachusetts. He selected words, or quotations, from famous people, including Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine and John Keats for the book.
Geoffrey O’Brien is the current editor of the 170-year-old book. He said it is hard to keep up with so many quotations because of “the speed of events” in modern times. “No matter when we went to press, we would be cutting off in the middle of the story,” he said.
The 19th edition of Bartlett’s just came out. It is the first publication since 2012 and the second under O’Brien. “With the Internet and cable news, you have the constant manufacturing of statements of one kind or another,” O’Brien said. So, he tried to choose quotations that have staying power beyond current news events.
In the early days, the book was mostly made up of quotations from white men. But recently, the book includes words from the singer Beyoncé and the track and field athlete Usain Bolt. It even has thoughts from other languages such as Russian and Navajo, a Native American language.
With so many new quotes, some older ones had to be removed. O’Brien said he was sad to drop comments by John Dryden, one of his favorite poets.
O’Brien also needs to keep the book to about 1,400 pages. So, once very well-known American comedians like Bob Hope and Johnny Carson are not in the latest book. Also gone are quotes from former U. S. Vice President Dan Quayle and actor Sally Field.
O’Brien said the goal of the book is to be “representative” but not like an encyclopedia(百科全书). Not everyone can get in. He said he was sad to not be able to include a comment from U. S. civil rights activist and politician John Lewis, who died in 2020.
1. What challenge does Geoffrey O’Brien face?| A．How to deal with famous people. | B．When to remove the quotes. |
| C．Whether to keep pace with times. | D．What to take into the book. |
| A．He included sayings from Russian. | B．He selected power-lasting quotes. |
| C．He increased the pages of the book. | D．He changed the goal of the book. |
| A．Removing quotes of John Dryden. | B．Dropping quotations of Bob Hope. |
| C．Taking in comments of John Lewis. | D．Including quotes from white men. |
| A．Publication of a Quotation Book | B．Content of a Famous Book |
| C．Quotation Book Struggles to Keep up | D．Editors Try to Publish More Books |
The display is part of the second annual “Happy Chinese New Year: Fantastic Art China” festival held in New York on February 5-10, 2016. The China Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), the USA-China Cultural Institute and the Cultural Associate of the Committee of 100 announced this year’s events on November 18 at a press conference at the Lincoln Center.
The “Fantastic Art China” festival will feature a larger and more diverse series of artistic and cultural events across New York’s top cultural venues (地点) and landmarks, including the Lincoln Center, Empire State Building and Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
This year’s theme focuses on exploring the complicated relationship between sound and image, said Professor Yu Ding from CAFA, who is also president of Fantastic Art China and in charge of the festival’s design. Lunar New Year, which celebrates the “Year of the Monkey” in 2016, is an opportunity to bring China’s modern art to mainstream America, and the festival serves as an innovative approach to establishing cultural exchange between China and New York City, Yu said.
UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Tan Dun’s music is a new edition that will be featured at several venues, including a major art exhibition at the Javits Center, events at the Lincoln Center and the fireworks display on the Hudson, which will take place on the evening of February 6. Five barges (游艇) on the river will launch the fireworks designed by CAFA that will tell a story about celebration and conservation.
“We Chinese are fond of nature, so the best way to celebrate the Lunar New Year is to salute with the sounds of nature, such as sounds of water, stone and bamboo,” said Tan Dun at the press conference, “And it will be fun to use the music of water during the fireworks display.”
In addition to the fireworks, a special lighting show at the Empire State Building will
Chinese New Year is being recognized as a public school holiday for the first time in New York. Children from the National Dance Institute, which represents 75 schools, will perform traditional Chinese dances at the Lincoln Center and the Javits Center. And, in celebration of the “Year of the Monkey”, events will feature a conservation message about the endangered golden monkey in China.
1. The theme of this year’s celebration is centered on ________.
| A．relationship between sound and image of nature |
| B．diversity of Chinese traditional festivals |
| C．endangered species and environmental protection |
| D．cultural exchange between China and America |
| A．sailing on the Hudson River along with a new-year speech |
| B．setting off fireworks and holding a special lighting show |
| C．holding a special concert at the Empire State Building |
| D．taking a week off and organizing Chinese dance contests |
| A．lighten. | B．surround. |
| C．decorate. | D．broaden. |
| A．compare some traditional festivals in China and America |
| B．attract visitors to America for the coming new-year celebration |
| C．report celebration activities for the “Year of the Monkey” in New York |
| D．strengthen the cultural co-operation between China and America |
【推荐2】On most Sundays, the sound of hammers(锤子)and other tools hitting stone can be heard in a village in the Chimalhuacan area, on Mexico City’s east side. The sounds come from stone carvers(石雕师)who still work on a skill that has been passed down for generations(世代)—even after the local stone was used up. The village is filled with meter-high religious(宗教的)figures and other beautiful stone objects.
Generations of stone carvers in Chimalhuacan also created much of the stonework found on buildings and in parks in the capital’s downtown.
While carvers in other areas long ago turned to machines, the workers here only use hammers and other special hand tools. Many are self-taught, but some, like Tomás Ugarte, aged 86, learned in the traditional way. This method of rock cutting has been passed down between family members, dating back about five generations.
The rock cutters are generally old. There were about 600 official stone carvers about 10 years ago. Now, there are probably only around 300. The carvers are dying and their children generally do not want to take up the trade.
Still, the stone carvers keep the old traditions alive. Many people in the area use stone tools made by the stone carvers.
Rev. Alberto Sandoval, who has known the stone workers since 1990, described them as “the backbone of the community.” Most of the carvers have work areas at home, which provides them with some money. They sell carvings for prices from $500 to $2,000. But they often do not sell much.
Unlike many craftspeople who want to see their works shown in museums, the carvers here also work for free at repairing the stonework at the 250-year-old local church, Santa Maria de Guadalupe.
Asked if the trade will continue, carver Mario Olivares read a poem written on the church wall: “Your art, your tradition, your culture and the nobility(高贵)of the people keep the spirit of this town alive.”
1. What is special about the stone carvers in Chimalhuacan?| A．They have turned to machines. | B．They only use hand tools. |
| C．They are self-taught. | D．They mainly create religious figures. |
| A．The great loss of the local stone. | B．Different jobs the young choose. |
| C．The worrying future for the trade. | D．The long history of stone carving. |
| A．They work for free most of the time. | B．They like giving their works to museums. |
| C．They sell carvings at high prices. | D．They often make a little money. |
| A．Confident. | B．Uncaring. |
| C．Helpless. | D．Worried. |
【推荐3】If you look around your city, you might spot girls wearing hanfu in subways or people wearing, T-shirts with Chinese characters on the streets. A new trend is taking hold in China-guochao or “China-chic”.
According to a recently published report, searches related to guochao on Dianping, a lifestyle information platform, have risen by 170 percent from the same period last year, and reviews have risen by nearly 40 percent. China-chic is happening, but what is it?
The term characterizes the rise of China’s native fashion trends. It has expanded the concept of “Made in China”, which has been recognized as the representation of Chinese culture and aesthetics (审美) offered by homegrown Chinese brands, according to CGTN.
China-chic came into the spotlight in 2018. Before that, big-name foreign companies dominated the world market. To win market share, many Chinese brands followed in the footsteps of these Western brands. But that year, Chinese sportswear brand Li-Ning changed things up. During the 2018 New York Fashion Week, Li-Ning introduced its Taoism-inspired Wu Dao collection. The collection not only had a trendy look, but also included elements of traditional Chinese culture. It immediately grabbed attention at home and abroad. As a result, the company recorded 20 percent revenue growth in 2018, marking the first time the brand’s revenue had hit the 10-billion-yuan mark since its founding.
The trend to embrace (欣然) domestic brands has since spread rapidly to various sectors (领域) and products, from food and drinks to clothing, mobile phones and electric vehicles. For example, White Rabbit, whose sweet candy brings back childhood memories for many, launched its perfume (香水) and lip balm (唇膏). “We want White Rabbit to be a brand that young people want to share,” Shen Qinfeng, the company’s marketing manager, told People’s Daily.
Now, the guochao trend is “moving to the next stage”, where its success will rely, first and foremost on gaining cultural confidence rather than Western validation (认可), according to Kerra Zhou, founder or brand strategy consultancy Kerrisma.
This March, several Western brands boycotted Xinjiang cotton over “forced labor” allegations (指控). To show national pride and cultural confidence, the “I support Xinjiang cotton” campaign spread across the country. Many Chinese boycotted these Western brands and turned to Chinese domestic brands support Xinjiang cotton, like Li-Ning and Anta.
“No matter how the guochao trend evolves, there’s one thing that won’t change: Behind the craze is people’s positive attitude toward the country’s development and their recognition of and growing confidence in national culture,” said Yao Linqing, a professor in the School of Economics and Management at Communication University of China.
1. What is China-Chic according to the text?| A．Interest in Chinese features in fashion. |
| B．Young Chinese peoples preference for ancient culture. |
| C．The international popularity of products made in China. |
| D．The growing role of Chinese native brands in promoting aesthetics. |
| A．It took the lead in the similar brands. |
| B．It adopted Western design in its sportswear. |
| C．Its revenue hit the 10-billion-yuan mark that year. |
| D．Its products followed the trend and reflected Chinese elements. |
| A．It upgraded its packaging. |
| B．It expanded its domestic market. |
| C．It increased the variety of its products. |
| D．It brought their childhood memories back. |
| A．Chinese products are better than Western ones. |
| B．Chinese native brands are facing false allegations. |
| C．Cheap and high quality native materials are more popular. |
| D．Chinese people’s cultural confidence drives the guochao trend. |
