Culture Insider: Children’s Games in Ancient China
During ancient times, children didn’t have smart phone, ipad or computer to entertain them. Instead, they came up with interesting games to play in their childhood. Let’s take a look.
Kicking stone balls
During the Qing Dynasty, kicking a stone ball around was a popular game in the northern part of China, and it was often played in winter to keep warm.
Playing hide-and-seek
Hide-and-seek is a traditional game for children, popular around the nation. There are two ways to play covering a child’s eyes while other kids run around to tease him, or more commonly, others hide and one child must try to find them.
Flying kites
Kites have quite a lone history. The earliest kites were made of wood, instead of paper. The three most famous kites are the Beijing kite, Tianjin kite and Weifang kite. Each has its own feather. For example, the bird-shaped kite with long wings is a special kind of the Beijing kite.
Watching shadow plays
The closest thing to watching a film during ancient times was going to see a shadow play. The artist control puppets(木偶)behind the screen and tell stories with the music.
1. According to the text, the game of kicking a stone ball was ________.| A．played in summer | B．like flying kites |
| C．invented in Beijing | D．popular in North China |
| A．One plays and others watch. | B．Others laugh and one must cry. |
| C．Others hide and one tries to find. | D．One runs and others try to catch. |
| A．laugh at | B．play a trick on | C．catch up | D．keep away from |
| A．Kicking stone balls. | B．Flying kites. |
| C．Playing hide-and-seek. | D．Watching shadow plays. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Last year, some groups of students made a survey about “How do people spend their free time?” in their community(社区). The following pictures show some results of it:
1. People aged ________ like practicing more than others.
| A．7-16 | B．17-30 | C．31-55 | D．over 56 |
| A．about 60 | B．about 80 | C．about 40 | D．about 20 |
| A．what people like doing most | B．people’s different habits |
| C．how people spend their free time | D．where people go every week |
【推荐2】Ice fishing is popular in countries like Russia and Germany. It’s also a popular sport in Canada and the United States. People can go ice fishing all year round in Alaska. The sport was brought to America by European settlers(移民) who came to Minnesota, a state where people are interested in it. Ice fishing was introduced to Canada from Minnesota, and from there to Alaska.
To catch fish, people need lines, hooks(钩子) and other tools through a hole in a lake covered by ice. They can sit in a warm tent on the ice over the hole, or stand in the very cold open air.
Of all the types of fishing, ice fishing may require the least effort and skill, just patience and luck. Followers of this sport won’t be afraid of staying on ice at very low temperatures. There are even ice-fishing competitions and good prizes for winners. At the very least, ice fishing can be a fun way to break up cold and boring winter days, and people can get a taste of the open air.
1. Where can people go ice fishing at any time of the year?| A．In Russia. | B．In Minnesota. | C．In Alaska. | D．In Germany. |
| A．Patience. | B．Effort. | C．Practice. | D．Skill. |
| A．A fun way to keep cold. | B．A taste of the open air. |
| C．A chance to get attention. | D．A method of getting food. |
【推荐3】
“Under the Sea” Dance Party Welcome to our dance party! Don’t miss this great chance(机会) to mix with old friends and maybe even make some new ones. |
When: Saturday, October 9 5:00 p.m.—10:00 p.m Who: All Grade 7, 8 & 9 students Where: School gym(体育馆) Ticket: $8 at the door Advance tickets(预售票) are $6 (available from October 1 to October 5) |
The theme for this party is “Under the Sea”, so you need to wear a costume related to the sea. At the beginning of the party, you’ll watch a video made by Tommy about the present situation of the sea and what me can do to make a difference. Then you can talk, eat, dance, play games, etc. At 8:30, there will be a dance competition for Grade 9 students, with a prize going to the best dancer. DJ Bonanza will provide the music for the party. Food and drinks will be available throughout the night. To know more information, please call John at 36218657. To buy advance tickets, please visit Mary in Room 301 in the library. |
| A．Five hours. | B．Six hours. | C．Seven hours. | D．Eight hours. |
| A．$6. | B．$8. | C．$12. | D．$16. |
| A．bring some drinks | B．wear a sea-themed costume |
| C．join in the dance competition | D．arrive at the school gym before 4:30 |
| A．Tommy | B．Bonanza | C．Mary | D．John |
| A．report | B．notice | C．diary | D．letter |
People all over the world are fascinated by the magical places found in The Lord of the Rings (《指环王》) and Game of Thrones (《权力的游戏》).
One of Jin Yong’s most famous books, Legends of the Condor Heroes (《射雕英雄传》), has been translated into English.
The novel is widely loved in China.
How about foreign classics in China?
“Many people have considered Jin Yong’s world too foreign, too Chinese, for an English-speaking readership,” Holmwood wrote in her book’s introduction. “And yet this story of love, loyalty (忠诚), honor …is as universal (普世的) as any story could hope to be.”
| A．Many foreign classics have been translated into Chinese as well. |
| B．There is a similar magical world in Chinese pop culture. |
| C．Jianghu was created by generations of Chinese novelists. |
| D．Almost every Chinese person knows some of the characters or martial arts moves from the story. |
| E．The English version(版本) of this book came out in February 2017. |
【推荐2】
Food in different parts of China has different flavours, and many cuisines (菜系) have gradually formed. Today we will look at the “Four Traditional Chinese Cuisines”. | |
| Sichuan Cuisine | Sichuan Cuisine is the most popular of the four. Mapo tofu and gongbao chicken are two of the most famous Sichuan-style dishes. The cooking style has borrowed from other styles to keep up with its popularity. People often say, “The best food in the world is in China and the best food in China is in Sichuan.” |
| Shandong Cuisine | Shandong Cuisine, with its long history and many different cooking methods, represents the cuisine of northern China. It has two styles: Jinan and east Shandong. The Jinan style is famous for its soup, while the east Shandong style depends greatly on seafood. |
| Guangdong Cuisine | Guangdong Cuisine has developed in an area where the climate is warm, so food can quickly go bad. For this reason, Guangdong Cuisine pays much attention to the freshness of the ingredients (原料). Guangdong Cuisine is also the best-known style of Chinese food abroad. |
| Huaiyang Cuisine | Huaiyang Cuisine refers to the style of cooking popular in Jiangsu, where people prefer a light taste. It is special because of the way the ingredients are cut, and it also needs the ingredients in season. |
1. How many cuisines are there in China?
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
| A．Sichuan Cuisine. | B．Shandong cuisine. |
| C．Guangdong Cuisine. | D．Huaiyang Cuisine. |
| A．Mapo tofu and gongbao chicken belong to Sichuan Cuisine. |
| B．Shandong Cuisine has two styled: Jinan and west Shandong. |
| C．Guangdong Cuisine cares about its different types. |
| D．Huaiyang Cuisine is famous for its heavy taste. |
 | |
The traditional Chinese lunar calendar（农历）divides the year into 24 solar terms（节气）. It’s very useful for people’s life and work. Let’s have a look. | |
 | Start of Spring, the first solar term of the year, falls on February 4 this year. After Start of Spring, the daytime is becoming longer and the weather is becoming warmer. And people eat spring pancakes and spring rolls on the day. |
 | Summer Solstice, the 10th solar term, falls on June 21 this year. Summer Solstice is not the hottest time in a year. The hottest days often come 20 to 30 days later. People have a tradition of eating noodles on the day. |
 | Autumn Equinox, the 16th solar term, falls on September 23 this year. On this day, day and night are of equal length（等长）. After this day, days get shorter and nights get longer in the northern hemisphere（北半球）. In South China, people eat Qiucai, a kind of wild amaranth（苋菜）. |
 | Major Snow, or “Daxue” in Chinese, is the 21st solar term, and it falls on December 7 this year. The arrival of Major Snow marks the beginning of midwinter. Daxue does not necessarily have more snowfall but the possibility of snowy days grows bigger. People have the custom to eat lamb（羊肉）and porridge. |
| A．on February 4 | B．on June 21 | C．on September 23 | D．on December 7 |
| A．Start of Spring | B．Major Snow | C．Autumn Equinox | D．Summer Solstice |
| A．Spring pancakes. | B．Noodles. | C．Amaranth. | D．Lamb. |
【推荐1】In Thailand there are many elephants. The elephants are very big and kind. They can carry heavy things, so they can do a lot of hard work for people. And they are very cute and clever. They can act (表演) and dance. Sometimes they can play games with people. Now people from all over the world go to Thailand to have fun with elephants. It is very interesting.
But do you know there is a festival for the elephants in Thailand? It is Elephant Day. It comes at the third weekend of November. On that day, the elephants don’t work or act, so they can have a good rest. The elephants can also wear colorful clothes. And people give them a lot of good food, such as fruit and vegetables, so they are happy and have a good time.
1. What can’t elephants do in Thailand in this passage?| A．Dance and act. | B．Carry heavy things. |
| C．Take photos for people. | D．Play games with people. |
| A．The people in Thailand. | B．The elephants in Thailand. |
| C．The fruit and vegetables. | D．The people from all over the world. |
| A．Something about Elephants Day. | B．Elephants can have a good rest. |
| C．Elephants can eat good food. | D．The elephants can wear colorful clothes. |
In the past sixteen years, Project Hope has raised about 3 billion yuan from people at home and abroad. It has paid for the education of 2.5 million poor students and sent 2.3 million students to high schools. Minmin comes from a poor family. She has received help from Project Hope. Without the help of project Hope, she couldn’t go on her studies. Project Hope changes her life. She has been a college student for two years. With the money, Project Hope has built thousands of schools and libraries and trained 2300 teachers. But 40 million children from poor families still need help, so Project Hope still has a lot of work to do.
1. Project Hope is a social service program to _______________.
| A．help homeless people | B．help poor students | C．help disable children |
| A．in 1998 | B．14 years ago | C．in the past sixteen years |
| A．Project Hope | B．her classmates | C．her teachers |
| A．Project Hope has raised money to build ring roads. |
| B．Project Hope has raised money from Home and abroad. |
| C．Project Hope has trained 2.5 million teachers. |
| A．tell us what Project Hope does |
| B．tell us how poor China is |
| C．raise money |
【推荐3】There are three of the explorers in history
| ITEM | Zheng He | Marco Polo | Magellan |
| Year of birth and death | 1371—1433 | 1254—1324 | 1480—1521 |
| Place of birth | Yunnan | Venice, Italy | Portugal |
| Year of voyages | 1405—1433 | 1271—1295 | 1519—1521 |
| Events | Go on seven trips and visit South-East Asia,the Middle East and the east coast of Africa. Build the biggest fleet of ships, develop relations and set up trade routes with foreign countries. | Go on a journey to Asia, along the Silk Road and throughout China. Influence Europeans’ first look at the life and culture of the East and many other explorers. | Sail around the world, sail from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.Give the Pacific Ocean its name, which means “peaceful sea” in Portuguese. |
| A．1371, Portugal | B．1254, Italy | C．1480, Portugal | D．1433, Italy |
| A．200 years | B．half a century | C．over 100 years | D．less than 100 years |
| A．From Portugal. | B．From Zheng He. | C．From Magellan. | D．From Marco Polo. |
| A．One | B．Two | C．Three | D．Four |
