You may think you cannot live through summer without air conditioners （空调）. But in ancient China, hand fans were almost the only ones to help people keep cool.
Chinese people started to use hand fans more than 2,000 years ago. The fans came in different shapes, such as round and square. They were also made from all kinds of materials. Palm （棕榈） leaf fans were cheap and easy to make. Feather fans （羽毛扇） showed the owner’s high status （地位）. Sandalwood （檀香） fans could send out sweet smell.
Later, hand fans became far more than just something that could cool you down. They developed into art works, in which Tuanshan （round fans） and Zheshan (folded fans) were the most common.
In the shape of a full moon, Tuanshan were usually made of silk.They had beautiful birds and flowers on them.Women especially those in the imperial palace （皇宫）, liked to use them. Meanwhile, men, especially the literati （文人）, used Zheshan.The literati liked them because Zheshan were usually made of paper and they could paint and write poems on them.It was a way for them to show off their ability in literature, painting and handwriting.Almost anything can be painted on Zheshan.
Today, Chinese people still use these fans.Next time when you are waving a fan, you may think of the stories behind it.
Complete the chart according to the passage with only one word for each blank.
Stories and Art of Chinese Fans | |
| History. | |
| The number of kinds | There are |
| Palm leaf, feather, sandalwood, silk and paper. | |
| Feathers （特征） | Palm leaf fans were cheap and made Feather fans showed the owner’s status. Sandalwood fans could send out a sweet smell. Tuanshan were enjoyed by women in the imperial palace. Zheshan were |
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The traditional Chinese lunar calendar(阴历) divides the year into 24 solar terms(节气). Lichun, the first of the 24 solar terms, lifts the curtain(窗帘) of spring. After that everything turns green and is filled with energy. Here are some things you might not know about Lichun.
As a solar term, Lichun entered people’s lives in the Spring and Autumn period. At that time, there were eight solar terms. According to some experts, the 24 solar terms were used for the first time in books during the Western Han Dynasty, when people set Lichun as the Spring Festival.
Every Lichun, people like to wear a swallow made of colorful silk on their chests (胸部). The swallow is a sign of spring and a symbol of success, wealth and happiness.
In China, it is said that the egg can be set upright on the first day of Lichun. It is believed that if someone can make the egg stand on the first day of Lichun, he will have good luck in the future.
In many parts of China, people follow the custom of “biting the spring” on the first day of Lichun. They eat spring pancakes, spring rolls (春卷) and so on.
Lichun | |
Facts | It is the |
| It appeared in the Spring and Autumn period. It was | |
Customs | People like to wear a swallow made of colorful silk on their chests. If someone can set the egg upright, he will be |
When it comes to the greatest awards in the world, the Nobel Prize must be on the list.
Created by Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel in 1895, the prize recognizes achievements in science and the people behind them. Every year in October, the winners catch the world’s attention. But what is the meaning behind this award? According to the founder Nobel himself, the prize is for those people who have provided “the greatest benefit（福祉）to humankind”.
The first Nobel Prize was given on December 10, 1901, five years after Nobel’s death. Since then many famous people from all over the world have been given Nobel Prizes for their achievements.
Each prize has three parts. The first part is a gold medal. Second, a winner of a Nobel Prize is given a certificate（证书）. The third part is a large amount of money. Often a prize is given to just one person, but not always. Sometimes a prize is shared. It may be given to two or more people who have worked together. It is also sometimes true that a prize is not given at all if there is no great achievement. In 1972, for example, no Nobel Peace Prize was given.
In the book The World Made by Nobel Prize, the writer Lee Jong-ho says that “many everyday things would be impossible without the work of the winners of the Nobel Prizes”.
In recent years, Chinese people have paid more attention to the results of the Nobel Prize, after many prizes were given to Chinese scientists and writers, such as 2012 Nobel literature prize winner Mo Yan, and Tu Youyou, China’s first Nobel Prize winner in physiology or medicine in 2015.
Where do the Nobel Prize winners come from?
2. When did Alfred Nobel die?
3. What will a Nobel Prize winner get?
4. What might Lee Jong-ho think of the winners of the Nobel Prizes?
5. According to Chart II, the countries in
6. Do you dream of getting the Nobel Prize? What should you do to achieve that?
All energy sources have their pros and cons—their good points and bad points. Modern societies have to make many decisions about how best to produce energy. The needs of the society have to be balanced against the need to protect the environment.
Fossil fuels—coal, oil and natural gas—are a leading energy source around the world. They are called fossil fuels because they were formed from the remains of plants and animals that died many millions of years ago. Since then, great heat and pressure (压力) deep in the ground have changed them. So the fossil fuels we use today are found underground.
One of the main advantages of fossil fuels is that they are abundant—found in many places and in large amounts. In addition, they contain a lot of usable energy. Coal is especially abundant. A special advantage of natural gas is that it burns very cleanly. When natural gas burns, it produces mostly carbon dioxide and water vapor. Oil’s main advantage is that it burns efficiently—meaning that little is wasted in the change to energy. Also, the refining (提炼) process that makes gasoline (汽油) and diesel produces other petroleum products, which are used in crayons, bubble gum, eye glasses, and even artificial heart valves.
All fossil fuels are basically non-renewable (不可再生的) because nature cannot create enough to keep up with demand. Many experts think that the world’s oil wells will be empty in a few decades (十年). But, even before then, the oil supply will be too small to meet global demands. Also, fossil fuels produce pollutants. Cars, factories, and many power plants release harmful chemicals into the air. As long as fossil fuels are burned, air pollution will continue to be a problem.
Another problem is the greenhouse effect. Gases released from burning fossil fuels trap (储存) more heat in Earth’s atmosphere than would be trapped naturally. This heating up of Earth’s atmosphere is called global warming. Scientists think carbon dioxide contributes most to worsening the greenhouse effect, so even natural gas adds to the problem.
We need energy, and the fossil fuels that supply most of our energy will not last forever. Finding renewable alternatives (替代品) is key to the world’s energy future. Scientists will continue to do research. Each new source of energy will have its pros and cons, too. Governments and environmentalists will continue to debate which energy sources are the best while our need for energy continues to grow.
1. Where can fossil fuels be found?2. What is the special advantage of nature gas?
3. How soon might oil be used up according to many experts?
4. Should we use fossil fuels in a saving way? Why or why not?
Many Chinese people will wonder what presents to get for their moms on Mother’s Day, but not many know Mother’s Day is actually a festival from foreign countries. Mother’s Day started in America and spread to China in the 1980s. Now it is widely accepted.
Why does a foreign festival become popular in China? That’s probably because traditional Chinese culture always encourages love between parents and children. For example, the story of “Taste Medicine for Mother” tells us the filial(子女的) love of Emperor Wen of the Western Han Dynasty. His mother has been sick for three years. He often stayed up at her bedside and cared for her day and night. He tasted the medicine first before she drank it. The subject of “mother love” is also repeated in many Chinese ancient poems(诗), like “Song of the Parting Son(《游子吟》)” by Meng Jiao, a poet of the Tang Dynasty. Now this touching poem is still a must in the school textbooks. Children in China grow up with the education of filial love.
On special days, people often use roses or forget-me-nots to express love. People think carnations(康乃馨) are the perfect flowers for mothers around the world, but few of them know that China has its own for mothers — the tiger lily.
Love for mothers can have different ways of expression. What matters most is love, not the festival itself. What mothers truly want is perhaps just a simple expression of love from their children.
1. When did Mother’s Day spread to China?2. Why does Mother’s Day become popular in China?
3. How do people feel about the poem Song of the Parting Son?
4. Is tiger lily the perfect flower for mothers around the world?
5. What do mothers truly want according to the passage?
Cars, undoubtedly, are one of the most important transportation tools today. They have had a huge(1)________[ˈɪnfluəns] on our daily lives. In my opinion, when it comes to the future of the automobile industry, there are three challenges: accidents, traffic jams and pollution.
The first two challenges can be solved by artificial intelligence(AI) and the Internet of things. These two technologies will make self-driving cars a reality. Cars will drive themselves to their destinations automatically. Thanks(2)__the IT, cars traffic lights and even pedestrians will be connected with each other. Traffic information will be transmitted in real time. For example, if there is roadwork ahead, the AI system will tell the car to change its planned route. This way, traffic jams can be avoided. There will also be fewer accidents caused by careless drivers.
The last challenge, pollution can be solved by exploring new sources of energy. Electric cars are much cleaner than petrol cars. In recent years, electric cars have already become more and more popular. Many people have been driving electric cars. However, new problems, such as pollution caused by old batteries, have been arising. How can we solve these problems? It’s high time we thought about that. There is still a long way for us to go. I believe that with our combined efforts, newer and more reliable technologies will appear. They will help create a brighter future for road transportation.
1. Cars will drive themselves to their2. Electric cars are
3. 根据(1)的音标写出单词
4. 在(2)处填上合适的介词。
5. How can cars avoid traffic jams in the future?
6. 找出并写下全文的主题句。
7. 将文中画线句子译成汉语。
Look at the camels (骆驼) , the desert and the Great Wall behind them. This is not a painting but a paper-cutting work created by Li Baofeng.
Li Baofeng is a paper-cutting artist. She was born in a small village to Jilin in 1966. She learned paper-cutting from her mother when she was young, and showed a great interest in it. Although she dropped out of school in her teens, Li didn’t stop the hobby(旁听生) at a high school. After graduation, she became an art teacher thanks to her great paper-cutting skills.
Traditional paper-cutting works are often cut out of red paper, but Li’s works are different. She has combined (结合) traditional paper-cutting skills with modern art and created her own art style.
Her work Chinese Red is about traditional Chinese culture. You can see red lanterns and traditional wedding dresses in it. Li’s another great work is about the ancient Chinese classic-Dream of the Red Chamber. She created more than 100 images about the great book. Other works like Silk Road and Dunhuang are also popular.
Li’s works have won many international awards(奖项), and she has held paper-cutting exhibitions around the world.
“We should create traditional art with greater cultural meaning” says Li.
“These works should suit the aesthetic standard(审美标准) of modern people, so that the skills can be passed down.”
1. Who taught Li Baofeng paper-cutting skills?2. Why was Li Baofeng accepted to work as an art teacher?
3. How are Li Baofeng’s works different from traditional paper-cutting works?
4. What is the work Chinese Red about?
5. What success has Li Baofeng achieved?
