The Zisha teapots produced in Yixing city in east China’s Jiangsu Province are considered to be the best tool for making tea. According to literature, the first Zisha teapot was created during the Song Dynasty in the 10th century.
Different types of clay used for making Yixing teapots, mainly purple clay, red clay, green clay and mixed clay, are collectively called Yixing clay. Yixing clay is referred to as “zisha” in Chinese because purple clay is most commonly used. To make a Zisha teapot, the material should be carefully selected and processed before it can be used. The most important step to make Yixing teapots is to keep pounding (拍打) the clay with a special wooden stick. They are not produced in factories by machine.
The Zisha teapot is considered as the best tea pot that the tea made in it tastes especially nice. And the tea can be stored overnight in it without going bad even in summer. The clay is highly porous (多孔的), but water cannot leak (渗漏) from it. This is the biggest specialty of Zisha clay.
Another famous characteristic of Yixing teapots is that they can absorb tea flavors (吸收茶香) with each brewing. Over time, Yixing teapots can smell aromatic even without tea in it.
The production technique of Yixing Zisha teapots was listed among China’s Intangible Cultural Heritages in 2006. Many people collect Zisha teapots, since it is not only a daily necessity, but has come to be considered as a work of art.
Title: Yixing Zisha Teapot
| When was it created? | It was created during the Song Dynasty in the 10th century. |
| How is it made? | It is made of Yixing clay which |
| It can only be made by | |
| What’s | It makes the tea taste much better. |
| It has the | |
| It has become a work of art which is | |
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Chinatown is the name given to an area in the middle of London. It is just between Leicester Square and Shafts bury Avenue. Gerrard Street is at the center and is the most important street in the area. There is a large Chinese community (社区) with a lot of Chinese restaurants, Chinese supermarkets and shops in this street.
In the 1950s, it was a poor area and everything was very cheap. At the same time, the world rice market changed and a large number of farm workers in Hong Kong lost their jobs. They began arriving in London to look for work. They found jobs in the restaurants in this area. Many British people like Chinese food, and the restaurants were popular.
These restaurant workers often worked 17 hours a day and had no time to learn English. As more Chinese arrived, more shops and businesses grew up. Wives came and joined their husbands and children came and joined their fathers. The community grew, and Chinatown was born.
In the 1970s and 1980s, British-born Chinese had a better education. This brought economic (经济的) success to the area. Many families moved out of Chinatown, and there was more space for businesses. Gerrard Street became a street only for visitors and was soon a popular place for tourists.
Now everyone knows about London’s Chinatown. During the Chinese New Year, the streets are seen with flags and thousands of Chinese go into the streets. For most of the year, though, Londoners and tourists go there mainly for the food in the Chinese restaurants. The best restaurants are the ones where the Chinese eat.
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2. What was the area like in the 1950s?
It was a poor area and
3. What does the underlined word “This” refer to?
It refers to
4. How can people tell if a restaurant is good or not?
A very good Chinese restaurant is a restaurant with
5. What could be the title of this passage?
The title of this passage could be “The
【推荐2】The Dyslexia Week
Albert Einstein (1879—1955), Walt Disney (1901—1966), and Pablo Picasso (1881—1973) have something in common. They were all extremely clever, brilliant and creative and they all had dyslexia (阅读困难). Today, around six million people in the UK have some degree of dyslexia. Yet many people aren’t aware of the condition or even don’t realise they have it.
Dyslexia Awareness Week (DAW) aims to change that. Starting on 3 October, dyslexia charities across the country will be encouraging conversations about it, giving people advice and support.
What is dyslexia?
Dyslexia is not an illness or a disease. It is a condition that affects the way a person learns. It doesn’t mean that person isn’t intelligent. It just means that their brain works a little differently. Just like people have different skin, hair and eye colours, the way our brains see the world and handle information can be different too. This is called neurodiversity (神经多样性).
How does dyslexia affect people?
Dyslexia affects people differently. Each person has a unique experience. Some people may have problems with reading, writing and spelling. For example, a person with dyslexia might write the word “pests” as “pets” because their brain confuses the order of letters. They might find it difficult to match letters to sounds or to remember how to spell words.
How might the condition affect daily life?
Dyslexia isn’t just about reading, spelling and writing. It can affect concentration (专注力), coordination (协调性) and memory, which can make everyday life tricky. Dyslexic people might find it hard to copy down lots of notes from a board or to organise written work. They may find it tough to follow lots of instructions or rules when playing a game. However, dyslexia can be discovered by special tests. This is the important first step for people to get the help and support they might need.
What are the positives of having dyslexia?
People diagnosed (诊断) with dyslexia might worry how others see them, but thinking differently can be a superpower. Many people with dyslexia often have strong logical skills and great imaginative ideas. They can be good at spotting patterns and solving problems. They can be super creative too—there are many authors, actors and inventors from every corner of the world who thrive with the condition. Dyslexia is nothing to be afraid or ashamed of. It’s part of you.
Use words with proper meanings and grammatical rules to fill in the blanks.(Only one word for one blank.)
1. Many people are diagnosed with dyslexia, including some successful ones in
2. Dyslexia Awareness Week starting on 3 October will work to
3. Dyslexia shouldn’t be
4. Dyslexia makes people have
5. People
【推荐3】Does your family buy the week’s groceries (杂货) including many bottled drinks into your home? Because after having sports or hanging out under the sun, it’s so cool to get a cold one right out of the fridge, right?
But all those plastic (塑料) bottles use a lot of oil and pollute the environment. Americans buy more bottled water than any other nation in the world with 29 billion water bottles a year. To make all these bottles, 17 million barrels (桶) of oil will be used up. That’s enough oil to keep million cars going for twelve months.
Most people choose to throw the bottles away after having the bottled drinks. In fact, instead of going out with the trash, plastic bottles can be turned into carpeting or clothing. Remember this: Recycling one plastic bottle can save enough energy to power a 60-watt (瓦特) light bulb (灯泡) for six hours.
Unfortunately, for every six water bottles we use, only one is made recycling. The rest are sent as garbage. Or, even worse, they end up as trash on the land or in rivers, lakes, and oceans. Plastic bottles take many hundreds of years to disintegrate (分解).
So why don’t more people drink water from the kitchen? Some people drink bottled water because they think it is better for them, but that’s not true. The chemicals in the bottles themselves may get into the water which can do harm to people.
So next time when you have drinks or water, please try to use a glass at home or carry water in a steel bottle. And if you want to do something more, try to collect plastic bottles and send them for recycling.
Answer the questions according to the passage.
1. What are plastic bottles made from?
2. How many bottles of water do Americans buy every year?
3. What can recycling a plastic bottle do?
4. How long does it take to disintegrate plastic bottles?
5. Is bottled water better for us?
Say hello to Changesite-（Y）— the sixth new lunar mineral（月球矿物）!
Chinese scientists found it in moon samples（样品）brought back by the Chang’e 5 lunar probe in December 2020. It has become the first lunar mineral found by Chinese scientists, making China the third nation in the world, after the United States and Russia, to have achieved such a success, reported China Daily.
Changesite-（Y）looks crystal（晶莹的）clear like a diamond. But its chemical content is different from any other known mineral.（A）It has a high level of rare earth（稀土）, reported China Science Daily. Li Ziying, chief scientist of the lunar sample research, said that the finding of this new mineral will help researchers study the history and physical traits（特征）of the moon. The value of the rare earth in（B）it will also be studied.
（C）Besides the new mineral, scientists also measured the content（含量）of helium-3（氦-3）from the Chang’e 5 samples. Helium-3 is a valuable fuel（燃料）that can provide safer nuclear energy（核能）. It is not radioactive（放射性的）and would not produce dangerous waste. On Earth, we have only 15 to 20 tons of helium-3 that can be used. But after studying the moon’s soil, scientists said there could be at least 1 million tons of helium-3 on the moon. That’s enough for all people on Earth to have clean energy for 10,000 years!
1. 把文中（A）处画线句子翻译成汉语。2. 写出（B）处画线单词指代的内容。
3. 把文中（C）处画线句子翻译成汉语。
4. 找出文中提到的地球和月球上可被利用的 Helium-3 的含量。
5. 简要概括本文大意（短语和句子均可）。
Nowadays, a lot of students are interested in rope jumping (跳绳). It’s an easy way to learn rope jumping. You can jump alone or with your classmates. If you jump alone, you will need a short rope and it will be just long enough for your height.
When you start to jump, you must turn the rope slowly and high enough to let you jump freely and safely.
Rope jumping is not only great fun, but also a great exercise. Nowadays, students usually spend a lot of time on their study, and they don’t have enough time to do sports. The best way to solve the problem is to get them to jump and play, and rope jumping does this very well. In our school, each student has a rope.
They can jump in P. E. classes or after class. It is very interesting to see how long they can jump. In rope jumping timing means turning the rope slowly enough for you to jump over at the right time without striking （撞击） your feet.
Rope jumping is a popular exercise for students. They can keep doing this exercise and improve their health.
1. What will you need if you jump alone?2. Why don’t students have enough time to do sports?
3. When can students do rope jumping?
4. Are you interested in rope jumping? Why or why not?
World Book Day falls on April 23rd every year. It was set up by UNESCO (联合国教科文组织) in 1995 to encourage people to discover the pleasure of reading. But look around when you’re in a bus. What is the most popular time-killing activity? In China, most people play on smart phones. While in other countries, people often enjoy reading.
We all know that reading books builds a bridge between our life and the unknown world. Good reading habits lead you to a lifelong love of books. Here are some tips on how to develop good reading habits.
Choose the books which suit you. In most middle schools, teachers give students a reading list every few weeks. Most books are easy to read, like youth novels. The students themselves can also buy books which they’re interested in or the best-selling books.
Reading in short periods. 15 minutes after getting to school, 15 minutes while waiting for friends, 15 minutes before going to sleep. Then you can read books for about five hours every week in total.
Talk about your reading with your family or friends. This helps you have a better understanding.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. Why did UNESCO set up World Book Day?
7. What is the most popular time-killing activity in China?
8. Do you like reading books? Why or why not? Explain your reason(s) in about 20 words.
Weifang in Shandong province has a long history of making kites. It is known as the birthplace of kites.
According to local artisans（工匠）, Weifang kite-making can be traced back to 2000 years ago. At first, they were often used by the military for measuring distance and communication purposes. During the Ming Dynasty (1368—1644), kites started to be popular among ordinary people as entertainment.
Made from bamboo and featuring traditional Chinese paintings, Weifang kite-making was included in the national-level intangible cultural heritage（非物质文化遗产）lists in 2006. The International Kite Festival has been held in Weifang every year since 1984.
Yang Hongwei, 56, is an inheritor（传承人）of the Weifang kite-making technique.She was born in a kite-making family. Yang often saw kites with bright colors and different shapes in her grandfather’s workshop.
“Every time I see these beautiful kites, my boredom and negative feelings go away,” said Yang. Having a special connection with kites, Yang learned the technique from her grandfather at the age of 16. After she had practiced the technique for 10 years, she started her own shop in 1992.
“Many places around the world have a tradition of flying kites,” Yang said. “But I think the cultural context behind our kites is unique（独特的）.”
On Yang’s kites, people can see not only common patterns like butterflies and swallows（燕子）, but also some prints telling Chinese myths, legends and history. For example, she once made a kite showing a phoenix head lined with portraits of 50 famous women in Chinese history on each side.
Though the idea was cool, the process was not easy. Yang said that each woman has different characteristics in look, attire（服装）and makeup style. To create their portraits, she spent much effort and time checking historical records or discussing the details with professionals. “It’s time-consuming,” Yang added, “but when I explain the stories on the kites to foreign customers, I feel a sense of great achievement.”
In her spare time, she also travels to different countries including Germany, Australia, the US and New Zealand to tell people about Chinese stories seen on kites and the traditional ways of making kites.
“I’m an inheritor of the culture. It is also an important job of mine to spread the heritage around the world and onto the next generation,” she said.
1. Where is known as the birthplace of kites?2. What were the kites used for at first?
3. When was Weifang kite-making included in the national-level intangible cultural heritage lists?
4. How long had Yang practiced kite-making technique before she opened her first shop?
5. What do you think of Yang’s job? Why?
Shadow puppetry, or pi ying xi, is an ancient form of storytelling and entertainment (娱乐) in China. It has been an important part of Chinese culture.
Shadow puppetry dates back to the Han Dynasty, more than 2,000 years ago. When Emperor Wu’s favorite wife died of illness, the emperor became very sad. One of his ministers came up with an idea to cheer the emperor up. That night, he cut a puppet (木偶) in the shape of the emperor’s wife and put on a performance. It was so wonderful that the emperor felt that he saw the spirit of his love. Shadow puppet shows became very popular during the Song Dynasty. People celebrated festivals and holidays by putting on shadow puppet shows.
It’s said that the puppets were first cut out of paper, but later made of colored leather (皮革). One mouth tells stories of thousands of years, and a pair of hands brings millions of puppets to life. This is how a puppet artist works. However, being a puppet artist is never easy. In order to make the puppets look like real ones, puppet artists must spend long hours watching and studying how people and animals move. They usually practice many times before a show. In a show, performers hold puppets behind a white cloth and make the puppets move naturally. They use both hands while performing and have to change their hands from time to time.
1. Does shadow puppetry have a history of over 2,000 years?2. What did the puppet made by the minister look like?
3. When did the shadow puppet shows become popular?
4. What were the puppets made of at first?
5. What do puppet artists do before giving a performance?
【推荐3】You must have seen someone pour milk foam （泡沫） into a coffee to create beautiful patterns. But have you seen this art in a cup of tea?
Dian cha is a tea art from the Song Dynasty 960-1279. People pour water over powdered （粉状的） tea to create a paste （糊）. Then they add more hot water and keep whisking （搅拌） it. It is believed that the art later spread to other parts of East Asia, including Japan. In 2019, it was listed as an ICH （非物质文化遗产） of Runzhou district, Zhenjiang city, Jiangsu province. Han Zheming is a well-known master of it.
Under his mother’s influence, he fell in love with the culture of the Song Dynasty when he was very young. In 2006, Han began learning more about tea culture of the dynasty and later tried to bring the art of dian cha to life. Over the past six years, the 40-year-old has created nearly 200 patterns according to ancient paintings. He said that the froth （泡沫） looks like paper while the tea paste is like ink. But “drawing” on the tea foam is not easy. Creating patterns in tea foam is careful but quick work. Usually, it’s best to finish it within 10 minutes. When the tea is around 40°C, it’s perfect to draw on.
To spread dian cha culture. Han also posts videos of dian cha on social media platforms, including Bilibili and Douyin. Some of his videos have got more than 30000 views. Han became more widely-known around the world.
1. Is dian cha a tea art from the Tang Dynasty?2. When was dian cha listed as an ICH?
3. What makes Han Zheming a well-known master of dian cha?
4. Will you help spread this tea art to the world?Why or why not?
