【推荐1】Winter Solstice (冬至) is one of the 24 solar terms (节气) in China which falls on December 22nd or 23rd. It is the very day in North Hemisphere（北半球）with the shortest day and the longest night all year round. Right after it, the daytime becomes increasingly longer and the coldest weather starts in the northern part of the globe. We Chinese always call it “jiaojiu”,   which means once Winter Solstice comes, we will have to meet the coldest time ahead. So it is also regarded as the first day of winter.

Being a traditional holiday as well, Winter Solstice has a history of more than 2,500 years. It started from the Spring and Autumn Period, and became a big event in the Tang and Song Dynasties. On this day, farmers took a rest after a year of hard work. It was seen as an important time as the Spring Festival.

Nowadays, Winter Solstice is mainly celebrated in different eating customs. In the North, it is said: that Zhang Zhongjing, a great doctor of traditional Chinese medicine, made dumplings which were in the shape of ears with fillings of a medical purpose, in order to prevent people from frostbite (冻伤) on ears. In Southern China, however, people prefer sweet dumplings, rice balls and long noodles which carry their good wishes.

1. Winter Solstice is the time when ________.

A．the coldest weather starts in the north

B．the coldest weather starts in the south

C．people in the North Hemisphere have the longest day

D．people in the South Hemisphere have the longest night

2. When did Winter Solstice become a big event?

A．Nearly 2, 500 years ago.	B．Over 2, 500 years ago.
C．In the Spring and Autumn Period.	D．In the Tang and Song Dynasties.

3. The passage mainly talks about ________.

A．the celebration of a holiday

B．a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine

C．a Chinese solar term

D．some traditional Chinese food

4. You may read this passage in the ________ part of a magazine.

A．NATURE

B．SPORT

C．CULTURE

D．HEALTH

【推荐2】【语篇来自二十一世纪学生英文报·试题原创】

Enjoy ‘wuxia’ legends

Have you ever read martial arts novels? Even if you haven’t, you’ve probably watched films or TV shows, or played computer games about these stories.

Martial arts novels are a big part of Chinese pop culture. Almost every Chinese knows about some characters or martial arts moves from these books. These books show a fantasy world called jianghu. Xia, or fighting heroes, live in jianghu. They do martial arts and fight for honor.

Legends of the Condor Heroes is one of the most famous martial arts novels. An English version of the book will come out in February. The book tells the story of Guo Jing. He is not a very talented young man. But he tries his best and becomes a hero to fight for his country.

The book is popular in China. But what about the English version? Will foreign readers enjoy jianghu, too?

Anna Holmwood, from the UK, is the translator of the book. She doesn’t think this will be a problem. Western people read stories about knights and novels like The Three Musketeers, she says. These stories are very much like martial arts novels.

Some people may think jianghu is too foreign for Westerners. However, people around the world can enjoy the love, loyalty and honor in the stories, Holmwood wrote in her book.

Some translations from the book

The translator Anna Holmwood has a British father and a Swedish mother. She speaks English and Swedish. She used to study history at the University of Oxford. She began to learn Chinese in 2005. Later, she spent five years translating the first part of Legends of the Condor Heroes.

1. ________ live(s) in jianghu.

A．Fighting heroes

B．Foreigners

C．King

D．Robots

2. Which of the following is true?

A．Martial arts novels are a part of foreign culture.

B．There are few martial arts novels in China.

C．Legends of the Condor Heroes has no English version.

D．Guo Jing is Xia in Legends of the Condor Heroes.

3. Anna Holmwood’s father is from _________.

A．Britain

B．Sweden

C．China

D．the US

4. How long did it take Anna Holmwood to translate the first part of this book?

A．One year.

B．Two years.

C．Five years.

D．Ten years.

5. What’s the passage mainly about?

A．Legends of the Condor Heroes around the world.

B．Famous martial arts novels in China.

C．Jianghu in foreign countries.

D．How to translate novels.

【推荐2】Everyone has two personalities—the one that is shown to the world and the other that is secret and real. When you’re asleep, your sleeping position (睡姿) always shows the real you.

If you sleep on your back, you’re a very open person. You usually believe people. You don’t like to make others unhappy, so you never express (表达) your real feelings.	If you sleep on your stomach, you always worry a lot. But you’re satisfied (满意的 ) with your life. You usually live for today not for tomorrow.
If you curl up (卷曲), maybe you often shy and nervous. You don’t like meeting people. You like to be alone.	If you sleep on your side, you have a well-balanced personality. You sometimes feel nervous, but you don’t often feel sad. You always say what you think, even if it makes other people angry.

1. What does the underlined word “personalities” mean in Chinese?

A．性格

B．脾气

C．思想

D．家族

2. My little sister Kate always curls up when she sleeps. Maybe she is a(n) ________ girl.

A．outgoing

B．hard-working

C．shy

D．warm-hearted

3. Jim is a man who speaks but never cares about others’ feelings, so he usually ________.

A．curls up and falls asleep	B．sleeps on his stomach
C．sleeps on his back	D．sleeps on his side

4. Where do you think the passage is from?

A．A science magazine.

B．A story book.

C．An amusement magazine.

D．A guide book.

5. The passage mainly tells us ________.

A．how most of us sleep

B．when we should sleep

C．the relationship between personalities and sleeping time

D．the relationship between personalities and sleeping positions

【推荐3】There are many kinds of animals in the zoo. Look! There are two lions. They are very big and smart. Near them there is a small elephant. She is from Africa. She likes to eat grass. Oh, is there a koala? Of course. There is a two-year-old koala. He always sleeps in the day and at night he gets up and eats leaves. I like pandas best. There is one in the zoo. She is five years old. She is very beautiful, but she’s very shy. Do you like her?
1. What animals are in the zoo?

A．Lions	B．An elephant
C．A panda	D．All the above

2. These lions are very     .

A．shy

B．beautiful

C．friendly

D．smart

3. Where is the panda from?

A．From Africa	B．From China
C．From Australia	D．From Japan

4. How old is the koala?

A．Five

B．Two

C．Three

D．Four

5. What animal does the writer like best?

A．Koala

B．Lion

C．Elephant

D．Panda

【推荐1】Gourds (葫芦) have a history of 7,000 years in China. These special-shaped plants are used for cooking delicious dishes as well as making musical instruments. But today we are talking about the pyrography craft (烙画工艺) on gourds.

The craft began during the Han Dynasty and entered its golden age during the Qing Dynasty. Many cities of China like Tianjin and Beijing are well-known for their production of such gourds. Take the craft from Beijing as an example. As the family’s fourth-generation inheritor (继承人) of Beijing’s gourd-pyrography craft, Niu Chengguo has worked hard on the craft for about 40 years. With his great love for beautiful things, Niu has kept improving his artistic skills and created many works of art.

“When I was a little boy, I was deeply touched by the lively patterns on gourds which were created by my grandpa. I began studying how to create the artworks under my grandpa when I was 11,” said Niu.

Niu’s efforts to improve his ability to create wonderful artworks succeeded, as his works have become popular both at home and abroad. His artworks have sold well in many countries   in Southeast Asia, Europe and America. Many of his works have appeared in different cultural exchange activities held by the government of Beijing. As a result, the popularity of the gourd-pyrography craft has increased.

In 2014, Niu started Beijing Gourd Art Manor to provide a platform (平台) to help visitors enjoy the beauty of the gourd craft. “I just want to make the traditional pyrography craft known and liked by more people.” Niu said.

1. What can gourds be used for according to Paragraph One?

A．Holding dishes.

B．Making music.

C．Creating artworks.

D．Playing games.

2. We can infer Niu Chengguo is _________.

A．about 35 years old	B．about 39 years old
C．about 41 years old	D．about 55 years old

3. Whose lively patterns on gourds touched Niu Chengguo?

A．His grandpa’s.

B．His grandma’s.

C．Niu Chengguo’s.

D．His father’s.

4. His works have sold well in many countries EXCEPT _________.

A．Asia

B．Europe

C．Africa

D．America

5. What's Niu’ purpose of providing a platform?

A．To make money.	B．To help visitors enjoy the beauty of the gourd craft.
C．To improve his artistic skills.	D．To create many works of art.

【推荐3】Paper-cutting is one of the traditional folk arts(民间传统艺术) in China. It has a long history of about 1,500 years. Artists use paper, scissors and knives to make paper-cuttings. People find happiness and luck in paper-cuttings. In Spring Festival, they paste paper-cuttings like “Fu” on windows to bring good luck for the new year. And parents may paste “Xi” inside the houses when their sons or daughters get married.

In many places, the paper-cuttings are red. In old times, people worked on the farm and respected the sun. Red is the colour of the sun. They see red as the symbol of hope and life. Now, you can see red everywhere in China, the walls of old palaces, lanterns, weddings and so on.

Do you know some of the paper-cuttings are black in Shanzhou? Shanzhou is in Henan province(省). The paper-cuttings there are black. Black is the best colour there. Since Shanzhou is a dry place, people make black paper-cuttings and wish for rain.

Moreover, paper-cuttings are colourful in Yuxian(蔚县), Hebei province. Artists put five pieces of paper-cuttings together. They just paint the first piece with brushes. And the colour goes through. Soon a beautiful paper-cutting is made.

1. The underlined word “symbol” means “________” in Chinese.

A．象征

B．暗示

C．出现

D．记录

2. Why people in Shanzhou make black paper-cuttings?

A．Because they see it as the symbol of hope.

B．Because black is their favourite colour.

C．Because they wish for rain.

D．Because they think black is lucky.

3. Which of the following isn’t mentioned in the passage?

A．Red paper-cuttings.

B．Green paper-cuttings.

C．Black paper-cuttings.

D．Colourful paper-cuttings.

4. What may the writer continue to talk in paragraph 5?

A．The history of paper-cuttings.

B．When do people paste paper-cuttings.

C．Paper-cutting museums around us.

D．How do people in Yuxian make paper-cuttings.

【推荐2】After the Lantern festival, the next one on the Chinese lunar calendar is the Huazhao Festival（花朝节）.     1     Because the weather is different in different places, people celebrate on the 2nd, 12th, or 15th day of February on the Chinese lunar calendar.     2    

Praying（祈祷） to the flower goddess

It is a famous activity in many places. People often offer flowers, drinks or fruit to the flower goddess for good luck in the Huazhao Festival.     3    

Having a spring outing

The festival is in easy spring, so it is just the time to go hiking to enjoy all the wonderful nature.

Planting flowers and vegetables

    4     It was believed the flowers and vegetables planted on that day would be more likely to survive（存活）.

Picking wild vegetables

There are many wild vegetables in early spring. In the past, people believed wild vegetables could improve health and stop illnesses.     5     They think wild vegetables are tasty and healthy, and it is fun to pick them.

根据材料内容，从下面五个选项中选出能填入文中空缺处的最佳选项，使文章意思通顺、内容完整。

A．Now people still like to pick them in the festival.

B．Here is a list of customs for you to spend the festival.

C．People grow flowers and vegetables to celebrate the festival.

D．They believe they can get protection from the flower goddess by doing so.

E．It has been held in celebration of the flower goddess’birthday since the times of ancient China.

【推荐3】There are lots of fun-filled ethnic (少数民族的) festivals in our country. Let’s take a look at some of them.

The March Fair of Bai People	The March Fair is the most important festival for the Bai people living in Dali, Yunnan. It starts from the 15th day of the 3rd lunar month and lasts about 7 days. During the festival, people in and around Dali come together for trade. What’s more, they race horses, dance to and sing traditional songs.
The Torch Festival of Yi People	In Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan, Yi people celebrate the Torch (火把) Festival. It usually takes place from the 24th to the 26th day of the 6th lunar month every year. As part of the festival, every family needs to light a torch. The idea is that these torches will drive away bad luck. In the center of town, there is always a bonfire (篝火). People of all ages sing and dance around it.
The Water Festival of Dai People	The Water Festival is the New Year for the Dai people living in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan. It lasts 3 days in April. During the festival, Dai people wear their festival suits to dance and throw water at each other (they believe it could bring happiness and good luck). The wetter you get, the luckier you will be.

1. Where can you experience all the three ethnic festivals above?

A．In Yunnan.

B．In Guizhou.

C．In Sichuan.

D．In Guangdong.

2. Which festival lasts the longest time?

A．May Day.

B．The March Fair.

C．The Torch Festival.

D．The Water Festival.

3. In which part of the magazine can you find the passage?

A．Science and technology.

B．Animal World.

C．Healthy Life.

D．Around China.