Chinese chopsticks are a pair of sticks to be used when eating. They were first used in China and then introduced to other areas in the world. Chopsticks are considered one of the symbols of Chinese food culture.
When were chopsticks invented? In fact, before the invention of chopsticks, Chinese ancestors actually used hands to eat. Chinese people started to use chopsticks about 3,000 years ago during the Shang Dynasty. During the pre-Qin period, chopsticks were called “Jia”, and in the Qin and Han Dynasties, they were called “Zhu”. Because “Zhu” shares the same pronunciation with “stop” in Chinese, which is an unlucky word, by the Ming Dynasty people began to call them “Kuai”, meaning “fast” in Chinese. This is the origin of today’s name of Chinese chopsticks.
Who invented chopsticks? There is no exact historical record about the question, but there are many folk stories about it. One story is that Jiang Ziya was inspired to create chopsticks by a mythical (神话中的) bird. Another one is that Daji, the favorite wife of the King Zhou of Shang, invented chopsticks in order to please the king. It is also said that Yu the Great, who founded the Xia Dynasty used sticks to pick up hot food in order to save time to control flood.
What should we pay attention to when using chopsticks? When eating with the elders, Chinese people usually let the elders take up chopsticks before anyone else. Besides, playing with chopsticks is thought to be a bad manner. It’s also impolite to tap chopsticks on one’s bowl, because in ancient China beggars (乞丐) often did it to draw attention.
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There have been many great inventions for things that changed the way we live. The first great invention was the one that is still very important today—the wheel. This made it easier to carry heavy things and to travel to a far place. For hundreds of years after that, there were few inventions that had as much influence as the wheel.
In the second half of the 19th century, many great inventions were made. Among them were the camera, the light and the radio. These all play a big part in our daily life today.
In the first part of the 20th century, there were many valuable inventions, such as the helicopter (直升飞机) in 1909, movies with sound in 1926, the computer in 1928, jet planes (喷气式飞机) in 1930. This was also a time when a new material was first invented. Nylon (尼龙) came out in 1935. It changed the kind of clothes people wore.
The middle part of the 20th century brought new ways to help people get over illnesses. These new ways could allow people to live longer. By the 1960s, most people could expect to live to be at least 60.
New inventions will some day allow us to do things we have never dreamed of.
1. The wheel was the2. The wheel made it easier to carry
3. The camera, the light and the radio were invented in the
4. Nylon came out in
5. Most people could expect to live to be
Paragraphica is an AI camera that was invented by Bjørn Karmann. It has no lens (镜头) to take in light and take a picture. It uses information about what your location looks like, and uses AU to create a picture that is something like what you’re seeing.
How does Paragraphica do it? First, it collects information using three different APIs (精准位置指示器). The information includes things like the time of day, the weather, the address and more. Then, it creates a paragraph that describes what the camera should be seeing according to the information. Finally, it uses a text-to-image conversion (转变) program to create a picture. When all of the information is ready, you “point and shoot” and a picture appears on the camera’s screen.
You might wonder, if it can’t see anything, how does AI know what a place looks like? Actually, AI works by “learning” from information collected and recorded by humans. It then uses the information to perform a task. In the case of this camera, humans have collected billions of pieces of information on what certain weather looks like, what a grassland looks like, or what a crowded street in Western Europe looks like. Paragraphica collects all of this to create a picture of a certain moment. It’s not always correct and it’s not meant to be. It’s just an idea of how it may look like according to the information.
Since Paragraphica is convenient, will it take the place of traditional cameras? “Paragraphica will never challenge photography. I invented it partly to raise people’s attention about Al’s influences on our lives.” Karmann said.
2. What information does Paragraphica collect before creating a picture?
3. What helps to turn a paragraph into a picture?
4. How does AI work according to the passage?
5. Why might Karmann have invented Paragraphica?
Most people nowadays wear sneakers（运动鞋）, leather（皮革）shoes or boots（靴子）.
But in ancient China, many people made their own cloth shoes.
Tangchang, a town in Sichuan province, is quite famous for its cloth shoes. The town has 700 years of shoemaking history. Tangchang cloth shoes are made from natural materials such as flour （面粉）, cotton, cloth and wool which are more comfortable than those with plastic soles（鞋底）in the market and they are easy to walk in and they don’t get wet easily.
But the process of making cloth shoes is not easy. Growing up in Tangchang, Lai Shufang is a master of making cloth shoes. The 69-year-old woman has been making shoes for over 40 years. She said that there are 32 steps that go into the production of the shoes. The most important step is making the soles. Layers（层）of white cloth are glued together with paste（面糊）made from flour.
“To make the proper paste, we have to keep the hot water at an exact temperature of 85℃. If it’s too low or too high, the paste will fail,” Lai said. After this, the layered cloth is beaten again and again until it is tight enough to make soles, as well as the upper parts of the shoes.
Over the time, sneakers began to gain more popularity among consumers（消费者）. Fewer and fewer people choose cloth shoes.To make a living and help the cultural heritage（遗产） alive, Lai and her co-workers added Shu embroidery（刺绣）to make the shoes more fashionable. They now sell about 10,000 pairs of shoes each year, both online and in their store.
1. What are Tangchang cloth shoes made from?2. How long has Lai Shufang made cloth shoes?
3. What is the most important step in making cloth shoes?
4. How did Lai make the shoes more fashionable?
5. Amy wants to buy a pair of Tangchang cloth shoes for her 70-year-old grandma as birthday present. Do you think it is a good idea? Why or why not?
Zang Chaiyuan has recently been working deep into the night because people are lined up for her steamed buns(馒头). The 25-year-old girl from Yantai, East China’s Shandong Province, has turned flour(面粉) into a gold mine(矿) by putting modern elements(元素) into “Jiaodong huabobo”, a popular traditional food dating back more than 300 years. Huabobo is a flower-shaped steamed bun, which has been a treat at many folk(民俗的) activities, such as celebrations and festivals. The buns are shaped by Zang’s hands. These shapes are from cute rabbits to treasure bowls and lucky bags.
However, Zang’s parents didn’t agree with her to open a huabobo shop at the beginning. They believed young people should find a steady(稳定的) job, like being a teacher. They also thought bun making was better for more elderly women. However, Zang wanted to start up her own business. She found that there was a great need for huabobo. Besides, she loved huabobo in her childhood. With a little more than 10,000 yuan of her own savings, Zang opened her first small huabobo shop in Yantai in 2020. As her skills increased, sales in her shop has been on the rise. She opened a second shop in downtown Yantai two years later. And this time her parents came to help her.
Zang is glad that more young people show great interest in the traditional craft(手艺). “Now that my grandmother is gone, I want to make this passion my career and keep on doing it,” Zang says. “I also love traditional Chinese culture and believe that the craft of making huabobo is worth promoting.”
1. How does Zang Chaiyuan turn flour into a gold mine?2. Why did Zang want to start up her own business?
3. Did Zang’s parents agree with her to open a huabobo shop at last?
4. When did Zang open her second shop in Yantai?
5. What can we learn from Zang Chaiyuan?
The word silk itself is beautiful. The story of silk started in China over 4, 000 years ago. One story says a silkworm’s cocoon (茧) fell into a woman’s teacup. It then opened into a single, unbroken thread (线). This was an important discovery. The Chinese learned they could use the cocoons to make cloth that was both beautiful to look at and soft to touch.
Making silk was a protected secret in China for many years. In other countries, silk was very valuable. Often it was worth more than gold. It was said that the secret was finally given away when a queen left China for India. In her hair, she secretly carried many silkworms.
By the year 1 A.D., silk was sold as far west as Rome, and all along the Silk Road. Finally, around the year 300, silk also travelled from China to Japan. In 1522, the Spanish brought silkworms to Mexico.
Today people around the world still make many beautiful things from silk. But silk isn’t only beautiful. It looks easy to break, but actually it’s very strong. For example, people have already used it to make bicycle wheels. And some doctors even use silk threads in hospital. Silk is also lightweight and warm. This makes it great for clothes like winter jackets, trousers and shoes.
All of this is from a little silkworm. That is the magic of silk.
1. How long has the story of silk been told in China?2. Which country did the queen leave for?
3. What did the Spanish bring to Mexico in 1522?
4. Can people use silk to make bicycle wheels?
5. Why is silk great for clothes like winter jackets, trousers and shoes?
【推荐3】
In China, the 24 solar terms (节气) were created thousands of years ago to guide farmers to work better. They also reflect China’s rich history through the seasonal festivals, special food, cultural activities, family gatherings and even healthy living tips with each solar term.
Rain Water or Yushui is a symbol of the increase in rainfall and rise in temperature. With its arrival, 1. 草和树木又变成了绿色。This year, Rain Water starts on Feb 15 and ends on Mar 5.
There is an ancient Chinese saying, 2. “Rain during the spring time is as valuable as oil”, showing the importance of rain to the plants and farming. Around this period of time, the most important thing for the farmers is timely irrigation (灌溉), especially in northern China where the rainfall is less.
It is an ancient Chinese tradition for daughters to pay a visit to their parents during the day of Yushui. The traditional gifts are a piece of red silk which expresses the best wishes for the parents to have good health and a pot of stewed (炖) meat that shows their respect and the gratitude (感激) to the parents for raising them as children. And this tradition is kept in many areas across China. Even though the spring is warmer during Rain Water, it is still a bit early to take off the heavy coat completely and ancient Chinese people said it would be better to keep your coat on for a little longer in the spring because there is usually a returning cold period, especially for elderly and children. For the Chinese, if Lichun is the beginning of the spring, Yushui is the second step to embrace (拥抱) the warm weather. With the rain, nature comes alive, filling the world with vitality (生机).
1. 将划线部分译成英文。2. 将划线部分译成中文。
3. What are the common gifts for daughters to visit parents during Yushui?
4. Should people take off the coat completely during Rain Water? Why or why not?
5. In your opinion, what does the solar term Rain Water symbolize?
【推荐1】The Happy Valley in Shenzhen is one of the best amusement parks in Asia. It was first opened in 1998. It has nine theme parks—the Maya Water Park, Sunshine Beach, Shangri—La Woods, Happy Times, Gold Mine Town and Typhoon Bay, etc. Thousands of students take their school trips here every year. Most of them have great fun playing games and going sightseeing in the park. Some of the most popular attractions（项目）are the Top Spin, Shoot the Chute, Roller Coaster,4D Theater and Water Stunt Show. Children shorter than 1.2 meters can enjoy themselves in the Magic Castle. If you find the games too thrilling（令人震颤的）, you can also play small games in the gift shops and win the prizes.
The amusement park is a great place to hang out with your friends and take pictures. If you are thirsty or hungry during the games, there are lots of food shops and restaurants around the parks for you to have a rest. Please wait in line for the games and don’t drop any litter.
You can surf online or call 0755—26949184 or 0755—26949493 to book the tickets. A ticket is 220 yuan for an adult and 120 yuan for children and the old.
1. When was the Happy Valley first opened?2. How many theme parks are there in the Happy Valley?
3. Where can the children under 1.2 meters have fun?
4. How can we book the ticket?
5. How much should an adult pay for the ticket?
【推荐2】In Singapore, many middle school students do the same thing like us. On one hand, they spend a lot of time on their studies. People think getting high points is good for their future. So, many students try their best to get high points in their exams. They have a lot of homework every day and exams are usually difficult. They have to work hard to achieve a good score. Sometimes, some of them have to go to remedial(补习的) classes after school.
On the other hand, there are many after-school activities for students: sports, games, music, dance and so on. They are also very happy to do community service.
In their free time, most students like to listen to music. Different kinds of movies are also very popular with them. Some of them also spend their free time talking with their friends and playing computer games on the Internet.
They sometimes go to coffee shops, fast food restaurants, shopping centers and big bookstores. So it seems the middle school students’ life in Singapore is not easy but it is _____79_____
1. Why do students try their best to get high points in exams?2. What do most students like to do in their free time?
3. What do some students do on the Internet?
4. Is middle school students’ life in Singapore hard?
5. What is the passage mainly about?
6. Complete the sentence in the text:
So it seems the middle school students’ life in Singapore is not easy but it is
Being an astronaut sounds cool, doesn't it? In space, they can do some pretty amazing things, like floating in zero gravity (重力).
However, there are also plenty of things that astronauts can't do because of their weightless environment, and that's very sad. What's worse, they can't even let their sadness show – because it's impossible to cry in zero gravity.
Of course, astronauts can still have tears. But crying is much more difficult in space. Without gravity, tears don't flow downward out of the eyes like they do on the earth. This means that when you cry in space, your tears have nowhere to go – they just stick to your eyes.
In May 2011, astronaut Andrew Feustel experienced this during one of his spacewalks. "Tears," he said, "don't fall off your eyes. They just stay there." Besides making your vision (视力) unclear, this can also cause physical pain. Back on the earth, tears are supposed to bring comfort to the eyes. But that's not the same in space. The space environment dries out astronauts' eyes, and when tears suddenly wet the eyes, it can cause pain rather than comfort. "My right eye is painful like crazy." Feustel told his teammate during the walk.
Since gravity doesn't work in space astronauts need some extra help to get rid of the tears.
Feustel chose to rub his eyes against his helmet (头盔) to wipe the tears away. Another choice is to just wait -- "When the tears get big enough, they simply break free of the eye and float around, astronaut Ron Parise said.
There are lots of small things - things like crying that we are so used to on the earth. We usually take them for granted (认为理所当然), until they become a problem in a completely different environment, like space. There, astronauts can't talk to each other directly. They can't eat or drink in normal ways; They can't even burp (打嗝) because there is no gravity to hold the food down in their stomachs. If they do burp, they just end up throwing up (呕吐) everything in their stomachs, according to the UK National Space Center.
Thus perhaps it's only space explorers who can honestly say: "Gravity, you're the best."
1. Is crying more difficult in space than on the earth?2. What happens to tears when astronauts cry in space?
3. Who experienced that the tears in space caused pain rather than comfort?
4. How do astronauts get rid of the tears in space?
5. Why can't astronauts burp in space?
6. In the last paragraph, the writer says: perhaps it's only space explorers who can honestly say: "Gravity, you're the best." Do you agree with the writer? Why or why not?
