The popular TV series Meet Yourself (有风的地方) show the beauty of some intangible cultural heritages (非物质文化遗产) in Dali, Yunnan province. Let’s take a look at a few things.
Wood carving (木雕)
Jianchuan wood carving has a history of over 1,000 years. It has rich culture meanings. The carving usually uses patterns like flowers, plants and dragons. This type of wood carving is widely used in people’s buildings. Each piece of wood carving carries great efforts from the masters.
Tie-dyeing (扎染)
Tie-dyeing is an old dyeing skill. It started as early as in the Tang Dynasty for a small part of people. But now, tie-dyeing has modern things on clothing and bags, selling at home and abroad.
Flower cake
Flower cake is no doubt the most popular snack of Yunnan province. It has a history of more than 300 years. Even the Qing Dynasty emperor Qianlong was its big fan. The most special part of the cake is that it has flowers in the cake.
These traditional skills not only stand for Chinese wisdom, but also add colors to our modern lives.
1. Jianchuan wood carving has rich culture meanings.2. We can know that tie-dyeing isn’t an old dyeing skill.
3. The flower cake has a history of more than 3,000 years.
4. These traditional skills only stand for Chinese wisdom.
5. The passage mainly introduces some intangible cultural heritages in Dali.
2 . With the development of science and technology, our daily life is becoming more colorful and more convenient.
| The Bookless Library | Can you imagine walking into a library and finding all books have turned into computers? The world first bookless public library plans to open in San Antonio, Texas. Computers will take the place of books. |
| Google Glass | Google Glass is a pair of glasses with a battery (电池) hidden inside the frame (边框). It can carry out many of the same tasks as smart phones. The glass has a hidden camera and a tiny screen. It is designed to take hands-free photos or videos of anything people are doing. |
| A New Kind of Shirt | Hate washing clothes? You’re going to love this kind of shirt made by an American clothing company, Wool & Prince. This shirt can be worn for 100 straight days without washing! The Wool & Prince shirt never needs ironing (熨烫). |
| An Underwater Hotel | It looks like a spaceship but it is actually a picture of an underwater hotel. A company plans to build in the sea which is about 18 meters below the surface. The whole building is underwater and you can get to it by swimming and diving. |
1. Where is the world first bookless public library planed to open?
| A．In Gray, Indiana. | B．In Anchorage, Alaska. |
| C．In San Antonio, Texas. | D．In Los Angeles, California. |
| A．It can take photos and videos. | B．It can be used for drinking. |
| C．It can be used for seeing a film. | D．It can read a book like a man. |
| A．The traditional clothes. | B．The Nike Clothes. |
| C．The Wool& Prince shirt. | D．A coat with a battery. |
| A．By walking into it. | B．By swimming or diving. |
| C．By taking a spaceship. | D．By driving a special car. |
| A．New Vehicles | B．New Problems |
| C．New Libraries | D．New Inventions |
3 . 
As one kind of the most ancient characters, Chinese characters have played an important role in the development of Chinese culture. At first, ancient Sumerian (苏美尔语) and ancient Egyptian symbols existed (存在), but only Chinese characters remain today. The history of the Chinese language can be examined by looking at how these characters developed.
Chinese writing began thousands of years ago. According to an ancient story, a man named CangJie invented Chinese writing. One winter day while he was hunting, he saw the footprints of animals in the snow and noticed that the appearance of each one was different. Then he had the idea that he could use different shapes to represent (代表) different objects. The first Chinese characters were drawings of physical objects. Some characters have been simplified (简化) and others have been made more difficult over time.
However, as a whole, the characters have developed from drawings into standard forms. The character for a mountain was at first three mountaintops together. This became one mountaintop and three lines, and over time turned into the character used nowadays.
Sometimes to express ideas, some characters were made by combining (结合) two or more characters together. For example, “rest” was made up of the characters for a man and a tree. The character “prisoner” was formed with a “man” inside a square. Other characters were developed for directions and numbers. It is easy to distinguish (区别) their meanings by looking at them, for example, the characters for “up” and “down”, which are opposites of each other.
Though these kinds of characters indicate (表明) meanings, one of their shortcomings (缺点) is that they do not show how they should be pronounced. Therefore, a method was developed to have one part of a character represent the meaning and the other suggest the pronunciation. Many Chinese characters used today were made this way.
In the 1950s the Chinese government introduced simplified Chinese characters in the hope to make learning to read and write more understandable to the general population, which would increase literacy (读写能力) across the country. And now they have widespread use in China’s mainland.
1. The writer introduced the Chinese characters by ________.| A．giving examples | B．providing causes | C．expressing opinions | D．comparing facts |
Not all characters were developed from drawings of objects.
| A．Paragraph 5 | B．Paragraph 4 | C．Paragraph 3 | D．Paragraph 2 |
| A．亦 | B．竹 | C．明 | D．桐 |
| A．To make Chinese characters popular throughout the world. |
| B．To make people remember Chinese in a new way. |
| C．To make more people fall in love with Chinese. |
| D．To make Chinese easy to read and write. |
| A．Chinese characters have turned into standard forms, which are easier than before. |
| B．The first Chinese characters were invented by Cang Jie hundreds of years ago. |
| C．Chinese characters existed at the very beginning and remain today like other ancient symbols. |
| D．Chinese characters we use today have been accepted by large numbers of Chinese people. |
We have had lots of technology and it has changed our lives a lot. There is no doubt that humans will continue to use more and more technology. Here are some examples of modern technology that will change our ideas and will affect our lives greatly.
Global Positioning System (GPS)
It’s a system that uses radio signals (信号) from satellites (卫星) to show exact information. It tells you where the user is on the earth in all weather conditions. It’s made up of the following parts: satellites, control equipment on land and receivers.
Space Technology
Russian and American scientists have worked together for the International Space Station (ISS) for a long time. They hope the ISS will provide a long-lasting lab. Such a lab will bring humans limitless advantages. It’s even hoped that one day space technology will take humans to their new houses in space.
Underwater Robot
Hercules is a kind of underwater robot with some high-technology equipment. It will be used to search for ancient ships which were destroyed into the deep sea during journey long ago.
1. GPS can’t tell you where the user is on the earth on rainy days.2. Control equipment on land is a part of GPS.
3. The ISS has carried people to other planets.
4. Hercules will be used to search for the ancient ships in the sea.
5. The purpose of the passage is to tell us technology is changing the world.
5 . Why did ancient Chinese emperors call themselves zhen (朕) or guaren (寡人)? Research shows that the word zhen used to be a first-person pronoun. Before the Qin Dynasty, it meant “I” or “me” and everyone from farmers to state rulers could use it. The word can be found in books like Li Sao and Shi Jing.
However, when the state of Qin defeated all the other six states and unified China, Qinshihuang, the first emperor in Chinese history, changed how this word could be used. He made it a rule that the word zhen could only be used by the emperor himself. Since then, it has been kept only for rulers.
Chinese emperors also called themselves guaren, In ancient China, emperors regarded themselves as the “Sons of Heaven”, and believed they had a “Mandate of Heaven” to rule. However, if the “Son of Heaven” was found to have poor morals (德行), they would lose the mandate, So, the rulers used the phrase guaren or guadezhiren, meaning “a person who doesn’t have morality”. In this way, they could show their modesty (谦虚). In Chinese culture, people should not talk proudly about their own abilities and beliefs. Modesty is seen as a virtue (美德). Ancient rulers hoped to win people’s hearts by calling themselves guaren.
However, historical records show that guaren lost its popularity after the Tang Dynasty. The emperors of the following dynasties used zhen more often.
1. Why does the writer start the passage with a question?| A．To attract (吸引) readers’ interest. | B．To describe a famous person. |
| C．To help readers understand an idea. | D．To tell the background of the writer. |
| A．The state of Qin. | B．Chinese history. | C．The word zhen. | D．The phrase guaren. |
| A．Because they were lonely. | B．Because they had poor morals. |
| C．Because they were sons of heaven. | D．Because they wanted to win people’s hearts. |
| A．Before the Qin Dynasty, zhen meant “I” or “me” and only rulers could use it. |
| B．In ancient China, emperors regarded themselves as the “Sons of Heaven”. |
| C．In Chinese culture, people should talk proudly about their abilities and beliefs. |
| D．Historical records show that guaren was still popular after the Tang Dynasty. |
| A．Art. | B．History. | C．Sports. | D．Science. |
6 . What will life in the future be like? And what will we be able to do in the future?
Genetic engineering (基因工程) may help us make the perfect human. Babies may grow up to play basketball like Yao Ming. Also, we may be able to bring the dead back to life. Maybe people will be able to meet and talk with their dead family members.
Over the next 20 to 50 years, it will become harder to tell (分辨) if a person is dead or alive. Perhaps humans will be able to make copies of ourselves, so we will appear to be alive long after we are dead. Humans may be able to find ways of putting the life of a person into a new body.
Nanobots (纳米机器人) will be important. We will use them when we are sick. For example, when we have a stomachache, we will swallow (吞下) a nanobot and it will tell the doctor what’s happening in our stomachs by taking a video with its camera.
In the future, computers may have feelings. They may be able to think better than us. We may be more and more interested in computers and spend all our time in front of computers. Perhaps we will forget our real needs. Perhaps we will weigh 250 kgs!
1. Why does the writer give examples in Paragraph 2?| A．To describe what babies will be like. |
| B．To tell why we use genetic engineering. |
| C．To describe how to bring the dead back to life. |
| D．To tell how genetic engineering may help humans. |
| A．Everyone in the future will be made into robots. |
| B．Nobody will be alive over the next 20 to 50 years. |
| C．It will become harder to tell if a person is dead or alive. |
| D．Humans will be able to live a long life in another world. |
| A．It will tell the doctor what to do. |
| B．It will help to cut off the stomach. |
| C．It will send medicine directly to the stomach. |
| D．It will tell the doctor what’s wrong through a video. |
| A．Computers may have feelings. |
| B．Computers will weigh 250 kgs. |
| C．Computers may think better than people. |
| D．People may spend all the time on computers. |
| A．Life in the future | B．People never die |
| C．The world of robots | D．Super future computers |
7 . At the beginning of human history, people could only eat food they found. But then people learned to find more ways to get food. About 10, 000 years ago, people started to farm the land. After that, people developed farming skills.
People eat different food in different areas. In China, rice is the main food for people in the south while the people in the north eat noodles. People who live in European countries near the sea eat lots of fish. But in Central Europe, people are away from the sea. So they don’t eat so much fish. They eat more meat instead.
People eat food with different tools in different areas. In China, people always like using chopsticks while in North America, Australia and Europe, people always like using knives and forks. To our surprise, in India and the Middle East, people always pick up food with their own fingers.
Now people can eat different food from different areas. As we can see, it is possible to convey food easily from one part of the world to another. We can almost eat whatever we like at any place of the world. For example, people in Britain can eat bananas from Africa and rice from India. Food is becoming a very big business now.
1. People ________at the beginning of human history.| A．could only eat food they found | B．started to farm the land |
| C．developed farming skills | D．could eat food from other countries |
| A．they are near the sea | B．they like eating noodles |
| C．they are away from the sea | D．they don’t like eating fish |
| A．捐赠 | B．传导 | C．维修 | D．运输 |
| A．People in the south of China eat bananas as their main food. |
| B．People in India and the Middle East always pick up food with their own fingers. |
| C．People in Britain can only eat rice from Africa. |
| D．People in the world get used to picking up food with knives and forks. |
| A．People don’t like the food from the different places. |
| B．People’s eating habits are the same. |
| C．People can buy different kinds of food more easily than before. |
| D．People could only eat food they find now. |
8 . Most people are afraid of snakes. They may think snakes are dangerous and ugly. With more and more rain falling and the hot weather, it’s time for snakes to be active. Living in the city, it never crosses your mind that we might meet them face to face.
There are more than 2,000 kinds of snakes on the earth. Most of them live in mountains or forests, and in cities sometimes we can find them in grass or other dark places. Snakes can’t walk or run because they have no legs or feet, but these long and thin animals can move very fast on their stomachs. Snakes usually have green, yellow or black skins, which make it difficult for their enemies to find them. In winter they hibernate in holes. They look for a hole to stay inside, on the ground, or in a rock or a tree. They do not wake up again until spring comes. Snakes feed on mice, frogs, bird eggs and so on.
Snakes play an important part in nature. We can make useful medicines with them. Without their help, the rodents (啮齿动物) will be out of control. But many of them are in danger of disappearing. Houses and buildings take up the land where snakes live. Many snakes lose their lives in traffic, and people often kill snakes for their skins or meat.
1. Which season may it be now according to the text?| A．Spring. | B．Summer. | C．Autumn. | D．Winter. |
| A．About 1,000. | B．Over 2,000. | C．A bout 3,000. | D．Over 4,000. |
| A．躲藏 | B．睡觉 | C．冬眠 | D．伏击 |
| A．We never see snakes in cities. | B．Snakes only catch mice as food. |
| C．Snakes are useless to nature. | D．Many snakes are in danger. |
| A．Health. | B．Geography. | C．Biology. | D．Weather. |
9 . Yunnan seems to be everyone’s dream. Many people want to travel to Yunnan. Yunnan’s local customs and a variety of scenery deeply attract everyone. Today we’ll take you to know the top 3 famous places of interest in Yunnan.
Yulong Snow Mountain
Yulong Snow Mountain, located about 15 kilometers north of Lijiang, is one of the most famous tourist attractions in China. It is about 550 kilometers away from Kunming. This is a great place where you can ski. It is named after its shape, which looks like a dragon lying in the snow.
Erhai Lake
Erhai Lake, located in the north of Dali, is one of the seven biggest fresh water lakes in China. It is about 340 kilometers away from Kunming. The lake gets the name because it is ear-shaped. It is like a crescent lying between Cangshan and Dali.
Stone Forest
Stone Forest is only 78 kilometers away from Kunming. In fact, Stone Forest can be said to be the world’s natural heritage (遗产). In the forest, we would be amazed by the different shaped stones like fresh lotus, fighter’s sword, flying phoenix, and big mushroom. One of the stones is the most famous, which is called Ashima. It looks like a Sani girl.
1. Where does Yulong Snow Mountain lie?| A．In Kunming. | B．In Lijiang. | C．In Dali. | D．In Pu’er. |
| A．It is ear-shaped. |
| B．It has different shaped stones. |
| C．It looks like a dragon lying in the snow. |
| D．It is like a stone lying between Cangshan and Dali. |
| A．Fresh lotus. | B．Fighter’s sword. | C．Flying phoenix. | D．Ashima. |
| A．Yulong Snow Mountain is closest to Kunming. |
| B．Erhai Lake is the biggest fresh water lake in China. |
| C．You can enjoy skiing in Yulong Snow Mountain. |
| D．Stone Forest is the biggest forest in the world. |
| A．Travel. | B．Sports. | C．Health. | D．Science. |
10 . Chopsticks are a pair of small equal-length sticks, usually made of wood, used for eating Asian food. It is believed that the first chopsticks were developed in China. Chopsticks play an important role in Chinese food culture. Chinese chopsticks are usually 9 to 10 inches long. They are round on the eating end which means heaven (天), and the other end is square which means earth (地). The appearance (出现) of chopsticks said goodbye to those days when our Chinese ancestors had to use their hands to eat.
Besides, the use of chopsticks has also been a part of Chinese food culture. There are some taboos that you must pay great attention to when you use chopsticks. Firstly, don’t use them to hit your bowl or plate. Secondly, never use them to point at others. Thirdly, don’t put them in different food without taking something. Fourthly, don’t cross the chopsticks on the table. And lastly don’t leave your chopsticks standing in the rice. Chinese people do this only when they honour the dead.
Nowadays, chopsticks have many new usages. For example, you can buy a pair as a gift to your friends and relatives. In Chinese, it reads “kuaizi”, which means having sons soon, so a newly-married couple will be very happy to accept it as their wedding gift.
1. In which country are chopsticks mainly used?| A．France. | B．China. | C．Australia. | D．America. |
| A．Hands. | B．Chopsticks. | C．Spoons. | D．Forks. |
| A．用途 | B．禁忌 | C．说明 | D．指南 |
| A．The round end means earth, while the other square end means heaven. |
| B．You can use the chopsticks to point at others when you are angry. |
| C．Chopsticks can be used as gifts. |
| D．Chinese chopsticks are usually 9 to 10 meters long. |
| A．The introduction of chopsticks. |
| B．The history of chopsticks. |
| C．The ways to use chopsticks. |
| D．The develop of chopsticks. |
