According to the traditional Chinese calendar, there are 24 solar terms in a year. The 24 solar terms were created thousands of years ago to guide agriculture production (农业生产). But solar term culture is still useful today to guide people’s lives through cultural activities and special foods that go with each term.
There are six solar terms in winter. They are beginning of winter, light snow, heavy snow, winter solstice (冬至), lesser cold (小寒) and greater cold.
Beginning of winter usually falls on November 7th or 8th. After beginning of winter, most parts of the country can start to expect cold weather. On this day, after a year of hard work, people are happy to have a rest and spend time with family. The northern China celebrates beginning of winter as the “Small Spring Festival”. People usually have dumplings on the day.
Light snow usually falls on November 22nd or 23rd and heavy snow is on December 7th or 8th. When winter solstice comes, it brings the shortest days of the year and the longest nights. Many places around the country can expect the coldest weather. People often start counting “nine cold periods” starting from winter solstice. Every cold period has nine days. People believe that after 81 cold days, spring will come.
Greater cold comes after lesser cold. The field is covered with snow. All Chinese are ready to welcome the Spring Festival after it. Of course, a new round of solar terms will start.
1. How many solar terms are there in winter?There are
2. How do people celebrate beginning of winter?
They celebrate it by
3. When is light snow?
It’s usually
4. What does the underlined “it” in the fourth paragraph refer to?
It refers to
5. According to the passage, which solar term is the last one in a year?
2 . We know many musical instruments well, such as pianos, violins and drums. What about the erhu? The erhu is a traditional Chinese instrument. It is the most popular of the huqin family, and it has a long history.
The modern erhu developed from the Xiqin, which was played by many ethnic minorities (少数民族) during the Tang Dynasty. In the Song Dynasty, musicians began to use the erhu to perform different kinds of music, and it became quite a popular instrument. With the rise of some forms of folk art, the art of the erhu developed quickly during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It became an important accompanying (伴奏) instrument in different folk music. At present, it is used in both traditional and modern music, such as in pop, rock and jazz. It has even become a solo (独奏) instrument. One of the most famous musical pieces played on the erhu is Erquan Yingyue.
As the erhu was mainly played by common people and the playing skills were passed down orally (口头地), there are few written records about the erhu that can be found. To study the history and the development of the erhu, historians (历史学者) usually turn to ancient paintings. The earliest pictures of this instrument were found in Yulin Caves and Eastern Thousand Buddha Caves in Gansu Province, where five erhu pictures were discovered on mural (壁画).
1. When did the erhu become a popular instrument?| A．In the Tang Dynasty. | B．In the Song Dynasty. |
| C．In the Qing Dynasty. | D．In recent years. |
| A．play the most famous erhu pieces |
| B．listen to different kinds of folk music |
| C．get help from ancient paintings |
| D．read some books about ethnic minorities |
| A．The huqin belongs to the erhu family. |
| B．Folk art stops the development of the erhu. |
| C．People can find plenty of written records about the erhu. |
| D．The erhu is used in both traditional and modern music now. |
| A．culture | B．business | C．health | D．nature |
3 . My name is Valeriia. I’m from Kyrgyzstan and I’m studying in a university in Xi’an. I’ve been to some cities in China, such as Shanghai, Tianjin and Beijing, but I’m always happy when I come back to Xi’an. It is warmer and more colorful than Beijing. The best thing in Shaanxi Province for me is mountains. I used to see mountains around the city in my childhood. And I really love it. So, Xi’an city in Shaanxi Province feels like my second hometown in China.
Culture is another thing which can surprise people. In China, we can see all those stories about ancient China like Silk Road, wars and so on. We can feel the history when we are walking in city, hear it by listening to drums of Bell Tower, see it by looking at Terracotta Warriors, touch it by touching stones of Xi’an City Wall.
As we know, now environment has been a worldwide problem and it was exciting to know the government is trying to make Xi’an a Sponge City. Rains can be dangerous sometimes and I believe that after realizing the plan, the city will be safer in rain seasons and can be used as an example for others.
What I really want to say is that the Chinese government gives great chances to foreigners not only to get education, but also to get knowledge about China, the country with so long history and fantastic language.
1. What does the writer think is the best in Shaanxi?| A．Mountains. | B．Culture. | C．Environment. | D．Language. |
| A．by telling stories about ancient China |
| B．by listening to drums of Bell Tower |
| C．by looking at Terracotta Warriors |
| D．By touching stones of Xi’an City Wall |
| A．It has been a worldwide problem. | B．It is dangerous sometimes. |
| C．It will be safer in rain season. | D．It was first made by Xi’an. |
