“The one who gets wool (羊毛) is a kind person.” People in Tibet (西藏) always say this when they get together and eat “guthuk”. Guthuk is a kind of dough ball (面团) soup. It is the food for the new year festival in Tibet. The festival is also called the Losar New Year. Guthuk is just like dumplings in the Spring Festival.
Eating guthuk is full of surprises. You can find some fun things in the dough balls. Each of the things has a special meaning. If you find wool inside a dough ball, it means you are kind; if you find salt inside, it means you are lazy; if you find a paper-drawn sun or a moon, it means you are lucky. A kid always wants to find a coin because it means the kid will get lots of pocket money in the new year. People eating guthuk must show the things they find. It’s really a wonderful experience.
Grandmas and moms usually make guthuk for the family. Kids’ job is to look for the wool, paper, and other fun things for them. People work together to make a nice and happy new year meal.
The Losar New Year is on the first day of the first month on the calendar of Tibet. It lasts for 15 days. This year, it started on February 10th.
People always wear traditional clothes of Tibet during the festival. The clothes are wide and long, with lots of colors. Girls also wear beautiful necklaces and wool hats. People dress up to visit their family and friends. They say “Tashi Delek” for good luck. People offer hada, a long scarf to each other with best wishes. They also put up hada scarves to make their houses beautiful.
1. People in Tibet eat dumplings during the Losar New Year.| A．Right. | B．Wrong. |
| A．Right. | B．Wrong. |
| A．Right. | B．Wrong. |
| A．Right. | B．Wrong. |
| A．Right. | B．Wrong. |
2 . 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.
Ethnic Festivals | Introductions |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
Interested in these Chinese festivals? Go and experience them yourself.
1. What activities can you see in March Fair of Bai People?| A．Trade, horse race, throwing water | B．Trade, horse race, dancing |
| C．Singing, dancing and swimming | D．Singing, dancing and throwing water |
| A．Because they think it can drive away bad luck. |
| B．Because they think they can see the road clearly with a torch. |
| C．Because they think it can bring happiness and good luck. |
| D．Because they want to do some cooking with a torch. |
| A．In Guizhou. | B．In Yunnan. | C．In Sichuan. | D．In Guangdong. |
| A．All of them last three days. | B．The Torch Festival. |
| C．The March Fair. | D．The Water Festival. |
| A．Science and technology. | B．Around China. |
| C．Healthy Life. | D．Animal World. |
3 . 阅读下面短文, 在空白处填入一个适当的词, 或填入括号中所给单词的正确形式。
Fire is important to the Yi people.
The early Yi people lived in high and cold places in the mountains. They used fire for light to stay warm and cook food. As
And now the festival is getting
During the festival, each family has a big torch. But the children’s torches are much
4 . ①There are 56 ethnic (民族的) groups in China. Different ethnic groups have their own special cultures. Let’s enjoy some of them.
②The Bai people use a very old way, tic-dye (扎染), to dye clothes. Tie dye has a history of nearly 1, 500 years. During the Tang and Song dynasties, people chose tie dyed clothes as gifts.
③The Mongolian people live in the Mongolian yurts (蒙古包). These yurts are large round tents and their tops look like umbrellas. They are the traditional homes of the Mongolian people. The yurts are usually white because they’re made of sheep’s wool. And white is a symbol of happiness.
④The Zhuang people like singing even more than talking. On the third day of the third Chinese lunar (阴历的) month, they hold a big singing festival. It is thrilling and wonderful. All the people can’t help singing happily. Men and women singers sing in pairs. The winners are the “king”, and “queen” of singing.
⑤The Miao people have a special festival, Manghao Festival. It’s in the first Chinese lunar month every year. The Miao people consider Manghao as a hero who helped to protect their homes. At the festival, young men dress up like Manghao and touch others to express good wishes.
1. What’s the Mongolian yurt?| A．A big umbrella. | B．A traditional building. |
| C．A sheep’s home. | D．A symbol of happiness. |
| A．Quiet. | B．Slow. | C．Exciting. | D．Easy. |
| A．By choosing tie-dyed clothes as gifts. | B．By protecting their homes like a hero. |
| C．By sending some good wishes to others. | D．By dressing up and touching other people. |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
Children gather around a big, old tree. They bring pigs’ feet and cakes. An old host (主持人) stands at the front of the tree. The host asks the tree to bless the children. Then, the host cuts the food into pieces and gives it out to everyone.
This is a big part of the New Year of the Yi ethnic group (彝族). The New Year begins on November 20 and lasts (持续) for three days. Yi parents cook pigs’ feet for their children. They tie strings onto the pigs’ feet. This way, the children can carry the feet on their backs.
Usually, there is a small pigs’ feet competition. A good pig’s foot should be big and strange in shape. The stranger it is, the more luck the family has. Yi children share the “lucky” pigs’ feet with the tree during the New Year. They hope they can grow as tall and strong as the tree!
Why do Yi people love trees? Most Yi people live in the mountains of Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi. They grow up with lots of trees. They like the strong vitality (生命力) of trees.
Yi children have many fun ways to play with the pigs’ feet. In some villages, children pretend (假装) to be tigers and eagles. When the old host gives out the meat, they all rush to take it. Every Yi family makes a famous pork dish during the New Year. It is called tuotuorou. People cut pork into big pieces and cook them with salt.
Young men and women of the Yi ethnic group get up early. They bring some water and vegetables back home. They do it secretly. They believe it brings good luck to their families.
1. What festival is this passage about?2. How long does this festival last?
3. Why do Yi children share the “lucky” pigs’ feet with the tree?
4. What do young people of Yi ethnic group bring back home secretly?
5. Do you like this culture of Yi ethnic group? Why or why not?
6 . 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. |
| A．In Yunnan. | B．In Guizhou. | C．In Sichuan. | D．In Guangdong. |
| A．May Day. | B．The March Fair. | C．The Torch Festival. | D．The Water Festival. |
| A．Science and technology. | B．Animal World. | C．Healthy Life. | D．Around China. |
Have you heard of the Torch (火把) Festival of the Yi People (彝族) in Bijie, Guizhou? Dancing, singing and
The Yi people have looked up to fire for long. The early Yi people lived in high and c
Today, the festival is more of a social event. D
The Torch Festival is a traditional (传统的) festival in China. The Yi, Naxi and Bai peoples in China celebrate it every year. It is usually on the 24th or 25th day of the sixth lunar month and people often celebrate it for 2 or 3 days.
Why do they have this festival? There are many stories. One is about locusts (蝗虫). It says that there are many locusts on a farm. All the farmers don’t know what to do. A clever and kind man tells them to use torches to kill (捕杀) the locusts. At last, they kill all of the locusts. Then they have the torch festival to celebrate it.
During the festival, people put the torches up in front of every house. At night, everyone takes the torches out and walks around the fields and the houses. Also, people have many activities like singing, dancing and horse races.
The Torch Festival is a very exciting festival. It brings lots of fun to people. And every year many visitors come to enjoy it too.
1. How long do people celebrate the Torch Festival every year?| A．One or two days. | B．Two or three days. | C．Three or four days. | D．Four or five days. |
| A．The way to use the torches. | B．The reason for killing the locusts. |
| C．The way to make the torches. | D．The reason for having the Torch Festival. |
| A．Only Yi people celebrate it every year. | B．People put torches up in front of houses. |
| C．Bai people sing and swim to celebrate it. | D．It takes people two days to prepare food. |
| A．Festival. | B．Job. | C．Sports. | D．Hobby. |
9 . Dancing and singing, the Yi people and visitors had fun around the fire during the Torch (火把) Festival in Liangshan, Sichuan province, on Aug 10th, 2023. Every year, the Yi people lights (点燃) torches to show they look up to the fire. The fire is very important to Yi people.
The early Yi people lived in high and cold places in the mountains. They used fire for light, to stay warm, and cook food. One Yi ethnic old saying goes, “Everything you eat must ‘see’ fire (所吃的都要见火).” In the old days, people lit (点燃) a small fire outside the door before they took animal meat into the home. They put the meat over the fire to make bad luck go away. People also use fire to light leaves (树叶) on the ground to make the land rich.
But the festival means a lot now. During the festival, both the Yi people and visitors come together around the fire. They show and spread (扩散) their happiness and thanks for a good life.
1. What do people in Liangshan do during the Yi Torch Festival?| A．They go and visit other places in Sichuan. |
| B．They light torches, sing and dance together. |
| C．They stay in the mountains for some days. |
| D．They light leaves to cook food for visitors. |
| A．向上看 | B．查阅 | C．崇拜 | D．探望 |
| A．To show their happiness. | B．To keep the meat warm. |
| C．To make animals stay away. | D．To make bad luck go away. |
| A．Yi people have the Torch Festival every year. |
| B．The fire isn’t important to Yi people. |
| C．The early Yi people just used fire to cook food. |
| D．The Torch Festival only means happiness. |
| A．What visitors can do in Liangshan during the Yi Torch Festival. |
| B．How the Yi people are learning to use fire. |
| C．How important the fire is to the Yi people. |
| D．Why there are many old sayings about fire in Sichuan. |
10 . 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.
| Ethnic festivals | Introductions |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
Interested in these Chinese festivals? Go and experience them yourself.
1. Where can you experience all the three ethnic festivals above?| A．In Guizhou. | B．In Yunnan. | C．In Sichuan. | D．In Guangdong. |
| A．For two days. | B．For three days. | C．For six days. | D．For seven days. |
| A．Bai people celebrate the Torch Festival. |
| B．In the Water Festival, people fight others by throwing water. |
| C．In the March Fair Festival, people race horses, dance and sing. |
| D．The purpose to light a torch for the Torch Festival is to cook some food. |
