3 . It was a dark evening in 1999. Song Yang, a Chinese student, lost his way in West London. This was only his third day in the U. K. He saw an old man carrying heavy bags on the side of the road, unable to move. Song helped him home.

The old man, named Hans, lived by the River Thames (泰晤士河) alone. Although the view was amazing through the window of his house, it was a mess inside.

Learning Song was looking for a place to stay, Hans invited him to move in. They agreed that they would split (分摊) the bills ana care for each other. Hans often helped Song learn English and get to know the country. Song helped make meals and do the housework. Soon the two became friends and family. Each time Song came back to China, he would take Hans with him.

In 2007, when Song completed his studies in the UK and returned to China, Hans had to stay in London by himself. After a few months of living without Song, Hans got very sick. He lost over 20 kilograms and couldn’t even get out of the bed. Song couldn’t stop thinking and-worrying about Hans, so he went to London. In 2008, Song brought Hans back to China. Hans finally recovered (康复) and he lived a few years of happy life with Song and his family. Hans always said, “China is my home because Song is my family.”

In 2013, Hans died in Zhengzhou. For more than 4,700 days, both the young and the old had kept their promise of caring for each other.

A．

B．

C．

D．

6 . Many Chinese students are trying their best to pass English tests like the TOEFL and IELTS. At the same time, many non-native Chinese speakers are struggling to learn Chinese and pass the HSK.

The HSK is the official test for non-native Chinese speakers. Passing it can give non-native speakers new work or education opportunities. It has been offered since 1992. Each of the exam’s six levels includes three parts: listening, grammar practice and reading. In 2018, the HSK was taken 6.8 million times, up 4.6 percent from 2017, according to the Ministry of Education.

Schools in countries around the world are starting to offer more Chinese language programs. That’s because trade and cultural exchanges between China and other countries are continuing to increase, China Daily reported.

For example, the Zambian government announced in May that it will roll out (推出) Mandarin classes in over 1,000 secondary schools in future. It will be the largest Chinese language program in Africa, the Financial Mail reported. Zambia will become the fourth country on the continent—after Kenya, Uganda and South Africa—to offer Chinese language programs in its schools.

Starting this year, Russian middle school students can take Chinese as an elective (选修的) foreign language on Russia’s national college entrance exam, Sputnik News reported.

“I am fascinated with China’s history, culture and language, as well as its economic development. I think studying in China could provide me with some great job opportunities,” Patcharamai Sawanaporn, 26, a Thai graduate student in Beijing, told China Daily.

A．

B．

C．

D．

7 . US First Lady Michelle Obama, along with her mother and two daughters, made their first trip to China from March 20—26. They went to Beijing, Xi’an and Chengdu.

In a speech at Peking University, Mrs Obama encouraged students to study abroad. “It’s not enough to get good grades in school,” she said in the speech. “It is better to travel 10,000 miles than to read 10,000 books. The experiences in other countries help make our life successful. By learning each other’s languages and by showing such curiosity (好奇) and respect for each other’s cultures, you are building bridges of understanding and bonds (纽带) of friendship,” she said. The US is the top destination for Chinese students. More than 200,000 Chinese students are now studying in the US. In 2009, US President Barack Obama announced (宣布) his goal of sending 100,000 students to China. Since then, more than 68,000 US students have come to China. What’s more, many kids in the US are now studying Chinese. “Learning Chinese is a cool thing in school. It is good for our future,” said Mason Grabowski, 14, a student from Chicago. “It is a hard language, but it is never too early to start learning it.”

The Forbidden City (also called Zijin Cheng) is a 72-hectare (公顷) palace in Beijing that was used by the emperors of China from A.D. 1420 to 1911. The Forbidden City turned 600 years old in 2020. Over the last six centuries, there have been many cultural exchanges inside the high walls of the world’s largest palace.

Ancient China had little communication with the outside world until Matteo Ricci made his way to the imperial court (皇室) during the Ming Dynasty. Ricci made contributions (贡献) to the fields of science and astronomy in China. He worked together with Chinese scientist Xu Guangqi to translate the first six books of Euclid’s Elements into Chinese. He also brought new knowledge about map-making and taught people that the world was round with the first European-style world map in Chinese.

Lots of foreigners followed in Ricci’s footsteps. Lang Shining was one of them. The talented painter was sent to China to work for a church in 1715 and was later invited to the imperial court to produce paintings for the Qing Dynasty’s Emperor Kangxi.

He designed many murals (壁画) in the Forbidden City using techniques that were popular in Europe. From then on, a new style of painting appeared in China. It combined (结合) Western realism with traditional Chinese ways of painting.

The first Westerners to the imperial court also provided firsthand reports to Europe through their letters, notes and books about China. They made the West realize there was a country with great culture which was different from theirs. Their stories are just a small piece of the cultural communication between China and the outside world. But they show that the Forbidden City has provided a bridge for the communication.

9 . John Dunlop, an Englishwoman, writes something about her experience with food from China. Since the COVID-19 broke out in London, cooking has become a way for her to deal with the “endless lockdown (封锁)”. She says she cooks in a very relaxed way, going to the farmers’ market at the weekend to buy seasonal products for everyday cooking—a mixture of Jiangnan, Hunan, Guangdong, and Sichuan dishes.

“For me, there are so many wonderful things about Chinese food. The thing that I find is greatest about it is that you can eat food that is both really delicious and incredibly healthy,” Dunlop says. “The Chinese are experts at cooking vegetables.”

Growing up in Oxford, Dunlop dreamed of becoming a cook when she was little. However, her dream did not come true until she came to Chengdu, as a university student. That was when she began learning local cooking skills.

Always keeping a notebook on hand wherever she went, she wrote down the recipes of the dishes she tasted. Based on her knowledge of Sichuan cuisine (烹饪), Dunlop published her first book, Sichuan Cookery, which was praised by a famous British diet magazine. She has written a book called Land of Fish and Rice, which is about recipes from Jiangnan. In the book, Dunlop displays her good understanding of the food culture that runs deep in the blood of Chinese people.

“Many of the old classic food books came from this region.” she says.

To better understand the context (背景) of the food in Jiangnan, Dunlop started reading Chinese classics like The Dream of the Red Chamber which contained detailed descriptions of dishes in ancient China.

After collecting all the recipes, Dunlop tested them at her home in London to make sure they worked for people in the West.

“What I want to do is to try to describe the recipes correctly.” She says. “I also like the dishes that I’ve enjoyed, or that have a particular meaning for me.” she adds.

“Au pair”, originally a French term, refers to a foreigner who lives with a family, so he/she can learn the family’s language and culture, while at the same time he/she takes care of the family’s children and/or cleans the house in return for food, accommodations (住宿) and a small s    1    . In the past few years, many young Chinese have become au pairs in other countries, and many young foreigners have moved to China to work as au pairs.

R    2    , the magazine, Women of China, has interviewed three young Chinese, and three foreigners in China, each of whom shared his/her own experiences as an au pair. The following is from an au pair called Natalia Martinez Perez from Republic of Colombia.

I am 19 years old, and I come from Cali, a city in the Republic of Colombia. I have good relations with my brother and cousins. I love children, and I consider myself to be a happy person, who is able to make others happy as well. My dream is to travel around the w    3    , and to learn about different cultures and languages.

I saw the beautiful scenery of China and I learned about Chinese culture from m    4     and dramas (戏剧) that I watched. I practiced speaking Chinese whenever I had free time. I have always been interested in travelling to China since I fell in love with China and its culture. I respect the Chinese culture, and I want to know more about it.

I was an au pair in some other countries before I moved to China in October 2015. When I heard about the chance to go to China, I immediately applied.

Now, I live with my host family in Shanghai. The family has a daughter. I have d    5     a good relationship with the girl, her parents and their relatives. The girl says she really likes me. She asks me to tell her a story before she goes to sleep each night.

I teach the girl English after she finishes her homework. I teach her in various ways, and she has showed a great interest in learning English. I cook Colombian food for the girl sometimes, and we also like to go shopping together.

Becoming an au pair has p    6     a good chance for me to experience different cultures in different countries. I think I am having an a    7     experience in China.