1 . “The arrow shot is so straight that it hits the bull’s eye, the young people will have good luck…” Dargye sang as he worked on his handmade bag.
Dargye, 56, an artist who excels at traditional craftsmanship and Tibetan folk music in Drinba village in Dragyib district, Nyingchi, Tibet autonomous region, remembers many folk songs he learned from his father and uncle. Now, it’s his turn to pass them on.
“I have liked traditional songs and dances since I was a child,” said Dargye, who has four apprentices (学徒).“The songs tell the histories of our ancestors and carry our unique culture, and-it’s always a lot of fun to perform these traditional songs and dances at various gatherings.” The song topics vary from archery, love, to labor and praise for the land. In addition to teaching these songs to/his family members and apprentices, he also uses social media platforms such as WeChat to teach songs.
His daughter, Chok Butri, also admires the folk culture. After posting a video of her daughter, Tsering Kyi, dancing on Douyin, she gained a lot of new fans on the popular short-video platform. “We are modern people living in a modern era, so it’s important and our responsibility that we use modern tools to pass on our traditional culture to make it last forever.” said Chok Butri, adding that she often posts songs and dances on WeChat and Douyin.
Dargye and his fellow villagers also recreate songs, adding modern elements such as aircraft and trains to the lyrics. Besides singing and dancing, Dargye makes handicrafts decorated with Tibetan cultural elements, including various hide and hair ropes, bags made of leather and cloth, and knife sheaths.
The local government encourages villagers to inherit (继承) and develop folk songs and other forms of traditional culture. Dargye’s efforts to preserve folk culture have been acknowledged by the government. In 2014, he was chosen as a county-level intangible (无形的) cultural inheritor and receives funds every year.
1. Why does Dargye want to pass the culture on?A.He wants to satisfy his interest. | B.He wants to learn from the seniors. |
C.He wants to bring people fun. | D.He wants to inherit and develop it. |
A.To show folk music’s effect on her. | B.To stress Dargye’s influence on her. |
C.To emphasize her love for folk culture. | D.To reveal the popularity of folk culture online. |
A.Ambitious and honest. | B.Talented and curious. |
C.Devoted and creative. | D.Generous and determined. |
A.All efforts to preserve culture pay off |
B.Craftsman carries tunes to preserve culture |
C.An artist prefers traditional songs and dances |
D.Tibetan culture is being protected and passed on |
2 . The exact location in France where Dutch master Vincent van Gogh painted his last work of art has been discovered.
A Dutch researcher figured out that a scene described in the artist’s last work, Tee Root, was visible on a postcard showing a man standing next to a bicycle on a back street of the village Auvers-sur-Oise. Van Gogh spent the last weeks of his life in the village. Helpfully, the card even included the name of the street.
Researchers were given a unique glimpse (体验) into the famous painter’s final hours. He was at work right up to the end.
Wouter van der Veen, scientific director of the Van Gogh Institute in France, made the discovery. While stuck at home, van de Veen used the extra time to organize the numerous files and documents on van Gogh, including images such as the old postcard from Auvers-sur-Oise. One day in late April, he saw the card on his computer screen and it suddenly struck him that he was looking at the location of Tree Roots. Next to the man and his bicycle, roots and trees are clearly visible. He took a virtual trip down the site using Google’s Street View.
“Villagers know the spot and the main tree root well, even giving it the name ‘the elephant’ because of its shapes,” van der Veen said. “It was really hiding in overt sight.”
The discovery provides tourists with an extra reason to visit Auvers-sur-Oise. “They travel a lot just for one reason — to walk in the footsteps of Vincent van Gogh. Now they can stand at the very place where he painted his last painting,” van der Veen said. “And that’s a very moving thing for a lot of people. So I’m very happy to be able to share that with all those who love van Gogh.”
1. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?A.What the postcard revealed. | B.How Tree Roots was discovered. |
C.Why Auvers-sur-Oise became known. | D.Where van Gogh painted his works. |
A.He studied a picture of Auvers-sur-Oise. |
B.He organized his data on van Gogh. |
C.He traveled to France to see for himself. |
D.He paid a visit to the spot online. |
A.Mixed. | B.Obvious. | C.Lovely. | D.Strange. |
A.They enjoy exploring how to paint. | B.They share their love for van Gogh. |
C.They admire van Gogh very much. | D.They want to experience the life there. |
Toby Mott was just an ordinary person working as an artist. But then, at the age of 36, he had an idea that made him famous. It started when he wanted
He took the Tshirts to a clothing store and they sold 40 in a week.
The
4 . Listening to guitarist Milos Karadaglic’s album, you will find yourself wandering in a world where you are surrounded by amazing classical guitar music. “I want to wake classical guitar music up from its hibernation and show what I can do and what my instrument can do,” said Milos.
Born 37 years ago in a small town in Yugoslavia, he was inspired from an early age to be a performer. Since his country had a small population and no formal music school, making a career on the instrument was extremely hard for him. It all began when Milos discovered an ancient, dusty guitar with broken strings in his basement. Strangely, this broken instrument convinced him that he must become a guitarist. By the age of 9, he was giving public performances, and at 11 he won his first national competition. He was also a talented singer and became star of TV and radio.
Unfortunately, Yugoslavia was torn apart in 1992, and because of the war, Milos’ family suffered food shortages. Fast forward to 1996, when Milos became a teenager, he had his first opportunity to travel outside of his hometown to play a concert. It was in Paris where he was amazed by its western European prosperity and air of Christmas happiness.
During the trip, he made up his mind to study at the Royal Academy of Music. He sent a home-made tape of his performance to the academy, where a professor found something special in his playing, so Milos was admitted to the academy. Afterwards, Milos earned first-class honors and a master’s degree, and his albums are highly praised by other world-famous guitarists.
However, this is just the beginning for Milos, and his horizons seem limitless. He has been making a variety of plans for broadening the classical music’s reach.
1. What can we learn about Milos from this story?A.He studied music in a college in his own country. |
B.It was his master’s degree that made him famous. |
C.Travelling to Paris enabled him to get further education. |
D.Poverty was the main reason for him to play the guitar. |
A.By being introduced to a professor by his teacher. |
B.By sending a tape of his performance. |
C.By taking part in a music competition. |
D.By having a college entrance exam. |
a. He discovered an old, broken guitar.
b. He won the national competition for the first time.
c. He made his mind to study at the Royal Academy.
d. He travelled to Paris to play a concert for the first time.
A.a, c, d, b | B.b, a, d, c | C.c, b, a, d | D.a, b, d, c |
A.Talented guitarist pursues the highest level. |
B.The limitless horizons of guitar music. |
C.A guitar hero’s success in war. |
D.Guitar music from Yugoslavia. |