1 . A native plant of China, bamboo mainly grows in regions south of the Yangtze River. In traditional Chinese culture, bamboo is a symbol of moral honesty, loyalty, flexibility and modesty, making it a frequent theme of Chinese poetry and paintings.
The bamboo forest creates unique prospect (风景) around Anji, a county in Zhejiang Province. As the Kingdom of Bamboo, the city is the filming location of the Oscar-winning movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The bamboo scenery, along with other bamboo-related attractions, including a bamboo museum, has created unique tourism resources.
Bamboo is not only pretty and elegant, and Xie Zhiguang, a 48-year-old local bamboo dealer for over 10 years, explained that it is used for much more than just as an alternative to wood. It is the main food for giant pandas, and bamboo shoots are regularly consumed by humans. Also, the stem of the plant can be made into various products, including chopsticks, furniture, tissue and paper.
What makes all the functions even more valuable is the speed at which bamboo grows. “During peak times, bamboo can grow one meter a day and over 20 meters within weeks,” he said. “It takes years to grow wood, while the growth cycle of bamboo is much shorter.” This advantage allows farmers to make money faster by growing bamboo than by growing wood. In the battle against extreme poverty in China, bamboo has played a supporting role.
The county introduced processing factories for bamboo shoots and developed a series of products. Bamboo weaving techniques, some of which are listed as intangible cultural heritage (非物质文化遗产), also contributed to poverty reduction. A number of bamboo-weaving skill training centers were set up in poor areas to teach rural people, especially women, to transform bamboo into delicate items. With such items going to domestic and overseas markets, the bamboo weaving business has even become the mainstay industry for some of these regions.
“Bamboo is a sustainable, green resource,” said Wang Jingxin, a professor at Zhejiang University. “Such measures will help to speed up China’s economy and ecology.”
1. Why do poets and painters often use bamboo as the theme of their works?| A．Its various functions. | B．Its particular habitats. |
| C．Its commercial value. | D．Its symbolic meaning. |
| A．Bamboo has a wide range of uses. | B．Bamboo can end the world poverty. |
| C．Bamboo has the fastest growth speed. | D．Bamboo can contribute to the environment. |
| A．It is well known for bamboo carving techniques. |
| B．It is the filming location of many famous movies. |
| C．It sets up a lot of big factories for wood products. |
| D．It takes many steps to develop bamboo industries. |
| A．Intolerant. | B．Doubtful. | C．Favorable. | D．Unclear. |
