1 . Many of China’s ancient architectural treasures smashed to dust before Lin Huiyin and Liang Sicheng began documenting them in the 1930s. The husband and wife team were among the first preservationists to operate in China, and by far the bestknown. Their efforts have since inspired generations of people to speak out for architecture threatened by the rush toward development.
Becoming China’s best architectural historians was no easy accomplishment. The buildings they wanted to save were centuries old located in distant parts of the country.In many cases, they had to journey through dangerous conditions in the Chinese countryside to reach them. Exploring China’s remote areas during the 1930s meant traveling muddy, poorly maintained roads by mule(骡子)or on foot. Inns were often dirty food could be polluted, and there was always risk or violence from rebels, soldiers and robbers.
Their greatest discovery was the Temple of Buddha’s Light, in Wutai County, Shanxi Province. The breathtaking wooden temple was built in 857 A. D., making it the oldest building known in China at the time.
Liang and Lin crawled into the temple’s most forbidding, forgotten areas to determine itsage, including one hideaway inhibited by thousands or bats and millions of bedbugs, covered in dust and littered with dead bats. “In complete darkness andamong the awful smell, hardly breathing, with thick masks covering our nosesand mouths, we measured, drew, and photographed with flashlights for several hours. When at last we came out to take a breath of fresh air, we foundhundreds of bedbugs in our bag. We ourselves had been badly bitten. Yet the importance and unexpectedness of our find made those the happiest hours of myyears hunting for ancient architecture.” Liand wrote of the experience in anaccount included in “Liang and Lin; Partners in Exploring China’s ArchitectualPast.”
1. On their way to the ancient buildings in 1930s,Liang and Lin faced following risks EXCEPT ________.A.accommodations | B.personal security |
C.road conditions | D.vehicles |
A.documenting smashed historical buildings |
B.rebuilding historically valuablebuildings |
C.saving the oldest temples in China |
D.Protecting historical buildings. |
A.Liang and Lin caught insects with awful smell. |
B.Liang and Lin were forbidden to breathe inside |
C.Liang and Lin were pleased at something unhoped for |
D.Liang and Lin determined its age by studyingbedbug’s hideaway |
A.Creativeness results in discovery | B.Difficulty produces achievement |
C.Efforts contribute to happiness | D.Responsibilities make development |
Make traditional treasures come alive
The Palace Museum Director Shan Jixiang delivered a cultural heritage speech on Feb 27 in Beijing, which was co-organized by the Beijing Diplomatic Service Bureau and Beijing Housing Service Corporation for Diplomatic Missions.
On the theme The World of the Palace Museum and the Palace Museum of the World, the 64-year-old director shared his ideas about how to make traditional treasures come alive again. During the speech, which lasted two and a half hours, Shan touched on topics including upgrading museum infrastructure(基础设施), restoring cultural sites, digitalizing online museums, setting up restoration hospitals, providing better visitor experiences and promoting the Palace Museum’s cultural items.
“The abundant collection of cultural objects at the Palace Museum is the inspiration for the creative souvenirs and cultural items available,” Shan said. “
John Aquilina, Malta’s ambassador to China said that Shan’s speech showed a totally different Palace Museum to foreign people. “China enjoys a long and profound culture and many of the national treasures have been preserved at the Palace Museum. It is no easy task to preserve them well.
A.I truly express my respect for Shan and his team for their contributions. |
B.With regard to cultural heritage restoration, Shan said the museum opened a restoration hospital at the end of 2016. |
C.A total of 600 people from all walks of life, including over 100 foreign guests, participated in the activity. |
D.I will learn more about Chinese culture from the magnificent ancient objects. |
E.Our design teams often study consumer demands and create cultural items that are nice to look at and practical to use. |
F.Traditional craftsmanship is combined with modern methods, and the lives of ancient cultural objects will be lengthened by the so-called doctors. |
In two days, it will be Christmas, children all over world
I have found memories of Christmas shopping with my family as a child. I enjoyed the challenge of keeping my parents’ gifts a secret. It was hard to buy gifts right.
Picking a great gift require
The best gifts are personal. Many Americans don’t feel money constitutes a good gift
Gift-giving reflects the reason
A.Harmony in a community. | B.Safety in the neighborhood. |
C.Preparation for Christmas. | D.Ways to save electricity. |
5 . The concept of peace is a very important one in cultures all over the world. Think about how we greet people. In some languages, the phrases for greetings contain the word for peace. In some cultures we greet people by shaking hands or with another gesture to show that we are not carrying weapons – that we come in peace. And there are certain symbols which people in very different cultures recognize as representing peace. Let’s look at a few of them.
The dove
The dove has been a symbol of peace and innocence for thousands of years in many different cultures. In ancient Greek mythology it was a symbol of love and the renewal of life. In ancient Japan a dove carrying a sword symbolized the end of war. There was a tradition in Europe that if a dove flew around a house where someone was dying then their soul would be at peace. And there are legends which say that the devil can turn himself into any bird except for a dove. In Christian art, the dove was used to symbolize the Holy Ghost and was often painted above Christ's head. But it was Pablo Picasso who made the dove a modern symbol of peace when he used it on a poster for the World Peace Congress in 1949.
The rainbow
The rainbow is another ancient and universal symbol, often representing the connection between human beings and their gods. In Greek mythology it was associated with Iris, the goddess who brought messages from the gods on Mount Olympus. In Scandinavian mythology the rainbow was a bridge between the gods and the earth. In the Bible a rainbow showed Noah that the Biblical flood was finally over, and that God had forgiven his people. In the Chinese tradition, the rainbow is a common symbol for marriage because the colours represent the union of yin and yang. Nowadays the rainbow is used by many popular movements for peace and the environment, representing the possibility of a better world in the future and promising sunshine after the rain.
The olive branch
The olive tree has always been a valuable source of food and oil. In Greek mythology, the goddess Athena gave the olive tree to the people of Athens, who showed their gratitude by naming the city after her. But no one knows for sure when or why it began to symbolize peace. There is probably a connection with ancient Greece. Wars between states were suspended during the Olympic Games, and the winners were given crowns of olive branches. The symbolism may come from the fact that the olive tree takes a long time to produce fruit, so olives could only be cultivated successfully in long periods of peace. Whatever the history, the olive branch is a part of many modern flags symbolizing peace and unity. One well-known example is the United Nations symbol.
1. Who played the major role in making the dove a modern symbol of peace?A.Pablo Picasso. | B.A god in Greek mythology. |
C.Jesus Christ. | D.Ancient Japanese. |
A.Two. | B.Three. |
C.Four. | D.Five. |
A.Different Concepts of Peace. | B.The popularity of Peace Symbols. |
C.The Origins of Peace Symbols. | D.Cultural Differences in Peace. |
6 . The Harlem Renaissance
The word “renaissance” means “rebirth”. The Harlem Renaissance took place during the 1920s. It was a time when the African American artistic community grew and flourished, producing a ton of work in a short period of time. The work celebrated African American culture and spoke to their experiences as minorities---both the good parts and the bad parts.
After the Civil War, many African Americans left the South to escape unfair treatment and laws that discriminated against them. Between 1910 and 1920, massive numbers of black Southerners moved from the rural south into the urban North and West in the Great Migration. The African American population of Chicago more than doubled during that time! And in New York, African Americans flocked to uptown Manhattan, setting in a neighborhood called Harem. Forming a community within the big city let African Americans keep their cultural identity in a white-dominated society. It was a good thing, and a lot of important cultural issues were brought to light during the Harlem Renaissance. One of the most important figures of the time was the African American writer, W. E.B Du Bois. In his book, The Souls of Back Folk, in 1903, Du Bois wrote that African Americans suffered from something called “double consciousness”. They had their own self-image while they saw themselves through the eyes of white Americans. And performers like Josephine Baker and Paul Robeson brought African American culture to all New Yorkers. The Renaissance was so influential that “Harlem” grew into something of a brand name
African Americans were pushing boundaries across all aspects of society. Black businesses began to flourish, creating a growing middle class, like Madame C.J. Walker, who tuned her cosmetics line into a million dollar empire. All together, the artists, and thinkers of this period helped mobilize the larger black population. Young African-Americans took advantage of improved access to higher education. This opened up new career paths and opportunities to attain advanced degrees. Perhaps most importantly, people---black and white---began the push for racial integration, planting the seeds of what would eventually become the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
1. Why did many African Americans leave the South after the Civil War?A.To escape slavery | B.To find jobs in agriculture |
C.To avoid racial discrimination | D.To gain citizenship |
A.He led to movement to return to Africa |
B.He composed folk music based on African American theme |
C.He wrote plays about the African-American experience |
D.He wrote about the struggle for African-American identity |
A.Nearly all were unemployed at that time |
B.The vast majority were considered lower class |
C.Most were regarded as middle class |
D.A large percentage were recognized as wealthy |
A.Spread of black businesses | B.Access to higher education |
C.Shift from agriculture to industry | D.Push for unity among all Africans |
All of us should keep a kitchen diary, showing how much food are left uneaten as garbage.
Each year, the amount of food thrown away in rich countries is almost the same as that produced in sub-Saharan Africa. This raises some important questions.
In developing countries, food is lost because farmers do not have appropriate cooling, storage or market access for their crops. Their grains, fruits and vegetables dry up and rot away.
Everyone deserves to have enough food to eat. Despite China’s impressive success in reducing hunger over the past three decades, the job is not completed yet.
A.In developed countries, the picture is different, and food is wasted in supermarkets, restaurants and at home. |
B.Besides, Chinese consumers tend to be generous. |
C.However, Chinese consumers like to eat in restaurants. |
D.Chinese consumers are as particular about their food as those in other countries. |
E.Every year, we need to consume a lot of food. |
F.We all waste food, you and me, every day millions of tons of it. |
The Greek myths are almost a myth themselves.
The great dramatists Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripides drew on the myths, and even comic strip authors —
Greek myths came from oral stories. In the beginning, people told these tales to
The names and the stories
We feel pain in our hearts
The everyday life of western culture
In English, we say someone who makes money easily has “the Midas touch”. But often, character from Greek mythology, who turns
9 . It looked like a typical business meeting. Six men, neatly dressed in white shirts and ties filed into the boardroom of a small Jakarta company and sat down at a long table. But instead of
Mysticism and profits have come together since the 13th century introduction of Islam to Indonesia by Indian Moslem merchants. Those devout traders, called ‘Wali Ullah’ or ‘those close to God,’ energetically spread both trade and religion by
Businessman Hadisiko said his group fasts and meditates all night every Thursday to become closer to God and to contact the spirits of the great men of the past. ‘If we want to
One of his managers, Yusuf Soemado, who studied business administration at Harvard University, compared the idea of mystic management to western system of positive thinking. “Willpower and
A.documenting | B.consulting | C.managing | D.persuading |
A.exception | B.mission | C.decision | D.distraction |
A.decrease | B.rise | C.lose | D.boost |
A.introducing | B.adapting | C.applying | D.discussing |
A.dedicate | B.devote | C.attribute | D.confer |
A.meeting | B.profits | C.fasting | D.mysticism |
A.promote | B.fire | C.dispatch | D.employ |
A.disrespectful | B.inflexible | C.untrustworthy | D.indispensable |
A.minds | B.qualifications | C.religions | D.presentations |
A.objective | B.compulsive | C.decisive | D.imperative |
A.improve | B.reverse | C.save | D.help |
A.managers | B.employees | C.companies | D.procedures |
A.expansion | B.involvement | C.benefit | D.experience |
A.unconscious | B.academic | C.psychological | D.subconscious |
A.courses | B.minds | C.approaches | D.touches |
10 . Beginning in the late sixteenth century, it became fashionable for young aristocrats to visit Paris, Venice, Florence, and above all, Rome, as the culmination(终极)of their classical education. Thus was born the idea of the Grand Tour, a practice which introduced Englishmen, Germans, Scandinavians, and also Americans to the art and culture of France and Italy for the next 300 years. Travel was arduous and costly throughout the period, possible only for a privileged class---the same that produced gentlemen scientists, authors, antique experts, and patrons of the arts.
The Grand Tourist was typically a young man with a thorough grounding in Greek and Latin literature as well as some leisure time, some means, and some interest in art. The German traveler Johann Winckelmann pioneered the field of art history with his comprehensive study of Greek and Roman sculpture; he was portrayed by his friend Anton Raphael Mengs at the beginning of his long residence in Rome. Most Grand Tourists, however, stayed for briefer periods and set out with less scholarly intentions, accompanied by a teacher or guardian, and expected to return home with souvenirs of their travels as well as an understanding of art and architecture formed by exposure to great masterpieces.
London was frequent starting point for Grand Tourists, and Paris a compulsory destination; many traveled to the Netherlands, some to Switzerland and Germany, and a very few adventurers to Spain, Greece, or Turkey. The essential place to visit, however, was Italy. The British traveler Charles Thompson spoke for many Grand Tourist when in 1744 he described himself as “being impatiently desirous of viewing a country so famous in history, a country which one gave laws to the world, and which is at present the greatest school of music and painting, contains the noblest productions of sculpture and architecture, and is filled with cabinets of rarities, and collections of all kinds of historical relice”. Within Italy, the great focus was Rome, those ancient ruins and more recent achievements were shown to every Grand Tourist. Panini’s Ancient Rome and Modem Rome represent the sights most prized, including celebrated Greco-Rome statues and views of famous ruins, fountains, and churches. Since there were few museums anywhere in Europe before the close of the eighteenth century, Grand Tourists often saw paintings and sculptures by gaining admission to private collections, ad many were eager to acquire examples of a Greco-Rome and Italian art for their own collections. In England, where architecture was increasingly seen as an aristocratic pursuit, noblemen often applied what they learned from the villas of Palladio in the Veneto and the evocative (唤起回忆的)ruins of Rome to their own ceuntry houses and gardens.
1. What did Grand Tourists have in common?A.They had much geographic knowledge. |
B.They were courageous and venturesome. |
C.They were versed in literature and interested in art. |
D.They had enough travel and outdoor-life experience. |
A.They found inspiration in the world’s greatest masterpieces. |
B.They got a better understanding of early human civilization. |
C.They developed an interest in the origin of modern art forms. |
D.They gained some knowledge of classical art and architecture. |
A.There appeared more and more Roman-style villas. |
B.Many aristocrats began to move into Roman-style villas. |
C.Aristocrats’ country house all had Roman-style gardens. |
D.Italian architects were hired to design houses and gardens. |