1 . Chinese New Year, also called the Spring Festival, is a traditional festival celebrated by all Chinese people. Not everyone celebrates the festival in the same way, with the biggest differences between northern and southern China.

Festival Foods

In the northern cities of China, people generally eat dumplings. They are called jiaozi in Chinese, which means the turn of a lunar new year. Additionally, because they are shaped similarly to a type of ancient money, jiaozi are also regarded as a symbol of wealth.

As compared to the north, people from some southern areas traditionally eat rice cakes (niangao in Chinese), which are made of sticky (黏的) rice flour. Niangao can be interpreted as that people move up to a higher position year after year.

Festival Decorations

It is a common tradition to put up Spring Festival couplets (对联) and “Fu” characters, but some decorations differ a bit between northern and southern China.

In the north, the red “Chinese knot (结)” is also hung, representing happiness. However, in the southern areas, people like to use kumquats, a fruit like a very small orange, for decorations. Due to their yellow colour, they are usually a sign of wealth and harvest.

Red Envelope

In northern China, people usually give red envelopes to the children of their relatives or close friends only. However, people in southern China not only give red envelopes to the children of their relatives and friends, but also to their colleagues and acquaintances. In some southern areas like Guangdong Province, a company manager or a shop owner may also give red envelops to staffs on the first working day of the New Year, wishing for a fortune and giving them a strong sense of team spirit.

1. Why are dumplings seen as a symbol of wealth?

A．They look like a type of ancient money.

B．They have the meaning of getting to a higher position.

C．Only rich families could afford them in ancient times.

D．The name for “dumplings” meant money in the past.

2. Which celebration might NOT be practised in southern China?

A．Making and eating rice cakes.	B．Hanging red Chinese knots in the room.
C．Giving red envelops to colleagues’ children.	D．Placing kumquats in the room.

3. Why do company managers in southern area give red envelops to their staffs?

A．They want to award their staff for their good performance.

B．They wish to encourage their staffs to work harder.

C．They wish that they all will make a lot of money.

D．They want to show their companies are very rich.

2 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

As the Year of the Dragon approached, sales of products with dragon elements have seen explosive     1     (grow) on major e-commerce platforms. Dragon, or long in Chinese,     2     (consider) as an important symbol of Chinese traditional culture, is believed to bring good luck and fortune.

Since January, products with dragon-themed elements, such as clothing, daily necessities and gold jewelry     3     (gain) popularity. Items such as red envelopes, mobile phone cases designed for the Chinese Year of the Dragon have also been favored by consumers, and    4     (they) sales have surpassed those in the Year of the Rabbit last year.

Chinese consumers who buy dragon-themed goods are hoping     5     (live) a better life in the new year and displaying a strong sense     6     national pride and confidence in Chinese culture. The rich cultural meanings and the good wishes     7     the dragon carries have not only stimulated people’s passion for buying, but also satisfied their rising demand for personalized and     8     (create) products with unique cultural symbols.

Spring Festival is the traditional festival Chinese people attach the most importance to, and it’s also     9     peak season for consumption. The shopping craze for dragon-related products ahead of Lunar New Year is essential for     10     (promote) the recovery of the consumer market.

3 . 阅读下面短文, 在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Featuring a dynamic design, the horse-face skirt is widely preferred by fans of traditional clothing in China. Exploring ways     1     (promote) the culture, they prefer to wear traditional clothing when taking part in cultural activities and share the beauty on the Internet.

The horse-face skirt     2     (originate) in the Song Dynasty and grew popular during the Ming Dynasty due to its functionality and artistic style. It is     3     (traditional) composed of two identical overlapping (部分重叠) panels     4     (wrap) around the left and right side of the lower body. Each   panel is   composed of a   large   rectangular (长方形的) panel of fabric, a side piece made up of several smaller panels and another rectangular panel narrower than the first.     5     (attach) to a waistband by ties, the two sides overlap each other so that one of the large straight panels on each piece is in the front and back of the skirt. This overlapping nature leaves openings in the front and back of the skirt, making     6     very suitable for horse-riding.

While maintaining the essential design     7     (element) of the horse-face skirt, modern designers change its outline, length, or detailing to match current fashion trends, appealing     8     a broader audience for usual daywear or formal evening fashions.

“This kind of skirt shows the grand     9     (elegant) that is admired in Chinese culture. Knowing     10     we come from, we can then be clear about where we are going, ” Daben, a Chinese vlogger, told the Global Times.

4 . When the day is dawning, the Center of Naxi Dongba Pictographs and Paintings of the old town Liliang welcomes his owner, He Runyuan, who is dressed in a traditional Naxi clothing. Every day, He explains Dongba culture to tourists and teaches them to write Dongba characters. “Dongba characters are not only the soul of Dongba culture, but also a treasure for the whole world,” said He. Enjoying a history of over 1,000 years, Dongba characters are an ancient system of pictographic glyphs (象形字形). They are praised to be the “living fossil (活化石)” in writing.

As a member of the Naxi group, He first learned Dongba characters at the age of 13. He loved them immediately when he first looked at the symbols. “These characters have pictographic drawings that look like humans, animals, plants etc.” He said. “They are usually colorful and recognizable.”

Though the characters are interesting, learning them is never easy. Dongba culture is always mastered by Dongbas, the Naxi priests (祭司). Without Dongbas in his village, He has to travel far to the Old Town, where many Dongbas are gathered. “In most cases, I need to walk for more than one day to the destination. To get more learning time, I always set off very early when the city is still in darkness,” said He.

But the love for Dongba culture keeps him going. For the past 30 years, He has been studying these characters every day. In 2016, He set up the Center of Naxi Dongba Pictographs and Paintings Where He beautified fans, glasses and even T-shirts with Dongba characters, hoping to pass down Dongba culture and let more people know about it.

“Our life is limited, but so long as everyone makes an effort, the life of a culture can exist forever,” He said.

1. What does He Runyuan do in his center every day?

A．He spreads Dongba culture.	B．He writes Dongba characters.
C．He sells his painting.	D．He learns from priests.

2. Which of the following best describes He Runyuan?

A．Honest and creative.	B．Outgoing and confident.
C．Hard-working and responsible.	D．Humorous and determined.

3. What keeps He studying when facing difficulties?

A．The love for his hometown.	B．The preference for Dongba culture.
C．The respect for priests.	D．The encouragement from his fans.

4. What can we learn about Dongba characters?

A．They are popular with the young.	B．They are interesting and easy to learn.
C．They are lively and easily recognized.	D．They are passed down by oral explanation.

5 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Traditional Fitness Qigong Wins Hearts of Young Chinese

No one could have expected that slow-moving Qigong    1    (become) popular among Chinese young people in the past several years. Short videos of young Chinese doing traditional fitness Qigong have flooded video websites, among     2    a video of Baduanjin has been played for more than 10 million times and received over 6, 000 comments on a video sharing platform targeting young people.

Baduanjin is one of the oldest fitness     3    (method) to stay healthy in China, originally created over 800 years ago during the Song Dynasty. The name refers    4    how the eight individual movements provide a soft quality for the movement of the body.

Compared with more    5    (physical) demanding sports such as the ball games or swimming, Baduanjin is slow and usually accompanied by restful music, so it used to be considered as the sport    6    (intend) for the elders. However, not requiring much space, equipment or time, it’s perfect for office workers, as they often suffer from back and neck pain caused by    7    (sit) in front of computers for hours.

“I’ve been doing Baduanjin for a couple of months, which makes     8    (I) sleep well and get strong,”     9    young netizen commented below the video. “I owe big thanks to Baduanjin as it offers a much    10    (good) lifestyle.”

6 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Here is a little tale about the Chinese zodiac     1    (know) as Shengxiao, and     2    the rat became the first sign.

Legends tell us there was a great race between the     3    (animal) to decide the order of the lunar calendar. The finish line laid on a vast river, but the cunning rat hitched a ride on ox’s shoulder, singing a song to make a go faster, and got to     4    opposite bank without even     5    (get) his feet wet. Just before the finish line he quickly jumped off and slipped ahead to take first place. Diligent ox came second while     6    (speed) tiger and rabbit in third and fourth. Parting the clouds, brave dragon flew into fifth with small snake moving just behind. They     7    (follow) by horse and sheep, two kind and modest animals who each let the other go first. Monkey had fallen behind but made up ground to come     8    (nine), while rooster, dog and pig killed the last three places. With the race over and the places     9    (decide), the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac came     10    being.

7 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填人1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

A music concert “Echoes of Ancient Tang Poems” jointly performed by iSING! Suzhou and the Philadelphia Orchestra was staged at Kimmel Performing Arts Center in Philadelphia on Jan. 6.

Another concert featuring Tang poetry was    1    (successful) held at the Lincoln Center in New York on Jan. 7. Fifteen iSING! Suzhou singers from 10 countries led by Liao Guomin performed songs    2    (write) by young composers from 6 countries. The songs included many well-known    3    (poem) from the Tang Dynasty, such    4    Luo Binwang’s Singing of Goose and Li Bai’s Quiet Thoughts by Night.

The iSING! Suzhou International Young Artists Festival    5    (set) up in Suzhou in 2014 as China’s first international vocal (声乐) art festival. Over    6     past eight years, the festival has attracted outstanding young singers from all over the world, spread    7    promoted Chinese and classical music, and enhanced cultural exchanges between China and the West, becoming a cultural card for Suzhou to go    8    (globe).

The performances were also held to commemorate(纪念) the    9     (fifty) anniversary of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s China tour in 1973. The Philadelphia Orchestra, as the first American orchestra    10    (visit) China, bridged the two nations in the field of culture.

8 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Celebrate National Day

China’s National Day is celebrated on October 1st every year     1     (mark) the formation of the People’s Republic of China. It is also known as National Day and National Golden Week.

The founding ceremony of New China     2     (hold) in Tian’anmen Square in Beijing on Oct. 1,1949,    3    the Government declared October 1st as National Day every year from 1950 onward.

As a great day in China, it represents     4     (independent), strength, and national confidence. The military parade has been     5     important part of the National Day ceremony. From 1949     6     the present, there are a total of fifteen National Day parades held. The number of representatives of the army, navy, and air force on parade    7    (be) generally around 10,000.     8     (usual), there is also a mass parade behind the military parade. In 2019, more than 100,000 people from all walks of life took part in it. The entire parade is broadcast live on all major TV stations.

On National Day, the national flag rises at 6:10 am in Tian’anmen Square. There are always people     9    (travel) long distances to watch the ceremony. There are also some other     10     (activity) like firework displays, light shows, and flowerbed exhibitions.

9 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Known as a ”voice catcher“ in his social circle, 38-year-old Long Qing is working to record dialects and     1     (nature)sounds in danger of fading away     2     a result of urbanization.

The native of Changsha, Hunan province, has an acute appreciation for sounds and voices, and his previous job as     3     audio editor may help explain his gift in some degree. Whenever he has spare time, Long wanders the city’s old streets     4     (listen)for sounds that are unique to Changsha. Now a self-employed sound designer, Long has a number of recordings of Changsha dialects. In Remix Changsha, Long has mixed different voices and sounds, such as the sound of stinky tofu in oil and people reciting the names of Changsha     5     (landmark). “All these sounds allow listeners to     6     (real)feel Changsha, ” he said.

Long Qing     7     (work)to preserve Changsha’s aural culture and create many audio pieces to post online since 2013. He also organized activities     8     (teach)the public about the very sounds     9     need to preserve. He hopes that in the future, more people, especially teenagers, will develop a sharper sense of aural art and even create new sounds of     10     (they)own.