During ancient times, children didn't have smart phones, iPads or computers to entertainment them. Instead, they came up with interesting games to play in their childhood. Let's take a look.
| Hide and-seek is a traditional game for children. It's popular around the nation. There are two ways to play: covering a child's eyes while other kids run around to play a trick on him or more commonly, others hide and one child must try to find them. |
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| Kites have quite a long history in China. The earliest kites weren't made of paper. They were made of wood instead. Nowadays, the three most famous kites are the Beijing kite. Tianjin kite and Weifang kite. Each has its own style. For example. the bird-shaped kite with long wings is a special kind of the Beijing kite. |
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| The most similar thing to watching a film during ancient times was going to see a shadow play. The artists controlled puppets behind the screen to make them move like people and tell stories. People liked listening to the music and enjoyed the beautiful puppets. |
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| During the Qing Dynasty (1644 — 1911). kicking a stone ball around was a popular sport in the northern part of China, and it was often played in the winter to keep warm. Stones were carved into small balls and kicked along with feet. |
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1. How can hide-and-seek be played?
| A．One plays and others watch. | B．On must cry and others laugh. |
| C．Others hide and one tries to find. | D．One runs and others try to catch. |
| A．kicking stone balls | B．flying kites |
| C．watching shadow plays | D．playing hide-and-seek |
| A．Artists. | B．Puppets. | C．People. | D．Stories. |
| A．Tianjin is famous for the bird-shaped kite with long wings |
| B．all the children must cover their eyes while playing hide--and-seek |
| C．the puppets couldn't move like people with the artists' controlling |
| D．kicking a stone ball was popular in the northern part of China during the Qing Dynasty |
After learning the basics of tai chi in those first few classes, I found myself bored and aching from doing the same moves over and over again. Luckily, my coach taught me how to relax my muscles and focus on peace of mind while performing the routine. With these requirements of tai chi in mind, I found to my satisfaction that
In time, I began to look into the ancient Chinese culture behind tai chi. I discovered that
A year of practising
Who is the greatest teacher in Chinese history? Many people would say: Confucius.
Confucius lived in the kingdom of Lu, part of today’s Shandong Province, during the Spring and Autumn Period. His father died when he was only 3 and he had to work
Later, he became a teacher and started the first public school in Chinese history. At that time only children
Today, people still follow Confucius’ lessons. He told us that everyone has something
Confucius is not only a great teacher,
4 . The Chongyang Festival is a traditional Chinese festival. It is celebrated
The festival started as early as the Warring States Period. It has a
The festival comes during the golden time of
| A．in | B．to | C．on | D．at |
| A．called | B．entered | C．requested | D．warned |
| A．subject | B．history | C．ability | D．case |
| A．three | B．five | C．seven | D．nine |
| A．happy | B．long | C．hard | D．tiny |
| A．show | B．attend | C．mention | D．spread |
| A．middle | B．back | C．honor | D．face |
| A．spring | B．summer | C．autumn | D．winter |
| A．watch | B．take | C．draw | D．climb |
| A．prevent | B．regret | C．affect | D．create |
Luo Yan and his wife and son travelled back to their hometown for the Spring Festival. Their journey
On their arrival, they found Luo’s parents eagerly waiting for
With midnight
6 . In England recently three foreign gentlemen came to a bus stop and waited. About five minutes later, the bus they wanted came along. They were just going to get on when suddenly there was a loud noise behind them. People rushed onto the bus and tried to push them out of the way. Someone shouted at them. The bus conductor came rushing down the stairs to see what all the trouble was about. The three foreigners seem all at sea and looked embarrassed. No one had told them about the British custom of lining up for a bus that the first person who arrives at the bus stop is the first person to get on the bus.
Learning the language of a country isn’t enough. If you want to have a pleasant visit, find out as much as possible about the manners and customs of your host country. You will probably be surprised just how different they can be from your own. A visitor to India would do well to remember that people there consider it impolite to use the left hand for passing food at table. The left hand is supposed to be used for washing yourself. Also in India, you might see a man shaking his head at another to show that he doesn’t agree. But in many parts of India a shake of the head means agreement. Nodding your head when you are given a drink in Bulgaria will most probably leave you thirsty.
1. The British people tried to push the three gentlemen out of the way, because the gentlemen _______ .| A．were foreigners | B．didn’t have tickets |
| C．made a loud noise | D．didn’t line up for the bus |
| A．learn the language of the country | B．understand the manners and customs of the country |
| C．have enough time and money | D．make friends with the people there |
| A．to use the right hand for passing food at table. | B．to pass food with the left hand. |
| C．to eat food with your hands. | D．to help yourself at table. |
| A．People’s Everyday Life | B．Mind Your Manners |
| C．Shaking and Nodding Head | D．Taking a Bus in England |
7 . Nickname is a shortened form of a person's name. A nickname also can be a descriptive name for a person, place or thing. Many American cities have nicknames. These can help establish an identity, spread pride among citizens and build unity.
A few years ago, some marketing and advertising experts were asked to name the best nickname for an American city. The winner was the nation's largest city, New York. The top nickname was The Big Apple.
You might wonder how New York got this nickname. In the early nineteen seventies, the city had many problems. The number of visitors was falling. So a campaign was launched to give the city a new image. The head of the New York Conventions and Visitors Bureau decided to call the city, The Big Apple.
There are several explanations for where this name came from. Language expert Barry Popik studied the question and wrote about it on his Web site. He says John Fitz Gerald, a writer for a New York newspaper, used the name The Big Apple to mean New York in the nineteen twenties. Mister Fitz Gerald wrote about horse races. He heard the name used by men who worked at a racetrack in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Mister Fitz Gerald wrote: "The Big Apple. The dream of every lad that ever threw a leg over a thoroughbred and the goal of all horsemen. There's only one Big Apple. That's New York."
In horse racing, the expression meant "the big time," the place where large amounts of money could be won. The Big Apple became the name of a night club in the Harlem area of New York City in nineteen thirty-four. It also was the name of a popular dance and a hit song in the nineteen thirties.
But it is not the only nickname for America's largest city. Barry Popik's web site lists almost one hundred nicknames that describe New York. The best known are The Capital of the World. Empire City. Gotham. The City So Nice They Named it Twice. And, The City That Never Sleeps. You can hear about the city in the song, "New York, New York," by Frank Sinatra.
1. Why do many American cities have nicknames?（回答词数不超过15个）2. What did John Fitz Gerald write about for the New York newspaper?（回答词数不超过5个）
3. Besides “The Big Apple”, how many best known nicknames that describe New York are listed according to Barry Popik's web site?（回答词数不超过2个）
