1 . The traditional Chinese solar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms (节气). Start of Autumn, the 13th solar term of the year, begins this year on Aug 8 and ends on Aug. 22. Start of Autumn means the end of summer and the beginning of autumn.
Gathering crops
Eating peaches
In Hangzhou, people eat peaches and pray health on the Start of Autumn day. The peach stones are kept until New Year’s Eve and thrown into the stove, burned into ash. People believed that in this way,
Eating dumplings
In Shandong province, people make dumplings during the Start of Autumn, and they call it “Eating the Autumn”. On the day of Start of Autumn, senior members of the family will stand in the middle of the hall, they worship (敬奉；信奉) a bowl of cereal, and
Eating gourds (瓜)
Although Start of Autumn indicates the beginning of autumn, hot weather will not come to an end. During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), people would put gourds outside for a day before the Start of Autumn, and
| A．they pray for the harvest in autumn |
| B．The fruitful season is coming |
| C．they eat them on Start of Autumn day to drive off the summer heat |
| D．Start of Autumn is a big solar term for farmers |
| E．they sincerely pray for god |
| F．plagues (瘟疫) could be prevented for the whole year |
| G．they will get away from ghosts |
2 . Imperial Bricks
Imperial bricks were made completely for imperial buildings, especially palaces, in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. They have a fine quality, and are strong and hard. They have a pure blue-green color like a mirror and produce a metal sound when knocked. Because they are very valuable, they are called the golden bricks. The craft (工艺品) has been on the national-level cultural heritage (遗产) list since 2006.
Peking Duck
Peking duck has been a famous dish from Beijing. The cooked duck is cut into pieces and eaten with green onion, cucumber and sweet bean sauce, often with pancake rolled around fillings. It was selected as a national -level cultural heritage in 2008.
Shadow Play
Shadow play (皮影) is an ancient form of storytelling that uses flat cut-out figures or shadow play between a source of light and a screen. Various sight effects can be achieved by moving both the dolls and the light source. In 2011, Chinese shadow play entered the list of Cultural Heritage by UNESCO(United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization)which is located in Paris, France.
Kunqu Opera
Kunqu Opera, one of the oldest existing forms of Chinese opera, came from Kunshan, Jiangsu province. Using emotional lines from classic poems and through sweet and beautiful singing, it made progress in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and naturally reached other parts of the country via the Grand Canal.
1. Which makes Imperial Bricks get the name of golden bricks?| A．Their value. | B．Their shape. |
| C．Their color. | D．Their history. |
| A．Peking Duck. | B．Imperial Bricks. |
| C．Kunqu Opera. | D．Shadow Play. |
| A．Theater writers. | B．Famous magazines. |
| C．Ancient stories. | D．Classic poems. |
1. What month is it now?
| A．January. | B．February. | C．June. |
| A．In the city center. |
| B．In her hometown. |
| C．In the man’s hometown. |
| A．Boring. | B．Ordinary. | C．Interesting. |
| A．Friends. | B．Brother and sister. | C．workmates. |
1. Which of the following is the most important festival in China?
| A．Christmas. | B．The Spring Festival. | C．The Mid-autumn Day. |
| A．The National Day. |
| B．How to celebrate the Spring Festival. |
| C．Festivals in China. |
| A．To walk the dog. | B．To enjoy a romantic dinner. | C．To spend the night with the woman. |
| A．Lighting firecrackers. | B．Getting red pocket. | C．Eating traditional food. |
1. How does one of the woman’s friends find Times Square?
| A．It was very big. | B．It was very crowded. | C．It was very boring. |
| A．Getting together with family members. |
| B．Staying with friends. |
| C．Going out to play. |
| A．His teacher. | B．His parents. | C．His friend. |
| A．New Year’s plan. | B．New Year’s party. | C．Visiting relatives. |
8 . 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 the bus 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 (窘迫的). No one had told them about the British custom (习惯) 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 (点头) your head when you are given a drink in Bulgaria will most probably leave you thirsty.
In that country, you shake your head to mean “yes”— a nod means “no”. At a meal in countries on the Arabic Peninsula, you will find that your glass is repeatedly refilled as soon as you drink up. If you think that you have had enough, you should take the cup or glasses in your hand and give it a little shake from side to side or place your hand over the top.
In Europe, it is quite usual to cross your legs when you are sitting talking to someone even at an important meeting. Doing this in Thailand,however,could bring about trouble. Also, you should try to avoid (避免) touching the head of an adult—it’s just not done in Thailand.
1. According to the article, if you want to have a pleasant journey in a foreign country, you should .| 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．a common habit |
| B．an important manner |
| C．a serious trouble |
| D．a bad manner |
| A．People’s Everyday Life |
| B．Mind Your Manners |
| C．Shaking and Nodding Your Head |
| D．Taking a Bus in England |
9 . 
This year’s Beijing Culture Forum was held from Sept.14 to 15 in the capital. Here are a series of talks with famous persons covering various fields.
Goran Durdevic:Goran Durdevic, lecturer of the Beiwai College, Beijing Foreign Studies University, said: “I’m particularly interested in those parts dedicated to cultural heritage and archeology.”
Citing his documentaries about heritages in Beijing as examples, he said: “I will talk about several documentaries.”
Agshin Aliyev:“I’m impressed by what China has achieved in digital use in education and culture during the past decade,” said Agshin Aliyev, PhD, head of the Azerbaijani Language Department at the School of Asian Studies, Beijing Foreign Studies University.
“We have also witnessed China’s efforts for its culture going global and telling China’s stories to foreign friends.”
Sha Xiaolan:“Technology has redefined the communication, creation and experience of culture, paving the way for entirely new possibilities,” said director and producer Sha Xiaolan.
“While AR and VR technologies bring the immersion(沉浸)of cultural experiences, AR technology is gradually finding its way in creative fields, becoming part of cultural creativity.”
Zhao Shengliang:Zhao Shengliang, secretary of the CPC Committee of Dunhuang Academy, said, “As we have access to many digital resources, we can use them to create movies or television programmes. We also make cultural and creative products explaining Dunhuang culture in popular and understandable language, as well as products that show Dunhuang’s art and features.”
1. What do Goran Durdevic and Agshin Aliyev have in common?| A．Loving archeology. | B．Doing teaching jobs in China. |
| C．Working in Dunhuang. | D．Talking about documentaries. |
| A．Goran Durdevic. | B．Agshin Aliyev. |
| C．Sha Xiaolan. | D．Zhao Shengliang. |
| A．To advertise Dunhuang. | B．To sell the products. |
| C．To use digital resources. | D．To develop the culture. |
10 . China has named the nation’s first Mars rover (火星车) Zhu Rong. For all of us, Zhu Rong is a well-suited name.
In an ancient Chinese story, Zhu Rong had the face of a man and the body of an animal. H rode on two dragons.
When he had a big fight with Gong Gong, the god of water, Zhu Rong won. But after the fight, the human world came into complete darkness. Then he brought fire from heaven to the world.
“Zhu Rong is regarded as the earliest god of fire in traditional Chinese culture,” a space official said. “The first Mars rover was named Zhu Rong. The name symbolizes light and hope for space exploration in our country, and means to guide humans to continue exploration.”
After leaving the earth last summer, Zhu Rong circled Mars for several months and landed on it in May. In recent years, our country has sent up the world’s first quantum satellite (量子卫星), and Chang’e-4 has made a soft landing on the moon. We have made great progress in space technology and will soon start building our own space station.
1. What Zhu Rong brought from heaven to the world was ________.| A．fire | B．wars | C．water | D．animals |
| A．a big fight | B．complete darkness | C．light and hope | D．Chinese culture |
| A．the earth | B．Mars | C．the moon | D．the sun |
| A．Zhu Rong is a bad person in an ancient Chinese story |
| B．China has made great progress in space technology |
| C．the writer is proud of China’s space technology |
| D．the official doesn’t like the name Zhu Rong |
