1 . Let’s take a look at some of the big celebrations that happen during spring
Songkran
Songkran is a celebration marking the Thai New Year. The festival usually lasts three days, though festivities can start early or end later in some cities. Water plays a major role in the festival. Symbolically, it washes away the previous year so people can get ready for the next one Therefore, many Songkran traditions are associated with water, such as cleaning homes and pouring water on Buddha statues and the hands of elders. Outside, Songkran is celebrated with street parties and a friendly water fight. In 2023, it began on April 13.
Holi
Known as the festival of colors, Holi is celebrated on the last full moon in the lunar month of Phalguna. This ancient tradition marks the end of winter and honors the victory of good over bad. Celebrators light big fires, throw colorful powder called gulal at each other, eat sweets, and dance to traditional folk music. The annual Hindu celebration was held on March 8, 2023.
Easter
It is a Christian tradition marking the day when Jesus Christ is said to have come back to life. On Easter Sunday, people attend church services where they sing and pray. It’s a day for some fun family activities too, like decorating hard-boiled eggs and searching for the hidden treats around the house or yard. Some kids also receive baskets filled with goodies, and many families have big feasts. In 2023, Easter was celebrated on Sunday, April 9.
Passover
Passover is a time to reflect on Jews’ suffering in ancient Egypt. Jews were believed to have been led to freedom by a religious leader named Moses. Passover is celebrated for seven or eight days in reflection of the suffering. In 2023, Passover began in the evening of April 5 and ended in the evening of April 13.
1. When did Thai people start to celebrate the New Year in 2023?| A．On March 8. | B．On April 5. | C．On April 9. | D．On April 13. |
| A．Songkran. | B．Holi. | C．Easter. | D．Passover. |
| A．The season of celebration. | B．The widespread use of water. |
| C．The sad holiday atmosphere. | D．The bright decorating colors. |
2 . Weddings are one of life’s biggest celebrations, and they are observed in just about every country and culture on the planet. Here are some wedding traditions from around the world.
Scotland
Scottish weddings usually feature the handfasting ceremony. During the ceremony, the bride (新娘) and bridegroom each hold a piece of cloth. These are carefully wound around the couple’s joined hands. When they pull their hands apart, the pieces become tied into a knot (结) — a symbol of the new union.
Germany
Guests at a German wedding get to see an interesting sight: the newly married couple — still dressed in their suit and wedding dress — cutting a length of a tree in half with a two-person saw (锯). In this way, they show their ability to work as a team to face any challenge they will meet in life.
Norway
A Norwegian wedding cake is made up of progressively smaller layers of iced cake rings, which give the cake the shape of Christmas tree. The inside is empty and has gifts or even a bottle of wine. The bride and g room lift the top ring of the cake, and the number of layers that stick to it is said to represent the number of children they will have!
England
Brides in England typically wear “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue” for their big day. The modern practice comes from a traditional English song, and the things themselves represent protection, cheerfulness, good luck, and purity, respectively.
Though the customs might vary, the feeling remains the same. Across the world, weddings are times to celebrate love, happiness, and family.
1. Why is a two-person saw used in the German wedding?| A．To entertain the wedding guests. | B．To mark the couple’s united efforts. |
| C．To represent the upcoming challenges. | D．To keep the couple from hurting each other. |
| A．The Scottish wedding. | B．The German wedding. |
| C．The Norwegian wedding. | D．The English wedding. |
| A．Rules to follow. | B．Special customs. |
| C．Ways to treat guests. | D．Cultural backgrounds. |
3 . Hans is a young German born after 1995, who is a big fan of Chinese culture. He has been learning traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) since 2016. Now he is studying for his master’s degree at Henan University of Chinese Medicine.
Hans came to Central China’s Henan Province in 2015, where a rich TCM culture can be enjoyed because Henan Province is the hometown of Zhang Zhongjing, the medical master of ancient China. After one year of learning the Chinese language, he started to learn Chinese medicine.
Without a language barrier, Hans read some of the ancient Chinese medical classics, such as Huangdi Neijing and Yi Jing. He believes different aspects of traditional Chinese culture interact with each other.
Studying TCM also changed Hans’ mind and lifestyle. He used to be addicted to electronic devices and stay up late every night, trapped in this fast-paced but unhealthy daily routine. But now, according to the Yin-Yang theory in TCM, he lives a balanced and peaceful life, practicing good habits as well as reading ancient books.
He plans to run a traditional Chinese clinic in China or Germany after graduation, which could serve as a bridge between the two countries and publicize TCM and its culture.
1. What attracted Hans to Henan Province to study TCM?| A．Its rich TCM culture. | B．Its unique language. |
| C．Its beautiful scenery. | D．Its famous university. |
| A．His family’s support. | B．His financial situation. |
| C．His language learning. | D．His previous experience. |
| A．He has made a big fortune. | B．He has known many medical experts. |
| C．He has set up a clinic in Germany. | D．He has developed a healthy lifestyle. |
| A．Ambitious. | B．Brave. | C．Humorous. | D．Good-mannered. |
In traditional Chinese culture, sky lanterns represent people’s good wishes, carrying them into the sky and making heaven aware of them.
According to Chinese history, sky lanterns, first used by Zhuge Kongming,
Sky lanterns are made of bamboo and covered with paper,
However, sky lanterns can be
Sky lanterns, each of which
5 . The British Museum, in London, recently planned to make digital (数字的) copies of all the objects it keeps. The project to deal with about 8 million objects will take five years. The reason for this is that the museum said in August that about 2, 000 objects had been stolen or missing.
The museum is one of the busiest in the world. It holds objects such as the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon Marbles — known as the Elgin Marbles — and ancient stones and jewelry (珠宝) .
The leader, or chair of the museum, is George Osborne. He recently told the Culture, Media and Sport Committee of Parliament that he believed a person who worked at the museum was responsible. Osborne called it “an inside job by someone who the museum had put trust in.” He said the person took objects from the museum little by little.
The museum’s manager at the time was German art historian Hartwig Fischer. Fischer left the job in August after serving since 2016. He said he must be responsible for the thefts (盗窃) in the end. He added the museum did not react as it should have when concerns first came up that someone had been stealing.
The museum head said about 350 of the 2, 000 objects have been found and are in the process of being returned. Stolen objects included gold rings, earrings and other jewelry from the ancient Greek and Roman times.
The manager of the museum at present is Mark Jones. He said the museum is confident “that a theft of this kind can never happen again.” Jones added that one way to improve the museum’s safety is to show more objects to the public instead of, as he said, “simply locking objects away.”
In September, the museum asked for help in finding the missing objects. The organization offered a phone number for people to call if they had information.
1. Who stole the objects according to George Osborne?| A．A visitor. | B．An artist. | C．An art dealer. | D．A museum worker. |
| A．He shouldn’t have trusted any worker. | B．He didn’t deal with the stealing in time. |
| C．He did not notice objects were missing. | D．He shouldn’t have shown valuable objects. |
| A．Lock their objects away. | B．Call on the public to help. |
| C．Make more objects known. | D．Keep visitors away from objects. |
| A．British Museum Will Make Its Objects Digital |
| B．Art Lovers Will Soon Visit British Museum Online |
| C．Digital Collections of World-Famous Museum Were Stolen |
| D．Stolen Objects Are Being Returned to British Museum |
6 . The National Football Museum has the world’s largest public collection of football objects and archives (档案), which is known as the Football Heritage Collection. In 2013 it was recognised as an official Designated Collection by Arts Council England and described as “of outstanding importance and value”. There are currently over 40,000 items within the collection, which continues to grow as we acquire new objects to preserve and help us share stories about football. Below provides a brief summary of the individual collections that contribute to the Football Heritage Collection.
The FIFA — Langton Collection
The finest single collection of football in the world was collected by Harry Langton, a London journalist with a passion for the game. The vast collection includes artwork, toys and games and playing equipment, and also houses a number of objects relating to women’s football.
The Football League Collection
This collection reflects all aspects of the history and development of the world’s oldestprofessional league, founded in 1888. Handbooks, attendance records, programmes and a large range of books provide an invaluable research tool for the museum.
The People’s Collection
This rich and developing collection features objects donated to us by members of thepublic, footballers (and their families) and other people related to the game. The 6,000-strong collection features all kinds of items.
Bolton Wanderers and Preston North End Collections
The official collection from Preston North End contains over 1,000 objects and celebratesone of the most famous clubs in the history of the game, and the team that play at the oldest football league ground in the world.
1. What do we know about the Football Heritage Collection?| A．It was originally founded in 2013. | B．It has no more than 40,000 objects. |
| C．It is a collection of football items. | D．It helps us share basketball stories. |
| A．The People’s Collection. |
| B．Bolton Wanderers and Preston North End Collections. |
| C．The Football L eague Collection. |
| D．The FIFA — Langton Collection. |
| A．A research paper. | B．A museum guide. |
| C．A campus poster. | D．A film review. |
International Workers’ Day,also
In the late 18th century,in order to make more money, the cruel capitalists forced
After four days of wonderful performances, the 7th China Quanzhou International Puppet Festival
In China, string puppetry is
Each puppet is equipped with 8 to 16 strings, while more complex performances may require up to 36 strings. The strings
To master string puppetry, skilled
On May 20, 2006, Quanzhou string puppetry was added
As the hometown of string puppetry, Quanzhou was also the first city in China to hold an international puppet festival and succeeded in
9 . Zhang Zening, a hanfu supporter and lover in Nanjing, East China’s Jiangsu Province, started a surprising journey eight years ago to restore (使复原) this traditional Chinese clothing. Inspired by ancient murals (壁画), Zhang, 41, studied the artistry of hanfu in various museums, changing paintings into touchable and wearable pieces.
Upon graduating from college, Zhang first worked in material research, burying herself in the laboratory, conducting chemical experiments for the study of raw materials. At the time, she was one of the earliest lovers of hanfu in China, frequently organizing various hanfu activities in her spare time. Now as the owner of a hanfu studio, Zhang has worked with women’s re-employment organizations, looking for full-time stay-at-home women with sewing (缝纫) skills. This matched with her need for the production of hanfu.
Around 2015, Zhang began to focus independently on the process of hanfu restoration. In that year, she visited Dunhuang, Northwest China’s Gansu Province where she was attracted by the beautiful murals there, wondering how she could possibly change them into beautiful costumes.
In the past years, she has traveled to more than 10 cities across China, constantly studying murals and conducting research to restore hanfu from different dynasties. She managed to restore more than 50 sets. She referred to different materials including various murals, other cultural relics and literature to make sure that the restoration is as correct as possible. Thanks to her work, many young people wear restored hanfu when they visit museums, and Zhang is excited to see more of them doing so.
1. What can we learn about Zhang Zening according to paragraph 1?| A．She longed to be a scientist. |
| B．She was addicted to traveling widely. |
| C．She was fond of Chinese traditional art. |
| D．She enjoyed watching museum visitors. |
| A．To recover traditional Chinese clothing. |
| B．To reduce employment pressure. |
| C．To increase her business influence. |
| D．To help the companies in trouble. |
| A．To explain how hard Zhang works. |
| B．To show the start of Zhang’s independent hanfu restoration work. |
| C．To promote various Dunhuang’s artworks. |
| D．To introduce Zhang’s rich travel experiences. |
| A．Effective. | B．Short-lasting. | C．Dangerous. | D．Costly. |
10 . Literary festivals all over the USA offer opportunities for readers to meet their favorite authors and learn about their new projects. You can start planning your next literary vacation!
Summer WordsDates: June 19-22
Price: Free
It’s one of America’s most respected literary festivals and writing conferences. Authors are able to attend advanced workshops in order to improve the craft of writing. Besides, they can meet editors and literary agents and attend public panel discussions to gain inspiration and insight.
Book BonanzaDates: June 23-24
Price: $250
It is a celebration of books covering multiple styles and always nets a huge list of incredible author attendees. What makes it stand out, however, is not just its impressive list of attendees: it’s the charitable focus. All proceeds are donated to charitable causes, including those that benefit women and children.
Los Angeles Times Festival of BooksDates: April 22-23
Price: Free, although indoor panels will require tickets
It is a massive celebration of books and the bookish community, with book signings, panel discussions with distinguished professors and experts, art performances and book giveaways. The two-day event has grown to become an essential element of the L.A. cultural scene.
Imaginarium Book FestivalDates: May 20-21
Price: Free, but VIP tickets for early entry to signing rooms ($45), tickets for the brunch ($50)
It celebrates all things about fantasy and science fiction. In addition to panels where authors will answer your questions, you’ll get to meet and acquire signed books from your favorite authors and have the option of brunching with them at the cosmic (宇宙的) brunch buffet.
1. In which literary festival can you catch a show?| A．Summer Words. |
| B．Book Bonanza. |
| C．Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. |
| D．Imaginarium Book Festival. |
| A．Its profits go to charity. |
| B．It’s meant for women and children. |
| C．It doesn’t charge admission fee. |
| D．It features workshops for notable writers. |
| A．Get an author-signed photograph. |
| B．Dine with your admiring writers. |
| C．Interact with science fiction supermen. |
| D．Obtain one-on-one reading training. |
