It was a dark and stormy night. The ferocious wind shook the windows wildly, as though someone outside were beating on the glass. It was also New Year’s Eve. We were having our annual party and had a house full of people just starting to celebrate.
Suddenly, we heard loud explosions. Looking outside and up into the hills, we saw sparks(火花) flying from electrical transformers(变压器). One area after another went dark up in those hills. Then there was the loudest explosion of them all and our house went dark too. I tried to find every candle we had and lit them. The candles made everything look lovely. But we had problems. We had fifteen people standing around and we still had to cook dinner. How would we do that without electricity?
The barbecue! Why not cook on the barbecue? We men went outside, some holding flashlights and others cooking. We did a wonderful job. The women stayed inside and got the salads ready. Everything was delicious. There were still a few hours to go before the beginning of the new year, so we all sat around the dining room table and sang up until a few minutes before midnight. We couldn’t watch the ball drop in Times Square on television but that wouldn’t stop us from celebrating. I stood on a chair and, with the help of someone’s watch to tell us the time, we all counted down and I dropped a tennis ball! We all screamed Happy New Year. We didn’t need electricity for that!
Nowadays, we still get together with the same group to celebrate the New Year and we still talk about that special night. I don’t think we have ever laughed so much as we did on that New Year’s Eve.
1. What does the underlined word mean in Paragraph 1? (1 word)2. What made dinner preparation difficult according to Paragraph 2? (no more than 6 words)
3. How did the people celebrate on New Year’s Eve according to the passage? (no more than 10 words)
4. How does the author feel about that particular New Year’s Eve? (no more than 8 words)
5. What do you think is the most necessary quality when dealing with an unexpected difficult situation? Please explain why. (no more than 25words)
One of the largest research libraries in the world, the British Library houses more than 170 million items. The library usually selects works based on
Recently, 16 Chinese online novels have been added to the
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Great Power, Heavy Industry tells of how China’s manufacturing industries have rapidly grown
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.
As he thought some diseases can’t be treated thoroughly with Western medicine, he decided to research into TCM. 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. Hans thought TCM is one of the best-preserved aspects of Chinese culture. He hopes to solve problems and understand Chinese culture deeply by learning TCM.
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 such as drinking tea and meditating, as well as reading ancient books.
Hans also uses what he has learned to help his family. Previously, acupuncture tools and Chinese medicine were necessities when he went back to his home in Germany. With acupuncture and Chinese-style massages, various physical disorders of his family have been well-treated. Now, he always provides his family members with some advice about staying fit after he checks their skin or tongues online. Over time, his family gradually began to understand his passion for TCM.
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. |
The gesture for “OK” has different meanings in different
Chinese seal (印章) carving originated during the Shang Dynasty. In the beginning, the characters carved on seals were the same as
In ancient times, seals were regarded as
After the Qin Dynasty, materials for seals were
To protect this artistic treasure, Chinese seal carving
6 . The famous Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.
Qu Yuan supported fighting to protect his country. Though what he did led to his being forced to leave it, he wrote poetry to show his love for it.
Upon hearing the news, villagers took boats and carried dumplings to the middle of the river to try and save Qu Yuan.
Now, dragon boat races are held every year in China, attracting thousands of supporters to participate.
| A．He finally became a national hero |
| B．It is to remember the death of Qu Yuan |
| C．However, their efforts were not successful |
| D．Everyone is fighting hard to get the first place |
| E．The boats take the form of a traditional Chinese dragon |
| F．The rice dumplings became the zongzi we know today |
| G．It’s said that Qu Yuan felt great sadness after part of his own country was taken over |
7 . A British friend told me he couldn’t understand why Chinese people love eating sunflower seeds (嗑瓜子) as a snack so much. “I’ve met a lot of older Chinese and many have a crack in their front teeth, I believe that’s from cracking the seeds,” he said.
I had never noticed the habit, but once he mentioned it, I suddenly became more aware. I realized that whenever I’m watching TV or typing a report, I always start mindlessly cracking sunflower seeds. My friend doesn’t like sunflower seeds, and, to him, it seems unnecessary to work so much just to get one small seed.
When we were young, the whole family would usually get together for Chinese New Year. Then, we all lived close to one another, usually in a small city, and sometimes even neighbors would go door-to-door on Chinese New Year’s Eve to check out what every family was making.
I remember my parents would be in the kitchen cooking. Out in the living room, a large table would already be laid out, complete with fancy tablecloth, ready-made dumpling fillings, and dishes full of candy, fruits and sunflower seeds. Some of the dishes were to be offered to our ancestors later, while others were for neighbors and children to eat before the evening feast. I must have learned how to crack sunflower seeds back then.
I don’t think it’s right to criticize (批评) one’s choice in food or eating habits, no matter how strange they may seem.
It’s not only in China. When I went abroad, I found people had all sorts of strange habits when it came to food. In Denmark, they put salted red fish on bread and eat it for dinner, no matter how much it ruins your breath. They think it’s delicious, and it’s connected to their certain culture. I think it’s a wonderful tradition.
1. Why can the British friend not understand when he found Chinese love eating sunflower seeds?| A．Because the seeds are too hard to crack. |
| B．Because he thinks they are harmful to teeth. |
| C．Because he doesn’t think the seeds are worth eating. |
| D．Because he doesn’t think the seeds are good. |
| A．The families get together for it. | B．Children can eat delicious food on that day. |
| C．The traditions of celebrating it disappear. | D．Eating sunflower seeds is related to it. |
| A．Uncaring. | B．Negative. | C．Understandable. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．Eating habits come from a certain culture. |
| B．It is good to form healthy eating habits. |
| C．Changing your eating habits will change your life. |
| D．One kind of food doesn’t necessarily suit everyone. |
Yungang Grottoes(石窟)in Datong, Shanxi Province, are a world cultural heritage site with a history that goes back more than 1,500 years. In Yungang’s 45 big grottoes and more than 200 small grottoes,
The Yungang
Two exchange students are discovering new music in their host countries. Alice introduces a beautiful violin concerto
From the host family, Harry Yu learns a lot about country music. It
1. 中国传统美食之一， 几乎人人喜爱。
2. 形状像古代的金锭，是财富的象征。
3. 制作水饺需要全家参与，代表着团圆。
注意：1. 词数80词左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇： 金锭gold ingot
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