Palace Museum at 600: Old Palace, New Vitality
An exhibition titled “Everlasting Splendor: Six Centuries at the Forbidden City“ was held at the Palace Museum in Beijing to celebrate its 600th birthday. With more than 450 cultural relics and historical photos
The Forbidden City was completed in 1420 and
The Palace Museum is now a world-famous museum
2 . Dragons, a famous imaginary beast born from fantasy, are often present in stories in the west and east. In both cultures, dragons are generally recognized as massive creatures capable of flight. They have great power and are often associated with magical abilities. However, due to their different cultural roots and images, there exist significant differences in the way dragons are regarded in the west and east, particularly in China.
Chinese dragons most resemble snakes, and have four claws and no wings. They often have features of other animals, including carp, tigers, and eagles. In the contrast, Western dragons look like huge lizards with big claws and large bat-like wings, and are often shown with spines or rough scales.
In traditional Chinese culture, a dragon is a symbol of luck, power and high status. They can cause weather changes and bring rainfall to the fields to ensure rich harvests. They are considered divine creatures, which hold an important position as the head of the four spirits. Therefore, to symbolize their power, ancient Chinese emperors decorated their clothes with dragon patterns. These clothes are known as dragon robes. Many Chinese view the dragon as a national symbol, proudly referring to themselves as “descendants of the dragon”. In the west, however, a dragon symbolizes an evil creature that spreads violence and terror throughout the land. They are believed to be transformed by the devil, with the ability to breathe fire or spit poison. Many western tales show dragons being defeated and killed to protect people from danger.
Today, dragons continue to evolve, exceeding traditional boundaries and finding new significance in global culture. They are no longer associated with evil or good, but rather as complex characters with their own unique personalities and motivations. For example, Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon begins as a dangerous dragon but evolves into a misunderstood being with love and compassion. This challenges the idea of dragons as naturally evil, presenting them as complex beings with emotions and motivations.
1. What do western dragons and eastern dragons have in common?A.They are huge and powerful. | B.They have rough skin. |
C.They are in the shape of snakes. | D.They have big claws and wings. |
A.Western dragons are a symbol of authority and violence. |
B.Dragons are believed to cause chaos in western culture. |
C.Chinese dragons can control rainfall and breathe fire. |
D.Dragons in China can protect people from danger. |
A.They have more diverse feelings and characters. |
B.They have complicated motivations with born love. |
C.They are commonly regarded as adventurous creatures. |
D.They tend to represent human spirits facing challenges. |
A.The Images of Dragons in Western Traditions. | B.The Origin of Dragons in Chinese History. |
C.The Magical Animals in Different Countries. | D.The Dragon Elements in Global Culture. |
Longmen Grottoes
Set on the banks of the Yi River, 12km south of the current Luoyang City, the Longmen Grottoes are ranked first of the Four Great Grotioes in China, together with Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, Yungang Grottoes in Datong and Mount Maiji Grottoes in Tianshui. They were also listed in the World Cultural Heritages and Relics by UNESCO in 2000.
Longmen Gate also houses
Wandering in the Longmen Grottoes, one is amazed by the delicate carving skills, deep Buddhist culture and great art achievements of Chinese people.
4 . Ru Ling loves spending time in skywells. To her, these courtyards of old houses are the perfect place to be in on a hot and humid day. From 2014 to 2021, Ru lived in a century-old wood-framed home in the village of eastern China’s Anhui province. She moved there for a change of life after living and working in air-conditioned buildings for many years.
A skywell, or “tian jing”, is a typical feature of a traditional home in southern and eastern China. They are relatively common in historic residences in Sichuan, Jiangsu, Anhui and Jiangxi. In today’s rapidly urbanizing (城市化) China, fewer and fewer people live in skywell dwellings—air-conditioned flats in multi-storeyed buildings and tower blocks are the main forms of homes.
But a revival (复苏) of interest in traditional Chinese architecture is leading some of historic buildings with skywells to be restored for modern times. Meanwhile, as a government push has made low-carbon innovations in the building sector a trend, some architects are drawing inspiration from skywells and other traditional Chinese architectural features to help keep new buildings cooler.
Ancient “green wisdom” such as skywells continues to inspire today’s climate adaptive design and innovations in passive cooling, according to Wang Zhengfeng, a researcher at the Institute for Area Studies at Leiden University in the Netherlands. Passive cooling is a method that incorporates design and technology to cool a building without the use of power.
However, Wang points out some challenges for bringing skywells into modern designs. The mechanisms of courtyards facilitating natural lighting, ventilation and rain collection are well known, but applying these principles needs to be site-specific. Because traditional skywells had different shapes, sizes and features, adding skywells into modern buildings requires designers to be sensitive to their project’s context (环境) and situation, she explains. When asked about why skywells have appealed to modern Chinese people, Wang says that the courtyard is also designed to serve as a gathering space for families or communities. “Perhaps changes in the lifestyle could also lead to nostalgia among people living in concrete and glass forests.”
1. What is the purpose of the first paragragh?A.To introduce Ru Ling’s love for skywells. |
B.To inform readers of the benefits of skywells. |
C.To lead in the topic of popularity of skywells. |
D.To support the idea of living in skywells. |
A.Features and importance of the historic residences. |
B.Appreciation for traditional Chinese architecture. |
C.Reasons for the comeback of traditional skywells. |
D.Great efforts to restore the past glory of skywells. |
A.combine | B.collect | C.invent | D.replace |
A.Lack of enough money and experience. | B.Dependence on natural surroundings. |
C.People’s specific requirements. | D.The fast speed of urbanization. |
位置:伦敦市中心。
旅游价值:著名的旅游景点;是文化,音乐和艺术的中心。
特色:中国传统古建筑;吸引人的中餐馆,菜品丰富多样;招牌上有英文和中文
交通:交通便利,大概步行 15 分钟就可以把整个唐人街游览一遍。
人口:来自于不同的国家。
Welcome to BBC Learning English. I am Sun Chen, the host of today’s programme In this programme, we will take you around London’s Chinatown.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________So until next time, it’s goodbye from both of us at BBC Learning English.
A.Peru. | B.Britain. | C.Mexico. |
1. Where are the speakers?
A.In a car. | B.At home. | C.At Grandma’s house. |
A.Roast chicken. | B.Apple pie. | C.Fried fish. |
A.Excited. | B.Surprised. | C.Calm. |
A.He will go to Grandma’s house by himself. |
B.He made some cornbread for Thanksgiving. |
C.He has just finished a business trip. |
Hongbao is commonly seen across China. But what are these little red
Few discoveries are as amazing as discovering the Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an. But behind the lifelike masterpieces, there is a group of experts working hard
Lan Desheng, 52, is among the
Lan said that most of the Terracotta Warriors showed signs of decay (腐化) after being buried for thousands of years, which was made
注意:1. 词数80左右;2. 开头和结尾已给出,不计入总词数。
参考词汇:the Spring Festival Gala春节晚会;lunar农历;couplets春联
Dear Peter,
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Yours,
Li Hua