Mid-Autumn Festival, or Mid-autumn Day, is the second grandest festival in China after the Chinese New Year. It is named so for that it is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month,
The day is also known as the Moon Festival. In Chinese culture, full moon
During festivals and grand ceremonies, people would perform lion dance to create a happy and
If you live in northeastern China, you expect long, cold winters. People
The festival includes several thousand ice sculptures. Some of these works are the recreations of castles, historic landmarks and famous people, lit up at night in bright colors.
The city started
Officially, the festival
4 . Earth Hour is a yearly event which asks people to turn off all lights and use no electricity (电) for an hour. The aim is to get people to think about the planet they live on and the energy they use.
What is Earth Hour?
Earth Hour is a yearly activity that encourages people and businesses around the world to turn off electricity at the same time for one hour. Earth Hour started in Australia in 2007 when 2.2 million people in the city of Sydney turned off all unnecessary lights for an hour. Since then it has grown to a large worldwide event. In2013, millions of people in 7,000 cities and towns around the world turned off their lights for 60 minutes at the end of March. Everyyear landmarks and well-known buildings around the world take part and “go dark”for Earth Hour.
Who organises Earth Hour?
Earth Hour is organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). It was started by Andy Ridley, who is in charge of this activity in WWF. He came up with the idea of Earth Hour because he wanted to raise awareness of environmental problems by asking people to do something good to help the planet. Turning off the lights for an hour can make a small difference to the amount of energy we use, but Earth Hour is also a representative event to make people think about the problems of climate change.
Why March?
The end of March is around the time when day and night are of equal length in the northern and southern hemispheres (半球), so sunset times in both hemispheres are at similar times. This means that a worldwide “lights out” event has most visual impact at this time of year.
1. What are people asked to do in Earth Hour?| A．Care for their businesses. |
| B．Use no electricity for an hour. |
| C．Turn off the lights during the day. |
| D．Think about the buildings they live in. |
| A．Earth Hour takes place twice a year. |
| B．Earth Hour is only popular in Sydney. |
| C．Earth Hour began in Australia in 2007. |
| D．In 2013, 2.2 million people took part in Earth Hour. |
| A．make people become more environmentally aware. |
| B．be in total charge of the World Wide Fund for Nature. |
| C．ask people to do something good only for themselves. |
| D．call on people to turn off all the lights in their houses. |
| A．the length of day and night |
| B．the visual impact of the event |
| C．the sunset times around the world |
| D．the places in the southern hemisphere |
| A．To explain the reason for climate change. |
| B．To take in more volunteers for Earth Hour. |
| C．To introduce a yearly event of energy saving. |
| D．To present the achievements brought by Earth Hour. |
World Book Day falls on April 23 every year in memory of William Shakespeare. It celebrates the
The Land of Smiles: A Beginners Guide to Etiquette (礼仪) in Thailand
To: JohnnyBoy0303@hotmail.com
Sender: Farang555@gmail.com
Subject: RE: I’m coming to Thailand! ! !
Hey Johnny!
Great news about your visit to Thailand. I shall roll out the red carpet for your arrival! I’m still having a great time here. It’s difficult to work in this heat, but the people here are so kind, and life is generally quite relaxed, so it beats another rainy winter in Scotland. About your questions:
1. Yes, you should learn a little bit of Thai if you can! It’s not an easy language to speak or read, but a little effort will go a long way. Thais are really respectful people. When they greet you, they’ll usually put both of their hands together, and bow their head a little bit. If anyone does it to you, it’s very important that you do it back.
2. Yes, the food is spicy! But it’s so delicious. Thais use a lot of exotic ingredients like coconut, lemongrass, and lime leaves when they’re cooking, so you get some really rich flavours. Actually, I think I never want to eat British food again after living here! Don’t worry—you’re going to love it, and it’s cheap too!
3. Yes, there are a few things to be aware of. Firstly, Thais look at the head as being sacred, so don’t go around patting people on the head, not even kids. The head is the highest part of the body, and the feet are the lowest, so guess what? Don’t do things with your feet. I know it sounds stupid, but just be careful that you’re not pointing your feet at people or kicking them to get their attention or anything like that, and definitely do not put your feet up on tables or chairs—it will be considered very rude.
I think it’s very important to remember that Thais love their royal family too, so you should be respectful towards that. Once, my friend and I were visiting Bangkok, and he dropped a coin, I stamped on it to stop it rolling, and some people seemed quite angry, and we couldn’t work out why. A hotel staff explained to us: Putting my foot on the coin was like stamping on a picture of the king! We told the hotel staff how sorry we were. I think it’s really important to be aware of these things that might mean a lot to other people even though you would never think of them yourself.
Anyway, don’t worry too much. Just be polite and respectful. You’ll have a great time here.
Looking forward to seeing you in the Land of Smiles!
Archie
1. What does the writer feel about Thailand?2. According to the third answer in Archie’s email, please write down the question that Johnny might ask.
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
Some Thais seemed quite angry when seeing the writer use his foot to stop the coin rolling because it wouldn’t work.
4. Suppose Johnny is coming to China. He is curious about etiquette in China and asks you for help. Please write 1 or 2 tips for him. (In about 40 words)
Every culture is riddled with unwritten rules, such as ones on punctuality (守时). I’m British. Soon after moving to Switzerland, I
The Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday
With the ideal time for harvesting fresh tea leaves approaching, locals celebrated the beginning of the tea-picking season with a spirited ceremony held at Jingmai Mountain in Yunnan province.
This annual event, which takes place towards the end of March, is a tradition among local minorities. Having been around for centuries, it is a perfect opportunity to show respect for the tea forest before harvesting the gifts of nature. Jingmai Mountain, renowned for its thick forests of ancient tea trees, has been an essential part of the locals’ lives for centuries. People there maintain an ancient method of tea cultivation featuring a unique multi-layered (层) ecosystem, which is regarded as the key to maintaining harmony between humans and nature.
The village has been located halfway up the mountain, close to the tea forest in the middle of the mountain, while farmland is in lower areas with abundant water sources, which can avoid disturbance to tea forests during planting.
The ancient tea forests are now refreshing as the younger generations are introducing new ideas aimed at better developing the tea industry in this area. Xian Gong, 39, started a farmers’ cooperative in 2010 in Jingmai village. Over time, she expanded the initiative by developing it into a company integrating the cooperative, a tea factory, a hostel and a shop under one roof. Today, the tea gardens cover an area of more than 600 hectares and generate an annual output of more than 200 tons, helping nearly 500 households increase their incomes.
A growing number of villagers are embracing new business opportunities by establishing cooperatives, tea factories and homestays. Many have adapted to the latest trends, such as selling tea through live streaming and sharing details of their daily lives and work on social media platforms.
The recent boom in the modern tea industry has motivated the residents to take better care of their ancient tea forests. In addition to their efforts to resist using chemicals and avoid planting other crops in the tea forests, the local government has applied over 20 rules and regulations for the protection of precious ancient tea forests. They hold a strong belief that the tea mountain is the most valuable gift left by their ancestors and it is their due responsibility to protect and make good use of it.
1. Why do the locals celebrate the beginning of the tea-picking season?2. What is the key feature of the ancient method of tea cultivation?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, and then underline it and explain why.
It is only due to the efforts made by the local residents that the ancient tea forests have been protected.
4. Give another example which mirrors human-nature harmony.
An important symbol of China is the Chinese characters—hanzi. While this unique writing system has an ancient origin, it was standardised and unified by Emperor Qinshihuang. Since then, it
Another popular symbol of China around the world is the Great Wall. It was originally built by Emperor Qinshihuang, and
