1 . An 85-year-old primary school constructed in 1935 in Shanghai has been lifted off the ground in its entirety and relocated using new technology called the “walking machine.” The project marks the first time this “walking machine” method has been used in Shanghai to relocate a historical building.
Urbanization(都市化)has continued to significantly threaten architectural heritage. In the capital Beijing, for instance, more than 1,000 acres of its historic hutongs and traditional courtyard homes were destroyed between 1990 and 2010.
In the early 2000s, cities including Nanjing and Bejjing-due to the critics’ protest about the loss of old neighborhoods-drew up long-term plans to preserve what was left of their historic sites, with protections introduced to safeguard buildings and restrict developers.
These conservation efforts have taken different forms. In Beijing, a near-ruined temple was transformed into a restaurant and gallery, while in Nanjing, a cinema from the 1930s was restored to its original form, with some additions providing it for modern use. In 2019, Shanghai welcomed Tank Shanghai, an arts center built in renovated(重修的)oil tanks.
“Relocation is not the first choice, but better than destroying,” said Lan, the Shanghai primary school’s project supervisor. “I’d rather not touch the historical buildings at all.” Building relocations he said however, are “a workable option.” “The central government is putting more emphasis on the protection of historical buildings. I’m happy to see that progress in recent years.”
Shanghai has arguably been China’s most progressive city when it comes to heritage preservation. The survival of a number of 1930s buildings and 19th-century “shikumen” (or “stone gate”) house have offered examples of how to give old buildings new life.
“We have to preserve the historical building no matter what, ” Lan said. “The relocation has challenges, but in general, it is cheaper than destroying and then rebuilding something in a new location.”
1. How did cities respond to the loss of historical sites?A.They criticized the developers. | B.They rebuilt the historic hutongs. |
C.They ended the significant threat. | D.They proposed the protection project. |
A.All original form. | B.A new addition. | C.A cinema. | D.A temple. |
A.Provide strong evidence. | B.Introduce different opinions. |
C.Summarize previous paragraphs. | D.Add some background information. |
A.Walking Machine: a New Technology | B.Rebuilding: a New Option for Relics |
C.Old Building Torn down for Modern Use | D.Historical Site “Walks” to New Life |
2 . It was a cold December, at the end of the Great Depression, and things were tough. Mum had a
The holidays were fast
Unknown to Mum, I had been
The
The bus drove off and I stood alone, feeling as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I went into a
Two boys with carriers on their bicycles ran those groceries to our house. After we
A.good | B.fun | C.hard | D.busy |
A.went through | B.searched for | C.figured out | D.thought about |
A.quarrelling | B.meeting | C.moving | D.working |
A.passing | B.flying | C.ending | D.approaching |
A.rent | B.debt | C.food | D.schooling |
A.planting | B.ordering | C.selling | D.watering |
A.big | B.final | C.same | D.wonder |
A.nervous | B.excited | C.satisfied | D.curious |
A.need | B.money | C.desire | D.passion |
A.pity | B.sadness | C.disappointment | D.guilt |
A.in surprise | B.in anger | C.in doubt | D.in tears |
A.guests | B.presents | C.candies | D.boots |
A.eventually | B.angrily | C.happily | D.suddenly |
A.changed | B.lost | C.cleared | D.opened |
A.house | B.store | C.church | D.station |
A.hope | B.willingness | C.happiness | D.courage |
A.extra | B.pocket | C.lucky | D.hard-earned |
A.patiently | B.quietly | C.quickly | D.properly |
A.shouted at | B.leaned against | C.pushed open | D.knocked at |
A.satisfied | B.delighted | C.surprised | D.frightened |
3 . Chinese traditional clothing, or hanfu, has been increasingly
One of the reasons for this trend is a desire to strengthen national
The phenomenon of hanfu is not just limited to China; there has also been a growing interest from people worldwide. One example is the TV drama The Story of Minglan, which
However, there is no
For some enthusiasts, hanfu is more than just fashion; it is a way to connect with Chinese history and culture. For example, a Chinese-American woman recalled that when she was a child, she and her sister would
And many people are
Some organizations and individuals are making efforts to popularize hanfu. Some, like the Hanfu Club, have received
As one member of the Hanfu Club stated, “If we even
A.rejected | B.drawn | C.influenced | D.introduced |
A.hesitant | B.indifferent | C.drawn | D.known |
A.suffering | B.experiencing | C.indicating | D.maintaining |
A.economy | B.security | C.identity | D.environment |
A.lacked | B.contributed | C.introduced | D.delayed |
A.reserved | B.attracted | C.disappointed | D.puzzled |
A.regular | B.sufficient | C.updated | D.limited |
A.characterized | B.selected | C.preserved | D.responded |
A.forget | B.hate | C.pretend | D.refuse |
A.fond | B.unaware | C.made | D.ignorant |
A.improved | B.boosted | C.elected | D.respected |
A.casual | B.moral | C.organized | D.hired |
A.blood | B.muscle | C.skin | D.symbol |
A.recognition | B.funding | C.warning | D.analysis |
A.underevaluate | B.seek | C.avoid | D.ignore |
4 . What do the following places have in common: the Serengeti Desert, Edinburgh’s Old Town and the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve?
The Serengeti Desert is in Tanzania and Kenya, Africa. It contains (包含) thousands of kilometers of dry grasslands and many rare kinds of animals.
Edinburgh’s Old Town is in the capital city of Scotland. It has many old buildings and streets.There are very few new buildings in Edinburgh’s Old Town.
The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve is near Mexico City in Mexico. It has beautiful flowers and forests. It is also the home of millions of butterflies in the winter.
There three places are very different. But they are all under special protection by UNESCO (联合国教科文组织). They are World Heritage Sites.
The story of World Heritage Sites begins more than 3, 000 years ago. At that time, the great king of Egypt built many temples. But after thousands of years, sand covered them.
Stories tell of a young boy named Abu Simbel who found the temples. One day, Abu Simbel saw something under the sand. Soon, the ancient temples of Ramses Ⅱ were officially rediscovered. But they were not safe. The government of Egypt planned to build a dam on the Nile River. It would create a large lake, which would cover the temples in water.
Many people did not want the temples destroyed. UNESCO agreed and raised 40 million dollars from around the world to save the temples. From 1964 to 1968, engineers took the temples apart in many pieces and rebuilt them hundreds of meters back from the Nile River. Today, they are called the Abu Simbel Temples, in memory of the young boy who first found them.
The effort to save the Abu Simbel Temples was a success. So in 1972, UNESCO formed the World Heritage Committee, which protects places on the earth that are of great cultural or natural value.
Any country in the world can ask for protection from UNESCO.The countries send a list of places to the World Heritage Committee. Once a year, the World Heritage Committee meets and votes on which places to protect. When they choose a place, it officially becomes a World Heritage Site.
1. What’s special about Edinburgh’s Old Town?A.It has no new buildings. |
B.It’s a World Heritage Site. |
C.It’s in the capital city of Scotland. |
D.It has the oldest streets in the world. |
A.grew up to be a great engineer |
B.took part in building the temples |
C.lived in Egypt about 3, 000 years ago |
D.was the first to discover the hidden temples |
A.By storing their pieces away. |
B.By keeping them under the sand. |
C.By moving them to a much safer place. |
D.By preventing the government building the dam. |
A.how a World Heritage Site is chosen |
B.why the World Heritage Committee was formed |
C.how often the World Heritage Committee works |
D.why countries ask for protection from UNESCO |
5 . Traveling abroad is becoming increasingly popular these years. Some people are afraid of making linguistic (语言的) mistakes while traveling. Actually, cultural mistakes may be more serious, which can lead to serious misunderstanding.
●Touching Someone
In Thailand, the head is considered sacred — never even pat a child on the head.
●Talking over Dinner
In some countries, like China, Japan and some African nations, food is important, so don’t start chatting about your day’s adventures while everyone else is digging into dinner.
●Removing Your Shoes or Not
Take off your shoes when arriving at the door of a London dinner party and the hostess will find you rude, but fail to remove your shoes before entering a home in Asia, Hawaii, or the Pacific Islands and you’ll be considered disrespectful. So, if you see a row of shoes at the door, start undoing your shoelaces.
Once you are on the ground of a different country, remain highly sensitive to native behavior.
A.If not, keep the shoes on. |
B.You’ll be likely to meet with no response. |
C.Never be completely surprised by anything. |
D.Personal spaces are different among countries. |
E.As the saying goes, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” |
F.Watch out for the following cultural mistakes and try to avoid them. |
G.The linguistic mistake means that someone is not fully expressing his idea. |
Students at a primary school in Hangzhou had their first class
The West Lake Primary School in Zhejiang Province has introduced the course in the new term. An expert in Chinese characters culture has been invited to the campus,
The school said the course is aimed at improving the students’ awareness of Chinese characters and their
7 . People from East Asia tend to have more difficulties than those from Europe in distinguishing facial expressions and a new report published online in Current Biology explains why.
Rachael Jack, University of Glasgow researcher, said that rather than scanning evenly (均匀的) across a face as Westerners do, Easterners fix their attention on the eyes.
“We show that Easterners and Westerners look at different face features to read facial expressions,” Jack said. “Westerners look at the eyes and the mouth in equal measure, whereas Easterners favor the eyes and overlook the mouth.”
According to Jack and her colleagues, the discovery shows that human communication of emotion is more complex than previously believed. As a result, facial expressions that had been considered universally recognizable cannot be used to reliably convey emotion in cross-cultural situations.
The researchers studied cultural differences in the recognition of facial expressions by recording the eye movements of 13 Western Caucasian and 13 East Asian people while they observed pictures of expressive faces and put them into categories: happy, sad, surprised, fearful, disgusted, angry, or neutral. They compared how accurately participants read those facial expressions using their particular eye movement strategies.
It turned out that Easterners focused much greater attention on the eyes and made significantly more errors than Westerners did. “The cultural difference in eye movements that they show is probably a reflection of cultural difference in facial expressions,” Jack said. “Our data suggest that whereas Westerners use the whole face to convey emotion. Easterners use the eyes more and mouth less.”
In short, the data show that facial expressions are not universal signals of human emotion. From here on, examining how cultural factors have diversified these basic social skills will help our understanding of human emotion. Otherwise, when it comes to communicating emotions across cultures, Easterners and Westerners will find themselves lost in translation.
1. What does the discovery show about Westerners?A.They pay equal attention to the eyes and the mouth. |
B.They consider facial expressions universally reliable. |
C.They observe the eyes and the mouth in different ways. |
D.They have more difficulty in recognizing facial expressions. |
A.To get their faces impressive. | B.To make a face at each other. |
C.To classify some face pictures. | D.To observe the researchers’ faces. |
A.They do translation more successfully. | B.They study the mouth more frequently. |
C.They examine the eyes more attentively. | D.They read facial expressions more correctly. |
A.The Eye as the Window to the Soul | B.Cultural Differences in Reading Emotions |
C.Effective Methods to Develop Social Skills | D.How to Increase Cross-cultural Understanding |
The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms (节气). Start of Autumn (立秋), the 13th solar term of the year, begins this year on Aug 7th
Although Start of Autumn indicates (表明) the start of autumn, hot weather will not come to
In Shandong province, people make dumplings during the Start of Autumn
The opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou was
10 . The Yamuna River flows around the Taj Mahal, and the river is heavily polluted. Large numbers of insects are breeding (繁殖) in the polluted waterway. During the evening time, the insects get attracted to stone walls and during the night they stay over there. The insects’ droppings are beginning to turn the walls green.
Workers first discovered the problem last year. But they have found out the cause of the problem only recently. A fly known as the genus Geoldichironomus is responsible for all the waste. Those insects survive best in the hot weather. Workers try to remove the insects’ waste. But experts fear cleaning could damage the artwork of the Taj Mahal.
Environmentalist D. K. Joshi says, “The way to stop this new threat is to save the dying river. There are many coalbased power stations along the river. The Taj Mahal’s white stone has turned yellow because of air pollution. Besides, waste from industries is polluting the river. Millions of dollars from the government has been spent on the river, but nothing has happened.”
Experts say ashes (骨灰) from burnt human dead bodies are part of the problem. For 200 years, people have set fire to dead bodies near the Taj Mahal. Smoke from the fires was greatly influencing the color of the white stone. So city officials should force people to try more environmentally friendly customs.
D. K. Joshi believes cleaning the Yamuna River is possible with a shortterm program. The insects have got the attention of city officials. But he is also concerned about the pressure that tourism puts on the Taj Mahal. About six million people visit the Taj Mahal every year and they like to touch the white stone.
1. What’s the new threat to the Taj Mahal?A.Water around it is dirty. |
B.Some stone walls get broken. |
C.Many insects live in the Taj Mahal. |
D.Insects leave waste on stone walls. |
A.Useless. | B.Creative. | C.Challenging. | D.Interesting. |
A.It’s necessary to deal with polluters. |
B.All the power stations should be closed. |
C.It’s a waste of money to clean the Yamuna River. |
D.The government pays no attention to the Yamuna River. |
A.City officials should ignore the insects. |
B.Tourists should help clean the Taj Mahal. |
C.Fires should be used to kill some insects. |
D.People should give up the tradition of burning the dead near the Taj Mahal. |