1 . How Sociologists Define Culture
Sociologists recognize that culture plays a crucial role in our social lives. It is important for shaping social relationships, maintaining social order, and in shaping our actions and experiences in society.
In brief, sociologists define the non-material aspects of culture as the values and beliefs, language and practices that are shared in common. Expanding on these categories, culture is made up of our knowledge, common sense, the norms and morals; the symbols we use to express meaning and ideas.
Sociologists see the two sides of culture — the material and non-material — as closely connected. Material culture emerges from the non-material aspects.
| A．Material culture is composed of the things that humans make and use. |
| B．This is why cultural products tend to follow patterns. |
| C．Without culture, we would not have relationships or society. |
| D．Culture is also what we do and how we behave and perform. |
| E．In other words, what we value and believe influences the things that we make. |
| F．Culture is distinct from social structure and economic aspects of society. |
| G．It is composed of both non-material and material things. |
1. When will the event be held?
| A．From January 12th to February. 10th. |
| B．From January 10th to February 12th. |
| C．From January 12th to February 12th. |
| A．$20. | B．$10. | C．$30. |
| A．A flower show. | B．A fancy dress competition. | C．A winter sport. |
| A．In the center of the site. |
| B．Next to the entrance. |
| C．Beside the amusement rides. |
1. Why do some American churches cancel (取消) Christmas Day services?
| A．To buy gifts and go to parties. |
| B．To celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ. |
| C．To let people gather with their families. |
| A．The name of an old man. |
| B．The name of traditional music. |
| C．The name of Christmas Day service. |
| A．All Americans. | B．Non-Christians. | C．Christians. |
| A．On Christmas Eve. | B．On Christmas noon. | C．On Christmas Day. |
The English word “garden” gives an entirely wrong idea of the Chinese yuan, for “garden” suggests a lawn and a wide
No Chinese house allows an outsider
Adaptation from My Country and My People by Lin Yutang
A famous Chinese idiom, yinuo qianjin (“a promise is worth a thousand ounces of gold”), tells such a story. Legend has it
In ancient China, the currency consisted mainly of precious metals,
Li Daquan, a successful merehant
Li
China selects national ethical role models every year. It manifests (表明) in a government award for people known for their honesty and trustworthiness. Their stories
Medieval (中世纪的) manners
While I was growing up, “keep your elbows (肘) off the table” was a common remark at dinner time. But, as I learned in our recent podcast episode with medieval historian and author Cybulskie, such remarks have a long history —
In the medieval period, manners proved more important than today and
But what would have ingratiated (讨好) you with a medieval host, and what kinds of social faux pas (失礼) would have ensured
“Don’t blow your nose at the table, or wipe your face on the tablecloth,” Cybulskie advised. As well as listing some behaviour
Such social codes were set out in handbooks at the time, one of
Social conventions extended
December strode (阔步走) into the mountains of Colorado, shooting snowflakes and blowing them into a thick blanket of white. As Christmas approached, the farmers there closed down most wooden houses for a holiday cheer. Not all were closed, however. There was still work to be done, and someone had to stay. That someone was Slim Carter.
Old Jake, another farmer there, had offered to keep him company, but Slim shook his head. “After all, a young man like me has got plenty of Christmases ahead,” Slim joked. Before Jake offered to stay again, Slim hurried on. “I’ll just have a private Christmas this year, and that’s the way I want it.” So he was left alone at the house. Alone, with his horse in the farm and the wolves roaring in the forest nearby.
Truth was, Slim had decided not to celebrate Christmas at all. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Christmas. In fact, his Christmas memories were good ones. His mother would fill their house with the light of candles and the smell of candy. His father would make their Christmas tree hunt an all-day, men-only affair. Slim smiled as he remembered sitting on the broad back of their horse with the freshly cut tree along behind. Back home, they would cover the tree with paper snowflakes and homemade decorations and sing all the Christmas songs they knew. And that’s the way he liked it. Those were the memories he pulled out on nights when he was working alone. Such memories warmed him inside, even if his outsides were aching with cold.
This was Slim’s first year away from home. “Christmas is nothing if not spent with family,” Slim declared to the empty house. That was the real reason he’d sent Jake away. He figured he would handle Christmas better if he just pretended it was an ordinary winter workday.
But on Christmas Eve, as Slim headed back with snow beneath his feet and stars overhead, his head hung low. It was Christmas, even without the tree and the gifts. Christmas, and he was all alone.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Then he remembered decorating the tree with his family again.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________While singing to his decorated Christmas tree, Slim heard a knock on the door.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________8 . The Cheongsam, also known as Qipao, evolved from the Manchu female’s changpao of the Qing Dynasty. The Manchu ethnic people were also called the Qi people by the Han people in the Qing Dynasty, hence the name. The history of this clothing reflects the rise of the modern Chinese women in the twentieth century.
In 1920s, the cheongsam flourished in Shanghai. Through the 1930s and 1940s it constantly changed, highlighting the femininity（女子气质） of Chinese women in metropolitan cities. The dress got more fitted and body-hugging, with some daring designs featuring side slits （开衩） that reached up to the thigh. It’s customary to pair the dress with high heels. Women tried different fastenings, pipings, and collars, as well as short sleeves, long sleeves, and sleeveless cheongsams. Traditional silks were replaced with cheaper, contemporary textiles. In terms of design, the traditional flower patterns remained widespread, but geometric and art deco patterns also gained popularity.
The cheongsam has heavily influenced designers in high fashion. The Metropolitan Museum of Art did a whole exhibit in 2015 on how Chinese culture influenced world fashion called “Through the Looking Glass”. Elements of cheongsam were even seen in the 2016 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Celebrities such as Anne Hathaway and Grace Kelly have been seen wearing a cheongsam.
Today Chinese people seldom wear a cheongsam in their daily life. It is used as a uniform at restaurants and hotels and on airplanes in Asia. Formal occasions such as weddings, parties or banquet dinners, and seasonal celebrations such as Lunar New Year are appropriate times to wear a cheongsam. And the dress is a frequent choice of wear during diplomatic visits.
In 2018, a white girl in a high school in Utah wore a cheongsam to her ball and posted photos online that caused an uproar in the US for cultural appropriation （文化挪用）, opening a huge debate on cultural appreciation versus appropriation. However, netizens in China had a different viewpoint. “I am very proud to have our culture recognized by people in other countries,” said a user on WeChat, “She looks beautiful in it!” they said.
1. What can we know about the cheongsam in the Qing Dynasty?| A．The traditional flower patterns were popular then. |
| B．There were different fastenings to go with it. |
| C．There were side slits reaching up to the thigh. |
| D．It was more body-hugging than today’s cheongsam. |
| A．It influences world fashion. | B．It is a symbol of Chinese culture. |
| C．It is popular with foreigners. | D．It is a regular outfit of urban women. |
| A．The case of the girl in Utah warned against wearing cheongsam in America. |
| B．The popularity of cheongsam shows the rise of modern Chinese women. |
| C．Cheongsam didn’t highlight femininity initially as much as it does now. |
| D．Grace Kelly was seen wearing cheongsam in the 2016 Victoria’s fashion show. |
| A．To display the cultural value of cheongsam. |
| B．To introduce the influence of cheongsam on fashion. |
| C．To review the history of cheongsam. |
| D．To present an overall introduction to cheongsam. |
Lantern festivals add magic to
“The older I grow, the more
“For this lantern fair, we derived inspiration from ancient Chinese poems,” Wan says, adding that Tianshang Gongque (the moon palace), a centerpiece as well as one of 21 core lantern installations ( 装 置) at the fair,
The eight-day holiday attracted over 210,000 visitors from around China to Zigong, a city which is
| A．Open. | B．Selfish. | C．Friendly. | D．Reserved. |
| A．They stay quiet. |
| B．They read a book. |
| C．They talk about the weather. |
| D．They chat with fellow passengers. |
| A．She was always treated as a foreigner. |
| B．She was eager to visit an English castle. |
| C．She was never invited to a colleague’s home. |
| D．She was unwilling to make friends with workmates. |
| A．Houses are much quieter. |
| B．Houses provide more privacy. |
| C．They want to have more space. |
| D．They want a garden of their own. |
