1 . It’s a race against time, as generations of cultural heritage conservators at the Dunhuang Academy make a great effort to protect the artistic charm of the Mogao Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, despite erosion (侵蚀) by sand and wind.
The team is dedicated to protecting the 45, 000 square meters of murals (壁画) and more than 2, 400 painted sculptures of the 735 caves of the site, the construction of which spans about a thousand years, from the 4th century to the 14th century. The cultural relics are the product of the cultural exchanges that took place over centuries on the ancient Silk Road. “Our work, repairing murals and painted sculptures, is to better preserve the caves, which promotes the great Dunhuang spirit of inclusiveness (包容) to the world and inspires modern people,” says Su Bomin, director of the Dunhuang Academy.
Commonly seen “diseases” affecting the murals include cracking and flaking (剥落), as well as erosion that is caused by changes in temperature and humidity of the caves, and the deposition of salts. To restore (修复) a mural requires an all-rounder. Restorers should know painting, master the skills of a mason (石匠) and have some knowledge of chemistry and physics, to be able to recognize the problems and their corresponding (相应的) causes and deliver a solution. They must also select proper materials and tools, and conduct experiments, before formally carrying out the restoration and evaluating the effect afterward.
The restoration (修复) should respect the original work and aim to maintain the status quo (现状) of the murals rather than repainting them. When the restorers find some parts of murals missing or fading away, they never repaint them to create a “perfect” appearance in restoration. “Cultural relics are witnesses of history,” explains Su. “When you pursue the so-called intact (完好无损的) look for artistic reasons, you will lose their key meaning.”
Cave conservation is about continuously solving problems. “It needs a long-term research to better preserve the caves, over a much wider time span that goes beyond our lifetimes,” Su says. But at least, they can keep the existing look of the murals for as long as possible.
1. What is the main purpose of paragraph 2?| A．To show the popularity of Dunhuang murals. |
| B．To explain the history of the ancient Silk Road. |
| C．To stress the significance of the restoration work. |
| D．To present the ways of protecting cultural heritage. |
| A．Creative. | B．Well-paid. | C．Interesting. | D．Demanding. |
| A．Spotting the faded murals in time. |
| B．Fixing the missing parts of murals. |
| C．Making preservation(保护) of the murals as they are. |
| D．Repainting to perfect the appearance of murals. |
| A．The Artistic Charm of Mural Paintings. |
| B．The Mural Restoration in the Mogao Caves. |
| C．The Successful Experiment on Cave Conservation. |
| D．The Role of the Dunhuang Spirit in Chinese Culture. |
2 . The Qingming Festival is usually celebrated with a three-day national holiday, whose name originates (起源) from the saying “Plants start to revive (复活) and prosper at Qingming in a clean and bright way.” Thus, the festival is called Qingming, which means “clean and bright”.
Traditional customs
Tomb sweeping.
Spring outings. The time around the Qingming Festival is one of the most suitable seasons for a spring outing, as plants are thriving and flowers are blooming. People can have a great time outdoors with their friends and family.
Traditional food
Qingtuan is a green rice ball tiny enough to fit into your hand.
| A．Each different look brings a good blessing. |
| B．The tradition of tomb sweeping originates from the Qin Dynasty. |
| C．The two main activities over the festival include tomb sweeping and going on a spring outing. |
| D．Family members gather together to celebrate and taste the food. |
| E．Playing football and flying kites are popular activities. |
| F．Many traditional customs are practiced to show respect for our ancestors. |
| G．It is popular in Jiangnan. |
China on October 12
The
The Three-River-Source National Park
Commercial activities are banned in the national parks and are all put
A small village in Yunnan Province is
One of the best papermakers is Yan, who was already interested in Dai paper at an early age.
Unlike ordinary papermaking where trees need to be cut down, Dai paper is environmentally friendly. This is
Although Dai paper carries the culture and
5 . When people think of Beijing, the hutong style always comes to mind. It is no exaggeration (夸张) to say within hutong lives the city’s history.
The word “hutong” referred to a place where people live, which was borrowed from the Mongolian word to mean “water well” about 700 years ago. Hutong we see today are made up of small paths formed by walls of siheyuan. They were built during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.
When the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949, there were more than 3,000 hutong. Most of the city’s population lived in this traditional housing. But with the modernization of the city in the 1980s and early 1990s, many hutong were pulled down to build roads, skyscrapers and modern houses.
The government has recognized the importance of hutong to Chinese cultural heritage. In 2002, Beijing listed 40 protected historical zones and increased its efforts to rebuild some key relics and older streets in the city. Nearly 500 hutong have survived.
Hutong that still exist are like oases (绿洲) of calm in the noisy city. Walking through them, it’s common to see groups of elderly people sitting together playing cards, mahjong (麻将) or Chinese chess. In the early mornings and evenings, they gather to practice traditional forms of exercise such as Taijiquan as well as dancing and singing folk songs or Peking Opera. Hutong have become a museum of Beijing’s folk customs and history.
1. What is the purpose of paragraph 2?| A．To add background information of hutong. | B．To bring in the topic of the context. |
| C．To stress the importance of hutong. | D．To introduce the benefits of hutong. |
| A．More hutong were built. |
| B．Lots of hutong disappeared. |
| C．Most hutong became historical zones. |
| D．Some hutong were placed under protection. |
| A．The future of hutong. | B．The change of hutong. |
| C．The beauty of hutong life. | D．The history of hutong life. |
| A．Negative. | B．Unclear. | C．Supportive. | D．Doubtful. |
When Zhang Lingshan was a child, she would watch the Chinese period drama Palace on television, attracted by the characters’ ancient clothing. She didn’t know what these beautiful clothes
Now aged nineteen and
Nowadays, Hanfu is seen as a way
7 . The traditional Chinese lunar calendar(农历）divides the year into 24 solar terms(节气）．Start of Winter, the 19th solar term of the year,begins this year on Nov 7 and ends on Nov 21.
Start of Winter is the first solar term of winter,which means winter is coming and crops harvested in autumn should he stored up.
In ancient times, the Start of Winter was regarded as the beginning of winter, however,due to geographical factors, the actual winter time varies from place to place.
In fact,the Start of Winter is not the beginning of winter in terms of meteorology(气象学）。The weather every year is different, so the beginning of winter could be quite different.And as China is very large, it starts at different times in different areas.
The beginnings of the four seasons were important festivals in ancient times. Before the Start of Winter,the ancient emperor would take a shower and have no more meat.On that day,the emperor would lead his officials to the countryside and"welcome the winter".
People eat dumplings on the beginning of winter. Legend has it that in the late Eastern Han Dynasty,Zhang Zhongjing invented "Jiao Ear"(娇耳）to treat typhoid(伤寒） patients with ear frostbite(冻疮）.He cooked mutton,hot peppers and herbs to drive out the cold and warm up the body.He put these materials into a dough skin and made them into an ear shape.Since then,people have learned to make the food which became known as "dumpling" or jiaozi. Today there is still a saying that goes "Eat dumplings on Start of Winter Day, or your ears will be frostbitten.”
1. Which of the following is right about Start of Winter?| A．It is one of the solar terns in Chinese calendar. |
| B．People begin to harvest crops on this day. |
| C．Winter begins on November 7 this year. |
| D．It begins in different months in different places. |
| A．the Start of Winter |
| B．the change of weather |
| C．the important festival |
| D．the beginning of winter |
| A．Importance of Start of Winter. |
| B．Customs of Start of Winter. |
| C．Origin(起源）of Start of Winter. |
| D．Food eaten on Start of Winter. |
| A．Because dumplings can drive away typhoid. |
| B．Because they wish for good luck for themselves. |
| C．Because eating dumplings can warm up their ears. |
| D．Because they want to prevent the coming of winter. |
8 . For Western designers, China and its rich culture have long been an inspiration for Western creative.
“It’s no secret that China has always been a source(来源) of inspiration for designers,” says Amanda Hill, chief creative officer at A+E Networks, a global media company and home to some of the biggest fashion(时尚) shows.
Earlier this year, the China Through A Looking Glass exhibition in New York exhibited 140 pieces of China-inspired fashionable clothing alongside Chinese works of art, with the aim of exploring the influence of Chinese aesthetics(美学) on Western fashion and how China has fueled the fashionable imagination for centuries. The exhibition had record attendance, showing that there is huge interest in Chinese influences.
“China is impossible to overlook,” says Hill. “Chinese models are the faces of beauty and fashion campaigns that sell dreams to women all over the world, which means Chinese women are not just consumers of fashion — they are central to its movement.” Of course, not only are today’s top Western designers being influenced by China—some of the best designers of contemporary fashion are themselves Chinese. “Vera Wang, Alexander Wang, Jason Wu are taking on Galliano, Albaz, Marc Jacobs—and beating them hands down in design and sales,” adds Hill.
For Hill, it is impossible not to talk about China as the leading player when discussing fashion. “The most famous designers are Chinese, so are the models, and so are the consumers,” she says. “China is no longer just another market; in many senses it has become the market. If you talk about fashion today, you are talking about China—its influences, its direction, its breathtaking clothes, and how young designers and models are finally acknowledging that in many ways.”
1. What can we learn about the exhibition in New York?| A．It promoted the sales of artworks. | B．It attracted a large number of visitors. |
| C．It showed ancient Chinese clothes. | D．It aimed to introduce Chinese models. |
| A．They are setting the fashion. | B．They start many fashion campaigns. |
| C．They admire super models. | D．They do business all over the world. |
| A．learning from | B．looking down on | C．working with | D．competing against |
| A．Young Models Selling Dreams to the World |
| B．A Chinese Art Exhibition Held in New York |
| C．Differences Between Eastern and Western Aesthetics |
| D．Chinese Culture Fueling International Fashion Trends |
9 . Living in a culture that is different from your own can be both an exciting and challenging experience. The following are 6 cultural differences between China and the USA to help promoting mutual understanding.
Money
As is well known, the Chinese are conservative when they are planning to spend money, but far fewer American families are saving money for emergencies and education than their Chinese counterparts (对等的人)..
Privacy
Chinese people do not have the same concept of privacy as American do. They talk about topic such as ages, income or marital (婚姻的) status, which Americans think is annoying and disturbing.
Family
In China, elders are traditionally treated with great respect while young are cared for. In America, the goal of the family is to encourage independence, particularly that of the children. Unlike the Chinese, older Americans seldom live with their children.
Friends
Chinese people have different meanings to define friends. Just hanging out together time to time is not friendship. Friendship means lifelong friends who feel it deeply necessary to give each other whatever help might seem required. Americans always call people they meet friends, so the definition of friends is general and different. There are work friends, playing friends, school friends and drinking friends.
Education
Chinese people value education and career more than Americans, who in turn attach more great importance to good character and faith, which they think are of great value in their life.
________
Basically China values the community and the USA values the individual. If you achieve something in the USA, it’s because you are great. While in China, if you achieve something, it’s because the team, or family, or company is great. Everything you do gets owed to the greater whole, while in American individual achievements are celebrated.
1. What can be inferred from the passage?| A．Americans lay more stress on faith and good personality. |
| B．Americans think much of the individual and the community. |
| C．Americans are mean with money to spend while Chinese are not. |
| D．Americans define friendship almost the same. |
| A．Achievements | B．Individual |
| C．Team VS Individual | D．Teamwork |
| A．To promote friendship between China and the USA. |
| B．To help Chinese live well in the USA. |
| C．To have a complete understanding of the USA. |
| D．To introduce the cultural differences between China and the USA |
10 . Each year Worcestershire plays host to a huge variety of events and festivals. Many are large scale(大规模的) events that attract people from around Britain and the world.
Every Christmas Worcester holds a four-day Victorian themed street market, when the streets are lined with stalls selling traditional crafts, gifts and food. Live music to suit all tastes is a regular feature at Huntingdon Hall in Worcester.
The three Choirs(唱诗班) Festival is held in Worcester every third year (2008,2011,2014). The event is billed as(被宣传为) Europe's oldest choral festival.
There are also much smaller scale events that take place throughout the year, such as village outdoor activities, beer festivals and the more quirky(离奇的), such as the asparagus auction(芦笋拍卖会) that take place each May at the ancient Fleece Inn at Bretforton. The scarecrow(稻草人) event at Belbroughton is also very popular-- villagers make scarecrow and display their handiwork outside their homes, with all profits(利润) going to the country.
From Open air theatre and music or poetry performance to civil war re-enactments(再扮演), there is always something going on in this varied county throughout the year.
1. The text is mainly written to_____.| A．introduce the history of Worcestershire |
| B．introduce festivals in Worcestershire |
| C．introduce some strange festivals |
| D．invite tourists to Worcestershire |
| A．visit the Victorian themed street market |
| B．go to the Three Choirs Festival |
| C．experience the civil war re-enactment |
| D．visit the asparagus auction |
| A．Every three years. | B．Every two years. |
| C．Every fourth year. | D．Every fifth year. |
