1 . Tea is currently the world’s most popular drink, only after water. However, there was a time when tea was known only to the Chinese. So, how did tea originate in China? And how did it get to conquer the world to the extent that people often describe something they really like as their “cup of tea”?
While we know that tea drink started in China, its true origin remains something unknown. Legend has it that about 5, 000 years ago, Shennong came across tea when dried leaves blew into a pot of boiling water. Following his discovery, tea was used as medicine, included in meals and later offered as a refreshing drink to officials and noblemen. Eventually, it became a common drink enjoyed by all Chinese people.
The love of tea inspired many people to write about it. Over the years, tea drinking became an important part of China’s rich culture. The great poet Du Fu described his tea-drinking experience in poetic language. Lu Yu, a tea master, wrote The Classic of Tea, which remains the earliest and most famous detailed study on tea in the world.
It is then not surprising that the beauty of tea was eventually spread to a wider world. Tang and Song Dynasties needed strong Tibetan horses, so the Tea Horse Road was born. Porters (脚夫) carrying back-breaking loads of tea bricks made their way through dangerous snow-covered mountain passes, to trade Sichuan and Yunnan tea for horses. Over time, the gift of tea was further delivered to Western Asia and Easten Africa. As early as the Tang Dynasty, Saicho, a Japanese monk came to study in China and took tea seeds and tea-making customs to Japan. Around the 1600s, tea was shipped to Europe from China by Portuguese and Dutch sea traders.
1. What was tea first used as in China?| A．Medicine. | B．Drink. | C．Food. | D．Goods. |
| A．Shennong. | B．Saicho. | C．Du Fu. | D．Lu Yu. |
| A．Taken by monks. | B．Carried by porters. |
| C．Shipped by traders. | D．Delivered by horses. |
| A．To study the customs of tea. | B．To introduce the history of tea. |
| C．To show the importance of tea. | D．To describe different uses of tea. |
China, with a history stretching back thousands of years, has a rich and diverse traditional culture. This culture,
One typical example is the art of calligraphy,
Festivals also play
Additionally, Chinese music and dance, traditional
In conclusion, Chinese traditional culture serves
Chinese characters evolved(演变) from pictures and signs, and the art of calligraphy developed naturally from this special writing system of Chinese characters. By
Practicing calligraphy helps
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With a history of 4000 years, the Spring Festival has continued all the way to today and it has spread
5 . One of the world’s oldest preserved human settlements has been significantly damaged by pouring rain in Pakistan as the country battles the worst floods in its history.
Moenjodaro, a World Heritage site in the Indus River valley 508 kilometers (316 miles) from Karachi, was built in the Bronze Age, some 5,000 years ago. “Unfortunately we witnessed the mass destruction at the site,” reads a letter from the Cultural, Tourism & Antiquities Department of Singh state sent to UNESCO and signed by director Ihsan Ali Abbasi and architect Naveed Ahmed Sangah. The letter adds the site was being used as temporary accommodation for surrounding residents whose own homes had flooded.
Moenjodaro’s significance can’t be underestimated when it was added to UNESCO’s register in 1980, the organization wrote that Moenjodaro “bears exceptional proof to the Indus civilization,” comprising “the most ancient planned city on the Indian subcontinent”.
The letter explains some of the immediate actions the site team has taken to mitigate the flood damage, like bringing in water pumps and repairing brickwork. But it’s clear that these measures will not be enough.
Abbasi and Sangah ended their letter by asking for 100 million Pakistani rupees ($45 million) to cover the costs of full repairs. UNESCO has responded to the request for help, allocating $350,000 from its emergency fund for damaged historic sites in Pakistan during UN Secretary General António Guterres’s visit to the flood-stricken country this week.
The funds will go to Moenjodaro and other sites including the Amri Museum. While the sum is far less than needed to fully repair the sites, it will pay for urgent work while UNESCO and local organization consider the best way forward. Sadly, the conservators of Moenjodaro have known for some time that flooding could bring a serious risk to the site.
In their letter, Abbasi and Sangah express concern that Moenjodaro could be added to the list of UNESCO sites in danger, which the preservation body updates periodically to highlight historic places that are at severe risk of ruin.
1. What makes Moenjodaro special to Pakistan?| A．The geographic feature it bears. |
| B．The role it played in fighting floods. |
| C．The mass destruction it suffered in history. |
| D．The value it holds in history and architecture. |
| A．Reduce. | B．Suffer. | C．Avoid. | D．Assess. |
| A．Creative. | B．Worrying. | C．Impractical. | D．Satisfactory. |
| A．Pakistan’s Deadly Floods Causing Widespread Damage |
| B．Moenjodaro Calling for Attention to Its Severe Damage |
| C．Moenjodaro Added to the List of UNESCO Sites in Danger |
| D．Pakistan UNESCO Site Moenjodaro Badly Damaged by Flooding |
A Chinese food and culture festival won New Yorkers’ hearts and
Foodies (美食家)
Vendors from Qingmu Dessert Lab offered Chinese pastries and wore
The festival is expected to
The Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er
Li Qun, director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, promised that China will continue making efforts to better manage the site, and guide local communities
On Jingmai Mountain, local communities also join in the protection of the site,
This World Heritage Site,
The summer is a great time to be in Britain. The British Museum, the Natural History Museum and Tate Britain are all must-sees for every visitor, but there are also a lot of
The Notting Hill Carnival is the largest street festival in Europe,
With its popularity growing it’s estimated (估算) that 50,000
In mid-August, in Bristol, the sky is filled
Britain is full of traditions and sometimes just stopping at a country pub for a beer
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3. 祝愿交流活动成功。
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10 . Welcome to La Tomatina!
La Tomatina is a food fight festival held on the last Wednesday of August each year in the town of Bunol near to Valencia in Spain. Thousands upon thousands of people make their way from all corners of the world to fight in this world’s biggest food fight festival where more than one hundred metric tons of tomatoes are thrown in the streets.
What Happens at La Tomatina
At around 11 am, many trucks transport tomatoes into the centre of the town, Plaza del Pueblo. The signal for the beginning of the fight is firing of water cannons (水炮). Once it begins, the battle is generally every man for himself.
The fight lasts for nearly two hours. The cleaning process includes the use of fire trucks to spray down the streets. The authorities seem more concerned with cleaning the town that is a mess than cleaning the visitors, so some people find water at the Bunol River to wash themselves.
The Rules of La Tomatina
•Don’t bring bottles or hard objects as they can cause accidents and hurt other participants.
•Don’t tear others’ T-shirts.
•You must crush (压碎) the tomatoes before throwing to reduce the impact.
•When you hear the second shot, no more tomatoes can be thrown, otherwise there will be fines.
Useful Advice
•Wear old clothes and shoes that you do not mind throwing away afterwards.
•Ensure you always have something clean to wipe your eyes with. You may find goggles (护目镜) useful.
•If you’re planning to take pictures, bring a waterproof camera!
•If you aren’t from Bunol, don’t forget to look for accommodation in advance.
Warning
Remember that you must have a ticket! No ticket, no entry. For more information about the official entry tickets, click here!
1. What are the participants supposed to do at La Tomatina?| A．Clean the streets. | B．Wash themselves. |
| C．Fight through teamwork. | D．Bring their own tomatoes. |
| A．The use of hard objects. | B．The fight between people. |
| C．The use of crushed tomatoes. | D．The touch with others’ T-shirts. |
| A．Wearing clean and formal clothes. | B．Checking in a hotel ahead of time. |
| C．Getting the admission to the event. | D．Bringing a good waterproof camera. |
