1 . Against the backdrop of sweeping economic globalisation, interactions and exchanges among ethnic(民族的) groups, races, and nationalities have become increasingly frequent countries have taken the way of “shared learning” with regards to cultural exchange.
Spring Festival is the most celebrated festival in China, and now is expanding its presence across the world. As Chinese youths celebrate Christmas, Westerners also acknowledge Spring Festival. It indicates the trends of shared learning and harmonious coexistence between civilisations.
Spring Festival marks the first day on the Chinese lunar calendar. On that day and over the following two weeks, people greet each other saying “good luck in whatever you do” or “happiness for all your family”. Streets and houses are decorated by Chinese knots (结) and other articles of red colour. In many foreign countries, traditional Chinese activities are performed as fixed programme, namely the dragon dance and the Peking Opera, adding diversity to local cultures.
Why is a time-honored festival so vibrant and even celebrated in other countries? The answer lies in the rich, positive connotation (内涵) of Spring Festival.
Spring Festival reflects spirit of amity (友善关系). More than 2,000 years ago, Confucius said all people in the world are sisters and brothers. The spirit of amity has shaped Chinese people’s concept of and expectation for intrafamily and inter-state relations as well as state governance.
Spring Festival is a time for expressing gratefulness. During Spring Festival people are reminded of the sense of gratefulness by honoring their ancestors and parents in traditional ways.
Spring Festival is also a salute to another Chinese virtue, diligence (勤奋).Chinese people believe that only with their own hands can people create a happy and beautiful life.
Spring Festival also calls for sharing, a value long respected by Chinese. Mencius told his pupils what a man of virtue is like, “In desperate straits they would develop their own goodness. Successfully, they would share their goodness with the whole world.”
Nowadays the culture, calling for friendship, gratefulness, diligence and sharing, is contributing to the world civilisation for a happy, harmonious, and beautiful future for humankind.
1. What do the first two paragraphs mainly talk about?| A．Intercultural learning. | B．Economic globalisation. |
| C．Festival celebrations. | D．The widespread Spring Festival. |
| A．Dragon dance. | B．The Peking Opera. |
| C．Red knots. | D．Honoring the ancestors. |
| A．Busy and noisy. | B．Old and fading. |
| C．Bright and strong. | D．Exciting and attractive. |
| A．Spring Festival Carrying Positive Values | B．Spring Festival Celebrated in China and Beyond |
| C．Festivals Celebrated Around the World | D．Great Persons Shaping Chinese Virtues |
2 . If you think about World Heritage Sites, you probably think of places connected with ancient art and culture and historical buildings. And of course, many of these are on the World Heritage List (WHL). But the WHL contains a lot of sites that are not so obvious. Let’s look at a few of them.
Robben Island, South Africa
This island was used through the centuries as a prison, a hospital and a military base. But it’s probably most famous as a maximum security prison for political prisoners (政治犯) in the twentieth century. Nelson Mandela was one of its most famous prisoners. The WHL says it represents the victory of democracy (民主) and freedom.
Pyrenees-Mont Perdu
This is an area of great natural beauty and the mountains have many interesting geological formations. But it is also an area of small farms. People there still use a type of agriculture that used to be common in mountainous areas of Europe but that has almost completely disappeared in modern times.
The city of Brasilia, Brazil
Brasilia is the capital city that was created from nothing in 1956. The WHL calls it “a landmark in the history of town planning”. The different areas of the city and the buildings themselves were all designed at the same time carefully. Every part of the city shows the ideas of the planner and architect.
Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia
The Simien Mountains National Park was one of the first sites to be listed in 1978. It is one of the highest mountainous areas in Africa, and the WHL calls it one of the most amazing landscapes in the world. It is also important for its wildlife. The number of some rare animals is getting smaller and smaller.
1. Why does the author write this passage?| A．To talk about the history of ancient buildings. |
| B．To describe places of great importance. |
| C．To introduce some of the not-so-obvious sites on the WHL. |
| D．To explain when these heritage sites were listed on the WHL. |
| A．For the type of agriculture. | B．For its political meaning. |
| C．For the ideas of the designer. | D．For the great natural beauty. |
| A．The city of Brasilia. | B．Pyrenees-Mont Perdu. |
| C．Robben Island. | D．Simien Mountains National Park. |
3 . The Sanxingdui Museum in southwest China’s Sichuan Province enjoyed huge popularity during the three-day Qingming Festival holidays by receiving nearly 20,000 visitors on the peak day after the new archaeological discoveries brought international attention.
According to media reports, the museum saw over 15,000 visitors on Saturday — the first day of the Qingming Festival, breaking its record for daily visitors. And on the next day, more visitors swarmed (蜂拥) into the museum, the number exceeding 19,800. To cope with the mighty flow of people, on Sunday afternoon, the official Weibo account of the Sanxingdui Museum released the message to remind visitors to avoid rush hours or reschedule their visiting time.
The Sanxingdui Museum showcases various kinds of precious cultural relics unearthed at the site, such as the 2.62-meter-tall standing statue, 1.38-meter-wide bronze mask, and 3.95-meter-high bronze tree. Earlier on March 20, Chinese archaeologists announced some new major discoveries made during the 37th excavation (挖掘) since the last excavation 35 years ago. The ruins were first discovered in the late 1920s and first excavated in 1934. More than 500 important cultural relics have been unearthed in the six newly-found pits. Since the new discoveries were known to the public, the number of people visiting the Sanxingdui Museum has increased sharply.
The museum says although they are open as usual, the newly-found pits have not opened to the public yet and the newly-excavated cultural relics are still under repair and cannot meet the public currently. But a hall for cultural relic conservation and restoration will be in pilot operation in April and officially open on May 18. Visitors to it can see how the relics are restored, according to Zhu Yarong, vice director of the Sanxingdui Museum.
Dating back about 3,000 years, the Sanxingdui Ruins have shed light on the ancient Shu civilization and cultural origins of the Chinese nation, and have been regarded as one of the most important archaeological discoveries in the 20th century.
1. What mainly brought about the surge in tourists visiting the Sanxingdui Museum?| A．Tourists’ enthusiasm. |
| B．Sichuan Province’s policy. |
| C．The Qingming Festival holidays. |
| D．New archaeological discoveries. |
| A．The official Weibo account linked the museum with the public. |
| B．Newly-excavated cultural relics on display attracted tourists very much. |
| C．The Sanxingdui Museum reacted immediately to the large flow of tourists. |
| D．Tourist numbers reached the peak on the first day of the Qingming Festival. |
| A．Experimental. | B．Private. |
| C．Official. | D．Personal. |
| A．The Sanxingdui Museum gives tourists insights into Chinese history |
| B．Chinse people make full use of the Qingming Festival holidays to travel |
| C．The Sanxingdui Ruins are a perfect tourist attraction over the Qingming Festival |
| D．New discoveries make the Sanxingdui Museum more popular during the Qingming Festival |
4 . No one can believe that the over 6, 300kilometer Great Wall might disappear some day. Believe it or not, the Great Wall is being destroyed by people. Less than 20 percent of the Great Wall built in the Ming Dynasty, is still perfect, but about 80 percent is in danger. The Great Wall can be called “great” mostly because of its amazing length. But we should realize that the length was made up of one brick at a time. If we do nothing to save the Great Wall, it will become a series of separate wasteland rather than a historic site.
The Great Wall is actually a series of walls built and rebuilt by different dynasties over the past 2, 000 years. It began in the rule of China’s first emperor, Qin Shihuang of the Qin Dynasty (221BC—206BC), and lasted into the Ming Dynasty. The parts built before the Ming Dynasty have nearly disappeared. People are familiar with sections such as Badaling in Beijing and Jiayuguan Pass in Gansu, because they have been open to tourists for many years. But those sections far away from the public eyes have been almost forgotten.
Few local people knew the 3-meterhigh walls made of earth and stones beside them are parts of the Great Wall. The lack of knowledge is considered as one of the main reasons behind human.
The bricks on the Great Wall are carried off by countryside people to build their houses, sheep corrals and pigsties. Some were taken away to build roads. Bricks carved with people’s names are put away as remembrances. The rubbish is spread over the battlements. The brick can be sold 15 yuan per tractor load. Those who destroyed and are destroying the Wall know its name, but are not clear about its cultural meaning. It will take a long time to let them know this. The local farmers not only carried off the body of the Wall but also dug out the entire base.
It is necessary to protect the Great Wall. First of all, the officials should be aware of the importance of the Great Wall. Young Chinese should know more about the nation’s great civilization and learn to love it.
1. Why does the writer say the Great Wall might disappear?| A．It is useless from now on. |
| B．It is too old to be used again. |
| C．It will be replaced by a new one. |
| D．Some parts of it are being destroyed. |
| A．nobody can watch |
| B．that are too far to be seen |
| C．that are too difficult to find |
| D．that are not well-known to the public |
| A．The local people sell the bricks for a living. |
| B．The local people are short of culture knowledge. |
| C．The local people think that the Great Wall is not important. |
| D．The local people need bricks and stones to build houses. |
| A．How to Protect the Great Wall |
| B．How the Great Wall Came into Being |
| C．The Great Wall Being Rebuilt |
| D．The Great Wall Being in Danger |
5 . Avoiding a handshake may have been considered impolite a couple of years ago, but it is now getting more and more common, especially because of the outbreak of COVID-19.
Health officials have expressed the importance of completely washing our hands and maintaining proper hand hygiene. As a result, people around the world are creating alternatives to handshakes such as fist bumps and elbow bumps.
Let’s take a look at some of the common greetings that are used around the world in place of the famous handshake and more of the alternatives people are using instead of shaking each other’s hands.
If you have ever traveled to Asian countries like China, India, or Cambodia, you may notice that it is common to see people bowing to greet each other. Bowing is a traditional sign of respect in many Asian cultures and has been a custom for centuries.
Meanwhile, in parts of Europe like France, Italy, and Spain and countries in Latin America like Mexico, Peru, and Brazil, the air kiss is more common. Various rules regarding the gender, relationship, and form also exist within these different countries. Officials in countries including France are recommending people avoid direct kisses.
Some other unique greetings include sniffing one another’s faces in native cultures in Greenland and Tuvalu, sticking out one’s tongue in Tibet (a region of China), and clapping one’s hands in the African countries of Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
With the spread of COVID-19, people are getting creative with the ways they greet each other. A trend that has gained advantage is the “Wuhan Shake”, a greeting where two people gently bump each other’s feet with each foot.
Moreover, people, including famous figures like Prince Harry, US Vice President Mike Pence, and celebrities and athletes, have been giving up the formal handshake for elbow bumps.
Although officials have not clearly issued warnings against shaking hands, many doctors and health specialists have praised the handshake alternative as a way to continue maintaining proper hygiene.
1. How do people commonly greet each other in India according to this passage?| A．By hugging each other. |
| B．By formally shaking hands. |
| C．By bowing. |
| D．By touching noses. |
| A．Sniffing one another’s faces. |
| B．Sticking out one’s tongue. |
| C．Bowing with one’s hands. |
| D．Clapping one’s hands. |
| A．It is a greeting of tapping each other’s feet. |
| B．It is a greeting in which people do elbow bumps. |
| C．It is a greeting where social isolation happens. |
| D．It is a greeting where air kisses are recommended. |
| A．The Impact of COVID-19 on Living |
| B．Good News on COVID-19 Vaccines |
| C．Formal Greeting Ways around the World |
| D．No Handshake? No Problem! |
6 . The origins of the Christmas traditions are the most fascinating of any holiday. All our favourite activities can be traced (追溯) back to specific points in history, and knowing how these things came about just makes celebrating Christmas much more wonderful.
The original Nicholas was born in 280 A.D. in the small country of Lycia, which is now part of modern Turkey. Nicholas became first a priest (牧师) and then a bishop (主教) in the early Christian church. The first paintings of him show Nicholas wearing the clothes of a Christian bishop—red decorated with white. When we see Santa’s suit today, we’re still seeing the two kinds of colors.
Nicholas became famous for gift-giving. In the early fourth century, a story began to spread about Nicholas coming at night to the home of three poor girls who did not have money and therefore could not get married. While the girls slept, Nicholas left gold coins in their stockings, which were drying by the fire. That’s how the tradition of Santa filling stockings got its start.
In 1841, Santa first appeared at a department store in Philadelphia. This Santa tried to climb down a chimney to impress the children who were watching, but he got stuck halfway down. In 1890, department store Santas began appearing all over America, especially on the East Coast around Boston. Parents in other countries joined together and hired passenger trains to take their families to see these Santas.
At the same time, Ralph E. Morris of the New England Telephone Company suggested that strings of lights be hung on Christmas trees. After all, lights would be much safer than candles. Our modern-day image of Santa as a fat man is based on ads of the Coca-Cola company in the 1930s. Artist Hans Sundblom used a retired salesman named Les Prentice as his model.
1. What can we learn from Paragraph 1?| A．Christmas is the most important holiday. |
| B．The traditions of Christmas are based on facts. |
| C．There was not any record of Christmas in the past. |
| D．More and more people begin to celebrate Christmas. |
| A．He set up the first Christian church. |
| B．He was called Santa Claus when he was born. |
| C．His clothes are similar to Santa’s suit in color. |
| D．His image is the same as the modern-day Santa. |
| A．prove that Nicholas used to be a rich man |
| B．tell of the origin of Santa filling stockings |
| C．show Christmas was set up mainly for the poor |
| D．describe a famous story in the early fourth century |
| A．Santa didn’t become popular until the year 1890. |
| B．Candles have never been used on Christmas trees. |
| C．The Coca-Cola company designed the image of Santa. |
| D．Santa began giving gifts by climbing down chimneys in 1841. |
7 . Little New Year usually falls a week before the lunar New Year. It is also known as the Festival of the Kitchen God, the deity (神) who oversees the moral character of each household. Here are six things you should know about the Little New Year, another sign of the start of spring.
1. Offer sacrifices to Kitchen God
One of the most distinctive traditions of the Little New Year is the burning of a paper image of the Kitchen God, who will report on the family’s conduct over the past year. The offerings to the Kitchen God include pig’s head, fish, sweet bean paste, melons, fruit, boiled dumplings, barley sugar, and Guandong candy. Most of the offerings are sweets of various varieties. It is thought that this will seal the Kitchen God’s mouth and encourage him to only say good things about the family when he ascends to Heaven to make his report.
2. House cleaning
According to Chinese folk beliefs, during the last month of the year ghosts and deities must choose either to return to Heaven or to stay on Earth. It is believed that in order to ensure the ghosts and deities’ timely departure people must thoroughly clean both their persons and their houses, down to every last drawer and cupboard.
3. Eat Guandong candy
Guandong candy, a sticky treat made out of glutinous millet and sprouted wheat, is a traditional snack that Chinese people eat on the Festival of the Kitchen God.
4. Paste paper-cuts to windows
In the Little New Year, old couplets and paper-cuts from the previous Spring Festival are taken down, and new window decorations, New Year’s posters, and auspicious (吉利的) decorations are pasted up.
5. Bath and hair-cut
As the old Chinese saying goes, whether they’re rich or poor, people often have a haircut before the Spring Festival. The activity of taking bath and haircut is often taken on the Little New Year.
6. Preparations for the Spring Festival
People start to stock up necessary provisions for the Spring Festival since the Little New Year. Everything needed to make offerings to the ancestors, entertain guests, and feed the family over the long holiday must be purchased in advance.
1. What is the most unusual tradition in the Little New Year?| A．Offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God. |
| B．Burning a paper image of the Kitchen God. |
| C．Preparing the necessities for the New Year. |
| D．Cleaning houses and people themselves. |
| A．Collecting the information of the man’s world. |
| B．Protecting the character of each home. |
| C．Gathering sacrifices for other Gods in Heaven. |
| D．Watching out for the moral people in the world. |
| A．Because the Kitchen God loves sweet foods. |
| B．Because it is the traditional custom. |
| C．Because people hope the God says good for them. |
| D．Because sweets are the best sacrifices. |
| A．Little New Year always falls in February. |
| B．House cleaning is to welcome the New Year. |
| C．In the Little New Year only paper-cuts are pasted up. |
| D．People will make full preparations for the coming New Year. |
8 . The annual celebration of St. Patrick’s Day is coming soon to the Canton Tower. St. Patrick’s Day is an Irish cultural and religious celebration occurring annually on March 17. The festival celebrates the life of St. Patrick, who helped the poor and taught the Irish people good things.The Canton Tower has become one of the premier(最初的) party sites for this international and lively event. As part of the celebration, the tower will brighten the night with brilliant light shows. Participants are sure to enjoy the festive atmosphere.
As in the past years, camping lovers will gather to spend a night beneath the Canton Tower. The time for the camping adventure will be from 3 p.m. on March 17 to 9 a.m. on March 18. The event offers people a great chance to enjoy this special and free camping site.
Artists will perform a range of music with instruments played typically in Irish folk music, featuring tin whistles and wind pipes. Foods will also be a treat, as the taste of traditional Irish food will surely attract everyone.
To celebrate this festival, dancers dressed in Irish green, the colour of Ireland, will pop up around the Canton Tower. The parade will go along the main streets and thousands of people will watch, waving flags. Good luck if you meet these “green spirits”.
1. What can we infer about the Canton Tower from the passage?| A．It lies in the birthplace of St.Patrick in Ireland. |
| B．It’s decorated with brilliant lights at night. |
| C．It’s been a place to celebrate St.Patrick’s Day for long. |
| D．It was first built on March 17 as a cultural site. |
| A．Artists waving flags. |
| B．Cooks making Irish food. |
| C．Pop stars singing songs. |
| D．People in green. |
| A．A group of people marching for celebrations. |
| B．A traditional holiday that is held every year. |
| C．A historical place where people often gather. |
| D．A programme specially designed by local people. |
| A．The Canton Tower |
| B．St.Patrick’s Day |
| C．The Life of St.Patrick |
| D．The Irish Tradition |
9 . People usually celebrate their traditional festivals. The Spring Festival is celebrated not only in China but also in other parts of the world. The traditional holiday is the most important to Chinese both at home and abroad.
The United Kingdom
Celebrations for Spring Festival in the UK started in 1980, with the first evening party held in 2002. Every New Year, people get together and have a lot of activities. They sing songs, dance to music, share photos with friends or enjoy films in a cinema.
The United States
Spring Festival is an important time for Chinese living or working in the US. They join in a large evening party to welcome the traditional New Year. It is a good chance for people to feel that they are not alone because they share the same culture.
Australia
On Chinese New Year, many people across Australia come to Sydney’s Chinatown. They enjoy fireworks, lion dances, dragon boat races and many other traditional activities. The celebrations are also a bridge towards better understanding between Chinese and nonChinese.
Singapore
The family dinner on New Year’s Eve is an important tradition for Chinese. They put traditional food on a table as an act of remembering their past.Then the whole family enjoys their dinner together. They usually have it at home because having it in a restaurant takes away the meaning of the tradition.
1. Celebrations for Spring Festival in the UK started in ________．| A．1890 | B．1980 |
| C．2000 | D．2002 |
| A．fireworks | B．lion dances |
| C．playing cards | D．dragon boat races |
| A．they were born in Singapore |
| B．they moved there from other places |
| C．the restaurant is far away |
| D．they want to keep Chinese tradition |
| A．all parts of the world celebrate Spring Festival |
| B．the Chinese New Year is celebrated only in China |
| C．only four foreign countries celebrate Chinese Spring Festival |
| D．Chinese around the world have a strong feeling towards Spring Festival |
10 . People perform graceful moves, all while standing on a bamboo strip in the river. You may think it’s a scene from an art movie, but actually it is a form of intangible cultural heritage: bamboo drifting(独竹漂).
Bamboo drifting dated back to over 2,000 years ago in the Chishui River area of Guizhou. During the Qin Dynasty,the Bozhou district of Zunyi city was known for its high-quality nanmu. It was in great demand by the royal court more than 2,000 kilometers to the north. With no transportation along the Chishui River， people had to stand on one log(原木)to drift down the river. Later, local people began to compete along the way and the game of wood drifting was born. In the Qing Dynasty, wood drifting became bamboo drifting because of bamboo’s lower price.
Now, communities in Guizhou hold bamboo drifting competitions every year during Dragon Boat Festival. Due to the great strength and balance it takes for one to get the hang of this act, bamboo drifting was included in the national intangible cultural heritage list.
Yang Liu,24,is an inheritor(继承人) of bamboo drifting.Yang said the most challenging part of bamboo drifting was keeping one’s balance. “I fell in the water several times when I was practising,” she said.
But the love for the ancient skill keeps Yang going. In the past 17 years, she has drifted all year round, in winter cold and summer heat.
Yang also produces new ideas when spreading the culture of bamboo drifting. For example, she connects dance with bamboo drifting to make it more graceful and wears hanfu when performing, creating a beautiful feel. In 2020, Yang registered on social media platforms and posted her videos. “I want to spread it to other countries so that more people around the world will like Chinese culture,” she told China Daily.
1. Why did bamboo drifting replace wood drifting?| A．The bamboo was cheaper. | B．The bamboo was more beautiful. |
| C．The bamboo was more convenient. | D．The bamboo was much easier to control. |
| A．Prepare. | B．Change. | C．Master. | D．Improve. |
| A．Designing moves. | B．Transporting goods. |
| C．Choosing bamboos. | D．Keeping balance. |
| A．She inherits bamboo drifting creatively. |
| B．She learned bamboo drifting very easily. |
| C．She has become the leader of bamboo drifting. |
| D．She began learning bamboo drifting at 17. |
