1 . New Year’s celebrations take many forms, but most cultures have one thing in common—have a good time after a long, hard year. For much of the globe this involves drinking with friends until the sun comes up, singing together. But others have rather more curious habits, often filled with superstition (迷信).

In Denmark, people stand on chairs and jump off together as the clock strikes midnight, really leaping into the new year. The Danes also throw plates at their friends’ homes during the night-the more pieces you find outside your door in the morning the more popular you are said to be.

In Finland, say tour guides, people pour melted (熔化的) lead into cold water to predict the year ahead from the shape the metal forms. If the shape represents a ship it is said to predict travel, if it’s a ball, good luck.

The Dutch build massive bonfires with their Christmas trees and cat sugary donuts—one of many cultures to consume round New Year’s foods traditionally believed to represent good fortune.

Spaniards, in turn, cat a dozen grapes before the strike of midnight, each fruit representing a month that will either be sweet or sour.

In the Philippines, people wear polka dots (带圆点的服装) for good luck, while in some countries of South America people put on brightly coloured underwear to attract fortune—red for love and yellow for financial success.

Despite regional and cultural differences, for most the New Year’s festivities are a chance to let off steam before the annual cycle starts all over again. “This is a holiday that is about celebration and letting go,” explained George Washington University sociologist Amitai Etzioni.

1. In which country is the festival related to metal?

A．Denmark.

B．Spain.

C．Finland.

D．The Netherlands.

2. What can we learn about New Year’s celebrations from the text?

A．The Danes throw grapes at their friends’ homes during the night.

B．Spaniards eat many donuts before the strike of midnight.

C．The Dutch build massive walls with their Christmas trees.

D．Some people in South America wear red underwear for love.

3. What does the underlined phrase “let off steam” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Get married.

B．Get relaxed.

C．Make money.

D．Make friends.

2 . Discoveries at the famous Sanxingdui ruins in Southwest China show that the region’s ancient Shu Kingdom Civilization shared similarities with the Maya.

The Sanxingdui ruins, located in the city of Guanghan, about 60 kilometers from Chengdu, belonged to the Shu Kingdom that existed at least 4,800 years ago and lasted more than 2,000 years, while the Mayan civilization built its city states around 200 AD.

The bronze-made remains of trees unearthed at the ruins of the Shu Kingdom resemble the sacred ceiba tree, which symbolied the union of heaven, earth and the underworld In the Mayan civilization. “They are very important similarities,” says Santos, a Mexican archaeologist, stressing that “the representations of tees in both cultures provide a symbolism that is very similar”.

One notable feature of the recent discoveries at Sanxingdui was the cross-subject work and technology applied by teams of Chinese archaeologists, which allowed the unearthing of artifacts as fragile as silk remains, which other types of less careful digging methods would not have been able to manage.

Cooperation between Chinese and Mexican archaeologists could benefit projects in the Maya world, where the rainy climate and humidity are problematic for the conservation of ruins.

“Every time our cultural knowledge increases, regardless of whether we speak one language or another, what it shows us is that we continue to be sister cultures and, therefore, the exchange of such knowledge is fundamental,” says Santos.

1. What is a similarity between the Shu Kingdom and Maya civilization?

A．Their starting time.	B．Their historical origins.
C．Their cultural symbols.	D．Their ceremony traditions.

2. What is a common challenge for the conservation of both ruins?

A．Damp weather.	B．Positioning of ruins.
C．High latitude.	D．Language barriers.

3. What is the focus of Santos quote in the last paragraph?

A．The future of the China-Mexico cooperation.

B．The benefits of speaking a different language.

C．The importance of the exchange of cultural knowledge.

D．The increasing sisterhood in culture between China and Mexico.

4. Where is this text most likely from?

A．Ahistorical novel.

B．A newspaper.

C．A research review.

D．A guidebook.

3 . The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) included on December 17, 2020 China's Tai Chi on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The decision was announced during the online meeting of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage held from December 14 to 19 in Kingston, capital of Jamaica.

“Born in the mid-17th century in a small village named Chenjiagou located in Central China's Henan province, Tai Chi is not only a kind of traditional Wushu integrated with slow movements and deep breathing, but is also deeply rooted in many areas of Chinese culture, such as medicine and philosophy,” Zhu Xianghua says, who is the son of the famous Tai Chi master Zhu Tiancai.

Although it has spread to more than 150 countries and regions, attracting more than 100 million people to practice, the idea that Tai Chi is for the elderly has stopped many young people practicing the ancient Wushu. They think of it as a slow exercise, which is specially made and better suited for their grandparents. Instead, many young people are turning to the Indian practice of yoga to relieve stress, which was placed on the UNESCO's List in 2019.

In order to promote Tai Chi, joint efforts have been made from individuals and the Chinese government in the last decades. Xi'an Jiaotong University requires students to learn Tai Chi. Wang Yunbing, a professor in the university's sports center, stressed that Tai Chi is not only good physical exercise-researchers from the American College of Rheumatology find that it can help manage several diseases but is also conned ted to ancient Chinese civilization. Since 2014, the World Tai Chi Championships have been held every two years by the International Wushu Federation. It provides a platform for communication and learning between the Tai Chi masters and Tai Chi lovers around the globe. In January 2020, Tai Chi became an official event in the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games.

1. What does Zhu Xianghua say about Tai Chi in paragraph 2?

A．It originated from fast Kung Fu action.

B．It was born around the 1750s in a village.

C．It is related to other cultural fields of China.

D．It integrates Chinese medicine and western philosophy.

2. Why do some young people choose to practice yoga instead of Tai Chi?

A．They think it easier to practice yoga to keep fit.

B．The elderly stop young people practicing Tai Chi.

C．They consider Tai Chi is custom-built for old people.

D．Yoga was included in the world culture earlier than Tai Chi.

3. What is the main purpose of the last paragraph?

A．To promote contemporary Chinese civilization.

B．To show many efforts made to popularize Tai Chi.

C．To stress the importance of Chinese Tai Chi masters.

D．To advise people to practice Tai Chi to cure diseases.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A．Tai Chi Steps on the UNESCO's List.

B．Tai Chi is Competing against Yoga.

C．Tai Chi Has Regained populate Globally.

D．Opinions Greatly Differ on Tai Chi and Yoga.

4 . 2021 is the Year of the Ox according to Chinese zodiac. In China you will find various ox figures made of gold, wood, plastic, paper, shell and stone on sale in stores and on streets to celebrate the return.     1    

Centuries ago, most people earned their living through farming. For example, the ox was used to help plow, cultivate and carry heavy goods. Besides, the ox has long had a significant place in Chinese culture.     2     In the Classic of Poetry, the oldest existing collection of Chinese poetry, the animal was mentioned in nine out of the 305 pieces.

    3     To this day, the phrase "the spirit of ox" still refers to controlling anything that may present itself as an obstacle.     4     When someone achieves a great achievement through hard work, people often use "niu", meaning "awesome", to describe him or her.

Oxen seldom bully the weak or fear the strong.     5     This is reflected in a couplet from a poem by Lu Xun(1881-1936), "Fierce-browed, I coolly defy a thousand pointing fingers; Head bowed, like a willing ox I serve the children", which fully expresses the poet's loyalty to the people.

So naturally, those who were born in the Year of the Ox are often expected to be hardworking, reliable and loyal. "They never seek to be the center of attention and do not look for praise," the website China Highlights noted.

A．They work hard and make sacrifices.

B．But why was the ox chosen to be one of the 12 Chinese zodiac signs?

C．They never like to be the center of attention and enjoy being praised

D．The spirit is highly praised and many people follow it as their work rules.

E．Ancient Chinese poets and writers frequently described the ox in literature.

F．Those who were born in the Year of the Ox like to farm and carry heavy goods.

G．The ox is considered a symbol of diligence and earnestness in Chinese culture.

5 . Visitors to Rome can now see one of the most important private collections of ancient Greek and Roman statues (雕像). The 90 works from the Torlonia Collection opened this week in the newly rebuilt Palazzo Caffarelli, overlooking the Roman Forum.

Among the works is a fountain (喷泉) that was made in ancient Greece. Experts on ancient Rome believe the fountain once stood in the garden of the general and statesman Julius Caesar. It was already hundreds of years old.

The 620-piece Torlonia Collection is believed to be the greatest private collection of classical art in the world. It was begun more than a century ago by Prince Alessandro Torlonia. He found many of the pieces on the grounds of his family’s Roman garden Rich from a business relationship with the Vatican (梵蒂冈), the family bought other well-known statue collections.

In 1884, the prince built his own museum to show off his collection. When the museum closed in 1976, the pieces went into storage.

“The reappearance of such a collection is a very important event,” said art historian Salvatore Settis. “When I saw them for the first time, they were very emotional because I knew most of those pieces from books, but 1 had never seen them.”

The Torlonia family chose Settis to help with the difficult job of deciding which works should be shown to the public. Anna Maria Carruba helped prepare the statues for the show. “Many of these pieces were already restored from (the year) 1600 onwards. We didn’t need to work on the structure of the statues but only on the surfaces, cleaning them,” she said.

The show will stay open until June 29, 2021. It is the result of public and private cooperation among the culture ministry, the city of Rome, the Torlonia Foundation and the Roman jeweler Bvlgari.

1. Which of the following can describe the Torlonia family?

A．Unlucky.

B．Wealthy.

C．Humorous.

D．Ungenerous.

2. What did the prince think of his private statue collection?

A．It is a matter of pride.

B．It is not worth storing.

C．It should not be made public.

D．It should be recorded in books.

3. What was Settis requested to do by the Torlonia family?

A．Repair statues.

B．Introduce statues.

C．Select statues for show.

D．Put off the statue show.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．An Art Show of Statues Was Held in 1976

B．People Look Forward to Seeing Famous Statues

C．Ancient Statues Reappear after Years in Storage

D．A Famous Fountain Dates Back to Ancient Greece

7 . Riding a Mobike on the street, you might hear people speaking Chinese aloud.    1    Walking into a store, you may see Huawei smartphones for sale. This isn't referring to China, but Manchester, UK.    2    Indeed, Chinese products have gone global.

    3    But to meet local people’s tastes, Chinese restaurants have made some changes to the dishes. “One example is the meat,” said Yin Hang, who is studying at the University of Wollongong in Australia. "We like to eat meat with the bone in, but people here don't. So Chinese restaurants provide big pieces of meat without bones, even for fish.

    4    In many cities in Europe, stores sell TCL televisions, Haier fridges and Lenovo computers, reported Reuters. More than half of US-owned drones(无人机)are Chinese models, according to China Daily. They're not simply made in China, but designed and developed in the country.

In the past, most Western people thought Chinese products were cheap and unreliable.     5     “Made in China” has become cool and more people trust Chinese brands. For example, Huawei, one of China's major smartphone makers, overtook Apple in global smartphone sales for the first time in June and July last year, behind only Samsung, noted consulting(咨询)firm Counterpoint Research.

“They are beautiful and offer some unique features American phones don't have,” CNN once said about Chinese smartphones.

A．But things have changed greatly.

B．What is the biggest problem with many Chinese brands?

C．Many Chinese brands are also becoming more popular.

D．Turning to the right, you may see a Chinese restaurant.

E．There are many restaurants providing Western foods in China.

F．Chinese food has been enjoyed in Western countries for a long time.

G．In fact, you might see similar things in many other cities around the world.

8 . China is one of the first countries to breed a medical culture. In comparison with Western methods, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) adopts a vastly different approach. For thousands of years, Chinese people have accumulated rich experience in fighting all sorts of diseases, therefore forming a unique medical theory under the guidance of ancient Chinese philosophies (哲学).

The core behind TCM is that the human body's life is the consequence (结果) of the balance between Yin and Yang. Yang functions to safeguard us against outer harm, and Yin is the inner base to store and provide energy. When the balance between the two aspects is disturbed, people fall ill.

One of the traditional techniques of TCM, acupuncture (针刺疗法) means insertion of needles into superficial (表面的) structures of the body—usually at acupoints (穴位)—to restore the Yin Yang balance. It is often accompanied by moxibustion (艾灸疗法), which involves burning mugwort on or near the skin at an acupoint.

The first known text that clearly talks about something like acupuncture and moxibustion as it is practiced today is The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon. It is the earliest and most important written work of TCM and is considered the fundamental and most representative medical text in China.

Acupuncture and moxibustion have aroused the interest of international medical science circles. And TCM is gradually gaining worldwide recognition. The WHO issued a document in 2002 that appealed to more than 180 countries to adopt TCM as an alternative in their medical policies. In 2010, acupuncture and moxibustion of traditional Chinese medicine were added to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the UNESCO. Presently, TCM has been back in the news for its effectiveness in improving the cure rate of the COVID-19 since its outbreak in January 2020.

1. What is the key feature of TCM?

A．It adopts different medical approaches.	B．It's based on ancient Chinese philosophies.
C．It helps to restore body's self-balance.	D．It's gained experience through rich practice.

2. What can we learn about The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon from the text?

A．It distinguishes acupuncture from moxibustion.

B．It's a foundation of world medical research.

C．it stresses the importance of using acupoints.

D．It greatly contributes to the development of TCM.

3. Why does the writer write this text?

A．To review the development of TCM.	B．To introduce TCM to the world.
C．To tell TCM and Western medicine apart.	D．To argue for TCM in fighting COVID-19.

4. What might be talked about in the paragraph following the text?

A．How TCM helps in the current situation.	B．Why TCM is gaining popularity.
C．Why TCM gets recognition from WHO.	D．How other countries adopt TCM.

9 . As the birthplace of kites in the world, Weifang, Shandong province of China, produces beautiful, vivid, colorful and high-quality kites. Now, more than 70% of kites in the world are exported from Weifang. If you want to see various shapes and sizes of kites covering the sky, you cannot miss the Weifang Kite Festival held on the third Saturday of every April.

But this year, tens of thousands of Chinese participants gathered in Weifang, from Sept 26 to 29 for the 37th International Kite Festival. Held since 1984, the International Kite Festival is an annual event to “exhibit the excellence of the kite lovers to the public,” according to the festival's website.

During the festival, kite lovers can enjoy stunt (特技表演) kite flying, also known as aerial ballet. Controlled by either a single person or a group, the kites form different shapes in the air. People always devote a lot of time and wisdom to making their own kites. From animals that crawl (爬行) on the ground or swim in the water to legends like Monkey King, everything can fly in the sky at the festival. One of this year's highlights was the giant kites decorated with images of medical staff and the Long March 5 rocket, which reflect the hot topics this year.

“Flying a kite is like flying your dream. All the cultural symbols from ancient and modern times can be found in the sky of Weifang,” noted Medium. After more than three decades of development, the festival has become a place to appreciate kites. But most importantly, it serves as a unique cultural event to promote international exchange.

1. What does the text mainly talk about?

A．A kite festival.	B．A kite birthplace.
C．The future of kites.	D．Kite performances.

2. For what purpose is the kite festival held every year?

A．To enjoy animals flying in the air.	B．To show kite-lovers' brilliance.
C．To perform specialized kite flying.	D．To enhance Weifang's global impact.

3. What can be known from Paragraph 3?

A．It takes a lot of trouble to make a kite.	B．Stunt kite flying is the only highlight.
C．Imagination can be shown in the kite.	D．Decorations matter least in the show.

4. What is the most important role the festival plays?

A．It helps organize an international event.

B．It offers tips on how to appreciate kites.

C．It helps make the place known worldwide.

D．It enhances international cultural exchange.

10 . The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms More than 2000 years ago, ancient Chinese people created this overall framework to mark the annual passage of time based on observations of the sun's motion. In the international meteorological field (国际气象界) the 24 solar terms are honored as “the fifth great invention of China”.

The 24 solar terms begins with Start of Spring followed by Rain Water, Insects Awaken...and ends up with Minor Cold and Major Cold. Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice are two days of the year with the longest and shortest amount of daylight respectively, while Spring Equinox and Autumn Equinox are days with the most balanced amount of daytime and nighttime. Through these four parts, a year is divided into four part: Spring Summer, Autumn and Winter.

In ancient times this system not only guided agricultural production, instructing farmers to expect the changes in temperature, spring planting and autumn harvest but also directed Chinese folk customs. For example, Winter Solstice was the first one set among 24 terms and later developed into a festival to worship Heaven and ancestors. Every year at Winter Solstice, emperors of Ming and Qing dynasties would go to the temple of Heaven to hold a ceremony to worship Heaven, for good weather for their crop, and peace and prosperity for the country.

Nowadays, the 24 solar terms could not only be applied to farming but also guide Chinese everyday life. They remind people to adapt to the changes in the seasons through suitable food and cultural rituals (文化仪式). Seasonal customs are sill the rage such as eating spring pancakes at Start of Spring, sweeping ancestors' tombs at Qing Ming, gaining weight to keep warm at Start of Autumn and eating nutritious food to store energy at Start of Winter. They have actually became important rituals in Chinese life.

The 24 solar terms is a common cognitive system among Chinese. It reflects the emotional bond, the wisdom and creativity of Chinese, who respect and live in harmony with nature.

1. How were the 24 solar terms created in ancient China?

A．They were the results of leaning from each other.

B．They were set based on the movements of the sun.

C．They were created according to the change of the weather.

D．They were gradually developed from the practical experience.

2. What is a common feature of Spring Equinox and Autumn Equinox?

A．They both have the same amount of day and night.

B．They were set only for guiding agricultural activities.

C．They both play the role in dividing a day into day and night

D．They are the days on which the length of a day is longer than night.

3. What does the underlined word in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Cheer

B．Honor.

C．Appreciation.

D．Fashion.

4. What’s the text mainly about?

A．The reasons for the recognition of the 24 solar terms.

B．The invention of the 24 solar terms in ancient China.

C．The origin and influence of the 24 solar terms in China

D．The ways to handle the relationship between human and nature.