1 . Qinghuaci ware is one of the most well-known cultural products in China, with items made in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, considered the best in quality.
Cai Wenjuan’s parents and grandparents made qinghuaci here. Cai’s childhood memories are connected to ceramics, which led her to find her passion in painting as a girl. Even after graduating from Jingdezhen Ceramic University in 2006, she didn’t think about inheriting the family craft and became a saleswoman at a ceramic studio in Beijing back then.
After two years of selling ceramics, Cai was captivated by the blue-and-white ware. She quit her job and returned to her hometown in late 2008, starting a two-year learning experience of painting blue-and-white porcelain items. In 2012, Cai established her own ceramics-making company and two years later, she built the ceramics-themed brand China Story.
Pushing the boundaries of the age-old practice, Cai puts blue-and-white patterns, inspired by Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) porcelain, on daily objects such as phone cases, umbrellas, pillows and so on. So far, more than 1,000 kinds of cultural products have been sold by her company. “The charm and story behind the blue-and-white china can be told through the way the young generation feels connected,” Cai says, adding that china can be stylish.
As a provincial-level inheritor of the blue-and-white china-painting, she devotes herself to passing on the craft by combining the ancient charm with modern aesthetics. On video-sharing platform Douyin, Cai has posted more than 60 clips to popularize the craft and the culture behind it. “One day, I hope there are traditional Chinese elements everywhere in daily life,” Cai says. Like Cai, more young artists are considering a career in china-related businesses in Jingdezhen, with the local government rolling out supportive measures for a variety of startups in the field.
1. What caused Cai Wenjuan to be fond of painting?| A．Her gift. | B．Her curiosity. |
| C．Her being tired of selling goods. | D．Her childhood experience. |
| A．shocked | B．attracted | C．embarrassed | D．challenged |
| A．Considerate. | B．Creative. | C．Strict. | D．Generous. |
| A．It needs checking. | B．It needs culture. |
| C．It has a bright future. | D．It has a limited platform. |
2 . 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 |
3 . For Western designers, China and its rich culture have long been an inspiration for Western creators (创造者).
“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, 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 Galiano, 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. Which one is true according to the passage?| A．Many inspirations of western creators have come from China and its rich culture. |
| B．It’s a secret that China has always been a source(来源)of inspiration for designers. |
| C．Earlier this year the China Through A Looking Glass exhibition happened in Beijing. |
| D．China is possible to overlook for Western creators. |
| 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．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 |
4 . Chinese people love food made of flour, whether it be dumplings, or flatbread. In the hands of skilled artisans (手艺人), flour is made into lovely models of people or animals to be enjoyed and played with, which brings a unique kind of pleasure. This art form is called dough figurine (面塑). Among the various art styles of dough figurines, Beijing’s Dough Figurine Lang is a unique folk art, which is filled with the rich history and customs of the capital city. Their fine and lovely handicrafts tell stories of old and new Beijing. In 2008, it was included in the list of national intangible cultural heritage.
It was created by Lang Shao’an. Most dough figurines are animals and characters from legends, historical stories, and local operas. The finished product is either put at the end of a thin stick, or on a table for display. Some are designed for children to eat or play with, with simple forms and vivid decorations, while others are fine pieces of artwork for display only. For this reason, during the process of making them, they are often mixed with additives (添加剂) to prevent them from breaking up, being eaten by insects or growing moldy. Over the course of his long career, Lang Shao’an developed a set of skilled fingers with an elegant artistic sense.
Lang Jiaziyu, born in 1995, is a third-generation inheritor of Dough Figurine Lang. When he was 15, he created Beijing Olympic Mascot-shaped dough figurines which were highly praised. He looks a bit more fashionable than other folk artisans. In his skilled hands, pop culture icons such as figures based on Marvel comics characters and Chinese mythological figure Nezha with smoky makeup, resonate with young people.
Like most of the other intangible cultural heritage handicrafts in China, Dough Figurine Lang does not get as much attention from the public. Many young people are unwilling to take the time to master a skill that does not make money, which has led to a decline in the number of those who are devoted to the handicraft. Good handicrafts need the devotion of artisans from one generation to another.
1. What is special about Dough Figurine Lang?| A．It is a mirror of Beijing’s culture. | B．It shows people’s love for animals. |
| C．It is created by many famous artists. | D．It is the most popular folk art in Beijing. |
| A．To make dough figurines taste good. | B．To make colors brighter and last longer. |
| C．To help shape dough into various forms. | D．To better preserve the finished products. |
| A．Suggestions for other folk artisans. | B．Different art styles of dough figurines |
| C．Lang Jiaziyu’s achievements as an artisan. | D．The popularity of modern dough figurines. |
| A．To call on people to master a skill. |
| B．To appeal to people to value this folk art. |
| C．To teach people ways to appreciate the handicraft. |
| D．To persuade people to protect national cultural heritage. |
5 . You might think of martial arts movies when you see people performing graceful moves down the river, all standing on a bamboo strip, but actually it is a form of intangible cultural heritage: bamboo drifting (漂流).
Over 2,000 years ago, the high-quality wood, nanmu, in Guizhou was in great demand by the royal court more than 2,000 kilometers to the north. With no better transportation, 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. Due to the skills it takes for one to master this act, bamboo drifting was included in the national intangible cultural heritage list last year.
Yang Liu, a 24-year-old inheritor of bamboo drifting, learned it at 7. “Usually, the bamboo under your feet is about 9 meters long, and the bamboo in your hands is about 5 meters. If the length or diameter (直径) of the bamboo is not long enough, it will not float. Keeping our feet firmly positioned on the narrow bamboo pole is the key, so we should fight against the current by constantly changing the angle. I lost my balance and fell in the water many times while practicing. Once I fell, I gave it another try until I knew how to handle the most difficult part, ” she said.
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. A hanfu culture has been on the rise, Yang started wearing hanfu while performing, creating a more beautiful feel. In 2020, Yang began to post her videos on social media. “I’m extremely proud to get responses from viewers that bamboo drifting makes the line between what is possible and impossible unclear. It’s my mission to keep it alive and known to more people,” Yang Liu told China Daily.
1. What can be learned from the first two paragraphs?| A．The martial arts movie is a form of cultural heritage. |
| B．Nanmu was delivered to the north by land. |
| C．Bamboo was costly in Guizhou 2,000 years ago. |
| D．Bamboo drifting involves lots of skills. |
| A．Finding the proper bamboo. | B．Holding the bamboo firmly in hands. |
| C．Maintaining a fixed angle. | D．Keeping balance. |
| A．Unbelievable. | B．Elegant. | C．Confusing. | D．Complicated. |
| A．Transporting Bamboo down the River |
| B．Intangible Cultural Heritage in Guizhou |
| C．Balancing with Grace |
| D．Yang Liu: A Creative Performer |
6 . British Tea Culture
Tea was first introduced to Great Britain from China in the 1600s and in the centuries since the British tea culture has been going strong.
British-style Tea
For everyday tea, the British simply boil water and pour the water over a tea bag in a cup. After the tea brews for a few minutes, the tea bag is removed. Fresh milk and sugar are usually added. Biscuits or cake may be eaten with tea.
The British prefer various types of black tea. Brands like Twinings, Tetley, and Lipton are popular in the world tea market.
Formal Tea
For a formal tea, tea sets made of fine bone china or silver are used. The set includes a teapot, cups and saucers, a creamer for holding milk, and a sugar bowl. All are cried on a tray. All the pieces of a proper English tea set have a matching pattern.
Elevenses
“Elevenses” refers to a snack consisting of tea or coffee and a finger food like biscuits or cake. It is taken mid-morning so the name refers to the time of day (11:00 am).
Afternoon Tea
Afternoon tea is a light meal served with tea in the late afternoon. It began among wealthy women in the 1840s, but it soon spread to hotels, tea rooms, and tea gardens across Great Britain. The food served typically includes small sandwiches and sweets. A formal afternoon tea has fancy desserts presented on tiered stands.
1. If you want to enjoy tea with biscuits or cake, you should choose| A．Formal Tea and Elevenses. |
| B．Elevenses and Afternoon Tea. |
| C．British-style Tea and Elevenses. |
| D．British-style Tea and Formal Tea. |
| A．In the 1600s. | B．In the 1700s. |
| C．In the 1840s. | D．In the 1940s. |
| A．Sports. | B．Culture. | C．Science. | D．Travel. |
7 . Chinese ancient poetry was the heart and soul of Chinese ancient literature. Poems and songs have been the means of entertainment of men from the earliest times. Chinese ancient poetry was primarily written to be chanted or sung.
The poetic persona (表面形象) is a feature of classical Chinese poetry. The persona appears when the poem is written from the viewpoint of some other person. Some poems are comments on the contemporary society and life. Chinese ancient poems, although apparently simple in the first reading, have deeper and greater meanings when read intensively.
The earliest Chinese ancient poetry begins with The Book of Songs which is a collection of 305 poems. It was the first comprehensive compilation(辑)of Chinese ancient poems. Each poem in The Book of Songs was set to music and could be sung. Folk songs made up the most part of the book! Confucius, the great ancient philosopher, was fond of this book. It was also the accepted textbook of the Confucian school.
Chinese poetic history is extremely long and colorful. The Tang dynasty, the golden age of Chinese ancient poetry, produced many famous poems. Three Hundred Poems of the Tang Dynasty, was compiled by Heng Tang Tui Shi(蘅塘退士) of the Qing dynasty. This was used for very many years to teach primary students.
Almost everything is the subject of Chinese ancient poetry including marriage, agriculture, courtship(求爱), sorrow and joys, romance, heroic deeds and so on. Generally, each poem is usually composed of lines of four, five or seven syllables. Translations of Chinese ancient poems are available in books and also online. Now these beautiful poems have attracted readers all over the world.
1. What’s the earliest Chinese poetry intended to do?| A．To record history. | B．To spread knowledge. |
| C．To entertain people. | D．To state people’s thoughts. |
| A．Modern and symbolic. | B．Simple but meaningful. |
| C．Difficult and figurative. | D．Imaginative but unreal. |
| A．It is compiled by Heng Tang Tui Shi. |
| B．It includes more folk songs than other kinds of poems. |
| C．It was the textbook for kids during Confucius’s childhood. |
| D．It was produced during the golden age of Chinese ancient poetry. |
| A．Chinese ancient poetry has limited subjects. |
| B．Chinese ancient poems win popularity overseas. |
| C．Every Chinese ancient poem is made up of four lines. |
| D．Something in Chinese ancient poems is lost in translation. |
8 . In the long river of inheriting and preserving intangible cultural heritages, people have encountered numerous challenges, especially in this rapidly developing era. Fortunately, there are still many individuals who persistently make efforts to safeguard it.
Chang Yangyang is such a person. As an inheritor of intangible cultural heritage, he once worked at a factory. Although he had learned the craft paper-cutting from his grandmother since childhood, in the eyes of Chang’s parents, a hobby was far less precious than a stable job. They didn’t change their minds until he won third prize in a national paper-cutting competition in 2010. This opened a new door for him in paper-cutting, which strengthened his determination to continue his career in the craft.
In addition to practicing skills diligently, Chang thought more about how to promote the Mengjin paper-cutting culture and let more people know about this intangible cultural heritage.
In his early years, Chang conducted local training and salons. Later, He tried Douyin live-streaming. At first, Chang was shy. But gradually, he became more familiar with it and learned to interact with viewers. In this way, he expanded his audience and followers from dozens of people to hundreds of thousands.
The young paper-cutting artist and instructor hopes there are more young people learning the art. It is for this reason that he currently teaches the art of paper-cutting at several local primary schools, Chang says his life dream is to establish a paper-cutting museum one day so people can learn more about the art form and grow to love it as much as he does.
With more young craftsmen like Chang injecting fresh energy, the intangible cultural heritage will be able to continue sharing the same clear wind with mountains and forests, and the same bright moon with rivers in the future years, moving towards eternity.
1. How did Chang’s parents find his paper-cutting career before 2010?| A．Supportive. | B．Opposed. |
| C．Indifferent. | D．Contradictory. |
| A．He spread paper-cutting online. | B．He opened a paper-cutting school. |
| C．He took part in many competitions. | D．He practiced the skills occasionally. |
| A．Make profit from paper-cutting. | B．Learn more about other art forms. |
| C．Establish a paper-cutting museum. | D．Expand his audience and followers. |
| A．Young man with happy stories. | B．Traditions in Chang’s family. |
| C．Intangible cultural heritages in history. | D．New craftsman with old craft. |
9 . 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. |
10 . 16th-century work Epifania is one of only two existing cartoons by the Italian master. It is going through delicate and highly technical conservation (保护）work at the British Museum in an attempt to stabilize the fragile work for the coming decades.
“Michelangelo was one of the great draughtsmen of the 16th century. He worked into his 80s, but left only 600 drawings behind—an astonishingly small number given his long career,”said Emma Turner, a senior conservator (管理员）at the British Museum. “He is known to have burned some of his drawings in his studio before his death because he didn’t want to reveal his working methods. He was very clear that what he wanted to remain was the idea. ”
The cartoon was in Michelangelo’s studio at the time of his death. It remained in Italy until the late 18th century, and then travelled to England, the Netherlands and back to England. It was acquired by the British Museum in 1895.
The conservation work began in 2018, but was interrupted by the Covid pandemic. It must be completed by May 2024, when the drawing of the Virgin Mary, the Christ Child and other male figures will go back on display as part of the museum’s permanent collection. The work is funded by the Bank of America’s art conservation project, which supports museums and institutions to protect historically or culturally significant works.
“It was incredibly exciting to be working on a rare, complex and very large object with a 500-year history”, Turner said.
1. Why did Epifania need to be protected?| A．It is a cartoon. | B．It is from Itally. |
| C．It is cultural relic. | D．It is expensive. |
| A．Artists. | B．Writers. | C．Scientists. | D．Educators. |
| A．In 1795. | B．In 1895. |
| C．In 2018. | D．In 2024. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Unconcerned. | C．Unreasonable. | D．Worried. |
