4 . If Confucius(孔子)were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He'd need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.

While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It's nothing personal. Most Americans don't even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.

But this doesn't mean that Americans don't care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.

In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually include Chinese art, history and

philosophy(哲学). Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks(缺陷)of Western philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.

So the old thinker's ideas are still alive and well.

Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.

As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.

1. The opening paragraph is mainly intended to______________.

A．provide some key facts about Confucius

B．attract the readers' interest in the subject

C．show great respect for the ancient thinker

D．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations

2. We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students___________.

A．have a great interest in studying Chinese

B．take an active part in Chinese competitions

C．try to get high scores in Chinese exams

D．fight for a chance to learn Chinese

3. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Forgotten Wisdom in America

B．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language

C．Chinese Culture for Westerners

D．Old Thinker with a Big Future

4. The passage is likely to appear in__________.

A．a personal biography	B．a history paper
C．a cultural newspaper	D．a philosophy textbook

5 . This August, we'll welcome guests from all over the world. Some of them follow their own special cultural traditions. It's important for us to know about them.

In many countries, such as Thailand, India and Malaysia, people believe that the left hand is unclean. So, it's not proper to use one's left hand to hold food, touch others or pass objects. Doing so may offend some guests.

Some Westerners may be offended if you touch them or their personal things-even by accident. If this happens, say sorry politely.

Some elderly Westerners may be offended if you try to help them without their agreement.

People think numbers can be lucky or unlucky. Some Westerners avoid the number 13 because they believe it is unlucky.

Muslims do not eat pork, and words like pigs are not considered proper.

People from Brazil, Italy and Pakistan do not give handkerchiefs as gifts. They believe a handkerchief is closely connected with unhappy feelings.

Wine is not sent as a gift in many parts of western and middle Asia, where most Muslims live.

1. Indians don't hold food with the left hand because they consider it _____.

A．unclean

B．useless

C．valueless

D．unimportant

2. The word "offend" in the second paragraph might mean"______".

A．honor

B．help

C．hate

D．hurt

3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．People from Pakistan like to send handkerchiefs as gifts.

B．All the elderly people in the West like being helped by others.

C．The number 13 is thought to be unlucky by some Westerners.

D．Westerners do not mind their personal things being touched.

4. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．lucky numbers.	B．Traditional food.
C．Culture differences.	D．Hands and handkerchiefs.

6 . Every year there is a Spring Festival in China. Usually it is in January or February. It is the most important festival in China. So before it comes, everyone has to prepare things. They buy pork, beef, chicken, fruits and many other things. And they often make a special kind of food — “dumplings”. It means “ come together ”. On the day before the festival, parents buy new clothes for their children. Children also buy presents for their parents. On the Spring Festival Eve (除夕), all the family members come back to their hometown. This is a happy moment. Some sing and dance, some play cards and others get the dinner ready. When they enjoy the meal, they give each other the best wishes for the coming year. They all have a good time.

1. Which is the most important festival in China?

A．The Mid-Autumn Festival.	B．The Spring Festival.
C．Children’s Day.	D．Dragon Boat Day.

2. When is the Chinese Spring Festival usually celebrated?

A．In March or April.	B．In May or June.
C．In January or February.	D．In July or August

3.            is the special kind of food for the Spring Festival in China.

A．Chicken

B．Dumpling

C．Fish

D．Beef

4. What’s the meaning of the food “dumplings” for Chinese people in the Spring Festival?

A．Look up.

B．Help yourself.

C．Be happy

D．Come together.

5. The family         when they are having dinner together on the Spring Festival Eve.

A．give each other the best wishes	B．buy each other presents
C．sing, dance and play cards	D．get together

7 . 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.

2. What does Hill say about Chinese women?

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.

3. What do the underlined words “taking on” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．learning from

B．looking down on

C．working with

D．competing against

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

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

8 . More and more people in America are celebrating the Indian holiday Diwali. Diwali is Hindi for “row of lights”. It is the most important holiday in India.

Many people around the world are beginning to celebrate it as well. The United States is one of the places where the festival is becoming more common. Diwali celebrations can now be found at American landmarks like Disneyland in California and New York City’s Times Square. They are also held in many parks and museums.

Neeta Bhasin created the Times Square event. She said Indian immigrants have found great success in America. But, she said, many Americans still do not know much about India. So, she decided to act. “I felt it’s about time that we should take India to mainstream America and show India’s rich culture, heritage, arts and variety to the world,” she said, “and I couldn’t find a better place than Times Square.”

Bhasin came to the United States from India 40 years ago. She is president of ASB Communications, the marketing firm behind Diwali at Times Square. Tens of thousands of people attend the event, now in its fourth year.

In India, Diwali is a five-day harvest festival held just before the Hindu New Year. The exact dates change from year to year but Diwali is always in the fall. Celebrations include lighting oil lamps or candles called “diyas”.

A Diwali celebration will light up Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim this year. Visitors can watch performances of traditional Indian dances and take part in a Bollywood dance party. The event is part of a Festival of Holidays program at the theme park to show cultural traditions from around the world. The program takes place on November 10th through January 7th.

San Antonio, Texas, also holds a Diwali celebration. And it is one of the nation’s largest celebrations, with more than 15,000 people in attendance each year. Visitors can enjoy Indian dance, food and fireworks. Organizers also plan to float hundreds of lighted candles in the San Antonio River, along the city’s famous River Walk.

1. Which is the main symbol in the Indian holiday Diwali?

A．Dances.	B．Lamps.
C．Food.	D．Clothes.

2. Why did Neeta Bhasin set up the Times Square event?

A．To make the American culture richer.

B．To create a new business for the firm.

C．To make Indian culture better known in the US.

D．To show the achievements of Indian immigrants.

3. What do we know about Diwali?

A．It is held in autumn in India.

B．It lasts five days in America.

C．It has been held for 40 years in America.

D．It happens from November 10th to January 7th in India.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．Diwali is mainly celebrated in Disney Parks.

B．Many American cities compete to hold Diwali.

C．Indian Holiday Diwali lights up America, too.

D．Diwali has become the most important holiday in India.

9 . After finishing a meal at an American Chinese restaurant you probably expect to receive a handful of fortune cookies after you pay the bill. Fortune cookies are in Chinese restaurants throughout the United States. It’s rather satisfying to crack open a cookie at the end of your meal and read your “lucky fortune” on the slip of paper inside.

The exact origin of the fortune cookie is unknown. It is thought that the tasty snack was the first introduced into San Francisco in 1914, after an immigrant began distributing the cookie with “thank you” notes in them. These “thank you” notes were intended as symbols of appreciation for friends who stood with him through the economic hardship and discrimination of his early life in America.

There is an alternate origin story. Los Angeles is regarded as the site of the fortune cookie’s invention. In this version of the story, David Jung, a Chinese immigrant residing in L. A., is thought to have created the cookie in order to uplift the spirits of the poor and homeless. In 1918, Jung handed out the cookies for free to the poor outside his shop and each cookie contained a strip of paper with an inspirational sentence printed on it.

Fortune cookies first began to gain popularity in mainstream American culture during WWII. Chinese restaurants would serve them in place of desserts, as desserts were not popular in traditional Chinese cuisine. Today fortune cookies are not tied to Chinese-American culture. In fact, the largest fortune cookie manufacturer is located in the United States and it produces 4.5 million fortune cookies a day —— an evidence to the modern-day popularity of the snack. However, an attempt to introduce the fortune cookie to China in 1992 was a failure, and the cookie was cited for being “too American.”

So the next time you break open a fortune cookie and read a fortune about the many successes you should expect in your future, remember that the conclusion to your Chinese restaurant meal may not be as Chinese as you think.

1. What do we know about fortune cookies?

A．They are as popular in China as in America.

B．They contain slips of paper with good wishes.

C．They first appeared in America during WWII.

D．They are often charged to the customers’ bill.

2. Why were fortune cookies introduced into San Francisco?

A．To make profit.

B．To express gratitude.

C．To uplift people’s spirits.

D．To help people out of hardship.

3. Which of the following sentences may be found in Jung’ s cookies?

A．The fortune you seek is in another cookie.

B．Every exit is an entrance to new experiences.

C．I’m being held prisoner by a Chinese bakery.

D．Only taste fortune cookies; disregard all others.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．A Symbol of Chinese Culture

B．Chinese Restaurants in America

C．Can fortune cookie tell your fortune?

D．Fortune cookie, Chinese or American?

10 . A group of foreign residents married to Japanese talked about their children’s names.

Nicole Despres

Students services manager, 40 (American)

We have no intention to live outside Japan so it made sense for the kids to take my Japanese husband’s family name. However, we did want to have a Western name too, so all three of them now have both a Western and Japanese name. We agreed there would be no strange names, spelling or unusual kanji (Chinese characters in the Japanese language). All names had to be easy to say and familiar in both Japanese and English.

John McCracken

Company general manager, 27(American)

My son’s name is Aiden. In part because my wife and I met in university and as she was studying Irish history and I have some links to Scotland and Ireland, I wanted a unique Gaelic (盖尔族的) name. We settled for Aiden as we found kanji that can be used in Japan that means “legendary hero”

Paula Murakami

College women’s Association of Japan, 53(American) My husband was very excited about choosing names, so I decided to let him choose. He wanted their first names to be Japanese and camp up with names that included the kanji character in his own name. Our boys, Hiroki and Kenta, never had any problems while living on the U. S. West Coast with Japanese names, and I think both as children and as adults, they love their names.

Jeff Ruiz

Recording engineer, 42 (Mexican)

My son’s name is Lenny. My wife chose it together with me as we were looking for a name that works in both worlds—mine in Mexico, and hers in Japan—and the name Lenny is common everywhere. In Japanese we write the name in katakana as that is easy for Japanese people who seem to like names in two or three characters.

1. What do we know about the people mentioned in the passage?

A．Nicole and her husband had an agreement on how to name the children.

B．Jeff will remain in Japan as his wife is not used to Mexican life.

C．The four couples have decided to live with the children in Japan forever.

D．Paula and her family would love to live on the U. S. West Coast.

2. What can we infer from the passage?

A．Nicole and her Japanese husband have a daughter and two sons.

B．Paula has little say in making a decision at home.

C．John’s wife is Irish and the couple have only one child.

D．Lenny is a name familiar to Japanese when written the Japanese way.

3. Which would be the best title for the passage?

A．Is a western name better than a Japanese name?

B．Why does your child have two names?

C．How do you choose your child’s name?

D．Do you settle differences in naming your child?