1 . Nanjing Yunjin brocade is traditional Chinese silk art with a history of about 1,600 years. Its complex weaving (编织)techniques, various colors and patterns, and its particular choices of materials make it valuable and ancient people said, “An inch of brocade, an inch of gold.” Today, the traditional characteristics and unique skills of yunjin remain to be an award-winning art treasure. Its techniques are passed down from generation to generation by artisans.
Zhou Shuangxi, a national-level inheritor (继承人) of yunjin weaving techniques, is one of them. Back in 1973, he graduated from a mining school and was selected to become a student at the NanjingYunjin Research Institute along with five other students, just because he was “in good shape”. There were only several masters in their 70s and not even a loom (织布机) to use. “The old masters finally remembered a loom was stored somewhere. When I opened the door, I saw what seemed like a pile of wood,” Zhou recalled.
“Weaving was difficult, but different from mining. Mining requires heavy physical labor, but working with the soft and thin silk requires studying and practicing in front of a loom for decades until you master the technique. My hands became quite awkward due to mining, so I used to put my hands in warm water whenever I could. In this way, they could become softer and weave the silk more easily,” he said.
Out of the six or so students, Zhou is the only one who has insisted on the trade to this day. Having devoted the past five decades to yunjin production despite all the sweat and struggles, he has developed his techniques to the point where he can weave the antique dragon robes in all their small details. He also made various artworks that not only show China's intangible cultural heritage but also serve as Zhou Shuangxi's artistic creations.
“I am lucky to be in such a good era and I have the honor of being a representative inheritor,” Zhou said.
1. What was Zhou’s original impression of yunjin weaving techniques as a student?| A．They faced an uncertain future. | B．They were popular among the public. |
| C．They required much physical strength. | D．They were closely related to his schooling. |
| A．To relieve the pain of mining. | B．To make them much more suitable for weaving. |
| C．To gain an attractive appearance. | D．To rest his hands and draw inspiration. |
| A．Determined and creative. | B．Awkward and hesitant. |
| C．Encouraging and honest. | D．Adventurous and sociable. |
| A．The ups and downs of yunjin. |
| B．People’s appreciation of a traditional art treasure. |
| C．Artisans’ struggle to pass down traditional techniques. |
| D．A national-level inheritor of yunjin weaving techniques. |
2 . Chinese New Year, also called the Spring Festival, is a traditional festival celebrated by all Chinese people. Not everyone celebrates the festival in the same way, with the biggest differences between northern and southern China.
Festival Foods
In the northern cities of China, people generally eat dumplings. They are called jiaozi in Chinese, which means the turn of a lunar new year. Additionally, because they are shaped similarly to a type of ancient money, jiaozi are also regarded as a symbol of wealth.
As compared to the north, people from some southern areas traditionally eat rice cakes (niangao in Chinese), which are made of sticky (黏的) rice flour. Niangao can be interpreted as that people move up to a higher position year after year.
Festival Decorations
It is a common tradition to put up Spring Festival couplets (对联) and “Fu” characters, but some decorations differ a bit between northern and southern China.
In the north, the red “Chinese knot (结)” is also hung, representing happiness. However, in the southern areas, people like to use kumquats, a fruit like a very small orange, for decorations. Due to their yellow colour, they are usually a sign of wealth and harvest.
Red Envelope
In northern China, people usually give red envelopes to the children of their relatives or close friends only. However, people in southern China not only give red envelopes to the children of their relatives and friends, but also to their colleagues and acquaintances. In some southern areas like Guangdong Province, a company manager or a shop owner may also give red envelops to staffs on the first working day of the New Year, wishing for a fortune and giving them a strong sense of team spirit.
1. Why are dumplings seen as a symbol of wealth?| A．They look like a type of ancient money. |
| B．They have the meaning of getting to a higher position. |
| C．Only rich families could afford them in ancient times. |
| D．The name for “dumplings” meant money in the past. |
| A．Making and eating rice cakes. | B．Hanging red Chinese knots in the room. |
| C．Giving red envelops to colleagues’ children. | D．Placing kumquats in the room. |
| A．They want to award their staff for their good performance. |
| B．They wish to encourage their staffs to work harder. |
| C．They wish that they all will make a lot of money. |
| D．They want to show their companies are very rich. |
3 . When the day is dawning, the Center of Naxi Dongba Pictographs and Paintings of the old town Liliang welcomes his owner, He Runyuan, who is dressed in a traditional Naxi clothing. Every day, He explains Dongba culture to tourists and teaches them to write Dongba characters. “Dongba characters are not only the soul of Dongba culture, but also a treasure for the whole world,” said He. Enjoying a history of over 1,000 years, Dongba characters are an ancient system of pictographic glyphs (象形字形). They are praised to be the “living fossil (活化石)” in writing.
As a member of the Naxi group, He first learned Dongba characters at the age of 13. He loved them immediately when he first looked at the symbols. “These characters have pictographic drawings that look like humans, animals, plants etc.” He said. “They are usually colorful and recognizable.”
Though the characters are interesting, learning them is never easy. Dongba culture is always mastered by Dongbas, the Naxi priests (祭司). Without Dongbas in his village, He has to travel far to the Old Town, where many Dongbas are gathered. “In most cases, I need to walk for more than one day to the destination. To get more learning time, I always set off very early when the city is still in darkness,” said He.
But the love for Dongba culture keeps him going. For the past 30 years, He has been studying these characters every day. In 2016, He set up the Center of Naxi Dongba Pictographs and Paintings Where He beautified fans, glasses and even T-shirts with Dongba characters, hoping to pass down Dongba culture and let more people know about it.
“Our life is limited, but so long as everyone makes an effort, the life of a culture can exist forever,” He said.
1. What does He Runyuan do in his center every day?| A．He spreads Dongba culture. | B．He writes Dongba characters. |
| C．He sells his painting. | D．He learns from priests. |
| A．Honest and creative. | B．Outgoing and confident. |
| C．Hard-working and responsible. | D．Humorous and determined. |
| A．The love for his hometown. | B．The preference for Dongba culture. |
| C．The respect for priests. | D．The encouragement from his fans. |
| A．They are popular with the young. | B．They are interesting and easy to learn. |
| C．They are lively and easily recognized. | D．They are passed down by oral explanation. |
4 . By drawing patterns on the surface of a cup of tea, chabaixi (茶百戏), an ancient Chinese tea trick displayed in a recent TV drama, has gone viral for its apparent similarity with modern coffee art. However, ten years ago, this distinctive technique was close to disappearing. Zhang Zhifeng, a practician of chabaixi, found scenes of chabaixi in the drama aroused great interest among ordinary people.
Chabaixi can create endless patterns such as bamboos and mountains or even calligraphy. There are over a dozen steps, from grinding (碾碎) tea for fine powder, to pouring boiled water, stirring the mixture for thick froth (泡沫), and finally drawing the patterns. It is different from making coffee because people use clear water as the object to put into the cup instead of milk. But when the water touches the surface of whipped (搅打起泡的) tea, it turns into a white color and disappears in 20 minutes. The process before the drawing is known as the tea—making technique, diancha. The quality of diancha is crucial to whether patterns can be successfully produced later.
“Chabaixi is one of the countless forms of tea-making techniques in China. The importance of chabaixi is not only that this technique is unique in the world, but also it gives us a window into people’s lifestyle in the Song Dynasty, a period of time when leisure activities in some ways are similar to what we have now,” Zhang said.
Before chabaixi was discovered by TV audiences, the technique was listed as part of China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2017, after it was recovered by Zhang Zhifeng. He started researching the origins of chabaixi in the 1980s and brought the technique back in 2009 after decades of trials and practice.
“To let this technique fade would be a shame. It must be passed on to the next generations so they can understand its history,” Zhang said.
1. What do the underlined words “gone viral” in paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Maintained highly competitive. | B．Received good protection. |
| C．Started declining gradually. | D．Became popular quickly. |
| A．It develops based on coffee art. | B．It involves complicated tea-making skills. |
| C．It mainly describes beautiful scenery. | D．It is painted with whipped milk. |
| A．The origin of chabaixi. | B．The uniqueness of chabaixi. |
| C．The significance of chabaixi. | D．The development of chabaixi. |
| A．Zhang Zhifeng—A Practician of Chabaixi |
| B．Ancient Tea Technique Finds New Popular Recognition |
| C．A China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage |
| D．Chabaixi—A Famous Tea-making Technique |
5 . I was born and raised in England in a culture where privacy and “keeping yourself to yourself” were valued traditions. Speaking to strangers was not encouraged. People were most hospitable (好客的) and friendly — but only once they had been introduced to new people.
However, I have been lucky enough to spend some time in both Italy and the US, where I found traditions of hospitality and politeness to be very different.
I experienced Italian hospitality first-hand on a crowded railway carriage traveling, one afternoon, from Genoa to Florence. Sinking gratefully into an empty seat, I was berated (斥责) in rapid Italian by a gentleman who was returning to this seat — it had not been “spare” after all. I apologized in English, and got up to allow him back into the seat. The gentleman obviously had no understanding of the English language, but he, too, realized my genuine mistake. He smiled and gestured for me to remain in the seat, and he himself remained standing in the corridor for the rest of the journey. The other passengers of the carriage smiled and nodded at me and made me feel quite welcome amongst them. I feel that if this had been in England, a foreigner who made a mistake would not always be so kindly treated.
Transport was also obvious in the differences I noticed between English and American culture. I flew to New York on a plane with mainly English passengers. We sat together in near silence. Nobody spoke to me nor, as I expected, to anyone else they did not know. They felt it was not polite to disturb someone else’s privacy. However, when I traveled across the United States, whether by plane or Greyhound bus, I was never short of conversation. Conversation was going on all around me and whoever sat next to me was happy to introduce themselves and ask me about myself, which was usually a pleasant way to kill time. They obviously felt it would have been rude not to speak to another person, whether they were strangers or not.
1. What do we know about the passengers of the carriage when the author was travelling in Italy?| A．They were all on the side of the gentleman. |
| B．They all laughed at the author for this mistake. |
| C．They all showed their understanding of the author’s mistake. |
| D．They would not bear a mistake like the author’s in public. |
| A．they were too tired to speak | B．they are short of topics to talk about |
| C．they were all strangers to each other | D．privacy was a valued tradition in England |
| A．his traveling experiences |
| B．how to adapt ourselves to a new culture |
| C．the culture shock he experienced in Italy and the US |
| D．cultural differences in hospitality and politeness |
| A．Approving. | B．Confused. | C．Negative. | D．Disapproving. |
6 . 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. |
7 . The TV series, The Longest Day in Chang’an, which was shown on Chinese online platforms, became a hit soon. Since then, it has been shown on partnering streaming platforms and TV networks abroad. Some websites overseas also offered the program to their users paying for it — the first time a Chinese series was broadcast as paid content abroad.
“I was amazed by the overseas audience’s love of this show,” Cao Dun, director of The Longest Day in Chang’an told Beijing Review. “I was worried that they wouldn’t understand the complex political structure of the Tang Dynasty. But in fact, the show is prompting foreign audiences to research the history of the Tang Dynasty to better understand the plot.”
The unique culture in ancient China is no a barrier but a bridge to connect with foreign audiences. In the TV series, every figure is given enough space to flesh out his or her character.
Telling stories of the ordinary Chinese people that resonate (引起共鸣) with the audience might be the way to communicate with the world. “The success of the TV series shows that beauty is a universal language crossing borders,” he told Beijing Review.
His ambition is to distinguish Chinese dramas from the TV shows in the rest of the world. “The TV series is a step in my plan to tell Chinese stories to the world,” Cao said. “After describing the impressive beauty of the Tang dynasty, I am looking for several plays that tell stories of today’s China. I don’t want to copy any country’s production. Chinese dramas have to build on our rich culture and Chinese people’s everyday life.” Cao added.
1. What do we know about the TV series?| A．It can be appreciated for free. |
| B．It was very popular once it was shown. |
| C．It was put on overseas when first released. |
| D．It is about the development of the Tang dynasty. |
| A．Requiring. | B．Reminding. | C．Encouraging. | D．Informing. |
| A．Recognition of beauty. | B．Stories of Tang Dynasty. |
| C．Diversity of Chinese culture. | D．Personalities of every figure. |
| A．Learn the Ancient Political Structure | B．Make a Successful TV Series is Easy |
| C．Show Different Nationalities in China | D．Tell Chinese Stories to the World |
8 . By drawing patterns on the surface of a cup of tea, chabaixi, an ancient Chinese tea trick displayed in a recent TV drama, has gone viral for its apparent similarity with modern latte art (咖啡拉花艺术). However, ten years ago, this distinctive technique was close to disappearing completely. Zhang Zhifeng, a practitioner of chabaixi, found scenes of chabaixi in the drama aroused great interest among ordinary people.
Chabaixi can create endless patterns such as bamboos and mountains or even calligraphy. There are over a dozen steps, from grinding (碾碎) tea for fine powder, to pouring boiled water, stirring the mixture for thick froth, and finally drawing the patterns. It is different from making latte because people use clear water as the object to put into the cup instead of milk. But when the water touches the surface of whipped (搅打起泡沫的) tea, it turns into a white color and disappears in 20 minutes. The process before the drawing is known as the tea-making technique, diancha. The quality of diancha is crucial to whether patterns can be successfully produced later.
“Chabaixi is one of the countless forms of tea-making techniques in China. The importance of chabaixi is not only that this technique is unique in the world, but also it gives us a window into people’s lifestyle in the Song Dynasty, a period of time when leisure activities in some ways resemble what we have now,” Zhang said.
Before chabaixi was discovered by TV audiences, the technique was listed as part of China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2017, after it was recovered by Zhang Zhifeng. He started researching the origins of chabaixi in the 1980s and brought the technique back in 2009 after decades of trials and practice. Zhang spent nearly 30 years studying and researching the origins and making of tea, but for him it was all worthwhile.
“This technique is key to the tea culture of the Song Dynasty, and it would be a shame to let it fade. This technique must be passed on to the next generations so they can understand its history,” Zhang said.
1. What do the underlined words “gone viral” probably mean?| A．Received good protection. | B．Maintained highly competitive. |
| C．Started declining gradually. | D．Become popular quickly. |
| A．It is painted with whipped milk. |
| B．It involves complicated tea-making skills. |
| C．It mainly describes beautiful scenery. |
| D．It develops based on latte art. |
| A．The significance of chabaixi. | B．The uniqueness of chabaixi. |
| C．The origin of chabaixi. | D．The development of chabaixi. |
| A．He teaches people the tea culture of the Song Dynasty. |
| B．He is leading young generations to innovate chabaixi. |
| C．He is committed to developing chabaixi through media. |
| D．He encourages people to pass on the technique of chabaixi. |
9 . If you look around your city, you might spot girls wearing hanfu in subways or people wearing T-shirts with Chinese characters on the streets. A new trend is taking hold in China — guochao, or “China-chic”.
The term characterizes the rise of China’s native fashion trends. It has expanded the concept of “Made in China”, which has been recognized as the representation of Chinese culture and aesthetics (美学) offered by homegrown Chinese brands.
China-chic came into the spotlight in 2018. Before that, big-name foreign companies, such as NIKE, ADIDAS and PUMA, dominated the world market. But that year, Chinese sportswear brand Li-Ning changed things up. During the 2018 New York Fashion Week, Li-Ning introduced its Taoism-inspired Wu Dao collection. The collection not only had a trendy look, but also included elements of traditional Chinese culture. It immediately grabbed attention at home and abroad. As a result, the company recorded 20 percent profit growth in 2018, marking the first time the brand’s revenue had hit the 10-billion-yuan mark since its founding.
The trend to embrace domestic brands has since spread rapidly to various sectors and products, from food and drinks to clothing, mobile phones and electric vehicles. For example, White Rabbit, whose sweet candy brings back childhood memories for many, launched its perfume and lip balm. “We want White Rabbit to be a brand that young people want to share,” said Shen Qinfeng, the company’s marketing manager.
Now, the guochao trend is “moving to the next stage, where its success will rely, first and foremost, on gaining cultural confidence rather than Western recognition.” according to Kerra Zhou, founder of brand strategy consultancy Kerrisma. No matter how the guochao trend develops, there’s one thing that won’t change: Behind the craze is people’s positive attitude toward the country’s development and their recognition of growing confidence in national culture, added Zhou.
1. What’s the function of Paragraph 1?| A．To introduce a new trend in China. |
| B．To highlight the popularity of guochao. |
| C．To describe a common scene on the street. |
| D．To show Chinese brands beat foreign companies. |
| A．Li-Ning stimulated the development of guochao. |
| B．Guochao is a new trend popular throughout the world. |
| C．Guochao refers to people’s preference for ancient culture. |
| D．It’s before 2018 that guochao had received great attention. |
| A．Chinese is still following the western trend. |
| B．Guochao’s success relies on western recognition. |
| C．National pride arouses the passion for guochao. |
| D．Cultural awareness is the key to winning market share. |
| A．The Popularity of Native Brands | B．The Boom of China-chic |
| C．The Recognition of National Culture | D．The Root of Guochao |
10 . BEIJING—Wang Yaping, a taikonaut onboard China’s space station core module (舱), offered people on Earth a zero- gravity musical performance on Tuesday evening to celebrate the Lantern Festival. The space show was shared via a video released at an annual TV gala for the festival celebration. In the video, Wang was seen floating in the space module while playing a guzheng, or Chinese zither. She played a segment of the popular Chinese folk song “Jasmine Flower”.
The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar. People usually hang colorful lanterns, play riddle games and express their wishes and hopes for the future.
The crew members, who traveled to the space station core module on the Shenzhou-13 mission, kept some festive traditions alive as they continued to rotate around the Earth. Commander Zhai Zhigang wrote riddles on red paper scrolls with a brush pen. He displayed the calligraphy together with taikonaut Ye Guangfu and extended festival greetings to the audience. They also sent blessings to athletes at the ongoing Beijing Winter Olympics: “We hope that you all achieve success, gain friendship and harvest your best Olympic experience.”
The video of the space performance was received with much enthusiasm after it was shared on social media platforms. It drew nearly 2 million clicks in one hour after several national media outlets posted it on the Chinese micro-blogging site Sina Weibo. The Weibo account of Zhurong, China’s first rover on Mars, reposted the video, commenting, “The music was so beautiful, and it made me homesick, too.”
The Lantern Festival also marks the last day of the lunar New Year celebration. Though far from home, the festive sentiments in space are the same. The China Manned Space Agency released a video on social media platforms on Tuesday, showing that the taikonauts had decorated the orbiting core module with red lanterns, Chinese knots and paper-cutting decorations. Wearing new clothes, the trio (三人小组) enjoyed the traditions of eating dumplings and posting spring couplets on walls. During the Chinese New Year holiday, they were also spotted watching the Winter Olympics and doing workouts in orbit.
1. How did the mass enjoy the musical performance according to the text?| A．By watching a video coming from a TV gala. |
| B．By logging on the Internet through computers. |
| C．By watching the Lantern Festival gala at the scene. |
| D．By watching a video posted online by Wang Yaping herself. |
| A．Access. | B．Circle. | C．Replace. | D．Launch. |
| A．Wang Yaping shared puzzles on red paper scrolls. |
| B．Zhai Zhigang showed the calligraphy on his own. |
| C．The video of the space performance became a great hit. |
| D．The Beijing Winter Olympics had come to an end when the astronauts sent their regards. |
| A．Chinese folk song “Jasmine Flower” is played on space station. |
| B．China makes major breakthroughs in the outer space exploration. |
| C．Taikonauts send blessings to the Beijing Winter Olympics athletes |
| D．Taikonauts keep Lantern Festival traditions alive on space station. |
