1 . What’s the first thing that pops into your mind when you think of wheat straw? Most people would probably just see it as a pile of waste in a farmer’s field. However, Wu Cui, an intangible cultural inheritor, can turn the straw left over from harvested wheat into beautiful and eye-catching functional artworks.
The earliest straw-weaving (草编的) products were discovered at Hemudu Cultural Ruins, a Neolithic cultural site located in eastern China’s Zhejiang province. The Book of Rites, one of the classical works of Confucianism, also records that there were already mats made of cattail grass and professional straw-weaving craftsmen during the Zhou Dynasty (c.11th century-256 BC).
Straw weaving is a method of manufacturing daily items or artworks. It was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2008.
Wu explains the process of straw weaving: selection of materials is the first step of a complicated, time-consuming and labor-intensive process that can take weeks, or even months, to complete. You need to sketch (素描) the piece on paper, which requires drawing skills. Next comes weaving, shaping and preserving of the work. Even by finishing that process, it does not mean that you will always create a good piece of work, and the hardest part is to make it vivid.
In the past, woven straw items could be found almost in every household in the countryside, such as straw hats and straw shoes, because they were practical in everyday life. But due to the impact of industrialization, manufactured goods have replaced such products, which produce low profits, and there are only about 100 individuals engaging in the work across the country. “The world has changed, and craftsmen need to transcend practicality and seek the beauty and artistry of straw culture to help the craft survive and develop,” Wu says.
As far as she is concerned, straw weaving should respond to people’s needs and preferences, while still drawing inspiration from traditional culture. “Craftspeople should make a great effort to grasp the trends and opportunities of the times to create new and relevant products,” she says. When asked about her plans, Wu says she wants to dig deeper into local traditional culture and create cultural creative products by developing the straw-weaving technique.
1. What does paragraph 2 mainly tell us about straw-weaving products?| A．Their major uses. | B．Their cultural value. |
| C．Their historic origins. | D．Their manufacturing process. |
| A．Making the artworks lifelike. | B．Drawing sketches on paper. |
| C．Selecting suitable materials. | D．Preserving finished products. |
| A．Rely on. | B．Turn to. | C．Throw away. | D．Go beyond. |
| A．Straw-weaving products are out of favor with customers. |
| B．Seeking fashion should be the first task for craftspeople. |
| C．Local people benefit a lot from the straw-weaving techniques. |
| D．Craftsmen should create the craft based on traditional culture. |
2 . Meeting people from another culture can be difficult. From the beginning, people may send the wrong signal, or they may pay no attention to signals from another person who is trying to develop a relationship.
Different cultures emphasise the importance of relationship building to a greater or lesser degree. For example,business in some countries is not possible until there is a relationship of trust. Even with people at work,it is necessary to spend a lot of time in“small talk”, usually over a glass of tea, before they do any job. In many European countries—like the UK or France—people find it easier to build up a lasting working relationship at restaurants or cafes rather than at the office.
Talk and silence may also be different in some cultures. I once made a speech in Thailand. I had expected my speech to be a success and start a lively discussion; instead there was an uncomfortable silence. The people present just stared at me and smiled. After getting to know their ways better, I realised that they thought I was talking too much. In my own culture, we express meaning mainly through words, but people there sometimes feel too many words are unnecessary.
Even within Northern Europe, cultural differences can cause serious problems. Certainly, English and German cultures share similar values; however, Germans prefer to get down to business more quickly. We think that they are rude. In fact, this is just because one culture starts discussions and makes decisions more quickly.
People from different parts of the world have different values, and sometimes these values are quite against each other. However, if we can understand them better, a multicultural environment will offer a better chance to us to understand and learn from each other.
1. What’s the benefit of eating together at restaurants in some countries according to this passage?| A．People can develop closer relations. | B．People can share the same culture. |
| C．People can get to know each other. | D．People can keep each other company. |
| A．To show the English prefer to make long speeches. |
| B．To show too many words are of no use. |
| C．To show people from Thailand are quiet and shy by nature. |
| D．To show even talk and silence can be culturally different. |
| A．By sharing different ways of life. | B．By accepting different habits. |
| C．By recognising different values. | D．By speaking each other’s languages. |
| A．Multicultural Environment | B．Cross-cultural Differences |
| C．How to Understand Each Other | D．How to Build up a Relationship |
3 . In early February, an old stove with rich vivid images (zaotou painting) took center stage at a village Spring Festival gala in Haiyan county, Zhejiang province.
At first, simple tools had been used to produce such art, including a selection of brushes, rulers, and paint. With people’s aesthetic appreciation growing, watercolors were used, mostly red, yellow and blue, the three auspicious (吉祥的) ones to the Chinese people.
Now many people are devoted to the inheritance and popularization of zaotou painting and more and more support has been received from various sides including local authorities.
| A．Zaotou painting has a history of at least 300 years |
| B．Villagers were occupied in building zaotou for their houses |
| C．Folk craftsmen painted to express their passions for life later on |
| D．They all consist of a base and a body that embraces inserted pans |
| E．Zaotou painting has been definitely greeting its new spring and hope |
| F．Later new materials replaced watercolors to solve the color-fading problem |
| G．The images represent people’s respect to heroes and wishes for good fortune |
4 . 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(考古的) discoveries brought international attention.
According to media reports, the museum saw over 15,000 visitors on Saturday, the first day of the Qingming Festival holidays, breaking its record for daily visitors. And on the next day, more visitors swarmed into the museum to exceed 19,800. To cope with the large flow of people, on Sunday afternoon, the official Weibo account of the Sanxingdui Museum released a message to remind visitors of avoiding rush hours or rescheduling 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 its 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 said although it was open as usual, the newly-found pits had not opened to the public yet and the newly-excavated cultural relics were still under restoration and couldn’t meet the public currently. But a hall for cultural relic conservation and restoration would be in pilot operation in April and officially opened 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 a 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 Sanxingdui Ruins were first discovered in 1934. |
| 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 holidays. |
| A．Trial. | 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 holidays. |
| D．New discoveries make the Sanxingdui Museum more popular during the Qingming Festival holidays. |
5 . As William Shakespeare is to literature in English, so is the poet Du Fu to the Chinese literary tradition. “We have Dante, Shakespeare and Du Fu. These poets create the very values by which poetry is judged,” remarked Harvard Professor Stephen Owen in Du Fu: China’s Greatest Poet, a BBC documentary that aired on April 7.
Aimed at introducing the charm and beauty of traditional Chinese literature to viewers around the globe, the documentary invited the famous British actor Ian McKellen, who played the wizard Gandalf in the film series The Lord of the Rings, to read 15 of Du’s poems that have been translated into English.
The one-hour film traces the poet’s life experiences in detail. Born in 712, Du lived in the reign of the Emperor Xuanzong of Tang(712—756), a time marked by extraordinary prosperity, inclusiveness and glorious cultural accomplishments.
However, as An Lushan’s rebel army floored the empire, the 43-year-old Du, the former civil servant at the Tang court, had to take his family out of his hometown, and faced starvation and sufferings. Through ups and downs, the poet never stopped writing and about 1,500 poems have been kept over the ages.
Even though he never held a high position in the government, Du still cared about common people. For example, in the poem My Cottage Unroofed by Autumn Gales, he wrote that “Could I get mansions covering ten thousand miles, I’d house all poor scholars and make them beam with pleasure”.
“That is why he is honored as the Poet Sage by later generations. A difficult life and his spirit of concern about the world helped him create so many masterpieces,” Shi Wenxue, a cultural critic based in Beijing, told the Global Times.
Without doubt Du is a cultural symbol of ancient China, but his brilliant works and core spirits have also inspired people outside China. As the documentary notes, his work represents a precious cultural heritage for the entire world, not just China.
1. What can we know about the documentary?| A．It introduces Shakespeare. |
| B．Du Fu is acted by Ian McKellen in it. |
| C．Its target audience is Chinese. |
| D．It shows 15 of Du Fu’s poems to the audience. |
| A．The concern about common people. |
| B．My Cottage Unroofed by Autumn Gales. |
| C．The low position in the government. |
| D．The sentence of the poem. |
| A．His work experience. |
| B．Hard life and his caring spirit. |
| C．An Lushan’s rebel army. |
| D．The Tang Dynasty’s cultural background. |
| A．Entertainment. | B．Health. |
| C．Literature. | D．Science. |
6 . We have been doing cultural and environmental studies to understand the area. We work with local people who live there, work there and know the land. Wherever we can, we avoid disturbing cultural heritage sites.
Consult with the natives
We will fully cooperate with the Inquiry by the Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia. We are also continuing to support the government of Western Australia in the review of the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 (WA). We are committed to engaging with the rest of the industry, Traditional Owners, and federal and state governments across a number of areas relating to cultural heritage approvals and processes, and the broad contribution of the resources sector to Australia.
Avoid Disturbance
Site Conservation
| A．Work with Governments in Australia |
| B．What the government can do? |
| C．Where we have to disturb land |
| D．We work with native peoples to look after cultural places or objects |
| E．Cultural mapping is closely linked to ethnographic recording. |
| F．Where an area is identified as being of high cultural significance |
| G．This can include carefully securing and managing heritage sites |
7 . 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. |
8 . Some people describe American society as a salad bowl while others think of it as a melting pot. In a bowl of salad, all the ingredients are mixed together.
From this point of view, America is very much like a salad bowl where individual ethnic groups mix together, yet maintain their cultural uniqueness. People may work together during the day at similar jobs and in the same companies, but at night they may return to their ethnic groups where their own individual culture directs their way of life.
Whether a salad bowl or a melting pot, America can be best described as a mixture of both.
| A．Both are correct depending on one’s point of view. |
| B．They never lose their shapes, colours or tastes. |
| C．This is why there is so much diversity within America. |
| D．In other words, America is a nation where there is unity in diversity. |
| E．Thus, one needs to abandon one’s culture to be considered “American”. |
| F．They serve to develop the various ethnic groups to create a new American culture. |
| G．The other theory, which is also used to describe American society, is the melting pot. |
9 . 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 |
10 . Beijing Opera is a kind of Chinese opera.
The Peking Opera band mainly consists of an orchestra and percussion (打击乐) band.
It is believed that Beijing Opera gradually came into being after 1790.
In 1828, some famous Hubei troupes came to Beijing. They often jointly performed in the stage with Anhui troupes. The combination gradually formed Beijing opera’s main melodies.
| A．Many people like to watch Beijing Opera |
| B．Beijing Opera has a 200yearlong history |
| C．Beijing Opera enjoys a higher reputation |
| D．Most of them are middleaged or elderly men |
| E．The former frequently accompanies peaceful scenes |
| F．It is widely regarded as one of the cultural treasures of China |
| G．At that time the famous four Anhui opera troupes came to Beijing |
