1 . A perfect performance of Chinese Shaolin Kung Fu amazed hundreds of audiences in Bowers Museum in US Southern California on Sunday.
This Kung Fu demonstration by Shaolin monks (僧人) was a highlight of the 2023 Shaolin Cultural Day, a rare cultural event for the Orange County community in Southern California.
“The event offers a unique opportunity for the Orange County community to actively engage with Shaolin culture and gain firsthand experience in various Shaolin activities,” said Anne Shih, chairwoman of the Board of Governors of Bowers Museum. “Whether it’s learning from Kung Fu masters or enjoying interactive Shaolin activities, these experiences will help audiences to experience the Chinese culture and better understand Chinese traditions,” Shih said.
With a history of over 1, 500 years, Shaolin Kung Fu is one of China’s most treasured cultural heritage items, and has been practiced by Kung Fu lovers around the world.
Larry Lee, a 72-year-old resident of Orange County, said he has been practicing Kung Fu for over 50 years. “The traditional Chinese martial arts have deep intelligence in it. They relate to a way of life that goes much deeper than just fighting.” Lee said besides Kung Fu, he is also interested in Chinese medicine and other elements of the Chinese culture.
The 2023 Shaolin Cultural Day served as a fitting finale (场) to the 2023 Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, providing a platform to honor and appreciate the contributions of the AAPI community.
“The event will help people of other communities to be better informed about China and the Chinese culture, and therefore developing understanding and friendship,” said Cultural Counselor (参赞) of the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles Wang Taiyu. “We hope through such activities, we can promote friendship between Chinese and American peoples, and contribute to China-US relations.” he said.
1. What can we infer about Shaolin Kung Fu from paragraphs 1 and 2?A.It was performed on a school’s playground. | B.Orange County didn’t enjoy it often. |
C.Its performance lasted two weeks. | D.Its attracted vistiors all over the world. |
A.Helping Southern Californians learn Chinese quickly. |
B.Helping audiences become Kung Fu masters through practice. |
C.Helping audiences have a better knowledge of Chinese traditions. |
D.Helping Orange County attract more Kung Fu lovers around the world. |
A.They include wisdom in them. |
B.They focus mainly on fighting. |
C.They represent Chinese culture and history. |
D.They inspire you to be expert at Chinese medicine. |
A.To stress the importance of communities. | B.To advise how to understand each other. |
C.To compare different cultures. | D.To build up better friendships. |
2 . It’s been nearly two decades since the traditional clothing style Hanfu first started to reemerge in China. Since then it has gone from a small cultural movement celebrating an ancient fashion to a trend that is booming on social media, having been adopted by China’s Generation Z as a means of connecting with their past. Instead of following other cultures blindly, Generation Z now have different opinions about what trend is by promoting local culture while having an objective view of exotic cultural products.
The new tastes of Generation Z—young people born after 1995—are well represented on Bilibili. In the recent New Year’s Eve gala presented by Bilibili, it attracted more than 100 million views within 48 hours with a colourful set of programmes ranging from Peking Opera to classical Chinese cartoons. The same is also true of movie industry. Last year, for the first time, the top 10 most viewed films in China were all domestic films, while the ticket sales for imported films have dropped to only 16.28 percent.
”Generation Z grew up with the rapid development of China and under good economic conditions. With the development of the Chinese Internet industry, they have more access to diverse international information and culture, which bring them a much broader vision and makes them more open and confident in analyzing foreign culture. Apart from taking pride in China’s rapid development, this generation also pursues individuality and values devotion to the country,“ Professor Zhang Yiwu said.
He also noted that the popular rock and punk culture pursued by the 70s and 80s generation is more of a challenge against real life and local culture. Some people who were born in the 1970s and 1980s did not grow up in the Internet age—they experienced the transformation of China going from poor to rich first-hand. This kind of longing and admiration of the West came from a lack of confidence.
However, Generation Z now have the confidence to look at Western culture with equal status. This kind of cultural confidence will result in China being more active and creative in its development on the international stage in the future.
1. What does the underlined word ”exotic“ in Paragraph 1 mean?A.Foreign. | B.Fashionable. | C.Traditional. | D.Elegant. |
A.To confirm the rise of new media. |
B.To promote Chinese Internet industry. |
C.To highlight the popularity of domestic art. |
D.To show the popularity of New Year’s Eve gala. |
A.They have a stronger cultural identity. |
B.They are longing for cultural diversity. |
C.They have made China develop rapidly. |
D.They are more fond of foreign culture. |
A.Confident China, Better Future |
B.China’s Progress Results in Cultural Confidence |
C.China’s New Generation Redefine Local Culture as Trendy |
D.Hanfu Style, Connector of Ancient Fashion and Modern Trend |
3 . Chinese fancy knots (中国结), also called Chinese knots, are very important in Chinese culture. They began as a form of traditional art in the Tang and Song Dynasties (朝代) in China, and became popular in the Ming Dynasty. Long ago, they found their way to Japan and other Southeast Asian countries, and were well received there. Now they are regarded as one of the symbols of Chinese culture.
As for the name itself, it is surely meaningful. The Chinese word for “knot”, jie, means “connection”. And the pronunciation of the Chinese word jie is very close to that of ji, “good luck”. As a result, Chinese knots are used as a way to express people’s strong wishes for marvellous things like happiness, love and good luck.
The knots are used widely in everyday life. They come in different sizes. Small ones are connected to jewellery (珠宝), clothes and gifts in order to draw people’s attention, while large ones are used to make a living room or study more beautiful. Whether large or small, they are named after their shapes and usages. For example, Double Coin Knots are called Shuangqian Jie because they are in the shape of two ancient Chinese coins, meaning “good things come in pairs”. Besides, Chinese knots are famous for their bright colors. Different colors have different traditional cultural meanings. Red means good luck and happiness, green means health, and yellow means wealth.
All in all, the famous Chinese fancy knots fully show the Chinese culture. These brightly colored knots with their endless chains (链条) of knots mean that life on earth will continue forever.
1. What did the writer want to express in this passage?A.Ask people to buy Chinese fancy knots. |
B.Introduce a traditional Chinese art form. |
C.Teach people how to make a Chinese knot. |
D.Describe the usages of Chinese fancy knots. |
A.pronunciation | B.size | C.shape and meaning | D.color |
A.The Chinese word for “knot” means “luck”. |
B.Chinese knots became popular in the Song Dynasty. |
C.All of the Chinese knots have the same sizes and colors. |
D.Chinese knots mean that life on earth will continue forever. |
A.Chinese Culture | B.Chinese Knots | C.Chinese Colors | D.Chinese Life |
4 . While the term cultural heritage is used to refer to both physical and intangible qualities, it is not limited to physical objects. It can also refer to beliefs, traditions, language, and food. These are often passed down from generation to generation.
It is important to recognize that cultural heritage is not limited to physical objects and monuments. It also includes living expressions of culture inherited from our ancestors. Intangible cultural heritage refers to knowledge and practices related to the environment and traditional crafts.
As cultural heritage is a part of a culture, it can be protected. However, if someone is trying to patent a design, you have to ensure that you do not copy it.
A.They are a source of pride and identity for a society. |
B.Cultural heritage includes the inheritance of a culture. |
C.These can be valuable as a tool for future generation. |
D.Cultural heritage is a vital part of any society. |
E.It is an important part of international policy. |
F.First, consider what cultural heritage is. |
G.The same is true of cultural objects. |
World Sleep Day, organized by the World Sleep Day Committee of the World Association of Sleep Medicine since 2008, is on March 21 every year. World Sleep Day is to celebrate the benefits of good and healthy sleep.
Sleep quality plays an important role in people’s health. Researchers say that there are a lot of advantages (优点) if we always get enough sleep. We can be smarter, thinner, healthier and more cheerful. Also we’re to have better skin, better memories and longer lives.
When you lose even one hour of sleep for any reason, it will influence (影响) your performance the next day.
In general, adults need to sleep at least eight hours of sleep a night, but a recent survey found that, on workdays, only 21% of them really get a full eight hours of sleep and another 21% get less than six. For teenagers, a healthy sleep is about eight to nine hours per night. However, about 80% of high school students don’t get enough sleep because of their schoolwork or some bad habits.
Twenty-seven percent of people in the world have sleep problems. Now there are over 80 kinds of sleep disorders (紊乱), and most people know little about their danger. So, for our good life and work, it’s necessary for us to realize the importance of sleep and try to have a good sleep.
1. When is World Sleep Day?2. How many hours should a teenager sleep every night according to the writer?
3. Why don’t most high school students get enough sleep?
4. What percent of people have sleeping problems in the world?
5. What can you learn from this passage?
6 . Why did Chinese people have more than one name in ancient times?
In ancient China, people’s names had three parts, their family name, given name and courtesy name. Take famous poet Li Bai for example. His family name, which came from his father’s name, was Li. His given name was Bai, and his courtesy name was Taibai.
People used their given names when they were among family members. But in social life, they called each other by their courtesy names to show respect. This was mostly done among people of similar ages. If you were talking about yourself, or if your elders were talking about you, the given name would be used instead of the courtesy name.
Men would get their courtesy names when they turned 20. It was a symbol of adulthood (成年礼). Women would get their courtesy names after getting married.
One’s courtesy name often had something to do with one’s given name. For example, the name of Mencius was Meng Ke. His courtesy name was Ziyu. Both Ke and Ziyu mean “carriage (马车)”. Zhuge Liang’s given name was Liang, which means “bright”. His courtesy name was Kongming, which means “very bright”.
1. How many parts are there in people’s names in ancient China?A.3. | B.4. | C.5. | D.6. |
A.To show their love. | B.To show their good relationship. |
C.To show their kindness. | D.To show their respect. |
A.Family name. | B.Nickname. |
C.Given name. | D.Courtesy name. |
A.By telling stories. | B.By giving examples. |
C.By comparing differences. | D.By listing numbers. |
7 . The traditional Chinese solar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Start of Autumn, the 13th solar term of the year, begins this year on Aug.8 and ends on Aug.22. Start of Autumn reflects the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. The following are 4 things you should know about Start of Autumn.
“Autumn Tiger”
Although Start of Autumn indicates the beginning of autumn, hot weather will not come to an end. The period of hot days after Start of Autumn, usually lasting for 30 days, is called “Autumn Tiger” or “Indian Summer. ” Because of decreasing rainfall, it is even much hotter during this period than during Major Heat.
Fleshing out in autumn
On the first day of the Start of Autumn, usually people will weigh themselves and compare their weight to what it was at the Start of Summer. If one has lost weight during the summer, then at the beginning of autumn, he or she needs to flesh out by eating many different kinds of delicious food, especially meat.
Gathering crops
Start of Autumn is a big solar term for farmers. It is time to gather crops. There is a saying: If it rains on the day of the Start of Autumn, a good harvest is expected.
Eating peaches
In Hangzhou, people eat peaches on the Start of Autumn day. The peach stones are kept until New Year’s Eve and thrown into the stove, burned into ash. People believed that in this way, plagues (瘟疫) could be prevented for the whole year.
1. Which is about the weather of Start of Autumn?A.“Autumn Tiger”. | B.Fleshing out in autumn. |
C.Gathering crops. | D.Eating peaches. |
A.Weigh themselves more often. | B.Take exercise more frequently. |
C.Put on more weight in autumn. | D.Consume more fresh vegetables. |
A.To keep away from bad luck. | B.To cure infectious diseases, |
C.To plant peaches in the new year. | D.To pray for a healthy new year. |
8 . The Rise of “China-chic”
Over past years, guochao, or “China-chic” has been gaining popularity among Chinese consumers. Guochao conveys the cultural heritage and values of China.
The idea of guochao was first borrowed from some international brands, and began to win over Chinese consumers in 2015.
In its third stage, guochao became more common in everyday life. Over the past decade, guochao has expanded from consumer goods to experiential products. As consumers are showing greater interest in cultural identity and creativity, productions like the TV program National Treasure, and the dance show Night Banquet in Tang Dynasty Palace integrate cultural and historical elements with the latest audio-visual technologies.
Nowadays, guochao is moving to the next stage. No matter how the trend evolves, Chinese people’s positive attitude toward the country’s development and their recognition of and growing confidence in national culture won’t change.
A.The trend grew in the following years |
B.They give the viewers a totally new experience |
C.The next stage saw the rise of China’s native fashion trends |
D.It also expresses national pride and confidence in a new era |
E.The second period of guochao mainly features hi-tech sectors |
F.Its success will rely first and foremost on gaining cultural confidence |
G.The concept of “Made in China” was recognized as the representation of Chinese culture |
9 . The Double Ninth Festival falls on the ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. According to tradition, we should celebrate the festival by going mountain climbing. How many people today still keep this tradition?
Finally, traditional festivals area source of national pride and help shape (塑造) our national identity. For example, we celebrate the Hanshi Festival and the Lab a Festival with unique customs, and these shared experiences bring us together as a people.
Traditional festivals have been passed down to us from previous generations. It is the duty of every one of us to protect them for generations to come.
A.Many young people celebrate western festivals. |
B.Traditional festivals can help develop our economy. |
C.Traditional festivals teach us a lot about our nation’s history. |
D.People will come back home even if they live very far away. |
E.Traditional festivals tell us who we are and fill us with pride in being Chinese. |
F.In modern society, many traditional Chinese festivals are becoming less and less popular. |
G.If we don’t pay much attention to these traditional festivals, some customs may fade away. |
10 . Portland Rose Festival 2021
May, 2021
Multiple Locations in Portland
The Portland Rose Festival, for more than a hundred years,begins the summer with Memorial Weekend festivities. The celebration lasts about two weeks and includes fireworks, all-floral and light parades, a city fair, boat races, a half marathon, live music, fleet week and ends with the Rose Cup Races. Children enjoy the Junior Rose Festival with their own parade and a royal court. The Rose Festival Court is made up of high school girls as part of a scholarship program.
Rocklahoma Music Festival 2021
May, 2021
Catch the Fever Music, Pryor, Oklahoma
The annual rock festival, known as Rocklahoma, is back for another rockin’ year! The rock festival takes place in Pryor, Oklahoma over several days. The festival is an outdoor, all-ages event. The show is divided into four main stages, with the biggest names in rock taking over. Concert-goers are encouraged to camp out on the grounds and stay close to the action.
Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival 2021
June, 2021
Manchester, Tennessee
Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an iconic annual event in Manchester, Tennessee that features four days of assorted styles of music, art, camping, comedy and much more. There is plenty of music, art, comedians and other activities to keep everyone moving in this great, friendly atmosphere. The view is amazing, the festival is life changing and attendance is growing each year.
Tomorrow world 2021
September, 2021
Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia
Tomorrow world is an unforgettable venue based on Belgium’s Tomorrow land. Hidden deep in the forest of Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia, the landscape is breathtaking full of lush green foliage. As a result, their annual festival is a perfect mix of nature and creative fun.
1. Which festival should you go if you want to get close to nature?A.Portland Rose Festival. |
B.Rocklahoma Music Festival. |
C.Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. |
D.Tomorrow world. |
A.They have a history of over 100 years. |
B.They will be held in the same month. |
C.They have a half marathon race. |
D.They are divided into four main stages. |
A.They can take part in boat races. |
B.They can listen to live music. |
C.They can have their own parade. |
D.They can take part in running races. |