1 . Known locally as sakura, the cherry blossoms in Japan are popular with both locals and tourists alike. For the Japanese, sakura hold much cultural and historical significance that goes deeper than their obvious beauty.
Sakura are usually only in full bloom (盛开) for about one week.
While the cherry blossom season occurs between March and May each year, the specific time varies from region to region. Luckily, the Japanese Meteorological Corporation (JMC,日本气象厅) has done all the work.
| A．Many people hold flower-watching parties known as hanami. |
| B．The pink flowers have inspired poets, artists and soldiers for centuries. |
| C．Each year it posts forecasts of when the blooming will begin in each region. |
| D．It’s pretty easy to plan your trip around the blooming sakura. |
| E．Most people bring beer or other drinks to mark the occasion. |
| F．Cherry blossom season is one of the high seasons in Japan. |
| G．If you manage to catch the end of the blooming, you’ll see the beautiful flowers. |
2 . Father’s Day isn’t just a day for Dads to get more ties. It’s celebrated on the third Sunday of June to honor Dads, Grandfathers, stepfathers and all men who act as a father figure. Like most holidays, the origin of Father’s Day is hard to trace (追溯) but most people will agree that Sonora Dodd played a big part in starting the holiday.
Sonora Luise Smart Dodd brought up the idea of a father’s day in 1909. she wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. When Sonora’s mother died in childbirth with her sixth child, William was left to raise the newborn and five other children by himself on a farm in Washington State. As an adult, Sonora realized how strong and unselfish her dad was, who had been raising his kids as a single parent.
Sonora wanted Fater’s Day to be celebrated on the first Sunday in June, because it was close to her dad’s birthday. Instead, the first Father’s Day celebration took place on June 19, 1910 in Spokane, Washing. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson made the third Sunday of June Father’s Day. It wasn’t until 1972 that President Richard Nixon made Father’s Day a national holiday-about 60 years after Mother’s Day had been made a national holiday.
Looking for the perfect gift, Dads say some of the best Father’s Day gifts have been tools, electronics and home-made gifts. Don’t forget about gadgets(小器具)! Check out those handy gadgets and gifted ideas that will show your dad just how much you care about him. Try to stay away from ties, socks, and just not getting him anything at all!
1. Why did Sonora want a day to honor her father?| A．She thought her father was strong and unselfish as a single parent |
| B．She wanted to comfort her father after her mother died |
| C．There was a day to honor mothers but there was not a day for fathers |
| D．Her father raised his six children on a farm in Washington State |
| A．In 1909 | B．In 1910 | C．In 1912 | D．In 1972 |
| A．Father’s Day is not just celebrated for Dads but for men adults |
| B．Sonora was the first person to put forward the idea to honor fathers |
| C．At first Father’s Day was celebrated on the first Sunday of June |
| D．President Richard Nixon made Father’s Day a national holiday |
| A．Suggestions for picking up gifts for Dads | B．Reasons for not buying anything for Dads |
| C．Benefits for buying Dads gifts | D．Ways to make gifts for Dads |
3 . People from East Asia tend to have more difficulties than those from Europe in distinguishing facial expressions and a new report published online in Current Biology explains why.
Rachael Jack, University of Glasgow researcher, said that rather than scanning evenly (均匀的) across a face as Westerners do, Easterners fix their attention on the eyes.
“We show that Easterners and Westerners look at different face features to read facial expressions,” Jack said. “Westerners look at the eyes and the mouth in equal measure, whereas Easterners favor the eyes and overlook the mouth.”
According to Jack and her colleagues, the discovery shows that human communication of emotion is more complex than previously believed. As a result, facial expressions that had been considered universally recognizable cannot be used to reliably convey emotion in cross-cultural situations.
The researchers studied cultural differences in the recognition of facial expressions by recording the eye movements of 13 Western Caucasian and 13 East Asian people while they observed pictures of expressive faces and put them into categories: happy, sad, surprised, fearful, disgusted, angry, or neutral. They compared how accurately participants read those facial expressions using their particular eye movement strategies.
It turned out that Easterners focused much greater attention on the eyes and made significantly more errors than Westerners did. “The cultural difference in eye movements that they show is probably a reflection of cultural difference in facial expressions,” Jack said. “Our data suggest that whereas Westerners use the whole face to convey emotion. Easterners use the eyes more and mouth less.”
In short, the data show that facial expressions are not universal signals of human emotion. From here on, examining how cultural factors have diversified these basic social skills will help our understanding of human emotion. Otherwise, when it comes to communicating emotions across cultures, Easterners and Westerners will find themselves lost in translation.
1. What does the discovery show about Westerners?| A．They pay equal attention to the eyes and the mouth. |
| B．They consider facial expressions universally reliable. |
| C．They observe the eyes and the mouth in different ways. |
| D．They have more difficulty in recognizing facial expressions. |
| A．To get their faces impressive. | B．To make a face at each other. |
| C．To classify some face pictures. | D．To observe the researchers’ faces. |
| A．They do translation more successfully. | B．They study the mouth more frequently. |
| C．They examine the eyes more attentively. | D．They read facial expressions more correctly. |
| A．The Eye as the Window to the Soul | B．Cultural Differences in Reading Emotions |
| C．Effective Methods to Develop Social Skills | D．How to Increase Cross-cultural Understanding |
4 . The traditional Chinese solar calendar divides a year into 24 solar terms (节气). Cold Dew (寒露), the 17th solar term of the year, begins this year on Oct. 8 and ends on Oct. 23. At this time, the dew is greater and colder and there will be less rain. Autumn crops will be ripe. Here are three things you should know about Cold Dew.
Foggy autumn
Temperatures drop significantly in October. When the cold air encounters autumn rain, the abundant water vapor in the air soon reaches saturation (饱和状态), and then it turns into fog. When the humidity is high, there will be foggy regions formed in many areas of China.
Season for fishing
People always say that fishing in shallow water in autumn makes sense. That’s because during the Cold Dew period, temperatures decrease quickly and sunshine doesn’t reach deep water thoroughly. Fish swim to shallow water areas where the water temperature is relatively high.
Season for drinking chrysanthemum (菊花) wine
Chrysanthemum is the iconic flower of Cold Dew. To prevent autumn dryness, many regions in China have the custom of drinking chrysanthemum wine. This is a tradition of the Double Ninth Festival, which often falls around Cold Dew. According to ancient records, drinking wine made with chrysanthemums, poria cocos mushroom and pine oleoresin grants (给予) people long-lasting youth.
1. What is NOT the characteristic of Cold Dew?| A．Wet weather. | B．Low temperatures. |
| C．Foggy conditions. | D．Fully-grown crops. |
| A．Because fish become mature in autumn. |
| B．Because fish move slowly in cold water. |
| C．Because fish eat more in low temperatures. |
| D．Because fish tend to gather in warm areas. |
| A．Celebrating Cold Dew. | B．Relieving people from autumn dryness. |
| C．Ensuring people a stronger build. | D．Keeping people warm in low temperatures. |
5 . 24 Solar Terms: 8 things you may not know about Frost’s Descent
The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Frost’s Descent (霜降), the 18th solar term of the year, begins this year on Oct 23 and ends on Nov 6.
Frosty autumn
Eating fruit
Eating persimmons during Frost’s Descent can help people resist the cold and protect their bones. In the countryside, people believe that their lips will crack if they don’t eat persimmons during this period. The apple is one kind of recommended fruit during Frost’s Descent. Apples can moisten the lungs, quench one’s thirst and help one’s digestion.
Eating duck
It’s a custom to eat duck on the first day of Frost’s Descent in south Fujian province. There is a saying in Fujian which goes, “Even nourishing all year is not as good as nourishing the human body on the first day of Frost’s Descent.”
People in areas such as Daxin county in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region celebrate the first day of Frost’s Descent. In the Frost’s Descent Festival, the Zhuang people offer sacrifices, dance and sing folk songs. With a history of more than 360 years, the festival is to commemorate Cen Yuyin, a heroine in battles against foreign aggression.
| A．Eating chestnuts |
| B．Frost’s Descent Festival |
| C．But eating too many could be harmful |
| D．Frost’s Descent is the last solar term of autumn |
| E．Eating duck is a way for people there to gain weight |
| F．The pear is another recommended fruit during Frost’s Descent |
| G．Frost consists of white ice crystals of frozen water vapor near the ground |
6 . Guqin-making is a process that takes patience and carefulness. Patience is one of the key parts in making a guqin.” It takes about two years to finish making one,” says Sui Yiyangg, 37, who, has been applying himself to guqin-making for over ten years.
The body of a guqin is made of two parts, a fat bottom and an arched (拱形) top. The body of the instrument is carefully and repeatedly covered with a thin layer of oil paint, which can take months to finish.
The strings (琴弦) of a guqin are traditionally made of silk; today they are often specially developed into steel-and-nylon strings.
Sui learned guitar as a teenager. He was introduced to the guqin when he travelled with his father. During the seven-hour drive from Beijing to the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, he listened to the guqin recording in his father’s car and was attracted.
“The beautiful and lasting sounds of the guqin are different from the Western musical instruments I learned,” he remembers.
After returning to Beijing, he started learning the instrument. Later, he learned how to make the guqin from HAN Tingyao, now 85, a Beijing-based master artist.
Sui travels nationwide and even abroad to buy high-quality materials and tools. For example the kind and quality of the wood is very important, so he often travels to Fujian and Jiangxi provinces in search of the right materials. He gets the paint, which is used to protect the guqin from corrosion (腐蚀)，from a single place — Rentoushan, a village in Maoba township, Lichuan city, Hubei province.
Years of guqin-making experience has gifted Sui with the ability to make high-quality instruments. “Each guqin has its unique sense of reality, which you can only get to know after you feel it with your own hands,” he says.
1. Which of the following can best describe Sui Yiyang?| A．Out-going and loving. | B．Easy-going and careless. |
| C．Patient and careful. | D．Confident and responsible. |
| A．Five years ago. | B．After the trip with his father. |
| C．During a party with his friends. | D．While visiting a famous artist in Beijing. |
| A．Because he wanted to learn guitar. |
| B．Because he wished to visit the places of interest. |
| C．Because he hoped to become an artist like Han Tingyao. |
| D．Because he wanted to find the good wood of making the guqin. |
| A．People. | B．Sports. | C．Travel. | D．Nature. |
7 . 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. |
8 . In our country, it is very important for people to have Chinese traditional festivals (传统节日). They bring love and happiness to us. Let’s see what people are doing during these festivals.
| Today is Spring Festival Eve. At 7:00 p.m., Wu Ming’s family are all together at home. His grandparents are cooking. His parents are cleaning the house. He is helping them to clean the table. An hour later, they will have a big dinner together. |
| It is 9:00 p.m. on the Lantern Festival. Li Fang is going out to watch the lanterns with his cousins. There are many kinds of tiger lanterns on the street. They are so happy and having a good time. |
| Today is Dragon Boat Festival. It is 8:00 a.m. and Li Lei’s family are very busy. His father is making zongzi with his grandma. It takes them two hours to finish it. His family are watching the boat races on TV when they are eating zongzi. |
| Ling Tao and his family are in the garden now because today is Mid-Autumn Festival. They are talking with each other and sharing the story about Chang’e. It is an interesting story. At the same time, they are eating mooncakes and watching the round moon. |
| A．cleaning the house | B．watching TV |
| C．cooking the soup | D．cooking the food |
| A．Li Lei | B．Ling Tao |
| C．Li Fang | D．Ling Fen |
| A．eight in the morning | B．seven in the morning |
| C．nine in the evening | D．we don’t know |
| A．in the garden | B．on the street |
| C．at home | D．at the hotel |
| A．people clean up the house before festivals |
| B．people like to have festivals with their family |
| C．people are always spending festivals outside |
| D．people don’t like to have festivals with their family |
9 . Many international students studying abroad in America have several supposed ideas about American culture. After visiting the country, many international students showed the culture shock they received in America. Here are some culture shocks in America that most of the international students came across.
It's surprising to note that kids, the youth and adults refer to each other with their first names, This is a very uncommon sight. Many international students might find it surprising and take time to adjust to this tradition.
Another culture shock is that, in America, there could be only one or two classes a day. Usually, they’re conducted in the afternoon or in the evening. This means the students get enough time to sleep late, wake up around noon and have time for different chores (琐事). Besides, having convenience in the schedule of classes, students also enjoy long hours of breaks.
Among the many culture shocks in America, multiple languages are quite common there. Many international students would move to America, believing that the only language is English. However, that's not the case. The citizens commonly speak languages such as Spanish, French, German, Chinese and others, So if you're comfortable with any of the above-mentioned languages, you might get surprises.
Many international students are used to using kilograms, metres, litres, degrees centigrade as the units of weight, length, volume, temperature. But they might be perplexed to see a different metric system in America. There, pounds, feet and Fahrenheit are usually used as units for measurements. This system is quite puzzling to comprehend at the beginning for many international students.
Many international students might find various culture shocks in America depending on the background they come from. Thus, they may need a long time to adjust themselves to the unfamiliar environment.
1. What may make international students surprised at school?| A．Adults are often referred to with their titles. |
| B．The number of classes is fewer than expected. |
| C．Kids refer to adults with their family names. |
| D．Students can freely do different chores in class. |
| A．English there is easy to understand. |
| B．All of them can speak English fluently. |
| C．There are several other official languages. |
| D．They may be able to use their native languages there. |
| A．Interested. | B．Frightened. | C．Confused. | D．Excited. |
| A．Multicultural Experiences Are Waiting for You |
| B．International Students Are Welcome to America |
| C．Culture Shocks International Students May Experience in America |
| D．Reasons Why There Are a Large Number of Culture Shocks in America |
10 . Do you like Chinese traditional painting and dance? They are two important parts of the traditional Chinese art. But what about when they meet each other?
This year, a dance drama titled Poetic Dance: The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting (《只此青绿》) was staged on CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala and became popular.
According to CCTV, this poetic dance program was inspired by the 900-year-old Chinese painting A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains (《千里江山图》), created by Song Dynasty painter Wang Ximeng at about 18. The painting is amazing in its sweeping size, rich coloration and the expressive details, reported by CCTV. It shows a Chinese blue-green landscape: mountains and groupings of infinite (无限的) rise and fall between cloudless sky and rippling (涟漪的) water.
When the dancers moved elegantly, audiences seemed to be looking at the moving mountains and rivers. “It brings me a pure experience of beauty. It is not only a drama but also an exhibition. Vast mountains and rivers are coming to life!” Internet user Mo Weisha wrote in a review. “More than a thousand years later, green mountains and rivers still impress people as they did long ago.” Some people even decided to watch the dance again when it was staged in the theaters later. In fact, in recent years, more and more modern shows have featured Chinese traditional culture and received warm welcome. As for the reason, it is due to people’s great love for traditional culture.
“The younger generations have grown up with a more open mind. They accept Chinese culture and are proud of it,” Yao Wei, director of Henan TV Station’s Innovation Center, told China Daily.
1. What’s the writing purpose of paragraph 1?| A．To raise a question. | B．To introduce the topic. |
| C．To describe the art world. | D．To show a doubtful thought. |
| A．CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala. | B．A Chinese blue-green landscape. |
| C．Song Dynasty painter Wang Ximeng. | D．An old Chinese traditional painting. |
| A．Traditional culture is accepted and loved by people. |
| B．Green mountains and rivers greatly impress people. |
| C．The poetic dance can be staged in the theaters later. |
| D．Increasing modern shows feature Chinese traditional culture. |
| A．It explains why Chinese art enjoys popularity. |
| B．It shows us art can come to life through dance. |
| C．It highlights the beauty of Chinese traditional art. |
| D．It tells us the love for Chinese traditional painting. |
