1 . The Chinese art of paper cutting has a long history. The earliest paper cutting was found in China in the Northern Dynasties. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO ) has recognized the art, called Jianzhi, on its Intangible (非物质的) Cultural Heritage (遗产) list. Voyo Woo, who is a Chinese student studying in the US, hopes to introduce the traditional Chinese art to Americans in her spare time.
Ms. Woo loves paper cutting. And she works hard to celebrate the ancient art form. On a recent Saturday, Ms. Woo held a paper cutting show at a shopping center near Washington. She demonstrated the art to the crowds for hours at the shopping center.
Ms. Woo began to study the art of Jianzhi as a 14-year-old girl in her hometown in southeastern China. She said all the students at school had to learn the art. However, she developed a special love for it, so her teacher gave her extra training after class. Later, she won second prize in a national painting and calligraphy competition.
After Ms. Woo came to the US, she became involved in an event to support and expand the understanding of Chinese paper cutting. She has been invited to demonstrate the art at a wide collection of events. She has also shown her skill at famous museums in Washington. Ms. Woo says paper cutting represents Chinese cultural values, history and stories of people’s lives. She uses the art as a tool to present Chinese culture to people who know little about it.
Ms. Woo placed examples of her art around her as she demonstrated paper cutting at the shopping center. Some shoppers, like Ann Russ, took part in a workshop. Ms. Russ was struck (打动) by the finely detailed nature of the work. “ I like to know about the Chinese art, specifically because it is very delicate (精致的). And I like the focus that it requires because it takes me out of everything. And we have to concentrate on something very closely. It is almost relaxing to put that much effort into it. ” Ms. Russ says.
1. What can we learn about Jianzhi from paragraph 1?| A．It is popular now in the US. |
| B．It dates from the Qing Dynasty. |
| C．It was brought back to life by immigrants (移民). |
| D．It is regarded as the cultural heritage. |
| A．To earn some money. | B．To attract more shoppers. |
| C．To celebrate an art festival. | D．To make paper cutting well-known. |
| A．The school life of Ms. Woo in China. |
| B．The story of Ms. Woo and her teacher. |
| C．Ms. Woo’s experience of learning Jianzhi. |
| D．Ms. Woo’s success in advertising Jianzhi. |
| A．She is confused about paper cutting. |
| B．She can get relaxation from paper cutting. |
| C．Paper cutting needs much energy to make. |
| D．Paper cutting takes up much of her time. |
2 . The meticulousness (一丝不苟) that drives the craftsman’s spirit, has made the arts of Japan famous worldwide. But how may this traditional spirit of perfectionism, or kodawari, have wide-ranging influences on everyday life in modern Japan?
Nagasawa Rosetsu was an ancient artist who produced Five Hundred Arhats. He drew the 500 chief followers of the Buddha in a work that measures just 3cm square, roughly the size of a postage stamp. You’ll need to take out the magnifying glass (放大镜) for this one!
Back to modern-day Japan, the most well-known modern Japanese artist is Yayoi Kusama. One of her most representative works is her large-scale spotted pumpkin sculptures. Kusama has also produced many hand-painted works with a level of detail that must have taken weeks, if not months, to complete. Having suffered from a disorder for many decades, Kusama applies herself to painting detailed patterns as a kind of treatment; the repetition involved in creating the work allows her to keep control of her mind.
When did kodawari, this Japanese’s seeking of perfection and devotion to detail begin? I suppose it was even as far back as the Heian period, which began over one thousand years ago. In her The Pillow Book, the court lady Sei Shönagon took it upon herself to write lists of objects and situations that she found to be beautiful due to their perfection.
Today there are still many examples of this single-minded devotion to one’s work in Japan. You can find shops that only produce a single product, whether it be pickled vegetables, tofu, or Mochi sweets. It’s often said that at the best sushi restaurants, apprentice (学徒) chefs will often be tasked for many years with washing and cooking the rice and perfecting this skill before they are even allowed to pick up a knife to begin slicing fish.
This single-minded devotion to one’s craft, whether it be in the field of fine art and handicrafts, or at a local sushi restaurant, is surely one of the defining characteristics of Japanese culture today.
1. What can we learn about Five Hundred Arhats?| A．It could reflect the artist’s artistic habits. | B．It may need great craft skills to finish it. |
| C．It was drawn on a small stamp. | D．It was made with fine details. |
| A．To treat her illness in a peaceful way. | B．To make full use of her talent for art. |
| C．To live a full life in her spare time. | D．To get instant fame as an artist. |
| A．The uniqueness of Japanese food. | B．The most successful industry in Japan. |
| C．The exact demands for apprentice chefs. | D．The popularity of craftsman spirit in Japan. |
| A．Who are Japan’s famous artists with craftsman spirit? |
| B．Craftsman spirit: a key part of Japanese culture |
| C．Japan’s food industry: the past and the present |
| D．How are Japan’s art works produced? |
3 . On Mother’s Day, surprising your mother with a delicious cake is a must. Before you order a cake, you need a Mother’s Day cake design.
Dessert(甜点) Chocolate Cake
Who in the world can say no to a cake that is chocolate inside? This cake design is unique—other than the chocolate, there are delicious and lovely desserts on top of it.
Price: $42, 6-inch/$58, 8-inch
Black Velvet Cake
Black is forever beautiful! And as mothers are a long preference for love and beauty, you can pick this Black Velvet Cake to surprise your mother. As beautiful as the cake looks outside, when you cut the cake, it is relaxing to see the red and black delicious layers(夹层)inside.
Price, $32, 6-inch/$42, 8-inch
Naked Rose Cake
We know you came across the thought of surprising your mom with a bunch(束)of flowers as gifts for.
Mother’s Day, and you should go with it. With the cake design that we bring here, you can take a floral surprise ahead. Three layers of baked batter, three layers of whipped cream, and the topping of real strawberries and real pink roses!
Price: $36, 6-inch/$48, 8-inch
Wafers and Chocolate Strawberries Cake
Does your mom love wafers? Is she a fan of chocolate? And is she also mad on strawberries? Breaking the usual round shape, here is a Mother’s Day cake design in a square, which is covered with breakable wafers on the sides. Also, there is white and black chocolate and fresh strawbemes on top of it
Price: $38,6-inch/$50,8-inch
1. How much does a 6-inch Dessert Chocolate Cake cost?| A．$ 36. | B．$42. | C．$48. | D．$58. |
| A．It’s black. | B．It’s sweet. | C．It’s square. | D．It’s round. |
| A．Naked Rose Cake. | B．Black Velvet Cake. |
| C．Dessert Chocolate Cake. | D．Wafers and Chocolate Strawbemes Cake. |
4 . Beijing Opera is a kind of Chinese opera which is widely regarded as one of the cultural treasures of China. With its fascinating and artistic accompanying music, singing and costumes, Beijing Opera is China’s national opera. Full of Chinese cultural facts, the opera presents the audience with an encyclopedia (百科全书) of Chinese culture, as well as unfolding stories, beautiful paintings, nice costumes, graceful gestures and martial arts. Since Beijing Opera enjoys a higher reputation and is so popular among Chinese people, especially seniors.
The Beijing Opera band mainly consists of an orchestra and percussion (打击乐) band. The former frequently accompanies peaceful scenes while the latter provides the right atmosphere for battle scenes. The commonly used percussion instruments include castanets (响板), drums and bells.
Beijing Opera has a 200-year-long history. Its main melodies originated from Xipi and Erhuang in Anhui and Hubei respectively and, over time, absorbed music and arias from other operas and musical arts such as the historic Qinqiang as well as being very strongly influenced by Kunqu, the form that preceded it as court art. Techniques from many other local operas were incorporated into Beijing Opera.
It is believed that Beijing Opera gradually came into being after 1790 when the famous four Anhui opera troupes came to Beijing. Beijing Opera underwent fast development during the reign of Emperor Qianlong and the notorious Empress Dowager Cixi under the imperial patron, eventually becoming more accessible to the common people.
In ancient times, Beijing Opera was performed mostly on stage in the open air, tea houses or temple courtyards. Since the orchestra played loudly, the performers developed a piercing style of song that could be heard by everyone. Beijing Opera is a harmonious combination of the Grand Opera, ballet and acrobatics (杂技), consisting of dance, dialogue, monologues (独白), martial arts and mime (哑剧).
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.
1. By watching Beijing Opera, audience can ______.| A．know about the 5,000 years’ history of our country |
| B．learn about different aspects of Chinese culture |
| C．know about the printing of various books in China |
| D．learn about different opinions about Chinese culture |
| A．The applause of the audience. | B．The song of the performers. |
| C．The percussion band. | D．The orchestra band. |
| A．make themselves heard | B．fit in with the orchestra |
| C．get the right to go on stage | D．have a harmonious combination |
| A．The performance of Beijing Opera. | B．The popularity of Beijing Opera. |
| C．The melodies of Beijing Opera. | D．The history of Beijing Opera. |
5 . Famous food festivals around the world
Food festivals are held all around the world every year, and people from different parts come to these festivals in large numbers to satisfy their taste buds (味蕾).
The Galway International Oyster (牡蛎) and Seafood Festival
Galway, Ireland
September 26 to September 29, 2020
This is the world’s longest running oyster festival, first appearing in 1954. Apart from the excellent seafood that is served, the festival also features some exciting events such as oyster-eating contests, live music, tasting parties, etc.
The International Mango (芒果) Festival
New Delhi, India
June 30 to July 2, 2020
This festival is a celebration of everything about mangoes. It features different kinds of mangoes and various food items that are made from them. The festival also holds a number of special events such as mango-eating competitions, mango-tasting events, quiz competitions, and plenty of traditional and folk performances.
The Garlic(大蒜) Festival
The Isle of Wight, England
August 17 to August 18, 2020
This is one of the largest events that the Isle of Wight hosts each year, and it shows recipes made from garlic. Some foods made out of garlic and garlic beer are available (可得到的) there. The festival also features live music and a country fair.
The Crave Sydney International Food Festival
Sydney, Australia
October 1 to October 31, 2020
This festival attracts a number of famous international chefs each year as visitors to experience the best of Australian food. From fine dining at famous restaurants to street food to cooking classes, this event has a lot in store for a visitor.
1. Where should you go if you want to enjoy seafood?| A．Galway | B．Sydney | C．New Delhi | D．The Isle of Wight. |
| A．The Garlic Festival. |
| B．The International Mango Festival. |
| C．The Crave Sydney International Food Festival. |
| D．The Galway International Oyster and Seafood Festival. |
| A．the Garlic Festival |
| B．the International Mango Festival |
| C．the Crave Sydney International Food Festival |
| D．the Galway International Oyster and Seafood Festival |
6 . The Argosy Christmas Ship Festival
Seattle
December 1—December 23, 2018
The Argosy Christmas Ship Festival is a ship-to-shore holiday celebration that has become a local Northwest tradition. Aboard the Christmas Ship, some of the finest Northwest choirs sing holiday greetings. These performances are broadcast via speakers to bonfire (篝火) sites and to other boats participating in the parade.
The Holiday Island Lights Festival
Friday Harbor, San Juan Island
December 1—December 31, 2018
An island-wide holiday tradition that includes local businesses decorating contests, a tree lighting ceremony on December 4 with shops staying open until 7:00 pm. On December 11, a Lighted Boat Parade starts the evening, to be followed by the Santa ship coming into Friday Harbor for the children, and shops staying open until 7:00 pm. On December 18—19 the Roche Harbor’s Christmas Festival begins at 3:00 pm and will include artists booths, Victorian carol singing, story telling, theater and dining.
The Christmas Lighting Festival
Leavenworth
December 4—December 19, 2018
This old-fashioned lighted farm implement (器具) parade, which expresses its admiration for the Yakima Valley’s agricultural heritage, including up to 35,000 lights decorating the tractor, plow or thresher! Pre-parade activities include a Christmas Tree Ceremony and other special entertainment before the parade. Join us and you’re sure to enjoy the carolers dressed in traditional turn-of-the-century attire(服装) as they wander throughout the downtown area.
Holiday with Lights
Federal Way
December 10, 2018—January 1, 2019
With over a million twinkling lights displayed throughout the park, your heart will be filled with cheer and the spirit of the season! There will be holiday light displays, festive music and strolling carolers, visiting Santa, enchanted village rides, and much more.
1. Which of the following festivals lasts the longest?| A．The Argosy Christmas Ship Festival. |
| B．The Holiday Island Lights Festival. |
| C．The Christmas Lighting Festival. |
| D．Holiday with Lights. |
| A．introduce different festivals |
| B．attract visitors |
| C．compare the advantages and disadvantages of different festivals |
| D．offer advice on how to enjoy the holidays |
| A．Astonished. | B．Tired. | C．Fresh. | D．Happy. |
7 . Have you ever had the urge to open a book and stick your nose straight into the pages? The smell of old books can refresh any book lovers. We don’t know why, but it is just pleasant to us.
Describing the smell can be a challenge. And mere adjectives will likely be of little use to future generations of historians trying to document, understand or reproduce the scent of slowly decaying books. Now, that task may have just gotten easier thanks to the Historic Book Odor Wheel.
In one experiment, researchers asked visitors at the historic library to characterize the scents they smelled. All the visitors selected words like “woody”, “smoky” and “earthy” from the list, and described the smell’s intensity and perceived pleasantness. In another experiment, the study authors presented visitors to the Birmingham Museum with eight smells — one of which was an unlabeled historic book scent and seven were non-bookish, such as coffee, chocolate, fish market and dirty clothes. The researchers then had those museum goers describe the historic book smell.
The top two responses? Chocolate and coffee. “You tend to use familiar associations to describe smells when they are unlabeled,” study author Cecilia Bembibre says.
The team even analyzed the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (挥发性有机化合物) in the book and the library. Using the data from the chemical analysis and visitors’ smell descriptions, the researchers created the Historic Book Odor Wheel to document the “historic library smell”. Main categories, such as “sweet/spicy”, fill the inner circle of the wheel; descriptors, such as “chocolate/cream”, fill the middle; and the chemical compounds likely to be the smelly source, like furfural, fill the outer circle. The researchers want the book odor wheel to be a tool that “untrained noses” can use to identify smells and the compounds causing them, which could address conservators’ concerns about material composition and historic paper conservation. And hopefully, smells of the past can be reproduced in the lab someday and museums and historians can use it to reconstruct a past we can no longer smell.
1. What is mainly talked about in the first paragraph?| A．An strange reading habit. | B．Fascination for smells of books. |
| C．Addiction to reading books. | D．A dislike for smelling books. |
| A．By referring to familiar items. | B．By using adjectives to label them. |
| C．By analysing chemical compounds. | D．By connecting them with food smells. |
| A．To record historic library smells. | B．To identify smells and compounds. |
| C．To remove the conservators’ worries. | D．To put different scents into different libraries. |
| A．Creating a whole new scent. | B．Improving the people’s sense of smell. |
| C．Restoring smells of historic documents. | D．Extracting components of “old book smell”. |
8 . 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. |
9 . There are four fun festivals throughout the year in Brazil.
Festa Junina
Festa Junina is celebrated all over Brazil for the entire month of June as a yearly celebration of Saint John. It celebrates country life with typical clothes, food and dances inside a large tent, with decorations such as colored flags, beautiful table cloths and balloons.
Oktoberfest
The Germanic roots of the south of Brazil brought this traditional German festival to Brazil, where it has become one of the most popular beer festivals. Held in the middle of October every year in Blumenau, it celebrates typical German cuisine and plenty of beer. There’re all kinds of German foods at the festival.
Festival de Cachaça
Every year in the town of Paraty, Festival de Cachaça is held for cachaça, the national alcohol (酒) made from sugarcane (甘蔗). This festival is held over a long weekend in August and it gives you a chance to try cachaça. There are also shows of samba (桑巴舞) and food trucks. It’s also a great opportunity to get to know the beautiful town of Paraty.
Parintins Folklore Festival
The festival held every year in Parintins is the second largest in Brazil after the carnival. It goes over a period of three days at the end of June and celebrates the Amazonian legend of a resurrected ox (复活的牛). The main attraction of the festival is the competition between the two teams Garantido and Caprichoso that compete to retell the story of the ox through a mix of dancing and singing.
1. Which festival lasts the longest time?| A．Oktoberfest. | B．Festa Junina. |
| C．Festival de Cachaça. | D．Parintins Folklore Festival. |
| A．Taste German food. | B．Watch shows of samba. |
| C．Drink the national alcohol. | D．Listen to the story of the ox. |
| A．They are yearly activities. |
| B．They enjoy global popularity. |
| C．They focus on food and dancing. |
| D．They are celebrated all over Brazil. |
10 . New Zealand’s amazing scenic beauty plays host to some amazing music, food, and cultural festivals throughout the year. Below are some best festivals in New Zealand to add to your wish list.
Wellington on a Plate
When: 20th-21st November, 2022
Where: Wellington
Entry Fee: Free of charge
Wellington on a Plate is an impressive food festival in New Zealand which is not limited to just one place. Wellington’s restaurants, venues, and even car parks become hosts to this wild celebration. Hamburgers are a popular food choice in Wellington. Besides them, creative cocktails, wines, and over 100 exciting events also wait for you.
Rhythm & Alps
When: 29th December, 2022
Where: Robrosa Station, Wanaka, South Island
Entry Fee: INR 5,000-34,000
Are you crazy about mountains and music? Rhythm & Alps is a festival that you can plan a road trip to. It is one of the camping festivals in New Zealand that could bring together world-class bands, DJs and festival-goers to welcome the coming year.
Rhythm and Vines
When: 28th-31st December, 2022
Where: Waiohika Estate, Gisborne
Entry Fee: INR 20,500-34,000
Gisborne is the first city in the world to see the New Year, as it is on New Zealand’s East Cape. A 3-day-long international music festival, Rhythm and Vines, is held there to welcome the first sunrise of the New Year.
Victorian Fete
When: 21st November, 2022
Where: Victorian Precinct, Oamaru
Entry Fee: INR 700
Victorian Fete is a good occasion during which festival-goers take a step back in time to the Victorian time. Festival-goers show up in Victorian full dress during the celebration. Have your spare time enjoying tasty food, wine, beer, and world-class whisky at one of the exciting New Zealand traditional festivals.
1. What is special about Wellington on a Plate?| A．It’s free to the locals. |
| B．It’s known for its road trips. |
| C．It’s held at various locations. |
| D．It’s an excellent music festival. |
| A．They’re good choices for camping fans. |
| B．They require the same fee for admission. |
| C．They fall on the first few days of the year. |
| D．They are intended to celebrate the New Year. |
| A．Victorian Fete. | B．Rhythm & Alps. |
| C．Rhythm and Vines. | D．Wellington on a Plate. |
