1 . Rebecca Williams, 42, from Australia, has been doing dubbing (配音) work in Beijing for many years. When she was very young, she would unconsciously imitate other peopled voices, not to make fun of them, but more out of habit. “My voice has always been very changeable, depending on who I’m talking to,” she said. She never expected this habit to land her a dubbing job in China in the future.
At 18, Williams was an exchange student at the University of the Nations in Hawaii, the U. S. Like most new adults, she was thinking about what to do with her life. Then, a group of exchange students from China visited the school. “They were sharing everyday life in China. As they were talking, something inside me got lit on fire,” she said. At that time, she realized her future would lie in China.
After graduation, Williams came to China and got into dubbing by chance. At this point, she has dubbed for nearly 100 English teaching films, TV shows and movies. Williams has cooperated with the StarTimes. The StarTimes has a TV network in more than 30 African countries. Most of the TV shows she has dubbed for are shown in African. “I think it’s a really great way to bridge cultures, to allow people abroad to watch some of the plays that Chinese people watch, and have a better understanding of Chinese life, but in a language they can understand,” Williams said.
Williams has lived in China for twenty years. She used to visit Australia once every two years. Luckily, there’s no time difference between her hometown of Esperance and Beijing. And thanks to advanced mobile networks, she can just pick up her phone and video chat with her family whenever they feel like it. “That helps me a lot,” Williams said.
Williams has become more and more at home in China and she sees China as her second hometown.
1. Why did Williams imitate other people’s voices?| A．It was her usual behavior. |
| B．She expected to find a dubbing job in China. |
| C．She enjoyed showing her unique talent. |
| D．She did it just to make fun of them. |
| A．Embarrassed. | B．Bored. | C．Excited. | D．Confused. |
| A．It calls for teamwork. |
| B．It’s helpful to cultural exchanges. |
| C．It’s more attractive to foreigners. |
| D．It requires a set of excellent skills. |
| A．Williams’ connection with her family. |
| B．Williams’ plans for the next few years. |
| C．Williams’ best wishes to her hometown. |
| D．Williams’ addiction to the mobile phone. |
2 . Where to Eat on Christmas Day in London?
Bob Bob Ricard
The best choice for smaller child-free parties—or pairs—that think of Christmas as an excuse to enjoy distinctly adult treats, let’s say: caviar, oysters, steak, followed by cheese and fries, all washed down with wine (ordered by pressing a button, obviously).
Location: 1 Upper James St, Soho, London W1F 9DF, UK
Contact: 020 3145 1000
Min Jiang Restaurant
If a typical modern Chinese banquet (宴会) is required to refresh the family’s Christmas spirit, book a table atop the Royal Garden Hotel and look out over Hyde Park while sharing a feast that includes traditional Chinese dishes. Since it’s Christmas, it’s probably worth going all out by pre ordering a whole or hall Beijing (Peking) duck, too.
Location: 2-24 Kensington High St, Kensington, London W8 4PT, UK
Contact: 020 7361 1988
The Alexandra
A special case: The Alexandra in Wimbledon offers a wonderful Christmas dinner to anyone spending Christmas Day alone, no charge under whatever circumstances. It is a place of spirit, refuge, and generosity.
Location: 33 Wimbledon Hill Rd, Wimbledon. London SW19 7NE, UK
Contact: 020 8947 7691
The Pem
Sally Abé’s newest restaurant is serving up a classic three courses in Westminster, for £130 a head (children under six, free if accompanied by adults). Guests can choose between smoked sea fish and crab mousse or a special ham for a starter, with bee Wellington or a plate of goose coming as main dishes, followed by Christmas pudding and ice scream. We offer a 10% discount if the total cost is over £500.
Location: 22-28 Broadway, London SW1H 0BH, UK
Contact: 020 3301 8080
1. Which number should you dial if you love Chinese food?| A．020 3145 1000. | B．020 7361 1988. | C．020 8947 7691. | D．020 3301 8080. |
| A．A family banquet. | B．A wine party. | C．A living place. | D．A free dinner. |
| A．£468. | B．£520. | C．£585. | D．£650. |
3 . 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. |
4 . Gabriela worked for a multinational company as a successful project manager in Brazil. Later she was transferred to manage a team in Sweden. She was excited about her new role but soon realized that managing her new team would be a challenge.
Despite their friendliness, Gabriela didn’t feel respected as a leader. Her new staff would question her proposals openly in meetings. When she gave them instructions on how to carry out task, they would often go about it in their own way without checking with her. When she announced her decisions on the project, they would continue giving their opinions as if it were still up for discussion.
What Gabriela was experiencing was a cultural shock in expectations. Dutch psychologist Geert Hofstede uses the concept of “power distance” to describe how power is distributed in different cultures. In her previous work environment, Gabriela was used to a high power distance culture where power is respected. In such a culture, leaders make the big decisions and are not often challenged. Her Swedish team, however, were used to working in a low power distance culture where employees often work together with their bosses to find solutions and make decisions. Here, leaders act as coaches who encourage independent thought and expect to be challenged.
When Gabriela became aware of the cultural differences between her and her team, she took the initiative(主动权)to have an open conversation with them about their feelings about her leadership.
Pleased to be asked for their thoughts, Gabriela’s team openly expressed that they were not used to being told what to do. They enjoyed having more room for initiative and creative freedom. When she told her team exactly what she needed them to do, they felt that she didn’t trust them to do their job well.
With a better understanding of the reasons behind each other’s behaviour, Gabriela was able to make adjustments to her management style. Finally she effectively motivated her team to achieve their goals.
1. What problem did Gabriela face with her Swedish team at the beginning?| A．Her Swedish staff didn’t understand her instructions. |
| B．Her authority was challenged by her Swedish staff. |
| C．They were always refusing to follow her directions. |
| D．They looked down upon her because she was a female. |
| A．Professional spirit and risk-taking behaviour. |
| B．Independent thinking and friendly atmosphere. |
| C．Active participation and creative thinking. |
| D．Competitive spirit and mild character. |
| A．Kind but changeable. | B．Strict but trustworthy. |
| C．Flexible and communicative. | D．Stubborn and forceful. |
| A．Birds of a feather flock together. | B．Don’t judge a book by its cover. |
| C．Two heads are better than one. | D．When in Rome, do as Romans do. |
5 . It is reported in the national press that a letter written by Charles Darwin in 1875 has been returned to the Smithsonian Institution Archives (档案馆) by the FBI after being stolen twice.
“We realized in the mid-1970s that it was missing,” says Effie Kapsalis, head of the Smithsonian Institution Archives. “It was noted as missing and likely taken by an intern (实习生), from what the FBI is telling us. Word got out that it was missing when someone asked to see the letter for research purposes, and the intern put the letter back. Then the intern likely took the letter again once nobody was watching it.”
Decades passed. Finally, the FBI received a tip that the stolen document was located very close to Washington, D.C. Their art crime team recovered the letter but were unable to press charges (起诉) because the time of limitations had ended. The FBI worked closely with the Archives to determine that the letter was both authentic and definitely Smithsonian’s property.
The letter is in fairly good condition, in spite of being out of the care of trained museum staff for so long. “It was luckily in good shape,” says Kapsalis, “and we just have to do some minor things in order to be able to unfold it. It has some glue on it that has coloured it slightly, but nothing will prevent us from using it. After it is repaired, we will take digital photos of it and those will be available online. One of our goals is to get items of high research value or interest to the public online.”
It would now be difficult for an intern, a visitor or a thief to steal a document like this. “Archiving practices have changed greatly since the 1970s,” says Kapsalis, “and we keep our high-value documents in a safe that I don’t even have access to.”
1. Darwin’s letter was gone from the Archives in the 1970s because ________ .| A．someone borrowed it for research purposes | B．it was sent out for careful repair |
| C．someone might secretly took it away | D．it was made into a picture and kept in a safe |
| A．They arrested the suspect immediately. |
| B．They proved that the letter was the original. |
| C．They received a tip about the document. |
| D．They made criminal charges but failed the case. |
| A．Ordinary people will have access to reading it online. |
| B．The Archives will arrange an exhibition of the letter. |
| C．The letter will be reserved for research purposes only. |
| D．Security measures will get improved to protect the letter. |
| A．An Intern Was Charged with Theft | B．A Missing Letter Was Returned |
| C．An Exhibit Was Repaired with Efforts | D．A Criminal case Was Solved |
6 . Mount Lushan, bordered on the north by the Yangtze River and on the south by Poyang Lake, presents the whole scene of the river, hills and lake. The beauty of Mount Lushan has attracted spiritual leaders, scholars, artists and writers for over 2,000 years.
Mount Lushan is one of the spiritual centers of Chinese history. Buddhist and Taoist temples fit effortlessly into an amazingly beautiful landscape. More than 200 historic buildings are located in Lushan National Park. Temples have been built and extended many times to create an ongoing centre for religion and study.
Huiyuan, who created Pure Land Buddhism at Lushan's Donglin Temple, began a period of the localization of Buddhism in China. Zhu Xi put new strength into the White Deer Cave Academy in Lushan. He made it the model for the popularization of Confucian idealist philosophy (儒家理想主义哲学）and the model of academy-based education in the Song and Ming Dynasties. His influence continued in over 700 years of Chinese history after the Song Dynasty. The Confucian idealist philosophy explained by Zhu Xi, and his educational pattern, spread as far as Japan, Korea, Indonesia and else-where, and have played a very important role in the global history of education.
Lushan National Park has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. It preserves the unique elements(元素) and characteristics of Mount Lushan’s creation, development and tradition. The elements include cultural, historical and natural ones such as ancient sites, stone paintings and poems dating to different historic periods. Temporary or partial damage to the ecological environment can be quickly and effectively repaired. Thus, Mount Lushan permanently preserves the value of this “famous cultural mountain”.
The Lushan Scenic and Historic Interest Administrative Bureau (LSHIAB) focused on the sustainable(可持续的) development of the heritage (遗产), and increased the protection and management of the scenic area. Both mid-term and long-term plans for protecting the heritage scientifically have been made. Additional efforts to research the proper use of the heritage have been made. Environmental management and development projects are being tightly controlled. The right balance between heritage protection and tourism development has been kept, making it possible for the sustainable development of the heritage.
1. What proved Mount Lushan's position as a spiritual center in the past?| A．Its outstanding education. | B．Its religious architecture. |
| C．Its wonderful landscape. | D．Its political influence. |
| A．It had a great international influence. |
| B．It was popular before the Song Dynasty. |
| C．It was closely connected with Buddhism. |
| D．It reshaped the world view of Chinese people. |
| A．Its place as a tourist destination. |
| B．Its cultural exchanges with foreign countries. |
| C．The special plans to preserve its unique elements. |
| D．The balance between its protection and development. |
| A．Art. | B．People. | C．Culture. | D．Science. |
7 . Chinese paper cutting or, “jianzhi” is the art of cutting paper designs, and the cut-outs are also used to decorate doors and windows, so they are sometimes called “chuang hua”. Paper cutting has long been a symbol of Eastern charm.
There are symmetrical (对称的) designs that are usually created by some folding and cutting. When unfolded, it forms a symmetrical design. Chinese cut-outs are normally symmetrical and are usually in an even number series of 2, 4, 24. etc.
The oldest surviving paper cut-out is a symmetrical circle from the early 6th century found in Xinjiang, China. From the 7th to 13th century, paper cutting became popular especially during Chinese festivals. The art spread to the rest of the world in the 14th century. Throughout the Qing Dynasty many paper cutting skills were developed including drafting and the use of smoked paper. By the end of the Qing ruling however, paper cutting was once on the decline because new art forms were being introduced. The People’s Republic of China later tried to revive the art in the 1980s.
Today, paper cut-outs are chiefly decorative. They decorate walls, windows, doors, columns, mirrors, lamps and lanterns in homes and are also used on presents or are given as gifts themselves. Entrances decorated with paper cut-outs are supposed to bring good luck. Paper cut-outs used to be used as patterns, especially for embroidery (刺绣).
There are two methods of manufacture (加工): one uses scissors, and the other uses knives. In the scissor method, several pieces of paper—up to eight—are fastened together. The image is then cut with sharp, pointed scissors. Knife cuttings are fashioned by putting several paper on a relatively soft foundation consisting of a mixture of oil and ashes. Skilled crafters can even cut out different drawings freely without stopping.
1. When can the existing oldest paper cutting date back to?| A．About 1,500 years ago. | B．About 1,600 years ago. | C．About 1,400 years ago. | D．About 600 years ago. |
| A．Survive. | B．Restore. | C．Copy. | D．Fix. |
| A．History. | B．Origin. | C．Uses. | D．Process. |
| A．The History of Paper Cutting | B．A Brief Introduction to Paper Cutting |
| C．Paper Cutting—the Eastern Charm | D．Paper Cutting—Unbelievable Skilled Crafters |
8 . The “24 solar terms” (节气) originated and was first used in China. It was created thousands of years ago on the basis of practical needs of agricultural. Ancient Chinese people used it to guide agricultural production, explain special climate signs and even come up with healthy living tips. Last year, the 24 solar terms was added to UNESCO's world cultural heritage list(联合国教科文组织世界文化遗产名录). Now, it has been brought to life thanks to a creative designer from Southwest China's Guizhou Province.
On the eve of this year's Qingming Festival, Shi Changhong released (发布) his version of reproduced and packaged characters for each solar term in the form of “moving art” of gifs. Since their first release on Zcool on March 29, the gifs have won great praise among the general public and quickly flooded the social media with millions of hits during the festival period.
To maximize publicity, Shi released his work in three forms: the video, the animation and pictures. The background sounds add to the brilliance.
“When I watch the short video, I can strongly feel the Chinese-style elements hidden in it. And it is really cool to liven up traditional Chinese culture in such a unique way.” WeChat user Xiao Feifei said.
“It is really a comfort to me to see so many people like my latest work. To be honest, it would really surprise me if the work had not aroused great interest among Chinese people. The 24 solar terms is a deeply rooted concept that covers the essence of Chinese wisdom. However, only a small portion of people know all the names or the correct order of those terms. My intention is to increase Chinese people’s self-awareness to learn more about our traditional fine culture. Actually, the 24 solar terms work is only a part of my whole design program ‘Charm China’, which I started a year ago.” Shi told China Daily.
1. Which part of the newspaper does the text probably belong to?| A．Travel. | B．Culture. | C．Agriculture. | D．Education. |
| A．Newspaper. | B．Magazine. |
| C．Radio broadcast. | D．Website. |
| A．The background sounds of the work make the video more attractive. |
| B．It really surprised Shi Changhong to see so many people like his latest work. |
| C．Most people know all the names or the correct order of the 24 solar terms. |
| D．The 24 solar terms work designed by Shi Changhong was added to UNESCO’s heritage list. |
| A．To introduce a creative designer. |
| B．To introduce the 24 solar terms work. |
| C．To introduce the origin of the 24 solar terms. |
| D．To introduce a design program “Charm China”. |
9 . Diaolou — The Watchtower-like Houses in Kaiping City
This morning we’ll drive 1.5 hours to visit the unique “Diaolou”houses in Kaiping City. You will feel puzzled when hearing the word Diaolou, don’t you?
Kaiping is a small city in Guangdong Province, which has long been known as the native land of a great many overseas Chinese. They, you know, are nostalgic people having a strong feeling of longing for home.
| A．Diaolou is becoming more and more beautiful |
| B．Now let me tell you something about Kaiping Diaolou |
| C．Kaiping Diaolou is listed as a key cultural relic protected by the state |
| D．Why did they have their houses built into a structure of a watchtower |
| E．Those overseas Chinese firmly supported the construction of their hometown |
| F．So, the overseas Chinese would come back to buy a piece of land to build their houses |
| G．Second, the Kaiping area is a stretch of low-lying land and floods were a frequent occurrence |
10 . Beneath its protective cranes (起重机), Notre Dame (巴黎圣母院）still reflects the horror that appeared here three years ago. Since then, workers have been clearing the ruins and protecting the structure. Forty thousand tubes of the steel framework were melted into strange shapes in the big fire. Each damaged piece was cut away one by one.
Now for the first time, thoughts are turning to the reconstruction (重建). A thousand trees have been chosen to rebuild the roof, named “the forest” for its huge number of rafters (木橡).Some of them are more than twenty meters tall to prop up the huge space inside the church.
“The trees have been specially selected for Notre Dame. Smaller tree branches will be used to rebuild the main rafters. Big ones will go to reconstruct the top.”Lucy Williamson, a BBC reporter said, “Each tree is marked, measured and planned to a place in the reconstruction. The one, whose trunk is almost a metre across, would have come up soon after the French Revolution.” Renaud Trangosi from the National Forests Office showed, “This is the historic tree of our forests. We're proud to see the work we do is meaningful. If the trees havea second life in the new Notre Dame forest, so much the better.”
A second life came for some statues, which had been taken from the church’s top for routine restoration days before it fell down in flames. Their survival, says the workshop’s director, helped persuade officials to choose the same reconstruction as the old style over a new design.
There was a time that night when firefighters thought Notre Dame was lost and its survival was measured in minutes. However, today, it’s measured in tree trunks, manpower and frameworks. The great reconstruction of it isn’t fully described by numbers or words.
1. What happened to Notre Dame?| A．Some trees were planted in it. |
| B．It was damaged in a big fire. |
| C．Its reconstruction finished well. |
| D．There were strange shapes near it. |
| A．Divide. | B．Enter. | C．Support. | D．Explore. |
| A．Uncertain. | B．Unfriendly. | C．Doubtful. | D．Positive. |
| A．Notre Dame is being rebuilt. |
| B．Notre Dame is a famous place. |
| C．People saved Notre Dame from a big fire. |
| D．The officials will give Notre Dame a new design. |
