1 . The old Chinese saying "as happy as spending the New Year" might be outdated now in the busy modern world. The Spring Festival is regarded as the most important festival for Chinese people and an occasion for all family members to get together, like Christmas in the West. But many traditional customs accompanying the Spring Festival, however, have weakened in practice.
Setting off fireworks was once the most typical custom of the Spring Festival. People thought the sputtering(爆裂) sound could help drive away evil spirits. However, the activity has been completely or partially forbidden in big cities for years as the government has taken security, noise and pollution factors into consideration.
"In recent years, some cities have begun to allow people to light fireworks during limited hours at the Spring Festival, surrendering to(屈从于) public demand. Respecting folk traditions is a gesture of respect toward public opinion," said Zhou Xing, a folklore researcher.
"As people gain more income and it becomes easier to buy daily goods, the New Year holiday is just like any other. After long workdays, many people use the New Year holiday to take a rest, rather than visiting friends and neighbors. The process of making and enjoying the family dinner on Spring Festival Eve is the most important thing. However, many families would like to eat out to save time and energy," said Li Shunzhi, a resident of Harbin, Heilongjiang.
"I enjoy the holidays very much in the countryside. My family has been preparing for the Spring Festival more than two weeks before the holiday, cleaning the house, buying holiday goods and decorating the house with paper cuttings. On New Year’s Eve, the whole family stays up to see the New Year in, and in the days to follow, a series of activities such as lion dancing, dragon lantern dancing, lantern festivals and temple fairs will be held. Without the ancient traditions, the holiday is nothing to us," said Zhang Hui, from Hebei.
1. Which of the following is WRONG according to the passage?| A．Setting off fireworks has been forbidden in some big cities for years. |
| B．Nowadays, people can light fireworks in some cities at the Spring Festival. |
| C．People believe that the sound of fireworks can drive away evil spirits. |
| D．In the past, setting off fireworks couldn’t be seen almost anywhere. |
| A．what people do during the festival now is different from the past |
| B．people would like to have the family dinner on Spring Festival Eve |
| C．people prefer to visit friends and neighbors rather than take a rest |
| D．the New Year holiday is just like any other day |
| A．Zhang Hui often spends two weeks preparing for the Spring Festival. |
| B．Zhang Hui is used to spending the Spring Festival with his family. |
| C．Zhang Hui always takes part in a series of activities after the Spring Festival. |
| D．Zhang Hui lives in the urban area. |
| A．The Spring Festival is as lively as before. |
| B．The Spring Festival is outdated now. |
| C．The Spring Festival is losing its qualities. |
| D．The Spring Festival in China is more important than Christmas in the West. |
2 . Each time Chinese New Year is approaching, preparations are underway around the world. Here are some Chinatowns for those outside of China wishing to mark the day.
London
Although it may not be as large or as long-built as others, having only become a center for the Chinese community during the 1950s, London’s Chinatown is perfectly formed little firework that knows how to see in the year with a bang. Decorated with red lanterns, previous years have seen shows with acrobatics（杂技）, martial arts（武术）,dance and opera nearby.
San Francisco
San Francisco’s Chinatown is perhaps the most famous in the United States. The city was the main entry-point for Chinese who had crossed the Pacific to the USA during the early 19th century. Between the Grant Avenue and the Stockton Street, this historic area is a local treasure, attracting more visitors per year than the Golden Gate Bridge.
Bangkok
With an about 100-year-old history, the Thai capital’s Chinatown contains complex streets offering all kinds of tasty treats, clothes, toys and antiques. Sunday market days are such a good time to get the full atmosphere of the neighborhood. The area is also known for its gold dealers, whose shops line the road.
Mauritius
Found in Port Louis, this Mauritian Chinatown shows the island nation’s rich multicultural diversity. Established in the early years of the 20th century by settlers from China, its tiny shops and restaurants serve locals and visitors. During the Chinese Spring Festival, the most exciting sight is the Dragon Dances on Rue Royale when Chinese musicians and dancers perform the traditional lion dances through the streets.
1. According to the text, which of the following has the longest history?| A．London’s Chinatown. | B．San Francisco’s Chinatown. |
| C．Mauritius’s Chinatown. | D．Bangkok’s Chinatown. |
| A．It is crowded with Chinese restaurants. | B．It is the major entrance for the Chinese. |
| C．It is well-known for its gold business. | D．It is when you can enjoy fireworks. |
| A．Rue Royale in Port Louis, Mauritius | B．the Sunday market in Bangkok |
| C．the Grant Avenue in San Francisco | D．the Chinese community in London |
3 . It has been around for centuries, but up until very recently, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) wasn’t fully accepted abroad. Proof of this can be found in The Treatment (《刮痧》), a 2001 film that tells the story of a Chinese man in the US who’s accused of abuse after he uses guasha, a form of TCM treatment, to cure his grandson’s disease.
During the last 10 years or so, however, TCM has been getting increasingly popular all over the world. A report released by the State Council Information Office on Dec. 6 says this style of health care, which includes different forms like herbal medicine and exercise, has spread to 183 countries and regions.
“We have set up 10 TCM centers outside China, and all of them are popular among locals,” Wang Guoqiang, head of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said at a news conference on Dec 6. “Governments of 86 countries and regions have signed agreements with the Chinese government on TCM corporation.”
One of the reasons behind the growing popularity of TCM is the increase of scientific research into it. And after Tu Youyou, the Chinese scientist who discovered the anti-malaria (抗疟疾) drug qinghaosu (青蒿素), won the Nobel Prize in 2015, TCM became even more famous internationally.
However, all these achievements in TCM don’t mean that it’s problem-free. Over the years, TCM has faced challenges in being able to prove that it has certain effects.
Some researchers have suggested TCM should be more exact and work together with Western medicine.
“Bringing together with Western medicine and TCM, rather than being in competition, is where the potential for great effects is,” said Bernhard Schwartlander, the China representative of the World Health Organization.
1. The film The Treatment is mentioned in the first paragraph to .| A．introduce the film to readers |
| B．show TCM is increasingly popular |
| C．arouse readers’ interest in Western medicine |
| D．prove that TCM is not fully accepted in western countries |
| A．TCM is not exact in curing diseases |
| B．10 TCM centers abroad are all set up by locals |
| C．86 countries have cooperated with China on TCM |
| D．Tu Youyou’s success contributes to the popularity of TCM |
| A．combine western medicine | B．face no challenge at all |
| C．give an exact description of its effects | D．compete with western medicine |
| A．A report on TCM | B．Opinions about TCM |
| C．TCM spreads | D．TCM & Western Medicine |
4 . The traditional British pub is part of the scenery of British life. At a recent count, there are around 50000 of them in the UK, some of which date back to as far as the 5th and 6th centuries. The oldest---Ye Olde Fighting Cocks in St. Albans---was established in 795.
Because of their abundance, the names pubs take were designed to be memorable---but more than that, they were designed to be visual. Outside any traditional pub worthy of its title, you’ll find a hanging signboard with a unique illustration(插图)that represents the name of the business. The practice is so well established that even new pubs copy it. But why do they exist at all?
The first British pub signs were created in the 12th century and were simple representations of beer containers and other brewing-related equipment used to inform passersby that establishments sold beer. This was Britain in the dark ages, when education was in short supply. Since most of the population were unable to read, pub signs were used to inform would-be customers that they could find a drink inside.
The earliest uses of pub names would reference the sign directly. People would arrange to meet “at the sign of the Eagle and Child” rather than “at the Eagle and Child.”
Today the tradition remains unchanged largely out of respect for the past, but many pub signs do have some functionality. Remote country pubs often use signboards to point the way to their doors from more trafficked(可贩卖的)paths. It’s a part of British culture that’s rapidly disappearing---more than 20,000 pubs have closed since 1980—but for now there are still more than enough around that you can take a moment to appreciate the history and symbolism behind a pub’s sign the next time you see one.
1. What is special about British pub signs?| A．They copy famous art | B．They show British life |
| C．They have unique pictures | D．They include the history of the pub |
| A．inspire passersby | B．inform passersby |
| C．educate passersby | D．entertain passersby |
| A．size | B．style |
| C．material | D．purpose |
| A．The history of British pubs |
| B．The importance of British pub signs |
| C．Why British pubs have illustrated signs |
| D．Why British pubs are unpopular nowadays |
5 . In the U. S., speaking more than one language fluently is not very common except in Los Angeles, California.
The city has one of the largest population in the U. S. of young people between the ages of 18 and 34. This generation is often called millennials (新千年一代). More than half of millennials in Los Angeles are bilingual (双语的), which means they speak more than one language.
Maria Elena Burgos is cooking a Mexican breakfast. She says making Mexican food is just one of the many traditions in her home. Another is speaking Spanish to her children.
“We want them to be bilingual. We want to keep the Spanish somewhere in their learning too, not only at home.”
When Ms Burgos first came to the United States from Mexico, she learned English. She knew her children would learn English quickly. So she wanted them to speak Spanish at home and study the language at school.
She says being bilingual will give them more opportunities in the future. Knowing Spanish also means the children can talk with their relatives in Mexico.
“When we had our children, one of the decisions we as parents made was to name them with a name that was easily pronounced in English and Spanish.”
Elizabeth wants to know her family’s culture.” “The culture-to go back to our roots because that’s part of who we are.”
Monica wants to pass on the culture to her children.
“It’s nice to know our culture and then to be able to pass it onto our children and grand- children and everyone to let them know where we come from.”
And, Monica says she does not speak only English and Spanish. She has even learned some Korean in school.
1. Which of the following is a tradition of Maria?| A．Cooking breakfast for her relatives. |
| B．Talking with her children in Spanish. |
| C．Talking with her relatives in Spanish. |
| D．Forcing her children to speak Spanish. |
| A．She doesn’t care where she comes from. |
| B．She looks forward to learning Spanish. |
| C．Everyone should know his own culture. |
| D．She doesn’t like American culture. |
| A．It can give children more chances in the future. |
| B．It can make children feel proud before their friends. |
| C．It can give the children a chance to go to a good college. |
| D．It can let children go to the places where they want to go. |
| A．To entertain the readers with a funny story. |
| B．To inform the readers of a shocking experiment result. |
| C．To encourage more persons to learn a second language. |
| D．To tell a truth that many people in Los Angeles are bilingual. |
A 60-year-festival, in Oman’s Dhofar area, draws about 50,000 people dressed in all kinds of clothes every night for dance competitions, musical performances and exorcisms(驱魔). In the middle of the clouds, people celebrate Oman’s diverse culture of Arab, African and Asian roots.
Officials in Dhofar started the monsoon festival in 1998. “The monsoon festival now draws performers from 40 countries,” said festival director Talal al-Massahli. He added that 60 percent of the visitors come from Oman, while the rest come from nearby countries such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
Salem Ashoor, leader of the local Ahmad al-Kabir Sufi order, said various(各种)groups use the festival to share their cultures. The Sufi order for example, performed a musical exorcism in front of almost 500 people.
Khalid al-Najar is a weather expert. He explains that the mountains around Salalah, Dhofar’s capital city, trap wetness from the Indian Ocean monsoon. Air pressure pockets above Saudi Arabia and Tibet drive air currents(气流)to Oman. These weather currents create a unique(独特的)environment, which has heavy fogs and green mountains and coasts.
Thomas Wagmann, on holiday from Dubai, said, “Compared to Dubai, this Dhofar area is wonderful because you can be outdoors all the time. You don’t even have to worry about sunburn because there’s no sun.”
1. What does the underlined word “diverse” in paragraph 2 mean?
| A．Active | B．Different | C．Amazing | D．Merry |
| A．Different cultures | B．Fairy stories |
| C．Fashion shows | D．Local music and dances |
| A．The beautiful natural scenery of Oman |
| B．The reason why tourists come to Oman |
| C．The Oman’s special geographic position |
| D．The cause of Oman’s unique climate during the festival |
| A．The same weather as Dubai | B．The beauty of the country |
| C．Its sunless weather | D．Its sunny climate |
7 . Christmas can easily become an expensive time of a year. From gifts to decorating, the money spent on the celebration adds up quickly. But there's no reason to completely break the bank.
Make a budget (预算). Set the amount you're willing to spend for the holiday, including gift giving, decorating and travel.
Start shopping for Christmas decorations early. Stores have sales for decorations between Halloween and Thanksgiving.
Shop for gifts all year round. Whenever you're out shopping, keep an eye out for great Christmas presents.
Scale down (缩减) your gift giving. Sometimes you just can't afford to get something for everyone. Remove the people from your list whom you rarely speak with.
| A．Send them simple cards instead. |
| B．This budget is perfect for many people. |
| C．Once you have a budget set, keep to it. |
| D．And it's after Thanksgiving that the prices begin to go up. |
| E．Christmas is known as the season of giving, sharing and receiving. |
| F．There are ways to celebrate well and spend wisely at the same time. |
| G．It doesn't matter when you get the gift, whether it's January or June. |
8 . Where to enjoy a picture-perfect white Christmas?
Quebec City, Canada
When the narrow streets of Quebec City are covered in snow, it feels like you’ve wandered into a beautiful Victorian Christmas card which has come to life. Enjoy the friendliness of this charming Canadian city with joyous outdoor concerts, holiday markets and Quebec Adabra — an evening festival of music, lights, animation (动画) and architectural projections held city-wide.
London, England
The capital is bursting with holiday cheer. Bright Christmas lights brighten up Oxford Street, Covent Garden and Carnaby Street. Skating people can go for a seasonal spin in Somerset House, Hyde park, Canary Wharf and the Tower of London. Love holiday music? St. Martin-Fields hosts an inspiring line-up of Christmas concerts while London’s most famous Christmas tree entertains visitors in Trafalgar Square.
Prague, Czech Republic
Prague’s beautiful architecture provides a dramatic setting for its Christmas activities. At the foot of the Church of Our Lady before Tyn, the Old Town Christmas market sells Christmas gifts and treats to the thousands of shoppers who visit it each December. Carol (圣诞颂歌) singers perform seasonal favourites while a well-decorated Christmas tree adds to the joyous atmosphere.
Rovaniemi, Finland
For a storybook Christmas, Rovaniemi in Finland is hard to beat. Lapland’s capital becomes a winter wonderland. The area is lit by the impressive northern lights，and they can be witnessed around the city from mid-August to early April. This magical place is also the official home of Santa Claus himself and visitors of all ages can meet everything about Christmas at Santa Claus Village right at the Arctic Circle.
1. Why does the author mention the Victorian Christmas card?| A．To indicate Quebec City is beautiful. |
| B．To show it always snows at Christmas. |
| C．To tell us Christmas is a lively holiday. |
| D．To suggest that we buy Christmas cards. |
| A．In Oxford Street. |
| B．In Covent Garden. |
| C．In Canary Wharf. |
| D．In Trafalgar Square. |
| A．The unique gifts offered to tourists. |
| B．The great architecture of Prague. |
| C．The Old Town Christmas market. |
| D．A well-decorated Christmas tree. |
| A．Its scenery attracts visitors of all ages. |
| B．It is a winter wonderland full of magic. |
| C．Its Christmas celebrations last long. |
| D．It is where Santa Claus comes from. |
9 . In a society such as the United states or Canada, which has many national, religious, and cultural differences, people highly value individualism—the differences among people. Teachers place a lot of importance on the qualities that make each student special. The educational systems in these countries show these values. Students do not memorize information. Instead, they work individually and find answers themselves. There is often discussion in the classroom. At an early age, students learn to form their own ideas and opinions.
In most Asian societies, by contrast, the people have the same language, history, and culture. Perhaps for this reason, the educational system in much of the Orient reflects society’s belief in group goals and purposed rather than individualism. Children in China, Japan, and Korea often work together and help one another on assignments. In the classroom, the teaching methods are often very formal. The teacher lectures, and the students listen. There is not much discussion. Instead, the students recite rules or information that they have memorized.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both of these systems of education. For example, one advantage to the system in Japan is that students there learn much more math and science than American students learn by the end of high school. They also study more hours each day and more days each year than North Americans do. The system is difficult, but it prepares students for a society that values discipline and self-control. There is, however, a disadvantage. Memorization is an important learning method in Japanese schools, yet many students say that after an exam, they forget much of the information that they have memorized.
The advantage of the educational system in North American, on the other hand, is that students learn to think for themselves. The system prepares them for a society that values creative ideas. There is , however, a disadvantage. When students graduate from high school, they haven’t memorized as many basic rules and facts as students in other countries have..
Students in the US and | Students in China, Japan and Korean | |
What do they value? | ||
Ways of study | working individually | listen to the teachers |
forming their own ideas and opinions | memorizing and | |
a lot of discussion in the classroom | not much discussion | |
Learning to think for themselves | learning much more math and | |
studying more hours each day and more days each year | ||
good for a society that values | good for a society valuing | |
disadvantages | students haven’t memorized many basic rules and facts when before | Information is forgotten easily |
10 . With more recognition than Halloween and less than Christmas,Valentine’s Day as an imported festival faces a dangerous situation in China,where it’s caught between forces of tradition and fashion.Valentine’s Day has a natural enemy in China.And it is not the Chinese equivalent,which falls on the seventh day of the seventh month on the lunar calendar,usually around half a year away from February 14.It is the Spring Festival,also known as the Chinese New Year,that will influence the Feast of Saint Valentine.
The real disagreement between East and West probably took place over a century ago,when China’s door was forced open by Western powers and Chinese scholars supported westernization as a means to strengthen our nation's ability to compete.The introduction of the solar calendar and Western measurements was both an acknowledgment of their influence and an effort to be accepted by the world order.
For a full century,we have had two systems running in parallel.When it comes to the eventual outcome, practicality usually beats all other concerns.Laws can help,such as the three traditional festivals of Tomb Sweeping, Dragon Boat and Mid-Autumn gaining legal status in 2008 and giving every Chinese citizen a day off,but laws cannot push what people have no feelings for.Therefore,the celebration or boycott of imported holidays or homegrown ones should be no cause for worry.If they are irrelevant,no social media will change the public's mind; and if they are accepted,there must be a need which they happen to satisfy.
Since we have no global Qin Shihuang to force one system on every country,we can always rely on a dual (双重的) approach by which we share with the outside world on one hand but preserve our own ways of life on the other.
1. What does the author think about Valentine's Day in present China?| A．It meets with a natural enemy. |
| B．It is better known than Christmas. |
| C．It strongly attacks Chinese culture. |
| D．It is more popular with young people. |
| A．current laws | B．people’s needs |
| C．public media | D．age-old tradition |
| A．the conflict between the East and the West will last long |
| B．Chinese festivals are to be paid more attention to in years |
| C．both Chinese and foreign systems of festivals can co-exist in China |
| D．this cultural shock is normal and will be received by more people in the future |
