1 . 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. |
2 . October 15th is Global Handwashing Day. Activities are planned in more than twenty countries to get millions of people in the developing world to wash their hands with soap.
Experts say people around the world wash their hands but very few use soap at so-called critical moments. These include after using the toilet, after cleaning a baby and before touching food.
Global Handwashing Day is the idea of the Public-Private Partnership for hand washing with soap. The goal, they say, is to create a culture of hand washing with soap. The organizers say all soap is equally effective at removing disease-causing germs (细菌). They say the correct way to wash is to wet your hands with a small amount of water and cover them with soap. Rub it into all areas, including under the fingernails. Then, wash well under running water. Finally, dry your hands with a clean cloth.
The Partnership says soap is important because it increases the time that people spend washing. Soap also helps to break up the dirt that holds most of the germs. And it usually leaves a pleasant smell, which increases the chances that people will wash again.
It also says that washing hands with soap before eating and after using the toilet could save more lives than any medicine. It could help reduce cases of diarrhea (痢疾), which is the second leading cause of child deaths, killing more than one and a half million children a year, by almost half.
1. What does the author intend to tell us in the passage?| A．To keep healthy by washing hands. |
| B．To wash hands with soap. |
| C．To take action to wash hands. |
| D．To wash hands often. |
a. Washing hands well.
b. Covering hands with soap.
c. Drying hands.
d. Rubbing hands with soap.
e. Wetting hands.
| A．a-c-b-e-d | B．e-d-a-b-c |
| C．a-c-b-d-e | D．e-b-d-a-c |
| A．It gives people a longer hand washing time. |
| B．It helps to remove a lot of germs from hands. |
| C．It attracts people to do more hand washing. |
| D．It gets all people into the habit of washing hands. |
| A．kills half of the kids in the developing countries a year |
| B．causes the greatest number of child deaths |
| C．can be prevented to some degree by washing hands with soap |
| D．can’t be cured without washing hands |
3 . As a child growing up in a suburban town in the Northeast of the United States, the arrival of spring had little meaning for me. Sure, we had a weeklong spring vocation from school, but the key word there was vacation, not spring.
For the kids in my neighborhood, the arrival of spring was a non-event. There were two important seasons: winter, when we could go skating and sledding or build snow forts, and summer, when we could finally make proper use of the beach about 100 meter east of my family home. Spring and autumn were just technical details, weeks and weeks of waiting for the good times’ return.
Admittedly, spring later developed its own attractions for me- “In the spring a young man’s fancy turns to thoughts of love”, as the poet Alfred Lord Tennyson noted-however, it was not spring itself, but the other stuff bat got my attention.
In short, I never thought much at all about spring.... and then I arrived in China. I had been in Beijing for about three months when my first Spring Festival rolled around, and it could hardly be ignored. Aside from the random bursts of fireworks at any time day or night, what stood out most for me was that the capital seemed to be empty.
It was as though the crowds and streams of cars and trucks commonly seen in the capital had all gone into hiding. My puzzlement cleared up when I returned to work. My colleagues explained that Chinese traditionally travel, if necessary, to visit their families during Spring Festival, and that many Beijingers were not natives of the capital.
I also got my first knowledge of something about Spring Festival that never ceases to amaze me. Regardless of when the holiday is set to begin, there is an almost immediate and sudden change for the better in the weather. Spring really does arrive.
I can’t begin to figure out how the ancient Chinese could create a system that would almost always accurately predict when the season would shift year after year after year. But they did.
1. What did the author think of spring as a child?| A．It was a season full of promise. | B．It was always beyond his imagination. |
| C．It was a tiring and long holiday. | D．It hardly left a good impression on him. |
| A．The busy traffic. | B．The unexpected quietness. |
| C．Beijingers’ love for travel. | D．Occasional bursts of fireworks. |
| A．Adorable. | B．Confused. | C．Wonderful. | D．Convenient. |
| A．Spring Festival in Beijing will make one feel quite lonely. |
| B．The author spent his first Spring Festival at a colleague’s home. |
| C．In China Spring Festival always indicates the coming of Spring. |
| D．The author still worked during the Spring Festival while in Beijing. |
4 . Let’s celebrate some festivals in summer.
The Cariwest Festival
It is one of Edmonton’s most colourful summer festivals! It’s three days of fun as Caribbean Canadians share their music, cuisine and carnival culture! Local performers bring you amazing dance, music and fun. Bring Cariwest atmosphere into your home this year with these amazing online events.
Indigenous Festival
The annual Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival (SSIF) in Edmonton has done a wonderful job to make their annual off-line festival a number of online events this year because of COVID-19. The events take place from June 1 to 21. SSIF has partnered with BMO to provide Education Days for students to learn together about indigenous history. These classes for which only a small fee will be charged include art workshops, book readings and museum tours.
Bluegrass Festival
Just 45 minutes from the heart of downtown Edmonton is the town of Stony Plain that works hard to keep ties to its agricultural background, and here you’ll see old-styled lamp posts and historical wall paintings with a long history everywhere. It’s also the site of Western Canada’s largest bluegrass festival, which has been a main attraction for more than 25 years and in July every year draws in all the big names, including Grammy winners.
Cowboy Festival
You like poetry, music, art and cowboys? Then you can’t miss it. Heading into its 24th year, Cowboy Festival in Stony Plain in August is a showcase of the cowboy life. The events include good old-fashioned BBQ meals and some other entertainment.
1. What is true about SSIF?| A．It takes place in two cities. | B．It focuses on students. |
| C．It is annually held online. | D．It is free of charge. |
| A．It’s a city with modern appearance. | B．It has produced many musicians. |
| C．It has deep roots in agriculture. | D．It often hosts national festivals. |
| A．Cowboy Festival. | B．Indigenous Festival. |
| C．Bluegrass Festival. | D．The Cariwest Festival. |
5 . The COVID-19 pandemic has been a frequent topic of conversation for most of us over the past year. As we dreamt of indoor dining, vacations, and hugging our friends again, my friend Ana texted that her mother, living in Brazil, had been infected by the coronavirus. I won’t go into details here, but the disruption to life in Brazil have been especially upsetting considering their social and cultural norms (规范).
Ana is Brazilian, and I’m from the US. While living in New York City, we became fast friends despite the few awkward cultural differences I learned to deal with. She was comfortable with intimacy; I preferred to keep my distance. She liked the company of many; I liked the friendship of few. It was awkward for me to lean in for a quick hug, only to be embraced then kissed on the cheeks. To this day, I’m not an excellent cheek kisser, but I try. She is one of many people over the years who have educated me, in a way, about delighting in cultural difference.
I called Ana to check on her mother and I was primarily curious about how social and cultural norms have been affected. It’s difficult, said Ana, because the necessary health regulations are opposite to “what we believe and everything we know about living in a community and displaying feelings of love”, but she hasn’t given up hope. I asked if the shifts made during the pandemic will change cultural norms. “Absolutely not,” said Ana. This is who Brazilians are in nature and change doesn’t happen overnight. They spend a lot of time and energy investing in relationships, and the deeply rooted social conventions won’t change quickly.
Over the years, Ana has shared many stories that emphasize the differences in our upbringing. I delight in our differences, even if kissing on the cheek makes me uncomfortable. We find our commonalities, like talking with our hands, being expressive, and valuing community. And we learn from our differences. COVID disrupted many things, but through all of this, Ana said, we must constantly be adjusting, understanding, and doing what’s best for our communities and the people we love.
1. Which of the following words can best replace the underlined word in Paragraph 1?| A．Adjustment. | B．Disturbance. |
| C．Commitment. | D．Preference. |
| A．She is good at educating other people. |
| B．She prefers to stay alone in her own comfort zone. |
| C．She enjoys the close contact with others. |
| D．It took a long time for her to make friends with me. |
| A．Because the Brazilians are born to be sociable. |
| B．Because the social conventions are easy to change. |
| C．Because the health regulations consist with her beliefs. |
| D．Because Brazilians rarely value investment in relationships. |
| A．My Attitude towards Friendship |
| B．Social and Cultural norms in the Pandemic |
| C．The Influence of COVID-19 on Life |
| D．My Acceptance of Cultural Differences |
Wedding Customs from Around the World Each traditional wedding custom is very special, because it marks the importance of the wedding. |
Brazil Important Details of the Wedding Ceremony A wedding ceremony in Brazil has many important details. For example, the bridegroom can't see the bride wearing her wedding dress before the ceremony. The bride has to use something old, something new, and something that is borrowed. One more detail is the bride's ring should be engraved the name of the bridegroom —María Celina Brandao |
Eastern Europe Asking the Girl's Father for Permission In my country, the engagement is an event previous to the wedding. One month before the wedding, the bridegroom asks the girl's father for permission to take the girl out of her family house. He goes to her house early in the morning with a band, if he can afford the expense. All the neighbours come to see the new bride and to tell her something nice —Stoyan Grigorou |
Japan A Wine Ceremony Symbolizes Dedication A Shinto wedding has a typical ceremony. A couple drinks Japanese rice wine in front of a priest. First, the bride drinks the wine from a small cup. Next, the bride passes the cup to the bridegroom and he also drinks the wine from the cup. They try to drink wine three times. This ceremony means that they promise to be dedicated to each other. —Maki Kubo |
Venezuela Promises to Love and Take Care of Each Other The most important and unforgettable event of someone's life is marriage. In Venezuela, the bridegroom has to promise his bride to love her all his life and to take care of her forever. The bride also has to repeat the same commandments. It is popular for the couple to read the promises to each other. This moment is really beautiful. In addition, the couple receives a list of commandments. —Sonia Dale |
For more, please click here. |
| A．Use something not new. |
| B．Use something someone else lends him. |
| C．Have his bride wear the ring engraved with his name. |
| D．See his bride in a wedding dress before the ceremony. |
| A．Before the wedding is celebrated. | B．After the girl is taken out |
| C．After a band is paid by the bridegroom. | D．When the neighbours arrive. |
| A．It is the priest's order in the ceremony. |
| B．The cup is not big enough to hold much wine. |
| C．It means they promise not to be against each other. |
| D．It is typical for all young Japanese to drink wine. |
7 . Kayabuki no Sato, a small village in Kyoto famous for its traditional thatched (茅草的） roof houses, features a hidden sprinkler (洒水器） system that turns the whole place into a water fountain.
Known as Miyama’s Thatched Village, Kayabuki no Sato has a higher percentage of thatched roof farmhouses than any other place in Japan. This makes it very popular with tourists, who love walking among the over 40 traditional thatched roof houses and even spending the night in one of them, but it is also easy for the houses to catch fire. Local officials realized this in the year 2000, when a fire burned down the archive (档案） centre, so apart from asking people to be alert at all time, they decided to install a special sprinkler system to cover the whole village. They test it twice a year, usually in May and December, and people from all over Japan and beyond come to see the powerful sprinklers in action.
You might think that dozens of automated sprinklers dotting a traditional Japanese village would be an eyesore, and you would be right. That is why local authorities decided to maintain the picturesque look of Kayabuki no Sato by hiding the 62 metal sprinklers in small wooden houses similar to the authentic ones. When the system is activated, the roofs of these houses open up like tiny transformers, clearing the way for sprinklers inside to shoot jets of water high into the sky.
The testing of the sprinkler system is such an impressive event that it has become known as the Kayabuki no Sato water hose festival. Strong jets of water are shot into the air by all 62 strategically-placed sprinklers, at the same time, to cover all the thatched roof houses. And if that isn’t an impressive enough sight, on sunny days, the sprinklers also create rainbows over the village.
So if you’re ever in Kyoto during the months of May and December and want to see something truly unique, head over to Kayabuki no Sato, in the Miyama rural area, for the water hose festival. You won’t regret it!
1. What do we know about Kayabuki no Sato from the passage?| A．It is famous for its water fountain. |
| B．Its archive center was once destroyed by floods. |
| C．Visitors go there mainly to see its sprinkler system. |
| D．It has the highest percentage of thatched roof farmhouses in Japan. |
| A．An unpleasant sight. | B．A creative idea. |
| C．An attractive spot. | D．A dangerous situation. |
| A．The sprinklers are tested once every year. |
| B．The sprinkler system was installed to create rainbows. |
| C．The sprinklers are kept in small wooden houses resembling real ones. |
| D．The roofs of the farmhouses open when the sprinkler system is started. |
| A．How the sprinkler system works. |
| B．What the Kayabuki no Sato water hose festival is like. |
| C．The origin of the Kayabuki no Sato water hose festival. |
| D．The influence of the Kayabuki no Sato water hose festival. |
8 . Start of Winter is the first solar term of winter, which means winter is coming and crops harvested in autumn should be stored up.
Beginning or winter or not
In ancient times, the Chinese people took the Start of Winter to be the beginning of the winter. However, in fact, the Start of Winter is not the beginning of winter in terms of meteorology. The climate every year is different.
The four beginnings of the season were important festivals in ancient times. Before the Start of Winter, the ancient emperor would take a shower and have no more meat. On that day, the emperor would lead his officials to the suburbs and perform the ceremony of welcoming the winter.
Nourishing the winter
On the day of Start of Winter, there is a custom, “nourishing the winter”, in Southeast China in places such as Fujian, Guangdong and Taiwan provinces.
Offering sacrifices (供品) to ancestors
The Start of Winter, when the autumn crops have been placed in storage，was the time of the festival for the people of the Manchu Eight Banners and Han Eight Banners in Benxi of Liaoning province.
| A．Winter Solstice is a time for the family to get Together |
| B．To prepare for the oncoming cold winter |
| C．Here are things you should know about Start of Winter |
| D．Welcoming the winter in ancient times |
| E．After this day, many places in China go through the coldest period |
| F．Incense was burned and sacrifices offered to ancestors |
| G．Therefore the beginning of winter could be quite different |
9 . Everyday wear like casual shirts, T-shirts, and jackets, embroidered (刺绣) with traditional patterns from the Yi ethnic group, staged a striking show at recent New York Fashion Week, which took place on September 4th. Chinese designer Wang Ta’s new youth collection, decorated with Yi embroidery, a Chinese intangible (无形的) cultural heritage, was a definite hit on the last night of the fashion week.
The audience was amazed by both the beautiful and mostly hand-embroidered colorful patterns and the perfect balance of modern and traditional elements. Leah Coulter, a student at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, who dressed the models for the show, said the collection was a mix of old and new and loved all the patterns and embroidery, which aroused her interest in the unique handicraft dating back thousands of years. “I need to learn more about its history, " Coulter said.
It’s not something new in the fashion world to involve China’s intangible cultural heritages as elements of design, Wang said, but it’s not easy to make them into true fashion. Intangible cultural heritages should not always be displayed in museums or only appear on souvenirs. I hope to break the stereotype through using the Yi embroidery and make them everyday, fashionable items, " Wang told the media after the show. "I think fashion is the best way to introduce culture. "
Wang’s design ideas can be traced back to both her global experience as a fashion designer in Japan, the UK and China, and her unique educational background. Before receiving her second degree in fashion from Japan’s top fashion institute Tokyo Mode Gakuen, she majored in history at ECNU（East China Normal University）in Shanghai. In order to create her collection, Wang and her team went to Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture (自治州) in southwest China’s Yunnan Province and deeply studied the culture and history of Yi’s craftsmanship to gain insight into the essence, delicacy and symbolism of Yi embroidery. But Wang’s employing the patterns, colors and techniques of Yi embroidery in her contemporary fashion designs is not a simple imitation. The combination of modern and traditional parts can’t be too striking for it to be widely accepted as everyday wear, Wang said, adding that her goal is for people, regardless of gender, color or nationality, to like her designs.
1. What made Wang Ta’s design appealing to the audience?| A．The totally hand-embroidered costumes in Yi culture. |
| B．The brilliant combination of traditional and modern parts. |
| C．The remarkable design of Chinese intangible cultural heritage. |
| D．The diversity of ethnic cultures displayed in the youth clothes. |
| A．Unique style. | B．Commercial trend. |
| C．Fixed impression. | D．Controversial type. |
| A．Her aspiration to be famous worldwide. |
| B．Her fashion educational background at ECNU. |
| C．Her working experiences in some European and Asian countries. |
| D．Her travelling experiences across ethnic regions in Yunnan Province. |
| A．A culture back to life. |
| B．China’s intangible cultural heritage. |
| C．A China’s talented designer. |
| D．The application of China’s ethnic elements in fashion. |
10 . If you look around your city, you might spot girls wearing hanfu in subways or people wearing T-shirts with Chinese characters on the streets. A new trend is taking hold in China — guochao, or “China-chic”.
It means the rise of China’s native fashion trends. It has expanded the concept of “Made in China”, which has been recognized as the representation of Chinese culture offered by homegrown Chinese brands. China chic came into the spotlight in 2018. During the 2018 New York Fashion Week, Li-Ning introduced its Taoism-inspired Wu Dao collection. The collection not only had a fashionable look, but also included elements of traditional Chinese culture. It immediately obtained attention at home and abroad. As a result, the company recorded 20 percent income growth in 2018, marking the first time the brand had hit the 10-billion-yuan mark since its founding.
Since then, the trend to hug home brands has spread rapidly to various sectors (领域) and products, from food and drinks to clothing, mobile phones and electric vehicles. For example, White Rabbit, whose sweet candy brings back childhood memories for many, launched its milk, cosmetics (化妆品) and so on. “We want White Rabbit to be a brand that young people want to share,” said Shen Qinfeng, the company’s marketing manager.
This March, several Western brands refused to use Xinjiang cotton. To show national pride and cultural confidence, the “I support Xinjiang cotton” campaign spread across the country, Many Chinese turned to Chinese home brands that support Xinjiang cotton, like Li-Ning and Anta. No matter how the guochao trend changes, there’s one thing that won’t change; Behind the story is people’s positive attitude toward the country’s development and their recognition of and growing confidence in national culture.
1. What is China-chic according to the text?| A．Increase in Chinese culture in fashion. |
| B．Young Chinese people’s preference for ancient culture. |
| C．The international popularity of products made in China. |
| D．The growing role of Chinese home brands in developing economy. |
| A．It took the lead in the world market. |
| B．It adopted Western design in its sportswear. |
| C．Its products had a trendy look with Chinese elements. |
| D．Its income hit the 10-billion yuan mark that year. |
| A．It upgraded its packaging. |
| B．It expanded into other fields. |
| C．It increased the variety of its candies. |
| D．I used childhood memories in advertisements. |
| A．Chinese products are better than Western ones. |
| B．Cheap and quality native materials are more popular. |
| C．Chinese home brands are facing a big problem. |
| D．Chinese people’s cultural confidence drives the guochao trend. |
