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.

2. What pushed the poetic dance?

A．CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala.	B．A Chinese blue-green landscape.
C．Song Dynasty painter Wang Ximeng.	D．An old Chinese traditional painting.

3. Why did this poetic dance enjoy welcome?

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.

4. What’s the main idea of the whole text?

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 . It’s been nearly two decades since the traditional clothing style Hanfu first started to reemerge in China. Since then it has gone from a small cultural movement celebrating an ancient fashion to a trend that is booming on social media, having been adopted by China’s Generation Z as a means of connecting with their past. Instead of following other cultures blindly, Generation Z now have different opinions about what trend is by promoting local culture while having an objective view of exotic cultural products.

The new tastes of Generation Z—young people born after 1995—are well represented on Bilibili. In the recent New Year’s Eve gala presented by Bilibili, it attracted more than 100 million views within 48 hours with a colourful set of programmes ranging from Peking Opera to classical Chinese cartoons. The same is also true of movie industry. Last year, for the first time, the top 10 most viewed films in China were all domestic films, while the ticket sales for imported films have dropped to only 16.28 percent.

”Generation Z grew up with the rapid development of China and under good economic conditions. With the development of the Chinese Internet industry, they have more access to diverse international information and culture, which bring them a much broader vision and makes them more open and confident in analyzing foreign culture. Apart from taking pride in China’s rapid development, this generation also pursues individuality and values devotion to the country,“ Professor Zhang Yiwu said.

He also noted that the popular rock and punk culture pursued by the 70s and 80s generation is more of a challenge against real life and local culture. Some people who were born in the 1970s and 1980s did not grow up in the Internet age—they experienced the transformation of China going from poor to rich first-hand. This kind of longing and admiration of the West came from a lack of confidence.

However, Generation Z now have the confidence to look at Western culture with equal status. This kind of cultural confidence will result in China being more active and creative in its development on the international stage in the future.

1. What does the underlined word ”exotic“ in Paragraph 1 mean?

A．Foreign.

B．Fashionable.

C．Traditional.

D．Elegant.

2. Why is Bilibili mentioned in Paragraph 2?

A．To confirm the rise of new media.

B．To promote Chinese Internet industry.

C．To highlight the popularity of domestic art.

D．To show the popularity of New Year’s Eve gala.

3. What do we know about Generation Z from the passage?

A．They have a stronger cultural identity.

B．They are longing for cultural diversity.

C．They have made China develop rapidly.

D．They are more fond of foreign culture.

4. What can be a suitable title for the passage?

A．Confident China, Better Future

B．China’s Progress Results in Cultural Confidence

C．China’s New Generation Redefine Local Culture as Trendy

D．Hanfu Style, Connector of Ancient Fashion and Modern Trend

3 . The Sanxingdui Museum in Southwest China’s Sichuan Province enjoyed huge popularity during the three-day Qingming Festival holidays by receiving nearly 20,000 visitors on the peak day, after the new archaeological(考古的) discoveries brought international attention.

According to media reports, the museum saw over 15,000 visitors on Saturday, the first day of the Qingming Festival holidays, breaking its record for daily visitors. And on the next day, more visitors swarmed into the museum to exceed 19,800. To cope with the large flow of people, on Sunday afternoon, the official Weibo account of the Sanxingdui Museum released a message to remind visitors of avoiding rush hours or rescheduling their visiting time.

The Sanxingdui Museum showcases various kinds of precious cultural relics unearthed at the site, such as the 2.62-meter-tall standing statue, 1.38-meter-wide bronze mask, and 3.95-meter-high bronze tree. Earlier on March 20, Chinese archaeologists announced some new major discoveries made during the 37th excavation (挖掘) since its last excavation 35 years ago. The ruins were first discovered in the late 1920s and first excavated in 1934. More than 500 important cultural relics have been unearthed in the six newly-found pits. Since the new discoveries were known to the public, the number of people visiting the Sanxingdui Museum has increased sharply.

The museum said although it was open as usual, the newly-found pits had not opened to the public yet and the newly-excavated cultural relics were still under restoration and couldn’t meet the public currently. But a hall for cultural relic conservation and restoration would be in pilot operation in April and officially opened on May 18. Visitors to it can see how the relics are restored, according to Zhu Yarong, vice director of the Sanxingdui Museum.

Dating back about 3,000 years, the Sanxingdui Ruins have shed light on the ancient Shu civilization and cultural origins of the Chinese nation, and have been regarded as one of the most important archaeological discoveries in the 20th century.

1. What mainly brought about a surge in tourists visiting the Sanxingdui Museum?

A．Tourists’ enthusiasm.

B．Sichuan Province’s policy.

C．The Qingming Festival holidays.

D．New archaeological discoveries.

2. What is TRUE according to the text?

A．The Sanxingdui Ruins were first discovered in 1934.

B．Newly-excavated cultural relics on display attracted tourists very much.

C．The Sanxingdui Museum reacted immediately to the large flow of tourists.

D．Tourist numbers reached the peak on the first day of the Qingming Festival holidays.

3. What does the underlined word “pilot” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Trial.

B．Private.

C．Official.

D．Personal.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．The Sanxingdui Museum gives tourists insights into Chinese history.

B．Chinse people make full use of the Qingming Festival holidays to travel.

C．The Sanxingdui Ruins are a perfect tourist attraction over the Qingming Festival holidays.

D．New discoveries make the Sanxingdui Museum more popular during the Qingming Festival holidays.

4 . As William Shakespeare is to literature in English, so is the poet Du Fu to the Chinese literary tradition. “We have Dante, Shakespeare and Du Fu. These poets create the very values by which poetry is judged,” remarked Harvard Professor Stephen Owen in Du Fu: China’s Greatest Poet, a BBC documentary that aired on April 7.

Aimed at introducing the charm and beauty of traditional Chinese literature to viewers around the globe, the documentary invited the famous British actor Ian McKellen, who played the wizard Gandalf in the film series The Lord of the Rings, to read 15 of Du’s poems that have been translated into English.

The one-hour film traces the poet’s life experiences in detail. Born in 712, Du lived in the reign of the Emperor Xuanzong of Tang(712—756), a time marked by extraordinary prosperity, inclusiveness and glorious cultural accomplishments.

However, as An Lushan’s rebel army floored the empire, the 43-year-old Du, the former civil servant at the Tang court, had to take his family out of his hometown, and faced starvation and sufferings. Through ups and downs, the poet never stopped writing and about 1,500 poems have been kept over the ages.

Even though he never held a high position in the government, Du still cared about common people. For example, in the poem My Cottage Unroofed by Autumn Gales, he wrote that “Could I get mansions covering ten thousand miles, I’d house all poor scholars and make them beam with pleasure”.

“That is why he is honored as the Poet Sage by later generations. A difficult life and his spirit of concern about the world helped him create so many masterpieces,” Shi Wenxue, a cultural critic based in Beijing, told the Global Times.

Without doubt Du is a cultural symbol of ancient China, but his brilliant works and core spirits have also inspired people outside China. As the documentary notes, his work represents a precious cultural heritage for the entire world, not just China.

1. What can we know about the documentary?

A．It introduces Shakespeare.

B．Du Fu is acted by Ian McKellen in it.

C．Its target audience is Chinese.

D．It shows 15 of Du Fu’s poems to the audience.

2. What does the underlined word “That” in paragraph 6 refer to?

A．The concern about common people.

B．My Cottage Unroofed by Autumn Gales.

C．The low position in the government.

D．The sentence of the poem.

3. What inspired Du’s creation most according to Shi Wenxue?

A．His work experience.

B．Hard life and his caring spirit.

C．An Lushan’s rebel army.

D．The Tang Dynasty’s cultural background.

4. In which section of a website may this text appear?

A．Entertainment.	B．Health.
C．Literature.	D．Science.

5 . Some people describe American society as a salad bowl while others think of it as a melting pot. In a bowl of salad, all the ingredients are mixed together.    1     Together, however, the ingredients make up a unity. All the ingredients of a salad contribute to the finished product. They may be covered with the same dressing (调味酱), but the green vegetables, tomatoes and cooked corn can all be seen for what they are.

From this point of view, America is very much like a salad bowl where individual ethnic groups mix together, yet maintain their cultural uniqueness. People may work together during the day at similar jobs and in the same companies, but at night they may return to their ethnic groups where their own individual culture directs their way of life.    2     Each ethnic group has its own special customs, language, food and traditions to protect and defend. This idea of the salad bowl is referred to as cultural diversity; that is, American society is a collection of various cultures living together in harmony within one country.

    3     Here, society is like one large pot of soup. All cultural aspects are mixed together, sacrificing their original identity and keeping a bit of what they were to become a new reality. The longer the soup is cooked, the better the taste and the more likely it will be for the mixture to dissolve. In this sense, America can surely be seen as a melting pot where people from all over the world come to live and work together forming one nation. There are dozens of shared symbols.     4     In such a culture, symbols like the flag and the nation’s official song serve to break down the walls which separate ethnic groups.

Whether a salad bowl or a melting pot, America can be best described as a mixture of both.    5    

A．Both are correct depending on one’s point of view.

B．They never lose their shapes, colours or tastes.

C．This is why there is so much diversity within America.

D．In other words, America is a nation where there is unity in diversity.

E．Thus, one needs to abandon one’s culture to be considered “American”.

F．They serve to develop the various ethnic groups to create a new American culture.

G．The other theory, which is also used to describe American society, is the melting pot.

6 . No one can believe that the over 6, 300­kilometer Great Wall might disappear some day. Believe it or not, the Great Wall is being destroyed by people. Less than 20 percent of the Great Wall built in the Ming Dynasty, is still perfect, but about 80 percent is in danger. The Great Wall can be called “great” mostly because of its amazing length. But we should realize that the length was made up of one brick at a time. If we do nothing to save the Great Wall, it will become a series of separate wasteland rather than a historic site.

The Great Wall is actually a series of walls built and rebuilt by different dynasties over the past 2, 000 years. It began in the rule of China’s first emperor, Qin Shihuang of the Qin Dynasty (221BC—206BC), and lasted into the Ming Dynasty. The parts built before the Ming Dynasty have nearly disappeared. People are familiar with sections such as Badaling in Beijing and Jiayuguan Pass in Gansu, because they have been open to tourists for many years. But those sections far away from the public eyes have been almost forgotten.

Few local people knew the 3-­meter­high walls made of earth and stones beside them are parts of the Great Wall. The lack of knowledge is considered as one of the main reasons behind human.

The bricks on the Great Wall are carried off by countryside people to build their houses, sheep corrals and pigsties. Some were taken away to build roads. Bricks carved with people’s names are put away as remembrances. The rubbish is spread over the battlements. The brick can be sold 15 yuan per tractor load. Those who destroyed and are destroying the Wall know its name, but are not clear about its cultural meaning. It will take a long time to let them know this. The local farmers not only carried off the body of the Wall but also dug out the entire base.

It is necessary to protect the Great Wall. First of all, the officials should be aware of the importance of the Great Wall. Young Chinese should know more about the nation’s great civilization and learn to love it.

1. Why does the writer say the Great Wall might disappear?

A．It is useless from now on.

B．It is too old to be used again.

C．It will be replaced by a new one.

D．Some parts of it are being destroyed.

2. The underlined part “those sections far away from the public eyes” (in Para. 2) refers to the parts of the Great Wall ________.

A．nobody can watch

B．that are too far to be seen

C．that are too difficult to find

D．that are not well­-known to the public

3. What’s the main reason of the Great Wall being destroyed?

A．The local people sell the bricks for a living.

B．The local people are short of culture knowledge.

C．The local people think that the Great Wall is not important.

D．The local people need bricks and stones to build houses.

4. Which of the following may be the best title for this passage?

A．How to Protect the Great Wall

B．How the Great Wall Came into Being

C．The Great Wall Being Rebuilt

D．The Great Wall Being in Danger

7 . Avoiding a handshake may have been considered impolite a couple of years ago, but it is now getting more and more common, especially because of the outbreak of COVID-19.

Health officials have expressed the importance of completely washing our hands and maintaining proper hand hygiene. As a result, people around the world are creating alternatives to handshakes such as fist bumps and elbow bumps.

Let’s take a look at some of the common greetings that are used around the world in place of the famous handshake and more of the alternatives people are using instead of shaking each other’s hands.

If you have ever traveled to Asian countries like China, India, or Cambodia, you may notice that it is common to see people bowing to greet each other. Bowing is a traditional sign of respect in many Asian cultures and has been a custom for centuries.

Meanwhile, in parts of Europe like France, Italy, and Spain and countries in Latin America like Mexico, Peru, and Brazil, the air kiss is more common. Various rules regarding the gender, relationship, and form also exist within these different countries. Officials in countries including France are recommending people avoid direct kisses.

Some other unique greetings include sniffing one another’s faces in native cultures in Greenland and Tuvalu, sticking out one’s tongue in Tibet (a region of China), and clapping one’s hands in the African countries of Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

With the spread of COVID-19, people are getting creative with the ways they greet each other. A trend that has gained advantage is the “Wuhan Shake”, a greeting where two people gently bump each other’s feet with each foot.

Moreover, people, including famous figures like Prince Harry, US Vice President Mike Pence, and celebrities and athletes, have been giving up the formal handshake for elbow bumps.

Although officials have not clearly issued warnings against shaking hands, many doctors and health specialists have praised the handshake alternative as a way to continue maintaining proper hygiene.

1. How do people commonly greet each other in India according to this passage?

A．By hugging each other.

B．By formally shaking hands.

C．By bowing.

D．By touching noses.

2. What is the unique greeting in Tibet?

A．Sniffing one another’s faces.

B．Sticking out one’s tongue.

C．Bowing with one’s hands.

D．Clapping one’s hands.

3. What is the “Wuhan Shake”?

A．It is a greeting of tapping each other’s feet.

B．It is a greeting in which people do elbow bumps.

C．It is a greeting where social isolation happens.

D．It is a greeting where air kisses are recommended.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．The Impact of COVID-19 on Living

B．Good News on COVID-19 Vaccines

C．Formal Greeting Ways around the World

D．No Handshake? No Problem!

8 . Little New Year usually falls a week before the lunar New Year. It is also known as the Festival of the Kitchen God, the deity (神) who oversees the moral character of each household. Here are six things you should know about the Little New Year, another sign of the start of spring.

1. Offer sacrifices to Kitchen God

One of the most distinctive traditions of the Little New Year is the burning of a paper image of the Kitchen God, who will report on the family’s conduct over the past year. The offerings to the Kitchen God include pig’s head, fish, sweet bean paste, melons, fruit, boiled dumplings, barley sugar, and Guandong candy. Most of the offerings are sweets of various varieties. It is thought that this will seal the Kitchen God’s mouth and encourage him to only say good things about the family when he ascends to Heaven to make his report.

2. House cleaning

According to Chinese folk beliefs, during the last month of the year ghosts and deities must choose either to return to Heaven or to stay on Earth. It is believed that in order to ensure the ghosts and deities’ timely departure people must thoroughly clean both their persons and their houses, down to every last drawer and cupboard.

3. Eat Guandong candy

Guandong candy, a sticky treat made out of glutinous millet and sprouted wheat, is a traditional snack that Chinese people eat on the Festival of the Kitchen God.

4. Paste paper-cuts to windows

In the Little New Year, old couplets and paper-cuts from the previous Spring Festival are taken down, and new window decorations, New Year’s posters, and auspicious (吉利的) decorations are pasted up.

5. Bath and hair-cut

As the old Chinese saying goes, whether they’re rich or poor, people often have a haircut before the Spring Festival. The activity of taking bath and haircut is often taken on the Little New Year.

6. Preparations for the Spring Festival

People start to stock up necessary provisions for the Spring Festival since the Little New Year. Everything needed to make offerings to the ancestors, entertain guests, and feed the family over the long holiday must be purchased in advance.

1. What is the most unusual tradition in the Little New Year?

A．Offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God.

B．Burning a paper image of the Kitchen God.

C．Preparing the necessities for the New Year.

D．Cleaning houses and people themselves.

2. What is the Kitchen God’s duty in the man’s world?

A．Collecting the information of the man’s world.

B．Protecting the character of each home.

C．Gathering sacrifices for other Gods in Heaven.

D．Watching out for the moral people in the world.

3. Why are most of the offerings sweets?

A．Because the Kitchen God loves sweet foods.

B．Because it is the traditional custom.

C．Because people hope the God says good for them.

D．Because sweets are the best sacrifices.

4. What do we know from the passage?

A．Little New Year always falls in February.

B．House cleaning is to welcome the New Year.

C．In the Little New Year only paper-cuts are pasted up.

D．People will make full preparations for the coming New Year.

9 . Up to now, UNESCO has granted official recognition to over 800 cultural sites that are thought to be specially significant to human history and culture. Among them are the following four.

The Taj Mahal

It was built between 1631 and 1648, known as a masterpiece of architecture. It took over 20,000 workers and 1,000 elephants to complete the project. In the early 17^th century, an emperor named Shah Jahan ruled India. The emperor loved his wife Mumtaz so much that when she died, he built the Taj Mahal in her memory. The beautiful mausoleum (陵墓) was designed to look like what the emperor hoped would be Mumtaz’s home in the afterlife.

The Temple and Mansion of Confucius

Located in Qufu, Shandong Province, the temple is a memorial to Confucius, the Chinese great educator. On the grounds, there are more than 900 halls and rooms. But the building that people visit most is the Temple of Confucius. Originally built in 478 BC, the temple has been rebuilt many times. Besides the temple, visitors can enjoy the grounds outside, where there are more than 1,000 stone tablets (碑碣) and over 100, 000 tombs.

The Imperial Tombs of the Qing and Ming Dynasties

Built by several emperors between 1368 and 1915 in Beijing, Hubei, Hebei and Liaoning, the Imperial Tombs represent Chinese cultural and historical values that have been handed down from generation to generation for thousands of years. What makes them unique even among amazing buildings such as Angkor Wat (吴哥窟) and the Cologne Cathedral (科隆大教堂) is that they bring together architecture and philosophy.

The Terracotta Army

In 1974, while some Chinese farmers were digging a well, they accidentally found a tomb, where they found more than 8,000 statues. They were said to be made in the third century BC to guard the tomb of the Chinese Emperor Qinshihuang! More than 700,000 people worked for nearly 40 years to build this tomb! It is recognized as one of the greatest archaeological findings in the world.

1. ________ can be viewed as a labor of love.

A．The Temple and Mansion of Confucius	B．The Terracotta Army
C．The Imperial Tombs of the Qing and Ming Dynasties	D．The Taj Mahal

2. In ________, you can find a unique combination of building and thinking.

A．The Temple and Mansion of Confucius	B．The Terracotta Army.
C．The Imperial Tombs of the Qing and Ming Dynasties	D．The Taj Mahal

3. What do the four places have in common?

A．They are located in China.

B．They are World Cultural Heritage Sites.

C．They are archaeological wonders.

D．They were built in honor of a famous person.

10 . Read the editorial column and answer the questions.

Chinese Spring Festival Going Global

Nowadays, more and more countries around the world are holding celebrations for Chinese Spring Festival. What’s more, not only are these attended and enjoyed by Chinese citizens living abroad, but by many other nationalities, too.

With colourful decorations of lanterns and lamps, shopping centres have been organising events and activities to celebrate Chinese Spring Festival for years, while concerts and other performances are also proving a big success. Tickets for the 2017 Grand Chinese New Year Concert in St Petersburg sold out, with 90% of the audience local Russians. People are also discovering the fun of interacting with the celebrations, rather than simply watching as part of an audience. To celebrate the 2017 festival, over 1,000 Ghanaian junior high school students got up on stage to perform Chinese songs and dances. Students in New York City, meanwhile, have since 2016 been able to enjoy an official day’s holiday for Chinese Spring Festival.

It seems that Chinese Spring Festival is becoming a global celebration of joy and love. What do you think of this phenomenon? Write to us to share your opinion!

1. Which countries are mentioned and how do they celebrate Chinese Spring Festival?
_________________________________________
2. Which event would you most like to attend? Why?
_________________________________________
3. Why do you think Chinese Spring Festival is “going global”?
_________________________________________