1 . To remind people of those Chinese poems and to promote cultural heritage, China Central Television (CCTV) has produced a TV show-Chinese Poetry Competition. The final of the hit show’s second season was shown on Feb7.
Wu Yishu, 16, who studies at the High School attached to Fudan University in Shanghai, came out on top. “I really admire her knowledge of poems”, said Huang Zijin, 16, a senior 2 student from Ningbo High School in Zhejiang province. “The first time I saw her wearing traditional Han clothing on TV, I was very impressed by her classical looks. She fulfills all my fantasies for classic Chinese women’s talents. What’s more, she always appears especially calm throughout the show, which is very unusual for her age. ”
“Learning poems isn’t about winning or losing. The power of poetry lies in shaping ơne’s view of life and developing one’s inner world,” said Li Bo, an expert at the Chinese Poetry Competition’s second season.
When it comes to teaching people about poetry, Li Dingguang, the show’s academic advisor, suggested that teachers should explain more about the beauty of the poetry from both the aesthetie (审美的) and emotional sides, and guide the student to lose themselves in the poems’ rhythmic and rhyming lines.
“Although the proportion (比例) of ancient Chinese poems in the textbooks of primary ant secondary schools has increased, many students still learn them for exams,” Li Dingguang told China. org. cn. “Therefore, it’s important to help students truly appreciate the artistry and fun of poetry.”
1. China Central Television (CCTV) HOSTS Chinese Poetry Competition aiming at_______.A.enriching Chinese history and literature | B.learning poems from ancient people |
C.giving people a chance to compete | D.spreading Chinese traditional culture |
A.Her rich knowledge of poems | B.Her wearing traditional Han clothing |
C.Her rich knowledge of poems and calmness | D.Her classical looks |
A.To get good marks in examination | B.To help build up their inner world. |
C.To win the Chinese Poetry Competition | D.To appreciate the beauty of rhythm and rhyme. |
A.doubtful | B.supportive | C.critical | D.causal |
A.Few Chinese learn poems just for exams. |
B.Most Chinese learn poems just for exams. |
C.Poems are now learned by more and more Chinese. |
D.Not all the students are truly appreciating and learning poems. |
2 . The minutes leading up to a vacation are often an exciting time. As people check their homes and pack the last items into their suitcases, they often dream about the fun times that lie ahead. In Russia, however, there is one final step that people take to ensure a good trip. Before they walk out the door, Russians take a brief pause and silently sit on their suitcases for a few moments.
“Sidet’na chemodanakh” or “sitting on suitcases” is an ancient custom that will be a familiar ritual to anyone who grew up in Russia, or any migrant family that obeyed motherland customs. This unusual ritual started hundreds of years ago. In the years before Christianity, Russians believed that good and evil spirits lived inside their homes. They thought that the key to living a good life was to keep these spirits happy at all costs. If a person rushed out of his or her home before a trip, there was a good chance they would forget something. When that person returned a few minutes later to get it, they would disturb the evil spirits in the home. In response, the spirits might follow them out the door and accompany them on their trip. Since the spirits were offended by the person, they would bring them bad luck and possibly cause them harm.
Although many years have passed since suitcase sitting began, the practice continues to this day. As the Soviet Empire grew during the Cold War, suitcase sitting even spread throughout Eastern Europe. Although it is rooted in superstition (迷信), suitcase sitting is actually quite practical. It can prevent people from forgetting passports, plane tickets, or other items that are needed during trip. In addition, it also provides a brief moment of relaxation that can help get a journey started on the right foot. Besides that, if someone has packed too many clothes, suitcase sitting can help get it zipped up.
1. What is this passage mainly about?A.A spirit that might annoy anyone living in Russia. |
B.A popular vacation spot in ancient Russia. |
C.An old tradition that is based on scientific research. |
D.A habit meant to bring good luck to travelers. |
A.Right | B.Justice | C.Tradition | D.Characteristic |
A.To test the strength of their suitcases. |
B.To keep spirits from following them. |
C.To invite good spirits to come on vacation. |
D.To ask spirits to protect their homes. |
A.It spread superstition across the world. |
B.It is practiced outside of Russia as well. |
C.It started in Russia many years ago. |
D.It is not based on Christian ideas. |
A.It’s an old practice that should be forgotten. |
B.It is necessary for travelers’ right foot. |
C.It makes people stressed out before a trip. |
D.It has benefits that everyone can experience |
3 . This year some twenty-three hundred teenagers (young people aged from 13 to 19) from all over the world will spend about ten months in US homes. They will attend US schools, meet US teenagers, and form impressions of the real America. At the same time, about thirteen hundred American teenagers will go to other countries to learn new language and gain a new understanding of the rest of the world.
Here is a two-way student exchange in action. Fred, nineteen, spent last year in Germany with George’s family. In turn, George’s son Mike spent a year in Fred’s home in America.
Fred, a lively young man, knew little German when he arrived, but after two months’ study, the language began to come to him. Schools were completely different from what he had expected—much harder. Students rose respectfully when the teacher entered the room. They took fourteen subjects instead of the six that are usual in the United States. There were almost no outside activities.
Family life, too, was different. The father’s word was law, and all activities were around the family rather than the individual. Fred found the food too simple at first. Also, he missed having a car.
“Back home, you pick up some friends in a car and go out and have a good time. In Germany, you walk, but you soon learn to like it.”
At the same time, In America, Mike, a friendly German boy, was also forming his idea. “I suppose I should criticize American schools,” he says, “It is far too easy by our level. But I have to say that I like it very much. In Germany we do nothing but study. Here we take part in many outside activities. I think that maybe your schools are better in training for citizens. There ought to be some middle ground between the two countries”.
1. The world exchange programme is mainly to ______.A.help teenagers in other countries know the real America |
B.send students in America to travel in Germany |
C.let students learn something about other countries |
D.have teenagers learn new languages |
A.American food tastes better than German food |
B.German schools were harder than American schools |
C.Americans and Germans were both friendly |
D.There were more cars on the streets in America |
A.there is some middle ground between the two teaching buildings |
B.there are a lot of after-school activities |
C.students usually take fourteen subjects in all |
D.students walk outside to enjoy themselves |
A.The life in Germany schools was easier for students |
B.German schools had a lot of outside activities |
C.American schools were not as good as German schools |
D.The life in American schools was easier for students |
A.a better education should include something good from both America and Germany |
B.German schools trained students to be better citizens |
C.American schools were as good as German schools |
D.the easy life in the American schools was more helpful to students |
4 . Economic development is necessary if we want to improve society. There comes a time when the old must give way to the new, and it is not possible to keep everything from our past as we move towards the future. Finding and keeping the right balance between progress and the protection of cultural sites can be a big challenge.
Big challenges, however, can sometimes lead to great solutions. In the 1950s, the Egyptian government wanted to build a new dam (坝) across the Nile in order to control floods, produce electricity, and supply water to more farmers in the area. But the idea led to protests (抗议). Water from the dam would likely damage a number of temples and destroy cultural relics (遗迹) that were an important part of Egypt’s cultural heritage (遗产). After listening to the scientists who had studied the problem, and citizens who lived near the dam, the government turned to the United Nations for help in 1959.
A committee was established to limit damage to the Egyptian buildings and prevent the loss of cultural relics. The group asked for contributions from different departments and raised funds within the international community. Experts investigated the issue, ran several tests, and then made a suggestion for how the buildings could be saved. Finally, a document was signed, and the work began in 1960.
The project brought together governments and environmentalists from around the world. Temples and other cultural sites were taken down piece by piece, and then moved and put back together again in a place where they were safe from the water. In 1961, German engineers moved the first temple. Over the next 20 years, thousands of engineers and workers rescued 22 temples and countless cultural relics. Fifty countries donated nearly $80 million to the project.
When the project ended in 1980, it was considered a great success. Not only had the countries found a path to the future that did not run over the relics of the past, but they had also learnt that it was possible for countries to work together to build a better tomorrow.
The spirit of the Aswan Dam project is still alive today. Perhaps the best example is shown by UNESCO, which runs a programme that prevents world cultural heritage sites around the world from disappearing. If a problem seems too difficult for a single nation, the global community can sometimes provide a solution.
1. In writing Paragraph 1, the author aims to ________.A.present an argument | B.make a comparison |
C.reach a conclusion | D.introduce a topic |
A.The idea of building a dam has gained popularity. |
B.The floods of the Nile destroy many temples and cultural relics every year. |
C.A new idea met with a challenge. |
D.A new dam was to build to protect Egypt’s cultural heritage. |
A.To raise money for the dam. |
B.To complete the dam as soon as possible. |
C.To find a way to reduce the loss of cultural heritage. |
D.To show that the government is taking this problem seriously. |
A.The buildings were rebuilt in safe areas. |
B.They were sold to other countries. |
C.The buildings were taken down piece by piece. |
D.The government finally gave up the dam project. |
A.From Problems to Solutions |
B.How to Build a Dam? |
C.Protecting Cultural Heritage |
D.The Aswan Dam |
5 . When people get old and have difficulty working full time, they retire and begin a new, more relaxing lifestyle. But what about old industrial buildings? Can they start anew?
China seems to find a good solution for them. In recent years, many abandoned factories, railway yards, warehouses and mills have been transformed into cultural and tourist sites. According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, there are now 194 items on the country’s national industrial heritage list.
The 798 Art Zone in Beijing is an iconic example. Built in the 1950s as No 798 Joint Factory, it was gradually abandoned in the 1990s as production slowed down. In 2006, Beijing’s municipal government invested over 120 million yuan and improved its infrastructure condition, turning the factory complex into a cultural and creative industrial base. Now the art zone holds about 200 galleries, art centers as well as fashionable boutiques, cafes and restaurants, which also earns it a place on the bucket list (心愿单) of many tourists, noted The Paper.
Jack Liu is a frequenter of the art zone who visits it every weekend. “In the art zone, you can refresh memories of the development of Chinese manufacturing through its old buildings,” said the 28-year-old to Teens. “However, in art galleries here you will feel pulled into a fashionable, modern world. It’s amazing.”
Industrial heritage sites, which used to be filled with the rumbling of machines, are now “precious pages of the book on the industrial culture of China,” noted People’s Daily.
Since these heritage sites are rich and diverse in content, cities in China also spare no effort to explore new ways and models to protect and utilize them.
For example, a beer museum has been set up inside a century-old plant of the Tsingtao Brewery in Qingdao, Shandong province, bringing people closer to the long history of the brewery. Some abandoned plants in Beijing have also been renovated for city explorers to take adventures in.
Just as the elderly need our care and love, these industrial heritages are also expected to be injected with vitality through protection and development. “It is not only an inevitable trend of the innovation-driven development of cities, but a necessity for fostering (促进) new drivers of development,” noted People’s Daily.
1. What is China’s solution for old industrial buildings?A.Expanding their space and uses. |
B.Upgrading them to become attractions. |
C.Integrating them with new buildings. |
D.Returning them to their original condition. |
A.It was established in the 1990s. |
B.It mainly provides venues for fashion shows. |
C.It’s China’s first cultural and creative industrial base. |
D.It’s a successful example of transforming old industrial sites. |
A.The buildings which are out of date should be torn down. |
B.They are the refreshments of Chinese manufacturing. |
C.The once deserted buildings are full of vitality now. |
D.He is amazed with the mixture of old and new galleries. |
A.To show the popularity of industrial heritage sites. |
B.To explain the importance of renovating old plants. |
C.To introduce the features of industrial heritage sites. |
D.To illustrate how industrial heritage sites can be used effectively. |
A.They deserve to be brought back to life. |
B.They can be drivers for city development. |
C.They should give way to modern buildings. |
D.They are reminders of a city’s development. |
“Mom, look at this LEGO Star Wars set,” my eight-year-old son Nathan said. “Can I get it for my birthday?” I looked at the LEGO set in question.
“Nathan, this isn’t just a regular LEGO set. It’s an Advent calendar(降临历).” Seeing his questioning look, I explained, “An Advent calendar counts down the days until Christmas. Starting on December 1st, you open one box each day, and each box contains one small LEGO toy.”
“I want this really badly, Mom. Can I get it for my birthday?”
“Yes, but here’s the problem with that. It’s August right now, and your birthday is in September. If we bought this for your birthday, you couldn’t start opening the toys until December 1st. That would be a long time for you before playing with a new toy. Are you sure you want it?” He thought for a minute and said, “Yes, Mom, I really want that Advent calendar.” So we bought the calendar.
On Nathan’s birthday in mid-September, he received many presents, including the Advent calendar. He seemed as surprised and pleased with it as he did with other gifts that were actually a surprise. And then he started to open it.
“Remember that’s an Advent calendar. So we can’t open it yet.” His shoulders slumped(垂下来). “Oh, yeah, that’s right,” he said unwillingly.
We put the box in his closet. I hoped he’d forget about it, but that was wishful thinking.
“How many more days should I wait until I can start opening the toys in the calendar?” he asked the day after his birthday. I gave him a pocket calendar, and we counted how many days there were until December 1st.
After waiting for so long, it was December 1st finally. Nathan’s hands were practically shaking as he opened that first box. “I’m so glad I waited, Mom,” he told me.
People say that Christmas starts earlier and earlier every year. I know these complaints are about the over-commercialization of the holiday, and I see their point. But this year, Christmas came to our house very early, and it was so much fun.
1. What is an Advent calendar used to do? (no more than 10 words)2. Why was the author unwilling to buy the Advent calendar for Nathan at first? (no more than 12 words)
3. How can we understand the underlined sentence in Paragraph 7? (no more than 8 words)
4. Why do people say Christmas starts earlier and earlier? (no more than 10 words)
5. What do you think of Nathan’s birthday present? Why? (no more than 20 words)
7 . The Memorial Art Gallery (MAG) opened its doors again this weekend for the University of Rochester’s Clothesline Arts Festival. This event has been an annual tradition at the Centennial Sculpture Park right outside the MAG for the last 62 years. Initially organized with less than 100 artists showing their work on clothes lines and fences, this festival has attracted over 500 artists from across the nation.
The park was decorated with colorful tents where artists proudly displayed their works. Each tent was a story within itself — a display of skill, creativity, and years of experience.
Piche Design, a unique custom creation art store owned by Chuck Peashy, had one of the most interesting tents: an eye-catching, old setting with lamps shaped like musical instruments. “People come to me with objects that belonged to their long-gone loved ones, and I make beautiful items out of those for them. It is, indeed, rewarding,” said Peashy.
Jill Schiller started doodling (涂鸦) when she was very young. Her hobby gave way to a series of super cool modern designs. She now draws with Swedish weaving techniques on scarves, carpets, bags, and T-shirts in her tent. Schiller believes that it is evidently a great method of expressing creativity and emotion.
George Banagis’ tent, which presented watercolor and pen and ink pieces, had a variety of options. His complicated pen and ink illustrations were available in the original full-size versions, which were made after weeks of effort, and also small, affordable postcards, notepads, and other souvenirs. Visitors loved this inexpensive form of art and flooded inside to buy.
Visitors also experienced all seven continents in one tent, Tatarzyn Photography. From penguins lined up on an Antarctic coastline to swans and wandering African elephants, Ted Tatarzyn has traveled all around the world to catch these moments of amazing creatures with a camera. “This is actually my second career,” said Tatarzyn, who interestingly worked at Kodak for many years before its shutdown. He then started touring around the world for the pictures.
Strolling across the little artistic showcases is a learning experience that every student should take advantage of. And Clothesline had many other stories to tell.
1. What was the Clothesline Arts Festival most probably named after at first?A.The hosting place of the festival. | B.The diverse artists joining the event. |
C.The unique way of displaying works. | D.The cloths and various materials used. |
A.It focuses on the musical instrument design. | B.It helps people recall their loved ones. |
C.It repairs valuable things for people. | D.It mainly sells classical furniture. |
A.They are both about art drawings with strong personal styles. |
B.They are both popular among university students. |
C.They both display products with local cultures. |
D.They are both about inexpensive paintings. |
A.Travel experience sharing. | B.Artistic creativity training. |
C.Professional camera skill teaching. | D.Animal photos displaying. |
A.To remember a 62-year-old tradition. | B.To recommend some excellent artists. |
C.To advertise a secondhand market. | D.To introduce a special artistic festival. |
Confucius Institute is a non-profit public institute which aims at promoting Chinese language and culture and supporting local Chinese teaching internationally through affiliated Confucius Institutes. Its headquarters is in Beijing and is under the Office of Chinese Language Council International or Hanban in Chinese.
Over the past three decades, Chinese economy is booming. The world is watching China and many foreigners have realized the importance of seeking cooperation, so they want to do business with Chinese people and learning our language works better, Confucius institute provides the place to learn mandarin.
As the world is crazy about Chinese, more and more foreigners have interest in our language and culture. With the purpose of promoting our language and culture, Confucius institute program was set up in Korea in 2004, now the Confucius institute is all around the world. The foreigners practise Chinese so hard. They learn how to pronounce and write, even use the chopsticks.
The Confucius institute program works well. There is a biggest competition for the foreigner to show their Chinese. When we watch the show, we will realize they can speak Chinese so well and admire them so much, because it is so hard to learn. Some foreigners not only speak mandarin well, but also know much about Chinese culture.
The Confucius institute program works to promote Chinese language and culture and the achievement is great. Today, the world is learning Chinese.
1. What is the aim of Confucius Institute? (no more than 15 words)2. Why are many foreigners watching China and want to seek cooperation? (no more than 1o words)
3. What do more and more foreigners have interest in? (no more than 5 words)
4. What does the underlined word “admire” in Paragraph 4 mean? (1 word)
5. What do you think the future of Confucius Institute? (no more than 20 words)
Old trains are very attractive and mysterious, whether it’s because of their history and their function or simply because they look so fierce and huge. Many old derailed trains have been transformed into anything like homes, art galleries and even amusement parks. As part of a recovery program to restore a failed railway, Ecuadorian design firm Al Borde transformed a tired, old train into a mobile cultural center, which they call “Wagon of Knowledge” (Vagon del Saber).
Selected by the Ecuadorian(厄瓜多尔)Ministry of Culture and Heritage, the community oriented project is to reactivate settlements along its route. After more than a decade of absence, these areas not only recover a means of communication but are enhanced economically, as the cultural promoters use the train car as an activator of public space and a meeting point for the locals. The multifunctional nature of the carriage — it is without a strictly defined architectural program and can therefore be designed flexibly — allows for musical performances, theater shows, training programs and celebrations.
The train was renovated(修复)to achieve the greatest number of uses with the minimum number of elements.
A public square and a theater with a capacity of 60-80 people, as well as work spaces for 20 users were incorporated by attaching three extensions to the train: a roof with several deployment( 部 署 )options, retractable furniture and two storage spaces — simple systems operated by the cultural romoters turn the cart into their desired requirements. Set to travel around the route, the cultural unit will begin to accumulate and facilitate new stories.
Intended to move from place to place without a strict set of limitations to define its use, it becomes something flexible that adapts to the needs of the moment, so that it “carries neither goods nor tourists, but culture and public space”. As we can see here, there are a lot of possibilities, thanks to various interchangeable components that can allow the train to shift from conference space to a performance venue in a snap.
It’s a creative way to give new life to a historically important train that was once even derailed, and to ensure that it can keep on serving the public. One more thing, people don’t have to go to this public space; it will travel to come to them.
1. Why did the design firm Al Borde carry out the project?A.To boost the local tourism. |
B.To sharpen rural people’s communication skills. |
C.To bring communities along the railroad line to life. |
D.To provide recreation for the community residents. |
A.Advanced architectural design techniques. |
B.The railway systems that are easy to operate. |
C.Flexible construction features of the train car. |
D.The financial assistance provided by cultural promoters. |
A.By extending the length of the carriage. |
B.By adding three components to the train. |
C.By freely changing the position of the roof. |
D.By expanding the seating capacity of the train. |
A.It used to be the meeting point for the locals. |
B.It can perform different working functions. |
C.It was used to carry goods and tourists. |
D.It will stay in one place to entertain locals |
A.It is meaningful. |
B.It is large-scale. |
C.It is pioneering. |
D.It is impressive. |
10 . In 2015, the town of Carefree, in the USA was seeking a pumpkin carver to help their newly-planned Enchanted Pumpkin Garden Festival become an instant success. Luckily for them, the sculptor Ray Villafane fell in love with the four-acre Carefree Desert Gardens and agreed to carve pumpkins for the tourists. Then, the festival became a hit in 2015. Now the annual event, which took place from October 19-28, in 2008, includes many fun activities for both kids and adults. However, it is the pumpkin carvings that remain the star attraction.
This year, Villafane and his team reached the garden in early October to carve the popular “pickled (腌制的) pumpkins”. Placed inside tanks resembling a kind of plants to fit in with the environment, the 3D pumpkin artworks were put in a special liquid that helped preserve them for a longer period of time.
Throughout the festival, Villafane and his team also held several live demonstrations, adding to the impressive carved pumpkins on exhibition. They also volunteered to give many pumpkin-carving fans valuable tips.
Besides the wonderful carvings, guests had the chance to go into a pumpkin world, complete with tales. The tales featured pumpkin dead bodies running through the grass, and a group of helpless pumpkins attempting to free their peers imprisoned by a scary-looking figure with only bones. Then, there were the hard-working rats who were sewing a pumpkin.
The highlight of the festival came on October 27, when Villafane transformed a huge pumpkin into a dinosaur. The festival also featured activities including pie-eating matches, story-telling, face painting, and pumpkin-carving matches.
Villafane’s skill first came to light in 1993 after he sculpted a pumpkin for his students during Halloween. In 2004, while still teaching, he decided to use his skills to create action figures for Marvel Comics. Over the next two years, the artist created numerous popular characters. In 2006, Villafane accepted a full-time position about carving toys at DC Comics. In 2010, he finally decided to go after his true love—pumpkin carving. Since he first began carving, the expert has sculpted 2,576 pieces of outstanding works in 102 cities around the world.
The expert using basic carving tools for his most complex creations stands out in the festival.
1. What can we learn about the annual Enchanted Pumpkin Garden festival?A.It has been held three times so far. |
B.It was organized by Ray Villafane. |
C.It aims at teenagers interested in arts. |
D.It has gained Ray Villafane’s support. |
A.To prevent them from going bad quickly. |
B.To make them fit in with the environment. |
C.To make them much more delicious. |
D.To make them appear more beautiful. |
A.They were created by Ray Villafane. |
B.They were centered on the theme of friendship. |
C.They were all full of imagination and terror. |
D.They were probably most attractive to those fond of magic. |
A.The popularity of Ray Villafane’s works. |
B.The gradual improvement of Villafane’s skills. |
C.The interest of Ray Villafane in pumpkin carving. |
D.The introduction of Ray Villafane’s career of carving. |
A.Reliable and brave. |
B.Confident and modest. |
C.Talented and helpful. |
D.Enthusiastic and cautious. |