1 . In America, we have a thing called stand-up comedy. This popular form of entertainment consists of a comedian standing up at the front of a club, holding a microphone, and telling jokes. Of course, comedy is popular in Chinese culture as well, but the performances are quite different from the style in the US. In China, it’s called cross-talk, which usually involves two guys engaging in an entertaining dialogue.
It’s believed that cross-talk came into being in the Qing Dynasty as a bit of a by-product of the imitation shows that were a popular form of entertainment in the Song Dynasty. After the PRC was established in 1949, this comedic art became more and more popular. Today, it’s still heavily featured in the CCTV New Year’s Gala programmes in China. The 1990s was the golden age of cross-talk; even foreigners studied the art of cross-talk. Mark Roswell, a Canadian named Da Shan in Chinese was relatively unknown in his native land but was a superstar in China. At the turn of the century, cross-talk began to decline, and many well-known actors left the stage.
There are four skills that are essential in cross-talk: speaking, imitating, teasing, and singing. Most of the time, it is performed with two actors—one serves as the lead actor while the other plays a support role. However, sometimes it is performed simply as a one-man show, and at other times there are several actors. In order to criticize something, the humor involved in cross-talk is satirical.
1. What’s the difference between American stand-up comedy and Chinese cross-talk?| A．Chinese cross-talk actors don’t use a microphone. |
| B．American stand-up comedy actors are all men. |
| C．Chinese cross-talk is more liked by Canadians. |
| D．American stand-up comedy is only a one-man show. |
| A．History. | B．Future. | C．Features. | D．Difference. |
| A．He was an American stand-up comedian. |
| B．He was very popular with Canadians. |
| C．He was a famous cross-talker in China. |
| D．He left the stage in the early 1990s. |
| A．Acid-tongued. | B．Good-tempered. |
| C．Warm-hearted. | D．Smooth-tongued. |
2 . Wine and beaches, fireworks and music...our readers recommend some fantastic festivals.
Festa delTUva e del Vino, ItalySet on the beautiful shores of Lake Garda, this grapes and wine festival takes over the small town of Bardolino for four days every October. With local wines, food, art projections, fireworks and live music. people come from miles around to celebrate. First and foremost, it’s about great wine, but it’s worth visiting to soak up the great atmosphere.
Free,1-5 October
Quest festival, VietnamThis is a weekend camping festival held just a 40-minute drive from Hanoi, bringing together locals and visitors in a celebration of underground live and electronic music culture. Held in the beautiful Son Tinh campsite, there are usually about 30 local and international DJs and 10 bands. There are also workshops, pop-up cafes, ire performances, dancing and much more.
Weekend tickets about ￡25,6-8 November
Estival, SwitzerlandThis is a free festival of jazz which takes place in the first weekend in July in the pretty squares and lakeside beaches and parks around the southern Swiss town of Lugano. People will enjoy the palm trees and summer air see some of Europe’s up and coming jazz bands.
Free, every July
Irish Redhead Convention, IrelandA friendly gathering for all red-haired people is held in the small seaside village of Crosshaven where redheads from all over the world take part in light hearted events. There’s live music, art exhibitions, lectures and of course the traditional Parade of Redheads through the village led by the newly crowned Redhead King and Queen.
Free, every August
1. Jennifer, a girl with red hair, may be interested in .| A．Estival |
| B．Quest festival |
| C．Festa deirtlva e del Vino |
| D．Irish Redhead Convention |
| A．They offer local food. |
| B．They have fireworks. |
| C．They are free of charge. |
| D．They have music activities. |
| A．In a textbook. |
| B．In a magazine. |
| C．In a news report. |
| D．In a research paper. |
3 . CULTURE AND CUISINE
The French author Jean Anthelme BrillatSavarin once wrote, “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.” Put more simply, this means “You are what you eat.” Most people today relate this saying to healthy eating. However, BrillatSavarin was actually referring to our personality, character, and culture.
Certainly, in many ways this seems to be true. Chinese cuisine is a case in point. Prior to coming to China, my only experience with Chinese cooking was in America, with Chinese food that had been changed to suit American tastes. For example, America’s most popular Chinese dish is General Tso’s chicken, which consists of fried chicken covered in a sweet sauce, flavoured with hot red peppers. This is probably not an authentic Chinese recipe, however, so it cannot tell us much about the Chinese. On the other hand, it does tell us a lot about Americans. It tells us, for example, that Americans love bold, simple flavours. And, since the dish was also invented recently, it tells us that Americans are not afraid to try new foods.
Later, I had a chance to experience authentic Chinese food by coming to China. When my family and I had just arrived in China, we went looking for a good place to eat in Beijing. A Sichuan restaurant had been recommended to us by a friend, and finally, we found it. Tired, hungry, and not knowing a word of Chinese, we had no idea how to order, so the chef just began filling our table with the best food we had ever eaten. With this, we had the pleasure of experiencing an entirely new taste: Sichuan peppercorns. The food was wonderful and different, but what was even more important was the friendship offered us．
We soon moved to Shandong Province in the eastern part of North China. My favourite dish there was boiled dumplings served with vinegar. I observed that family is important to the people there. It has become a favourite traditional dish of the people in North China, where making dumplings has always been a family affair with everyone — from the youngest to the oldest — joining in to help. Later, I learnt that the most famous food in Shandong is pancake rolls stuffed with sliced Chinese green onions.
Then we moved to northern Xinjiang. Some of our friends were Kazak and Inner Mongolian. These groups traditionally wandered the open range on horses. As a result, their traditional foods are what you can cook over an open fire — usually boiled or roasted meat, such as lamb kebab．
Our travels then took us to South China, and then on to central China. In each place we went, we experienced wonderful local dishes, from Guangdong’s elegant dim sum — small servings of food in bamboo steamers — to the exceptional stewed noodles in Henan. Everywhere, the food was as varied as the people However, one thing is always true: Through food, Chinese people everywhere show friendship and kindness.
At a minimum, the kinds of food local people consume tell us what they grow in their region, what kinds of lives they lead, and what they like and do not like. Could we also say, for example, that those who like bold flavours are bold themselves? Or, that those who like spicy food tend to have a hot temper? Maybe. Maybe not. What we can say, however, is that culture and cuisine go hand in hand, and if you do not experience one, you can never really know the other.
1. What’s the main idea of the text?| A．What people eat is related to their culture. | B．Chinese foods are delicious. |
| C．Americans are bold to try new foods. | D．What you eat reflects your health state. |
| A．Chinese. | B．French. | C．Japanese. | D．Americans. |
| A．Beijing. | B．Ji’nan. | C．Chengdu. | D．Urumqi. |
| A．an ocean beach | B．a vast grassland | C．a mountainous village | D．Zhujiang Delta |
| A．Cuisine is never seperated from culture. | B．Cuisine is always healthy no matter where it comes. |
| C．Cuisine always determines a man’s character. | D．Cuisine in China is kind of the same. |
4 . The Sister Rice Festival is held every year in Guizhou’s Taijiang County, where 97 percent of the 168,000 people are from the Miao ethnic (民族的) group. It is an ancient tradition, which brings men and women together through food, gifts and music.
In the days before the festival, young women gather leaves and wild flowers, which they use to dye (给……染色) sticky rice with bright colors. This brightly colored rice, known as Sister Rice, gives the festival its name. During the festival, the young women dress in beautiful traditional clothes with large amounts of silver jewelry (首饰).
The festival includes parades, horse races and musical performances. But the real focus is the interaction between the young women and the young men who visit from surrounding villages and sing songs. In one traditional type of song, a man and a woman take turns to sing to each other, and the first one to make a mistake loses the game. The loser must give the winner a gift, but the winner is expected to give a gift in return, too.
After meeting the men, the women send them home with a bamboo basket containing dyed rice and hidden objects with special meanings. For example, a pair of chopsticks indicates that she wants to marry the man, while garlic shows that she is not interested.
One of several stories about the festival’s origin is about a girl and a boy who fell in love. The girl’s parents wanted her to marry her uncle’s son. She refused, and the boy likewise refused to marry anyone else. For a time, they could only meet in a field and pass hidden messages to each other through rice in a bamboo basket. Finally, the pair overcame their parents’ opposition and were allowed to marry.
The Sister Rice Festival is perhaps the oldest festival in Asia that encourages love.
1. What is the purpose of young women collecting leaves and wild flowers?| A．To decorate their rooms. |
| B．To sell them and make money. |
| C．To give sticky rice different colors. |
| D．To cover some objects in a basket. |
| A．Water skiing. |
| B．Kicking balls. |
| C．Making food. |
| D．Singing songs. |
| A．A woman often loses the game. |
| B．A hidden pair of chopsticks suggests good things. |
| C．The winner need not send a gift. |
| D．Often a man needs to sing songs to a young woman. |
| A．The boy’s parents didn’t like the girl. |
| B．They were not married in the end. |
| C．The boy refused to marry the girl at first. |
| D．The rice in the bamboo basket carried their love. |
5 . The Spring Festival is the biggest festival for Chinese people all around the world.The celebration usually lasts for 15 days.There is a lot to do.
On the eve of the Spring Festival, family members get together and have a big meal. Their favourite dish on this day is dumplings.
Days before the Spring Festival, families will clean their houses. People think cleaning sweeps away bad luck. It makes the house ready for good luck.
The colour red is everywhere during the Spring Festival. People think red is a happy colour and will bring them a bright future. People wear red, too. They decorate their homes with pieces of red paper. Kids get a lot of “hongbao”. It is a red paper bag with money in it. Usually, older people give younger ones “hongbao”. They think it brings good luck.
The Spring Festival is the time to make everybody happy. So don’t say any bad words or do anything that will bring unhappiness to other people. For instance, you’d better not say any bad words like “death”. Don’t break anything. People think that means your luck is running out.
Also, don’t borrow or lend money on these days. If you have borrowed money, return it before the Spring Festival.
1. What do most people do on the eve of the Spring Festival?| A．Family members gather for a big meal. |
| B．Friends eat dumplings together. |
| C．They borrow money from friends. |
| D．They give each other “hongbao”. |
| A．Because they enjoy cleaning. |
| B．Because it is believed that cleaning will sweep away bad luck. |
| C．Because they think it will bring happiness to others. |
| D．Because it is thought that cleaning brings in money. |
| A．Returning money before the Spring Festival. |
| B．Saying bad words like “death”. |
| C．Wearing red clothes. |
| D．Decorating houses with red paper. |
| A．a time of harvest and fun |
| B．celebrated for one whole month |
| C．only celebrated in China |
| D．a time for families to get together |
PROMOTING CULTURE THROUGH DIGITAL IMAGES
Lanzhou, 9 August 2017. A group of researchers and scientists from China and other countries are working together to help increase knowledge and appreciation of China’s ancient cultural heritage. They are recording and collecting digital images of cultural relics from the Mogao Caves, which were a key stop along the Silk Road throughout China’s ancient history. Nearly 500,000 highquality digital photographs have been produced since the international project started in 1994.
The Mogao Caves have long been a meeting point for different cultures and are part of the history of many countries. Today, the caves are just as international as they were at the time when people travelled the Silk Road. Tourists from all over the world visit Dunhuang to see the caves, and the Getty Museum in Los Angeles has even reproduced a copy of the caves and paintings for people to admire in America.
By sharing so many digital photos over the Internet, the group hopes to promote even wider interest around the world in China’s ancient history, culture, and traditions. They also hope to further educate people about the importance of safeguarding historic and cultural relics for future generations to understand and appreciate. As one researcher who is working on the project explains, “Appreciating one’s own cultural heritage is very important for understanding oneself. Appreciating the cultural heritage of other countries is very important for international communication and understanding.”
1. What are the researchers and scientists trying to do?| A．To help people understand and appreciate China’s Mogao Caves. |
| B．To work together to find more information about the Silk Road. |
| C．To raise money to rebuild the Mogao Caves of China. |
| D．To start an international project to protect the Mogao Caves. |
| A．The computer. |
| B．The Internet. |
| C．A copy of caves. |
| D．Highquality digital images. |
| A．Because it can be appreciated in America. |
| B．Because its caves are as international as before. |
| C．Because they want to travel the Silk Road. |
| D．Because they want to admire its paintings. |
| A．It’s right. | B．It’s wrong. |
| C．It’s puzzling. | D．It’s foolish. |
| A．Chinese researchers’ contributions. |
| B．The Mogao Caves of China. |
| C．High-quality digital photos. |
| D．International communication. |
7 . The Yamuna River flows around the Taj Mahal, and the river is heavily polluted. Large numbers of insects are breeding (繁殖) in the polluted waterway. During the evening time, the insects get attracted to stone walls and during the night they stay over there. The insects’ droppings are beginning to turn the walls green.
Workers first discovered the problem last year. But they have found out the cause of the problem only recently. A fly known as the genus Geoldichironomus is responsible for all the waste. Those insects survive best in the hot weather. Workers try to remove the insects’ waste. But experts fear cleaning could damage the artwork of the Taj Mahal.
Environmentalist D. K. Joshi says, “The way to stop this new threat is to save the dying river. There are many coalbased power stations along the river. The Taj Mahal’s white stone has turned yellow because of air pollution. Besides, waste from industries is polluting the river. Millions of dollars from the government has been spent on the river, but nothing has happened.”
Experts say ashes (骨灰) from burnt human dead bodies are part of the problem. For 200 years, people have set fire to dead bodies near the Taj Mahal. Smoke from the fires was greatly influencing the color of the white stone. So city officials should force people to try more environmentally friendly customs.
D. K. Joshi believes cleaning the Yamuna River is possible with a shortterm program. The insects have got the attention of city officials. But he is also concerned about the pressure that tourism puts on the Taj Mahal. About six million people visit the Taj Mahal every year and they like to touch the white stone.
1. What’s the new threat to the Taj Mahal?| A．Water around it is dirty. |
| B．Some stone walls get broken. |
| C．Many insects live in the Taj Mahal. |
| D．Insects leave waste on stone walls. |
| A．Useless. | B．Creative. | C．Challenging. | D．Interesting. |
| A．It’s necessary to deal with polluters. |
| B．All the power stations should be closed. |
| C．It’s a waste of money to clean the Yamuna River. |
| D．The government pays no attention to the Yamuna River. |
| A．City officials should ignore the insects. |
| B．Tourists should help clean the Taj Mahal. |
| C．Fires should be used to kill some insects. |
| D．People should give up the tradition of burning the dead near the Taj Mahal. |
8 . The Sanxingdui Museum in southwest China’s Sichuan Province enjoyed huge popularity during the threeday Qingming Festival holidays by receiving nearly 20, 000 visitors on the peak day, after the new archaeological discoveries brought international attention.
According to media reports, the museum saw over 15, 000 visitors on Saturday, the first day of the Qingming Festival, breaking its record for daily visitors. And on the next day, more visitors swarmed into the museum to exceed (超过) 19, 800. To cope with the large flow of people, on Sunday afternoon, the official Weibo account of the Sanxingdui Museum released the 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. 62metertall standing statue, 1. 38meterwide bronze mask, 3. 95meterhigh 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 newlyfound 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 they are open as usual, the newlyfound pits have not opened to the public yet and the newlyexcavated cultural relics are still under restoration and cannot meet the public currently. But a hall for cultural relic conservation and restoration will be in pilot operation in April and officially open 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．Qingming Festival holidays. |
| D．New archaeological discoveries. |
| A．The official Weibo account linked the museum with the public. |
| B．Newlyexcavated 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. |
| A．Trial. | B．Private. | C．Official. | D．Personal. |
9 . What do the following places have in common: the Serengeti Desert, Edinburgh’s Old Town and the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve?
The Serengeti Desert is in Tanzania and Kenya, Africa. It contains (包含) thousands of kilometers of dry grasslands and many rare kinds of animals.
Edinburgh’s Old Town is in the capital city of Scotland. It has many old buildings and streets.There are very few new buildings in Edinburgh’s Old Town.
The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve is near Mexico City in Mexico. It has beautiful flowers and forests. It is also the home of millions of butterflies in the winter.
There three places are very different. But they are all under special protection by UNESCO (联合国教科文组织). They are World Heritage Sites.
The story of World Heritage Sites begins more than 3, 000 years ago. At that time, the great king of Egypt built many temples. But after thousands of years, sand covered them.
Stories tell of a young boy named Abu Simbel who found the temples. One day, Abu Simbel saw something under the sand. Soon, the ancient temples of Ramses Ⅱ were officially rediscovered. But they were not safe. The government of Egypt planned to build a dam on the Nile River. It would create a large lake, which would cover the temples in water.
Many people did not want the temples destroyed. UNESCO agreed and raised 40 million dollars from around the world to save the temples. From 1964 to 1968, engineers took the temples apart in many pieces and rebuilt them hundreds of meters back from the Nile River. Today, they are called the Abu Simbel Temples, in memory of the young boy who first found them.
The effort to save the Abu Simbel Temples was a success. So in 1972, UNESCO formed the World Heritage Committee, which protects places on the earth that are of great cultural or natural value.
Any country in the world can ask for protection from UNESCO.The countries send a list of places to the World Heritage Committee. Once a year, the World Heritage Committee meets and votes on which places to protect. When they choose a place, it officially becomes a World Heritage Site.
1. What’s special about Edinburgh’s Old Town?| A．It has no new buildings. |
| B．It’s a World Heritage Site. |
| C．It’s in the capital city of Scotland. |
| D．It has the oldest streets in the world. |
| A．grew up to be a great engineer |
| B．took part in building the temples |
| C．lived in Egypt about 3, 000 years ago |
| D．was the first to discover the hidden temples |
| A．By storing their pieces away. |
| B．By keeping them under the sand. |
| C．By moving them to a much safer place. |
| D．By preventing the government building the dam. |
| A．how a World Heritage Site is chosen |
| B．why the World Heritage Committee was formed |
| C．how often the World Heritage Committee works |
| D．why countries ask for protection from UNESCO |
10 . “The grass looks greener on the other side of the fence (篱笆).” That’s an old saying in English. It means that other places often look better, more interesting than the place where you live. “Let’s go to KFC for dinner and then watch some Japanese cartoons!” We all know it: more and more Chinese kids love American and Japanese food and movies. Some people worry that young Chinese are beginning to feel that way. They see young Chinese ignoring Chinese culture and, instead, buying Japanese cartoon books, watching Korean soap operas and even celebrating western holidays.
Foreign books and soap operas are good, but Chinese writers and actors are just as good. As for holidays, Christmas is nice, but it can never have the meaning for Chinese that the Spring Festival has, and the West has nothing to compare with the Mid-Autumn Festival. China has lots of cool things in its culture: calligraphy, Beijing Opera, kung fu, and even Jay Chou! And let’s not forget the part of Chinese culture I like best: its friendliness. Not all countries are as warm as China.
It’s good to enjoy other cultures and to learn from them, but they can never replace your own culture. It’s good to look on the other side of the fence, but make sure you take a good long look. You will find that the grass isn’t always greener.
Although some people become worried about that, I don’t think they should. Will we get more powerful without learning from other countries? Will Chinese people live more happily without American fast food? Besides, it’s fun to learn about different cultures. Chinese kids can learn about other cultures and have fun, but they also need to learn more about their own culture. Be proud of Chinese culture and of being Chinese!
1. The author thinks young Chinese .| A．are ignoring our own culture |
| B．are foolish in learning our own culture |
| C．are interested in our own culture |
| D．are hating our own culture |
| A．Japanese cartoon books. |
| B．Korean soap operas. |
| C．The Mid-Autumn Festival. |
| D．Christmas. |
| A．Working hard. | B．Friendliness. |
| C．Bravery. | D．Honesty. |
| A．Chinese culture and western culture |
| B．Simple young Chinese |
| C．Interesting western culture |
| D．That grass is not always greener |
