1 . In early February, an old stove with rich vivid images (zaotou painting) took center stage at a village Spring Festival gala in Haiyan county, Zhejiang province.
At first, simple tools had been used to produce such art, including a selection of brushes, rulers, and paint. With people’s aesthetic appreciation growing, watercolors were used, mostly red, yellow and blue, the three auspicious (吉祥的) ones to the Chinese people.
Now many people are devoted to the inheritance and popularization of zaotou painting and more and more support has been received from various sides including local authorities.
| A．Zaotou painting has a history of at least 300 years |
| B．Villagers were occupied in building zaotou for their houses |
| C．Folk craftsmen painted to express their passions for life later on |
| D．They all consist of a base and a body that embraces inserted pans |
| E．Zaotou painting has been definitely greeting its new spring and hope |
| F．Later new materials replaced watercolors to solve the color-fading problem |
| G．The images represent people’s respect to heroes and wishes for good fortune |
2 . The most important holiday for the Chinese is the Chinese New Year, also called Spring Festival. During the festival period, everyone goes back to their hometown and spends several days with their family.
Beijing has several fairs during the period. The fairs are held at various ancient temples, so they are called “temple fairs”. Temple fairs in Beijing have a very long history, and saw a boom especially during the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368—1912) as well as the Republic of China (1912—1949) period. Major temples all have their own festivals, some of which are held regularly. During Spring Festival, the temple fair is one of the most important activities, and a traditional cultural event that features all kinds of Chinese folk art. So far, there have been more than 10 major temple fairs held each year in Beijing.
In traditional temple fairs in Beijing, there are performances and booths demonstrating (演示) traditional arts and selling crafts. The fairs have lots of games to play and lots of food to eat, and have lots of performances and people. In the temple fair you can taste numerous kinds of local snacks and other dishes. Most temple fairs feature dragon and lion dances, waist drum dances, lotus blossom fairy dances as well as other folk performances, and some even stage traditional wedding ceremonies.
For foreigners, the temple fair is definitely a cultural experience, because it airs Chinese culture from a very detailed perspective. While enjoying the Chinese delicacies, you can appreciate craftsmanship and artworks displayed by local artisans.
1. What can be learned about the history of temple fairs?| A．They date back to about 300 years ago. |
| B．They were greatly popularized during the Ming Dynasty. |
| C．They started losing the attraction from the Qing Dynasty. |
| D．They reached the peak during the Republic of China period. |
| A．What temple fairs offer. |
| B．Where temple fairs are held. |
| C．Why temple fairs are held. |
| D．How temple fairs have changed. |
| A．Because they can experience Chinese culture. |
| B．Because they can learn Chinese from local people. |
| C．Because they can learn how to cook Chinese food. |
| D．Because they can attend traditional wedding ceremonies. |
| A．To comment on temple fairs. |
| B．To entertain readers. |
| C．To make an announcement. |
| D．To provide information. |
3 . Almost all cultures celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of another in some way. Different cultures celebrate the beginning of a new year in different ways, and at different times on the calendar(日历).
In western countries, people usually celebrate the new year at midnight on December 31st—January 1st. People may go to parties, sometimes dressed in formal clothes, and they may drink champagne at midnight. During the first minutes of the new year, people cheer and wish each other happiness for the year ahead. But some cultures prefer to greet the new year with the first light of the sunrise.
Many cultures also do special things to get rid of bad luck at the beginning of a new year. For example, in Ecuador, families make a big doll from old clothes. The doll is filled with old newspapers and firecrackers. At midnight, these dolls are burned to show the bad things from the past year are gone and that the new year can start afresh(重新). Other common traditions to keep away from bad luck in a new year include throwing things into rivers or the ocean, or saying special things on the first day of the new year.
Other New Year traditions are followed to bring good luck in the new year. One widespread Spanish tradition for good luck is to eat grapes on New Year’s Day. The more grapes a person eats, the more good luck the person will have in the year. In France, people eat oysters(牡蛎) on New Year’s Eve. In the United States, some people eat black-eyed peas for good luck—but to get good luck for a whole year you have to eat 365 of them.
1. What is the text mainly about?| A．The meaning of “Happy New Year!”. |
| B．Several different New Year traditions. |
| C．What to eat on New Year’s Day. |
| D．Why people dress up nicely on New Year’s Day. |
| A．To bring good luck. |
| B．To keep away from bad luck. |
| C．To forget everything. |
| D．To plan for the next year. |
| A．friends talk to each other in special ways |
| B．families make big dolls filled with old clothes |
| C．some people get up early to watch the sunrise |
| D．Europeans eat 365 grapes on New Year’s Day |
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. |
| 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. |
| A．His work experience. |
| B．Hard life and his caring spirit. |
| C．An Lushan’s rebel army. |
| D．The Tang Dynasty’s cultural background. |
| A．Entertainment. | B．Health. |
| C．Literature. | D．Science. |
5 . We have been doing cultural and environmental studies to understand the area. We work with local people who live there, work there and know the land. Wherever we can, we avoid disturbing cultural heritage sites.
Consult with the natives
We will fully cooperate with the Inquiry by the Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia. We are also continuing to support the government of Western Australia in the review of the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 (WA). We are committed to engaging with the rest of the industry, Traditional Owners, and federal and state governments across a number of areas relating to cultural heritage approvals and processes, and the broad contribution of the resources sector to Australia.
Avoid Disturbance
Site Conservation
| A．Work with Governments in Australia |
| B．What the government can do? |
| C．Where we have to disturb land |
| D．We work with native peoples to look after cultural places or objects |
| E．Cultural mapping is closely linked to ethnographic recording. |
| F．Where an area is identified as being of high cultural significance |
| G．This can include carefully securing and managing heritage sites |
6 . Brazil’s Famous Carnival Holiday
Carnival is the most famous holiday in Brazil. It is not about a big moment in history or about a famous person, but it is important for the people because it’s a time of friendship, freedom and almost a whole week without work.
People can choose between parties or rest, and most people choose parties, day after day, night after night.
It lasts four days and four nights.
There are also the samba (桑巴舞) schools which make a parade showing their music and floats (彩车).
Carnival is celebrated in the south where by Wednesday everything comes back to normal. The problem is that it is not approved by the Church in the Northwest where carnival is more traditional.
I like Carnival, but I don’t agree that the party should keep going on.
| A．They are followed by the people. |
| B．It starts forty days before Easter. |
| C．It starts on Saturday and finishes on Thursday. |
| D．The Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is the largest carnival in the world. |
| E．And, like at every other popular parties, people drink, dance and have fun. |
| F．There people don’t respect its end and continue to party until the next Sunday. |
| G．People often dress up or masquerade (化装) during the celebrations, which marks an overturning of daily life. |
7 . Against the backdrop of sweeping economic globalisation, interactions and exchanges among ethnic(民族的) groups, races, and nationalities have become increasingly frequent countries have taken the way of “shared learning” with regards to cultural exchange.
Spring Festival is the most celebrated festival in China, and now is expanding its presence across the world. As Chinese youths celebrate Christmas, Westerners also acknowledge Spring Festival. It indicates the trends of shared learning and harmonious coexistence between civilisations.
Spring Festival marks the first day on the Chinese lunar calendar. On that day and over the following two weeks, people greet each other saying “good luck in whatever you do” or “happiness for all your family”. Streets and houses are decorated by Chinese knots (结) and other articles of red colour. In many foreign countries, traditional Chinese activities are performed as fixed programme, namely the dragon dance and the Peking Opera, adding diversity to local cultures.
Why is a time-honored festival so vibrant and even celebrated in other countries? The answer lies in the rich, positive connotation (内涵) of Spring Festival.
Spring Festival reflects spirit of amity (友善关系). More than 2,000 years ago, Confucius said all people in the world are sisters and brothers. The spirit of amity has shaped Chinese people’s concept of and expectation for intrafamily and inter-state relations as well as state governance.
Spring Festival is a time for expressing gratefulness. During Spring Festival people are reminded of the sense of gratefulness by honoring their ancestors and parents in traditional ways.
Spring Festival is also a salute to another Chinese virtue, diligence (勤奋).Chinese people believe that only with their own hands can people create a happy and beautiful life.
Spring Festival also calls for sharing, a value long respected by Chinese. Mencius told his pupils what a man of virtue is like, “In desperate straits they would develop their own goodness. Successfully, they would share their goodness with the whole world.”
Nowadays the culture, calling for friendship, gratefulness, diligence and sharing, is contributing to the world civilisation for a happy, harmonious, and beautiful future for humankind.
1. What do the first two paragraphs mainly talk about?| A．Intercultural learning. | B．Economic globalisation. |
| C．Festival celebrations. | D．The widespread Spring Festival. |
| A．Dragon dance. | B．The Peking Opera. |
| C．Red knots. | D．Honoring the ancestors. |
| A．Busy and noisy. | B．Old and fading. |
| C．Bright and strong. | D．Exciting and attractive. |
| A．Spring Festival Carrying Positive Values | B．Spring Festival Celebrated in China and Beyond |
| C．Festivals Celebrated Around the World | D．Great Persons Shaping Chinese Virtues |
8 . If you think about World Heritage Sites, you probably think of places connected with ancient art and culture and historical buildings. And of course, many of these are on the World Heritage List (WHL). But the WHL contains a lot of sites that are not so obvious. Let’s look at a few of them.
Robben Island, South Africa
This island was used through the centuries as a prison, a hospital and a military base. But it’s probably most famous as a maximum security prison for political prisoners (政治犯) in the twentieth century. Nelson Mandela was one of its most famous prisoners. The WHL says it represents the victory of democracy (民主) and freedom.
Pyrenees-Mont Perdu
This is an area of great natural beauty and the mountains have many interesting geological formations. But it is also an area of small farms. People there still use a type of agriculture that used to be common in mountainous areas of Europe but that has almost completely disappeared in modern times.
The city of Brasilia, Brazil
Brasilia is the capital city that was created from nothing in 1956. The WHL calls it “a landmark in the history of town planning”. The different areas of the city and the buildings themselves were all designed at the same time carefully. Every part of the city shows the ideas of the planner and architect.
Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia
The Simien Mountains National Park was one of the first sites to be listed in 1978. It is one of the highest mountainous areas in Africa, and the WHL calls it one of the most amazing landscapes in the world. It is also important for its wildlife. The number of some rare animals is getting smaller and smaller.
1. Why does the author write this passage?| A．To talk about the history of ancient buildings. |
| B．To describe places of great importance. |
| C．To introduce some of the not-so-obvious sites on the WHL. |
| D．To explain when these heritage sites were listed on the WHL. |
| A．For the type of agriculture. | B．For its political meaning. |
| C．For the ideas of the designer. | D．For the great natural beauty. |
| A．The city of Brasilia. | B．Pyrenees-Mont Perdu. |
| C．Robben Island. | D．Simien Mountains National Park. |
9 . 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.
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.
Whether a salad bowl or a melting pot, America can be best described as a mixture of both.
| 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. |
10 . 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 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 (蜂拥) into the museum, the number exceeding 19,800. To cope with the mighty flow of people, on Sunday afternoon, the official Weibo account of the Sanxingdui Museum released the message to remind visitors to avoid rush hours or reschedule 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 the 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 says although they are open as usual, the newly-found pits have not opened to the public yet and the newly-excavated cultural relics are still under repair 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 the surge in tourists visiting the Sanxingdui Museum?| A．Tourists’ enthusiasm. |
| B．Sichuan Province’s policy. |
| C．The Qingming Festival holidays. |
| D．New archaeological discoveries. |
| A．The official Weibo account linked the museum with the public. |
| 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. |
| A．Experimental. | B．Private. |
| C．Official. | D．Personal. |
| 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 |
| D．New discoveries make the Sanxingdui Museum more popular during the Qingming Festival |
