2 . Portland Rose Festival
May
Multiple Locations in Portland

The Portland Rose Festival,for more than a hundred years,begins the summer with Memorial Weekend festivities.The celebration lasts about two weeks and includes fireworks,all-floral and light parades,a city fair,boat races,a half marathon,live music,fleet week and ends with the Rose Cup Races.Children enjoy the Junior Rose Festival with their own parade and a royal court.The Rose Festival Court is made up of high school girls as part of a scholarship program.

Rocklahoma Music Festival
May
Catch the Fever Music,Pryor,Oklahoma

The annual rock festival,known as Rocklahoma,is back for another rocking year!The rock festival takes place in Pryor,Oklahoma over several days.The festival is an outdoor,all-ages event.The show is divided into four main stages,with the biggest names in rock taking over.Concert-goers are encouraged to camp out on the grounds and stay close to the action.

Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival
June
Manchester,Tennessee

Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an iconic annual event in Manchester,Tennessee that features four days of assorted styles of music,art,camping,comedy and much more.There is plenty of music,art,comedians and other activities to keep everyone moving in this great,friendly atmosphere.The view is amazing,the festival is life changing,and attendance is growing each year.

TomorrowWorld
September
Chattahoochee Hills,Georgia

TomorrowWorld is an unforgettable venue based on Belgium’s Tomorrowland. Hidden deep in the forest of Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia, the landscape is breathtaking and full of lush green foliage. As a result, their annual festival is a perfect mix of nature and creative fun.

1. What do Portland Rose Festival and Rocklahoma Music Festival have in common?

A．They have a history of over 100 years.	B．They will be held in the same month.
C．They have a half marathon race.	D．They are divided into four main stages.

2. What is special for kids at the Junior Rose Festival?

A．They can take part in boat races.	B．They can listen to live music.
C．They can have their own parade.	D．They can take part in running races.

3. Which festival should you go if you want to get close to nature?

A．Portland Rose Festival.	B．Rocklahoma Music Festival.
C．Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.	D．TomorrowWorld.

3 . When Chinese people think of wushu, what often comes to mind is wuxia novels, a kind of historical novel that involves wushu warriors.    1    . For example, the characters may have superhuman strength or the ability to fly. They may also be able to focus their inner spiritual strength and send it through the air, knocking people over or breaking down walls.

    2    . However, by far the most popular author in this genre(文体) was Zha Liangyong(1924-2018) who used the pen name Jin Yong and sold over 300 million books worldwide. His novels have also been translated into many languages and some have been made into movies and TV series.

    3    , and then he goes off to learn wushu. After becoming a wushu master, the hero begins travelling the jianghu, fighting evil wherever it may be found. Eventually, the main character proves to be an example of justice, kindness, courage, loyalty, truth, and honesty.    4    , which refers to a person who holds back the strong and helps the weak. Through hardship, self-discipline and a well-known teacher, one can be a wushu master. However, he coming a wuxia hero, one should always bear xia in mind. A wuxia hero always puts friends, his people, and his country first.     5    . Through superior martial arts skills pus fiends, qualities he and his fellows save the day.

A．Wuxia stories most often take place in the jianghu

B．Central to the idea of the wuxia hero is the concept of xia

C．Most often, there are some fantastic elements to these novels

D．Wuxia has a long literary history dating back as far as Sima Qian

E．As a master storyteller, he wove fact and fiction in a fantastic way

F．And he is willing to battle to help those in need and make a better society

G．Typically, wuxia stories begin with a hero who experiences personal trouble

4 . The Mogao Grottoes were a center of Buddhist life and some of the world’s great cultures for hundreds of years. However, by the late Qing Dynasty they had been abandoned and nearly forgotten and many of the caves had become damaged by the elements. Around 1900, with the discovery of a library of thousands of ancient documents, the caves received new interest from Chinese and foreign researchers. Unfortunately, this resulted in tens of thousands of items from the caves being taken to foreign museums

In the 1940s, many researchers and artists visited the area to study traditional Chinese art. Copies of some of the artwork painted by respected artists such as Zhang Daqian and GuanShanyue helped people all over the country learn about Dunhuang. These artists were also inspired by the artwork they saw in the caves and it began to influence their painting styles. Others staved in the desert for much longer, Chang Shuhong stayed for the rest of his life — struggling to record the cultural treasures and protect them from the weather. As a result of their efforts the Dunhuang Academy was formed to protect and study the Mogao Grottoes.

In 1987, the Mogao Grottoes were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While the caves are open to the public, access is now limited in order to protect the artwork. However, the caves can be seen online in digital form so that people around the world can study and enjoy them.

Despite its remoteness, the Mogao Grottoes continue to draw visitors. And just as the sand and desert have survived largely unchanged through the centuries, this small art gallery in the desert has also survived largely unchanged providing an amazing look at a world long ago past.

1. When did the Mogao Grottoes regain the world’s attention?

A．Hundreds of years ago.

B．In the late Qing Dynasty.

C．In the late eighties of the 20th century.

D．Around the beginning of the 20th century.

2. What is the author’s purpose in mentioning the artists in the 1940s?

A．To learn about their works.

B．To show how hard they worked.

C．To compare their different styles.

D．To appreciate their contributions.

3. When people have no access to visiting the caves,        .

A．they can do researches online

B．they can enjoy the digital versions

C．they can watch copies in art galleries

D．they can study them in foreign museums

4. Which of the following can be a suitable title for the text?

A．The Mogao Grottoes — Center of Buddhist Life

B．The Mogao Grottoes — Art Gallery in the Desert

C．Respected artists — Protectors of the Mogao Grottoes

D．An Amazing Tourist Attraction — The Mogao Grottoes

5 . Have you ever had this kind of childhood memory: a family sits together casually, drinking and tasting tea after lunch or dinner?     1    

After being spread to different parts of the world,     2     Now tea has finally received top-level global recognition as a shared cultural treasure of mankind. On Nov. 29, “traditional tea processing techniques and associated social practices in China” was added to the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage.

Traditional tea processing techniques and associated social practices in China consist of the knowledge, skills and practices concerning the management of tea plantations (茶园) as well as the picking of tea leaves, manual processing, drinking, and sharing of tea, noted UNESCO.

    3    The most commonly used skills ranging from shaqing (杀青) to xunzhi (窨制). Chinese tea is divided into mainly six categories: green, black, yellow, oolong, white and dark. All of them follow their own processes for tea making. Practices of greeting guests with tea are shared among multiple ethnic groups and provide a sense of identity and continuity.    4    It means boiling tea at a stove — a social tea activity popular among young Chinese people.

Weilu zhucha is a replacement in the cold seasons for the camping craze. Sitting around a stove, boiling some tea, people chat, admire the scenery and immerse themselves in traditional Chinese culture by boiling tea together in person. “    5    Whenever we want some snacks, we sit around a stove and boil tea,” an Internet user commented.

A．Take tea making for example.

B．This can be fully shown by weilu zhucha.

C．tea is common in Chinese people’s daily lives.

D．It’s good to feel the warm atmosphere when boiling tea.

E．China now has 43 items on the intangible cultural heritage list.

F．tea has delighted and fascinated the world for a thousand years.

G．This has been a daily activity for Chinese people throughout their history.

6 . Avi Bendahan and Shijia Jiang are unlikely collaborators (合作者).

Jiang is a classically trained performer of Peking Opera, or Jingju. Bendahan is a local actor, dancer in Canada. He and Jiang together are the core (核心) of Jingju Canada, a theater company that adapts the ancient Chinese art in Montreal and across Canada.

“I really want people in the West to know Peking Opera,” says Jiang. The two are, in a sense, building an audience for the art form in and outside of the city’s Chinese community.

“Peking Opera is very strict, and hard to understand. They don’t speak Standard Chinese. No, they speak the Peking Opera dialect (方言),” Meng Rong, the leader of the Confucius Institute in Quebec says of the language used, which is comparable to Shakespearean speech. “You need to have special skills to understand.” As a result, the popularity of Peking Opera is fading (逐渐消失).

One of Jingju Canada’s approaches to that problem is to translate.

Their first show was 2011’s Crossroads.

“It was the first time Jingju Canada translated a Chinese opera show into English,” says Bendahan. “And it was the first time we created newish characters.”

Bendahan handles the translations. “The language is very hard for me,” says Jiang, referring to English. Jiang’ strong point in performance is combat — she trained in China as a wudan, a fighting woman.

But change, of course, presents challenges.

“They don’t want to lose the core things from Peking Opera,” says Rong. That's where Jiang’s other speciality (专长), besides combat, comes in. She was among the first in China to study the new‑for‑Jingju program of directing. “We learned new ways of directing,” she says. “We used music, dance, movies, and then put them together with Peking Opera.”

“Crossroads was very successful,” says Rong. “The audiences really loved it. And I think for every culture, if the nice part can be shown to the public, and everybody understands and everybody enjoys it, why don’t we do it?”

1. What is Jiang’s reason for working with Bendahan on Jingju Canada?

A．To help Bendahan study Chinese.

B．To develop her friendship with Bendahan.

C．To help foreigners know more about Peking Opera.

D．To perform Peking Opera in more Chinese communities.

2. What makes Peking Opera less popular according to Rong?

A．Its boring settings.

B．Its outdated music.

C．Its unique language.

D．Its special characters.

3. What did Jiang do when preparing for Crossroads?

A．She used a new method of directing.

B．She gave up her directing program.

C．She trained other performers.

D．She translated the text.

4. How does Rong feel about Jiang and Bendahan’s work?

A．He's shocked.

B．He's satisfied.

C．He's doubtful.

D．He's thankful.

8 . The Double-Seventh Day refers to the seventh day of the seventh month on the Chinese lunar calendar.

In ancient times, the Double-Seventh Day was a festival especially for young women. Girls, whether from rich or poor families, would put on their holiday best to celebrate the annual meeting of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. Parents would place an incense burner (香炉) in the courtyard and lay out some fruit as offerings. Then all the girls in the family would kowtow to Niu Lang and Zhi Nu and pray for ingenuity (灵巧).

In the Tang Dynasty about 1,000 years ago, rich families in the capital city of Chang’an would set up a decorated tower in the courtyard and name it the “Tower of Praying for Ingenuity”. They prayed for various types of ingenuity. Most girls would pray for outstanding sewing or cooking skills. Girls and women would gather together in a square and look into the star-filled night sky. They would put their hands behind their backs, holding a needle and thread. At the word “start”, they would try to thread the needle. Zhi Nu, the Weaver Girl, would bless the one who succeeded first. The ladies would also show off their fried cookies made in many different shapes. They would invite the Weaver Girl to judge who was the best. In the past these were important virtues for a woman.

1. The Double-Seventh Day is usually celebrated on ________.

A．July the seventh

B．New Year’s Day

C．the 7th day of the 7th month on the Chinese lunar calendar

D．the meeting day of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl stars

2. The underlined word “best” can be replaced by “________”.

A．best food

B．best skills

C．best clothes

D．best ingenuity

3. In the Tang Dynasty most girls would pray to Niu Lang and Zhi Nu for ________.

A．a good marriage	B．meeting the Cowherd or the Girl Weaver
C．high officials	D．outstanding sewing and cooking skills

4. Zhi Nu, the Weaver Girl, would bless the one ________.

A．who was the winner in the compition of threading the needle

B．whose family had a tower to pray in

C．who kowtowed to Niu Lang and Zhi Nu for ingenuity

D．whose family lay out most fruit as offerings

9 . Learning the word for fish in Chinese can be a highly useful skill. Knowing how to say “fish” in Chinese is both practical and helpful in understanding cultural values.

The Chinese Character for Fish

The Chinese character for “fish”, written in the traditional form, is 魚 .       1     No matter what form it is written in, the word for fish in Chinese is pronounced like “yu”.

Cultural Importance of Fish in China

The pronunciation of fish in Chinese, “yú” is a homophone (同音字) for “abundance (充裕).”     2     As such, fish are a common symbol in Chinese art and literature, and they are very important in Chinese mythology (神话).

    3    The characters for this fish are 鲤鱼, pronounced “lǐ yú”. Pictures of this fish are also a common decoration for the Chinese New Year.

Fish in Chinese Mythology

One of the most interesting Chinese myths about fish is the idea that a carp (鲤鱼) that climbs the waterfall on the Yellow River (known as the Dragon Gate) changed into a dragon.    4    In reality, each spring, carp come together in great numbers in the pool at the base of the waterfall.     5       It has become a common saying in China that a student facing examinations is like a carp trying to jump the Dragon Gate.

A．The simplified form is 鱼.

B．But very few make the climb.

C．Surprisingly, a lot of them are not related to fish at all.

D．This addition suggests that fish is most useful to humans.

E．The dragon is another important symbol in Chinese culture.

F．For example, Asian carp are the subject of many Chinese stories.

G．This similarity has led to fish becoming a symbol of abundance in Chinese culture.