1 . Primary and secondary school learners, university students, and guests were invited on Wednesday and were treated to a colorful celebration at the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi, to mark the beginning of the year of the dragon which officially starts on Saturday. The place featured beautiful decorations with red and gold colors and lucky symbols.
Visitors got an opportunity to participate in cultural experiences including painting, papercutting and pot throwing as well as experiencing Chinese cuisines like spicy hotpot, steamed stuffed buns (包子) , Chinese hamburgers, dumplings and barbecue among others. They were also treated to heartwarming performances including face-changing, lion dance, dragon dance, drumming, Chinese opera, Chinese songs and a talent show featuring Chinese traditional clothes as well as a mixture of Chinese and Kenyan fashion.
Leah Muthoni, a student at the University of Nairobi lauded the Chinese cuisines served at the event, especially noodles and dumplings. She also appreciated the decorations, drawings, pictures and performances. Similar feelings were also shared by George Mwita, another student from the University of Nairobi who greatly enjoyed the pot throwing game.
In his welcoming speech, Professor Stephen Kiama, the vice headmaster of the University of Nairobi who doubles up as the Kenya director of the Confucius Institute, hoped this year will be a good year of development because the Chinese dragon horns represent power and strength, while the drums represent courage and energy.
Kiama said the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi has achieved a lot since its establishment in 2005, including winning the Confucius Institute of the Year Award seven times and pioneering the establishment of the Bachelor of Arts in the Chinese language in Kenya. “Last year, with the joint efforts of the various parties and stakeholders we established the first bachelor of education in Chinese in Kenya and we admitted the first group of students,” he said. Kiama hopes that this year the Confucius Institute will gain more force with the blessing of power, courage and vitality from the year of the Chinese dragon. He said the Confucius Institute offers a good platform for cultural exchange between China and Kenya through events like the Chinese Lunar Year celebrations. Kiama hoped that the relationship between China and Kenya would further be strengthened by the blessings of the year of the dragon.
In Chinese methodology (方法论) , the dragon has the power to control seasons, time and harvests, and it’s seen as a symbol of wealth. The Chinese consider dragons to be powerful. sympathetic, wise, kind and warm.
1. What is spoken of as one of the cultural experiences the visitors participated in?| A．Tasting Chinese cuisines. | B．Writing with brushes. |
| C．Reciting Chinese poems. | D．Guessing lantern riddles. |
| A．Mixed. | B．Praised. | C．Delivered. | D．Sold. |
| A．It has the biggest number of students in Africa. |
| B．George Mwita is one of the Chinese teachers there. |
| C．It has won the Confucius Institute of the Year Award seven times. |
| D．They set up the first bachelor of education in Chinese in Kenya in 2005. |
| A．Kiama considers dragons to be powerful and sympathetic |
| B．Confucius Institute offers good platform for cultural exchange |
| C．Kiama wishes year of dragon good for development of Confucius Institute |
| D．Confucius Institute at University of Nairobi marks year of dragon celebrations |
2 . Lifting a spear (矛), Li Jinqi pulled it across her shoulders and spun it quickly. Following her example, 10 peers in two rows wearing the same kungfu-style clothing produced the same movements.
Li is a 24-year-old PhD student at Beihang University in Beijing, but she is more widely known on campus as a martial arts master. She has studied various martial arts styles and won several cross-campus martial arts competitions held in the capital city. She also led the university’s martial arts club, which has grown from a team of 2 to over 30 active members.
“Martial arts has seen a great uptick on campus, and I heard that my middle school and high school have both opened martial arts courses,” says Li. “I don’t think martial arts is about fighting,” she adds, “Martial arts is about finding the best version of yourself.”
Gao Xiaoya, a junior student at Beihang, also joined the martial arts club. Gao is among an increasing number of young people who were first drawn to martial arts as a way to keep fit, but who found their enthusiasm grew when they realized the advantages from the traditional values and culture the sport embodies. “You start to enjoy it more and realize that martial arts have taught you how to face challenges and be confident,” says the 21-year-old.
On China’s video-sharing platform Bilibili, short videos on topics of traditional Chinese culture, such as martial arts, hanfu and Peking Opera often receive lots of likes and comments.
“The fast development of the internet and social media has also promoted communication about traditional Chinese culture, enabling young people to have easier access to previously niche art forms,” says Song Yu, a researcher at the Institute of Sociology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences . As younger generation pay more attention to traditional culture, relevant industries and services are expected to thrive as well, says Song.
1. What do we know about Li Jingqi?| A．She is familiar with all the martial arts styles. |
| B．She sets up a university’s martial arts club. |
| C．She is a martial arts coach at Beihang University. |
| D．She is famous for winning some martial arts competitions. |
| A．Choice. | B．Problem. | C．Rise. | D．Fall. |
| A．To explain why people’s enthusiasm for martial arts increased. |
| B．To tell when people would like to join the martial arts club. |
| C．To display what people practiced in their daily lives. |
| D．To show how people faced challenges. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Positive. | C．Cautious. | D．Worried. |
3 . In 1240, the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II built Castel del Monte on a lonely hill in central Puglia, where he had a perfect view of approaching enemies. He probably never imagined the enemies might be tourists one day. But these days, the old castle has been polished clean, and hundreds of multicolored Pullman buses snake up the winding roads to its grounds, now filled with T-shirt stands, Coca-Cola signs and a 200-car parking lot. All this thanks to the fact that UNESCO has designated (认定) it a World Heritage Site in 1996.
Officially, UNESCO honors places that exemplify an area’s ancestry, with the purpose of ensuring they are preserved. Unofficially, this designation is a kind of fairy dust that often turns little-known cultural sites into overnight tourist sensations. This is both a gift and a cuss. Lisa Mastny, senior adviser to the World Watch Institute, says tourism is double-edged for places considered of “outstanding value to humanity. It offers many poor communities the chance to obtain financial rewards, but also threatens the very resources —human and natural—upon which the industry is ultimately built”.
There is growing awareness that assigning UNESCO designation is worthless — or worse, harmful — without some kind of follow-up preservation program. “In the early days there wasn’t much attention given to what would happen once these site s became World Heritage. But that’s changing slowly,” says Joseph King, director of the sites unit at the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM). In Africa, a 12-year training program is currently underway to teach locals not only how to preserve their immovable cultural heritage, but how to use it for economic development. In Eastern Europe, where tourism is a relatively new thing, cities are looking for help in figuring out where to draw the line between preserving historical centers and promoting urban development.
1. What can we learn about Castel del Monte?| A．It was built to enjoy the view. | B．It has become a hot tourist spot. |
| C．It has to make way for a shopping mall. | D．It failed to win UNESCO designation in 1996. |
| A．Solution. | B．Promise. | C．Drawback. | D．Chance. |
| A．By quoting experts. | B．By analyzing cause and effect. |
| C．By giving examples. | D．By making comparisons. |
| A．Is UNESCO Helpful in Driving Global Tourism? |
| B．How Can a Place Be Included in the UNESCO List? |
| C．Why Is It Important to Market World Heritage Site Tours? |
| D．Does Identifying World Heritage Sites Do More Harm Than Good? |
4 . Tea culture is varied in different countries by the way tea is made and drunk, and by the places for tea drinking. How to make tea may be different. According to the ways of making tea, tea is classified into white tea, green tea, black tea, etc. And how to prepare tea may be different, too. In Tibet, tea is commonly boiled with salt and butter. People may drink tea at home or in public, for example, at tea houses.
As part of culture, tea has a relationship with history, health, education, communication and so on. It is commonly used at social activities. For example, afternoon tea is a British custom. Families or friends can communicate with each other while having afternoon tea.
Tea has remained a way of daily life in China and drinking tea has a lot of ad-vantages. It makes people less tired, clears heat in the human body and helps people lose weight.
Chinese people are good at using tea to make other things delicious. Tea, originally served as a medicine in ancient times, is now not just a kind of drink, but also excellent seasoning (调味品). Here are two delicious dishes made with tea:
Tea Eggs: You can find them cooked and sold in street markets in almost every city in China. Dragon Well Tea Shrimp (龙井虾仁). It’s one of the most well—known dishes in Hangzhou. Before you drink tea please check the following tips:
◆Drink tea hot.
◆The best time to drink is in between meals. It is bad for your stomach if you drink tea just before meals, during meals or soon after meals.
◆Do not drink too much strong tea.
1. Which of the following is similar to the underlined phrase “classified into”?| A．carry out | B．sort out | C．turn into | D．burst into |
| A．weekend activity | B．hobby | C．way of communication | D．game |
| A．a drink | B．a dish | C．seasoning | D．a medicine |
| A．ways of making tea | B．places to drink tea |
| C．tools for drinking tea | D．advantages of drinking tea |
5 . Do you remember reading an article called Kouji in middle school? In it, a kouji performer, specializing in vocal mimicry, creates lifelike performances of various sounds using just his mouth, with the stage having only a table, a block of wood on it, a chair and a fan.
Originating from ancient China, the art of kouji involves skillfully using movements of the lips, teeth, throat, and tongue to produce sounds that mimic birds, animals, and various other noises in the world. It is often combined with story-telling during performances. In 2011, kouji was recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage.
According to the IHChina website, traditional kouji is becoming endangered due to the rapid development of electronic audio. However, Cao Quyang, a 28-year-old inheritor, has found a solution by combining kouji with beatboxing, achieving a perfect combination of traditional and modern performance art.
Cao started learning kouji in 2016 when she wanted to bring something original to her B -box performance. "As a former percussionis (打击乐器演奏者), I'm sensitive to rhythm, so I integrated the kouji techniques I learned into beatboxing and created my own unique style in my area of expertise." she added. For example, when mimicking environmental sounds like wind, Cao can use her mouth to weave beatboxing into it, making the sound of the wind stronger and more rhythmic." The addition of beatboxing brings more musical expression to kouji performances, making the stories more vivid and appealing to today's young audiences." said Cao.
In addition to kouji and beatboxing, Cao can also play the Chinese drums, drum set, and piano, as well as DJ. "Innovation is not difficult for me. To me, innovation is simply expressing something that people don't understand in a way they do," said Cao, "As long as it combines tradition and modernity and allows the public to appreciate the beauty of tradition through innovation, I'm willing to do it."
1. What does the article tell us about kouji ?| A．It involves five parts of the human mouth. |
| B．It originated in the Western Han dynasty. |
| C．It usually mixes sound mimicry with storytelling. |
| D．It received national heritage status in 2001. |
| A．By developing a new form of art. |
| B．By employing it to compose pop songs. |
| C．By including digital effects in her performances. |
| D．By combining it with percussion instruments. |
| A．Visual appeal. | B．Emotional depth. |
| C．Mimicry accuracy. | D．Rhythmic complexity. |
| A．It presents challenges and risks of failure. | B．It is a means of beautifying the old. |
| C．It is a way to bridge understanding. | D．It serves as a form of self-expression. |
6 . Welcome to Dragon Boat Festival Celebration! In a short visit, you will be able to participate in a range of activities, from Language Corner to the Chinese Tea ceremony. This celebration is also an excellent opportunity to learn more about the Confucius Institute, meet the institute teachers, learn some Chinese culture and enjoy several cultural activities.
For this event, we also invited Hello Art to run a clay-making dragon boat workshop. The clay-making workshop will run from 11:00-12:30 and 1:00-2:30 pm and on a first come and first serve basis. A maximum capacity has been set per workshop to optimize the experience. The spaces are very limited!
Event details:Date & Time: Saturday, June 24th, 11:00 am-3:00 pm
Location: Abden House, 1 Marchhall Crescent, Edinburgh, EH16 5HP
Free entry, all welcome.
Please reserve your place HERE
Various other activities to explore, fun for all the family.
·Traditional Chinese Calligraphy
·Kung Fu Demonstrations and performances
·Pop-up Asian cakes and deserts shop by Chi Chi Bakery
1. What does the celebration feature?
| A．Festival foods. | B．Sports values. |
| C．Chinese culture. | D．Working experience. |
| A．It is run by the organizer. |
| B．It lasts for three hours. |
| C．First comers enjoy better service. |
| D．Room is enough for visitors. |
| A．A school club poster. | B．An academic article. |
| C．A travelling advertisement. | D．A university website. |
7 . When Mark Twain visited Florence (佛罗伦萨) in 1867, he dutifully visited the city’s museums, churches, and tombs. But as he stood by the Arno, he began to sense the Italians’ insistence that it was a river, not a stream. “They all call it a river, and they honestly think it is a river, do these dark and bloody Florentines,” he complained, “I might enter Florence under happier circumstances a month hence and find it all beautiful, all attractive. But I do not care to think of it now, at all.”
It’s normal to feel uncomfortable outside your home culture. Feelings of discomfort, dislocation, and overload among travelers are referred to by many as “culture shock.” But Susan Goldstein, a professor at the University of Redlands says, “ Though the term has existed for many years, ‘Culture shock’ implies a dramatic, unexpected, negative event. Though many travelers will experience such challenges, a real sense of ‘shock’ is untypical. So untypical that many researchers no longer use the term.”
It was the vivid description of culture shock by Canadian researcher Oberg, written in 1960 in response to his own multicultural experiences, that won over audiences. The researcher spoke of the adjustment process as “an occupational disease of people who have suddenly been transplanted abroad” — a “disease” that progressed from a honeymoon phase, through rejecting the new environment, to finally adjusting fully to it. By the 1970s many researchers adopted the idea that, like physical illnesses, culture shock progressed through a remarkably consistent and universal set of stages.
Modern research, however, suggests that the experiences of adaptation are individual, not universal. “People will have their ups and downs, but for the most part, they will become increasingly comfortable and competent over time,” Goldstein says. And while many connect the causes of culture shock to the host culture itself, an individual’s internal expectations and differences are just as important.
As for Mark Twain, the moody author was able to ride out his feelings of upset and dislocation while traveling. He eventually finished out his European tour - and in his bestselling travel memoir The Innocents Abroad, famously remarked that travel is “fatal to prejudice and narrow-mindedness.” With the right attitude - and the willingness to seek help if you need it - it’s more than likely that you, too, can adapt and grow in new settings, building new memories-and toughness - with each new stamp in your passport.
1. How did Mark Twain feel about Italians’ insistence?| A．Annoyed. | B．Calm. | C．Uninterested. | D．Curious. |
| A．It would lead to physical diseases. |
| B．It was regarded as an avoidable thing. |
| C．It was named for people’s adjustment. |
| D．It had gained wide acceptance by the 1970s. |
| A．Suggestions about culture shock. |
| B．A change in understanding culture shock. |
| C．Stress of the importance of culture shock. |
| D．A criticism of previous idea of culture shock. |
| A．To remember him. | B．To inform and anticipate. |
| C．To conclude and encourage. | D．To make the ending humorous. |
8 . There are festivals going on somewhere in the world every day of the year. These range from very large events to local celebrations in tiny villages. We have selected a few of the more unusual, colourful festivals from around the world.
Mighty Mud (泥; 泥浆) Mania: Scottsdale, Arizona, USA
Children’s dreams really do come true in the City of Scottsdale. Children aged 1 to 13, get to join in the mud race Mighty Mudway features water and mud games. There are also water slides, sandcastle buildings and fun for all ages. Moms and dads, remember to send your kids out with old clothes and shoes.
Songkran Festival, Thailand
What better way to celebrate the “start of the return of rains” than with a country-wide water fight? Thais celebrate their festival officially from April 13th until April 15th. These three days represent the last day of the old year, the day of transition, and the first day of the New Year. Water battles fought out for days in the streets of every town and city over the country.
The La Tomatina Festival, Spain
On the last Wednesday of every August thousands of Spaniards take part in the La Tomatina Festival in Bunol. Truckloads of tomatoes are pulled in each year and dumped in the city centre. The people throw tomatoes at each other for the whole day, but the only rule is that the tomato must be flattened in the hand first, before being thrown. Even elderly grandmothers have been known to take part.
Canberra Sled Dog Classic: Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Dog sledding is one of the fastest growing sports on the east coast of Australia. As there’s no snow (the trail is earth and sand and is smooth and wide with a few hills and turns) , the sleds have wheels instead of runners, but the excitement is the same.
1. Which festival is most suitable for 10-year-old Jack and his younger brother?| A．Mighty Mud Mania | B．Songkran Festival |
| C．The La Tomatina Festival | D．Canberra Sled Dog Classic |
| A．With a dog sledding race. | B．Through a country-wide water fight. |
| C．By having a nationwide tomato fight. | D．By building sandcastles in a muddy environment. |
| A．They are all for adults. | B．They happen in the same season. |
| C．They all have joyful atmosphere. | D．They all happen in the same country. |
9 . “We don’t mind using GPS,” says our Aboriginal guide Baamba in his Australian accent, as he looks out across the wilderness which belongs to his tribe. The red ground ahead is covered with bushes and trees. Although it’s early, it’s already 30 degrees in the shade. It’s a difficult hike, but Baamba is a sensible guide: he always carries a satellite phone in his backpack in case of emergencies. His ancestors, however, relied on songs.
The early Australian Aborigines made the land navigable (可航行的) through songs, dance and paintings. The songs described pathways or “songlines”, which provided an oral “map” of the land. They showed people where to find a water hole, where there was a river and where they could hunt. Generations of Aboriginals followed these pathways, leaving clear marks and carvings on rocks and trees to help future travelers. “But the songs describe more than a pathway,” explains Baamba. “They also tell stories about how the world was created.” According to Aboriginal stories, the world was created, when giant beings, part human, part animal, came down from the sky. From across the sea and from deep in the earth.
One of the many sacred sites called Arkaroo Rock was mentioned in the songs and stories about the land. These songs and stories show the close relationship between the native people and their environment, how they saw themselves as part of nature rather than master of it, and how their way of life resulted in a valuable knowledge of their land. It was a way of life with more than 2,000 generations. It was a way of life that was safe from invasion and influence until 1788.
____________ Sadly, this destroyed their ancient way of life, and many Aboriginal songlines were lost. Today, people like Baamba are trying to restore this heritage and preserve it.
It’s late now and Baamba is waiting outside Arkaroo Rock. Inside, we’re admiring the beautiful cave paintings, but as soon as we have taken some photos, we leave. Dark clouds are visible on the horizon—there are already flashes of lightning and thunder in the distance. As we drive away, the wind blows through the trees, and we can almost hear the voices of those first Australians, singing the songs of their ancestors, and following the songlines.
1. Why does the writer mention Baamba’s ancestors’ songs in paragraph 1?| A．To promote these songs, special culture | B．To draw readers’ attention to the theme. |
| C．To show off the old but advanced songs. | D．To advertise the place’s tourist attractions |
| A．Songlines were printed maps of die land. |
| B．Sonlines were mainly used to help hunters. |
| C．Songlines were a symbol of bravery of the Aborigines. |
| D．Songlines played a key role in finding people’s way around. |
| A．Songlines were negatively influenced by strange tourists. |
| B．The Aborigines experienced a terrible natural disaster in 1788. |
| C．The Aborigines celebrated their victories for defeating the enemy. |
| D．Foreigners’ invasion since 1788 resulted in the natives’ life destroyed. |
| A．Guidelines. | B．Songlines. | C．Exploration. | D．Tradition. |
10 . With a leather book cover, a golden overhang, made from colored paper and edges of the book painted red, the French version of An Introduction to The Analects of Confucius《论语入门》is a classic from the Age of Enlightenment in France. The book is about the political ideas, ethical thoughts and moral concepts of China more than 2,000 years ago. Francois Bernier, the author of the book, would never have expected that the French version of the Chinese classic translated by him could be brought to China more than 300 years after he finished it.
The French version of An Introduction to The Analects of Confucius is a national gift. 2019 marked the 55th anniversary of the establishment of China-France diplomatic ties. On March 24 of that year, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Nice, France. Before their meeting, Macron presented Xi with the original French version of An Introduction to The Analects of Confucius published in France in 1688.
As a classic of traditional Chinese culture, The Analects of Confucius《论语》was introduced to Europe as early as the 17th century. Commenting on the influence of Chinese culture in France, Macron said the thoughts of Confucius had deeply inspired French thinkers such as Voltaire and had a long-lasting influence on the French Enlightenment (启蒙运动).
After hearing Macron’s introduction, Xi said he would take this precious gift back to China’s National Library. President Xi once said that the rich philosophical ideas, humanistic spirit, edifying thoughts (教化思想) and moral concepts of China’s fine traditional culture can provide useful inspiration for understanding and transforming the world, for governing the country, and for moral construction.
1. What does An Introduction to The Analects of Confucius mainly deal with?| A．Music history, ethical thoughts and folk songs. |
| B．Political ideas, ethical thoughts and fairy stories. |
| C．Moral concepts, classic works and military ideas. |
| D．Ethical thoughts, moral concepts and political ideas. |
| A．Macron saw them as an inspiration to many French inventors. |
| B．Macron saw them as guidelines for the French Enlightenment. |
| C．Macron considered them great valuable to French in some ways. |
| D．Macron considered them the best way to spread Chinese culture. |
| A．Science. | B．Travel. | C．Culture. | D．Technology. |
