| A. spoiled B. inheritance C. assumed D. undisturbed E. economically F. guardians G. instability H. longing I. practically J. coincidence K. fascinated |
In the British Museum on a Sunday afternoon, ancient faces look back at children and adults alike. Inside their glass cases, pharaohs (法老) and priests are
Ancient civilization is part of the world's heritage, and in recent times it seemed nothing could seriously threaten that
Yet the
Meanwhile in Egypt, tourism levels have decreased since the revolution, and hotels are half-empty.
This is where the word “tourism” becomes in itself harmful. People who visit Egypt to see ancient art are certainly tourists, in the country that was at the heart of the very idea of modern tourism. But this word has unfairly come to imply a selfish, shallow form of consumer spending,
To reduce the problems of the Egyptian tourists industry to these cold terms is wrong. Many people visit Egypt with a passionate
Both Greece and Egypt are
Sharing the sweetness
On the 25th of December, my mother expects her children to be present, exchanging gifts and eating turkey. When she pulls on that holiday sweater, everybody better gets festive. Of course, I would be the first Jones sibling
No one took my new idea seriously. From the way my mother carried on, you would think I was divorcing the family. Still I held my ground and made plans for my winter adventure in New Hampshire. The MacoDowell Colony was
By Christmas Eve, I had been at the colony for more than a week. The novelty of snowy New England was wearing off, but I would never admit
Finally, I called home on the pay phone. My dad answered, but I
Despite a heavy snowstorm, a large package showed up near my door at the artist colony on Christmas morning. Tayari Jones was written in my mother’s beautiful handwriting. I rushed to that parcel
As I sliced the cake, everyone gathered around. Mother had sent a genuine homemade gift. It was a minor Christmas miracle that one cake managed to feed so many. We ate it from paper towels with our bare hands,
Time capsule is a container
A 132-year-old time capsule was found in Utah. It was first buried in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1887, after
The news
| A. accepted B. actually C. absolutely D. described E. hosts F. normal G. origin H. produced I. refer J. tend K. typical |
Have you experienced culture shock? Culture shock refers to the anxiety
The feeling of culture shock can
Culture shock can be
Learning the symptoms and knowing ahead of time of how to prepare yourself and how to deal with culture shock can make it a lot easier to overcome.
5 . Dining in France: Culture Shock
On my first weekend abroad, I attended a dinner party with my host family to celebrate the New Year. It was everything I had imagined a French dinner party would be --- multiple courses, a variety of cheeses, bottles of champagne, and slices of fresh bread. Then, at the end of the meal, the host called out. “Okay, everyone, get under the table!”
What? An earthquake broke out? I watched as the children came running into the dining room and hid under the table. As it turns out, in the days after the New Year, the French celebrate with the galette des rois, or the “king cake”, a special cake with its own set of traditions. There is a small toy hidden inside the cake, and whoever finds it in their serving is the winner. Before it is sliced, all the children hide under the table so that they cannot see who will get the slice with the toy.
I’ve learned that many French traditions focus on food, and often they’ve taken me by surprise! From time to time, I’ve experienced a sense of culture shock, the feeling of confusion in a new country when you’re adjusting to things that maybe unfamiliar to you. Thankfully, I haven’t run into anything too difficult to manage. Before leaving for France, I learned strategies from the International Programs Office, a facility which helps prepare students to deal with these kinds of ups and downs.
They explained the phenomenon with a line graph to illustrate the highs and lows of the experience. You may experience a “honeymoon” phase, where you find everything new and exciting or even better than your home country. You may also experience low points, where all these little differences may seem frustrating and overwhelming.
I encountered a new fun, food-related culture differences while in France. For example, the French eat with both wrists resting on the table, while many Americans tend to keep their left hands in their laps. I hadn’t even noticed the difference until my five-year-old host brother pointed it out! Moreover, on formal occasions, people tend to straighten their back. And it is also common to use bread as a utensil, holding it in your hand like a knife, or using it to clean up the plate at the end of the meal. Finally, I love hearing “Bon Appétit!” (Good appetite!”) before eating, whether I am seated at the table with my host family, or just grabbing a coffee at a nearby café!
1. The reason why the host asked children to get under the table was that she wanted to ______ .| A．hide something in the cake |
| B．protect children from the earthquake |
| C．give the author, the guest, a big surprise |
| D．prevent children from slicing the cake |
| A．He wants to help students get prepared to deal with emotional changes. |
| B．He wants to tell readers how thrilling it is when we encounter novel things. |
| C．He uses it to help with the explanation of ups and downs in face of a new culture. |
| D．He uses it to prove that we may come across something disappointing abroad. |
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
6 . In spring, chickens start laying again, bringing a welcome source of protein at winter's end. So it's no surprise that cultures around the world celebrate spring by honoring the egg.
Some traditions are simple, like the red eggs that get baked into Greek Easter breads. Others elevate the egg into a fancy art, like the heavily jewel-covered "eggs" that were favored by the Russians starting in the 19th century.
One ancient form of egg art comes to us from Ukraine. For centuries, Ukrainians have been drawing complicated patterns on eggs. Contemporary artists have followed this tradition to create eggs that speak to the anxieties of our age: Life is precious, and delicate. Eggs are, too.
"There's something about their delicate nature that appeals to me," says New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast. Several years ago, she became interested in eggs and learned the traditional Ukrainian technique to draw her very modern characters. "I've broken eggs at every stage of the process—from the very beginning to the very, very end. "
But there's an appeal in that vulnerability. "There's part of this sickening horror of knowing you're walking on the edge with this, that I kind of like, knowing that it could all fall apart at any second" Chast's designs, such as a worried man alone in a tiny rowboat, reflect that delicateness.
Traditional Ukrainian decorated eggs also spoke to those fears. The elaborate patterns were believed to offer protection against evil.
"There's an ancient legend that as long as these eggs are made, evil will not prevail in the world," says Joan Brander, a Canadian egg-painter who has been painting eggs for over 60 years, having learned the art from her Ukrainian relatives.
The tradition, dating back to 300 B. C., was later incorporated into the Christian church. The old symbols, however, still endure. A decorated egg with a bird on it, given to a young married couple, is a wish for children. A decorated egg thrown into the field would be a wish for a good harvest.
1. Why do people in many cultures prize the egg?| A．It is a welcome sign of the coming of spring. |
| B．It is their major source of protein in winter. |
| C．It can easily be made into a work of art. |
| D．It can bring wealth and honor to them. |
| A．They are shaped like jewel cases. |
| B．They are cherished by the rich. |
| C．They are heavily painted in red. |
| D．They are favored as a form of art. |
| A．Eggs serve as an enduring symbol of new life. |
| B．Eggs have an oval shape appealing to artists. |
| C．Eggs reflect the anxieties of people today. |
| D．Eggs provide a unique surface to paint on. |
| A．She never knows if the egg will break before the design is completed. |
| B．She can add multiple details to the design to communicate her idea. |
| C．She always derives great pleasure from designing something new. |
| D．She is never sure what the final design will look like until the end. |
7 . Learning how to cope with death has always been a central part of human existence. Even the Pixar movie Coco bases its story on the Mexican traditions of Dia de los Muertos. In this article, you will find out why and how Mexicans celebrate the Day of the Dead.
I once visited the Museum of Mummies in the Mexican city of Guanajuato with a Swedish friend. The mummies were displayed among fake cobwebs ( 蜘 蛛 网 ), and other cheap adornments (装饰物). Confronted with this seeming lack of respect for the dead, I explained to my shocked companion that Mexicans have a peculiarly different relationship with death to other cultures. As the Nobel Prize-winning Mexican writer Octavio Paz explained in his work:
“The Mexican ... is familiar with death, jokes about it, caresses it, sleeps with it, and celebrates it. True, there is as much fear in his attitude as in that of others, but at least death is not hidden away: he looks at it face to face, with impatience, disdain (鄙视) or irony.”
The celebration of the Day of the Dead — a week of festivities from 28 October to 2 November — is an essential part of this embracement of death that is particular to Mexican national identity. The popular belief is that the dead have divine permission to visit friends and relatives on earth and enjoy once again the pleasures of life. Therefore, Mexicans visit the graves of families and friends and adorn them with colorful flowers and offerings of food. The period is a joyous celebration of life, rather than a sober mourning of its passing.
The origins of the festival lie in the 16th-century fusion of the Aztecs’ belief in death as merely one part in the wider cycle of existence, their ritual venerations (仪式崇拜) and offerings to the goddess Mictecacihuatl (“Lady of the Dead”) for the deceased, and the Spanish conquerors’ desire to accommodate these festivities within the Catholic celebrations of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.
In a country as socially and geographically diverse as Mexico, there is significant regional variation in the nature of festivities: the southern state of Chiapas is far more likely to focus its efforts on processions ( 队 伍 ) and public commemorations( 纪 念 ) of death than the valley of
Mexico, where the decoration of altars ( 供 坛 ) in homes and tombs of the deceased is more popular. Urbanization, too, plays a large role in regional variations. For the south and rural areas the period holds far greater social and cultural significance than in the north and large cities; families and communities in rural areas will often spend large parts of the year preparing for the occasion.
1. Why does the author say “Mexicans have a peculiarly different relationship with death to other cultures?”| A．Because Mexicans always show their respect for death in the form of mummies. |
| B．Because Mexicans do not fear death or respect it. |
| C．Because adornments like flowers can be seen everywhere during the Day of the Dead. |
| D．Mexicans face death bravely rather than hide it away. |
| A．It was the Aztecs who determined how to celebrate the Day of the Dead. |
| B．The Aztecs believed death was part of the wider cycle of existence. |
| C．The Aztecs would give offerings to the goddess of death for their lost loved ones. |
| D．The Spanish conquerors wanted to fit the festivities into some of their Catholic celebrations. |
| A．Because they can ask God to permit the dead to visit them in this way. |
| B．To celebrate the joy of new life in spring. |
| C．Because the dead will be permitted to visit their families and enjoy the pleasure of life again. |
| D．Because this is an essential part of embracement of death. |
| A．People in the south and rural areas put more emphasis on the occasion. |
| B．People in the valleys usually decorate the alters in homes and the tombs of the dead. |
| C．People in the north and big cities spend large part of the year preparing for the celebration. |
| D．The southern states do not care about the decoration of alters at home. |
I used to hate waiting in line, thinking of it as a big waste of time and a test on my patience, but
Probably because the country is not very big, with limited resources,
Gradually I came to realize that
But don’t think Israeli people are cruel. If you have to leave for a short time,
Their culture
Compared
How the British and American Tell Children’s Stories
If Harry Potter and Huckleberry Finn were each to represent British versus American children’s literature, a curious situation would emerge : In a literary competition for the hearts and minds of children, one is a wizard(巫师)- in - training at a boarding school in the Scottish Highlands, while the other is a barefoot boy drifting down the Mississippi, bothered by cheats, slave hunters, and thieves. One defeats evil with a magic stick, the other takes to a raft(筏)to right a social wrong.
The small island of Great Britain is an unquestionably powerhouse of children’s bestsellers: Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Significantly, all are fantasies.
American write fantasies too, but nothing like the British, says Jerry Griswold, a San Diego State University professor of children’s literature. He said, “
| A．It all goes back to each country’s distinct cultural heritage. |
| B．American stories are rooted in realism; even our fantasies are rooted in realism. |
| C．Both boys are characterized by their unique roles, thus breathing life into the fancy stories. |
| D．Meanwhile, the United States, also a major player in children’s classics, deals much less in magic. |
| E．Britain’s time-honored countryside, with ancient castles and restful farms, lends itself to fairy-tale invention. |
| F．Both orphans took over the world of children’s literature, but their stories unfold in noticeable different ways. |
10 . Recently China’s netizens took to the microblogging site Weibo to passionately critique pictures Of the Great Wall in Suizhong County Liaoning province(辽宁省绥中县).
And rightly so.
The New York Times described the flattened section as a “cement (水泥) skateboarding lane dumped (遗弃)in the wilderness .” Let me explain if you haven’t seen in the photos : smooth concrete（混凝土）covers the top, and battlements (城垛) along the edges were completely destroyed--work done in the name of “conservation. " The Great Wall has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site for decades recognizing China's diverse architectural history. Undoubtedly, this particular “conservation” represents a tragedy for the whole world.
As the tourism industry in China picks up, heritage sites are coming under greater public scrutiny(公众监督). Sites that I have visited such as the Summer Palace, Terracotta Warriors and Yu Garden each see millions of tourists every year. As a result, we have grounds to believe that historic sites do need conservation for fear that the inevitable crowds of tourists will trample (践踏) them into dust.
However ，conservation should not only improve physical accessibility it should also retain the character and enhance the experience. One need not look farther than Badaling or Mutianyu in Beijing. While this Great wall restoration provides significant employment opportunities and mostly protects the wall from destruction, it is not without fault. Many visitors complain of overcrowding , the “fakeness” of gauy (花哨的) new architecture and high ticket prices.
Moreover, there is no comprehensive (全面的) academic publication in any language about the Great Wall. Little scientific knowledge proves the truth of historical and political claims. For instance, UNESCO still claims that the Great wall can be seen from space while China's first taikonaut Yang Liwei stated otherwise.
Unfortunately, the restoration of the Great Wall in Suizhong cannot be changed back to what it was before. Then what can you young people do to support the Great Wall and other historic sites in China? At least it is within your power to learn about the rich history of heritage sites, observe guidelines when visiting them and encourage others to follow your example.
1. According to the New York Times , the restoration of the Great Wall was_______| A．of no importance | B．far from satisfactory |
| C．worth the effort | D．not too bad |
| A．It cost a large sum of money |
| B．It was only focused on physical accessibility |
| C．It was not approved by the loyal government |
| D．It was meant to development tourism industry in China |
| A．it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site several years ago |
| B．it can be found in different provinces of China |
| C．It attracts a large number of tourists every year |
| D．it cannot be seen from space |
①spread the information of how to go to those sites
②study the rich history of those sites
③obey the guidelines when visiting those sites
④point out other tourists' bad behavior when visiting those sites
| A．①②③ | B．①②④ |
| C．①③④ | D．②③④ |
