1 . The exhibit, Digital Dunhuang — Tales of Heaven and Earth, which was held at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, brought to Hong Kong more than 100 exhibits including the visual murals and other related programs that could allow visitors to learn about the art and history of the Mogao Caves in a fun way.

“Dunhuang was an international city, a place where East met West, on the old Silk Road. So the Mogao Caves, which were completed in a period of over 1,000 years, record the ways of life and beliefs of the different peoples that crossed paths there,” explained Fion Lin of Hong Kong Heritage Museum.

Visitors can now get up close and personal with these faraway treasures without having to step into the caves, thanks to the digitization project of the Dunhuang Academy, a pioneer that has made great progress in the digitization and 3D scanning of the Dunhuang treasures.

“Studies have shown that in a cave, both temperature and CO₂ concentration level can rise with 15 tourists inside for ten minutes. As a result, the wall paintings are going to eventually fade. Digital technology has helped to strike a balance between sharing the treasures and protecting them,” said Lin.

However, digitization of the caves faces many challenges such as poor lighting and rough wall surfaces. On average, 40,000 pictures have to be taken to cover 300 m². Great amount of efforts have been made to piece the pictures together. What the exhibition presented is the result of years of hard work.

During the exhibition period, a mini display on Dunhuang music culture was also being held at the Museum for public participation.

1. What could visitors see at the Digital Dunhuang exhibit?

A．The Mogao Caves.	B．About 40,000 Dunhuang pictures.
C．Digital Dunhuang wall paintings.	D．Ancient records of Dunhuang.

2. What is the significance of the digitization project of the Dunhuang Academy?

A．It helps Dunhuang become an international city.

B．It lets people better appreciate the Dunhuang art.

C．It is effective in cutting the CO₂ level in the caves.

D．It attracts more tourists from East and West to Hong Kong.

3. What do we know about the Dunhuang wall paintings?

A．They are brightly lit.	B．They are very rough.
C．It is very hard to protect them.	D．It is impossible for the tourists to see them.

4. Where can you find the evidence that supports “digitization of the caves isn’t easy”?

A．In paragraph 2.	B．In paragraph 3.
C．In paragraph 4.	D．In paragraph 5.

2 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当内容(不多于3个词汇)或括号中词汇的正确形式。

If you live in northeastern China, you expect long, cold winters. People     1    (live) in Harbin don’t just stand the cold, however, they welcome it. The city is home to the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival,    2    is considered to be the largest ice festival in the world. Even with temperatures usually close to zero, thousands of people head to city parks     3    (see) great ice sculptures, many bathed in colored lights.

The festival includes several thousand ice sculptures. Some of these works are the recreations of castles, historic landmarks and famous people, lit up at night in bright colors. There     4    (visitor) can climb ice stairways and go down ice slides (滑坡). They can also take part    5    sporting events, including skating, ice football     6    well as ice swimming.

The city started     7    (it) icy event in 1963 with the Ice Lantern Garden Party, a     8    (celebrate) of the tradition of creating lanterns out of blocks of ice. The larger festival     9    (begin) in 1985 and added sculptures, which have grown in number and size over the years. As it has gotten bigger, the festival has become popular outside the city.    10    (official), the festival starts on January 5th and lasts over one month.

3 . If Confucius(孔子)were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He'd need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.

While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It's nothing personal. Most Americans don't even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.

But this doesn't mean that Americans don't care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.

In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually include Chinese art, history and

philosophy(哲学). Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks(缺陷)of Western philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.

So the old thinker's ideas are still alive and well.

Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.

As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.

1. The opening paragraph is mainly intended to______________.

A．provide some key facts about Confucius

B．attract the readers' interest in the subject

C．show great respect for the ancient thinker

D．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations

2. We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students___________.

A．have a great interest in studying Chinese

B．take an active part in Chinese competitions

C．try to get high scores in Chinese exams

D．fight for a chance to learn Chinese

3. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Forgotten Wisdom in America

B．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language

C．Chinese Culture for Westerners

D．Old Thinker with a Big Future

4. The passage is likely to appear in__________.

A．a personal biography	B．a history paper
C．a cultural newspaper	D．a philosophy textbook

4 . This August, we'll welcome guests from all over the world. Some of them follow their own special cultural traditions. It's important for us to know about them.

In many countries, such as Thailand, India and Malaysia, people believe that the left hand is unclean. So, it's not proper to use one's left hand to hold food, touch others or pass objects. Doing so may offend some guests.

Some Westerners may be offended if you touch them or their personal things-even by accident. If this happens, say sorry politely.

Some elderly Westerners may be offended if you try to help them without their agreement.

People think numbers can be lucky or unlucky. Some Westerners avoid the number 13 because they believe it is unlucky.

Muslims do not eat pork, and words like pigs are not considered proper.

People from Brazil, Italy and Pakistan do not give handkerchiefs as gifts. They believe a handkerchief is closely connected with unhappy feelings.

Wine is not sent as a gift in many parts of western and middle Asia, where most Muslims live.

1. Indians don't hold food with the left hand because they consider it _____.

A．unclean

B．useless

C．valueless

D．unimportant

2. The word "offend" in the second paragraph might mean"______".

A．honor

B．help

C．hate

D．hurt

3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．People from Pakistan like to send handkerchiefs as gifts.

B．All the elderly people in the West like being helped by others.

C．The number 13 is thought to be unlucky by some Westerners.

D．Westerners do not mind their personal things being touched.

4. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．lucky numbers.	B．Traditional food.
C．Culture differences.	D．Hands and handkerchiefs.

5 . Every year there is a Spring Festival in China. Usually it is in January or February. It is the most important festival in China. So before it comes, everyone has to prepare things. They buy pork, beef, chicken, fruits and many other things. And they often make a special kind of food — “dumplings”. It means “ come together ”. On the day before the festival, parents buy new clothes for their children. Children also buy presents for their parents. On the Spring Festival Eve (除夕), all the family members come back to their hometown. This is a happy moment. Some sing and dance, some play cards and others get the dinner ready. When they enjoy the meal, they give each other the best wishes for the coming year. They all have a good time.

1. Which is the most important festival in China?

A．The Mid-Autumn Festival.	B．The Spring Festival.
C．Children’s Day.	D．Dragon Boat Day.

2. When is the Chinese Spring Festival usually celebrated?

A．In March or April.	B．In May or June.
C．In January or February.	D．In July or August

3.            is the special kind of food for the Spring Festival in China.

A．Chicken

B．Dumpling

C．Fish

D．Beef

4. What’s the meaning of the food “dumplings” for Chinese people in the Spring Festival?

A．Look up.

B．Help yourself.

C．Be happy

D．Come together.

5. The family         when they are having dinner together on the Spring Festival Eve.

A．give each other the best wishes	B．buy each other presents
C．sing, dance and play cards	D．get together

6 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

When you see red lanterns（灯笼） or red envelopes(红包), do you know the reason    1    the color red is so popular in China, especially on the Chinese New Year? It all began with the Nian, a terrible animal     2    would frighten people on the New Year by     3     (eat) crops, livestock(家畜) and even children. But soon    4     (village) learned that Nian was afraid of three things: fire, noise, and the color red.

So it was beaten and since then the color red    5     (consider) to bring good luck and good fortune to all.

Usually red lanterns are hung outside the doors    6     (drive) out bad luck, and red cut-out papers are used as decorations to hang on the walls. If you live near a Chinese neighborhood(社区) you should be able to buy these things, but if not, go online and order some. Some people even can make wonderful cut-outs     7    (they).

Still the most     8    (tradition) way to celebrate the Chinese New Year is to hand out red envelopes filled     9    money. The red envelopes     10    (give) to children are expected to drive out bad spirits.

7 . 假如你是新华中学的学生会主席李华，你校学生会应英国Westminster School邀请，下星期将到该校进行交流访问，向该校学生介绍中国传统文化。请你给该校联系人Mr. Smith写一封邮件，信的要点如下：
（1）感谢对方的邀请；
（2）询问食宿、活动安排和说明要介绍的传统文化内容；
（3）祝愿交流活动成功。
注意：（1）词数100左右；
（2）可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
（3）开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
参考词汇：食宿 accommodation
Dear Mr. Smith,

I am Li Hua, chairman of the Student Union of Xin Hua Middle School.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for your attention! Best wishes!

Yours,

Li Hua

8 . 语法填空

There are     1    kinds of festivals throughout the world，festivals to    2    (satisfaction) and please the ancestors，to honour some famous people or important events，and     3    (expression) people’s gratitude to the God for bringing them a year of plenty. For example，Japanese observe Obon，when people go to clean graves and light incense     4     memory of their ancestors. In India，October 2 is a national festival to honour Mohandas Gandhi，     5    .helped India become an     6     (independence) country. And in China the Spring Festival，which     7    (celebrate) in January or February，is     8     most energetic and important because it is a festival that     9    (look) forward to the coming of spring. Why are all these festivals everywhere？Because during the festivals，people can get together to eat，drink and have fun with each other，     10    (forget) all the daily struggles and demands for a while.

9 . For Western designers, China and its rich culture have long been an inspiration for Western creative.

“It’s no secret that China has always been a source(来源) of inspiration for designers,” says Amanda Hill, chief creative officer at A+E Networks, a global media company and home to some of the biggest fashion(时尚) shows.

Earlier this year, the China Through A Looking Glass exhibition in New York exhibited 140 pieces of China-inspired fashionable clothing alongside Chinese works of art, with the aim of exploring the influence of Chinese aesthetics(美学) on Western fashion and how China has fueled the fashionable imagination for centuries. The exhibition had record attendance, showing that there is huge interest in Chinese influences.

“China is impossible to overlook,” says Hill. “Chinese models are the faces of beauty and fashion campaigns that sell dreams to women all over the world, which means Chinese women are not just consumers of fashion — they are central to its movement.” Of course, not only are today’s top Western designers being influenced by China—some of the best designers of contemporary fashion are themselves Chinese. “Vera Wang, Alexander Wang, Jason Wu are taking on Galliano, Albaz, Marc Jacobs—and beating them hands down in design and sales,” adds Hill.

For Hill, it is impossible not to talk about China as the leading player when discussing fashion. “The most famous designers are Chinese, so are the models, and so are the consumers,” she says. “China is no longer just another market; in many senses it has become the market. If you talk about fashion today, you are talking about China—its influences, its direction, its breathtaking clothes, and how young designers and models are finally acknowledging that in many ways.”

1. What can we learn about the exhibition in New York?

A．It promoted the sales of artworks.	B．It attracted a large number of visitors.
C．It showed ancient Chinese clothes.	D．It aimed to introduce Chinese models.

2. What does Hill say about Chinese women?

A．They are setting the fashion.	B．They start many fashion campaigns.
C．They admire super models.	D．They do business all over the world.

3. What do the underlined words “taking on” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．learning from

B．looking down on

C．working with

D．competing against

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Young Models Selling Dreams to the World

B．A Chinese Art Exhibition Held in New York

C．Differences Between Eastern and Western Aesthetics

D．Chinese Culture Fueling International Fashion Trends

10 . 一些外国友人想了解我国过春节的情况。请你根据下面要点写一篇英语短文。
1)春节是中国的重大节日。
2)节前人们要大扫除。
3)全家人在一起吃年夜饭。
4)孩子们会得到压岁钱。
5)年初一穿新衣服,走亲访友。
词数:100左右
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