Yu Rong, a Chinese artist, thinks of a new way to introduce
Hua Mulan,
To better tell the story, Yu Rong takes inspiration from her several
The Duanwu Festival, also
Qu Yuan,
You don’t have to live in China long to know that
3 . Statistics show that most toddlers (刚学走路的小孩) learn how to say about 20 words by 18 months. Talking is easy. If you ask anyone, none will remember how they started doing it, it just comes naturally.
But what might not flow as smoothly as words, is body language. It’s a whole different deal when you’re using your hands, eyes or head instead of your tongue. And what makes it even more complicated is the fact that body language differs all around the world.
I find it shockingly amazing how just a small finger gesture could mean one thing in the East and the completely opposite in the West. For instance, in Japan bowing is the most common greeting. It shows respect and Japanese pay a lot of attention to the details like the timing, posture and movement. A bow in Japan represents sincerity, respect and graciousness. While in New Zealand Maori the pressing of noses and foreheads is the traditional greeting. They call it “hongi”, which is regarded as the breath of life.
For most of us, nodding our heads up and down often means agreement, but not for the Bulgarians or Greeks. In both cultures, nodding one’s head up and down actually means “no”. The American goodbye wave could actually be interpreted (领会) as a “no” in many parts of Europe and Latin America. And the Italian goodbye wave would be understood in America as a “come here” and the American “come here” gesture would actually be seen as an insult (侮辱) in most of Asia.
So before you travel to explore a different culture, make sure you’re aware of alternate meanings for body language. We live in a world with many different cultures, so don’t forget how differently one hand gesture can be interpreted!
1. What makes body language misunderstood often?A.Its wide uses. | B.Its smooth flowing. |
C.Its difficulties in understanding. | D.The background of different cultures. |
A.Greeting. | B.Respect. | C.Tradition. | D.Breath. |
A.America. | B.Greece. | C.New Zealand. | D.Japan. |
A.The Origin of Body Language | B.The Limitation of Culture |
C.Body Language Around the World | D.The Culture of Maori |
The Han Dynasty is one of the most important
5 . The “24 solar terms” (节气) originated and was first used in China. It was created thousands of years ago on the basis of practical needs of agricultural. Ancient Chinese people used it to guide agricultural production, explain special climate signs and even come up with healthy living tips. Last year, the 24 solar terms was added to UNESCO's world cultural heritage list(联合国教科文组织世界文化遗产名录). Now, it has been brought to life thanks to a creative designer from Southwest China's Guizhou Province.
On the eve of this year's Qingming Festival, Shi Changhong released (发布) his version of reproduced and packaged characters for each solar term in the form of “moving art” of gifs. Since their first release on Zcool on March 29, the gifs have won great praise among the general public and quickly flooded the social media with millions of hits during the festival period.
To maximize publicity, Shi released his work in three forms: the video, the animation and pictures. The background sounds add to the brilliance.
“When I watch the short video, I can strongly feel the Chinese-style elements hidden in it. And it is really cool to liven up traditional Chinese culture in such a unique way.” WeChat user Xiao Feifei said.
“It is really a comfort to me to see so many people like my latest work. To be honest, it would really surprise me if the work had not aroused great interest among Chinese people. The 24 solar terms is a deeply rooted concept that covers the essence of Chinese wisdom. However, only a small portion of people know all the names or the correct order of those terms. My intention is to increase Chinese people’s self-awareness to learn more about our traditional fine culture. Actually, the 24 solar terms work is only a part of my whole design program ‘Charm China’, which I started a year ago.” Shi told China Daily.
1. Which part of the newspaper does the text probably belong to?A.Travel. | B.Culture. | C.Agriculture. | D.Education. |
A.Newspaper. | B.Magazine. |
C.Radio broadcast. | D.Website. |
A.The background sounds of the work make the video more attractive. |
B.It really surprised Shi Changhong to see so many people like his latest work. |
C.Most people know all the names or the correct order of the 24 solar terms. |
D.The 24 solar terms work designed by Shi Changhong was added to UNESCO’s heritage list. |
A.To introduce a creative designer. |
B.To introduce the 24 solar terms work. |
C.To introduce the origin of the 24 solar terms. |
D.To introduce a design program “Charm China”. |
6 . A British friend told me he couldn’t understand why Chinese people love eating sunflower seeds(嗑瓜子) as a snack so much.“I’ve met a lot of older Chinese and many have a crack in their front teeth, I believe that’s from cracking the seeds,”he said.
I had never noticed the habit, but once he mentioned it, I suddenly became more aware, I realized that whenever I’m watching TV or typing a report, I always start mindlessly cracking sunflower seeds. My friend doesn’t like sunflower seeds, and, to him, it seems unnecessary to work so much just to get one small seed.
When we were young, the whole family would usually get together for Chinese New Year. Then, we all lived close to one another, usually in a small city, and sometimes even neighbors would go door-to-door on Chinese New Year’s Eve to check out what every household was making.
I remember my parents would be in the kitchen cooking. Out in the living room, a large table would already be laid out, complete with fancy tablecloth, ready-made dumpling fillings, and dishes full of candy, fruits and sunflower seeds. Some of the dishes were to be offered to our ancestors later, while others were for neighbors and children to eat before the evening feast. I must have learned how to crack sunflower seeds back then.
I don’t think it’s right to criticize one’s choice in food or eating habits, no matter how strange they may seem.
It’s not only in China. When I went abroad, I found people had all sorts of strange habits when it came to food. In Denmark, they put salted red fish on bread and eat it for dinner, no matter how much it ruins your breath. They think it’s a delicacy(美味佳肴), and it’s connected to their certain culture. I think it’s a wonderful tradition.
1. What did the writer become aware of?A.She had ever typed a report about seeds. |
B.She had various snacks while watching TV. |
C.She had a habit of cracking sunflower seeds. |
D.She damaged her teeth by eating sunflower seeds. |
A.The families get together for it. | B.Eating sunflower seeds is related to it. |
C.The traditions of celebrating it disappear. | D.Children can eat delicious food on that day. |
A.Indifferent. | B.Critical. | C.Understandable. | D.Doubtful. |
A.It is good to form healthy eating habits. |
B.Eating habits come from a certain culture. |
C.Changing your eating habits will change your life. |
D.One kind of food doesn’t necessarily suit everyone. |
7 . Some years ago, I was hired by an American bank. I received a letter from the head of the Personnel Department that started, “Dear John, I am quite pleased that you have decided to join us.” That “quite” saddened me. I thought he was saying “we’re kind of pleased you decided to join us although I wish we had hired someone else.” Then I discovered that in American English “quite” sometimes means “very”, while in British English it means “fairly”.
So the first lesson about working in other countries is to learn the language and by that I don’t just mean the words people speak. It is body language, dress, manners, ideas and so on. The way people do things highlights many of the differences we see between cultures.
Some of the differences may be only on the surface——dress, food and hours of work——while others may be deeper and take longer to deal with. Mostly, it is just a question of getting used to the differences and accepting them, like the climate, while getting on with business.
Some of the differences may be an improvement. People are more polite; the service is better; you ask for something to be done and it happens without having to ask again. However, other differences can be troubling, like punctuality. If you invite people to a party at 7 o'clock your quests will consider it polite to turn up exactly on time in Germany, five minutes early in the American Midwest, an hour early in Japan, 15 minutes afterwards in the UK, up to an hour afterwards in Italy and some time in the evening in Greece. I prefer not to use the word “late” because there is nothing wrong with the times people arrive. It is simply the accepted thing to do in their own country.
1. The author was unhappy as mentioned in paragraph 1 because he thought ________A.The American bank didn’t think much of him. |
B.The American bank might hire another person. |
C.It’s difficult to get used to American culture. |
D.It’s easy to understand Americans. |
A.encourages | B.helps to narrow |
C.increase | D.stress |
A.Ask the native people for help. | B.Understand and accept them. |
C.Do things in our own ways. | D.Do in-depth research. |
A.Italians | B.Germans |
C.Greeks | D.the British |
1. What did Chinese people prefer to do to their beloved in the past?
A.Speak out love. | B.Send something. | C.Sing in front. |
A.Embarrassed. | B.Surprised. | C.Disappointed. |
A.Confucian(孔子) thoughts. | B.Eastern thoughts. | C.Western thoughts. |
9 . As the birthplace of kites in the world, Weifang, Shandong province of China, produces beautiful, vivid, colorful and high-quality kites. Now, more than 70% of kites in the world are exported from Weifang. If you want to see various shapes and sizes of kites covering the sky, you cannot miss the Weifang Kite Festival held on the third Saturday of every April.
But this year, tens of thousands of Chinese participants gathered in Weifang, from Sept 26 to 29 for the 37th International Kite Festival. Held since 1984, the International Kite Festival is an annual event to “exhibit the excellence of the kite lovers to the public,” according to the festival's website.
During the festival, kite lovers can enjoy stunt (特技表演) kite flying, also known as aerial ballet. Controlled by either a single person or a group, the kites form different shapes in the air. People always devote a lot of time and wisdom to making their own kites. From animals that crawl (爬行) on the ground or swim in the water to legends like Monkey King, everything can fly in the sky at the festival. One of this year's highlights was the giant kites decorated with images of medical staff and the Long March 5 rocket, which reflect the hot topics this year.
“Flying a kite is like flying your dream. All the cultural symbols from ancient and modern times can be found in the sky of Weifang,” noted Medium. After more than three decades of development, the festival has become a place to appreciate kites. But most importantly, it serves as a unique cultural event to promote international exchange.
1. What does the text mainly talk about?A.A kite festival. | B.A kite birthplace. |
C.The future of kites. | D.Kite performances. |
A.To enjoy animals flying in the air. | B.To show kite-lovers' brilliance. |
C.To perform specialized kite flying. | D.To enhance Weifang's global impact. |
A.It takes a lot of trouble to make a kite. | B.Stunt kite flying is the only highlight. |
C.Imagination can be shown in the kite. | D.Decorations matter least in the show. |
A.It helps organize an international event. |
B.It offers tips on how to appreciate kites. |
C.It helps make the place known worldwide. |
D.It enhances international cultural exchange. |
10 . 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 |
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 |
A.Forgotten Wisdom in America |
B.Huge Fans of the Chinese Language |
C.Chinese Culture for Westerners |
D.Old Thinker with a Big Future |
A.a personal biography | B.a history paper |
C.a cultural newspaper | D.a philosophy textbook |