1 . What are pillows really stuffed with? Not physically, but symbolically? The question occurred to me with the photos in the news and social media from the 50 cities around the world that staged public celebrations for International Pillow Fight Day. Armed with nothing more than bring-our-own sacrificial cushions, strangers struck heavily each other in playful feather from Amsterdam to Atlanta, Warsaw to Washington DC. But why? Is there anything more to this delightful celebration?
As a cultural sign, the pillow is deceptively soft. Since at least the 16th Century, the humble pillow has been given unexpected meanings. The Chinese playwright Tang Xianzu tells a famous story about a wise man who meets a depressed young scholar at an inn and offers him a magic pillow filled with the most vivid dreams of a seemingly more fulfilling life. When the young man awakens to discover that his happy 50-year dream has in fact come and gone in the short space of an afternoon’s nap, our impression of the pillow’s power shifts from wonder to terror.
Subsequent writers have likewise seized upon the pillow. When the 19th-Century English novelist Charlotte Bronte poetically observed “a ruffled (不平的) mind makes a restless pillow”, she didn’t just change the expected order of the adjectives and nouns, but instead she made unclear the boundaries between mind and matter — the thing resting and the thing rested upon.
It’s a trick perhaps Bronte learned from the Renaissance philosopher Montaigne, who once insisted that “ignorance is the softest pillow on which a man can rest his head”. On Montaigne’s thinking, intelligence and happiness confront each other forever in a pillow fight that only one can win.
With the words of Tang. Bronte, and Montaigne, we can perhaps more easily measure the attraction of the global pillow fight. Like a ritual of release, the annual international pillow fight amounts to a kind of cleansing, a brushing off of daily worries: an emptying of the world’s collective mind. Rather than a launch-pad for weightless rest, the pillow is a symbol of heavy thought: an anchor that drags the world’s soul down — one that must be lightened.
1. The example of Tang Xianzu is used to illustrate that ________.A.pillows give people satisfactory dreams |
B.dreams are always wonderful while the real world is cruel |
C.people’s impression of pillows changes from wonder to terror |
D.pillows symbolically convey the meaning in contrast to their soft appearance |
A.wrote poems about pillows |
B.regarded pillows as reflections of our minds |
C.shared the same viewpoint as Tang Xianzu on pillows |
D.was likely to have been influenced by the thoughts of the Renaissance |
A.pillows give us comfort |
B.pillows make people more intelligent |
C.people with too many thoughts have less inner peace |
D.people can easily fall asleep when they know nothing |
A.Because it is a ritual release. |
B.Because it makes life delightful. |
C.Because it comforts restless minds. |
D.Because it contains a profound meaning of life. |
The Mid-autumn Festival
The Mid-autumn Festival, which is one of the most important traditional festivals in China, falls on August 15th of the Lunar calendar every year. Not only is it popular in China but it is also celebrated in many other Asian countries.
On that day people usually go back home to have family reunion, enjoying a large meal with their family. They will also eat moon cakes, which are round cakes with meat, eggs, nuts and other things inside. It’s a family reunion festival when people express best wishes to the beloved ones at this particular time.
注意:1. 可以适当发挥,以使行文连贯;
2. 词数100左右;
3. 要点提示:
① on May 5th of the Lunar calendar
② popular in China
③ celebrate in many other Asian countries
④ eat Zongzi (meat, rice, beans)
⑤ have dragon boat races
⑥ in memory of Quyuan
The Dragon Boat Festival
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3 . I came across quite a few language problems while spending holiday with my family last summer. The most embarrassing was when my Mom apologized to the people we were staying with because her “pants were dirty”. They looked at her in surprise, not knowing how to react. You see, Mom had fallen over and gotten mud on her jeans. But in Britain, “pants” means underpants or knickers (内裤;衬裤), not trousers as it does back home.
Katie — From America
I went to stay with a friend on the west coast last summer. Her flat was on the first floor of a high-rise building so I got the lift up. Then I wandered round for ages looking for her flat but couldn’t find it. Fed up and tired, I finally had to go out to find a phone box. She explained that her flat was on the first floor, which for me meant the ground floor.
David — From Britain
When I asked for the “restroom” in a big department store, people kept directing me to a room with seats where I could sit and “rest”. It took me years to get through to (使...明白)someone that I only wanted the toilet!
Tom — From America
1. Hearing Katie’s mother’s words, Katie’s friends were in surprise because ________.A.Katie’s mother got mud on her jeans | B.Katie’s mother’s underpants were dirty |
C.they mistook pants for underpants | D.they didn’t understand British English |
A.phone the police for help | B.phone his friend for help |
C.tell his friend he couldn’t visit her | D.apologize for his being late |
A.he wanted to have a rest | B.he wanted to go to the toilet |
C.he wanted to go to bed | D.He wanted to go to a department store |
At his studio in Beijing, artist Zhang Xiaodong piles hundreds of sheets of thin top of one another until they form a complete image. When there is a slight air, the pages flow, giving life to the book
With few of the books
Zhang’s
My friends were surprised when I told them my plan to further my learning in China. But up to now, choosing China
My first
6 . There is more of a connection between food and culture than you may think. On an individual level, we grow up eating the food of our culture. It becomes a part of who we are. Many associate food from our childhood with warm feelings and good memories and it ties us to our families, holding a special and personal value for us. Food from our families often becomes the comfort food we seek as adults in times of frustration and stress.
On a large scale, traditional food is an important part of culture. It also operates as an expression of cultural identity. Immigrants bring it wherever they go, and it is a symbol of pride in their culture and means of coping with homesickness.
Many immigrants open their own restaurants and serve traditional dishes. However, the food does not remain exactly the same. Some materials needed to make traditional dishes may not be readily available, so the taste and flavour can be different from what they would prepare in their home countries. Additionally, immigrants do not only sell dishes to people from the same countries as them, but to people from different countries. Therefore, they have to make small changes in the original dishes to cater to a wider range of customers. Those changes can create new flavours that still keep the cultural significance of the dishes.
We should not only embrace our heritage (传统) through our culture’s food, but also become more informed about other cultures by trying their food. It is important to remember that each dish has a special place in the culture to which it belongs, and is special to those who prepare it. Food is a window on culture, and it should be treated as such.
1. What’s the function of food mentioned in the text?A.To help motivate homesickness. |
B.To show cultural identity. |
C.To reflect a country’s history. |
D.To show a community’s superiority. |
A.The specific traditional food. |
B.The national culture. |
C.A traditional expression of food. |
D.The old-fashioned taste. |
A.To attach cultural importance to their dishes. |
B.To announce the beginning of their life on foreign soil. |
C.To make the dishes popular among customers. |
D.To present their own food culture in a new way. |
A.Negative. |
B.Balanced. |
C.Unfair. |
D.Unchangeable. |
7 . 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”. |
8 . In the long history of about 5,000 years, numerous Chinese traditional festivals were celebrated in memory of gods or some significant days, some of which are passed down from generation to generation and people always practice special traditional activities in each festival.
Qingming Festival
Qingming Festival is on the 15th day after Spring Equinox, round April 4 or April 5 every year.
Double Ninth Festival
Winter Solstice(冬至)
Winter Solstice is on around December 22 or 23 of solar calendar each year. From Winter Solstice on, the daytime will be longer and longer.
In China, this festival is in late January or early February, the last day of the Lunar year. People celebrate it by having a family reunion dinner, setting off fireworks and staying up late. Breaking the dishes and bowls is a thing all the people scare, but if you did it, you have to say: “sui sui ping an”.
A.New Year’s Eve |
B.Spring Festival |
C.People will go to worship their ancestors. |
D.People always visit their friends and relatives. |
E.That day people in different regions eat different food. |
F.It is a pun(双关语), meaning you will be healthy every year. |
G.It is celebrated on Sept. 9th of the Lunar Calendar, around October. |
9 . Chinese New Year has been welcomed in Britain with its biggest ever program of events and celebrations.
From London's Trafalgar Square to major cities across Britain,tens of thousands of British people have joined Chinese communities to celebrate the arrival of the New Year. In Manchester there was a Dragon Parade(舞龙表演),led by a very impressive 54-meter long dragon,ending in Chinatown where there was traditional Chinese entertainment, more than 6, 000 lanterns,street food villages and a fireworks show. Celebrations also took place in Liverpool, Birmingham, Durham, Edinburgh, Leeds and Newcastle.
Academic Dr Wu Kegang said that the Chinese New Year event in Britain “is now bigger than ever and it is growing every year”. When Wu arrived in Britain 26 years ago from Guangdong,the first thing he noticed was that Chinese New Year was celebrated mainly in towns and cities with big Chinese communities. “You would go to London Chinatown and join your countrymen to celebrate, or to Chinatowns in places like Liverpool and Manchester for events almost only held for Chinese people, ”Wu recalled.
“Now it is so different, and we are seeing local communities all over the country taking part alongside their own Chinese populations, ” he said. “It is clear to me that the celebrations will continue to grow in Britain. Chinese New Year has earned its place in the calendar of events in Britain,and is here to stay. ”
1. Where did the Dragon Parade take place?A.In London. | B.In Liverpool. |
C.In Manchester. | D.In Birmingham. |
A.celebrated mainly by Chinese communities |
B.celebrated by local communities all over the country |
C.only celebrated in London, Liverpool and Manchester |
D.celebrated by tens of thousands of British people with Chinese people |
A.It will lose its attraction. |
B.It will become a British official holiday. |
C.More and more British people will join in the celebrations. |
D.It will become the most important one in the calendar of events in Britain. |
A.How Chinese New Year is celebrated in Britain. |
B.Where Chinese New Year is celebrated in Britain. |
C.Chinese culture is more attractive than British culture. |
D.Chinese New Year has become more and more popular in Britain. |
Palmer Park is the perfect place to host the first Reading Oktoberfest, which takes place 15-18 September 2016.
You can experience everything that makes Oktoberfest, held in a huge Beer tent. We’ll have live music and DJs and thousands of people going crazy.
Opening hours:
Thursday 15 September 17:00-23:30
Friday 16 September 17:00-23:30
Saturday 17 September 12:30-23:30
Sunday 18 September 12:30-19:00
Ramsbottom Festival
With its riverside location (位置), Ramsbottom Festival is one festival which can truly be called beautiful. Here you can enjoy a mix of music, great arts and family shows, as well as a variety of Great British and international food.
Ramsbottom Festival takes place 16-18 September 2016 at Ramsbottom Cricket Club, Bury, easily reachable by public transport from Manchester city centre.
The Willow Festival Dorset
The Willow Festival — the world’s largest festival showing new and undiscovered live music bands and artists is coming to Dorset. Fun for all the family, the event also has a shopping area, a world food village, and plenty of activities for kids.
Tickets are just £10.00, which covers a come-and-go attendance (出席) for all three days.
River Cottage Festival
It’s our first ever family-friendly music festival, right here at River Cottage HQ in Devon.
On 17-18 September 2016, the farm will be filled with live music from popular bands in the UK. In between all that dancing you’ll be able to watch shows from local craftspeople (匠人) and make your own piece of jewelry.
Tickets will cost you just £35, or £10 for children under 12 (babies under 2 go free).
1. What can visitors enjoy at Ramsbottom Festival?A.Family shows. |
B.Dancing on the farm. |
C.Making beautiful things by hand. |
D.International bands’ performances. |
A.are held in 2016 for the first time |
B.ask visitors to pay the same price |
C.take place near a river |
D.are family-friendly |
A.River Cottage Festival. |
B.Ramsbottom Festival. |
C.Reading Oktoberfest. |
D.The Willow Festival Dorset. |