1 . The old Chinese saying “as happy as spending the New Year” might be outdated now in the busy modern world. The Spring Festival is regarded as the most important festival for Chinese people and an occasion for all family members to get together, like Christmas in the West. But many traditional customs accompanying the Spring Festival, however, have weakened in practice.
Setting off fireworks was once the most typical custom of the Spring Festival. People thought the sputtering (爆裂) sound could help drive away evil spirits. However, the activity has been completely or partially forbidden in big cities for years as the government has taken security, noise and pollution factors into consideration.
“In recent years, some cities have begun to allow people to light fireworks during limited hours at the Spring Festival, surrendering to (屈从于) public demand. Respecting folk traditions is a gesture of respect toward public opinion,” said Zhou Xing, a folklore researcher.
“As people gain more income and it becomes easier to buy daily goods, the New Year holiday is just like any other. After long workdays, many people use the New Year holiday to take a rest, rather than visiting friends and neighbors. The process of making and enjoying the family dinner on Spring Festival Eve is the most important thing. However, many families would like to eat out to save time and energy,” said Li Shunzhi, a resident of Harbin, Heilongjiang.
“I enjoy the holidays very much in the countryside. My family has been preparing for the Spring Festival more than two weeks before the holiday, cleaning the house, buying holiday goods and decorating the house with papercuttings. On New Year's Eve, the whole family stays up to see the New Year in, and in the days to follow, a series of activities such as lion dancing, dragon lantern dancing, lantern festivals and temple fairs will be held. Without the ancient traditions, the holiday is nothing to us,” said Zhang Hui, from Hebei.
1. What Li Shunzhi said implies ________.| A．what people do during the festival now is different from the past |
| B．people would like to have the family dinner on Spring Festival Eve |
| C．people prefer to visit friends and neighbors rather than take a rest |
| D．the New Year holiday is just like any other day |
| A．Zhang Hui often spends two weeks preparing for the Spring Festival. |
| B．Zhang Hui is used to spending the Spring Festival with his family. |
| C．Zhang Hui always takes part in a series of activities after the Spring Festival. |
| D．Zhang Hui lives in the urban area. |
| A．The Spring Festival is as lively as before. |
| B．The Spring Festival is outdated now. |
| C．The Spring Festival is losing its qualities. |
| D．The Spring Festival in China is more important than Christmas in the West. |
2 . Some people preserve their tradition and old ways of life wherever they go. They eat the same food from childhood. They follow traditional religious ceremony even when they have moved away. Some people adapt a bit, but some people I know never adapt to a new environment.
In England, there are places where the English language is not needed as people have formed their own communities, where most of the residents are from the same background. Some people do not feel the need to adapt or fit in the mainstream society as their community is complete with community school, supermarkets, and places of worship.
When my son was small, it was entertaining to be creative with the seasons. I was trying to bring up a child with cultural awareness. It resulted in my vast collection of cheap commercialized New Year red items, and my effort in creating Chinese New Year atmosphere in a foreign land. Perhaps I was trying too hard.
Having lived in England for nearly 20 years, I’m more used to the festivals and traditions here. I’ve changed a great deal and the most significant change is that I no longer eat rice every day. I don’t even have a rice cooker anymore. Now I eat rice occasionally and I cook it from a saucepan. Just a few weeks ago, I left some rice cooking on the stove, made a cup of tea, and drank the tea in the chair next to my computer. Halfway through typing I smelt something from the kitchen, I had burnt the rice. A Chinese person had just burnt some rice. Now I need a new saucepan as I couldn’t remove the charred stains on the saucepan.
1. Why don’t some people choose to fit in the mainstream society?| A．It is difficult for them to fit in the new society. |
| B．They don’t accept the new way of life. |
| C．It is useless for them to learn a new language. |
| D．They have formed their own communities. |
| A．The author collected many red items. |
| B．Red is the main color in Chinese New Year. |
| C．Creativity is vital in bringing up children. |
| D．People’s cultural awareness is becoming weak. |
| A．Do as the Romans Do |
| B．Take Things as They Are |
| C．Keep Traditions in a Foreign Land? |
| D．Celebrate Chinese New Year Abroad? |
3 . Chopsticks, or kuaizi in Chinese, are used to eat Asian food. The earliest evidence of a pair of chopsticks made out of bronze was found in the Ruins of Yin near Anyang, Henan province, dating back to roughly 1, 200 BC.
Chopsticks are round on the eating end which symbolizes heaven, and the other end is square which symbolizes earth. This is because maintaining an adequate food supply is the greatest concern between heaven and earth in Chinese culture.
There is no single standard for the use of chopsticks, but better bear some rules in mind eating with them. Playing with chopsticks is considered bad manners and rude, just as playing with a fork in a Western environment would be considered impolite. Besides, chopsticks are not used to move bowls or plates or to toy with one’s food. Chopsticks are not supposed to stab food, either. Exceptions include tearing larger items apart such as vegetables. Also, chopsticks should not be left standing up in a bowl of food. Any stick-like object pointing upward resembles(像) the incense sticks that some Asians use as offerings to family members who have passed away. In addition, avoid tapping chopsticks on the edge of one’s bowl, as beggars are believed to make this noise to attract attention. Furthermore, chopsticks should not be chewed on, or linger in one’s mouth for too long.
Today, chopsticks serve many functions besides as tableware. For example, you can buy a pair of chopsticks as a gift for a newly-married couple as their wedding gift. In Chinese, ‘chopsticks’ reads ‘kuaizi’, which means to have sons soon. Skillful craftsmen paint beautiful scenery on chopsticks to make them like fine artwork. Additionally, it has been said that using chopsticks improves one’s memory, increases finger flexibility and can be useful in learning and improving skills such as Chinese character printing and brush painting.
1. We probably find this passage in _________.| A．a science fiction | B．a magazine |
| C．a travel guide | D．an advertisement |
| A．Traditional rules for using chopsticks. |
| B．Different standards to use chopsticks. |
| C．Some exceptions to use chopsticks. |
| D．Cultural backgrounds for using chopsticks. |
| A．chopsticks can help maintain an adequate food supply |
| B．stabbing food with chopsticks is strictly forbidden in China |
| C．standing chopsticks up in a bowl of food is traditionally accepted |
| D．Chinese brush painting learners may benefit from using chopsticks |
1．主题：保护文化遗产；
2．展览时间：6月1日至14日；
3．投稿邮箱： photographyshow@163c0m．
注意：1．词数80左右；
2．可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯．
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1. What do people sometimes do on Halloween according to the man?
| A．Eat turkey all night. | B．Play tricks on each other. | C．Visit their relatives. |
| A．She doesn’t like getting scared. |
| B．She knows the history of Halloween. |
| C．She has a big surprise for the man. |
| A．A ghost. | B．A famous person. | C．A cartoon character. |
