1 . Guqin-making is a process that takes patience and carefulness. Patience is one of the key parts in making a guqin.” It takes about two years to finish making one,” says Sui Yiyangg, 37, who, has been applying himself to guqin-making for over ten years.

The body of a guqin is made of two parts, a fat bottom and an arched (拱形) top. The body of the instrument is carefully and repeatedly covered with a thin layer of oil paint, which can take months to finish.

The strings (琴弦) of a guqin are traditionally made of silk; today they are often specially developed into steel-and-nylon strings.

Sui learned guitar as a teenager. He was introduced to the guqin when he travelled with his father. During the seven-hour drive from Beijing to the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, he listened to the guqin recording in his father’s car and was attracted.

“The beautiful and lasting sounds of the guqin are different from the Western musical instruments I learned,” he remembers.

After returning to Beijing, he started learning the instrument. Later, he learned how to make the guqin from HAN Tingyao, now 85, a Beijing-based master artist.

Sui travels nationwide and even abroad to buy high-quality materials and tools. For example the kind and quality of the wood is very important, so he often travels to Fujian and Jiangxi provinces in search of the right materials. He gets the paint, which is used to protect the guqin from corrosion (腐蚀)，from a single place — Rentoushan, a village in Maoba township, Lichuan city, Hubei province.

Years of guqin-making experience has gifted Sui with the ability to make high-quality instruments. “Each guqin has its unique sense of reality, which you can only get to know after you feel it with your own hands,” he says.

1. Which of the following can best describe Sui Yiyang?

A．Out-going and loving.	B．Easy-going and careless.
C．Patient and careful.	D．Confident and responsible.

2. When did Sui Yiyang learn guqin?

A．Five years ago.	B．After the trip with his father.
C．During a party with his friends.	D．While visiting a famous artist in Beijing.

3. Why did Sui travel at home and even abroad?

A．Because he wanted to learn guitar.

B．Because he wished to visit the places of interest.

C．Because he hoped to become an artist like Han Tingyao.

D．Because he wanted to find the good wood of making the guqin.

4. In which section of a newspaper can we find the text?

A．People.

B．Sports.

C．Travel.

D．Nature.

2 . Learning the word for fish in Chinese can be a highly useful skill. Knowing how to say “fish” in Chinese is both practical and helpful in understanding cultural values.

The Chinese Character for Fish

The Chinese character for “fish”, written in the traditional form, is 魚 .       1     No matter what form it is written in, the word for fish in Chinese is pronounced like “yu”.

Cultural Importance of Fish in China

The pronunciation of fish in Chinese, “yú” is a homophone (同音字) for “abundance (充裕).”     2     As such, fish are a common symbol in Chinese art and literature, and they are very important in Chinese mythology (神话).

    3    The characters for this fish are 鲤鱼, pronounced “lǐ yú”. Pictures of this fish are also a common decoration for the Chinese New Year.

Fish in Chinese Mythology

One of the most interesting Chinese myths about fish is the idea that a carp (鲤鱼) that climbs the waterfall on the Yellow River (known as the Dragon Gate) changed into a dragon.    4    In reality, each spring, carp come together in great numbers in the pool at the base of the waterfall.     5       It has become a common saying in China that a student facing examinations is like a carp trying to jump the Dragon Gate.

A．The simplified form is 鱼.

B．But very few make the climb.

C．Surprisingly, a lot of them are not related to fish at all.

D．This addition suggests that fish is most useful to humans.

E．The dragon is another important symbol in Chinese culture.

F．For example, Asian carp are the subject of many Chinese stories.

G．This similarity has led to fish becoming a symbol of abundance in Chinese culture.

3 . Confucius would be happy if he lived in the modern world. He would see his works and philosophies(哲学) still _______________ among teenagers even though they live in an_______________ of information.

In Changzhou No.2 Middle School, Jiangsu, all senior 3 students now_______________ a course in Lun Yu once a week. The school aims to improve students’ appreciation of the Confucian heritage(遗产)as well as_______________   Chinese civilization.

“Students’ attendance in this course will _______________   30 percent of their Chinese score on the final exam.This reward_______________ their interest in the course, which is _______________ but full of wisdom,” said Cao Yongzhong, a Chinese _______________ at the school.

_______________won’t be easy for students to enjoy The Analects(文选) of Confucius ________________ ancient Chinese as they________________   so many other subjects to learn and exams to ________________.

Cheng Yun,18, didn’t like the”additional burden”________________, but now it turns to be a course ________________ she looks forward to.

“I thought it would ________________ my time for homework, but it doesn’t.________________ sentences are short and concise(精练). I even use some of his wise   sayings in my compositions, ________________   makes my writing more attractive,” Cheng said. ________________ the fact that all students are required to learn some chapters of the book when in junior school, they may be ________________ young to understand the truths revealed(揭示)by Confucius.” Although I ________________ the language we use nowadays to Confucius, what the master said in the book does help me shape my personality.”said Zhang Junzhuo,18.

1.

A．useful

B．popular

C．helpful

D．hopeful

2.

A．age

B．alternative

C．email

D．opinion

3.

A．survey

B．welcome

C．conduct

D．take

4.

A．ancient

B．modern

C．unknown

D．magical

5.

A．consist of

B．make up

C．be made up of

D．account of

6.

A．discourages

B．disappoints

C．encourages

D．involves

7.

A．easy

B．interesting

C．inspiring

D．difficult

8.

A．worker

B．teacher

C．cook

D．librarian

9.

A．It

B．They

C．He

D．She

10.

A．across

B．in

C．on

D．through

11.

A．have

B．take

C．enjoy

D．advocate

12.

A．prepare

B．take

C．prepare for

D．have

13.

A．first

B．at last

C．last

D．at first

14.

A．who

B．that

C．where

D．why

15.

A．make up

B．take up

C．use up

D．pick up

16.

A．Confucius’

B．Cheng Yun’s

C．Zhang Junzhuo

D．Cao Yongzhong

17.

A．that

B．what

C．which

D．they

18.

A．Due to

B．Despite

C．Though

D．Owing to

19.

A．so

B．very

C．too

D．that

20.

A．like

B．enjoy

C．appreciate

D．prefer

4 . In our country, it is very important for people to have Chinese traditional festivals (传统节日). They bring love and happiness to us. Let’s see what people are doing during these festivals.

	Today is Spring Festival Eve. At 7:00 p.m., Wu Ming’s family are all together at home. His grandparents are cooking. His parents are cleaning the house. He is helping them to clean the table. An hour later, they will have a big dinner together.
	It is 9:00 p.m. on the Lantern Festival. Li Fang is going out to watch the lanterns with his cousins. There are many kinds of tiger lanterns on the street. They are so happy and having a good time.
	Today is Dragon Boat Festival. It is 8:00 a.m. and Li Lei’s family are very busy. His father is making zongzi with his grandma. It takes them two hours to finish it. His family are watching the boat races on TV when they are eating zongzi.
	Ling Tao and his family are in the garden now because today is Mid-Autumn Festival. They are talking with each other and sharing the story about Chang’e. It is an interesting story. At the same time, they are eating mooncakes and watching the round moon.

1. Wu Ming’s grandparents are ________ on Spring Festival Eve.

A．cleaning the house	B．watching TV
C．cooking the soup	D．cooking the food

2. _________ is having a good time watching lanterns on the Lantern Festival.

A．Li Lei	B．Ling Tao
C．Li Fang	D．Ling Fen

3. Li Lei’s family are watching boat races on TV at about ________.

A．eight in the morning	B．seven in the morning
C．nine in the evening	D．we don’t know

4. Ling Tao’s family are eating mooncakes ________.

A．in the garden	B．on the street
C．at home	D．at the hotel

5. From the passage, we know ________.

A．people clean up the house before festivals

B．people like to have festivals with their family

C．people are always spending festivals outside

D．people don’t like to have festivals with their family