1 . Dragons, a famous imaginary beast born from fantasy, are often present in stories in the west and east. In both cultures, dragons are generally recognized as massive creatures capable of flight. They have great power and are often associated with magical abilities. However, due to their different cultural roots and images, there exist significant differences in the way dragons are regarded in the west and east, particularly in China.
Chinese dragons most resemble snakes, and have four claws and no wings. They often have features of other animals, including carp, tigers, and eagles. In the contrast, Western dragons look like huge lizards with big claws and large bat-like wings, and are often shown with spines or rough scales.
In traditional Chinese culture, a dragon is a symbol of luck, power and high status. They can cause weather changes and bring rainfall to the fields to ensure rich harvests. They are considered divine (神圣的) creatures, which hold an important position as the head of the four spirits. Therefore, to symbolize their power, ancient Chinese emperors decorated their clothes with dragon patterns. These clothes are known as dragon robes. Many Chinese view the dragon as a national symbol, proudly referring to themselves as “descendants of the dragon”. In the west, however, a dragon symbolizes an evil creature that spreads violence and terror throughout the land. They are believed to be transformed by the devil, with the ability to breathe fire or spit poison. Many western tales show dragons being defeated and killed to protect people from danger.
Today, dragons continue to evolve, exceeding traditional boundaries and finding new significance in global culture. They are no longer associated with evil or good, but rather as complex characters with their own unique personalities and motivations. For example, Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon begins as a dangerous dragon but evolves into a misunderstood being with love and compassion. This challenges the idea of dragons as naturally evil, presenting them as complex beings with emotions and motivations.
1. What do western dragons and eastern dragons have in common?| A．They have rough skin. | B．They are huge and powerful. |
| C．They are in the shape of snakes. | D．They have big claws and wings. |
| A．Western dragons are a symbol of authority. |
| B．Dragons in China can protect people from danger. |
| C．Chinese dragons can control rainfall and breathe fire. |
| D．Dragons are believed to cause chaos in western culture. |
| A．They are regarded as adventurous creatures. |
| B．They are closely associated with evil or good. |
| C．They have more diverse emotions and personalities. |
| D．They tend to represent human spirits facing challenges. |
| A．The Dragon Elements in Global Culture |
| B．The Origin of Dragons in Chinese History |
| C．The Magical Animals in Different Countries |
| D．The Images of Dragons in Western Traditions |
2 . 假如你是李华，准备邀请你的英国朋友 Peter 来中国参加元宵节庆祝活动，并提前告知他元宵节的相关情况。要点如下：
1.时间及起源；
2.活动内容；
3.意义。
注意：
1.词数100左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
3.文章开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Peter,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours
Li Hua
1.推荐读物的名称及内容;
2.推荐理由;
3.邀请他来中国体验文化。
注意：
1. 词数100左右;
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Weiqi, which originated before the Spring and Autumn Period (770BC-476BC), has a history of more than 4,000 years. The original chessboard is comprised
Weiqi reached
Today Weiqi is even
Dear Eric,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
参考要点：1. 时间和地点：周日下午2:30-5:30，学校艺术中心；
2. 展会宗旨：通过参观展品、学习剪纸和欣赏关于传统节日的英文演讲以及精彩的戏剧表演，让更多人了解中国优秀的传统文化；
3. 展出内容：古诗词相关书籍、名家书法作品图片、剪纸、汉服等。
写作要求：1. 100-120词；
2. 文中不能出现真实姓名和所在学校名称。
Dear Mr. Black,
How is everything going? I’m honored and pleased to hear that you are very interested in the traditional Chinese culture.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
“What is your favorite Chinese dish?” Ask any foreigner this question, and most answers you get must be Kung Pao chicken! But how much do you know this foreigner’s favorite Chinese dish?
What is the meaning of Kung Pao? We need to look at the four Chinese words. ”gong“ means ”palace”; “bǎo” means guard “(保卫)”; “jī” means chicken; “dīng” means small pieces. If we put them together, it can be understood as “palace guards” chicken pieces“.
But where did the name come from? We need to talk about Ding Baozhen-the man who gave us Kung Pao chicken. Ding was a governor of Sichuan during Qing Dynasty. When Ding was a child, be fell into a river. He could not swim, but a family passing by saved him and brought him home. At their home, they served Ding a delicious chicken dish(the earliest Kung Pao chicken). Ding loved it very much and always remembered it. Years later, when Ding became a rich and powerful man, he invited that family to his house. The family cooked him the same dish and Ding soon made this dish popular all over Sichuan. In the late 1800s, Ding was given the title of ”gōng bǎo“(the person who guards the palace). Soon, people started calling him Ding Gongbao, and giving his favorite dish a name after him-Gongbao chicken. The English name Kung Pao sounds just the same as Chinese.
This dish appears on the menus almost everywhere in the world. Different countries and even cities in China have different ways to cook it. ▲ You have to ask some old cooks in Sichuan. They think three things-dried Sichuan peppers, sugar and vinegar—are the key to the most traditional Kung Pao chicken. The Sichuan pepper is the most important one. It is hard to buy it for many people outside Sichuan. That is probably why they cannot get the best taste.
Next time, when you are eating Kung Pao chicken with others, you can tell them many fun facts about this dish!
1. The writer starts this passage by__________.| A．giving numbers | B．asking questions | C．chowing a report | D．telling a story |
| A．But where you can eat the most traditional Kung Pao chicken? |
| B．So it is impossible to get the most traditional taste of this dish. |
| C．But how can we cook the most traditional Kung Pao chicken? |
| D．And people in different places have different ideas about this. |
| A．Sichuan pepper is the most important to make good Kung Pao chicken. |
| B．The words ”gōng bǎo“ mean the strong and rich person in Qing Dynasty. |
| C．Ding created this dish by himself when he was the governor of Sichuan. |
| D．At first Ding did not like Kung Pao chicken but later he really missed it. |
| A．A Stony of the Great Palace Guard, Ding Baozhen | B．The Way to Make the Best Kung Pao Chicken |
| C．Different Opinions on Making Kung Pao Chicken | D．The Delicious History of Kung Pao Chicken |
1. When is Sweetest Day?
| A．On the third Sunday in October. |
| B．On the third Saturday in October. |
| C．On the second Saturday in October. |
| A．To make friends. |
| B．To bring joy to people. |
| C．To make cities more beautiful. |
| A．His friends and relatives. |
| B．The aged and his neighbors. |
| C．The city’s orphans and patients. |
| A．By offering hugs. |
| B．By distributing some cash. |
| C．By giving away small gifts. |
1.家训对于一个家庭的意义；
2.你家的一条家训；
3.该家训对你的影响。
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
10 . Different Cultures
The cultures of the East and the West really distinguish each other a lot.
The origin of the Eastern culture is mainly from two countries: China and India. Both of the two cultures are developed by rivers—the Yellow River in China and the Hindu River in India.
When the two mother rivers gave birth to the Eastern culture, another famous culture was brought up on the Mesopotamian Plain—the Mesopotamian Civilization. This civilization later on developed into the cultures of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.
At the same time, some other differences add to the cultural differences. Take the language system for example. In the East, most languages belong to the pictographic language while the Western languages are mostly based on the Latin system. Other causes like human race differences count as well. But what’s more, due to the far distance and the steep areas between the East and the West, the two cultures seldom communicate until recent centuries.
The differences are everywhere.
| A．Let us work together to keep a variety of cultures. |
| B．And these two are well- known as the base of the European culture. |
| C．One important thing is to learn about other cultures. |
| D．This is because the culture systems are two separate systems on the whole. |
| E．They are obvious and affect people’s ways of thinking and their views of the world. |
| F．They helped the two cultures develop for centuries and form their own styles. |
| G．So they grew up totally in their own ways with almost no interference from the other. |
