1 . Bored? Lonely? Out of condition? Need to relax? Why not try the SPORT CENTER?
TENNIS
Indoor and outdoor courts. Coaching from beginners to advanced learners. Children only. Mornings.
SKIING
Gentle slopes. Instructors of 3levels at weekends and Fridays. Daytime practice. 8 years upwards.
SWIMMING
2 pools, heated, Olympic length. Women: Tuesday and Thursday. Men: Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Children: Saturday.
GOLF
9- hole practice course. Professional Coaching. Lessons must be booked in advance in daytime. Evening practice. Minimum (最小的) age — 9 years.
GYMNASTICS (体操)
Maximum (最大的) age—18 years. Children aged 5—10. Monday and Wednesdays. 4:00—6:00 p.m. 10—18 year-old. Friday evenings.
AND MUCH MORE
Table Tennis, Snooker (台球), Darts (标枪), Café (all day), Bar (lunch time and evenings), Nursery (weekdays and weekends, not evenings). Centre open 10:00 a.m.—10:00 p.m. Daily. Interested? More details, call 800-1234-5678.
1. What is this ad mainly about?A.It mainly shows us some ways to spend weekends. |
B.It mainly introduces us a place to relax ourselves. |
C.It mainly introduces some events in a sports meet. |
D.It mainly gives us some ideas to spend our holidays. |
A.People can play tennis day and night. |
B.Men and women swim in the SPORTS CENTER separately. |
C.Children at any age can play golf in the SPORTS CENTER. |
D.People under 20 can also take gymnastics. |
A.5. | B.6. | C.8. | D.11. |
4 . Putonghua is the official language on the mainland, but if history had played out differently, most of the people could have been speaking Cantonese.
In 1912, shortly after the end of the Qing dynasty, the founding fathers of the republic met to decide which language should be spoken in the new China.
Mandarin - now known as Putonghua - was just a northern dialect spoken by the hated Manchurian officials at that time. While it had served as China’s lingua franca(混合语) for centuries, many saw it as an “impure form” of Chinese.
Many of the leaders, including Sun Yat-sen, were from Guangdong - where people are open to new ideas. A great debate started and eventually led to a formal vote. Cantonese lost out by a small margin to Putonghua and the rest is history.
While historians today still argue about whether this story is real, it is something Guangdong people love to tell. Many Cantonese speakers feel proud of their native language, saying it has more in common with the classical Chinese than Putonghua - which is a mix of northern dialects heavily influenced by Manchurian and Mongolian.
Linguists agree to some degree. “Cantonese is closer to classical Chinese in its pronunciation and some grammar,” Jiang Wenxian, a Chinese language scholar, said. “Using Cantonese to read classical poetry is a real pleasure,” he said. “Many ancient poems don’t rhyme(押韵) when you read them in Putonghua, but they do in Cantonese.”
“Cantonese keeps a flavor of ancient Chinese. Nowadays few people understand classical Chinese, so Cantonese should be protected as a type of language fossil helping us study ancient Chinese culture.” Cantonese is spoken by about 70 million people in Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macau and communities abroad.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Guangdong was the only Chinese province allowed to trade directly with foreigners. Many Westerners at the time learned Cantonese. Up till very recently, there were more Cantonese speakers in overseas Chinese communities than Putonghua speakers. In Canada, for example, Cantonese is the third most commonly spoken language after English and French.
1. What’s the function of the first paragraph?A.To introduce the topic. |
B.To attraction people’s attention. |
C.To summarize the whole passage. |
D.To show the importance of Putonghua. |
A.Most of the leaders are in favor of Putonghua. |
B.Most of the leaders came from Guangdong at that time. |
C.Guangdong people are more likely to accept new ideas. |
D.Sun Yat-sen suggested having a debate to decide on the new language. |
A.Because it’s as important as Putonghua. |
B.Because it is an ancient language with a long history. |
C.Because nowadays few people can understand Cantonese. |
D.Because it is very helpful when studying Chinese culture. |
A.New language, New China. |
B.How Putonghua defeated Cantonese |
C.The development of an official language |
D.Cantonese almost became the official language |