1 . Like many of the arts, music flourished during the Zhou dynasty. From this period we have instruments, models of performers, descriptions of musicians and dancers, and the Shijing, or The Book of Poetry, which contains poems and songs of court and common people during the Zhou dynasty. It is likely that music played an extremely important role in the Zhou dynasty for all social classes.
One of the most important sources of information the researchers have regarding Zhou-dynasty music is from the tomb of the Marquis Yi of Zeng (433 B.C.E.). This tomb was uncovered in 1977 in Hubei Province and contained the most extensive and well-preserved set of musical instruments ever found in an ancient Chinese tomb. This four-chamber (室) tomb was designed in imitation of a palace with a central courtyard, reflecting the belief that the Marquis Yi would require the same comforts in the afterlife that he had enjoyed during his lifetime. The central chamber of the tomb, which mirrored a palace courtyard, contained most of the musical instruments found, including a complete set of sixty-five graduated bells fixed on wooden shelves. In addition, twenty-one young women were buried with the Marquis Yi, some of whom were likely his favorite musicians and dancers.
The Marquis Yi’s set of sixty-five bells is remarkable for a variety of reasons. First, they are clearly dated—an inscription (碑文) indicates that the bells were a gift given to him in 433 B.C.E.. Second, the bells were very expensive to produce and to purchase, particularly a set of this size, so they are further evidence of the Marquis Yi’s status. Finally, the bells, along with the other instruments in the room, illustrate what an instrumental band might have consisted of during this period. Scholars predict that it would have required twenty-four musicians to play all instruments at once.
There are still many gaps in our knowledge of ancient Chinese music, partly because there was no system for recording music in a written form.
1. The Book of Poetry is mentioned in paragraph 1 to _______.| A．show the significance of the book. |
| B．describe the meaning of the book. |
| C．represent the life of people in the Zhou dynasty. |
| D．show the popularity of music in the Zhou dynasty. |
| A．It contains a complete set of musical instruments. |
| B．It is designed by the Marquis Yi of Zeng. |
| C．It is of the same size as that of the palace. |
| D．It reflects the wish of the Marquis Yi for his life after death. |
| A．Because it once was an expensive gift. |
| B．Because it was difficult to buy at that time. |
| C．Because it might prove the Marquis Yi’s position. |
| D．Because it needs twenty-four performers to play at the same time. |
| A．A look into the Zhou-dynasty Music. | B．An Invaluable Tomb. |
| C．Ancient Musical Instruments. | D．The Importance of Ancient Music. |
2 . Although tea is considered typically English, it did not really become part of English daily life until the 18th century.
The first man to sell tea was Thomas Garway in 1657 in his coffee house in London. It soon became fashionable all over London in 1662. Catherine of Braganza sailed to England from Portugal to become Charles II’s wife, taking boxes of tea with her. They said she was the first to introduce tea drinking in the home. The custom of afternoon tea probably originated with one person: Anna, 7th Duchess of Bedford. In the early 1800s she came up with the idea of having tea in the late afternoon to bridge the gap between lunch and dinner, which in fashionable circles was not served until 8 o'clock at night. Tea drinking became popular among the lower classes too, but they are their evening meals much earlier! Nowadays British homes serve tea at all times of the day. If you visit British homes in the daytime they are likely to offer you a cup of tea. If it is after six this will probably be something stronger like beer or wine. Some families drink tea with breakfast, lunch, and dinner!
Tea shops originated in the 1800s and you can still find them today all over England especially in villages and small towns. You can choose from a wide variety of teas as well as herbal teas (花草茶) and coffees. Tea rooms usually serve a selection of fresh sandwiches and cakes as well as ice cream. They are usually open from 9:00 am 10:00 am to around 5:00 pm. Some are open seven days a week, others close mid-week as weekends are usually the busiest time.
Tea was originally sold in coffee shops and was advertised as a drink with medicinal properties which made you strong and gave you energy, as well as preserving perfect health until extreme old age. This may not be true, but it is true that drinking tea can be refreshing. Tea breaks, or a short break from work to drink a cup of tea, is still vert popular in the UK. However, too much tea, like too much coffee, can also lead to sleeplessness and palpitations (心悸). This is why today some people prefer to buy herbal teas which do not contain caffeine.
1. What is the purpose of the text?| A．To inform. | B．To persuade. |
| C．To describe. | D．To instruct. |
| A．To memorize the first person to introduce tea drinking. |
| B．To meet the growing needs of tea shops. |
| C．To relieve people of hunger. |
| D．To introduce tea to the lower class. |
| A．Tea rooms in England provide tea drink only. |
| B．English people only drink tea before 6:00 pm. |
| C．Tea was introduced to England in the 18th century. |
| D．Tea rooms are spread in many parts of England. |
| A．Why tea is popular in Britain. | B．What a tea break is. |
| C．Tea and health. | D．The beginning of tea advertisements. |
3 . Considered one of the greatest archaeological finds of mankind in the 20th century, the Sanxingdui Ruins site in Sichuan province has continued to amaze the world. Since May, more than 500 cultural relics have been found at the site.
Some of the bronze artifacts (工艺品) discovered during the current excavation have never been seen before, according to experts. They were beyond “our previous understanding of bronze wares and posed great challenges to our research”, said Xu Feihong, a lecturer at Shanghai University.
A unique bronze artifact from the No 3 pit features a man carrying a bronze vessel known as a zun that has a round rim (边沿) and a square body, said Ran Honglin, a researcher with Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute.
Three bronze figures, with their palms pressed together and their heads twisted to the right, have been excavated from the No 4 pit.
These three bronze figures are a unique find among Sanxingdui items in terms of their shape and decorative pattern, and they provide further material for studying the bronze casting technology of the Shu people as well as their art, religious beliefs, social system and cultural exchanges with surrounding areas, Ran said. Shu was an ancient state in what is now Sichuan.
Again, a gold mask is catching the world’s attention.
It is the biggest of its kind unearthed at the site so far. It is 37.2 centimeters wide, 16.5 cm high and weighs about 100 grams. Another thing that makes it stand out is that it is complete.
It was discovered in June at the No 3 pit. Earlier this year, a similar, but less complete gold mask was found at the No 5 pit.
Gold items were found at the Sanxingdui Ruins site as early as 1986, including gold foil (金箔) pieces that show how the precious metal was used by the ancient Shu people. The finding further illustrates the custom of the ancient Shu people to use gold items, experts said.
Radiocarbon dating (放射性碳年代测定) has shown that the No 3 and No 4 pits, at 3,000 to 3,200 years old, go back to the late Shang Dynasty (16th century-11th century BC), Xu said.
Excavation of the No 4 pit was completed on Aug 19, and digging at the No 3 pit will be completed in the next two months. What other treasures will the pit bring us? Only time will tell!
1. Which of the following makes the three bronze figures stand out?| A．Their color and texture. |
| B．Their size and weight. |
| C．Their shape and pattern. |
| D．Their religious significance. |
| A．It was discovered at the No 4 pit. |
| B．It’s the largest of its kind unearthed in China. |
| C．It is 16.5 cm wide and 37.2 cm high. |
| D．It is complete to some degree. |
| A．They illustrate how the Shu people used the metal. |
| B．They show advanced techniques used in Shu. |
| C．They display the importance of metal in Shu. |
| D．They reflect the state’s economic development. |
| A．To introduce the origin of the gold mask. |
| B．To promote the Sanxingdui Ruins site. |
| C．To explore the value of cultural relics. |
| D．To report on a new archaeological discovery. |
Most of us are familiar with the “Silk Road”, a network of land trading routes which connected northwestern China to Europe since the Han dynasty. With its recent
The “Ancient Tea Horse Road” got its name as Chinese tea and horses were the main products
The “Ancient Tea Horse Road” serves
5 . No one is sure how the ancient Egyptians built the pyramids near Cairo. But a new study suggests they used a little rock ‘n’ roll. Long-ago builders could have attached wooden poles to the stones and rolled them across the sand, the scientists say.
“Technically, I think what they're proposing is possible,” physicist Daniel Bonn said.
People have long puzzled over how the Egyptians moved such huge rocks. And there's no obvious answer. On average, each of the two million big stones weighed about as much as a large pickup truck. The Egyptians somehow moved the stone blocks to the pyramid site from about one kilometer away.
The most popular view is that Egyptian workers slid the blocks along smooth paths. Many scientists suspect workers first would have put the blocks on sleds(滑板). Then they would have dragged them along paths. To make the work easier, workers may have lubricated the paths either with wet clay or with the fat from cattle. Bonn has now tested this idea by building small sleds and dragging heavy objects over sand. .
Evidence from the sand supports this idea. Researchers found small amounts of fat, as well as a large amount of stone and the remains of paths.
However, physicist Joseph West, who led the new study, thinks there might have been a simpler way. West said, “I was inspired while watching a television program showing how sleds might have helped with pyramid construction. I thought, ‘Why don't they just try rolling the things?’” A square could be turned into a rough sort of wheel by attaching wooden poles to its sides, he realized. That, he noted, should make a block of stone “a lot easier to roll than a square”.
So he tried it. He and his students tied some poles to each of four sides of a 30-kilogram stone block. That action turned the block into somewhat a wheel. Then they placed the block on the ground.
They wrapped one end of a rope around the block and pulled. The researchers found they could easily roll the block along different kinds of paths. They calculated that rolling the block required about as much force as moving it along a slippery(滑的) path.
West hasn't tested his idea on larger blocks, but he thinks rolling has clear advantages over sliding. At least, workers wouldn't have needed to carry cattle fat or water to smooth the paths.
1. It's widely believed that the stone blocks were moved to the pyramid site by _________.| A．rolling them on roads | B．pushing them over the sand |
| C．sliding them on smooth paths | D．dragging them on some poles |
| A．Made the paths wet. | B．Made the paths hard. |
| C．Made the paths wide. | D．Made the paths slippery. |
| A．Because more force is needed for sliding. |
| B．Because rolling work can be done by fewer cattle. |
| C．Because sliding on smooth roads is more dangerous. |
| D．Because less preparation on paths is needed for rolling. |
| A．An experiment on ways of moving blocks to the pyramid site. |
| B．An application of the method of moving blocks to the pyramid site. |
| C．An argument about different methods of moving blocks to the pyramid site. |
| D．An introduction to a possible new way of moving blocks to the pyramid site. |
If you’re into reading, you will
Books have been around for about 4,500 years. Some of
In the past few decades, eBooks
The Amber Room, one of the greatest
8 . Tang Dynasty poets sang for about three centuries in different tones. There were many famous poets living in the Tang period, such as Li Bai, Du Fu, Bai Juyi and Li Shangyin. The Poems of Tang Dynasty edited in the Qing Dynasty is a collection of more than 28,900 poems that were written by over 2,200 poets. But it didn't cover all the poems of the Tang Dynasty.
During the Tang Dynasty, poems were recited when lovers walked under the moonlight. Poems were also recited when soldiers fought on the battlefield. People recited them in the open air or at temple fairs.
Tang Dynasty poets wrote poems to win fame and also to develop their temperament (性情). They poured out deep feelings for their friends and criticized injustice in the world through poems.
In the Tang Dynasty scholars had to be poets. Their readers were not only people of high social position but also common people. Poets recited poems, women singers sang poems and other ranks of people, including old women and children, read Tang poems. This atmosphere affected foreigners who visited the country at that time. As a result, Tang poetry was introduced to some adjacent countries, like Japan and Vietnam.
Tang poetry is a most brilliant page in the history of ancient Chinese literature. It's a miracle (奇迹) in the cultural history of mankind. The Tang Dynasty was a powerful empire with a vast territory. It inherited (继承) Chinese civilization that went back to ancient times, was combined with the best of other cultures and adopted the benefits of other nations in the world. Tang poetry wasn't the only spiritual wealth created by the Tang Dynasty people. Philosophy and religion, handwriting and painting, and music and dance all gained new peaks of development. Tang poetry, however, was the jewel in the crown and its greatest achievement.
1. We can conclude from the passage that ________.| A．only people in the Tang Dynasty created poems |
| B．in total there were four famous poets in the Tang Dynasty |
| C．the Tang Dynasty probably existed for about three centuries |
| D．in the Tang Dynasty most common people were poets |
| A．Why the poets created poems. |
| B．Some other kinds of spiritual wealth in the Tang Dynasty. |
| C．The significance and influence of the Tang Dynasty. |
| D．The editors of The Poems of Tang Dynasty. |
| A．strong | B．neighbouring | C．poor | D．rich |
| A．The Great Tang Dynasty |
| B．Tang Dynasty Poetry |
| C．Famous Poets in the Tang Dynasty |
| D．The Development of the Tang Dynasty |
The Great Wall of China
In ancient China, many people built walls around their states to protect their land. It was Emperor Qin Shihuang who had the walls
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Welcome to the Great Wall. Measured more than 6,000 kilometers in length, the Great Wall is known as the long wall in the world. It has a long history of more than 2,000 years. That is amazing about the Great Wall is that it is main made of stones and bricks, and all the construction was done by hand. Though it was used to protect the country from foreign invaders, every few hundred meters along with the Great Wall, there was a watchtower. Now, as symbol of China, the Great Wall will become one of the most famous tourist attractions in the world. It is no wonderful that the Great Wall attract hundreds of thousands of foreign tourists every year.
