China celebrates the Chinese National Day on October 1st every year. The celebration marks the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
For centuries, a succession of different dynasties ruled China,
On October 1st, 1949,
Since 1950, October 1st
2 . You may think you couldn’t live through summer without air conditioning. But in ancient China, hand fans were almost the only way to drive the heat away.
Chinese people started to use hand fans over 2, 000 years ago. The fans came in different shapes and were made from all kinds of materials. Palm leaf fans were cheap and easy to make. Feather fans marked the owner’s high status. Sandalwood fans could send out a sweet smell. Later, hand fans became far more than just something that could cool you down. They developed into works of art, in which Tuanshan-round fans, and Zheshan-folded fans, were the most common. In the shape of a fullmoon, Tuanshan were usually made of silk. They had beautiful embroidery (刺绣) featuring birds and flowers on them. Women, especially those in the royal palace, liked to use them. Poets in ancient China often compared an abandoned (被抛弃的) woman to Tuanshan. A poet in the Qing Dynasty, Nalan Xingde was a typical example. He wrote, “If only life were as beautiful as when we first met, why should the autumn wind bother to pity deserted painted fans?”
Meanwhile, men, especially the literati (文人), used Zheshan. The literati liked them because Zheshan were usually made of paper and they could paint and write poems on them. It was a way for them to show off their skills in literature, painting and calligraphy (书法). Many things were painted on Zheshan, but the most popular choice was usually beautiful scenery.
Today, Chinese people still use these fans, though not many people write or paint on them any more. This summer, why not paint one of your own?
1. Which fans could show a person’s social position?| A．Hand fans. | B．Palm leaf fans. | C．Feather fans. | D．Sandalwood fans. |
| A．An abandoned woman. | B．A woman with a Tuanshan. |
| C．A woman with a Zheshan. | D．A woman in the royal palace. |
| A．They were folded fans. | B．They came in different shapes. |
| C．They had birds and flowers on them. | D．They gave them chances to show the talent. |
| A．A diary. | B．A dictionary. | C．A fairy tale. | D．A magazine. |
3 . How did the ancient Chinese keep food warm in winter? In fact, ancient Chinese people used their own methods of heat preservation as early as the Shang and Zhou dynasties.
● “Wen Ding”, ancient rice cooker
One of the major functions of an electric rice cooker is to keep food warm. The “Wen Ding”, an ancient cooking container, served the same purpose. The “Wen Ding” unearthed in Nanjing in 1989 is thought to be the oldest of its kind discovered in China, dating back to the Stone Age. The craftsmanship of making the “Wen Ding” was developed in the Bronze Age. The bronze Ding from Shang and Zhou dynasties took on different shapes and structures.
● “Ran LU”, ancient small hot pot
The “Ran LU” is a small size cooking vessel (器皿) made of bronze, which can be divided into three parts. A charcoal stove forms the main structure, with a bottom tray to hold charcoal ashes, and a movable cup at the top. Some experts have concluded that the vessel’s structure suggests it may have been used as a small hot pot and that these vessels became popular in the Warring States Period (475—221 BC).
●Bronze You, ancient kettle
The Bronze You was one of the most common wine containers during the Shang and Zhou dynasties. The Bronze You can also be used to warm wine. For example, the Bronze You with beast mask design, unearthed in Jiangxi province, has an opening where charcoals could be placed. Just as people today can’t do without an electric kettle, the Bronze You allowed people to enjoy a hot drink
●Bronze Yan, ancient steamer
Although the “Wen Ding” was effective at keeping food warm, the ancient Chinese people later found that its burning produced pollution. As a result, the Bronze Yan was made with a two-tier structure and used to steam rice and other grains. After the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-AD 220), further improvements to the Bronze Yan led to the modern-day steamer.
1. The Bronze You, unearthed in Jiangxi province, has an opening to________.| A．store wine | B．pour water |
| C．place charcoals | D．hold charcoal ashes |
| A．It is warm | B．It is convenient |
| C．It is useful | D．It is environment-friendly |
| A．The “Wen Ding” | B．The “Ren LU” |
| C．The Bronze You | D．The Bronze Yan |
4 . For centuries, generations of clothing designers and garment makers in China have been devoted to building the “Garment Kingdom”, making the garments an important component of Chinese culture.
♦Origin of Chinese clothing
In primitive society, the Chinese lived in caves. To keep warm, they covered themselves with natural materials like leaves, grasses and animal furs.
About 18,000 years ago, the Chinese invented sewing. Animal skins were cut to fit the human body using sharpened stone and bone tools and then sewn together using bone needles.
♦
Chinese rules of etiquette regarding garments and ornaments started taking shape in the Zhou Dynasty. During the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States Period, the idea of fashion reached new heights. Qin Shihuang established many social systems, including that of uniforms to distinguish people’s ranks and social positions. In the Tang dynasty, clothing was more varied than before because the state was more open to the outside world.
Today, some people in China follow world fashion, but individuality has become the main trend. More and more people can enjoy beautiful fashions with traditional features and the modern chic.
| A．it influenced people’s lives. |
| B．Development of clothing. |
| C．Chinese garments of the 20th century ranged greatly in style. |
| D．thus bringing vigor (活力) and life force to clothing culture. |
| E．The invention of sewing allowed the early Chinese to make better fitting clothes to protect them from harsh conditions. |
| F．What is worth special mention is that women of the Tang dynasty did not have to abide by the traditional dress code. |
| G．Fashion designers today are finding new ways to combine modern fashion trends with traditional Chinese symbols of good fortune. |
Considering our limited knowledge, it's not surprising that exploration of the oceans constantly brings about discoveries in various
First, many archaeological finds are made in shallow waters, including whole cities
Amazing biological discoveries are also being made, like the barreleye living 6,000 meters below the ocean's surface. Such discoveries enable us
Additionally, so far more new natural resources such as fire ice
Humankind is entering a new age of oceanic discovery. Oceans will be as familiar
6 . TRADITIONAL belief has always had it that a not-so-clear-thinking---Vincent Van Gogh cut off his own ear after a fight with the French artist Paul Gauguin in 1888.Van Gogh is said to have handed the ear to a woman named Rachel. Then, doing what any person who had just lost an ear might do, he went home to take a nap.
But a new book titled In Van Gogh’s Ear argues that it was Gauguin who cut off the Dutch painter’s ear. Authors Hans Kaufmann and Rita Wildegans explained inconsistencies(矛盾) in Gauguin’s description of the event and his ability as an expert swordsman(剑客). “Vincent might have attacked him; Gauguin wanted to defend himself and to get rid of this “madman’,……
They believe that Gauguin and Van Gogh agreed to hide the incident. But that doesn’t mean Gogh never dropped a hint about the “real” story. He once told his brother Theo in a letter, “Luckily, Gauguin is not yet armed with machine guns and other dangerous war weapons”.
1. It is widely accepted by people that cut off his ear.| A．Hans Kaufmann | B．Gauguin | C．Rachel | D．Van Gogh himself |
| A．Van Gogh is a Dutch painter |
| B．Gauguin didn’t use a machine gun to cut off Van Gogh’s ear |
| C．Theo is van Gogh’s brother |
| D．Van Gogh had slept for a long time after his ear was cut off |
| A．Van Gogh cut off his own ears. |
| B．It’s not possible Gauguin who cut off Van Gogh’s ear |
| C．Kaufmann and Wildegans wrote the book called In Van Gogh’s Ear |
| D．Van Gogh never dropped a hint about his ear |
| A．Gauguin wanted to kill him |
| B．He was lucky not to be killed by Gauguin |
| C．He hated Gauguin |
| D．He wanted to tell his brother it was who cut off his ear |
| A．Who cut off Van Gogh’s ear? |
| B．The introduction of Van Gogh |
| C．A new book titled In Van Gogh’s Ear |
| D．A Swordsman |
7 . Scientists in Western Australia claim to have made a new discovery—they have found gold in the leaves and twigs of trees. The researchers believe that the trees suck up the gold from deep underground, over 30 metres down. The discovery has been described as the first of its kind in the world. Australian gold exploration companies are pleased because it will make finding gold cheaper. Rather than drilling deep holes to find gold, they have more ways to examine tree leaves and branches. There is only a tiny amount of gold in the leaves. It would take 500 trees to make one gold ring. The gold is found using a special X-ray machine owned by an Australian government agency. A pure X-ray and a powerful microscope scan the leaves and branches.
The claim that this is the first time that gold particles(微粒) have been found in living material might not be true, though. Ancient Chinese wisdom understood the connection between plants and the precious stones and minerals underneath them. They used plant life to find minerals and that was thousands of years ago. In the Zhou Dynasty, it was written in a book that a certain plant grew only near deposits of gold. Over the next 2,000 years, Chinese people wrote about different plants and how they grew, showed where minerals and precious stones such as jade, copper, lead, silver and gold were.
Even more importantly, in the 1,000s, Su Song described how copper, gold, silver, lead and tin were observed and taken from certain plants. These were amazing scientific discoveries. Meanwhile, this knowledge was unknown in the rest of the world until about 1,600. This was when a British man realised that oak trees grew larger and greener where there was alum(明矾) in the ground. Maybe ancient Chinese has more knowledge to teach modern scientists.
1. What can we know from Paragraph 1?| A．500 dead trees can make one gold ring. |
| B．The trees can absorb the gold from deep underground. |
| C．Scientist have found gold 30 meters below underground. |
| D．The companies find it hard to find gold. |
| A．By observing the leaves carefully. | B．By drilling deep holes. |
| C．By using a special X-ray. | D．By referring to ancient books. |
| A．Ancient Chinese people. | B．Su Song. |
| C．Australian scientists. | D．A British man. |
| A．To introduce two great scientists in ancient times. |
| B．To provide more evidence to support the writer’s opinion. |
| C．To show how ancient people got gold from certain plants. |
| D．To prove that ancient Chinese has more knowledge than modern scientists. |
