1 . The Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre has recently “rediscovered” an ancient shark skeleton that has been sitting in the museum’s collection for nearly 50 years. Could this shark be a part of a newly discovered ancient shark species?
This fossil’s original discovery was in 1975 on a farm just west of Morden, Manitoba. The skeleton was brought into the museum and was forgotten within the ever-growing fossil collection. The skeleton was hidden in the collections room for over 40 years and the center just recently found the fossil in its storage around eight years ago.
Adolfo Cuertara, the director of the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre, explained that “It’s a very special shark for many reasons. It’s highly possible that we are talking about a new species.” Although the shark has not been given a scientific name yet, the museum has unofficially named the skeleton, “Dave”, in honor of the farmer on whose land the skeleton was found.
After the fossil rediscovery, Dave was exhibited at the fossil center museum. Dave is around 15 feet long and is one of the largest well-preserved shark skeletons in the entire world. Within the paleontology (古生物学) world, complete shark fossils are extremely rare due to their soft cartilage (软骨结构) which disintegrates as they age. Dave’s shark species are filter feeders with no teeth, who receive their nutrition by absorbing it out of the water. Cuertara emphasizes Dave’s uniqueness by explaining, “The shape of the jaws and the skull and the kind of structures that it has, because the preservation is really amazing, is telling us that it is probably going to be a new species. The problem is now we need scientific papers and scientific research and this paper is underway.”
The Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre is hopeful that more scientific research will provide more information on Dave’s ancient shark species. For now, Dave is currently on display at the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre and the museum has the exhibit up to date with their current information.
1. Where probably could you find this article?| A．Science textbook of college. |
| B．Advertising brochure of museum. |
| C．Discovery column of magazine. |
| D．Bulletin board of animal world. |
| A．Die away. | B．Break down. | C．Build up. | D．Lie down. |
| A．The structure of skull and jaw. |
| B．The preservation of jaw and the skull. |
| C．The uniqueness of no teeth structure. |
| D．The rare soft cartilage. |
| A．Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre displays Dave ancient shark species. |
| B．Dave’s shark species is a new species of ancient shark. |
| C．Canadian Museum rediscovers a new ancient shark species. |
| D．Dave’s shark skeleton is in honor of the farmer who rediscovered it. |
2 . Cantonese opera(粤剧) is one of the major Chinese opera categories. It is a traditional Chinese art form that originated in southern China’s Cantonese culture, and involves music, singing, martial arts, acrobatics and acting. Today it is not only very popular in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong and Macao, but also performed all around the world.
Cantonese opera was originally called Nanxi(Southern opera) in the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, and this beautiful art form has pleased audiences for hundreds of years. By absorbing the folk melodies and tunes of Guangdong, and mixing many different opera styles that were popular at the time, Cantonese opera developed during the 16th century. With the unique combination of these different influences, Nanxi was developed into Cantonese opera.
Cantonese opera is a wonderful mix of storytelling, music and fighting. The performances are often based on well-known traditional stories or events from Chinese history. The colourful sets serve as the background for these performances and actors appear on stage with similarly colourful face paint. Fights are a common and important part of many shows with actors performing difficult and exciting martial arts movements.
In the beginning, Cantonese opera costumes reflected the clothing style of the Ming Dynasty. Later, as Peking opera became increasingly popular, it was strongly influenced by Peking opera costumes. Costumes were made of cloth and later some accessories(配饰)were added. Different roles require different costumes. For example, an actor playing the Xiaosheng, a very gentle role, wears a costume with long sleeves; while the Xiaowu, an acting role, demands a costume with short sleeves so as to act easily.
Many well-known operas are still performed today, such as The Purple Hairpin and Rejunenation of the Red Plum Flower, which originated in the Yuan Dynasty. Other Cantonese operas are adapted from western movies or novels. Generally, Cantonese opera performers have to master four skills: singing, acting movement, delivery of speeches, and martial gymnastic skills.
Because of its long tradition and its importance in the development of Chinese arts and culture, Cantonese opera was included on the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list in 2009.
1. Which of the following is NOT the factor in Cantonese opera’s development?| A．Tunes of Guangdong. | B．Different opera styles. |
| C．A variety of dialects. | D．Folk melodies. |
| A．They were originally a reflection of clothing style of Yuan Dynasty. |
| B．They look more beautiful when they are made with more accessories. |
| C．They were designed based on Peking opera costumes. |
| D．Performers choose different costumes according to the roles they play. |
| A．Its exciting movements and difficult performances. |
| B．Its popularity and development. |
| C．Its colorful sets and face paint. |
| D．Its history and influence. |
| A．To prove that Cantonese opera is the most popular opera. |
| B．To inform the readers of the development of Cantonese opera. |
| C．To share the author’s experience of seeing a well-known Cantonese opera. |
| D．To make a comparison between Cantonese opera and Peking opera. |
In ancient times, builders and
Red, the color of fire and blood, has long been important in Chinese symbolism. Traditionally, red represents
Yellow was another obvious color in old Beijing,
The color blue symbolized heaven and heavenly blessings with the best example of the rooftops of structures at the Temple of Heaven.
4 . When our ancestors were peasants in the earliest days of agriculture, the daily schedule was: work in field all day, eat midday meal in field, continue working in field. Today, after centuries of human advancement, it goes something like: work in coffee shop all day, buy and eat lunch there, continue toiling away on laptop until the sun sets. Though it may seem like the tech boom and gig economy(临时工经济) led the way in this modern mobile work style, working and dining have always been intertwined. In major cities like New York, Washington D.C., Sydney and Hong Kong, restaurants are changing into official co-working spaces during off-peak hours.
Dr. Megan Elias, director of the gastronomy program at Boston University, says food and business have been linked since as far back as the ancient Sumer (who established civilization as we know it around 4000 B.C.) “What we think of as street food has always been part of human civilization,” she says. “There have always been marketplaces where humans came together to conduct some kind of business — like trading grain, trading animals or building houses. As long as there have been marketplaces, people have been eating at them while also doing business.”
The first example of a brick-and-mortar “restaurant” came during the merchant economy in the 15th and 16th centuries, according to Elias. During this stage in European, African, and East and South Asian history, inns allowed merchant businessmen to rest — and of course, eat — throughout their travels. During the colonial era of the 1600s and 1700s, concrete examples of American restaurants emerged as “Coffee Houses”. Coffee Houses were places that had newspapers, which at the time were very small and commercial," author and social historian Jan Whitaker explains.
Coffee houses remained tradesman staples throughout the early 19th century, with simple menu items like rolls and meat pies. More “grand meals,” as Elias calls them, were still taking place within homes for non-traveling folk. But, when the U.S. began industrializing in the 1840s and people stayed near workplaces during the day, eating establishments popped up around factories.
“Industrialization of the city is also restaurantization of the city,” Elias says. “Places sprung up to serve a business lunch crowd and an after-work dining crowd again, still doing business.”
1. How does the author mentioned our ancestors in paragraph1?| A．To make comparisons | B．To present figures. |
| C．To raise questions | D．To give examples |
| A．around 4000 B.C. | B．in the 15th and 16th centuries. |
| C．During the 1600s and 1700s. | D．In the early 19th century. |
| A．Newspapers were produced there first. |
| B．The food served there was limited at first. |
| C．They were especially popular around factories. |
| D．It was a perfect place for entertainment and eating. |
| A．the function of eating out. | B．The slow formation of the modern city. |
| C．the evolution of the restaurant. | D．The age of more work, less eating. |
The word Nushu literally means “women’s writing” in Chinese: As the name suggests, Nushu is created and specially used by women.
Often
Ji Xianlin once said that Nushu is a feminist (女权主义者) symbol. “It’s
Nushu was made as a national cultural heritage in 2006. However, it is not
