1 . ANCIENT CHINESE ART ON SHOW
The Richfield Museum of Fine Art is proud to present our new exhibition, “From Shang to Qing: Chinese Art Through the Ages.” Join us as we explore more than 3,000 years of wonderful art from the Middle Kingdom. From bronze bowls to ceramic vases, and jade sculptures to ink wash paintings, our goal is to display the Chinese artistic genius from ancient times.
The highlight of this exhibition is the painting Clearing After Snow on a Mountain Pass, one of the great works of Tang Yin(1470－1524). Born during the Ming Dynasty, Tang sought and failed to gain entry into the civil service, so he turned to painting instead. In time, he gained recognition as one of the greatest artists China has ever known. This painting, showing high mountains, trees, and houses covered in snow, was made with extraordinary skill. Though it is over 500 years old, it looks as fresh and full of life as the day it was created.
Also of primary note is a collection of nearly 100 bronze objects from the Shang Dynasty(1600 BCE－1046 BCE). While the artists who made these great works are not known, they showed great skill in creating these beautiful pieces. Some of the items on display are thought to have come from the collection of Emperor Qianlong(1711－1799), a great admirer of Shang Dynasty bronze.
Finally, we have many fine examples of Tang Dynasty (618－907) sculptures. Most of these are of Buddhist origin. Even though Buddhism entered China much earlier, it did not really begin to show expansion until the seventh century.
During this same period, trade along the Silk Road also boomed. Chinese sculpture thus found itself highly influenced by Buddhist art brought from India and Central Asia through the Silk Road. These works were intended to spread Buddhism and they are of exceptional beauty and quality. Looking at the faces of the figures in these sculptures, one sees the faces of the past. History is brought to life.
This is just a small taste of what is in store for you in this exhibition. We guarantee that “From Shang to Qing: Chinese Art Through the Ages” will transport you to another time with its amazing collection of works.
“From Shang to Qing: Chinese Art Through the Ages” will run until November 25.
Opening hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., from Tuesday to Sunday (the museum is closed on Mondays). No one will be admitted into the exhibition after 4:30 p.m.
Admission: $10 for adults: $8 for students; $5 for children under 12; free for children under 5.
No photos or food and drink are allowed in the museum.
1. Which of the following is NOT true about the exhibition?| A．It covers a history of more than 3,000 years. |
| B．It only exhibits bronze bowls, ceramic vases and jade sculptures. |
| C．It displays the Chinese artistic genius from ancient times. |
| D．Its theme is “From Shang to Qing: Chinese Art Through the Ages”. |
| A．He gained entry into the civil service. |
| B．He was born in the Qing Dynasty. |
| C．He was recognized as one of the greatest artists. |
| D．His painting Clearing After Snow on a Mountain Pass was painted 400 years ago. |
| A．are imported from the West |
| B．were intended to spread Daoism |
| C．are of exceptional beauty and quality |
| D．are rarely shown in the public |
| A．go to the museum on November 26 |
| B．visit it on Monday |
| C．have lunch in the museum |
| D．visit it from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday |
2 . The ancient silk road was a once in a life time journey. It was one of the most important milestones of trade and culture in world history, and the pioneer, Zhang Qian, could not be easily forgotten by history. He was an outstanding diplomat, traveler and explorer in the Han Dynasty of China, honored as the “the first Chinese to open their eyes to see the world” and “the Columbus of the east”.
In 138 BC, at the reign of Emperor Wudi, Zhang Qian was sent to the west of China for an alliance with the Yue-chi people to fight against the Xiongnu. He started his trip from Chang’an(now Xi’an in Shanxi Province)to Longxi(in Gansu Province). Along the way, no matter how difficult the environment was, his faith was firm. But unfortunately, Zhang was caught by the Xiongnu people just as he left Han, and was held prisoner for ten years.
Zhang finally managed to escape with some of his men and continued to travel west without any dry food or drinking water. Due to the excellent skill of shooting arrows, they survived by eating some birds and other animals along the way. When Zhang at last reached the Yue-chi in Northern India, he was disappointed to find that they didn’t want to fight against the Xiongnu people. On the return journey, Zhang Qian and his men were again caught. It was not until 125 BC that they returned to Chang’an.
Though Zhang hadn’t finished his mission, he brought back first-hand information on the geography, ethnography, and societies of Central Asia. The paths Zhang Qian explored later served as the highways connecting Europe, the Middle East, Mesopotamia, Central Asia, and East Asia. Commodities, crops, animals, religions, ideas, music, technology, and artifacts have been transported by diplomats, merchants and soldiers along this network of highways, which have, since the 19th century been known as the “Silk Road”. Zhang Qian has been remembered as the great explorer that opened up a new era of cultural exchange between East and West with long-lasting treasure well observable today.
1. What is the passage mainly about?| A．Zhang Qian and Yue-chi people. | B．The importance of the Silk Road. |
| C．The paths Zhang Qian explored. | D．Zhang Qian and the Silk Road. |
| A．decision | B．exploration | C．agreement | D．excitement |
| A．Columbus set the footprints on the ancient silk road. |
| B．The Silk Road was a highway to Europe in Han Dynasty. |
| C．Zhang Qian was a pioneer opening up the Silk Road. |
| D．The Silk Road has the greatest value in Chinese history. |
| A．Brave and strong-willed. | B．Careful and confident |
| C．Proud and open-minded. | D．Honest and excellent. |
3 . The Nazca Lines are a collection of giant geoglyphs (地画), located in the Peruvian coastal plain about 250 miles south of Lima, Peru. Created by the ancient Nazca culture in South America, the 2, 000 year old Nazca Lines can only be fully viewed from the air given their massive size.
There are three basic types of the Nazca Lines: straight lines, geometric designs and pictorial (图画的) representations. More than 800 straight lines are found on the coastal plain, some of which are 30 miles long. Additionally, there are over 300 geometric designs, which include basic shapes such as triangles, rectangles, as well as arrows, zigzags and wavy lines. The Nazca Lines are perhaps best known for the representations of about 70 animals and plants, some of which measure up to 1, 200 feet long. Examples include a spider, hummingbird, monkey, whale, dog, duck, flower, and tree.
More recent research suggested that the Nazca Lines’ purpose was related to water, a valuable thing in the desert. The geoglyphs weren’t used as an irrigation system or a guide to find water, but rather as part of a ritual (仪式) to pray to the gods — an effort to bring much needed rain.
The Nazca Lines are located in the desert plains of the Rio Grande de Nasca river basin. The desert floor is covered in a layer of deep red color rocks. The ancient people created their designs by removing the top 12 to 15 inches of rock, revealing the lighter-colored sand below. They likely began with small scale models and carefully increased the models’ proportions (规模) to create the large designs.
Given the small amount of rain, wind and erosion in the desert, the geoglyphs have remained largely unharmed throughout the centuries. But the geoglyphs aren’t completely safe. In 2009, the Nazca Lines suffered the first recorded rain damage. Five years later, the environmental group Greenpeace damaged an area near the hummingbird geoglyph during a media stunt.
1. Why should the geoglyphs only be fully appreciated from the air?| A．The geoglyphs occupy a massive area of land. |
| B．The geoglyphs are in the centre of the desert. |
| C．The geoglyphs are only accessible by plane. |
| D．The geoglyphs are so diverse in design. |
| A．To record ancient culture. |
| B．To guide water to the land. |
| C．To pray to the gods for rain. |
| D．To show ancient people’s talents. |
| A．How the geoglyphs were created. |
| B．Where the geoglyphs are located. |
| C．Why the geoglyphs were created. |
| D．What the proportion of the geoglyphs is. |
| A．The geoglyphs are damagefree. |
| B．The geoglyphs need protection. |
| C．The geoglyphs are in perfect condition. |
| D．The geoglyphs get media’s protection. |
ANCIENT CHINESE ART ON SHOW
The Richfield Museum of Fine Art is proud to present our new exhibition, “From Shang to Qing: Chinese Art Through the Ages.” Join us as we explore more than 3,000 years of wonderful art from the Middle Kingdom. From bronze bowls to ceramic vases, and jade sculptures to ink wash paintings, our goal is to display the Chinese artistic genius from ancient times.
The highlight of this exhibition is the painting Clearing After Snow on a Mountain Pass, one of the great works of Tang Yin (1470－1524). Born during the Ming Dynasty, Tang sought and failed to gain entry into the civil service, so he turned to painting instead. In time, he gained recognition as one of the greatest artists China has ever known. This painting, showing high mountains, trees, and houses covered in snow, was made with extraordinary skill. Though it is over 500 years old, it looks as fresh and full of life as the day it was created.
Also of primary note is a collection of nearly 100 bronze objects from the Shang Dynasty(1600 BCE－1046 BCE). While the artists who made these great works are not known, they showed great skill in creating these beautiful pieces. Some of the items on display are thought to have come from the collection of Emperor Qianlong(1711－1799), a great admirer of Shang Dynasty bronze.
Finally, we have many fine examples of Tang Dynasty (618－907) sculptures. Most of these are of Buddhist origin. Even though Buddhism entered China much earlier, it did not really begin to show expansion until the seventh century.
During this same period, trade along the Silk Road also boomed. Chinese sculpture thus found itself highly influenced by Buddhist art brought from India and Central Asia through the Silk Road. These works were intended to spread Buddhism and they are of exceptional beauty and quality. Looking at the faces of the figures in these sculptures, one sees the faces of the past. History is brought to life.
This is just a small taste of what is in store for you in this exhibition. We guarantee that “From Shang to Qing: Chinese Art Through the Ages” will transport you to another time with its amazing collection of works.
“From Shang to Qing: Chinese Art Through the Ages” will run until November 25.
Opening hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., from Tuesday to Sunday (the museum is closed on Mondays). No one will be admitted into the exhibition after 4:30 p.m.
Admission: $10 for adults: $8 for students; $5 for children under 12; free for children under 5.
No photos or food and drink are allowed in the museum.
1. Which of the following is NOT true about the exhibition?| A．It covers a history of more than 3,000 years. |
| B．It only exhibits bronze bowls, ceramic vases and jade sculptures. |
| C．It displays the Chinese artistic genius from ancient times. |
| D．Its theme is “From Shang to Qing: Chinese Art Through the Ages”． |
| A．He gained entry into the civil service. |
| B．He was born in the Qing Dynasty. |
| C．He was recognized as one of the greatest artists. |
| D．His painting Clearing After Snow on a Mountain Pass was painted 400 years ago. |
| A．are imported from the West |
| B．were intended to spread Daoism |
| C．are of exceptional beauty and quality |
| D．are rarely shown in the public |
| A．go to the museum on November 26 |
| B．visit it on Monday |
| C．have lunch in the museum |
| D．visit it from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday |
| A．$20 | B．$25 | C．$28 | D．$18 |
5 . As archaeologists (考古学家) examined ancient tombs in Turfan in western China, they discovered some surprisingly well-preserved and familiar relics. Though hardened from over 1,000 years, there sat little dumplings.
Exactly who invented dumplings remains a mystery. But some scholars suspect they were first spread by nomadic (游牧的) Turkic peoples living in western China and Central Asia. This is thought to be the case because “manti,” meaning “dumpling” or “steamed bun” in many Turkic languages, appears to be the root word for dumpling in several other languages. Ancient Turkic people probably filled their dumplings with meat. But it’s unclear when this practice began, or whether they learned the art of dumpling-making from others. However this happened, dumplings certainly gathered steam in ancient China.
Dumplings continued to take off and diversify in China over the next thousand years. Instead of the traditional meat filling, some communities chose vegetarian (素食) dumplings. People developed new cooking methods. The relationship between Chinese dumplings and those in other areas is tricky to trace, but food historians have made their best guesses based on available clues.
Besides Turkic tribes, some scholars believe that the Mongol Empire also contributed to the spread of dumplings, perhaps introducing them to parts of Eastern Europe. These dumplings could have come by way of China or directly from some of the Turkic peoples the Mongols hired to run their empire. One theory is that this gave rise to dumplings like pelmeni in Russia, pierogi in Poland and vareniki in Ukraine. The Mongol Empire also controlled Korea and might have likewise introduced dumplings there. Later, after Chinese dumpling varieties were introduced to more countries, English speakers began calling them dumplings, which means “little lumps”. During the Second World War, Chinese “jiaozi” were brought to Japan. So what about the Italian dumpling-like pasta? Some historians think it might be brought by Arab conquerors.
It’s unlikely that all dumpling dishes came from the same root tradition. However, we can appreciate the mysterious historical web that made dumplings so various.
1. What made Turkic peoples suspected to first spread dumplings?| A．The languages they used. | B．Their eating habits. |
| C．Their dumpling-making skills. | D．The newly found tombs. |
| A．Originated. | B．Stabilized. |
| C．Got well-cooked. | D．Became popular. |
| A．The spreading process of dumplings. |
| B．The possible origins of dumplings. |
| C．Differences between various dumplings. |
| D．Reasons for the popularity of dumplings. |
| A．Delicious. | B．Diverse. | C．Unusual. | D．Regional. |
6 . Every year thousands of tourists visit Pompeii, Italy. They see the sights that Pompeii is famous for, like its stadium and theatres, its shops, and restaurants. The tourists do not, however, see Pompeii’s people. They do not see them because Pompeii has no people. No one has lived in Pompeii for almost 2,000 years.
Once, Pompeii was a busy city of 22,000 people. It lay at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, a grass-covered volcano. Mount Vesuvius had not erupted for centuries, so the people of Pompeii felt safe. But they were not.
In August of AD 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted. The entire top of the mountain exploded, and a huge black cloud rose into the air. Soon hot rocks and ash began to fall on Pompeii. When the eruption ended two days later, Pompeii was buried under 20 feet of stones and ashes. Almost all of its people were dead.
For centuries, Pompeii lay buried under stones and ashes. Then, in the year 1861, an Italian scientist named Ginseppe began to uncover Pompeii. Slowly, carefully, Ginseppe and his men dug. The city looked almost the same as it had looked in AD 79. There were streets and fountains, houses, and shops. There was a stadium with 20,000 seats. Perhaps the most important of all, there were everyday objects, which tell us a great deal about the people who lived in Pompeii. Many glasses and jars had some dark blue colour in the bottom, so we know that the people of Pompeii liked wine. They liked bread, too; metal bread pans were in every bakery. In one bakery there were 81 round, flat loaves of bread — a type of bread that is still sold in Italy today.
Ginseppe has died, but his work continues. One-fourth has not been uncovered yet. Scientists are still digging, still making discoveries that draw the tourists to Pompeii.
1. Why do large numbers of people come to Pompeii each year?| A．To visit the volcano. |
| B．To shop and eat there. |
| C．To watch sports and plays. |
| D．To see how the people of Pompeii lived. |
| A．Because the city nearby offered kinds of fun. |
| B．Because the area produced the finest wine in Italy. |
| C．Because few people expected the volcano to erupt again. |
| D．Because the mountain was beautiful and covered with grass. |
| A．Because Ginseppe and his men dug it slowly and carefully. |
| B．Because the city was buried alive and remained untouched. |
| C．Because scientists successfully rebuilt the city with everyday objects. |
| D．Because nobody had lived in the city ever since the volcano erupted. |
7 . The term ScotchIrish is an American term used to describe those ScotsIrish who live in America.In Britain the term ScotsIrish used for these people is UlsterScots. Then, where did the ScotsIrish come from on earth? To find the answer, you should get to know a little bit about the history of Scotland.
After the Celtic invasion (入侵) of Britain about 500 BC, what is now Scotland was controlled by the Celtic people known as the Picts. This name came from the Latin word pictus meaning “painted”. They painted their bodies with dyes (染料).
In the fifth century, the Scots from northern Ireland invaded what is now western Scotland and established a kingdom in the highlands. They spoke Gaelic, a Celtic language. At this same time the AngloSaxon invasion of Britain was taking place. Scotland is made up of the highlands and the lowlands, and the Gaelic name for the lowlands is a’Ghalldachd, meaning “the place of the foreigners”．And whom might those foreigners be? The AngloSaxon invasion of Britain included the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes. The Jutes came from what is now northwestern Denmark.They settled (定居) in the southernmost part of Britain. The Saxons came from the northwest coast of Germany and they settled in the southern third of Britain. The Angles came from southwestern Denmark and they conquered what is now northern England and the lowlands of Scotland. They were the foreigners referred to in the Gaelic name for the lowlands.
In the 17th century, the British leaders decided to settle some of its people in the Northern Ireland province of Ulster. They chose the people from Lowland Scotland. This migration (移民) started about 1605.
When the British colonization (殖民) of North America began many of them chose to join this migration. By the time of the American Revolution it was said that onesixth of the population was the ScotsIrish.
1. Which of the following had the custom of body painting?| A．The Scots. | B．The Picts. |
| C．The ScotsIrish. | D．The AngloSaxons. |
| A．A kingdom was set up by the Scots fell. |
| B．The Scots lost the lowlands in a war. |
| C．Gaelic was widely spoken in the highlands. |
| D．The highlands were controlled by the Jutes. |
| A．northern England |
| B．western Scotland |
| C．Ulster of Northern Ireland |
| D．southernmost part of Britain |
| A．Why the ScotsIrish chose America to settle. |
| B．The AngloSaxon invasion of Britain. |
| C．The history of the country Scotland. |
| D．Who the ScotsIrish were exactly. |
8 . You probably know who Marie Curie was, but you may not have heard of Rachel Carson.Of the outstanding ladies listed below, who do you think was the most important woman of the past 100 years?
Jane Addams (1860－1935)
Anyone who has ever been helped by a social worker has Jane Addams to thank. Addams helped the poor and worked for peace. She encouraged a sense of community (社区) by creating shelters and promoting education and services for people in need. In 1931, Addams became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Rachel Carson (1907－1964)
If it weren’t for Rachel Carson, the environmental movement might not exist today. Her popular 1962 book Silent Spring raised awareness of the danger of pollution and the harmful effects of chemicals on humans and on the world’s lakes and oceans.
Sandra Day O’Connor (1930－present)
When Sandra Day O’Connor finished third in her class at Stanford Law School in 1952, she could not find work at a law firm because she was a woman. She became an Arizona state senator (参议员) and in 1981, the first woman to join the US Supreme Court. O’Connor gave the deciding vote in many important cases during her 24 years on the top court.
Rosa Parks (1913－2005)
On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks did not give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. Her simple act landed Parks in prison. But it also set off the Montgomery bus boycott. It lasted for more than a year, and kicked off the civil rights movement. “The only tired I was, was tired of giving in.” said Parks.
1. What was the reason for O’Connor’s being rejected by the law firm?| A．Her lack of proper training in law. | B．Her little work experience in court. |
| C．The discrimination against women. | D．The poor financial conditions. |
| A．Jane Addams. | B．Rachel Carson. |
| C．Sandra Day O’Connor. | D．Rosa Parks. |
| A．They are highly educated. | B．They are truly creative. |
| C．They are pioneers. | D．They are peacelovers. |
9 . The first men and women came to Britain over two and a half million years ago. As the climate got warmer at the end of the second ice age, tribes of hunters and gatherers of food, who used simple stone tools and weapons, made their way into Britain. It was normal for them to move from place to place so they could find new resources. But the British Isles only became islands separated from the rest of Europe about 8,500 years ago, when melting ice formed the English Channel!
3,000 years after Britain became an island, new tribes who came by boat from the mainland introduced farming. These tribes built earthworks for protection and as tombs for their dead. Many of these manmade hills can still be seen.
Later on, people learned to build stone monuments. The most amazing is Stonehenge, a circle of huge stones about 4,500 years ago. Stonehenge is the world’s most famous prehistoric (史前的) monument. We don’t know what it meant or what it was used for, though many different suggestions have been made.
3,000 years ago the climate in Britain became colder and wetter than before, and people had to move down from high ground. A bit later iron started to be used for tools and weapons instead of bronze. Knowledge of iron working may have been brought by the Celts, a new wave of immigrants (移民) who started to arrive from southern Europe in about 500 BCE.
What we know about the first people in Britain has been worked out by archaeologists from the remains they left behind them. Pytheas, a Greek, was the first person who could read and write to come to Britain. His visit was in about 330 BCE, over 2,000 years after Stonehenge was set up. Unfortunately, what Pytheas wrote has been lost, so we don’t have any written record of Britain until the Romans came, almost 300 years after he did!
1. Why did people move to low ground 3,000 years ago?| A．Because iron tools were used for farming. |
| B．Because the climate made it unfit for man to live there. |
| C．Because more people arrived from southern Europe. |
| D．Because the Celts forced them to do so. |
| A．the arrival of the Celts |
| B．Stonehenge was set up |
| C．Pytheas’s visit |
| D．the Romans came |
| A．The dawn of history in Britain. |
| B．How English Channel was formed. |
| C．How the British made a living millions of years ago. |
| D．When humans appeared on the British Isles. |
10 . A city in the jungle
In the summer of 1848, in Guatemala, a man called Ambrosio Tut went out into the jungle (丛林), as he did almost every day. Tut was a gum (树胶) collector, looking for gum in the jungle.
For a long time before that day, local people had known that somewhere in the jungle there was an old Mayan city.
Seven years before Tut found Tikal, two British explorers had gone to Guatemala and had written a report about Mayan treasures in the jungle—but they hadn’t mentioned Tikal. Even earlier than this, local Indians had told people about a great city hidden in the trees, but no one had listened to them.
| A．But no one had seen it for centuries. |
| B．To do this, he had to climb the trees. |
| C．And then people forgot that it was there. |
| D．So they lost the chance to find the treasure. |
| E．Tut found many other treasures after that. |
| F．More and more scientists began to study the Mayan city. |
| G．Tut didn’t really know what he had seen but he knew it was something special. |
