Does Takeaway Exist in Ancient China?
As early as in the Song Dynasty, “takeout” services were already available. In Zhang Zeduan’s popular painting Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival, there is a restaurant boy who has just come out of the shop with “to-go boxes” in his left hand and tableware(餐具) in his right, still
In ancient times, there were three ways to order food. The first is servant order. Send a family servant to go to a restaurant and make
The to-go box, wenpan (warm tray),
Originated in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), Kunqu Opera is said to be the mother of all Chinese operas and is one of the oldest forms of opera still
The development of Kunqu Opera went through several
Kunqu Opera is acknowledged as
3 . A small group of paleontologists (古生物学家) recently discovered 10 species of ancient mammals previously unknown to science with the help of an enormous number of helpers at their dig site: ants.
The study of ancient mammals throws new light on the diversity of mammals that existed in North America around 33 million to 35 million years ago, when the climate was changing dramatically. It also pays attention to the harvester ants, with which researchers have long had a love-hate relationship. “The ants are not fantastic when they’re biting you,” said Samantha Hopkins, a professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Oregon. “But I’ve got to appreciate them because they make my job a whole lot easier.”
Most species of harvester ants live in subterranean caves that sit beneath a small hill of dirt. They strengthen the dirt by covering it with bits of rock and other tough materials. The ants have been known to travel over a hundred feet from their caves and to dig six feet deep in pursuit of materials that help secure their caves. The materials include fossils. Harvester ants can carry materials 10 times to 50 times the weight of their body, although they do not weigh very much, so the heaviest fossil they can collect weighs less than the average pill.
Given the size, harvester ant hills are hot spots for what scientists call microvertebrate (微型脊椎动物) fossils, which are animal fossils too small to see without a microscope. For over a century, scientists like Dr. Hopkins have found sediment (沉积物) off the sides of harvester ant hills in search of these fossils, making it easier to find large numbers of fossilized mammal teeth without spending hours in the field sifting through sand and dirt.
1. What is the purpose of the passage?A.To compare two different species. |
B.To provide evidence for discoveries. |
C.To promote awareness of mammal protection. |
D.To introduce a kind of ant serving as a helper. |
A.Ant numbers. | B.Climate. | C.Cave materials. | D.Dirt locations. |
A.Coastal. | B.Underground. | C.Urban. | D.Mountainous. |
A.Their caves are miles deep. |
B.They can carry pills around. |
C.Fossils may be found around their hills. |
D.Materials with fossils are their food. |
4 . The “Chong Yang Festival” is celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, which is also known as the Double Ninth Festival.
Climbing Mountains
People like to climb mountains on this festival, so Double Ninth Festival is also called “Mountain-climbing Festival”.
The 9th lunar month, with clear autumn sky and bracing air, is a good time for sightseeing.
Climbing mounting also indicates “climbing to a higher position”. Another reason why climbing mountains are valued by people, especially by the elderly is that it has a meaning of “climbing to ligneous life”. Climbing mountains on Double Ninth Festival was already popular in the Tang Dynasty.
Drinking Chrysanthemum Flower(菊花) Wine
The chrysanthemum flower wine is unique in brewing. In ancient times, people usually picked fresh chrysanthemum flowers and leaves on the 9th of the 9th lunar month, and brewed the mixture of them and grains into the wine.
The Double Ninth cake is also known as “flower cake”. It dates back to the Zhou Dynasty. It is said that the cake was originally prepared after autumn harvests for farmers to have a taste of what was just in season, and it gradually grew into the present cake for people to eat on the Double Ninth Day.
A.Eating Double Ninth Cake |
B.Making “flower cake” with friends |
C.A lot of poems were devoted to this custom |
D.So people love to go sightseeing this month |
E.It would not be drunk until the same day next year |
F.Here are some traditional customs of the Double Ninth Festival |
G.But few Chinese people are aware of the importance of the festival |