1 . About a quarter of the world drives on the left, and the countries that do so are mostly old British colonies (殖民地) like Australia, and Ireland. But Thailand, Indonesia and Japan have also developed this habit.
This strange phenomenon puzzles the rest of the world; however, there is a perfectly good reason. Up to the late 1700s, everybody travelled on the left side of the road because it was the sensible option for violent, feudal (封建的) societies of mostly right-handed people. Soldiers with their swords under their right arms naturally passed on each other’s right, and if you passed a stranger on the road, you walked on the left to ensure that your protective sword arm was between you and him.
Revolutionary France, however, got rid of this practice as part of its sweeping social rethink, and thanks to Napoleon, this change was carried out all over continental Europe. Since he was left-handed, his armies had to march on the right so he could keep his sword arm between him and any opponent. From then on, any country colonized by the French took to driving on the right.
After the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), the US became independent and decided to make traffic drive on the right in order to cut all remaining links to its British colonial past. Once America became the center of the car industry, if you wanted a good reliable vehicle, you bought an American car with right-hand drive. From then on, many countries changed out of necessity.
Today, the EU would like Britain to fall into line with the rest of Europe, but this would cost billions of pounds to change everything round. The last European country to convert to driving on the right was Sweden in 1967. This ironically caused a reduction in car accidents because everyone drove carefully while getting used to the new system.
1. Why did people travel on the left before the late 18th century?A.They were required to do so. | B.They were mostly left-landed. |
C.It was easier to cross the street. | D.They could feel safer from attacks. |
A.Supportive. | B.unconcerned | C.Doubtful. | D.Disagreeing. |
A.the connection with France was broken |
B.the US was no longer ruled by the UK |
C.the American Revolution War had ended |
D.America was the center of the car industry |
A.It would cost too much to change. | B.Its increasing traffic accidents. |
C.Its influence on the colonies. | D.Its fast-developing car industry. |
What comes to your mind when you think of music in Austria? You might think of Mozart or the film The Sound of Music, but Austrian music started off quite
In the 18th century the Austrian royal family drew many famous musicians to Vienna, making
Opera has also been popular in Austria. Not only rich Austrians
Austria has a long and rich musical history, from folk songs and dances
Xu Xiake was born in 1587.
China has more famous explorers. There was: Zhang Qian,
“On the surface, Xu’s travels can neither be classified as great affairs of state nor great adventures that changed the course of history,” writes cultural historian Cheng Pei-kai. “Xu travelled to satisfy his own
Scholar Julian Ward agrees, describing the lonely Chinese wanderer like the Middle Kingdom’s version of John Muir: “Deep in love with nature and eager to find freedom
“The few coins
4 . 听下面一段独白,回答以下小题。
1. I When did people first celebrate books?A.In 1922. | B.In 1926. | C.In 1930. |
A.Once a month. | B.Once a year. | C.Once every two years. |
A.Alexandria. | B.New Delhi. | C.Madrid. |
Chang’an Tower, also known as the Great Wild Goose Pagoda, is an architectural wonder
Rising to a
Whether it is for experiencing a piece of history
6 . 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. |
Xi’an, capital city of Shaanxi, served as the capital of 13 dynasties in Chinese history, which in total
People call Shaanxi History Museum “Bright Pearl in Ancient Capital and Precious Treasure of China”, for it is an art palace
The basic halls in the museum are divided into three exhibition halls
While
The recent opening of a new exhibition building at the Sanxingdui Museum, in Guanghan, in Sichuan province, made the place
For those who cannot make it to Guanghan,
It provides a time-travel experience for both an educational and artistic appeal. The journey begins
On show
Images of these objects found at Sanxingdui and their
Many people are confused about the
In the 16th century, the nearby country of Wales
Even though the four countries which
Located in Guanghan city of Southwest China’s Sichuan Province and covering an area of 12 square kilometers. Sanxingdui Site is the remains of the ancient Shu culture, which dates back
In fact, as a cultural site,, Sanxingdui had come into the notice of archaeologists in as early as the 1930s, and
After sleeping for 3,000 years, their awakening has shocked the world. When our eyes