Chinese writer Mo Yan’s Nobel Prize for Literature might ignite an explosion of global interest in Chinese literature and lead to more titles translated into English, European experts say.
“Hopefully, the award means more people will read Chinese literature and more works will get translated,” says Michel Hockx, professor of the Languages and Cultures of China and Inner Asia from University of London. “Many very good Chinese writers have been accepted globally for a long time already. Mo Yan is probably the most translated Chinese writer alive, with at least five of his novels made available in English over the past 20 years.”
Jonathan Ruppin, web editor of bookseller Foyles, says Mo’s win coincides with growing interest in Chinese literature and recognizes the talents of a distinctive and visionary(富于幻想的)writer. “We are very excited by the fact that English translations of more of his books should now become available,” Ruppin says. He made the comment after Mo became the first Chinese citizen to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in its century-long history.
As East-West cultural exchange has been booming, Chinese literature has been attracting growing attention in recent years. Hockx explains, “It’s mainly because there are many more opportunities for Chinese writers to visit other countries, to publish their works outside China and to interact with readers abroad. At the same time, more and more people globally are learning Chinese and taking an interest in the Chinese language and culture.”
University of Oxford lecturer in modern Chinese literature Margaret Hillenbrand says, “The obvious reason for the growing global presence of Chinese literature is the growing global presence of China itself. People have come to realize that there is a serious knowledge deficit (缺少)between China and its international counterparts — in particular, China knows incomparably(无比地)more about Europe and America than the other way round — and reading Chinese literature is an effective, simple means of solving that gap.”
【小题1】The underlined word “ignite” in Paragraph 1 probably means  “________”.

A.start outB.burn upC.set offD.appeal to
【小题2】Chinese literature has been attracting growing attention mainly because ________.
A.Chinese writers have been writing more and more books in English
B.the Chinese language has become the most widely used language in the world
C.the Chinese government attaches great importance to literature
D.the cultural communication between China and western countries has developed
【小题3】Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A.Chinese literature has spread with the development of China.
B.The Nobel Prize for Literature has a history of hundreds of years.
C.In the past, no Chinese writers were accepted outside China.
D.Foreigners know about China mainly by reading Mo Yan’s works.
【小题4】How do you understand the underlined sentence in the last paragraph?
A.China knows more about Europe and America than before.
B.China knows more about Europe and America than they know about China.
C.China, Europe and America know one another more than before.
D.Compared with America, China knows more about Europe.

Last year, CCTV journalists approached pedestrians with their cameras, held a microphone to their mouth and asked a simple question, “Are you happy?”

The question has caught many interviewees off guard. Even Mo Yan, who just won a Nobel Prize, responded by saying, “I don’t know”.

While the question has become a buzz phrase and the Internet plays host to heated discussions, we ask: What exactly is happiness? And how do you measure it?

In the 1776 US Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson set in writing the people’s unalienable right to “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”. 235 years on, Wen Jiabao told the nation, “Everything we do is aimed at letting people live more happily.” At National People’s Congress, officials agreed that increasing happiness would be a top target for the 12th five-year plan.

US psychologist Ed Diener, author of Happiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth, describes happiness as “ a combination of life satisfaction and having more positive than negative emotions”, according to US broadcasting network PBS. This may sound straightforward enough, but it still doesn’t explain what determines people’s happiness.

Many argue that happiness is elusive and that there is no single source. It also means different things to different people. For some, happiness can be as simple as having enough cash.

Researchers believe happiness can be separated into two types: daily experiences of hedonic (享乐的) well-being; and evaluative well-being, the way people think about their lives as a whole. The former refers to the quality of living, whereas the latter is about overall happiness, including life goals and achievements. Happiness can cross both dimensions.

Li Jun, a psychologist and mental therapy practitioner at a Beijing clinic, says, “Happiness can mean both the most basic human satisfaction or the highest level of spiritual pursuit. It’s a simple yet profound topic.”

Chen Shangyuan, 21, a junior English major at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, said his idea of happiness always evolves. “At present it relates to how productive I am in a day,” he said. “It might be linked to job security or leisure time after I graduate.”

Then there is the question of measuring happiness. Does it depend on how many friends we have, or whether we own the latest smart phone? Is it even quantifiable?

Economists are trying to measure happiness in people’s lives. Since 1972, Bhutan’s GDP measurement has been replaced by a Gross National Happiness index. It is calculated according to the peoples’ sense of being well-governed, their relationship with the environment, their satisfaction with economic development, and their sense of national belonging.

In 2009, US economist Joseph Stiglitz proposed “to shift emphasis from measuring economic production to measuring people’s well-being”. But is well-being more easily measured?

1. In the second paragraph, the writer gave an example to ________.

A. support his idea that being famous is the reason to be happy

B. introduce his topic to be discussed

C. tell people winning a Nobel Prize is a great honor

D. show that the question was quite difficult

2.From what Thomas Jefferson and Wen Jiabao mentioned in the passage, we know ________.

A. people’s happiness is determined by great people

B. people’s happiness is an important target for the development of a country

C. people in all countries have the right to ask the government for a happy life

D. people both in China and America are living a happy life

3.According to the passage, the writer may most likely agree that ________.

A. CCTV journalists are concerned about people’s happiness out of sympathy

B. the question has led to heated discussions about who are the happiest people in China

C. Bhutan’s new index shows that people there are the happiest in the world

D. it is not easy for us to decide what determines people’s happiness

4.What does the underlined word “elusive” in the sixth paragraph mean?

A. available.                B. easy to get.                      C. hard to describe.            D. unimaginable.

5.The best title of the passage is ________.

A. Are you happy?                                                   B. The Measurement of Happiness

C. GDP and Happiness                                             D. The Secret of Happiness

 

Chinese writer Mo Yan’s Nobel Prize for Literature might ignite an explosion of global interest in Chinese literature and lead to more titles translated into English, European experts say.

“Hopefully, the award means more people will read Chinese literature and more works will get translated,” says Michel Hockx, professor of the Languages and Cultures of China and Inner Asia from University of London. “Many very good Chinese writers have been accepted globally for a long time already. Mo Yan is probably the most translated Chinese writer alive, with at least five of his novels made available in English over the past 20 years.”

Jonathan Ruppin, web editor of bookseller Foyles, says Mo’s win coincides with growing interest in Chinese literature and recognizes the talents of a distinctive and visionary(富于幻想的)writer. “We are very excited by the fact that English translations of more of his books should now become available,” Ruppin says. He made the comment after Mo became the first Chinese citizen to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in its century-long history.

As East-West cultural exchange has been booming, Chinese literature has been attracting growing attention in recent years. Hockx explains, “It’s mainly because there are many more opportunities for Chinese writers to visit other countries, to publish their works outside China and to interact with readers abroad. At the same time, more and more people globally are learning Chinese and taking an interest in the Chinese language and culture.”

University of Oxford lecturer in modern Chinese literature Margaret Hillenbrand says, “The obvious reason for the growing global presence of Chinese literature is the growing global presence of China itself. People have come to realize that there is a serious knowledge deficit between China and its international counterparts — in particular, China knows incomparably more about Europe and America than the other way round — and reading Chinese literature is an effective, simple means of solving that gap.”

1.The underlined word “ignite” in Paragraph 1 probably means  “________”.

A.start out          B.burn up           C.set off            D.appeal to

2.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A.Chinese literature has spread with the development of China.

B.The Nobel Prize for Literature has a history of hundreds of years.

C.In the past, no Chinese writers were accepted outside China.

D.Foreigners know about China mainly by reading Mo Yan’s works.

3.Chinese literature has been attracting growing attention mainly because

A.Chinese writers have been writing more and more books in English

B.the Chinese language has become the most widely used language in the world

C.the Chinese government attaches great importance to literature

D.the cultural communication between China and western countries has developed

4.How do you understand the underlined sentence in the last paragraph?

A.China knows more about Europe and America than before.

B.China knows more about Europe and America than they know about China.

C.China, Europe and America know one another more than before.

D.Compared with America, China knows more about Europe.

 

Why do 33% of the households in the USA have cats? And how do you explain why there are 16 million more pet cats than dogs? Yes, kittens are adorable (讨人喜欢的).Yes, they can grow up to be good mousers and are very entertaining to watch.And yes, cats are independent and don't require as much care as dogs.But research shows cats can also be caretakers for us and our families, improve our health and teach us and our children to be kinder, gentler souls.

Theodora Wesselman is 94 and has lived the past two years with her elderly cat, Cleo, at TigerPlace, a retirement community in Columbia, Mo.Their enduring friendship is a classic example of how humans and animals can become family and look out for each other.

Wesselman visits other residents, and her children stop by, but Cleo is her best friend, she says.They've been together nearly 21 years.

"She sleeps on her own pillow right beside mine," Wesselman says."In the morning, she pecks on my cheek to wake me up.It's really sweet.I pet her, tell her I love her and take her to the kitchen to prepare her food."

Research shows that being able to care for a pet improves our morale (士气;精神状态), helps validate us and encourages us to take care of ourselves, says Rebecca Johnson, director of the University of Missouri's Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction.The body of research is leading more retirement communities and universities to roll out the welcome mat for pets

1.According to the context, where do you think the sentence “They start and end the day together” should appear in the passage?

A.Between para.1 and para.2

B.Between para.2 and para.3

C.Between para.3 and para.4

D.Between para.4 and para.5

2.Which of the following words best describe the author’s attitude towards keeping pet cats?

A.Favorable

B.Critical

C.Reserved

D.Doubtful

3.Why does the author take 94-year-old Theodora Wesselman as an example in the passage?

A.To show that the elderly like Theodora Wesselman in the USA have pet cats.

B.To suggest to what degree humans and pet cats can be caretakers for each other.

C.Because Theodora Wesselman has been living with a pet cat for the past two years.

D.Because Theodora Wesselman pets her cat Cleo and tells her she loves her.

4.What does “to roll out the welcome mat for pets” in the last paragraph imply?

A.To give a special welcome to pets.

B.To make the welcome mat flat on the ground for pets.

C.To open out the welcome mat for pets to sleep.

D.To wrap the welcome mat to make room for pets.

 

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