If Confucius(孔子)were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He’d need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.
While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day ,few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It’s nothing personal. Most Americans don’t even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.
But this doesn’t mean that Americans don’t care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.
In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually include Chinese art, history and philosophy(哲学).Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks of Western philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.
So the old thinker’s ideas are still alive and well.
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.
As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.
【小题1】The opening paragraph is mainly intended to   .

A.provide some key facts about Confucius
B.attract the readers’ interest in the subject
C.show great respect for the ancient thinker
D.prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations
【小题2】We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students   .
A.have a great interest in studying Chinese
B.take an active part in Chinese competitions
C.try to get high scores in Chinese exams
D.fight for a chance to learn Chinese
【小题3】What is the best title for the passage?
A.Forgotten Wisdom in America
B.Huge Fans of the Chinese Language
C.Chinese Culture for Westerners
D.Old Thinker with a Big Future
【小题4】The passage is likely to appear in   .
A.a biographyB.a history paper
C.a newspaperD.a philosophy textbook

Imagine, one day,getting out of bed in Beijing and being at your office in Shanghai in only a couple of hours,and then,after a full day of work,going back home to Beijing and having dinner there.

         Sounds unusual,doesn't it? But it's not that unrealistic,with the development of China’s high-speed railway system.And that’s not all.China has an even greater high-speed railway plan — to connect the country with Southeast Asia,and eventually Eastern Europe.

         China is negotiating to extend its own high-speed railway network to up to 17 countries in 10 to 15 years,eventually reaching London and Singapore.

         China has proposed three such projects.The first would possibly connect Kunming with Singapore via Vietnam and Malaysia.Another could start in Urumqi and go through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan,and possibly to Germany.The third would start in the northeast and go north through Russia and then into Western Europe.

If China’s plan for the high-speed railway goes forward,people could zip over from London to Beijing in under two days.

         The new system would still follow China’s high-speed railway standard.And the trains would be able to go 346 kilometers an hour.

         China’s bullet train(高速客车),the one connecting Wuhan to Guangzhou,already has the World’s fastest average speed.It covers 1,069 kilometers in about three hours.

         Of course,there are some technical challenges to overcome.There are so many issues that need to be settled,such as safety,rail gauge(轨距),maintenance of railway tracks.So,it’s important to pay attention to every detail.

         But the key issue is really money.China is already spending hundreds of billions of yuan on domestic railway expansion.

         China prefers that the other countries pay in natural resources rather than with capital investment.Resources from those countries could stream into China to sustain development.

         It’ll be a win-win project. For other countries,the railway network will definitely create more opportunities for business,tourism and so on,not to mention the better communication among those countries.

         For China,such a project would not only connect it with the rest of Asia and bring some much-needed resources,but would also help develop China’s far west.We foresee that in the coming decades,millions of people will migrate to the western regions,where the land is empty and resources unused.With high-speed trains,people will set up factories and business centers in the west once and for all.And they’ll trade with Central Asian and Eastern European countries.

1.China’s new high-speed railway plan will be a win-win project because ________.

         A. China will get much-needed resources and develop its western regions

         B. China and the countries involved will benefit from the project in various ways

         C. China will develop its railway system and communication with other countries

         D. The foreign countries involved will develop their business and tourism

2.According to the passage,the greatest challenge to the new high-speed railway plan is ________.

         A. technical issues                                            B. safety of the system

         C. financial problems                                          D. maintenance of railway tracks

3.Which of the following words best describes the author’s attitude towards China’s high-speed railway plan?

         A. Critical.                    B. Reserved.               C. Doubtful.      D. Positive.

4.Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

         A. New Railway Standards.                            B. Big Railway Dreams.

         C. High-speed Bullet Trains.                               D. International Railway Network

 

Today most Chinese teenagers are happy to be favored by two parents and four grandparents in their families. But have you ever thought about how to take care of four to twelve old people when you grow up and get married? This could be a problem for most Chinese youths as China is entering a new stage of an aging society.

An aging society refers to one where 10 percent or more of its population is over 60. By the end of 2007, Chinese over 60 years old have made up 11.7 percent of the nation’s total population. “China is getting old before becoming rich,”said Cai Chuang, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The population increase that has powered Chinese growth for three decades will give way over the next ten years to a rapid aging of the society. This will lead to weaker economic growth, because of a lack of labor resources.

As a result of the family planning policy, it is expected that the country’s total working population will decrease after 2015.

China is not the only country getting old. More that 60 countries have become aging societies and one in three people in the European Union is a senior citizen.

However, experts said that China doesn't have a highly developed social security network to support the old. Social security is an insurance program protecting those in need, including the old, the disabled and others.

1.An aging society is a society that _________.       

A.less that 10% of its population is over 60

B.10% or more of its population is over 60

C.there are four old people in a family

D.most of its population is over 60

2.If China enters an aging society, __________.     

A.there will not be enough labor resources

B.the family planning policy will be ended

C.everyone needs to take care of four to twelve old people

D.China will have a highly developed social security network

3.What does Cai Chuang mean by saying“China is getting old before becoming rich.”?

A.China will be an aging society, then be a developed country.

B.China will be a rich country before being an aging society.

C.An aging society will affect Chinese economy development.

D.China will stop developing because of its aging problem.

4.The passage mainly talks about         .

A.an aging society

B.Chinese social problem

C.family panning policy

D.aging problem in China

 

 

Imagine,one day,getting out of bed in Beijing and being at your office in Shanghai in only a couple of hours,and then,after a full day of work,going back home to Beijing and having dinner there.

Sounds unusual,doesn't it? But it's not that unrealistic,with the development of China’s high—speed railway system.And that’s not a11.China has an even greater high—speed railway plan—to connect the country with Southeast Asia,and eventually Eastern Europe.

China is negotiating to extend its own high·-speed railway network to up to 17 countries in 1 0 to 15 years,eventually reaching London and Singapore.

China has proposed three such projects.The first would possibly connect Kunming withSingapore via Vietnam and Malaysia.Another could start in Urumqi and go through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan,and possibly

to Germany.The third would start in the northeast and go north through Russia and then into Western Europe.

If China’s plan for the high-speed railway goes forward,people could zip over from London to Beiling in under two days.

The new system would still follow China’s high—speed railway standard.And the trains would be able to go 346 kilometers an hour,almost as fast as some airplanes.

    China’s bullet train(高速客车),the one connecting Wuhan to Guangzhou,already has the

 World’s fastest average speed.It covers 1,069 kilometers in about three hours.

Of course,there are some technical challenges to overcome.There are so many issues that need to be settled,such as safety,rail gauge(轨距),maintenance of railway tracks.So,it’s important to pay attention to every detail.

But the key issue is really money.China is already spending hundreds of billions of yuan on

domestic railway expansion.

China prefers that the other countries pay in natural resources rather than with capital

investment.Resources from those countries could stream into China to sustain development.

It’11 be a win-win project. For other countries,the railway network will definitely create more opportunities for business,tourism and so on,not to mention the better communication among those countnes.

For China,such a project would not only connect it with the rest of Asia and bring some much-needed resources,but would also help develop China’s far west.We foresee that in the coming decades,millions of people will migrate to the western regions,where the land is empty and resources unused.With high-speed trains,people will set up factories and business centers in the west once and for a11.And they’11 trade with Central Asian and Eastern European countries.

1.China’s new high-speed railway plan will be a win-win project because ____________.

  A.China will get much-needed resources and develop its western regions

  B.China and the countries involved will benefit from the project in various ways

  C.China will develop its railway system and communication with other countries

  D. the foreign countries involved will develop their railway transportation,business and tourism

2.According to the passage,the greatest challenge to the new high-speed railway plan is____________.

  A.technical issues    B.safety of the system

  C.financial problems  D.maintenance of railway tracks

3.Which of the following words best describes the author’s attitude towards China’s high-speed

  railway plan?

  A.Critical.    B.Reserved.    C.Doubtful     D. Positive.

4.Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

  A.New Railway Standards    B.Big Railway Dreams

  C.High—speed Bullet Trains D.International Railway Network

 

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网