Few parlor games (室内游戏) have left a larger global impact than mahjong, which is at once a mainstay at immigrant family gatherings.

Mahjong is a four-player game that, like poker, operates on the interplay between chance and skill. Chinese icons are visible in tiles’(麻将牌) “suits”, which include bamboos and circles, which represent ancient Chinese currency; arrows or “dragons”, which symbolize the ancient art of archery; and flowers, which represent the four Confucian plants, including chrysanthemum and orchid.

There are more than 40 versions of the game across the world, according to Annelise Heinz, author of the bestselling Mahjong: A Chinese Game and the Making of Modern American Culture. She says the material connection and core tile design keep it recognizable.

The rhythms of mahjong are especially conducive to building community, Heinz says. Whereas the shuffling of cards in between poker games takes mere seconds, mahjong players must sit through extended pauses to reset tiles after every round. The interval encourages conversation.

In the early 1920s, American businessman Joseph P. Babcock brought the game to the U.S., where it became an “enormous national fad” that Heinz says reflected the country’s shifting cultural norms. Dubbed “the game of a hundred intelligences” and “the gift of heaven”, the first imported mahjong sets quickly sold out at Abercrombie & Fitch in New York City.

Over the past century in the US, mahjong has changed into a staple that extends far beyond the Chinese immigrant family. More recently, the record-shattering 2018 romantic comedy Crazy Rich Asians, which features   a crucial mahjong scene, brought the game back into popular culture, fueling interest among Asian American millennials and Gen Zers. Mahjong’s lasting popularity, Heinz says, speaks to rapid cultural changes that have unfolded over the past century. “It also offers a kind of hopeful vision of positive identity building and community building that this game can be a part of into the future,” she says.

【小题1】Which of the following is the synonym for underlined word “mainstay” in Para.1?

A．Backbone

B．Guest

C．Maintainer

D．Decoration

【小题2】What do the Chinese icons of bamboos and circles on the tile’s “suits” represent?

A．Confucian plants and thoughts.

B．Chinese arrows or “dragons”.

C．Ancient forms of art.

D．Ancient Chinese currency.

【小题3】What aspect of playing mahjong is beneficial to community building?

A．Quick shuffling between rounds.

B．Extended pauses to reset tiles.

C．Interplay between chance and skill.

D．Complex game rules and strategy.

【小题4】What does the author think of mahjiong?

A．The rhythms of mahjong is catchy.

B．The imported mahjong sets are costly.

C．It is outdated for the young generations.

D．It is widely influential and promising.