The Bedford School has held activities to celebrate the Chinese New Year before the winter vacation—this time with a unique change compared to other years. The celebration is a blend (融合) of traditional food, calligraphy, and a performance using Chinese instruments.
The school’s Chinese Society introduced an art form that attracted the students: Chinese calligraphy. The students were surprised at the combination (结合) of visual art and the interpretation (解读) of literary meaning as they wrote Chinese characters with grace. And they tried their best to make what they wrote correct and beautiful. The students also enjoyed delightful Chinese New Year foods, including spring rolls, rice cake, dumplings. They ate fish-shaped sweets with great enjoyment, symbolizing abundance (富足) for the coming year as the Chinese character for “fish” can also mean “surplus”. The idea behind this is that if we manage to have something left over at the year’s end, then more can be made in the new year. Keeping with tradition, the students exchanged red envelopes filled with sweets, symbolizing good luck and prosperity (繁荣). In Chinese culture, the color red symbolizes good luck and good fortune for the year ahead. This is why red decorations are used during many important cultural festivals and significant events.
Due to(由于)China’s rocketing economy and reputation (声誉), Chinese New Year has become a worldwide event. The Bedford School provided a great opportunity for the students to gain (获得) a deeper understanding of Chinese tradition and culture.
【小题1】What can we know about the celebration of this year?
| A．It celebrated the winter vacation. | B．It focused more on Chinese traditional cultures. |
| C．It was aimed at raising school’s reputation. | D．It was celebrated the same way as before. |
【小题2】What did the students care much about while writing Chinese characters?
| A．The writing time. | B．Teachers’ attitude. |
| C．The beauty of the characters. | D．The school’s Chinese Society. |
【小题3】Why did the students eat fish-shaped sweets?
| A．To get pocket money. | B．To enjoy delicious fish. |
| C．To keep with tradition. | D．To expect a rich new year. |
【小题4】What made Chinese New Year popular globally?
| A．China’s role in the art world. | B．Chinese calligraphy. |
| C．Chinese instruments. | D．China’s fast development. |
