“I was only thirteen when four of my team members and I were chosen by my swim coach to train with the Chinese National Team. The following piece shows how that experience has influenced me.”
The night before I left for China, my mother called me into her room. I entered not knowing what to expect. I sat down at the end of her very neatly-made bed, opposite the bedroom table on which she kept a Ming-style vase illustrated in great detail. She told me that my great-grandmother was still living in the surroundings of Beijing. Her name was Ren Li Ling and she was 97 years old. This was the first time I had ever heard of her.
The dragon on the vase snaked through the flowers and vines（藤蔓）as my mother said, “Pu Pu, look at me. You need to hear this so that when you go to China you will understand. You must keep this knowledge in your heart.”
She told me a story about my grandfather, Ren Li Ling's son, who left Beijing to go to college in Taiwan. She told me how the Chinese civil war kept him away from his mother for fifty years, so neither of them even knew that the other was alive. No one from Taiwan could visit, write, or call anyone in mainland. All lines of communication were cut off.
She told me of my grandfather's devotion to his own children, and how difficult it was for him to send his daughter to America for her education, fearing that same separation. He gave my mother all that he could give — nineteen years of love and fifty years of savings. I learned how my mother, through means only available in this country, would finally be able to unite my great-grandmother with my grandfather again. The dragon curled around the vase, connecting the separate vines. For a fleeting second, I felt it was present in my mother's room. It was all very strange, yet very clear. I began to understand that this trip to China was not just for me; it was for my mother, and her father, and his mother. Now, I had not only a future, but more significantly, a past. I saw the world with new eyes.
And so I went to China and met my great-grandmother. My great-aunt picked me up at the training center, and we rode in a taxi through the crowded city. The noise of the taxi and the city united into a deep roar. We finally stopped in front of a narrow street lined on either side with small one-level houses. As we made our way to a house like all the others, I drew the stares of many people in the street. My great-aunt led me through a rotting（朽烂的）doorway into a room with a furnace（炉子）, table, and a rocking chair where an old woman wearing gloves sat facing the doorway, covered with a worn brown blanket. I walked over and immediately embraced this frail woman as if I had known her all my life. My limited, broken Chinese wasn't up to expressing my complicated feelings. And even though I couldn't completely understand what she was saying in her thick Beijing accent, I knew — the same way I knew what my mother had been trying to tell me before I left. Her joy shone through her toothless smile. She wouldn't let go of my hand. I haltingly（结结巴巴地）asked her how she had managed to live such a long life. She answered in words I will never forget, “Hope has kept me alive. I have lived this long because I wanted to see my son before I died.”
My fellow team members must have wondered how two people separated by three generations could be so close. Before this trip, I would have wondered the same thing. And even now, I can't quite explain it. We were as different as two people can be; some 85 years and 8,000 miles apart. We came from two entirely different cultures; yet we were connected by a common heritage(传统).
I stayed for dinner which was cooked in a black iron wok（锅）over the furnace. The meal was lavish（过分丰盛的）, prepared in my honor. As I began to eat, with my great-grandmother beside me, I felt the dragon was present. But this time, the feeling didn't pass; the dragon had become a part of me.
My great-grandmother passed away last year at the age of 100. With her highest hopes and wildest dreams fulfilled, I know she died happy.
【小题1】 The writer’s mother called him into her room to ___________________.

 “I was only thirteen when four of my team members and I were chosen by my swim coach to train with the Chinese National Team. The following piece shows how that experience has influenced me.”

The night before I left for China, my mother called me into her room. I entered not knowing what to expect. I sat down at the end of her very neatly-made bed, opposite the bedroom table on which she kept a Ming-style vase illustrated in great detail. She told me that my great-grandmother was still living in the surroundings of Beijing. Her name was Ren Li Ling and she was 97 years old. This was the first time I had ever heard of her.

The dragon on the vase snaked through the flowers and vines（藤蔓）as my mother said, “Pu Pu, look at me. You need to hear this so that when you go to China you will understand. You must keep this knowledge in your heart.”

She told me a story about my grandfather, Ren Li Ling's son, who left Beijing to go to college in Taiwan. She told me how the Chinese civil war kept him away from his mother for fifty years, so neither of them even knew that the other was alive. No one from Taiwan could visit, write, or call anyone in mainland. All lines of communication were cut off.

She told me of my grandfather's devotion to his own children, and how difficult it was for him to send his daughter to America for her education, fearing that same separation. He gave my mother all that he could give — nineteen years of love and fifty years of savings. I learned how my mother, through means only available in this country, would finally be able to unite my great-grandmother with my grandfather again. The dragon curled around the vase, connecting the separate vines. For a fleeting second, I felt it was present in my mother's room. It was all very strange, yet very clear. I began to understand that this trip to China was not just for me; it was for my mother, and her father, and his mother. Now, I had not only a future, but more significantly, a past. I saw the world with new eyes.

And so I went to China and met my great-grandmother. My great-aunt picked me up at the training center, and we rode in a taxi through the crowded city. The noise of the taxi and the city united into a deep roar. We finally stopped in front of a narrow street lined on either side with small one-level houses. As we made our way to a house like all the others, I drew the stares of many people in the street. My great-aunt led me through a rotting（朽烂的）doorway into a room with a furnace（炉子）, table, and a rocking chair where an old woman wearing gloves sat facing the doorway, covered with a worn brown blanket. I walked over and immediately embraced this frail woman as if I had known her all my life. My limited, broken Chinese wasn't up to expressing my complicated feelings. And even though I couldn't completely understand what she was saying in her thick Beijing accent, I knew — the same way I knew what my mother had been trying to tell me before I left. Her joy shone through her toothless smile. She wouldn't let go of my hand. I haltingly（结结巴巴地）asked her how she had managed to live such a long life. She answered in words I will never forget, “Hope has kept me alive. I have lived this long because I wanted to see my son before I died.”

My fellow team members must have wondered how two people separated by three generations could be so close. Before this trip, I would have wondered the same thing. And even now, I can't quite explain it. We were as different as two people can be; some 85 years and 8,000 miles apart. We came from two entirely different cultures; yet we were connected by a common heritage(传统).

I stayed for dinner which was cooked in a black iron wok（锅）over the furnace. The meal was lavish（过分丰盛的）, prepared in my honor. As I began to eat, with my great-grandmother beside me, I felt the dragon was present. But this time, the feeling didn't pass; the dragon had become a part of me.

My great-grandmother passed away last year at the age of 100. With her highest hopes and wildest dreams fulfilled, I know she died happy.

1. The writer’s mother called him into her room to ___________________.

A．prepare him for the trip and warn him against possible problems

B．remind him of his origin

C．ask him to look for his great-grandmother

D．share with him the story of her childhood

2. The dragon is mentioned several times in the passage because __________________.

A．the vase with the dragon on it is very valuable and beautiful

B．it stands for the blood running in every Chinese

C．it is a sign of the writer’s devotion to his birthplace

D．the writer’s mother hoped the writer would be as strong as a dragon

3. How old was the writer’s mother when she was sent to America for her education.

A．13               B．16               C．19               D．20

4.Which of the following can be inferred from the text?

A．The writer’s grandfather was afraid of a war when sending his daughter to America.

B．The hope to see her son again kept the writer’s great-grandmother alive for this long.

C．It was within the writer’s expectation that he could be so close to his great-grandmother.

D．The writer’s great-grandmother was reunited with her son before she died.

5.Which is the best title for the text?

A．We Share the Same Heritage.

B．Love from My Great-grandmother.

C．A Story from My Mother.

D．An Unforgettable Training Trip.

“I was only thirteen when four of my team members and I were chosen by my swim coach to train with the Chinese National Team. The following piece shows how that experience has influenced me.”
The night before I left for China, my mother called me into her room. I entered not knowing what to expect. I sat down at the end of her very neatly-made bed, opposite the bedroom table on which she kept a Ming-style vase illustrated in great detail. She told me that my great-grandmother was still living in the surroundings of Beijing. Her name was Ren Li Ling and she was 97 years old. This was the first time I had ever heard of her.
The dragon on the vase snaked through the flowers and vines（藤蔓）as my mother said, “Pu Pu, look at me. You need to hear this so that when you go to China you will understand. You must keep this knowledge in your heart.”
She told me a story about my grandfather, Ren Li Ling's son, who left Beijing to go to college in Taiwan. She told me how the Chinese civil war kept him away from his mother for fifty years, so neither of them even knew that the other was alive. No one from Taiwan could visit, write, or call anyone in mainland. All lines of communication were cut off.
She told me of my grandfather's devotion to his own children, and how difficult it was for him to send his daughter to America for her education, fearing that same separation. He gave my mother all that he could give — nineteen years of love and fifty years of savings. I learned how my mother, through means only available in this country, would finally be able to unite my great-grandmother with my grandfather again. The dragon curled around the vase, connecting the separate vines. For a fleeting second, I felt it was present in my mother's room. It was all very strange, yet very clear. I began to understand that this trip to China was not just for me; it was for my mother, and her father, and his mother. Now, I had not only a future, but more significantly, a past. I saw the world with new eyes.
And so I went to China and met my great-grandmother. My great-aunt picked me up at the training center, and we rode in a taxi through the crowded city. The noise of the taxi and the city united into a deep roar. We finally stopped in front of a narrow street lined on either side with small one-level houses. As we made our way to a house like all the others, I drew the stares of many people in the street. My great-aunt led me through a rotting（朽烂的）doorway into a room with a furnace（炉子）, table, and a rocking chair where an old woman wearing gloves sat facing the doorway, covered with a worn brown blanket. I walked over and immediately embraced this frail woman as if I had known her all my life. My limited, broken Chinese wasn't up to expressing my complicated feelings. And even though I couldn't completely understand what she was saying in her thick Beijing accent, I knew — the same way I knew what my mother had been trying to tell me before I left. Her joy shone through her toothless smile. She wouldn't let go of my hand. I haltingly（结结巴巴地）asked her how she had managed to live such a long life. She answered in words I will never forget, “Hope has kept me alive. I have lived this long because I wanted to see my son before I died.”
My fellow team members must have wondered how two people separated by three generations could be so close. Before this trip, I would have wondered the same thing. And even now, I can't quite explain it. We were as different as two people can be; some 85 years and 8,000 miles apart. We came from two entirely different cultures; yet we were connected by a common heritage(传统).
I stayed for dinner which was cooked in a black iron wok（锅）over the furnace. The meal was lavish（过分丰盛的）, prepared in my honor. As I began to eat, with my great-grandmother beside me, I felt the dragon was present. But this time, the feeling didn't pass; the dragon had become a part of me.
My great-grandmother passed away last year at the age of 100. With her highest hopes and wildest dreams fulfilled, I know she died happy

1. 1.

   The writer’s mother called him into her room to ___________________

   1. A.
      prepare him for the trip and warn him against possible problems
   2. B.
      remind him of his origin
   3. C.
      ask him to look for his great-grandmother
   4. D.
      share with him the story of her childhood
2. 2.

   The dragon is mentioned several times in the passage because __________________

   1. A.
      the vase with the dragon on it is very valuable and beautiful
   2. B.
      it stands for the blood running in every Chinese
   3. C.
      it is a sign of the writer’s devotion to his birthplace
   4. D.
      the writer’s mother hoped the writer would be as strong as a dragon
3. 3.

   How old was the writer’s mother when she was sent to America for her education

   1. A.
      13
   2. B.
      16
   3. C.
      19
   4. D.
      20
4. 4.

   Which of the following can be inferred from the text?

   1. A.
      The writer’s grandfather was afraid of a war when sending his daughter to America
   2. B.
      The hope to see her son again kept the writer’s great-grandmother alive for this long
   3. C.
      It was within the writer’s expectation that he could be so close to his great-grandmother
   4. D.
      The writer’s great-grandmother was reunited with her son before she died
5. 5.

   Which is the best title for the text?

   1. A.
      We Share the Same Heritage
   2. B.
      Love from My Great-grandmother
   3. C.
      A Story from My Mother
   4. D.
      An Unforgettable Training Trip

BEIJING, Sep．10 （Xinhuanet） -- The extra-large model baby in the Spain Pavilion（馆） was “conceived”（构思）by a Spanish filmmaker, Shi Yingying reports．

Visitors admiring the 6．5-meter-high giant baby, Miguelin, in the Spain Pavilion may be surprised to realize that it was not the concept of a famous designer or a group of groundbreaking engineers．It came from one filmmaker’s interpretation of the meaning of “Better City, Better Life”．

Spanish director Isabel Coixet developed the idea after being asked to contribute to Expo 2010 Shanghai．

“They asked me to do something to tell the Chinese audience about Spain in the future and the first thing jumping to my mind was a baby,” said Coixet．“If we really fight to have better cars, better cities and better lives, it’s for them - for our children．”

Despite her Spanish heritage, Coixet doesn’t focus on making Spanish films or using Spain as the setting．Fans of her various award-winning films, including My Life Without Me, The Secret Life of Words and Elegy, may not even be aware of Coixet’s Spanish background．

“The borders between countries are just illusion（假象）,” said Coixet．“Some directors feel really comfortable telling stories that belong to their territory．”

But Coixt feels the opposite: “I'm more comfortable outside my country．It gives me a strange freedom．”

One of her favorite things about being a director is the freedom．“The thing is that the world is wide and this freedom lets you make films everywhere,” she said．

Coixet’s curiosity took her latest exploration and movie work to Japan．In the movie Map of the Sound of Tokyo, the Catalan actor Sergi Lopez is the owner of a wine shop in Tokyo, and Japanese actress Rinko Kikuchi is a young woman who works both as a fishmonger and as a hired killer．

The clash（冲突）of the two people's very different worlds and the tango-like relationship they develop is just one representation of what Coixet is able to produce by mixing cultures．

While she doesn’t know if she will shoot a film in Shanghai, two things have caught her attention: Shanghainese women and crickets（蟋蟀）．

After just arriving in the city, she was surprised by the mix of old Chinese culture in a booming metropolis．“Behind the skyscrapers, there is a flower and bird market with heaps of crickets and birdcages in,” she said．“I'm totally amazed with the city．”

1．The huge baby represents the idea that _________________________．

      A．our children are the new generation full of imagination．

      B．our children will develop the friendship between China and Spain．

      C．our children are our future．

      D．our children will understand the meaning of “better city, better life”．

2．We learn from the passage that Coixet’s award-winning films were set ________________．

      A．only in Spain．

       B．only in Japan．

      C．mainly in the countries outside Spain．

      D．mainly in the countries within Europe．

3．According to Isabel Coixet, a flower and bird market behind the high rises_______________．

      A．shows people in Shanghai are living a rich life spiritually and materially．

      B．reflects prosperity of the market．

      C．indicates the Chinese people are leading a peaceful life．

      D．represents the traditional culture of China．

4．From the passage we can learn that ____________________________．

      A．Isabel Coixet is dissatisfied with the design of the extra-large model baby．

      B．A mix of different cultures is reflected in Isabel Coixet’s films．

      C．Isabel Coixet feels less comfortable while making films all over the world．

    D．Isabel Coixet designed the huge baby according to the requirement of a group of

engineers．