Unit 3 Computers reading课时作业

二、阅读理解

　　Chinese paper cutting or "jianzhi" is the art of cutting paper designs, and the cut-outs are also used to decorate doors and windows, so they are sometimes called "chuang hua". Paper cutting has long been a symbol of Eastern charm.

　　There are symmetrical(对称的)designs that are usually created by some folding and cutting. When unfolded, it forms a symmetrical design. Chinese cut-outs are normally symmetrical and are usually in an even number series of 2, 4, 24,etc.

　　The oldest surviving paper cut-out is a symmetrical circle from the early 6th century found in Xinjiang, China. From the 7th to 13th century, paper cutting became popular especially during Chinese festivals. The art spread to the rest of the world in the 14th century. Throughout the Qing Dynasty many paper cutting skills were developed including drafting and the use of smoked papers. By the end of the Qing ruling, however, paper cutting was once on the decline because new art forms were being introduced. The Republic of China later tried to revive the art in the 1980s.

　　Today, paper cut-outs are chiefly decorative. They decorate walls, windows, doors, columns, mirrors, lamps and lanterns in homes and are also used on presents or are given as gifts themselves. Entrances decorated with paper cut-outs are supposed to bring good luck. Paper cut-outs used to be used as patterns, especially for embroidery(刺绣).

　　There are two methods of manufacture: one uses scissors, the other uses knives. In the scissor method, several pieces of paper - up to eight - are fastened together. The image is then cut with sharp, pointed scissors. Knife cuttings are fashioned by putting several paper on a relatively soft foundation consisting of a mixture of oil and ashes. Skilled crafters can even cut out different drawings freely without stopping.

1.When can the existing oldest paper cutting date back to?

　A. about 1 500 years ago. B. about 1 600 years ago.

　C. about 1 400 years ago. D. about 600 years ago.

2.The underlined word "revive" in Paragraph 3 can be replaced by "_______".

　A. survive B. restore

C. copy D. fix