English Test – Morning Laughter in China

In China, morning exercises start with a laugh

1-Every morning at 6 a.m., Zhang Qiju climbs onto a pavilion, puts his hands on his hips, leans back, and lets out a bellow that shatters the morning calm.

2- “Heeee!” he cries, forcing all the air from his stocky chest .then he takes a deep breath. “Hooo!” he continues, this time throwing up his arms. “ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!” soon, other grey-haired men and women join the 76-year-old Zhang in the belly laughs, signaling the start of morning exercises in Ritan park in central Beijing, a few miles from the Olympic green.

3- Taking deep breaths of Beijing’s polluted air may not seem like the pathway to health, but the people gathering in the park, which was built in 1530, think nothing of it. The aggressive laughter is just their way of warming up for morning exercises, a ritual that plays out every day in tens of thousands of parks across China. Ritan means altar of the sun, although most mornings in Beijing, there is very little sun, and a heavy layer of greyish gunk hangs over the city. Within an hour of opening, nearly every open space and pathway in the park is occupied by Beijing residents doing all manner of exercise, the most popular being tai chi, often using swords.

4- Others play a popular game called Jian-zi, which is similar to Hacky Sack. There’s also, oddly enough, ballroom dancing. Tai chi is not everyone’s cup of tea, says Gao Lianyou, 72 years, who runs a popular dance program in the park’s children’s amusement area. “We have music. You can have a chat. You have no troubles when you are dancing,” he says as two dozen couples waltz next to the bumper car ride. The park also has a man-made lake, walking paths, and a climbing wall. Some, such as 65-year-old Li Heng, perform amazing feats on horizontal and parallel bars. Li mounts the bars and begins swinging his legs back and forth. Suddenly, with one swift motion, he is upside down, locked in a steady handstand. A minute later, he finishes with a flip. “Chairman Mao said, ‘We should civilize our spirits and be brutal on our bodies,'” says Li, a retired engineer who rides his bicycle to the park every morning. “We may be old, but we have a young person’s spirit and good health.”

I. Comprehension (15 points)

Base all your answers on the text

A. ARE THESE SENTENCES TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY (3 POINTS)

1. In Beijing, the sun shines every morning. 
2. Not everybody likes tai chi. 
3. The park is almost full of people practicing a kind of exercise.

B. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS: (3 POINTS)

1. What do belly laughs announce? 
2. What is the most popular exercise in China? 
3. Who is Gao Lianyou?

C. IN WHAT ORDER DO THE FOLLOWING EVENTS APPEAR IN THE TEXT? (4 POINTS)

1. He throws up his arms.
2. He takes a deep breath.
3. Other men and women join him in belly laughs.
4. Zhang Qiju climbs onto a pavilion.

D. FIND IN THE TEXT WORDS OR EXPRESSIONS THAT MEAN THE SAME AS (3 POINTS)

1. To shout in a loud voice (paragraph 1)
2. Liked or enjoyed (paragraph 4)
3. In a strange or unusual way (paragraph 4)

E. WHAT DO THE UNDERLINED WORDS IN THE TEXT REFER TO? (2 POINTS)

1. It (paragraph 3)
2. He (paragraph 4)

II. LANGUAGE (15 points)

A. FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH THE APPROPRIATE WORDS FROM THE LIST: (3 POINTS)

1. Cultural differences are negative and should not be ………… in any country.
   • refused – irritated – tolerated – interested
2. She was. …………………… when the old man got married to a teenager.
   • fashioned – astonished – shouted – bored
3. Athletes from different cultural ……………. participated in the last Olympic games.
   • background – educational – attentive – sighted

B. MATCH THE NUMBERS WITH LETTERS TO MAKE CORRECT COMPOUND ADJECTIVES: (4 POINTS)

1. Kind
2. Deeply
3. Easy
4. Brightly

a. going
b. lit
c. hearted
d. rooted

C. PUT THE WORDS BETWEEN BRACKETS IN THE CORRECT FORM (4 POINTS)

When the actress ………….. (to wake up) in the morning, her manager …………….. (already/prepare) what she (to do) …………….. for the day. But, she wanted to spend most of her time …………….. (to shop).

D. MATCH THE SENTENCE (NUMBERS) WITH THE APPROPRIATE EXPRESSIONS (LETTERS) (4 POINTS)

1. I beg your pardon.
2. Certainly, I’ll send you an email as soon as possible.
3. Dad, please, I can’t get what you want to say.
4. Would you mind spelling your name?

a. Expressing lack of understanding.
b. Asking for clarification.
c. Responding to request.
d. Making a request.

III. WRITING (10 points)

Sustainable development is all good, but what are the advantages and disadvantages (drawbacks) of urbanizing rural areas?
Write a letter to your member of parliament in which you explain to him this idea.

Key Answers to Morning Laughter in China

I. Comprehension (15 points)

A. ARE THESE SENTENCES TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY (3 POINTS)

1. False. “There is very little sun.”
2. True. “Tai chi is not everyone’s cup of tea”.
3. True. “Every open space is occupied by Beijing residents doing all manner of exercises.”

B. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS: (3 POINTS)

1. The start of the morning.
2. Tai Chi.
3. He runs a popular dance program in the park’s children amusement area.

C. IN WHAT ORDER DO THE FOLLOWING EVENTS APPEAR IN THE TEXT? (4 POINTS)

1. d
2. a
3. b
4. c

D. FIND IN THE TEXT WORDS OR EXPRESSIONS THAT MEAN THE SAME AS (3 POINTS)

1. Bellow
2. Popular
3. Oddly

E. WHAT DO THE UNDERLINED WORDS IN THE TEXT REFER TO? (2 POINTS)

1. It: park
2. He: Li Heng

II. LANGUAGE (15 points)

A. FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH THE APPROPRIATE WORDS FROM THE LIST: (3 POINTS)

1. Tolerated
2. Astonished
3. Background

B. MATCH THE NUMBERS WITH LETTERS TO MAKE CORRECT COMPOUND ADJECTIVES: (4 POINTS)

1. Kind-hearted
2. Deeply-rooted
3. Easy-going
4. Brightly-lit

C. PUT THE WORDS BETWEEN BRACKETS IN THE CORRECT FORM (4 POINTS)

Woke up – had already prepared – will be doing – shopping

D. MATCH THE SENTENCE (NUMBERS) WITH THE APPROPRIATE EXPRESSIONS (LETTERS) (4 POINTS)

1. Making a request.
2. Responding to request.
3. Expressing lack of understanding.
4. Asking for clarification