遇见中国

陕西 吕 品

作为一名旅行作家，他目睹了中国的巨大变化，并被这个国家深深吸引……

主题语境：文学与艺术 篇幅：352词 建议用时：7分钟

1As a photojournalist and travel writer, David Leffman spends a large part of his life in visiting and writing about locations as varied as Iceland, Indonesia,Australia and China.

2Leffman says the south and southwestern areas in China remain his favorite parts of the country.“I love the landscapes, the unusual history and the people.The food is pretty good too,”he says with a laugh.

3His years of writing about the country shows a strong grasp of Chinese history and an appreciation of traditional art, with two forms receiving particular attention.“I enjoy reading about all aspects of Chinese art,but my focus is mostly on woodblocks and folk embroideries(刺绣),”he says.

4Leffman's introduction to China came in a roundabout (迂回的)way as a teenager in his native United Kingdom.“In 1980, I was doing a course in the history of art.I came across Japanese woodblock prints at an exhibition at Bristol University, and was so fascinated by them, which is completely different to European art.It was 1995 before I discovered that the process had actually been invented in China and the Japanese had simply borrowed the techniques.From that point on,I began collecting the prints,”he recalls.

5In 1982, his interest in China definitely increased when he saw Jet Li's movieThe Shaolin Temple, which led him to start learning martial arts, especially tai chi.He finally got to make his first trip to the country in 1985.He persuaded his tutors(导师)at the London College of Printing where he was studying photography to allow him to travel during term time to undertake a photojournalism project.

6His photojournalism experience in China was rewarded when the publishers of the Rough Guides travel series selected him to write about the southwest of the country.

7He estimates that he has visited China more than 15 times since those early trips,often in the company of his wife,spending his time traveling,observing,learning and writing about a country that continues to fascinate him.

Reading Check

Inference 1.What's the attitude of Leffman to the southwestern areas in China?

A.Critical.

B.Worried.

C.Unconcerned.

D.Interested.

Detail 2.How many aspects of Chinese art does Leffman's writing mainly focus on?

A.One.

B.Two.

C.Three.

D.Four.

Detail 3.What can be learned about woodblock print from the text?

A.Its history is short.

B.It is similar to European art.

C.It was actually invented in China.

D.Its techniques have been spread to Europe.

Inference 4.Why is the movieThe Shaolin Templementioned in paragraph 5?

A.To show Leffman's increasing interest in China.

B.To show Leffman's first introduction to China.

C.To show good plots of the movie.

D.To show martial arts in China.

Language Study

I.Useful expressions

photojournalist 摄影记者

travel writer 旅行作家

an appreciation of traditional art 对传统艺术的欣赏woodblock print 木版画

folk embroidery 民间刺绣

come across 偶然遇见

be fascinated by 着迷于……

from that point on 从那时起martial arts 武术

persuade sb to do 说服某人去做……

in the company of 在……的陪伴下

Ⅱ.Difficult sentence

He persuaded his tutors at the London College of Printing where he was studying photography to allow him to travel during term time to undertake a photojournalism project.他说服了他在伦敦印刷学院的导师，他在那里学习摄影，让他可以在学期期间旅行，负责一个新闻摄影项目。

【点石成金】该句中，where 引导的是一个限制性定语从句，the London College of Printing为先行词，undertake意为“承担；从事；负责”。