Mariatu Kargbo:Black Pearl of China 马里亚图·卡尔格博：旅居中国的“黑珍珠”

梁姗姗

主题语境：文化交流 篇幅：327词 建议用时：6分钟

1

Mariatu Kargbo， popularly known as the“Black Pearl ofChina”， is from Sierra Leone， Africa. Coming to Chinato participate in a competition in 2004， she seemed predestined（注定） to become attached to China.

2

In the years of living in China， Mariatu loves Chinamore and dreams of bringing African and Chinese cultureto the world. Fascinated by traditional Chinese culture，she even went to Sichuan to learn the art of facechanging. The face changing， known as“Bian Lian”inChinese， is an essential aspect of Sichuan Ppera. Mariatuspent six months learning this art and then performedon many important stages worldwide. Her sole motive is to bring the charm ofChinese culture to the world. As a big fan of Chinese kung fu， Mariatu is also a studentof Liu Suibin， the famous Qincheng Tai Chi master. In fact， not only does Mariatu learntraditional Chinese art to express her love for China， but she also gets involved in manyhumanitarian activities.

3

After the earthquake broke out in 2008， Mariatu joined a Chinese rescue team， rushedto the stricken areas despite a 5?hour trek and provided mental health care for local children. During the pandemic， she actively signed up as a volunteer once again to beon the front line， to monitor other residents temperature at the entrance of her residence.Mariatu also made a generous donation to the China Charity Federation.

4

She thinks of herself as a bridge between communities， and between Africa and China.And indeed she is. In October， 2022， Mariatu Kargbo released her Afrobeat single titleMade in China. Made in China solo is among dozens of songs released by Mariatu overthe past years. The song is a way of pointing out to people about the importance ofChina in todays world. The song， which is done in English and Chinese， tells us tocheck in our daily lives to find that Chinese products are used by people all over theworld.

Reading Check

Detail

1. Why did Mariatu Kargbo come to China originally？

A. To go on business.

B. To experience Chinese culture.

C. To go after her dream.

D. To take part in a competitive event.

Detail

2. What was Mariatus purpose of learning“Bian Lian”？

A. To entertain her family at home.

B. To make a living in China.

C. To spread Chinese culture worldwide.

D. To connect with more people.

Detail

3. What was the role Mariatu played after the 2008 earthquake broke out？

A. A reporter.

B. A doctor.

C. A volunteer.

D. A firefighter.

Inference

4. Which words can best describe Mariatu？

A. Talented and warm‑hearted.

B. Fortunate and generous.

C. Energetic and humorous.

D. Helpful and quick‑minded.

Language Study

Ⅰ. Difficult sentence in the text

The song， which is done in English and Chinese， tells us to check in our daily lives tofind that Chinese products are used by people all over the world. 这首歌用中英文录制完成，它告诉我们去观察我们的日常生活，会发现世界各地的人都在使用中国产品。

【点石成金】本句是一个复合句。which 引导的是一个非限制性定语从句；tells是主句的谓语动词；动词不定式to find作目的状语；that引导的是一个宾语从句。

Ⅱ. Text‑centered chunks

participate in 参加

become attached to 眷恋；热爱

dream of doing sth 梦想做某事

get involved in 参与；卷入

sign up 报名

make a donation to 给……捐款