二、阅读理解
In ancient China, there were "four treasures of the study"—the writing brush, ink, paper, and the inkstone (砚台). Among all the inkstones, the Chengni inkstone was one of the most famous and was widely loved.
The Chengni inkstone first appeared during the Western Han Dynasty, but the skills of making it were lost during the late Ming Dynasty and the early Qing Dynasty. Thankfully, today the traditional skills have been revived (恢复) with the help of Lin Yongmao and his son Lin Tao.
In 1984, Lin Yongmao began working at the museum in Xinjiang County, Shanxi Province. There he read some books about the Xinjiang Chengni inkstone, and then decided to revive the lost skills.
It was easier said than done. It took the father and son two years to find proper materials to produce the Chengni inkstone. That was just the first step. After failing many times, they finally succeeded in making two Chengni inkstones in 1991. Three years later, their Chengni inkstones won a gold prize at an expo (博览会) on China's famous inkstones.
But the father and son did not stop here. While improving the skills of making the Chengni inkstone, they set up a workshop in the hope of passing the skills on to young people. They also worked with universities and colleges to make the Chengni inkstone more popular. At the same time, Lin Tao has created special Chengni inkstone products and brought them to competitions both in China and abroad to expand (扩大) the influence of the Chengni inkstone.
(
) 1. What do we know about the Chengni inkstone?
A. It has quite a long history.
B. It was the most popular in Shanxi Province.
C. It became famous in the late Qing Dynasty.
D. It first appeared during the Eastern Han Dynasty.
(
) 2. When did Lin Yongmao and Lin Tao win a gold prize?
A. In 1984.
B. In 1986.
C. In 1991.
D. In 1994.
(
) 3. What's the purpose of paragraph 4?
A. To tell readers how to produce the Chengni inkstone.
B. To explain it was not easy to revive the Chengni inkstone.
C. To encourage readers to learn about China's famous inkstones.
D. To help readers understand the importance of the Chengni inkstone.
(
) 4. What is the best title for the passage?
A. Inkstones in ancient China
B. Best inkstone makers in China
C. Bringing ancient skills back to life
D. Introducing inkstones to the world
