Supplementary Reading阅读材料
Hometown of Calligraphy
The Chinese calligraphy is one of the four traditional arts which was once an important critical standard for the Chinese literati in the imperial era and now prevails not only in China but also worldwide as a unique branch of art. It is not only a tool of cultural communication but an artistic treasure with shining and extraordinary splendor.
To learn more about China’s culture and calligraphy, a place one should not miss is the Orchid Pavilion in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province. The Orchid Pavilion is located at the foot of Lanzhu Hill, 12.5 km southwest of Shaoxing City. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Goujian, the king of the Yue Kingdom, planted orchids here, hence the name. In the spring of 353 during the East Jin Dynasty, Wang Xizhi, the most famous calligrapher, invited his friends to write poems and wrote preface for them, which is known as Lanting Xu, or Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion.
Since Lanting Xu was unveiled to the world, Shaoxing has been widely known as the “hometown of calligraphy”, and the Orchid Pavilion becomes the famous “Holy Land of Calligraphy” which attracts tourists from all around the world.
The Orchid Pavilion Calligraphy Festival is an annual special occasion for calligraphers both from home and abroad to exchange their ideas and practice calligraphy. During the festival, many calligraphers gather at the Orchid Pavilion, admiring the works written by Wang Xizhi, composing poems, and drinking wine from wine cups floating on a winding stream as Wang Xizhi and his friends did 17 hundred years ago. Performances themed on calligraphy are also provided to entertain festival attendees.
书法之乡
书法是中国四大国粹之一，在封建社会曾是用来衡量文人水平的重要标准。现今不仅在国内普及，在世界艺术中也可谓一枝独秀。它不仅仅是一种文化交流的工具，更是一笔灿烂夺目的文化财富。
说到学习中国文化和中国书法，便不得不提浙江绍兴的兰亭。兰亭位于绍兴城西南12.5公里的兰渚山麓。据传，春秋时，越王勾践种兰于此，因而得名。东晋353年春天，著名书法家王羲之在这里会友作诗，并为他们的诗做序，即闻名于世的《兰亭集序》。
自《兰亭集序》问世以后，绍兴一直以“书法之乡”著称。兰亭也成了蜚声中外的“书法圣地”，吸引着世界各地的游客。
每年的兰亭书法节都是一次特殊的盛会，国内外的书法家们在这里交流各自想法，切磋书法艺术。每到书法节，各地的书法家们纷纷聚集于此来欣赏书圣王羲之的作品，赋诗饮酒，重温1700年前那曲水流觞的雅事。在书法节上，人们还能欣赏到以书法为主题的各类节目。
Notes注释
calligraphy [kə'ligrəfi] 书法
traditional [trə'di∫ən(ə)l] 传统的
critical ['kritikəl] standard ['stændəd]衡量标准
literati [.litə'rɑ:ti:, -'reitai] 文人
the imperial [im'piəriəl] era ['iərə] 封建时代
prevail [pri'veil] 流行 盛行
a unique [ju:'ni:k] branch [brɑ:nt∫] of art 一种独特的艺术
cultural ['kʌlt∫ər(ə)l] communication [kə.mju:ni'kei∫n] 文化交流
artistic [ɑ:'tistik] treasure ['treӡə] 艺术财富
extraordinary [iks'trɔ:dnri, iks'trɔ:dinəri] 非同寻常的
splendor ['splendə] 光辉, 壮丽
Orchid ['ɔ:kid] Pavilion [pə'viljən] 兰亭
the Spring and Autumn Period ['piəriəd] 春秋战国时期
the Yue Kingdom ['kiŋdəm] 越国
the East Jin Dynasty ['dainəsti] 东晋
calligrapher [kə'ligrəfə(r)] 书法家
preface ['prefis] 序
“hometown of calligraphy” 书法之乡
“Holy Land of Calligraphy” 书法圣地
The Orchid Pavilion Calligraphy Festival ['festəvəl] 兰亭书法节
annual ['ænjuəl] 每年的
special ['spe∫əl] occasion [ə'keiӡən] 特殊的盛会
from home and abroad [ə'brɔ:d] 国内外的
admire [əd'maiə] 欣赏
compose [kəm'pəuz] poems ['pəuim, 'pəuem] 赋诗
wine cups floating ['fləutiŋ] on a winding ['waindiŋ] stream [stri:m] 曲水流觞
performance [pə'fɔ:məns] 表演、节目
theme [θi:m] 主题
entertain [.entə'tein] 款待
attendee [ə'tendi:] 参加者
province [ˈprɔvins] 省份
be titled as 被称为
organic [ɔ: ˈɡænik] （有机物的）food 绿色食品
boast [bəust] 有（引以为荣的事情）
base [beis] 基地
household [ˈhaushəuld] 家庭的，家用的
silvery [ˈsilvəri] 银色的
sprout [spraut] 新芽，嫩芽
superb [sju: ˈpə:b] 极好的，杰出的
quality [ˈkwɔliti] 质量
delicate [ˈdelikit] 纤细的
elegant [ˈeliɡənt] 优雅的
advanced processing [ˈprəuses] 加工，处理
excellent [ˈeksələnt] 优秀的
competition [ˌkɔmpiˈtiʃən] 比赛，竞争
gradually [ˈɡrædjuəli] 逐渐地
upgrade [ˌʌpˈɡreid] 提升
awareness [əˈwɛənis] 意识
regional [ˈri:dʒənəl] 地区的，区域的
cross-regional 跨区域的
strategy [ˈstrætidʒi] 战略，策略
improve [imˈpru:v] 改进，提高
prestige [presˈti:ʒ] 声望
strengthen [ˈstreŋθn] 加强，巩固
competitiveness [kəmˈpetitivnis] 竞争力
international [ˌɪntəˈnæʃənəl] 国际的
export [eksˈpɔ:t] 输出
dozens of 几十个