小练(16) Unit 4 阅读完形提分练4-【赢在微点】轻松课堂2023-2024学年新教材高中英语选择性必修第二册（外研版）

小练(十六)　阅读完形提分练4 阅读理解　A　体裁:说明文　主题语境:文化交流　难度:★★★☆☆ 　　If Confucius (孔子) were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He􀆳d need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out. While many people in China remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It􀆳s nothing personal. Most Americans don􀆳t even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes. But that doesn􀆳t mean that Americans don􀆳t care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China. In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually include Chinese art, history and philosophy (哲学). Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up the drawbacks of Western philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers. So the old thinker􀆳s ideas are still alive and well. Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more to introduce Chinese Confucius culture to the West. As for the old thinker, he will not be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is. 　　【语篇解读】　这是一篇说明文。文章主要讲述了外国人对中国文化的兴趣越来越浓,对孔子的思想也越来越感兴趣这一社会现象。 1.The purpose of the first paragraph is mainly to 　　　　.  A. attract the readers􀆳 interest in the subject B. provide some key facts about Confucius C. show great respect for the ancient thinker D. prove the