What comes to mind when you think of kung fu? If your mind is filled with images of Shaolin monks, Bruce Lee, or Kung Fu Panda, you wouldn't be wrong. But for Laurence J. Brahm, an American documentary filmmaker, the first thing that springs to mind is the concept of non-violence.
As Brahm explained, if you break down the character "wu" it consists of two characters: one is "ge" meaning dagger-axe; the other is"zhi" meaning to stop. So, the meaning of martial arts in Chinese is not the art of fighting, a concept that many people take for granted. On the contrary, he said, kung fu is the art of stopping fighting.
Brahm's relationship with kung fu dates back to the 1970s when he was a karate student in Hawaii. "My master always told me that if you want to fully understand karate, you have to go to Shaolin in China. That's where the origin is, "Brahm said. In 1981,he managed to visit the Shaolin Temple, situated at the foot of the Songshan Mountain in Central China, for the very first time. He left the mountain, a little disappointed at not finding the martial-arts spirit he expected. But his passion for kung fu and his desire to find out more were stronger than ever before.
Over the years he trained in many different styles, such as tai chi, Wing Chun, Jeet Kune Do to understand all of them. "Martial arts can help us connect our body, connect our neural system, connect our blood flow, and also help connect us into our environment to increase our awareness. Martial arts is moving meditation ( 冥想 )," Brahm said, his eyes bright and intense.
But to him, kung fu's charm and values are far more than that. He combined the knowledge from many masters and scholars with his own experience as a practitioner and tutor to extract 12 key principles and values of the martial arts: perseverance, roots, loyalty, respect, harmony, change, balance, centering, emptiness, flow, pragmatism, non-violence.
"Kung fu, in my eves, is a mirror of Chinese culture.” Brahm said “The traditional values of kung fu, actually, are in the minds of all Chinese people.”
1 ． What does Paragraph 2 really want to tell us?
A ． The character “ge” means “to stop”.
B ． Kung fu is the “art of non-violence”.
C ． The character “wu” consists of two characters.
D ． Martial arts in Chinese means the “art of fighting”.
2 ． How did Brahm manage to get the idea of kung fu’s values?
A ． He visited the Shaolin Temple in 1981.
B ． He trained in many different styles over the years.
C ． His master told him about it when he was in Hawaii.
D ． He joined his knowledge and his experience together.
3 ． According to the passage, which word can best describe Brahm?
A ． Determined. B ． Energetic. C ． Confident. D ． Friendly.
1 ． B
2 ． D
3 ． A
【分析】
这是一篇记叙文。文章讲述了一个美国纪录片导演 Brahm 对于中国武术的热爱与研究、对中国武术与众不同的理解与感悟，他认为中国武术不是打仗的艺术，而是终止打斗的艺术。
1 ．主旨大意题。根据第二段 “So, the meaning of martial arts in Chinese is not the art of fighting, a concept that many people take for granted. On the contrary, he said, kung fu is the art of stopping fighting.( 所以，武术在中国的意义并不是打斗的艺术，一个许多人认为理所当然的概念。相反，他说，功夫是停止打斗的艺术 )” 可知， Brahm 通过对汉字 “ 武 ” 的理解，得出结论：功夫是停止打斗的艺术。 B 项 “ 中国功夫是非暴力的艺术 ” ，符合题意。故选 B 项。
2 ．细节理解题。根据倒数第二段 “He combined the knowledge from many masters and scholars with his own experience as a practitioner and tutor to extract 12 key principles and values of the martial arts: perseverance, roots, loyalty, respect, harmony, change, balance, centering, emptiness, flow, pragmatism, non-violence.( 他结合了许多大师和学者的知识和自己作为练习者和导师的经验，提炼出 12 个关键的原则和价值：坚持、根、忠诚、尊重、和谐、变化、平衡、定心、空、流动、实用主义、非暴力 )” 可知，他的中国武术观是融合了所学知识与自己亲身体验总结出来的。故选 D 项。
3 ．推理判断题。根据第三段 “In 1981,he managed to visit the Shaolin Temple, situated at the foot of the Songshan Mountain in Central China, for the very first time. He left the mountain, a little disappointed at not finding the martial-arts spirit he expected. But his passion for kung fu and his desire to find out more were stronger than ever before.(1981 年，他第一次设法到了位于中国中部嵩山脚下的少林寺。他离开了那座山，有点失望，因为没有找到他所期待的武术精神。但他对功夫的热情和探索更多的渴望比以往任何时候都要强烈 ) ” 以及第四段 “Over the years he trained in many different styles, such as tai chi, Wing Chun, Jeet Kune Do to understand all of them. ( 多年来，他训练了许多不同的风格，如太极，咏春，截拳道，以了解所有这些 )” 可知， Brahm 从接触中国武术，毕生都在对其进行探索，实践，热情从未减退。故选 A 项。