Question

    One of China’s most traditional arts is paper-cutting. It started in the 6^th century. Papercuttings were first used in the funeral (葬礼).

Today, papercuttings are mostly used as decoration. They are used to decorate walls, windows and doors in houses and also used for decoration on presents or are given as presents themselves.

They have special meanings at festivals and on holidays. During the Spring Festival for example, entrances (入口) are decorated with papercuttings which are pupposed to bring good luck.

Papercuttings are not produced by machine (机器), but by hand. There are two general ways in making papercutting: scissor (剪刀) cuttings and knife (小刀) cuttings. As the name indicates, the motif (图案) is usually cut with sharp, pointed scissors or a sharp knife. The advantage of knife cuttings is that more papercutting can be made at one time than with scissors.

In the countryside, papercuttings are usually made by women and girls. This used to be one of the skills that every girl is expected to learn and that were often used to judge brides (新娘).

When did they start?	In the 1. Century.
What are they used as today?	Decoration and 2. .
What are they supposed to do?	Bring 3. .
What are they made with?	By a sharp knife and sharp, pointed 4. .

Answer

1.6th/sixth

2.presents

3.good luck

4.scissors

【解析】

本文介绍了中国的传统手艺剪纸艺术的起源，用途，象征意义以及制作工具等，展示了剪纸艺术的魅力。

1.根据第一段“It started in the 6th century.”可知剪纸艺术起源于公元6世纪，故答案为6th/sixth。

2.根据第二段“They are used to decorate walls, windows and doors in houses and also used for decoration on presents or are given as presents themselves.”，可知剪纸本身也可以当作礼物，故答案为presents。

3.根据第三段“During the Spring Festival for example, entrances (入口) are decorated with papercuttings which are pupposed to bring good luck.”，可知剪纸能带来好运，故答案为good luck。

4.根据第四段“As the name indicates, the motif (图案) is usually cut with sharp, pointed scissors or a sharp knife.”，可知剪纸的工具有剪刀和刀子两种，故答案为scissors。