高三十月天天练（Digital cooperation 数字合作 & Culture 文化 ）选自China Daily
Digital cooperation between China and other countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, which has been deepening in recent years, is aiding the development of the digital economy and trade, and facilitating global economic recovery, experts said.
Noting that the BRI economies have come together in recent times to create an open, fair, equitable and nondiscriminatory environment for the development of the digital economy, the experts said these countries and regions have strengthened cooperation on rules and standards, and have also been promoting regional policy coordination in the past decade.
Cong Liang, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic regulator, said at a recent news conference that substantial progress has been made in advancing cooperation on the digital economy among BRI economies.
"More efforts will be made to encourage Chinese and foreign enterprises to engage in high-quality cooperation in areas such as e-commerce, mobile payments, smart cities, remote healthcare, digital education and industrial transformation," Cong said.
Digital technologies will be utilized to promote high-quality economic development and improve livelihoods, so that all BRI economies can help their people enjoy the dividends of the digital economy.
According to a white paper released recently by the State Council Information Office, by the end of 2022, China had signed memorandums of understanding on building the Digital Silk Road with 17 countries, on e-commerce cooperation with 30 countries, and on closer investment cooperation in the digital economy with 18 countries and regions.
China is also actively strengthening digital infrastructure connectivity and stepping up work on digital corridors. Work on laying several international submarine cables has made substantial progress, with 130 cross-border terrestrial cable systems already built.
The SEA-H2X submarine cable project is a case in point. Initiated by China Unicom, a major State-owned telecom carrier, the project has attracted many international companies.
Construction work began in May 2022 and operations are scheduled to begin in 2024. It will connect the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Hainan province of China with the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. The project may further extend to Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia.
Upon completion, the subsea cable project can effectively meet the demand for network bandwidth in Asia, accelerating the digital industrialization and digitization of industries in Asia and the world, China Unicom said.
Aye Aye Myint, an employee of China Unicom's local unit in Myanmar, has been involved in a submarine cable project that connects China and Myanmar. "This long submarine cable not only brings information and communication services to various destinations, but also strengthens ties between China and overseas Chinese like me," she said.
China Unicom's unit in Myanmar not only serves Chinese companies that expand into the Southeast Asian country, but offers better network services to local government agencies and enterprises, she added.
Besides building digital infrastructure, many Chinese companies also offer digital services worldwide. By the end of September, China had established bilateral mechanisms of e-commerce cooperation with 30 countries on five continents, according to the white paper.
Many events held to promote multilateralism, such as the Silk Road E-commerce Platform of the Brand, the Quality Online Shopping Festival and the Quality African Products Online Shopping Festival, have produced encouraging results, and virtual country pavilions online help partner economies to export their high-quality specialty products to the Chinese market.
The innovative Cloud Classroom program has provided live-streamed training sessions to more than 80 BRI economies to reinforce their digital literacy, the white paper stated.
Xiang Ligang, director-general of the Information Consumption Alliance, a telecommunications industry association in China, said the country's edge in digital technologies and applications can help people in other countries enjoy the fruits of technological advancements in a better way.
1. According to the passage, how many countries and regions had China signed memorandums of understanding on building the Digital Silk Road by the end of 2022
A. 15
B. 17
C. 20
D. 22
Answer：B. 17
2. What is the name of the submarine cable project initiated by China Unicom that will connect various countries in Asia
A. SEA-H2X
B. SEA-X2H
C. SEA-HX2
D. SEA-XH2
Answer：A. SEA-H2X
3. Who mentioned that the Cloud Classroom program has provided live-streamed training sessions to more than 80 BRI economies
A. Cong Liang
B. Aye Aye Myint
C. Xiang Ligang
D. The State Council Information Office
Answer：D. The State Council Information Office
4. According to the passage, what does the SEA-H2X submarine cable project aim to accelerate in Asia and the world
A. Industrialization
B. Digital literacy
C. Environmental conservation
D. Educational advancement
Answer：A. Industrialization
5. What was the name of the telecommunications industry association whose director-general, Xiang Ligang, emphasized China's edge in digital technologies
A. Information Consumption Alliance
B. Digital Cooperation League
C. Telecommunications Advancement Association
D. Global Technology Alliance
Answer：A. Information Consumption Alliance
After a long odyssey overseas, seven marble columns from the ruins of Yuanmingyuan, or the Old Summer Palace, in Beijing which were recently repatriated from Norway to their home site were publicly exhibited for the first time on Friday.
The columns were originally from the Western Mansion (Xiyang Lou) area of Yuanmingyuan. A long-term exhibition displaying these relics, together with related old pictures, has opened at the Zhengjue Temple of Yuanmingyuan Ruins Park.
As the royal resort of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Yuanmingyuan, which literally means "the garden of perfect brightness", was widely considered the apex of Chinese gardening art. The complex of gardens, temples, palaces and pavilions once spread over 350 hectares — roughly five times of the size of the Forbidden City — in the northwest of Beijing in its peak time.
This architectural splendor was brutally burned down and looted by the invading Anglo-French forces in 1860 during the Second Opium War (1856-60). It gradually fell into ruins in the following decades, and its numerous constructional components were stolen and sold, many of which were lost overseas.
The destruction of Yuanmingyuan has thus been considered as a national tragedy in China.
"It's a key achievement of cultural relic repatriation as we bring the columns back to their original place," said Li Qun, director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration.
"Governments, education institutions and the private sector have closely cooperated with each other with lasting efforts. This will contribute as an example for the return of more lost relics."
Johan Wilhelm Normann Munthe (1864-1935), a Norwegian who once worked as an cavalry instructor under the political strongman Yuan Shikai and later as a military adviser for the then Chinese government, collected thousands of Chinese cultural relics during his half-century residence in China. The columns were among Munthe's collection in the early 20th century.
In 1926, some of his collection was moved to the United States, and remained there until the 1960s, when they were donated to the West Norway Museum of Decorative Art in Bergen, Munthe's hometown. The venue later became part of museum complex of KODE.
In 2013, Chinese entrepreneur Huang Nubo visited the museum. Seeing the columns, he then proposed their repatriation and originally expected to permanently exhibit them in his alma mater, Peking University. Huang offered a donation to KODE and reached a trilateral agreement to launch a series of cultural exchange programs.
The Norwegian government approved the return of the marble columns in 2018, and China's National Cultural Heritage Administration decided to transfer them to the administration of the Yuanmingyuan Ruins Park.
Disturbed by outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, their long-awaited and postponed journey back to China was made in June.
"Their return marks the rise of national strength and is a reflection of the times," Huang said.
Construction of Yuanmingyuan began in 1707 during the reign of the Emperor Kangxi (1661-1722). It was expanded and renovated during the reigns of the next five emperors. Because of its more comfortable living environment than the imperial palace of the Forbidden City, Yuanmingyuan also functioned as a major royal residence.
From 1747 to 1760, the Western Mansion area was gradually formed in Yuanmingyuan, featuring a combination of craftsmanship in Chinese and Western styles. It was deeply influenced by baroque art, which was popular in the palaces of European countries at the time.
According to an appraisal panel combining researchers from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Palace Museum in Beijing, Peking University and Sichuan University, the baroque columns, 80 to 92 centimeters high, match those stone relics that remained in the Western Mansion area. They are thought to have been originally set on roofs and by stairways.
Some of their frontal facades feature typical Western decorations while the sides were carved with Chinese auspicious patterns such as orchids, lotuses, peonies and chrysanthemums.
Petter Snare, director of KODE, noted that the columns, as a part of Yuanmingyuan, were evidence of cultural communication between China and Europe in the 18th century. He also expected stories of the returned relics to educate people and inspire more cross-cultural dialogues.
"Under the framework of international laws, we'll seek more ways of practical cooperation in the repatriation of lost relics," said Li, from the National Cultural Heritage Administration.
1. During which war were the columns from Yuanmingyuan looted by the Anglo-French forces
A. First Opium War
B. Second Opium War
C. Taiping Rebellion
D. Sino-Japanese War
Answer：B. Second Opium War
2. Where were the columns from Yuanmingyuan temporarily housed before being repatriated to China
A. The United States
B. France
C. Japan
D. The United Kingdom
Answer：A. The United States
3. Who proposed the repatriation of the columns from Norway back to China
A. Emperor Kangxi
B. Johan Wilhelm Normann Munthe
C. Petter Snare
D. Huang Nubo
Answer：D. Huang Nubo
4. What architectural style influenced the design of the Western Mansion area in Yuanmingyuan
A. Gothic
B. Rococo
C. Baroque
D. Renaissance
Answer：C. Baroque
5. Which organization was involved in the appraisal of the returned baroque columns from Yuanmingyuan
A. UNESCO
B. KODE
C. The National Cultural Heritage Administration
D. The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Answer：D. The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
