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All his life, Zhang Yu has insisted on having only one store, although a single work with his signature on it can fetch more than $10,000. “I must make sure the quality of my work is good,” says Zhang, the sixth generation clay figurine(泥雕) maker in his family.

“Clay Figure Zhang” is a household name of traditional folk art in China. Such artwork has a history of over 180 years. The workshop is located in a traditional street in north China’s Tianjin city. Due to the extremely delicate craft, it usually takes three months to complete a fine figurine, which makes the price high.

Tianjin has witnessed the fierce collision(碰撞) of Chinese and western culture in modern times. And it provides much inspiration for Zhang’s clay figurines. “Without the unique culture of Tianjin, the creations would lose their vitality,” Zhang says. With that in mind, Zhang says he will never expand his business beyond Tianjin. “What I want is to devote my limited energy to the only store here in Tianjin, and focus on the art,” he adds.

In the 1840s, Zhang Mingshan rose to fame for his vivid clay figurines that combined traditional Chinese sculpture with western techniques, and were coined “Clay Figure Zhang”, a brand his offspring have continued for six generations.

A century passed, and it was time for Zhang Yu to carry on the family craft. He took charge of the family business in 1996 when he was just 18 years old. Besides making clay figurines, Zhang also teaches in several universities, even recruiting apprentices(学徒) from other countries.

1.What does the underlined word “fetch” mean?

A Bring up.

B Bring in.

C Bring about.

D Bring out.

解析：选B。词义猜测题。这里应该是指每一个泥人的售价达到了一万美元，而fetch本身有“取得”的意思，因此只有bring in“带来”最符合这里的意思，故选B。

2.Why did Zhang insist on having only one store?

A He wanted to sell his works at higher prices.

B He wanted to pay more attention to teaching.

C He wanted to make sure high quality of his works.

D He didn’t want to move to other cities.

解析：选C。推理判断题。根据第一段I must make sure the quality of my work is good...及第三段最后一句What I want is to devote my limited energy to the only store here in Tianjin, and focus on the art可知想保障自己的作品的质量，把自己的有限精力投入到这唯一的一家店上，且不愿意多开分店，由此可推断他拒绝开分店的原因是为了保障产品质量，故选C。

3.How does the unique culture of Tianjin affect Clay Figure Zhang?

A It provides much inspiration for Zhang’s clay figurines.

B It helps to gain popularity around the world.

C It helps its expansion and price rising.

D It helps Zhang Mingshan to become famous.

解析：选A。细节理解题。根据第三段第二句And it provides much inspiration for Zhang’s clay figurines. 可知天津独特的历史文化为泥人张的人物形象提供了很多灵感，故选A。

4.Who is Zhang Mingshan?

A Zhang Yu’s teacher.

B Zhang Yu’s father.

C The man who started Clay Figure Zhang.

D The man who invented the clay figure.

解析：选C。推理判断题。根据第三段In the 1840s, Zhang Mingshan rose to fame for his vivid clay figurines that combined traditional Chinese sculpture with western techniques, and were coined “Clay Figure Zhang”, a brand his offspring have continued for six generations.可知张明山在1840年的时候声名鹊起，并开始在自己的作品上印上泥人张的戳，这个品牌被他的后人传承了六代，因此张明山是泥人张的创始人，故选C。

5.How old is Zhang Yu now?

A 18.

B 29.

C 39.

D 77.

解析：选C。推理判断题。根据最后一段第二句He took charge of the family business in 1996 when he was just 18 years old. 可知1996年张宇接管泥人张的时候是18岁，现在是2017年，过去了21年，因此18+21=39，因此张宇是39岁，故选C。