Paper­cutting is a very special visual art of Chinese handicrafts.One saying is that it originated from the religious ceremony of offerings.The ancient people cut papers into animals or people.They either buried them with the dead or burned them on the funerals, wishing that things that paper stands for could be with the dead.After hundreds of years' development, now they have become a very popular means of decoration among country folk, especially women.

　　It is easy to learn about cutting a piece of paper but very difficult to master it with perfection.Beginners need only a knife and paper.For craftsmen (手艺人)，they need knives and gravers of various types to make complicated (复杂的) patterns.For complicated patterns, people first paste the pattern on the paper, and then use various kinds of knives to make it.No mistake can be made during the process otherwise the work would fail.

　　Paper­cutting covers nearly all topics, from flowers, birds, animals, legendary people, figures in classic novels, to types of facial make­up in Beijing Opera.Paper­cutting has various styles in different parts of China.

　　In the past, women living in the countryside gathered in their free time to make paper­cutting, which was a way to judge their skillfulness.As society develops, fewer and fewer still regard it as a profession.At present, there are factories and associations for paper­cutting in China.Exhibitions and exchanges are held regularly, and books of this kind are published.Paper­cutting has changed from decoration to a kind of art.At the same time, paper­cutting also appears in cartoons, on stage, in magazines or in TV series.

　　【语篇解读】　本文介绍了我国的传统艺术--剪纸的起源、种类和发展。

　　1．What is the passage mainly about?

　　A．Ancient religious ceremonies.

　　B．A special kind of art form in China.

　　C．Decoration of festivals in ancient China.

　　D．Animals made of paper.

B　[主旨大意题。纵观全文，文章介绍了剪纸的起源、种类、发展等内容，故答案为B项。]