Chinese writing has a history of six or seven thousand years. Calligraphy(书法),the art of writing, is almost as old as writing itself.
In ancient times, written Chinese was first symbols and pictures. Then, they gradually became characters. Later, characters and even full sentences were written on animal bones or shells for communication.
With time passing by, a number of written forms appeared. Each had its own local style. In the 3rd century BC, the First Emperor, Qinshihuang, set the same standard for the written characters— " small seal" script. It was first used in his own state of Qin, then in the whole nation. That writing system was very important in uniting(联合) the Chinese people and culture. At the same time, Cheng Miao developed another style called " clerical" script. It used short, straight brush strokes (笔画) to write quickly. By Han times, calligraphers had created a new style known as " regular" script. From the Tang Dynasty, it became the standard form used in government exams.
Over the centuries, Chinese artists and people with knowledge saw beauty in the forms of their written language. They turned calligraphy into one of the fine arts, in which calligraphers expressed themselves. In the Tang Dynasty, calligraphy was helpful for a person to get a place in the government.
The tools of calligraphy were simple enough. What we needed were the Four Treasures of the study: a brush, ink(墨), an ink stone and a writing surface. Students of calligraphy practiced the main types of script and improved their skills by copying the works of past masters. With the increase of their knowledge and practice, they slowly developed their own styles.
The art of calligraphy reached a high point in the 4th century. At that time, calligrapher Wang Xizhi was often regarded as the greatest master. Calligraphy remains a living art form to this day. It has become part of the school courses to pass on the Chinese culture.
1）What is the Chinese meaning of " characters" in Paragraph Two?
2）Why did the writer mention Emperor Qinshihuang in the passage?
3）What is the main idea of Paragraph Two?
4）根据短文内容填空。(每空不超过三个单词)
Calligraphy is almost as old as writing itself. Calligraphers not only used it to communicate, but also as a way to in different dynasties. In certain dynasty, for those who wanted to in the government, calligraphy could even increase their chances. Students of calligraphy usually made progress by others' styles and continuing before they formed their own styles. Now, to pass on the Chinese culture, schools it as part of the school courses.
