SECTION B SKIMMING AND SCANNING

　　In this section there are seven passage followed by ten multiple-choice questions. Skim or scan them as required and then mark your answers on your Answer Sheet.

　　TEXT E First read the question. 51. What is this passage mainly about? A. The tradition of folk art, especially clay modeling in China. B. The origin of clay modeling and its development. C. "Clay-Figurine" Zhang. D. modern clay modeling in China Now go though Text E quickly to answer question 51. 　 Clay modeling is a folk art popular in both rural and urban areas. Colored clay figures are put on sale in cities, and at country fairs on the Spring Festival and other traditional festivals. Today workshops and enterprises have been established specializing in this kind of folk art. The Clay modeling of Beijing, Tianjin, Jiangsu and Wuxi each has its own style and characteristics. 　 In Tianjin, everybody knows the name "Ni Ren Zhang" ("clay-figurine" Zhang). Traditionally, clay modeling was only a source of childrens toy, but thanks to the efforts of "Clay-figurine" Zhang, clay modeling has become a respectable art, and some of his products are among the treasures in Beijings museums and the China Art Gallery. The name "clay-figurine" Zhang is used to refer to Zhang Mingshan (1826-1906) who was the fist person to make colored clay figurines in Tianjin. He transformed clay modeling into an art. People later began to use the name to refer to the Zhang family. Mow people sometimes use it to refer to the workshop which was set up in 1959 and which has more than forty craftsmen whose surnames are not Zhang. 　 Tianjin clay figurines are characterized by a sense of motion. All the figures look vivid and lifelike. Some of the themes are taken from legends and myths while others are taken from everyday life. Now, Zhang Naiying, the fifth generation of the Zhang family, has made a breakthrough. He combined clay modeling and modern sculpture to create eighty colored clay figurines based on the centimeters in height, but each had its unique posture, clothing, and facial expressions. 　 Clay figurines have been popular in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, for more than six hundred years. Today multi-colored clay figurines made in Wuxi stand on desks or in shops around the world. They are called Ah Fu. "Fu" in Chinese used means fortune, and "Ah" is a meaningless auxiliary sound. The name was first used by local people to describe cherubic children. Now it refers to all clay figurines made in Wusi, especially those made at the Wuxi Clay Fifurine Mill. Today Ah Fu comes in more than a hundred designs: children in various postures, Lao Shouxing (an old man of longevity), historical and legendary figures, and animals of all kinds. All these clay figurines are made of dark clay from the foot of the Hui Hills near the city of Wuxi. 　 The products of the Wuxi Clay Figurine Mill enjoy a wide market. Ah Fu figurines are sold not only in Wuxi but also in shops in more than fifty countries. Businessmen from the United States, Canada, Japan, Eastern Europe and South-east Asia buy wholesale from the mill. 　 The mill pays great attention to training young apprentices. The young people are each assigned to a master craftsman. New recruits have to spend all their time learning the basic skills, and at the same time, take related cultural courses. Now the former apprentices have become the main force in the mill. Many of them have gone abroad on several occasions to be demonstrate their clay modeling skills.

　　51. What is this passage mainly about?

　　A) The tradition of folk art, especially clay modeling in China.

　　B) The origin of clay modeling and its development.

　　C) "Clay-Figurine" Zhang.

　　D) modern clay modeling in China