Culture: Festival starts to celebrate harvest

Nadun Festival, celebrated by the Tu Nationality, falls between the 12th day of the seventh month and the 15th day of the ninth month on the lunar calendar. The annual festival is often described as the word’s longest carnival. Temple fairs are held during the two months to celebrate the harvest. It was included in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2006.

Video: Voyage along the Grand Canal

The Grand Canal a UNESCO world Heritage site, is the longest artificial waterway in the world and a famous tourist destination. Starting Beijing, it passes through Tianjin and flows through the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang and Hangzhou, linking the Yellow and Yangtze rivers. The oldest parts of the canal date back to the Sui Dynasty(581-618).

Art: Qianlong vase to go under the hammer

A porcelain vase from Emperor Qianlong’s(1735-96) collection will go under the hammer in Hong Kong in the fall, Sotheby’s announced. The 40-cm antique was sold for an astonishing 43 million pounds($55.25 million) at the Bainbridge auction(拍卖）house in the United Kingdom in 2010. It was displayed at an exhibition in New York in 1905 and was purchased by a Japanese collector in 1924. It has remained in the private collection for almost a century.

Travel: Chinese tourists are biggest spenders

China maintained its leading role in the global tourism market with outbound(出境的) tourists spending $258 billion last year, accounting for one-fifth of the world’s total spending on tourism, according to a world tourism report.

1. How long does the Nadun Festival last?

A．Three days.	B．Two months.
C．Seven months	D．Nine months.

2. Which of the following should you visit if you want to travel to a world heritage site?

A．The Nadun Festival.	B．The Tu Nationality.
C．The Bainbridge auction house.	D．The Grand Canal.

3. What can we learn about the Qianlong vase?

A．It is now still in the private collection.

B．It will be destroyed this autumn by Sotheby’s.

C．A Japanese collector sold it at an exhibition in New York.

D．The Bainbridge auction house got it at an amazing price in 2010.

He never felt well on his journey home.He was sick.But this time,it was getting worse. He finally reached home and saw his mother and wife,who were ignorant of the fact that that happiness was not going to last long.

The disease showed its symptoms again.He ignored and gave his time to his family. In between,he saw dreams and kept noting those dreams in a notebook.

Things were getting worse.It had been almost 10 months since his return. No doctor, no medicine.His family tried to make him feel better in vain.But,he kept noting down his dreams and thoughts in a notebook,even in such a terrible health condition.

That unexpected day finally came.His mother got a shock.After all,he was too young to die. His wife cried her eyes out.

He was turned into ashes.But not his notebook.

Dear readers, this is a true story.That man was none other than our respected maths master Srinivasa Ramanujan.That notebook I was talking about was full of new mathematical discoveries but without any proofs(证明)of them.Though he had almost no formal training in pure mathematics,Ramanujan made great contributions to it, including(solutions to mathematical problems considered to be unsolvable.During his short life, Ramanujan   independently produced nearly 3,900 results.His work has opened entire new areas of mathematics and inspired a vast amount of further research.Nearly all his claims have now been proven correct.

We lost him at a very young age of 32 years.What he could have accomplished if he would have lived for some more years!

4. What are the dreams he kept writing down in a notebook about?

A．New mathematical discoveries.

B．Proofs of some mathematical problems.

C．Ways to treat his disease.

D．Doctors and medicine.

5. What do we know about Srinivasa Ramanujan?

A．He had a habit of daydreaming.

B．He received no formal training in mathematics.

C．He proved many unsolvable mathematical problems.

D．He stopped studying maths and returned home because of illness.

6. What can we infer about Ramanujan from the passage?

A．He suffered from a kind of mental disease.

B．His family were responsible for his early death.

C．His work is well recognized in the mathematical community.

D．He would have made more contributions if he had cooperated with others.

7. What might be the author’s attitude towards Ramanujan's death?

A．Inspired.	B．Shocked.
C．Guilty.	D．Sorry.

Who are the most famous painters in history? Keep reading to find out.

Leonardo da Vinci was not only a painter but also a sculptor, mathematician, poet, scientist, musician, inventor, engineer, cartographer (制图师), and writer. Leonardo was born in Vinci, in the province of Florence, Italy in 1452. This was a time of extraordinary changes, not only in the arts, but also in many other cultural areas. The city of Florence was at the center of this important period in the history of art. Some of Leonardo’s most famous pieces of works are the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, and The Vitruvian Man. The most well-known museums in the world display his paintings.

Michelangelo was born in Caprese, Italy in 1475 and started working as a student to a painter before starting his studies in the art of sculpting at the Medici gardens. His works include The Statue of David and The Pieta. The Pieta is in display at the Vatican. He also painted the frescoes (壁画) on the ceilings of the Sistine Chapel, which includes his masterpiece The Last Judgment. Even though he was born in Caprese, Michelangelo lived most of his life in Rome, where he created most of his pieces.

Raphael was born in 1483 in Urbino, Italy. He became Italian renaissance painter Pietro Perugino’s student in 1504 at the age of 21. After this, he started painting his several Madonnas while living in Florence, where da Vinci and Michelangelo influenced him. When he moved to Rome, Pope Julius II hired him as his chief architect. Raphael died in Rome in 1520 at the age of 37. Despite his early death, he produced some of the most recognizable masterpieces including all his Madonnas, but also most notably the Madonna in the Sistine Chapel in Rome and his frescoes in the Palace of the Vatican.

8. The underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 shows that Leonardo da Vinci ______.

A．focused on painting	B．lived a very busy life
C．was a well-rounded man	D．spent most of his time indoors

9. What can you see if you visit the Sistine Chapel?

A．The Last Supper.	B．The Vitruvian Man.
C．The Last Judgment.	D．The whole series of Madonnas.

10. From whom did Raphael learn how to paint in his early twenties?

A．Pietro Perugino.	B．Leonardo da Vinci.
C．Michelangelo.	D．Pope Julius II.

11. The above paragraphs are probably taken from an article about ______.

A．three famous painters in history	B．three famous paintings in history
C．three famous sculptors in history	D．the history of the Italian renaissance

The birth of Britain’s first cloned dog has been considered “a waste of money” and scientists said the process raised serious ethical (伦理的) concerns.

Sooam Biotech, a company in Seoul, said it had cloned the puppy, named Mini-Winnie, from a 12-year-old dog belonging to Rebecca Smith, who lives in the west London. She had won a contest run by the company which hoped to sell the service to pet owners for 60,000 pounds a time.

Mini-Winnie was born after scientists took skin cells from Mr Smith’s pet and dropped them into donor eggs to make embryos (胚胎). The puppy must remain in Korea for six months to satisfy British quarantine (检疫) laws.

But researchers warned that while a cloned dog might look similar to its biological parent, it would be a very different animal. “You would have many chances of replicating (复制) your favorite pet by choosing one from Battersea Dogs Home,” said Robin Lovell-Badge, a geneticist at the National Institute for Medical Research in London. Dusko Ilic, a stem cell scientist at King’s College London, said, “It is extremely unlikely that a puppy cloned from a favorite pet will behave in the same way. As time passes by, the differences will be more and more pronounced, especially personality traits. It is an absolute waste of money.”

The cloning process is controversial (有争论的) because the animals are often born with diseases or die soon after birth.

I think, it’s unnecessary to try to clone pets for pet owners. First, it’s really costly. Second, the cloned pet is actually another dog. Third, there are many homeless dogs for people to adopt in shelters. So why not just adopt a dog instead?

12. What may be the reason for Sooam Biotech’s work on cloning pets?

A．To pay back to society.	B．To make money out of it.
C．To comfort sad pet owners.	D．To win an important contest.

13. Why doesn’t the cloned dog enter Britain now?

A．Because people in Britain are against it.

B．Because the company is afraid that it will die.

C．Because it needs to stay in Korea for research.

D．Because British quarantine laws don’t allow it.

14. What can we learn from what Dusko Ilic said in paragraph4?

A．Cloned pets are usually not lovely.

B．Cloned pet can be very disappointing.

C．It’s possible to replicate one’s favorite pet.

D．A pet dog looks similar to its biological parent.

15. According to Paragraph 5, why is the cloning process controversial?

A．It is costly.	B．It is too difficult.
C．It can spread diseases.	D．The result is unsatisfactory.

How to Prepare for an Interview

Once you have received an interview call, you need to start your interview preparations     16    . Lack of proper preparation on the other hand may lead to poor results.

1.    17    

Review the resume(简历) and cover letter you sent for this particular job. Consider how you want to convey this information verbally and think of specific examples from your past experiences which highlight your skills, qualifications and achievements.

2. Research

Find information about the potential employer and the position you have applied for.     18    . A good research reflects well on your enthusiasm and the information you gain from relevant websites will help you prepare questions for the employer and give you a good sense of salary levels and working conditions.

3. Practice

Predict interview questions.     19    . You can practice with a friend to get feedback on your verbal and non-verbal communication skills. Invent a list of intelligent questions to ask during your interview.

4. Interview date

Dress for success and bring along any documents or information you may need, such as extra copies of your resume and references. Arrive fifteen minutes prior to the interview and be friendly, respectful and positive with everyone you meet.

5. Follow-up

    20    . You will miss a valuable opportunity by failing to follow up with an organization after the interview. Follow up with the interviewers and inquire about the status of your application if you have not heard from them within the agreed time frame.

A．Know yourself

B．Write a good resume

C．Use the Internet o get current information

D．Ensure you know the interviewer's questions

E．After the interview, your work is not quite finished

F．In addition, prepare and practice answers to possible questions

G．Thorough preparation will increase your confidence and help you improve your performance

When I was little, my family lived a poor life. Before I was seven, I didn’t know I could ______ a special gift. When I was 7 years old and my brother, David, was 9, my father got a good ______. The upcoming Christmas has a very ______ feeling. David and I were asked to ______ one gift we most wanted to get that year. I ______ a teddy bear. David asked for a bicycle.

Then that wonderful morning arrived. I got my teddy bear. However, David’s bicycle was not there. “I ______ something.” my father said, as he went into the other room. When he came back he was ______ a bicycle. On David’s face was a look of both delight and something ______. The bike was secondhand, which David didn’t ______ too much, but it was a girl’s bike. Boys did not ride girls’ bikes.

David and I had been ______ to ride on bicycles borrowed from friends in the neighborhood. I didn’t ______ as skillfully as David, but I could manage to get from point A to point B without too much ______. Since he didn’t have to ride his Christmas bike to school, David ______ being teased about the fact that it wasn’t a boy’s bike. And he was ______ teased about it in our neighborhood because David was older than most of the other kids.

David was very ______, letting me ride his new wheels often. He even figured out a(n) ______ to tie our Radio Flyer wagon (四轮马车) to the bike ______ he could pull me and other kids up and down our road. Now we could ______ places that were once beyond convenient walking distance. That winter we took many long rides down the snowy roads. That bicycle was the best Christmas present and it was ______ that the bicycle gave us an exciting new freedom. And it left us many beautiful childhood ______.

21.

A．ask for

B．pick up

C．talk about

D．turn down

22.

A．education

B．shelter

C．position

D．assignment

23.

A．puzzling

B．worrying

C．different

D．strange

24.

A．display

B．choose

C．accept

D．create

25.

A．wanted

B．purchased

C．stole

D．observed

26.

A．missed

B．required

C．forgot

D．destroyed

27.

A．touching

B．repairing

C．protecting

D．pushing

28.

A．hopeful

B．interesting

C．exciting

D．disappointing

29.

A．own

B．mind

C．explain

D．understand

30.

A．learning

B．pretending

C．begging

D．refusing

31.

A．ride

B．drive

C．run

D．jump

32.

A．attention

B．trouble

C．experience

D．problem

33.

A．meant

B．continued

C．avoided

D．considered

34.

A．even

B．sometimes

C．always

D．never

35.

A．adventurous

B．generous

C．selfish

D．courageous

36.

A．suggestion

B．fact

C．way

D．opportunity

37.

A．though

B．unless

C．whether

D．so

38.

A．discover

B．explore

C．arrive

D．travel

39.

A．true

B．shocking

C．depressed

D．pitiful

40.

A．designs

B．desires

C．performances

D．memories

阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Advice is a word that is welcomed warmly by a lot of people. It helps in     41     (achieve) goals in a better way. As we know,     42     (experience) people offer their advice with a positive attitude without making a     43     (judge). You can learn how they give advice.

Give advice to people who welcome it. In fact, your focus should be helping others and making     44     aware that the advice can be useful if taken in the right spirit. When advice     45     (give), it should be short. It is also essential that while giving advice, one should be fair. As giving advice is     46     art, you should always state the positive side first so that the person is     47     (relax) and would in turn welcome your advice.

Give advice on certain matters.     48     a friend of yours wants to buy a car and requests your advice on the matter, your aim should be to give him details about things to be purchased, but you need not go for some particular brands or items.     49     (similar), advice on some other important issues, like staying in the relationship or future planning, needs to be given     50     (cautious).

51. 假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

2．只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

As school students, we run into one difficult after another in the process of learning. Everyone have their own ways to deal with them. Here I would like to share with mine.

When I am faced with a problem, I usually chose to refer to relevant learning materials or web pages. In this way, I can not only work them out but also improve my ability to overcoming problems all by myself.

However, when it is something which goes beyond my competence, I normal turn to my classmates or teachers for help. Sometimes I also ask my parents for advice. As result, I have made steady progresses in my studies.

52. 假定你是李华，你的新西兰朋友Terry将在下学年来中国做为期一年的交换生。他准备提前学习些日常中文，发邮件向你询问学习方法，请你回复邮件，内容包括：
1. 学习方法：多听、多说；
2. 给予鼓励和良好祝愿
注意：1. 词数100左右；2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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