In many cultures, it is considered unlucky to spill salt. Fortunately, many cultures also have a solution to the problem, which usually involves throwing a pinch of salt over your shoulder. It may seem confusing to modern humans, but knowing that salt was once incredibly valuable can change this perspective.
For thousands of years, salt was an extremely rare commodity. It was difficult to obtain so that the price was very high. Many trading routes were set up to carry salt, people were paid in salt, and salt was sometimes worth more than its weight in gold. Therefore, spilling salt was considered wasteful.
Because of its high value, salt was also associated with friendship and good fortune. Offerings of salt were included in many religious ceremonies, and people might bring salt to a new home for good luck. These associations would have suggested that it would be bad luck to spill salt, since it would seem to violate salt’s fortunate properties.
Salt is also an excellent preservative. It prevents food from going bad. As such, it came to be linked with health and longevity. In some cultures, spilling salt was thought to reduce one's well-being. In Britain, for example, each spilled grain was said to represent a tear, while in Germany spilled salt awakened the devil, bringing misfortune.
The fear of spilling salt was also adopted into the Christian faith. It is said that Judas spilled salt at the Last Supper, and since he later turned out to be the betrayer of Christ, spilled salt is considered unlucky by many Christians.
Should you be unfortunate enough to spill salt, you might throw a pinch over your left shoulder to blind the Devil.
1. Spilling salt was probably thought to bring bad luck because ________.| A．it was a Christian faith | B．salt was linked with misfortune |
| C．it would decrease one’s lifespan | D．salt was always expensive than gold |
| A．Protector. | B．Flavor. | C．Medium. | D．Solution. |
| A．To introduce the history of salt. | B．To show ways to avoid misfortune. |
| C．To explain the beliefs about spilling salt. | D．To entertain readers with some anecdotes. |
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【推荐1】I have always found the Chinese to be a very polite people. In particular, Chinese frequently compliment (称赞) foreign friends on their language skills, knowledge of Chinese culture, professional accomplishments, and personal health. Curiously, however, Chinese are as loath to accept a compliment as they are eager to give one. As many of my Chinese friends have explained, this is a sign of the Chinese virtue of modesty.
I have noticed a difference, though, in the degree to which modesty is emphasized in the United States and China. In the US, we tend to place more emphasis on “seeking the truth from fact”, thus, Americans tend to accept a compliment with gratitude.
Chinese, on the other hand, tend to reject the compliment, even when they know they deserve the credit or recognition which has been awarded them. I can imagine a Chinese basketball fan meeting Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls. He might say, “Mr. Jordan, I am so happy to meet you. I just want to tell you, you are the best basketball player in the world; you’re the greatest!” to which Jordan would probably respond, “Thank you very much. I really appreciate it! I just to try to do my best every time I step on the court.” If an American met Deng Yaping, China’s premier pingpong player, he might say much the same thing: “Ms. Deng, you’re the best!” but as a Chinese, Deng would probably say, “No, I really don’t play all that well. You’re too much kind.”
Plainly, Americans and Chinese have different ways of responding to praise. Ironically, many Americans might consider Ms. Deng’s response the less modest, because it is less truthful—and therefore less sincere. Americans generally place sincerity above manners; genuine gratitude for the praise serves as a substitute for protestations of modesty. After all, in the words of one of my closest Chinese friends, modesty taken to the extreme is pride.
1. What does the underlined word “loath” in paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Polite. | B．Uncertain. | C．Curious. | D．Unwilling. |
| A．To note they do as much as they can each time they play against others. |
| B．To remind readers they are the best players in basketball and table tennis. |
| C．To explain they deserve the credit or recognition for their great contributions. |
| D．To show they as Chinese and Americans are different in accepting praise. |
| A．They think sincerity matters the most. | B．They think her reply is against the fact. |
| C．They think she is too modest to believe. | D．They think manners is more important. |
| A．Education. | B．Sports. | C．Culture. | D．People. |
【推荐2】When most people think about the "American culture", images of Coca-Cola, hot dogs, baseball games, big cars come to mind. Actually, American culture is more than that, and its history features the variety of American culture. Especially southern culture, plays a part in American culture. And the southerners are known for their hospitality, language and food.
Southerners' hospitality is very famous in the world. People who live in the South are very nice and are always willing to help another person in any way they can. If someone is from out of town and needs directions to a certain place, Southerners will make sure he or she knows how to get there. Southerners are very polite. Everytime they pass someone on the road, they are going to wave at him or her. Towns in the South have fewer people and everyone knows everyone. The people in the South are nicer than anywhere else in the United States.
Language in the South varies according to which area someone is in and what the person's background is. Most white people have a country draw in the accent. Most black people talk using Ebonies(黑人英语)，but some do have a draw in their accent. The other groups talk in their native languages or in English with an obvious accent. The languages in the South are alike in most places except in Southern Louisiana
The South's food is like no other places. It is colourful, has a wonderful smell that fills the whole house and tastes good. All the things that the Southerners use will wake up one's taste and are really delicious.
Southern culture is well-known in the world. The South is very different from other areas in the United States. The people are nice, the language is very different and the food is great.
1. What does the underlined word "hospitality" in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Being honest. | B．Being friendly. |
| C．Being generous. | D．Being beautiful |
| A．They enjoy waving at others. | B．They prefer to talk on the road. |
| C．They are glad to help strangers. | D．They don't get along well with others. |
| A．People in the South speak the same language. |
| B．People in the South are the nicest in America. |
| C．The culture in the South is unique in the world. |
| D．The food in the South are different from other places. |
| A．The Origin of Southern Culture. | B．American Culture. |
| C．Southerners' Hospitality. | D．Southern Culture. |
Whether you will be a doctor or a police officer in the future, there are teachers in your life right now.
Teachers’ Day is the perfect chance for students around the world to thank their teachers.
In China, Teachers’ Day is on Sept 10. But in the US, teachers have a whole week to celebrate. Teacher Appreciation Week is in the first full week of May every year.
South Korea’s Teachers’ Day is on May 15. Many students offer carnations (康乃馨)to their teachers.
Although different countries have different Teachers’ Days, there’s one day for the whole world to honor teachers. On Oct 5 of every year, over 100 countries, such as Canada and the Philippines, express their thanks by celebrating World Teachers’ Day. UNESCO (联合国教科文组织) started the day in 1994.
| A．Cards are also a traditional gift. |
| B．The festival falls on different days in different countries. |
| C．It wants to remind people of the importance of the teachers. |
| D．They teach you and help you to know who you are. |
| E．Kids used to bring apples for their teachers because apples are healthy. |
【推荐1】Nearly two decades ago when the Google Books Project digitized and freely distributed more than 25 million works, book publishers argued that free digital distribution weakens the market for physical books. However, new research from Imke Reimers and Abhishek Nagaraj reveals that the opposite—increased demand for physical books, through online discovery—could be true.
The two researchers focused on a particular part of Google Books’ digitized works: those from Harvard University’s Widener Library, which helped seed the project in its early days. The condition that enabled their experiment: Harvard’s digitization effort only included out-of-copyright works, published before 1923, which were made available to consumers in their entirety. The works from 1923 and later were still copyrighted and not digitized.
The researchers analyzed a total of 37,743 books scanned (扫描) between 2005 and 2009. They looked at sales for the two years before this digitization period and the two years after, and found clear differences in the increased sales between digitized and non-digitized books. Approximately 40% of digitized titles saw a sales increase from 2003-2004 to 2010-2011, compared to less than 20% of titles that were not digitized. The increase in sales was also found to be stronger for less popular books.
“If a book is readily available online, people may decide that it’s a useful book and want to buy it,” Reimers said. “The ‘discovery effect’, which even increased the sales of a digitized author’s non-digitized works, is a strong driver of increased sales. It’s not a huge jump in sales, but it’s still good news for publishers.”
“And book lovers,” Reimers said, “are known for their preference for physical books, as opposed to digital versions, which could also play a role.” She added, “Whenever I talk to people about my research on books, at some point they all say, ‘I just love the feel of a book in my hand.’”
1. Why did the researchers choose the publications before 1923 for their research?| A．They were all masterpieces. | B．They were mostly searchable. |
| C．They were not protected by copyright. | D．They were only partly downloaded for free. |
| A．By interviewing book users. | B．By comparing the sales data. |
| C．By classifying the book titles. | D．By referring to historical records. |
| A．To point out the limitations of the study. | B．To stress people’s different reading tastes. |
| C．To tell another contributor to the sales rise. | D．To show a growing trend in reading books. |
| A．Consumers Are Enthusiastic About E-books |
| B．Book Publishers Object to Digitizing Books |
| C．Physical Bookstores Are Declining in Importance |
| D．Digitizing Books Promotes Demand for Physical Copies |
【推荐2】Traditionally, many decisions about medical treatment were left up to doctors: They decided, and patients agreed. Today, health care professionals are embracing the idea of shared decision-making, where patients become informed partners in their choices. Health care professionals now focus on placing the patient at the center of care, informing them about their options, and engaging them in treatment decisions. For example, they engage patients by asking, “What’s important to you? And what are your priorities and goals as we talk about a treatment plan?”
“I think there’s a strong recognition in American medicine, of the importance of patient engagement not only in their care, but in deciding what types of care and types of procedures they’re going to get,” said Dr. Allen, a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora.
A 2017 study, published in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes found that people with heart disease who went through-shared decision-making had better physical and mental health, better obedience to medication and lower rates of staying in hospital and emergency department use. Patients also reported better communication with their doctors. When people are more engaged in decision-making, they understand the pros and cons of various treatment options, and they’re more likely to stick to the treatment plan and to continue that communication.
But research on how to best approach different, cultural groups is lacking. Many doctors cite limited time as a barrier, although research shows that shared decision-making can be accomplished even within short clinic visits. Also, current models of payment for doctors’ visits do not always agree with the goals of shared decision-making. But underlying all that is that medical decisions can be “incredibly complicated”.
Making the practice work. on a wider scale is an evolving process. But in the long run, Allen said: “shared decision-making can ensure that with all the amazing new technologies and treatments that we will have in medicine, they really can be applied to more patients in a tailored, meaningful way that meets their own values, goals and preferences.”
1. What role do doctors play in shared decision-making?| A．They are at the center of care. | B．They ask questions to patients: |
| C．They follow patients’ opinions. | D．They present suggestions to patients. |
| A．Shortened time in hospital | B．Improved healthy awareness |
| C．Reduced mental problems | D．Enhanced communication skills |
| A．Lack of family support |
| B．Limited time and money |
| C．Uniqueness of medical treatment |
| D．Complicated medicine production process |
| A．Shared Decision Making: More than Technology? |
| B．Shared Decision Making: an Ideal Way for Patients |
| C．Shared Decision Making: a Future Model of Hospitals? |
| D．Shared Decision Making: Advantages and Disadvantages |
【推荐3】Esports (electronic sports) are organized competitions where players—often referred to as “athletes” — face off against each other in video games. They are not just games in a sense. Actually, they are a sport that can improve the players’ thinking ability, hand-eye coordination, willpower and team spirit.
The esports industry has experienced significant growth in recent years around the world, though it’s still in the nascent stage, which means it has huge growth potential going forward.
In the 1990s, Games like the beat’em up Street Fighter II and the first-person shooter Doom added variety to the increasingly popular competitive gaming scene. In the 2010s, MOBA games like League of Legends and Dota 2 became mainstream in the world of esports. In 2022, esports were announced to be officially included in the Asian Games. There are now over 40 esports games with players competing around the world at huge events.
Esports made their first appearance as a medal event at the Asian Games from Sept 23 to Oct 8, 2023. Seven games were included: FIFA Online 4, PUBG Mobile Asian Games Version, Arena of Valor Asian Games Version, Dota 2, League of Legends, Dream Three Kingdoms 2, Street and Fighter V.
Previously, eight esports games were scheduled at the Hangzhou Asian Games. However, virtual card game Hearthstone (《炉石传说》) was removed in March. This followed the breakdown of negotiations between Hearthstone producer, Blizzard Entertainment, and NetEase, their local partner company in China, over their rights partnership.
1. What is the current state of esports?| A．They face tough challenges. | B．They come ahead of other sports. |
| C．They have great future prospect. | D．They are no more than video games. |
| A．In the 1990s. | B．In the 2010s. | C．In 2022. | D．In 2023. |
| A．Its version was outdated. | B．Its schedule was up in the air. |
| C．Its gaming scenes were full of violence. | D．Its two parties failed to reach an agreement. |
【推荐1】The word “Kuitou” in Peking Opera is the technical term for various kinds of hats and headpieces worn by various characters in traditional Chinese opera. More than just meeting the requirements of acting, it also reveals an aspect of traditional Chinese culture.
In traditional Han Chinese culture, people believed that since, one’s whole body was a gift from one’s parents, it was important to avoid anything that might injure it, a principle that showed filial piety (孝道). Based on this ideology, males were required to let their hair grow long, and wearing hats became a rule of social etiquette in ancient times.
Since ancient Chinese society was divided into various social classes, people in each class wore different styles of clothes, but only the nobility were permitted to wear formal hats for adornment (装饰). People of lower classes could only wrap their head with a piece of cloth. Anyone under the age of 20 was also not allowed to wear formal hats and could only wear one after the performance of an official capping ceremony to mark their reaching of adulthood. As a result, various types of formal hats in ancient times, in addition to having value as a piece of personal adornment and social etiquette, also revealed the social classes of people and strict social divisions that existed between the nobility and common people.
In ancient times, people attached much importance to the kind of hat they wore. An old saying says, “A man of noble character would rather die than take off his hat.” The saying was based on the story of one of Confucius’s favorite students, Zi Lu, a man who was a brave warrior. Once while fighting in close hand-to-hand combat, his enemy opponent knocked off his hat. When he realized that his hat had been knocked off, Zi Lu placed down his weapon and said to the enemy soldier,” A nobleman can die, but my attire (服装) must be kept orderly.” But the moment he bent down to pick up his hat, the enemy soldier seized the opportunity and killed him. According to Zi Lu, his proper appearance, which included his hat, represented his dignity, and he would rather die than abandon his dignity. The formal hat culture of the Han Chinese continued up until the Ming Dynasty. Later after the Manchurians entered the Central Plains (满人入关), common people in society began to wear hats.
1. For Chinese males in the Han Dynasty, wearing headpieces or hats was .| A．a requirement of acting | B．a rule of social etiquette |
| C．a way to show filial piety | D．a representation of culture |
| A．the formal hat was a symbol of adulthood |
| B．headwear was nothing but a decoration |
| C．only noble people could afford to wear formal hats |
| D．there existed little distinction between social classes |
| A．how brave a person he was | B．how people valued their hats |
| C．how fierce an ancient war was | D．how people dealt with etiquette |
【推荐2】Thanksgiving Day is a special holiday in the United States and Canada. Families and friends gather to eat and give thanks for the blessing.
Thanksgiving Day is really a harvest festival. This is why it is celebrated in late fall, after the crops are in. But the first thanksgiving in America had nothing to do with a good harvest. On December 4,1619, the Pilgrims(新来移民) from England landed near what is now Charles City, Virginia, where they knelt down and expressed thanks for their safe journey across the Atlantic.
The first New England Thanksgiving did celebrate a rich harvest. The Pilgrims landed at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620. They had a difficult time and the first winter was cruel. Many of the Pilgrims died. But the next year, they had a good harvest. So Governor Bradford declared a three-day feast. The Pilgrims invited Indian friends to join them for their special feast. Everyone brought food.
As time went by, other colonies(殖民地) began to celebrate a day of thanksgiving. But it took years before there was a national Thanksgiving Day. During the Civil War, Sarah Josepha Hale persuaded Abraham Lincoln to do something about it. In 1863, he announced the last Thursday of November as a day of thanksgiving. Today, Americans celebrate this happy harvest festival on the fourth Thursday in November. Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving Day in much the same way as their American neighbours. But the Canadian Thanksgiving Day falls on the second Monday in October.
Thanksgiving Day is observed by church services and family reunions; the turkey dinner is a reminder of the four wild turkeys served at the Pilgrims' first thanksgiving feast. There are slight differences in Canada's and the United States' Thanksgiving in dates but the tradition is very similar. Other countries celebrate Thanksgiving Day as well.
1. The first group of people in America to have thanksgiving were __________.| A．some people from England | B．the American Indians |
| C．Sarah Josepha Hale | D．Governor Bradford |
| A．in the U.S.A. | B．in Great Britain |
| C．in Canada | D．on some island off the Atlantic |
| A．It's about how Thanksgiving Day is celebrated in the U.S.A. |
| B．It's about how Thanksgiving Day came into being and the different ways it is celebrated. |
| C．It's about that Thanksgiving Day is in fact a harvest holiday. |
| D．It's about how the way to celebrate Thanksgiving Day changed with time and places. |
【推荐3】When you hear the word “birthmark”, you probably think of one of those black or brown spots that you have on your body. For me, it’s different—I have them on my lips and inside my mouth. I’m used to being asked, “What are those black marks on your lips?” When I tell people they’re birthmarks, they usually say, “That’s strange.” I used to consider them ugly. However, my mom calls them beauty marks.
In pictures, I used to hide my birthmarks by pursing my lips so I wouldn’t have to deal with people’s questions. As I was growing up, people wore me out with them. Some people would ask me the same questions even before knowing my name. In society I feel like we judge people by their looks before personality.
My birthmarks are caused by a genetic condition from my mom's side of the family. My mom’s mom has birthmarks on her lips, and my mom’s uncle and my uncle have some on their bodies. Every year I plan to have a procedure to remove them. But when imagining the process, I always get nervous and give up.
My cousin faces a similar challenge. She has a huge birthmark that takes up her whole arm. She’s never tried to hide it or change her appearance. Once, her grandmother told her that the birthmark looked extremely prominent and suggested that she should wear long sleeves more often. If my cousin had actually taken that suggestion, she wouldn’t be such a person as she is.
Inspired by my cousin, I am finally accepting who I am and now I don’t hesitate when someone asks me about them either. I say, “They’re beauty marks” and smile without pursing my lips.
1. How did the author feel when asked about the birthmarks?| A．She felt excited to show her difference. | B．She felt annoyed to give others an answer. |
| C．She was scared to be made fun of by people. | D．She was bored to be faced with the question. |
| A．She dislikes talking about her birthmark. | B．She never judges others by their looks. |
| C．She is more confident than the author. | D．She has taken her grandma’s suggestion. |
| A．Brilliant. | B．Obvious. | C．Harmful. | D．Impressive. |
【推荐1】Travelling to China is like travelling to another world. Its many famous beautiful places will make you lose yourself in them. However, it is usually not enough for a traveller only to visit these nice places. If you have time to see the local people, talk with them and even have dinner with a local family, it would be a wonderful experience, to know more about the local people’s life style at home in China.
New Hope Travel Agency will arrange a family visit to Xi’an, an ancient historic city inChina. We especially have chosen typical local families to host this activity in which you can see the true living style of Chinese people. Most of the hosts retired at home, so they are happy to see visitors from different countries to come to their homes.
Not only can we arrange to visit the local family but we can arrange to taste the true home cooked dishes. Our tour guide will ask you for advice about the food you want to eat. Just enjoy the locally cooked dishes. It’ll be quite a different and exciting experience.
Our agency also provides a good opportunity for you to learn to cook Chinese food. We have a general cooking class in the local family. If you’d like to learn to cook one or two Chinese dishes, please go to our Chinese Food Cooking Class to choose your favorite dishes.
Don’t wait. Welcome to China.
1. Where does the writer want the tourist to travel?| A．To the local family. | B．To beautiful places. |
| C．To the mountains. | D．To cooking. schools. |
| A．Yan’an | B．Beijing |
| C．Xi’an | D．Shanghai |
| A．they have retired and have free time | B．they want to learn a foreign language |
| C．they want to make some money | D．they want to travel to another country |
【推荐2】Sleeping in on Saturday after a few weeks of too little shuteye may feel refreshing, but it can give a false sense of security.
New research shows long-term sleep loss cannot be cured that easily.
Scientists researched the effects of short-and long-term sleep loss and found that those who suffer long-term sleep loss may function normally soon after waking up, but experience steadily slower reaction times as the day goes by, even if they had tried to catch up the previous night.
The research has important safety significances in an increasingly busy society, not just for shift-workers but for the roughly one in six Americans who regularly get six hours or less of sleep a night.
“We know that staying awake 24 hours without sleep will affect your performance to do all sorts of things, and this effect equals to drinking too much when driving,” said lead researcher Dr. Daniel Cohen of Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital. But when those who suffer long-term sleep loss become all-nighters, “the harm is increased ten times,” Cohen said.
The National Institutes of Health says adults need seven hours to nine hours of sleep for good health. Regularly getting too little sleep increases the risk of health problems, including memory impairment(受损) and a weakened immune system.
More immediately, too little sleep affects reaction times; sleepiness is to blame for car crashes and other accidents.
It has critically important complicated and unexpected results for anyone who works “crazy hours” and thinks they are performing fine with a few hours of weeknight sleep, said Harris, director at New York’s Montefiore Medical Center. “Don’t think you can just bank up your sleep on the weekend, because it doesn’t work that way,” he warned.
1. The text mainly advises people _____.| A．to sleep more time | B．to sleep in on Saturday |
| C．to sleep scientifically | D．to sleep little on weekend |
| A．are quicker in thinking |
| B．may feel refreshed soon after waking up |
| C．are surely energetic |
| D．can have a strong sense of security |
| A．Most of the Americans get six hours or less of sleep a night. |
| B．Staying up is worse for those who suffer long-term sleep loss. |
| C．Traffic accidents have little to do with sleepiness. |
| D．One in six Americans are all-nighters. |
| A．pile up | B．pick up | C．add up | D．build up |
【推荐3】When I was 10 years old, I asked a neighborhood kid who was older than me, “Which city is further west: Reno. Nev., or Los Angeles?” The correct answer is Reno. Nevada. But he was convinced it was the other way around.
He was so convinced that Los Angeles was west of Reno that he was willing to bet me two dollars. So I went into the house to get my Rand McNally Map. The kid looked at the map and said. “The map is drawn funny.” It wasn’t. Was his argument that the map didn’t preserve east, west, north and south? What kind of map would that be? I showed him if you trace down the 120-degree west line of longitude (经度)---which runs almost directly through Reno, Nev. --- you end up in the Pacific Ocean, somewhere west of Los Angeles.
He replied that lines of longitude don’t cross the ocean.
What? I told him that the lines of longitude were there to show how far west or east some location was, regardless of whether it was on land or on sea.
There was one problem, however. He was bigger than me.
I drew a number of conclusions from this story.
There is such a thing as truth, but we often tend to ignore it. Also, it’s not just thinking something that makes it true. Truth not relative. It’s not subjective. It may be hidden. People may wish to ignore it. But there is such a thing as truth and pursuit (追求) of truth: trying to figure out what has really happened, trying to figure out how things really are.
Almost 15 years ago, I came across a story about an innocent man, a man who had been sentenced to death in the Huntsville, Texas, electric chair. And through hard work and luck, I was able to make the movie The Thin Blue Line and to help get him out of prison.
What kept me going was the belief that there had to be answers to the questions. “Did he do it?” “Was he guilty or innocent?” “If he didn’t do it, who did?” and that I could find an answer to these questions through investigating (调查).
It’s not that we find truth with big “T”. We investigate and sometimes we find things out and sometimes don’t. There’s no way to know in advance. It’s just that we have to go ahead as though there are answers to questions. We must go ahead as though, in principle, we can find things out-even if we can’t. The alternative is unacceptable.
I will never know whether the neighborhood kid really didn’t understand the logic of my argument about Reno. Nev. Or whether he understood it completely and just didn’t want to admit it. Or whether he understood it and just didn’t want to admit it. Or whether he understood it and just didn’t want to pay up. I’ll never know.
All I know is I never got my two dollars.
1. Why does the author tell the story of the neighborhood boy?| A．To recall his good old days. | B．To show his good sense of direction. |
| C．To introduce the topic of finding truth. | D．To stress the importance of geography. |
| A．Because he had fun reading maps. |
| B．Because he refused to admit his mistake. |
| C．Because the map was drawn in a different way. |
| D．Because there were some mistakes in the map. |
| A．His devotion to films. | B．His willingness to help. |
| C．His belief in finding answers. | D．His mercy for the innocent man. |
| A．Great minds think alike. | B．It’s never too late to learn. |
| C．Truth never fears investigation. | D．Honesty is the best policy. |
