【推荐1】As William Shakespeare is to literature in English, so is the poet Du Fu to the Chinese literary tradition. “We have Dante, Shakespeare and Du Fu. These poets create the very values by which poetry is judged, ” remarked Harvard Professor Stephen Owen in Du Fu, Chinas Greatest Poet, a new BBC documentary.

Aimed at introducing the charm and beauty of traditional Chinese literature to viewers around the globe, the documentary invited famous British actor Ian McKellen to read 15 of Du’s poems that have been translated into English.

The one-hour film traces the poet’s life experiences in detail. Born in 712, Du lived under the reign of the Tang Emperor Xuanzong (713—756)， a time marked by extraordinary prosperity,

However, inclusiveness and cultural accomplishment， as the An Lushan Rebellion floored the empire, the 43-year-old Du, the former civil servant at the Tang court, had to take his family out of his hometown, and faced starvation and sufferings. Through ups and downs, the poet never stopped writing and about 1, 500 poems have been kept over the ages.

Even though he never held a high position in the government, Du still cared about common people. For example, in the poem My Cottage Unroofed by Autumn Gales, he wrote that “Could I get mansions covering ten thousand miles, Pel house all scholars poor and make them beam with smiles”.

“That is why he was honored as a Poet Sage(诗圣)by later generations. A difficult life and his spirit of concern about the world helped him create so many masterpieces, ” Shi Wenxue, a cultural critic based in Beijing, told the Global Times.

Without doubt, Du is a cultural symbol of ancient China, but his brilliant works and core spirits have also inspired people outside of China. As the documentary noted, his work represents a precious cultural heritage for the entire world, not just China.

1. What can we know about the documentary?

A．It introduces Shakespeare.

B．Du Fu is acted by Ian McKellen in it.

C．Its target audience is Chinese.

D．It shows 15 of Du Fu’s poems to the audience.

2. Why was Du Fu honored as a Poet Sage by later generations?

A．Because of his caring about common people.

B．Because of his poem My Cottage Unroofed by Autumn Gales.

C．Because of his low position in the government.

D．Because of his sentences of the poem.

3. What most inspired Du’s creation according to Shi Wenxue?

A．His work experience.

B．Hard life and his caring spirit.

C．The An Lushan Rebellion.

D．The Tang dynasty culture background.

4. In which column of a newspaper may this text appear?

A．Sports.

B．Health.

C．Literature.

D．Science.

【推荐2】Short and shy, Ben Sanders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports team. “Football, tennis, cricket—anything with a round ball, I was useless,” he says now with a laugh. But back then he was the object of jokes in school gym classes in England’s rural Devonshire.

It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him. At first the teen went biking alone in a nearby forest. Then he began to cycle along with a runner friend. Gradually, Sanders set his mind building up his body, increasing his speed, strength and endurance. At age 18, he ran his first marathon.

The following year, he met John Ridgway, who became famous in the 1960s for rowing an open boat across the Atlantic Ocean. Sanders was hired as an instructor at Ridgway’s school of Adventure in Scotland, where he learned about the older man’s brave and exciting cold-water travels. Intrigued, Sanders read all he could find about Arctic explorers and North Pole expeditions, and then decided that this would be his future.

Journeys to the Pole aren’t the usual holidays for British country boys, and many people thought of his dream as fantasy. John Ridgway was one of the few who didn’t say, “You are completely crazy.”

In 2001, after becoming a skilled skier, Sanders started his first long-distance expedition toward the North Pole. He suffered frostbite, had a close encounter with a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit. Sanders has since become the youngest person to ski alone to the North Pole, and he has skied more of the Arctic by himself than any other Briton. His old playmates would not believe the transformation.

This October, Sanders, 27, heads south to explore from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, an 1800-mile journey that has never been completed on skis.

1. The turning point in Sanders’ life came when __________.

A．he started to play ball games

B．he got a mountain bike at 15

C．he ran his first marathon at 18

D．he started to receive Ridgway’s training

2. What do we know about Ridgway?

A．He considered Sanders’ dream unrealistic.

B．He built up his body together with Sanders.

C．He hired Sanders for his cold-water travels to the Arctic.

D．He established his reputation by his voyage across the Atlantic.

3. The underlined word “Intrigued” in Paragraph 3 probably means __________.

A．Fascinated

B．Grateful

C．Frightened

D．Pleased

4. According to the passage, Sanders’ journey to the North Pole __________.

A．made him well-known in the 1960s

B．was favored by other Artic explorers

C．was accompanied by his old playmates

D．set a record in the North Pole expedition

【推荐3】In a society such as the United States or Canada, which has many national, religious and cultural differences, people highly value individualism--the differences among people. Teachers place a lot of importance on the qualities that make each student special. The educational systems in these countries show these values. Students do not memorize all possible basic knowledge. Instead, they work individually and find answers by themselves.There is often discussion in the classroom. At an early age, students learn to form their own ideas and opinions.
In most Asia societies, by contrast, the people have the same language, history and culture. Perhaps for this reason, the educational system in much of the orient reflects society’s belief in group goals and purposes rather than individualism. Children in China, Japan and Korea often work together and help one another on assignments.
There are advantages and disadvantages of both systems of education. For example, one advantage of the system in Japan is that students there learn much more about math, physics, biology and chemistry than American students by the end of high school. They also study more hours each day and more days each year than North Americans do. The system is difficult, but it prepares students for a society that values discipline and self-control. There is, however, a disadvantage. Memorization is an important learning method in Japanese schools, yet many students say that after an exam, they forget much of the information that they have memorized.
The advantage of the educational system in North America, on the other hand, is that students learn to think for themselves. The system prepares them for a society that values creative ideas. There is, however, a disadvantage. When students graduate from school, they haven’t memorized as many basic rules and facts as students in other countries have.
1. The writer’s purpose of writing this passage is      .

A．to share his idea with others in a new way

B．to introduce two different systems of education through contrast

C．to criticize the society that values memorization

D．to prepare students for society

2. Which is NOT true according to the passage?

A．The system of education in the West is more creative than that in the East

B．Japanese students learn much more about science than American students.

C．Canadian students are more individual than Korean students.

D．Students in North America are not so friendly as those in Asia.

3. From the facts, we can infer that            .

A．Asian students are more likely to do better in teamwork than American students

B．Chinese students are more hard-working in their studies than Mexican students

C．the Western educational system is much better than the Eastern educational system.

D．the Eastern educational system is as difficult as the Western educational system.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Advantages and Disadvantages of Educational System.

B．The Value of Individualism.

C．Educational System-an Obvious Difference between the East and the West.

D．Memorization-an Important Learning Method.

【推荐1】Specialists say it is not easy to get used to life in a new culture. “Culture shock” is the term these specialists use when talking about the feelings that people have in a new environment. There are three stages of culture shock, say the specialists. In the first stage, the newcomers like their new environment. Then, when the fresh experience dies, they begin to hate the city, the country, the people, and everything else. In the last stage, the newcomers begin to adjust to their surroundings and, as a result, enjoy their life more.

There are some obvious factors in culture shock. The weather may be unpleasant. The customs may be different. The public service systems—the telephones, post office, or transportation—may be difficult to work out. The simplest things seem to be big problems. The language may be difficult.

     Who feels culture shock? Everyone does in this way or that. But culture shock surprises most people. Very often the people having the worst culture shock are those who never had any difficulties in their own community. Coming to a new country, these people find they do not have the same established positions. They find themselves without any identity. They have to build a new self-image.
     Culture shock gives rise to a feeling of disorientation (迷失方向). This feeling may be homesickness. When homesick, people feel like staying inside all the time. They want to protect themselves from the strange environment, and create an escape inside their room for a sense of security. This escape does solve the problem of culture shock for the short term, but it does nothing to make the person familiar with the culture. Getting to know the new environment and gaining experience — these are the long-term solutions to the problem of culture shock.
1. When people move to a new country, they _______.

A．will get used to their new surroundings with difficulty

B．have well prepared for the new surroundings

C．will get used to the culture of the country quickly

D．will never be familiar with the culture of the country

2. According to the passage, factors that give rise to culture shock include all of the following except __________.

A．language communication	B．weather conditions and customs
C．public service systems	D．homesickness

3. According to the passage, the more successful you are at home, _______.

A．the fewer difficulties you may have abroad

B．the more difficulties you may have abroad

C．the more money you will earn abroad

D．the less homesick you may feel abroad

4. When people are homesick, they tend to ______.

A．find some people to talk to	B．go outside to have a walk
C．visit their friends far away	D．stay indoors all the time

5. The writer tells us that the best way to overcome culture shock is to ______.

A．protect ourselves from unfamiliar environment

B．develop a strange sense of self-protection

C．get familiar with new culture

D．return to our own country

【推荐2】Traveling abroad is becoming increasingly popular these years. Some people are afraid of making linguistic (语言的) mistakes while traveling. Actually, cultural mistakes may be more serious, which can lead to serious misunderstanding.     1     .

●Touching Someone

    2     In Mediterranean countries, if you don’t touch someone’s arm when talking to him or if you don’t greet him with kisses or a warm hug, you’ll be considered cold. However, if you backslap (拍背) someone who isn’t a family member or a good friend in Korea, you’ll make him uncomfortable.

In Thailand, the head is considered sacred — never even pat a child on the head.

●Talking over Dinner

In some countries, like China, Japan and some African nations, food is important, so don’t start chatting about your day’s adventures while everyone else is digging into dinner.     3     It’s not because your group is unfriendly, but because mealtimes are for eating, not talking.

●Removing Your Shoes or Not

Take off your shoes when arriving at the door of a London dinner party and the hostess will find you rude, but fail to remove your shoes before entering a home in Asia, Hawaii, or the Pacific Islands and you’ll be considered disrespectful. So, if you see a row of shoes at the door, start undoing your shoelaces.     4    .

Once you are on the ground of a different country, remain highly sensitive to native behavior.     5     And don’t feel offended if something seems offensive — like queue-jumping. After all, this is a global village, and we are all very different.

A．If not, keep the shoes on.

B．You’ll be likely to meet with no response.

C．Never be completely surprised by anything.

D．Personal spaces are different among countries.

E．As the saying goes, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

F．Watch out for the following cultural mistakes and try to avoid them.

G．The linguistic mistake means that someone is not fully expressing his idea.

【推荐3】Getting married can be one of the happiest moments in a person's life. Across the globe, weddings are very important events. Let's look at some interesting wedding customs from different countries.

For African Americans, it is a tradition for the married couple to jump over a broom covered with flowers. This represents the beginning of family life. It is interesting to note that African slaves who were brought to the USA started this tradition. African-American couples were not allowed to have a legal marriage, so instead they had a ceremony (仪式) where the bride (新娘) and groom (新郎) jumped over a broom 'into marriage'. Today, some African-American weddings still include the old tradition of 'jumping the broom'.

Making jokes about the bride and groom is a wedding tradition in both France and Germany. In France, this includes making loud noises with pots; in Germany, wedding guests break dishes. Weddings in Germany often last three days. On Thursday, there is a simple ceremony at a government office noting the official marriage of the couple. Then the couple will have a dinner with family and close friends. On Friday there is a party. This is when guests break dishes to represent the start of a new life. Then on Saturday, there is a ceremony in a church, followed by another party when the bride and groom celebrate the wedding with friends and relatives again.

In Greece, couples tie a doll to their wedding car if they want to have a daughter, or a toy bear if they want to have a son.

The USA also has some interesting wedding customs. The bride usually carries flowers during the wedding ceremony. After the ceremony, the single women get together and the bride throws the flowers. The woman who catches the flowers is supposed to be the next person to get married.

In England, it is a tradition for little girls to throw flowers on the ground on the way to the wedding ceremony. The bride and groom walk on the flowers. This represents the hope that the couple will follow the path that leads to a happy life.

1. What is the article mainly about?

A．Weddings and their origins.	B．Funny stories to do with weddings.
C．Different wedding customs.	D．Special weddings across the globe.

2. African-American weddings have much to do with the ________.

A．wealth

B．history

C．location

D．religion

3. How do you find people's attitude to marriages in Germany?

A．Doubtful.

B．Reserved.

C．Serious.

D．Negative.

4. A single woman longing for a marriage will probably choose to attend ________.

A．Greek weddings	B．German weddings
C．British weddings	D．American weddings

5. What do all the wedding customs have in common?

A．Loud noises.	B．Good wishes.
C．New brooms.	D．Teddy bears.