1 . Accompanied by the rhythmic sound of bamboo strips (竹板), Yang Ziqi, 17, from Xi’an Qujiang No l High School, listens to interesting stories in the Shaanxi dialect. The stories range in subject greatly from the story of the Monkey King to instructions on garbage sorting.

“Shaanxi kuaiban is amazing. It can not only bring you great joy, but also broaden your horizons” said Yang. Shaanxi kuaiban is a traditional Chinese form of storytelling in the Shaanxi dialect to the rhythm of bamboo clappers. In June, it was recognized as an intangible cultural heritage at the national level. It can be performed by a group or solo. The art form can be traced back to the late Qing Dynasty (1644 — 1911). According to its performers, the art was originally used by farmers to share their knowledge and earn money. But now, more people perform Shaanxi kuaiban on different occasions-for example, at festival celebrations, parties and art shows.

Yang Jinlong, 45, is an experienced Shaanxi kuaiban artist. He first learned the art at the age of 9. Before that, he often went with his father, an amateur performer, to watch kuaiban performances.

“As a young boy, I was attracted to the art form because many of the stories are about heroes. The performer tells stories while playing kuaiban, and it’s easy for the audience to remember the stories since all the lines rhyme,” Yang said. He has practiced Shaanxi kuaiban for more than 30 years. Since 2003, he has been teaching the art form to young people. At 9 am on weekdays, he drives to primary and middle schools in Xi’an and teaches students about Shaanxi kuaiban until about 6 pm. Then, he returns home to prepare classes for the next day. On the weekends, he teaches for six hours each day at art education institutions in Xi’an.

Yang has made some adaptations to the art form to relate more to students. When he tells modern stories, Yang abandons the traditional gown and wears a suit. He also integrates many pop elements like tap dance, ballet, jazz dance and the rhythm of popular music into kuaiban performances. His stories focus on more trendy topics, like stories of heroes who have worked to alleviate poverty (扶贫), as well as the Chinese Olympic team.

“Art education is important for students in China. Just as many students learn to play Western musical instruments like the piano and violin, there are many people learning traditional Chinese folk arts, including Shaanxi kuaiban. They are committed and passionate,” Yang said.

1. What do we know about Shaanxi kuaiban?

A．It dates back to the late Ming Dynasty.

B．People perform it in Shaanxi dialect.

C．It was originally used by teachers for teaching.

D．It focuses on Chinese ancient literature.

2. Why was Yang Jin long fascinated by Shaanxi kuaiban as a child?

A．Because all the lines rhyme.	B．Because he liked stories about heroes.
C．Because it was away to earn money.	D．Because he wanted to be like his father.

3. What did Yang Jin long do to promote Shaanxi kuaiban?

A．He wore local clothes of Shaanxi.

B．He told stories about superheroes.

C．He added pop elements to performances.

D．He performed Shaanxi kuaiban in We stem countries.

4. Which of the following best describes Yang Jin long?

A．Talented and modest.	B．Patient and capable.
C．Determined and creative.	D．Humorous and responsible.

4 . If humans were truly at home under the light of the moon and stars, we would go in darkness happily, the midnight world as visible to us as it is to the vast number of nocturnal (夜间活动) species on this planet. Instead, we are diurnal creatures, with eyes adapted to living in the sun’s light. This is a basic evolutionary fact, even though most of us don’t think of ourselves as diurnal beings. Yet it’s the only way to explain what we’ve done to the night: We’ve engineered it to receive us by filling it with light.

The benefits of this kind of engineering come with consequences — called light pollution — whose effects scientists are only now beginning to study. Light pollution is largely the result of bad lighting design, which allows artificial light to shine outward and upward into the sky. Ill-designed lighting washes out the darkness of night and completely changes the light levels — and light rhythms — to which many forms of life, including ourselves, have adapted. Wherever human light spills into the natural world, some aspect of life is affected.

In most cities the sky looks as though it has been emptied of stars, leaving behind a vacant haze (霾) that mirrors our fear of the dark. We’ve grown so used to this orange haze that the original glory of an unlit night — dark enough for the planet Venus to throw shadows on Earth — is wholly beyond our experience, beyond memory almost.

We’ve lit up the night as if it were an unoccupied country, when nothing could be further from the truth. Among mammals alone, the number of nocturnal species is astonishing. Light is a powerful biological force, and on many species it acts as a magnet. The effect is so powerful that scientists speak of songbirds and seabirds being “captured” by searchlights on land or by the light from gas flares on marine oil platforms. Migrating at night, birds tend to collide with brightly lit tall buildings.

Frogs living near brightly lit highways suffer nocturnal light levels that are as much as a million times brighter than normal, throwing nearly every aspect of their behavior out of joint, including their nighttime breeding choruses. Humans are no less trapped by light pollution than the frogs. Like most other creatures, we do need darkness. Darkness is as essential to our biological welfare, to our internal clockwork, as light itself.

Living in a glare of our own making, we have cut ourselves off from our evolutionary and cultural heritage — the light of the stars and the rhythms of day and night. In a very real sense, light pollution causes us to lose sight of our true place in the universe, to forget the scale of our being, which is best measured against the dimensions of a deep night with the Milky Way — the edge of our galaxy — arching overhead.

1. According to the passage, human beings         .

A．prefer to live in the darkness

B．are used to living in the day light

C．were curious about the midnight world

D．had to stay at home with the light of the moon

2. What does the underlined word “it” (Paragraph 1) most probably refer to?

A．The night.

B．The moon.

C．The sky.

D．The planet.

3. The writer mentions birds and frogs to         .

A．provide examples of animal protection.

B．show how light pollution affects animals.

C．compare the living habits of both species.

D．explain why the number of certain species has declined.

4. What might be the best title for the passage?

A．The Magic Light.	B．The Orange Haze.
C．The Disappearing Night.	D．The Rhythms of Nature.

5 . Recent the news a school in Ganzhou, Jiangxi, serves pre-made meals to its students have sparked heated discussions across the country. People doubt if pre-made meals, despite being convenient, are healthy and nutritious enough for growing teenagers.

Pre-made meals refer to half-finished or finished dishes that are already cooked or prepared, according to the China Cuisine Association. There are several types of pre-made foods, including ready-to-eat food, such as canned food or cooked food in packages, and ready-to-heat or ready-to-cook food, which requires heating or cooking before being served.

Many people tend to think that ready-to-heat and ready-to-cook foods are less nutritious because they usually need to be kept in refrigerators. “Actually freezing does not cause a loss of nutrients,” Liu Junya, a 33-year-old dietitian in Beijing said. “Nutrient loss typically occurs during the heating or frying process.”

Vitamins from the B group and vitamin C found in meat and vegetables are heat-sensitive and can be lost during the process. By being heated or cooked twice or more, “pre-made foods can be less nutritious than freshly prepared and cooked foods,” Liu said.

Meanwhile, “many pre-made food companies prioritize taste over nutrition,” said Liu. This leads to higher levels of salt and sugar in the food, which may lead to health problems, such as high blood pressure in the long term.

Additives (添加剂) are also a major concern related to pre-made food. In China, there are strict standards for food additives. Currently, China’s food industry has well-developed techniques to preserve pre-made food without the excessive use of additives. Some food can be sterilized (消毒) and then sealed (密封) after cooking, followed by low-temperature storage, allowing for a longer shelf life. However, it’s essential that customers buy pre-made meals from qualified food companies or supermarkets.

It is hoped that regulations on pre-made meals can be strengthened to better ensure nutrition and hygiene (卫生). This way, “pre-made meals will be more accepted by the public,” Liu said.

1. What can we learn about pre-made meals from the article?

A．They are typically costly and flavorful.	B．They are rich in a large numbe of vitamins.
C．They taste better than homemade food.	D．They are already partially or fully cooked.

2. According to Liu Junya, when does nutrient loss typically occur in pre-made foods?

A．During freezing.

B．During cooking.

C．During packaging.

D．During sales.

3. What is one of the key recommendations for consumers regarding pre-made meals?

A．Buy from reliable sources.	B．Check the cooking instructions.
C．Keep pre-made meals frozen.	D．Pay attention to the additives used.

4. What does Liu Junya think of pre-made meals?

A．They are a convenient choice for all.	B．They are suitable for daily life.
C．They can be nutritious if properly regulated.	D．They are best avoided for long-term health.

6 . Yesterday was Mother’s Day. Unfortunately, my mother was not among the many happy mothers, as I couldn’t visit her this year. I made a________on the phone that I would go to see her as soon as possible. 

My mother always says that kids don’t need to________a national day to say they love their mums. However, I remember one year I________calling her on that very day, and the next morning she rang up to complain about it. 

If you________Thailand, you could hear the sentimental (伤感的) songs about mothers’ greatest love playing in public places a week before the holiday. Schools, especially, take this day very________. Back in my teenage years, I ________ there was once a Mother’s Day singing competition and my friend represented the school. She was so emotional while singing the famous song on Mother’s Day________ “Kah Nam Nom” that she almost didn’t finish the song. 

However, her deep connection to the song helped her to________third prize. After the contest, I asked her why she was so emotional________the song. She told me that while she was singing, suddenly she had the________that one day her mother would no longer be with her and every word in the song became heartbreaking. Every time I hear this song, it’s not my mother who________to my mind but a picture of my friend crying with a microphone in her hand. The image________vivid today. 

Last week, a colleague________an experience with me—every year on Mother’s Day, she has to attend a________ceremony at her daughter’s school. Every year the teachers invite mothers to the school for a big gathering in which students pay________with flower garlands (花环).

1.

A．remark

B．promise

C．practice

D．suggestion

2.

A．long for

B．turn to

C．wait for

D．refer to

3.

A．missed

B．tried

C．regretted

D．avoided

4.

A．visit

B．like

C．leave

D．hate

5.

A．strangely

B．carelessly

C．seriously

D．kindly

6.

A．remember

B．think

C．doubt

D．wonder

7.

A．called

B．designed

C．made

D．created

8.

A．assist

B．place

C．win

D．adopt

9.

A．in

B．except

C．besides

D．about

10.

A．duty

B．gift

C．idea

D．habit

11.

A．hits

B．comes

C．occurs

D．catches

12.

A．develops

B．controls

C．remains

D．increases

13.

A．compared

B．shared

C．provided

D．filled

14.

A．common

B．special

C．serious

D．rare

15.

A．respect

B．attention

C．satisfaction

D．manners

7 . Some of the world’s most famous musicians recently gathered in Paris and New Orleans to celebrate the first annual International Jazz Day. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) recently set April 30 as a day to raise awareness of jazz music, its significance, and its potential as a unifying (联合) voice across cultures.

Despite the celebrations, though, in the U.S. the jazz audience continues to shrink and grow older, and the music has failed to connect with younger generations.

It’s Jason Moran’s job to help change that. As the Kennedy Center’s artistic adviser for jazz, Moran hopes to widen the audience for jazz, make the music more accessible, and preserve its history and culture.

“Jazz seems like it’s not really a part of the American appetite,” Moran tells National Public Radio’s reporter Neal Conan. “What I’m hoping to accomplish is that my generation and younger start to reconsider and understand that jazz is not black and white anymore. It’s actually color, and it’s actually digital.”

Moran says one of the problems with jazz today is that the entertainment aspect of the music has been lost. “The music can’t be presented today the way it was in 1908 or 1958. It has to continue to move because the way the world works is not the same,” says Moran.

Last year, Moran worked on a project that arranged Fats Waller’s music for a dance party, “Just to kind of put it back in the mind that Waller is dance music as much as it is concert music,” says Moran. “For me, it’s the recontextualization. In music, where does the emotion lie? Are we, as humans, gaining any insight (感悟) on how to talk about ourselves and how something as abstract as a Charlie Parker’s record gets us into a dialogue about our emotions and our thoughts? Sometimes we lose sight that the music has a wider context,” says Moran, “so I want to continue those dialogues. Those are the things I want to foster.”

1. Why did UNESCO set April 30 as International Jazz Day?

A．To remember the birth of jazz.	B．To protect cultural diversity.
C．To encourage people to study music.	D．To recognize the value of jazz.

2. What does the underlined word “that” in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Jazz becoming more accessible.	B．The production of jazz growing faster.
C．Jazz being less popular with the young.	D．The jazz audience becoming larger.

3. What can we infer about Moran’s opinion on jazz?

A．It will disappear gradually.	B．It remains black and white.
C．It should keep up with the times.	D．It changes every 50 years.

4. Where can we read this passage?

A．In a newspaper.	B．In a travel guide.
C．In a math textbook.	D．In a fiction novel.