1 . As one of the most­watched programs in China, the CCTV Spring Festival Gala has been an integral part of the Chinese New Year celebrations. From the television era to the digital age, people's expectations always run high for the event.

Having a big family dinner with relatives on the eve is a must for New Year celebrations for almost every family. The annual Spring Festival Gala usually lasts over four hours, just in time when the Chinese people gather to have their festive dinner. Featuring musicals, dances, comic skits and dramas, the gala is aimed at entertaining viewers of all ages.

This year, more than 621.4 million people in China and another 24.8 million overseas watched the show on television, while a number of viewers—527 million—watched it on new media platforms: apps, websites, video­streaming sites and social media.

The first CCTV Spring Festival Gala was live broadcast via television on February 12, 1983. However, not all Chinese people had a chance to watch the show at home as nearly 80 percent of families did not possess their own TV set. In 1983, the director of the CCTV Spring Festival Gala set four telephones backstage so viewers could ask the actors to perform the requested items. As the on­demand calls were so popular, the lines would literally be overheated, causing staff members to stand by with a fire extinguisher ready to put out any possible fire.

The gala traditionally concludes with the song “Can't Forget Tonight”. The song has been performed for 23 times over the past 36 years. Its original performer Li Guyi has also held a record of singing the most songs during a gala. In 1983, she sang a total of seven songs.

Cheung Ming­man was the first singer from Hong Kong to perform at the CCTV Spring Festival Gala. He sang a patriotic song, “My Chinese Heart,” in 1984 and won millions of hearts, especially those who were living abroad.

The longest running performance in the history of the gala is called “Time”. In 2016, Yang Caiqi performed on stage for four hours until the New Year's bell rang.

1. How many people watched the 2019 CCTV Spring Festival Gala?

A．About 1,148 million.	B．About 646 million.
C．About 1,173 million.	D．About 552 million.

2. What can we learn from the passage?

A．“Time” lasted over four hours in the gala of 2016.

B．Cheung Ming­man sang a patriotic song in the first gala.

C．The song “Can't Forget Tonight” is performed annually in the gala.

D．Backstage staff of the first gala kept cautious in case the telephone lines caught fire.

3. What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To share some facts about the gala.

B．To look back on the past of the gala.

C．To attract more viewers to watch the show.

D．To promote the traditional Chinese festival.

2 . At the beginning of the 20th century there were more than a million lions worldwide. Today there are less than 30,000 in the wild. The remaining lions are increasingly threatened by habitat loss, hunting activities to protect farms and cattle.

For generations, Masai tribesmen on the large African plains in southeastern Kenya have hunted lions-to protect their farms and cattle. Today they celebrate the lions’ life. Noah is an elder in the Masai community. “We have decided as a community of the Masai to lay down our spears, and there will be no more killing of lions in our community.” He is part of a group of Masai visiting the United States promoting (推广) the Predator (捕食性动物) Compensation Program.

Conservation International’s Frank Hawkins explains，“The Masai have been living with wildlife for many generations and it has been a conflicting relationship in many ways. They compete with the animals for food as lions eat their cattle. We’re trying to find ways in which the wildlife will become something useful to them.” They had the Predator Compensation Fund founded in 2003. After much discussion, a group of Masai farmers agreed to protect lions. In turn, if lions or other predators kill their cattle, the Masai owner will be paid market value for the dead animals from the fund.

One man said that in the past, when a lion killed cattle, they killed it on the spot. And now, after the start of the program, the Masai see the lion population growing. Since 2003. only four lions have been killed here.

1. What is this passage mainly about?

A．The wildlife in the world.

B．Lions and the Masai.

C．The reason why lions are killed.

D．The living ways of the Masai.

2. What is the aim of the Predator Compensation Program?

A．To protect people in the wild.

B．To help the Masai protect their farms and cattle.

C．To protect lions only.

D．To protect the wildlife.

3. Masai tribesmen killed lions before 2003 ______.

A．because lions were dangerous for people there.

B．because dead lions were worth a lot of money.

C．because they wanted lions’ meat.

D．because they wanted to protect their farms and cattle.

4. What do you think of the Masai?

A．Reasonable.

B．Cruel.

C．Poor.

D．Stupid.

3 . People have strange ideas about food. For example, tomato is a kind of very delicious vegetable. It is one of useful plants that can be prepared in many ways. It has rich nutrition and vitamin in it. But in the 18th century, Americans never ate tomatoes. They grew them in their gardens because tomato plants are so pretty. But they thought the vegetable was poisonous. They called tomatoes “poison apples”.

President Thomas Jefferson, however, know that tomatoes were good to eat. He was a learned man. He had been to Paris, where he learned to love the taste of tomatoes. He grew many kinds of tomatoes in his garden. The President taught his cook a way for a cream of tomato soup. This beautiful pink soup was served at the President party. The guests thought the soup tasted really good. They never thought their president would serve his honoured guests poison apples. Jefferson never spoke to his honoured guests about the fact.
1. What do we know about tomato?

A．It is a kind of poisonous fruit

B．It id a kind of poisonous vegetable

C．It is a kind of tasty fruit.

D．It is a kind of tasty vegetable.

2. Jefferson learned that tomatoes were good to eat ________.

A．while he was in Paris	B．when he was a little boy
C．because his parents told him so	D．from books

3. What do we know about all the honoured guests invited by Jefferson?

A．They were people from other countries.	B．They were from France.
C．They were people of his own country.	D．They were men only.

4 . “Every child has a great curiosity about something they love,” said Carolyn King, a doctor in Grand Rapids, Michigan. King, who once studied at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, is the co-founder of a yearly event called Reach Out to Youth (ROTY).

Wayne State has held the event since 1989, which lets kids ages 7 to 11 experience science and medicine in a fun way.

“We’re here to help identify future scientists and future physicians,” said Richard Baker, director of Medical Education at Wayne State.

Diamond Moore, a medical student and the leading organizer of ROTY, planned a special but interesting day for attendees. Exhibits included a room where you could see a brain, heart, and some other parts of our body, and a room where you could test your reflexes (反射动作). Wayne State teachers and medical students, including Moore, shared their knowledge of medical science with kids.

“This program wants kids to learn about science, arts, and the health care system,” Moore said, “so that hopefully, they’ll become interested in medicine.”

Some of the students were excited about the chance to tour the exhibits and learn more about medicine-related jobs. “A doctor would be a cool job,” said first-time attendee Desiree Anders, 9.

Jeremiah Tower, an 11-year-old from Detroit, said that learning about “science and things about the body” was what the program was all about. Still, he wasn’t excited about having to get up early on a Saturday morning.

This year’s theme (主题) was “Play It Safe: Brain Safety.” After seeing what a brain looks like up close, young attendees learned about the danger of concussions (脑震荡). A fun test was given about brain safety so that kids could see how much they had learned.

About 350 kids take part in the program each year. It’s a great way to get an idea of what it feels like to be a doctor.

1. What can we learn about ROTY?

A．It is open to kids of all ages.

B．It educates kids in a fun way.

C．It is held on a Saturday afternoon.

D．It helps kids learn more about others.

2. Which can take the place of the underlined word “identify” in Paragraph 3?

A．Care for.

B．Look for.

C．Pick up.

D．Cheer up.

3. How did Desiree Anders feel about medical science?

A．She felt a bit worried about it.

B．She thought it was hard to learn.

C．She showed an interest in it.

D．She believed it would have a bright future.

5 . Four interesting festivals :

Grand Old Days:

Phone numeber: (651) 699-0029          E-mail address: fo@grandave.com

Grand Old Days is one of the Midwest’s largest one-day festivals. It’s held every year on the first Sunday in June. It starts at 7:45 am until 5:00 pm. You should pay $8 for a ticket to enter the live music festival gardens and you must be at least 21 years old. There are a lot of interesting activities for the whole family.

Uptown Art Fair:

Phone numeber: (612) 823-4581     E-mail address: info@uptownminneapolis.com

There is a wide variety of artwork you can buy from only a few dollars to thousands of dollars. There are also activities held by some artists. Uptown Art Fair starts on August 5th and ends on August 7th. It is free to attend. The opening time and closing time are Friday 11 am-8 pm, Saturday 10 am-8 pm, and Sunday 10 am-6 pm.

Minnesota State Fair:

Phone numeber: (651) 288-4400       E-mail address: fairinfo@mnstatefair.org

It is one of the most popular fairs in Minnesota. It starts on August 25th and goes through Labor Day on September 5th. Tickets for adults (aged 13-64) are $11, seniors (aged 65 and older) $9, kids (aged 5-12) $8 and children under 5 are free of charge. It opens at 6 am and closes at midnight. The State Fair has lots of fun activities, bands, games, and rides.

Nativity County Fair:

Phone numeber: (651) 696-5401       E-mail address: info@nativitycountyfair.com

The Nativity County Fair is a kid’s fair, but it has some fun things for adults as well. You can buy tickets for the rides and games, and the price depends on how many tickets you want to buy. It starts from September 16th to September 18th.

1. Which of the following lasts the longest?

A．Grand Old Days.

B．Minnesota State Fair.

C．Uptown Art Fair.

D．Nativity County Fair.

2. How much should a couple with their 4-year-old son pay to attend the Minnesota State Fair?

A．17 dollars.

B．19 dollars.

C．22 dollars.

D．30 dollars.

3. The author’s main purpose in writing this passage is to           .

A．advertise some popular festivals.

B．introduce some festival activities.

C．give advice on kids’ festival safety.

D．compare the costs of different festivals.

4. Where can you probably find the passage?

A．In a museum guide.

B．In a business report.

C．In a book review.

D．On a tourist website.

6 . Splash (落水声)! Did you hear that? Can you guess what it is? Can you figure it out? If you guessed the ocean, then you’re correct! I believe that my organization, Reef Check, is the most worthy of receiving the Chocolate Heart money. Do you want to know why? Well, soon you’ll find out.

First of all, Reef Check needs the money to repair and clean coral reefs (珊瑚礁) which are home to millions of sea animals. Reef Check hopes to educate the public about the value of reef ecosystems (生态系统) and the danger that sea animals and plants are facing. Based in Los Angeles, Reef Check has volunteer teams in more than 90 countries, making community volunteers, businesses, universities, and other non-profit organizations work together. It works to create a worldwide network of volunteer teams trained in Reef Check’s scientific methods that survey coral and rocky reefs and report on reef health. Also, Reef Check takes action to protect remaining ancient reefs and repair reefs in danger worldwide.

For example, imagine you are a poor sea animal, whose home just got destroyed or wasn’t clean. What would you do? What could you do? Nothing much, really. But that’s exactly Reef Check’s job! To clean and protect these homes for many sea animals!

Furthermore, in 1997, Reef Check carried out the first-ever survey of coral reef health that provided scientific evidence that our coral reefs were in danger because of overfishing, illegal fishing, and pollution. The results surprised many biologists who had not realized the seriousness of human influence on reefs. In August 2002, Reef Check presented its report, The Global Coral Reef Crisis - Trends and Solutions, at the World Summit in South Africa. The report warned that there was no reef in the world that remained untouched by human influence, such as overfishing, pollution, and climate change.

In short, everyone should have a home including animals from the sea. So don’t leave them out! Be generous and give them a home!

1. What do we know about Reef Check?

A．It is a team of scientists.

B．It mainly studies sea animals.

C．It is a non-profit organization.

D．It is run by the US government.

2. Why does the author ask those questions in Paragraph 3?

A．To show the role of Reef Check.

B．To show the importance of reefs.

C．To show how poor sea animals are.

D．To show the seriousness of sea pollution.

3. What did the survey made by Reef Check in the 1990s find?

A．Reefs would die out in the near future.

B．Humans and reefs depended on each other.

C．Overfishing influenced the oceans seriously.

D．Reefs were at risk because of human activities.

4. What’s the main purpose of the text?

A．To describe what Reef Check is.

B．To introduce a dangerous but important job.

C．To explain why Reef Check needs support.

D．To educate the public to care for the environment.

7 . Tea drinking was common in China for nearly one thousand years before anyone in Europe had ever heard about tea. People in Britain were much slower in finding out what tea was like, mainly because tea was very expensive. It could not be bought in shops and even those people who could afford to have it sent from Holland did so only because it was a fashionable curiosity. Some of them were not sure how to use it. They thought it was a vegetable and tried cooking the leaves. Then they served them mixed with butter and salt. They soon discovered their mistake but many people used to spread the used tea leaves on bread and give them to their children as sandwiches.

Tea remained rare and very expensive in England until the ships of the East India Company began to bring it direct from China early in the seventeenth century. During the next few years so much tea came into the country that the price fell and many people could afford to buy it.

At the same time people on the Continent were becoming more and more fond of tea. Until then tea had been drunk without milk in it, but one day a famous French lady named Madame de Sevigne decided to see what tea tasted like when milk was added. She found it so pleasant that she would never again drink it without milk. Because she was such a great lady her friends thought they must copy everything she did, so they also drank their tea with milk in it. Slowly this habit spread until it reached England and today only very few Britons drink tea without milk.

At first, tea was usually drunk after dinner in the evening. No one ever thought of drinking tea in the afternoon until a duchess found that a cup of tea and a piece of cake at three or four o'clock stopped her getting “a sinking feeling” as she called it. She invited her friends to have this new meal with her, and so tea-time was born.

1. Which of the following is true of the introduction of tea into Britain?

A．The Britons got expensive tea from India.

B．Tea reached Britain from Holland.

C．The Britons were the first people in Europe who drank tea.

D．It was not until the 17th century that the Britons had tea.

2. What does this passage mainly discuss?

A．How tea-time was born in Holland.

B．The history of tea drinking in Britain.

C．How tea became a popular drink in France.

D．How the Britons got the habit of drinking afternoon tea.

3. When did tea become a popular drink in Britain?

A．In the eighteenth century.	B．In the sixteenth century.
C．In the seventeenth century.	D．In the late seventeenth century.

4. Why did people in Europe begin to drink tea with milk?

A．It tasted like milk.

B．It was good for health.

C．It became a popular drink.

D．They tried to copy the way Madame de Sevigne drank tea.

8 . While some customs like setting off fireworks and counting down the last few seconds seem universal, many countries have their own unique New Year’s Eve traditions.

Denmark: Break plates

A Danish tradition is to throw plates and dishes against friend’s and neighbor’s front doors. It’s a bit of a popularity contest as the bigger the pile of broken china is the next morning, the more friends and good luck you’ll have in the coming year.

Germany: Pouring lead

In Germany, people melt small pieces of lead in a spoon over a candle, then pour the liquid into cold water. The shapes from the lead pouring are supposed to reveal what the year ahead will bring. If the lead forms a ball, luck will roll one’s way, while the shape of a crown means wealth; a cross means death and a star will bring happiness.

Spain: Twelve grapes of luck

In Spain, one New Year’s tradition is to eat 12 grapes, one for each month of the coming year, to secure prosperity (繁荣). You need to eat one grape with each bell strike at midnight. The tradition dates from 1909 when farmers in Alicante came up with this idea to sell more grapes after an exceptional harvest.

Philippines: Round food, round clothes, round everything

In the Philippines, the start of the new year is all about the money. The locals believe that surrounding themselves with round things (to represent coins) will bring money or fortune. As a result, clothes with dots are worn and round food is eaten.

1. What is believed to bring good luck for the coming new year in Denmark?

A．A red candle.

B．Round food.

C．Broken china.

D．A lead cross.

2. What inspired the New Year’s tradition of eating grapes?

A．A way to make coins.	B．An act to keep power.
C．A desire to be popular.	D．An idea to gain profit.

3. Which section of a magazine is the text probably taken from?

A．Fashion.

B．Travel.

C．Culture.

D．Entertainment.

9 . "Confidence" is probably one of the most noticeable quality in the Americans. They show confidence in the way they talk, the way they smile, the way they dress and the way they walk. Living and competing with all these confident American students, I find it extremely important to be confident as an international student and teacher. As a student, being confident means you should dare to raise your hand whenever a question or a point comes to your mind. Don't mind if it sounds simple or silly. Otherwise you will never get a chance to speak in class at all. What's worse, the professors may think you are not prepared for the discussion or you do not have your own opinion on the topic — this is the last comment any gradate would not like to receive.

Being confident for me as a foreign teacher means calmly asking the student to repeat what he or she has said if I did not get it. Pretending to understand what you actually did not may just bring yourself uneasiness or even shame. But the time I most need to be confide is when my students come to my office and bargain about the grades I have given for their speeches (The course I'm teaching here is Public Speaking.) Modesty is a quality highly valued in China, but it won't be of much help here if you want to survive and succeed in a good American graduate program.

1. What should we do most if we want to compete with American students?

A．Be quite confident.	B．Be polite and friendly.
C．Have more discussions.	D．Know what they think about.

2. A professor will have the worst opinion of a student who         .

A．gives a silly or simple answer	B．tries to seize any chance to speak in class
C．shows no interest in the	D．is considered to have no opinion of his own

3. The author is most likely to feel uneasiness if         .

A．he asks a student to repeat what he has said	B．the students bargain with him
C．he pretends to know what he doesn't	D．he has to give a speech

10 . Smokers who give up smoking and live on a diet high in tomatoes and fruits, especially apples, have better chances of repairing their lung function harmed by smoking, a new study finds. The study, published in the December issue of the European Respiratory Journal, said former smokers who ate more tomatoes and fresh fruits regularly saw a slower natural drop in lung function over a 10-year period.

According to the study, conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, adults who on average ate more than two tomatoes or more than three portions of fresh fruits a day had a slower drop in lung function, compared to those who ate less than one tomato or less than one portion of fruits every day.

Lung function starts to drop at around age 30 and poor lung function is related to higher risks of death from all diseases, including heart disease and lung cancer. “A diet rich in fruits can soy down the lung's natural aging process even if you have never smoked,” said Vanessa Garcia Larsen, the study's lead author, who is also an Assistant Professor in Human Nutrition at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Larsen and her team examined diets and lung function of more than 650 adults from Germany. Norway and Britain in 2002 and performed lung function tests on the same group of participants 10 years later. The researchers found a more eye-catching connection between diets and lung function among former smokers, who had a slower drop over the 10-year period because their diets were highly rich in tomatoes and fruits.

Such result suggests that the nutrients（营养物）in their diets are good for repairing the harm to the lung done by smoking.

1. What`s the effect of tomatoes and fruits on former smokers?

A．They help smokers repair their lung function.

B．They slow down the aging process little by little.

C．They greatly reduce the risk of serious lung diseases.

D．They make smokers less worried about their health.

2. What risk is a 35-year-old man of poor lung function likely to have?

A．The acceleration（加速）of the lung's aging process.

B．The heavy dependence on smoking cigarettes.

C．The danger of dying from serious diseases.

D．The faster natural drop in lung function.

3. Why were lung function tests performed on the same group 10 years later?

A．To examine if the participants develop the disease.

B．To make the readers believe the result of the study.

C．To see clear signs of a quick drop in lung function.

D．To see changes in lung function of the same person.

4. What's the main purpose of the text?

A．To introduce two kinds of fruits.

B．To describe some research work.

C．To tell people the result of a study.

D．To explain the effect of smoking on people.