1 . One of the most recognizable symbols of Scotland is the kilt (百褶裙). Resembling knee-length skirts, kilts originated in the 16th century as a common form of clothing for men and boys living in an area of northern Scotland known as the Scottish Highlands. A special feature of kilts, even to this day, is the plaid (格子呢) patterns. These patterns were historically related to specific clans, which are family groups that share a relationship through ancestry or some other connections. Known as tartans (方格花纹), the plaid patterns are of various colors. Because of their popularity in the Scottish Highlands, the wearing of kilts and any tartan pattern in general was banned from 1746 to 1782 to try to control clans from that region that were opposed to the king at the time. After clans were no longer considered a threat to the king, the clothing ban was removed.
Although the removal of the ban meant people could once again wear kilts with their clan’s tartan, they did not become the regular dress of males there. Instead, they came to represent a traditional form of clothing, and be symbolic of national pride. Tartans of all types can be seen on show all over the world on April 6, Tartan Day, when people of Scottish ancestry celebrate their cultural treasure. Tartan Day originated in Canada in the mid-1980s. It spread to other communities of the Scottish diaspora in the 1990s.
Nowadays, tartans have been specifically created for individuals, families, institutions, and companies. Perhaps the best-known example of a tartan used by a company is that of the British company Burberry. Burberry has used tartans on a variety of products, including scarves, handbags, clothing, and other accessories. Although in 2019, Burberry announced it would reduce the number of products it produced to focus more on handbags as a way to increase profits, their iconic tartan continues to be a symbol of high fashion.
1. In which aspect are kilts special?| A．People show respect for the king by wearing them. | B．They are of the same color in Scotland. |
| C．Plaid patterns are used in the kilts. | D．They are designed for adult men. |
| A．To celebrate a tradition. | B．To spread this culture to the world. |
| C．To honor the end of the ban on tartans. | D．To express tartans shouldn’t be ignored. |
| A．To prove the popularity of tartans. |
| B．To stress tartans’ wide range of daily uses. |
| C．To show the reduced number of tartan products. |
| D．To explain reasons for Burberry’s favoring tartans. |
| A．Popularity of Scottish Kilts | B．Special Scottish Clothing |
| C．History of Scottish Kilts | D．The Kilt and the Tartan |
2 . Each May since 1956 people from across Europe and around the world have gathered around their televisions with friends and family for an evening of international entertainment(娱乐)：The Eurovision Song Contest. It may well be a fun event but perhaps it’s not the shared celebration of European language that it could be. In the first ten years of Eurovision, the UK and Ireland were the only two countries to sing in English. Now English is what we expect. Is it that English is becoming, or has become the official language of music?
From high streets in Hungary to supermarkets in Sweden, from bus stops in Bulgaria to parks in Poland, people listen to English-language music everywhere. And people don't just listen, they sing it too! From sporting events in Spain to nightclubs in Norway, from concerts in Croatia to fitness classes in France, people sing along to popular songs in their everyday lives, in English. But why?
For one evening each year Eurovision is the dinner party of Europe. A dinner party to which each guest brings something special. Their clothing, tradition and food show their culture and their language shows the character of a nation. Although there are 50 nations with 83 languages, for Eurovision, English is the only language. Does Eurovision really represent Europe?
English is an international language spoken by over 1 billion people worldwide. It is no surprise that so many musicians make music in English. Of course, music makes money and more listeners make more money. According to Ragnar Thorhallsson, singer and guitarist with the Icelandic indie band (乐队)“Of Monsters and Men”, English is simpler and is easier to make rhythms(节奏). Could this be true?
Let’s remember that although English-language music is everywhere, music is not everything. As long as we continue to learn, to speak，to love, diversity(多样性)shall be valued. After all, what fun is a dinner party if the guests can’t communicate(交流) or express themselves in the way they choose?
1. What do we know about Eurovision?| A．Singers sing English songs. | B．It helps protect European cultures. |
| C．It is the most popular contest in the world. | D．Singers mainly come from the UK and Ireland. |
| A．By asking questions. | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By making comparisons. | D．By following the order of space. |
| A．It is easy and beautiful. | B．It should be used in all music. |
| C．It is the best language in the world. | D．It helps musicians make money easily. |
| A．Why we should protect language diversity. |
| B．How language and music affect each other. |
| C．Whether English is the official language of music. |
| D．Why Eurovision is becoming more and more popular. |
3 . Teaching materials for learning Chinese are provided here. There are sites where you may find interesting instructions suitable for you. Here are some sites to begin your surfing.
You may start with these pages from this website — just to get a little taste of it without working too hard.
● A Is For Love
Flash cards for learning a few Chinese words
● Listening to the sound of Chinese
Play a few words of Chinese on your computer.
● A few Chinese words
Each word is enlarged for easy study.
If you are studying Chinese, these tools can help.
● Zhongwen site More than a dictionary!
● Clavis Sinica
Excellent program by Professor David Porter. It displays a whole document in Chinese [GB] or [BIG5], and gives individual word’s definition, pronunciation as well as much more information when you click on that word. If you are studying Chinese, this is a very useful tool.
● Chinese Character Visual Dictionary
If you like to know more, go to the following sites on the Internet.
● The Chinese Outpost
Pronunciation, Character and Grammer By Mark Andrew Baker. The best. A must-visit site.
● Learn Cantonese / Mandarin Online
● Internet Based Chinese Teaching and Learning
● Rainland Kids discover Chinese — Site is in Germany
If you want to have a better understanding of China, go to this one.
● Wanfang Data
As an affiliate (分支) of Chinese Ministry of Science & Technology, Wanfang Data has been the leading information provider in China since 1950s. With a wide range of database resources and value-added services, Wanfang Data has become a gateway to understanding Chinese culture, medicine, business, science, etc.
1. The underlined lines are probably some ______.| A．books | B．websites |
| C．tips for learning Chinese | D．dictionaries for learning Chinese |
| A．Zhongwen site | B．A Is For Love |
| C．Clavis Sinica | D．A few Chinese words |
| A．an opening in a wall that can be closed by a gate |
| B．a place through which you can go to another place |
| C．the space when a door is open |
| D．a way of getting or achieving something |
4 . A young woman went to her grandmother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She didn’t know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one would pop up.
Her grandmother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire, and soon the pots came to boil. In the first pot she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans.
She let them boil, without saying a word. In about 20 minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and asked her granddaughter to feel the carrots they were soft. She pulled the eggs out and break it. After pulling off the shell, the granddaughter found the hard boiled egg. Then she spooned up the coffee, placed it in a bowl, and invited the granddaughter to sip the coffee. The granddaughter smiled as she tasted its rich smell then asked, “What does it mean, grandmother?”
“Carrots, eggs and coffee.”
Her grandmother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in the pot strong and hard. However, after suffering the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg used to be breakable. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid inner part, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were amazing, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
“Which are you?” the grandmother asked .
1. What was wrong with the young woman?| A．She is poor in cook. | B．She found life too difficult for her. |
| C．She could not solve a problem. | D．She had a fight with her husband. |
| A．The granddaughter loved the coffee most. |
| B．The grandmother asked her granddaughter to take an egg. |
| C．The granddaughter chose to be someone like the coffee beans. |
| D．One can decides what kind of person he will be. |
| A．situation | B．misfortune |
| C．adventure | D．advantage |
| A．Life Is Hard | B．Change the World |
| C．Carrots, Eggs, or Coffee Beans | D．To Be Yourself |
5 . It is a finding which is certain to be hotly discussed. According to the latest research, women are brighter than men. For the first time in IQ testing, psychologists have found that female scores have risen above those of men.
Since IQ testing began a century ago, women have been as much as five points behind. But that gap has been narrowing in recent years and this year women have moved ahead, according to James Flynn, leader of the research.
“In the last 100 years the IQ scores of both men and women have risen but women’s have risen faster,” said Mr. Flynn. “This is a consequence （结果）of modernity, which is making our brains adapt (适应) and raising our IQ.”
One possible explanation is that women’s lives have become more demanding as they multitask (同时处理) between raising a family and doing a job. Another is that women have a slightly higher potential intelligence than men and are only now realizing it.
Mr. Flynn, who will publish his findings in a book, said more data was needed to explain the trend（趋势）. “The full effect of modernity on women is only just starting,” he added.
He compared IQ result from countries in western Europeand from the United States, Canada, NewZealand, Argentina and Estonia. These showed that in westernized countries the gap in scores between men and women had become minimal (最小).
The data for making comparison（对比） was limited and could be carried out for only a few countries. It included Australia, where male and female IQs were found to be almost the same. In New Zealand, Estonia and Argentina, women scored slightly more than men.
Mr. Flynn said, “As the world gets more complex, people are adapting.” He added, “I suspect that the same trends are happening in Britain, although the data is too limited to be true.”
1. What would be the best title for the text?| A．The history of IQ testing |
| B．The modernity of the world |
| C．Women overtake men in IQ testing |
| D．Women are becoming stronger than men |
| A．women were brighter than men |
| B．women were as bright as men |
| C．men were brighter than women |
| D．men had been five points behind |
| A．It was led by James Flynn |
| B．Its results have been published |
| C．Its results represent the whole world |
| D．It was started one hundred years ago |
| A．a story-book | B．a news report | C．a personal diary | D．a history book |
6 . Colors are not only used for decorations or for adding to the beauty of an object. In color psychology (心理学), black is the color of power, but it also stands for evil (邪恶) in some people’s minds. Black could make you appear thinner, which is why it can be a good choice if you think you’re overweight. Black can also give people a feeling that you are independent (独立的).
Red reflects energy, power and strength. Red is useful when you want to draw some attention to yourself. But red may cause a faster heartbeat and breathing, so it could be an irritating (恼人的) color if overused.
Staying in a blue room can make you calm. However, if overused, it may lead to a sad feeling. When wearing blue, you leave the impression that you are loyal and trustworthy.
Green is known as a relaxing color. Staying in a green room can make you more relaxed. That’s one of the reasons why factory walls are printed green.
Yellow is an irritating color. In some takeaway restaurants (外卖餐馆), the walls are painted yellow in order not to let customers stay for long periods in the restaurants and free up more space for other customers. Just like red, yellow is an eye-catching color and it could also increase the heart beat.
Pink shows kindness. When one wants to get help, a good choice would be heading for someone who is wearing pink or white.
1. According to color psychology, besides red, ______is a color that can make you easily noticed.| A．black | B．blue | C．yellow | D．pink |
| A．blue, no matter how much used, can calm people down |
| B．yellow can help restaurants make customers stay longer |
| C．pink is the only color that shows kindness |
| D．both black and red can stand for power |
| A．Because green can make workers hopeful. |
| B．Because green can make workers feel relaxed. |
| C．Because green can make workers more confident. |
| D．Because green is a symbol of nature. |
| A．How to Choose Colors |
| B．Psychology Effects (影响) of Colors. |
| C．Colors Make Our Life Wonderful. |
| D．Be Careful with Color Choices. |
7 . There are less frightening methods to beat the summer heat than by wolfing down stillboiling chicken soup for lunch. But followers of a ROK’s tradition say that few are as effective.
Their belief is “yi yeol chi yeol” or “fight fire with fire” and their weapon of choice is samgyetang, a whole young chicken stuffed with sticky rice, ginseng root (人参根), red dates and garlic, served piping hot in its own soup.
At the peak of summer, many of them seek out bowls of samgyetang in the belief that it provides nutrients, improves circulation and helps balance the body’s internal and external temperatures.
“The concepts that make it good for you on a hot day are rooted in traditional ROK’s medicine and are very old，” said Maangchi Kim, the ROK’sCanadian cookbook author and YouTube star. “If I have some hot samgyetang，” she said. “I sweat a bit, and my body feels more in_sync_with the environment.”
Skeptics might ask for scientific evidence and be surprised that some exists. A 2012 study at the University of Ottawa found that drinking warm liquids on hot days can lower body temperature more than drinking cold liquids can because it activates the body’s natural cooling system: perspiration. When sweat evaporates ( 蒸发), some of our body heat leaves with it, making us feel cooler.
The theory was put to the test on a recent 84 (27℃) day at Hansol Nutrition Center, which despite its name is not a shop selling vitamins and protein, but a ROK’s restaurant known for its samgyetang. “It’s one of the bestselling items on our menu in the summer，” said Peter Ro, an owner. “Especially in hot weather.”
Whether it provides relief from the heat ultimately depends on one’s definition of relief. Any cooling effect is not always immediate. “I guess we’re thinking more toward the longerterm benefits ， “ Mr. Ro said. Ms. Kim, though, swears by its tempering ( 调 温 ) qualities. “It might only be psychological for me, as a ROK’s，” she said. “But it feels like it’s working.”
1. How do people in ROK cope with hot weather according to the text?| A．Play with fire. | B．Have something cold. |
| C．Sweat by exercising. | D．Drink some hot chicken soup. |
| A．In agreement with. | B．In relation to. |
| C．In return for. | D．In need of. |
| A．It makes hot air go off. | B．It cools the weather naturally. |
| C．It drives heat out of the body. | D．It motivates people to exercise. |
| A．He remains neutral. | B．He thinks it effective. |
| C．He is skeptical about it. | D．He regards it as frightening. |
8 . Switching on the lights at night is second nature to most people in the developed world. But electricity isn’t a given in many other parts of the globe.
“A billion people on our planet still lack reliable access to electricity. For them, one of the central applications of electricity is lighting,” says Aaswath Raman, U.C.L.A. materials scientist.
Solar cells can provide remote areas with electricity during the day but require batteries to store that energy for use at night. Raman steam has developed a potential solution: a simple thermoelectric device that produces power when it s exposed to the cold night sky.
All objects, Raman explains, radiate heat. “So a surface that’s looking up at the night sky will, all by itself, send out more heat than the sky sends back to it. It escapes to the upper atmosphere and even out to outer space. And it’s something that anyone can observe at night. So if you go and measure the roof temperature on your house in the early morning hours, say, you should read a temperature that is much lower than the immediate surrounding air temperature.”
Raman reasoned that this temperature difference could be employed to produce electricity. His team built their device using an aluminum disk that acts as a radiative cooler. Its cool side faces the night sky, while its other side is warmed by the air around it. As heat escapes upwards, a thermoelectric generator transforms the temperature difference into electricity that powers a small LED light.
For now, the energy output of the device is just a tiny part of what a solar-cell can produce. Raman sees the device as a complement to solar, providing inexpensive, 24-hour power generation for remote areas of the world- without the need for batteries.
In addition to lighting, Raman says the device could be useful for specialized applications, such as powering wireless sensors and monitoring atmospheric conditions.
1. What makes Raman’s device possible?| A．The energy stored in batteries. | B．The characteristics of aluminum disk. |
| C．The low temperature at night. | D．Objects’ heat loss to the night sky. |
| A．Solution. | B．Replacement. | C．Addition. | D．Application. |
| A．Practical and economical. | B．Complex but powerful. |
| C．Tiny and labor-saving | D．Convenient but costly. |
| A．To blame people for wasting electricity. | B．To introduce a new invention to readers. |
| C．To show the consequences of lacking electricity. | D．To seek financial support for poor countries. |
9 . Although we're surrounded by millions of them every day, most of us don't think about bricks too often. For thousands of years,the humble clay-fired brick hasn't changed.
They're made from natural materials,but there are problems with bricks at every step of their production. Bricks are made from clay-a type of soil found all over the world.Clay mining harms plant growth.In conventional brick production,the clay is shaped and baked in kilns(窑）heated by fossil fuels,which contributes to climate change.Once made,bricks must be transported to construction sites,generating more carbon emissions.With so many bricks produced globally,their impact adds up.
Gabriela Medero,a professor at Scotland's Heriot-Watt University,decided to find solutions to that.With her university's support,Medero set up Kenoteq in 2009.The company's signature product is the K-Briq.Made from more than 90% construction waste,Medero says the K-Briq- which does not need to be fired in a kiln-produces less than a tenth of the carbon emissions of conventional bricks.With the company testing new machinery to start manufacturing,Medero hopes her bricks will help to build a more sustainable world.
The K-Briq will be comparably priced to old bricks.Additionally,as a new product,the K-Briq has been subjected to strict assessment and authoritative certification.Reusing old bricks is an expensive process and there is no standardized way to check the strength,safety or durability(耐久性）of recycled bricks.Medero says that K-Briqs could solve both these problems.She claims that K-Briqs are stronger and more durable than fired clay bricks.
Over the next 18 months,Medero plans to get K-Briq machinery on-site at recycling plants.＂This will reduce transport-related emissions because trucks can collect K-Briqs when they drop off construction waste,"says Medero.
1. What inspired Medero to reinvent the conventional bricks?| A．The poor quality of the bricks. |
| B．The outdated style of the bricks. |
| C．The high cost of manufacturing bricks. |
| D．The problems with the brick production. |
| A．It won't produce extra waste. |
| B．It brings no pollution to the air. |
| C．The plants occupy much less land than before. |
| D．The products are mainly made from construction waste. |
| A．The popularity of the K-Briqs. |
| B．The advantages of K-Briqs over traditional bricks. |
| C．The special materials used in K-Briqs. |
| D．The advanced technology used for K-Briqs. |
| A．To ensure fewer emissions. |
| B．To speed up the production. |
| C．To lower the production cost. |
| D．To collect more construction waste. |
10 . Below are the international days currently playing a more and more important role across the world.
World Earth Day.
Every year on April 22, People all over the world celebrate Earth Day. It is a time to work to keep our earth clean. U.S. Senator (参议员) Gaylord Nelson first thought of the idea for Earth Day in 1962 when he saw polluted rivers and cities with smoke. He needed to get support from Americans to clean up the earth. Finally, on April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans celebrated the first Earth Day! It is a day that is meant to raise awareness (意识) and appreciation about the Earth’s natural environment.
World Book Day.
World Book Day is a celebration to improve the enjoyment of books and reading. Each year, on April 23, celebrations take place all over the world. April 23 marks the anniversary (周年纪念日) of the birth or death of a number of well-known writers, including William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes and Manuel Mejía Vallejo. World Book Day is an occasion to pay a worldwide respect to books and authors and to encourage people to discover the pleasure of reading.
World Autism Awareness Day (世界自闭症关注日)
World Autism Awareness Day aims to increase people’s awareness about people, especially children, with autism. This condition affects the brain’s functions and remains with a person for his or her whole life. The first signs usually appear before a child is three years old. On December 18, 2007, the UN General Assembly (联合国大会) determined April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day. It was first observed in 2008.
1. What made Gaylord come up with the idea for Earth Day at first?| A．Polluted water and cities with smoke. |
| B．Support from Americans. |
| C．Serving as a Senator. |
| D．The Earth’s natural environment. |
| A．To help children with autism. |
| B．To discover the pleasure of reading. |
| C．To honor some well-known writers. |
| D．To sell more books. |
| A．The Days raise the awareness of protecting the earth. |
| B．The Days took place in the same month. |
| C．The Days are only celebrated in America. |
| D．The Days were all first celebrated in 2008. |
