1 . If you ever visit an English village,make sure to look out for morris dancing.Undoubtedly one of the strangest   of English culture, morris dancing is a form of folk dancing that dates back to the 15th 15th century.If       you ever get the opnortunity,you really have to see it.

Men and   women   wearing old-fashioned,tattered(褴褛的)clothing dance in the street of towns and villages across the country during   the holiday periods. Women wear long，frilly (有 褶皱边的）skirts and men wear short trousers w.th bells attached to them. They dance to traditional folk music which is often played on traditional musical instruments.

Some groups carry heavy black sticks which they bash (击打）against each other while they dance. Other groups wave handkerchiefs in the air whilst they perform. The dances are usually performed near a pub so that when it s over, the dancers and spectators (观众）can sing some traditional folk songs over a pint of beer. The festivities (欢庆）will often continue long into the night, by which point most people are too drunk to think about performing again.

Morris dancing is a great English tradition but it’s facing a big crisis (危机).As the years go by, fewer and fewer young people are joining morris dancing groups. The dancers are getting older and older and eventually, if nothing is done to change this trend, the tradition will die out within the next few decades.

If you’ve ever had the fortune to see morris dancing, you may understand why teenagers aren’t rushing to sign up. Putting it bluntly (直截了当地)，it’s not exactly the coolest thing for an 18-year-old to be doing. Why dress up in bells and funny costumes when you could be going clubbing (逛夜店)？ Or playing sport? Or doing anything else?

However, it would be a great shame to lose such a fun and vibrant (有活力的)part of England’s history and culture. It’s important to look after some traditions and customs especially when it’s something as harmless and happy as morris dancing. So here's a toast to the next generation of would-be morris dancers! Let's hope they don’t leave it too late.

1. What is the article mainly about?

A．The popularity of morris dancing in the UK.

B．The origins of mortsdancing   in the UK.

C．Different   attitudes       toward morris dancing in the UK.

D．traditions and development of morris dancing in the UK.

2. Which of the following is TRUE about morris dancing according to the text?

A．Dancers usually wear long dresses with bells attached.

B．People sing traditional folk music while they dance.       beers

C．Dancers perform with sticks or handkerchiefs in their hands.

D．People prefer to dance till nighttime in pubs and then stop to drink beers.

3. What crisis is morris dancing feeing?

A．There is a lack of professional dancers.

B．It is losing appeal among young people.

C．It is accused of lacking fun and variety.

D．Its traditions and customs have been forgotten.

4. What is the author’s attitude toward morris dancing?

A．It is a good way for people to stay healthy and positive.

B．It is a cultural heritage that deserves more attention.

C．It is too old-fashioned and needs to be improved.

D．It is flin and vibrant and every teenager should learn to do it.

2 . Hidden from the noise of Washington, D.C., Hillwood Museum is a special treasure. It contains (包含) one of the finest personal collections (收藏) of Russian and French art in the world.

Hillwood Museum was once the home of Marjorie Merriweather Post. She was a rich businesswoman. She owned one of the largest food companies in the United States. She was also very interested in collecting beautiful French art and furniture.

She moved to Russia in the 1930s as her third husband, Joseph Davies, became the American ambassador (大使) in Moscow. Marjorie Merriweather Post had a love for Russian art as well. She bought the house in Washington in 1955 and she wanted to make it into a museum after her death. Many art experts helped Mrs. Post create its fine collection.

Hillwood has many rooms which are filled with her treasures. Visitors can see beautiful music boxes from the eighteenth century and colorful paintings of European princesses (公主). Experts say the ancient wood and gold furniture from France is some of the finest ever made. Visitors can even look at Mrs. Post’s jewels and clothes.

The museum also has several beautiful gardens. One is designed like the gardens in Japan. It has a bridge and visitors can watch flowers floating in the water. Flowers are also grown all the year in a special glass building or greenhouse. These flowers are placed in the house throughout the year.

After a walk, visitors can rest at a nearby eating place. They can also buy objects to remember this special museum.

1. From the second paragraph, we can learn that Marjorie Merriweather Post       .

A．lived near Hillwood Museum

B．owned a food company in France

C．was a successful businesswoman

D．was good at painting and designing

2. Marjorie Merriweather Post moved to Russia because       .

A．she liked the environment there

B．her husband had a job there

C．she wanted to collect art works

D．she hoped to meet some art experts

3. Which of the following treasures is NOT mentioned in the text?

A．Paintings of Japanese princesses.

B．Mrs. Post’s jewels and clothes.

C．Ancient wood and gold furniture.

D．Eighteenth century’s music boxes.

4. What is special about the museum’s gardens?

A．There are some rock hills.

B．They are all built in Japanese style.

C．Flowers are grown all the year.

D．There are some restaurants.

3 . Primary school students in China started using new editions of their textbooks last September, with new illustrations(插图)to go with classic Chinese poems.

With the 110 classic poems for primary school students from Grade One to Six come one hundred illustrations painted by artist Huang Guoxiang of Wenzhou, Zhejiang province. The old version of Chinese was in use for more than 10 years. “Our aesthetic(美学的)tastes have changed. The illustrations in textbooks should keep up with that,” said Huang.

“An editor from People’s Education Press called me last September and asked whether I was interested –to create illustrations for three poems: Ode to Goose, Min Nong and Spring Dawn. I made it. After about 20 days, the publisher called me again and asked me to do all of them,” Huang said.

Huang also said he referred to the Chinese textbooks his son used previously before working on a new painting.

But he did not just create any ink paintings; Huang changed his style of painting a little bit for his young readers. Primary school students may not necessarily be attracted to traditional Chinese ink painting, as the stokes(笔画)tend to be thick and the colors dark. So he mixed ink painting with watercolor to make the pictures visually appealing to the young readers while fully expressing the meanings of classic poems.

“It’s not that difficult to illustrate a single poem. The hard part is: sometimes there are three poems on one page and the contents of these poems may change greatly, so it was difficult for me to express the feelings of all of them with one illustration. Sometimes I had to think with a bigger picture and create something that fits it all,” added Huang.

1. The new illustrations in primary school textbooks were created to        .

A．make more money

B．keep up with the times

C．cut the cost

D．attract high school students

2. What does the underlined word “appealing” probably mean in the fifth paragraph?

A．Attractive.

B．Active.

C．Entertaining.

D．Influential.

3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Huang found it easy to complete the creation.

B．Huang created no more than three paintings.

C．Huang changed his painting style to suit school students.

D．The Chinese textbooks Huang’s son had used before were useless.

4. What is the best title of this passage?

A．A Great Painter

B．Chinese Ink Paintings

C．Chinese Classic Poems

D．New Textbook, New Illustration

4 . A student is learning to speak British English. He wonders (想知道): Can I communicate with Americans? Can they understand me? Learners of English often ask: What are the differences between British and American English? How important are these differences?             Certainly! there are some differences between British and American English. „There are a few differences in grammar. For example, speakers of British English say “in hospital” and “Have you a pen?” Americans say “in the hospital!” and “Do you             have a pen?”. Pronunciation is sometimes different. Americans usually sound the“ir”s in words like “bird” and “hurt”. Speakers of British English do not sound theirs in these words. There are differences between British and American English in             spelling and vocabulary. For example, “colour” and “honour” are British, “color” and honor” are American. These differences in grammar, pronunciation, spelling and vocabulary are not important, however. For the most part, British and American             English are the same language.
1. American English and British English are different in ___ _____.

A．spelling	B．pronunciation
C．grammar	D．all of the above

2. What is not mentioned (提及) in the passage?

A．Whether there are differences between British English and American English.

B．Whether British English and American English are one language or two.

C．How the differences between British English and American English came about.

D．How important the differences are.

3. Most _____ say “Do you have a watch?”

A．British people	B．Americans
C．children	D．teachers

4. According to this passage, British people and Americans have _______ difficulty in understanding each other.

A．little

B．much

C．some

D．great

5 . This is the SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, I'm Barbara Klein.

Animal experts say one of the world's most beautiful and rare kinds of big cat is close to disappearing from the wild. A study earlier this year found that about thirty Amur leopards (豹) still live free. The cats are also called Far Eastern leopards.

Recently, their number has been reduced by one, Some person shot a female Amur, then beat her to death. The animal's body was discovered last month in the Barsovy National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Russia.

An official of the World Wildlife Fund, Darron, said this was the third such killing in the area in the past fives years. Mr, Collins said the death of even one adult female is a huge loss for the endangered cat, He noted that the killing reduces the possibility for cubs (幼兽) or young.

It is not clear how many Amur leopards still live free. One population count was performed in February and March. Wildlife expert Dmitry Pikuuov led this study. It found evidence of seven to nine males. The study identified three to seven females without cubs, Four leopards were identified as females with cubs. In all, five or six cubs were recorded, Six to eight animals could not be identified.

Most of the land where the Amur leopard once lived was in China.New roads and climate change there threatened the animals. So did hunters who kill big cats for their body parts.

Mr. Pikuuov says adult Amurs need about five hundred square kilometers with good forests to survive. He said they also need a large and continuing supply of animals like deer for food. He believes the answer to saving the Amur leopard is for governments to provide protected spaces for wildlife.

1. This passage is probably from           .

A．a magazine	B．a newspaper report
C．a TV report	D．a film

2. Why is the killing of an adult female a huge loss?

A．It could lead to the death of an adult male.

B．It means it can not give birth to the young any more.

C．11 is worth more money than a male.

D．There is only one adult female in the world.

3. The number of the Amur leopards in China is becoming smaller because of all the following EXCEPT           .

A．new roads	B．climate change
C．human hunting	D．rare diseases

4. According to the experts the Amur leopards          .

A．are living on plants	B．are living in the zoo
C．are well protected by people	D．are endangered

6 . Having friends may well keep you healthier and help you deal with stress better. Some studies show that people with close friends have a greater ability to fight disease than people who are alone.

Make friendship a priority(优先). Find the time to be with friends even if it means letting the lawn go unmowed(未割草) or the dishes unwashed for a while. When you can’ t get together, use the phone to keep in touch.

Open up to close friends. Maintaining a deep friendship requires a level of heartfelt intimacy(亲密). Don’t be afraid to express your inner fears and disappointments. Listen to your friends when they have problem, but offer advice only when it’s wanted.             Help raise friends’ self-esteem when they are shaken by a job loss, or other such events.

Have different friends for different activities, such as going to the movies, singing in a choir(合唱), and joining in a bowling league.

Don’t wait for a friend to ask a favor. When a friend has the flu, offer to go to the store or drive his or her children to their after-school activities.

Never take a friendship for granted. Like a good marriage, friendship needs care and patience. Become a joiner. Find a group that matches your interests.

Talk to strangers. Conversations started in museums, laundry rooms, or bookstores can lead to firm friendship.

Enroll in an adult-education course. A classroom is an ideal place to meet others with similar interests.

1. People with close friends have a ____ ability to fight disease than people who are alone.

A．less

B．greater

C．poorer

D．little

2. What we should do to have friends according to the author?

A．Make friendship a priority.	B．Open up to close friends.
C．Never take a friendship for granted	D．All the above.

3. Which of the statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．You should have different friends for the same activities.

B．You should wait for a friend to ask a favor.

C．You should avoid talking with stranger in museums, laundry rooms of bookstores.

D．You should never take a friendship for granted.

4. . The underlined word “enroll” in the last paragraph means _____.

A．give

B．join

C．get

D．catch

7 . A warm drink of milk before bed has long been the best choice for those wanting a good night’s sleep. But now a study has found it really does help people nod off（打瞌睡）—if it is milked from a cow at night.

Researchers have discovered that “night milk” contains more melatonin(褪黑激素), which has been proven to help people feel sleepy and reduce anxiety（焦虑）.The study, by researchers from Seoul, South Korea, involved mice being fed with dried milk powder（奶粉） made from cows milked both during the day and at night. Those given night milk, which contained 10 times the amount of melatonin, were less active and less anxious than those fed with the milk collected during daytime, according to the study published in The Journal of Medicinal Food.

Night milk quickened the start of sleep and caused the mice to sleep longer.

While the effect of cow milk harvested at different time has not been tested on humans up to now, taking melatonin drugs has been suggested to those who have trouble falling asleep at night.

Previous （以前的）studies have also showed that milk can be excellent for helping sleep because of the calcium content, which helps people to relax.

1. According to the text, the mice fed with daytime milk_______.

A．started sleep more easily	B．were more anxious
C．were less active	D．woke up later

2. Which of the following is true of melatonin according to the text?

A．It’s been tested on mice for ten years.

B．It can make people more energetic.

C．It exists in milk in great amount.

D．It’s used in sleeping drugs.

3. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Night Milk and Sleep	B．Fat Sugar and Health
C．An Experiment on Mice	D．Milk Drinking and Health

4. How does the author support the theme of the text?

A．By giving examples.

B．By stating arguments.

C．By explaining statistical data.

D．By providing research results.

8 . The “melting pot” in American cuisine(菜肴。烹饪法) is a myth, not terribly unlike the idea of a melting pot of American culture, notes chef Dan Barber. “Most cultures don’t think about their cuisine in such monolithic(统一的) terms,” he says. “French, Mexican, Chinese, and Italian cuisines each consist of dozens of distinct regional foods. And I think ‘American’ cuisine is moving in the same direction, becoming more localized, not globalized. ”
American cuisine is shaped by the natural wealth of the country. Having never faced agricultural hardship, Americans don’t have to rely on rotating crops, such as the Japanese, whose food culture now showcases buckwheat (荞麦) alongside rice, or the Indians, or the French and Italians, who feature beans alongside wheat. “That kind of negotiation with the land forced people to incorporate(接受) those crops in to the culture,” says Barber. And so eating soba noodles becomes part of what it means to be Japanese, and eating beans becomes part of what it means to be French.
So if what we eat is what we are, what are Americans? Well, meat. “If Americans have any unifying food identity, I would say we are a mostly white meat culture,” says Barber. “The protein-centric dinner plate, whether you’re talking about a boneless chicken breast, or a 16-ounce steak, as an everyday expectation is something that America really created, and now exports to the rest of the world.”
Every single culture and religion uses food as part of their celebrations, says Ellen Gustafson, co-founder of the FEED Project and The 30 Project, which aims to deal with both hunger and overweight issues globally. “The celebratory nature of food is universal. Every season, every harvest, and every holiday has its own food, and this is true in America as well. It helps define us.”
1. According to the first paragraph, American cuisine ________.

A．consists of varieties of regional foods

B．is becoming more and more globalized

C．has absorbed a lot from Chinese cuisine

D．is not as unified as its culture

2. What has made American cuisine different from other cuisines according to the article?

A．Relying on rotating crops

B．The difficulty of planting crops

C．The US’ melting pot culture

D．The US’ agricultural wealth

3. We can conclude from the article that _____ has become part of what it means to be American.

A．eating rice	B．eating beans
C．eating white meat	D．eating soba noodles

4. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?

A．American cuisine is healthier than other cuisines.

B．American cuisine hasn’t changed much over time.

C．Americans use food as part of their celebrations.

D．Americans are quite proud of their own cuisine.

9 . “Old wives’ tales” are beliefs passed down from one generation to another. For example,most of us remember our parents’ telling us to eat more of certain foods or not to do certain things. Is there any truth in these teachings? Some of them agree with present medical thinking,but others have not passed the test of time.

Did your mother ever tell you to eat your carrots because they are good for your eyes? Scientists now report that eating carrots can help prevent a serious eye disease called macular degeneration. Eating just one carrot a day can reduce the possibility of getting this disease by 40%. Garlic is good for you,too. It can kill the type of virus that causes colds.

Unfortunately, not all of Mom’s advice passed the test of medical studies. For example, generations of children have been told not to go swimming within an hour after eating. But research suggests that there is no danger in doing so. Do sweets cause tooth problems?Well, yes and no. Sticky sweets made with grains(谷物) tend to cause more problems than sweets made with simple sugars.

Even though science can tell us that some of our traditional beliefs don’t hold_water,_there is still a lot of truth in the old wives’ tales. After all, much of this knowledge has been accumulated (积累) from thousands of years of experience in family health care. We should respect this body of knowledge even as we search for clear scientific support to prove it true or false.

1. Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

A．Sticky sweets are damaging to our teeth.

B．Eating garlic is good for our eyes.

C．Swimming after a meal is dangerous.

D．Carrots prevent people from catching colds.

2. The author develops the third paragraph mainly________.

A．by cause and effect

B．by order in space

C．by examples

D．by order in time

3. The phrase“ hold water” in the last paragraph most probably means“________”.

A．to be valuable

B．to be believable

C．to be admirable

D．to be suitable

4. What is the author’s attitude towards“old wives’ tales”in the text?

A．Subjective(主观的).

B．Objective(客观的).

C．Dissatisfied.

D．Curious.

10 . Living and dealing with kids can be a tough job these days, but living and dealing with parents can be even tougher.

If I have learned anything in my 16 years, it is that communication is very important, both when you disagree and when you get along. With any relationship, you need to let other person know how you are feeling. If you are not able to communicate, you drift apart. When you are mad at your parents, or anyone else, not talking to them doesn’t solve anything.

Communication begins with the concerns of another. It means that you can’t just come home from school, go up to your room and ignore everyone. Even if you just say “Hi” and see how their day was for five minutes, it is better than nothing.

If you looked up the word “communication” in a dictionary. It would say “the exchange of ideas, the conveyance (表达)of information, means of communication such as a letter or a message”. To keep a good relationship, you must keep communication strong. Let people know how you feel, even if it's Just by writing a note.

When dealing with parents, you always have to make them feel good about how they are doing as a parent. If you are trying to make them see something as you see it, tell them that you’ll listen to what they have to say, but ask them politely to listen to you. Yelling or walking away only makes the situation worse.

This is an example: one night, Sophie went to a street party with her friends. She knew she had to be home by midnight after the fireworks, but she didn’t feel she could just ask to go home. That would be rude. After all, they had been nice enough to take her along with them. Needless to say, she was late getting home. Her parents were mad at first, but when Sophie explained why she was late, they weren’t as mad and let the incident go. Communication is the key factor here. If Sophie’s parents had not been willing to listen, Sophie would have been in a lot of trouble.

Communication isn’t a one-way deal: it goes both ways. Just remember: if you get into a situation like Sophie’s, tell the other person how you feel-listening is the key factor to communication.

1. In the writers view, dealing with parents is__________than with children.

A．more difficult	B．easier
C．more uninteresting	D．more interesting

2. The main idea of the second paragraph is____________ .

A．the importance of friendship

B．to make your feeling known to others

C．the importance of communication

D．the disagreement between generations

3. The example in this passage proves that____________ .

A．Sophie is very polite to her parents

B．Sophie's parents are willing to listen to her

C．explanation is the best way to solve a problem

D．communication is the solution (解决办法) to misunderstanding

4. All the following statements are correct except ____________.

A．If you don’t agree with others, you'd better let them know

B．It is better to say “Hi” to others than say nothing

C．If you are not able to communicate, walk away

D．Communication is a two-way deal