| A．From his phone. | B．From newspapers. | C．From TV news stations. |
2 . Will Covid-19 Kill the Handshake?
The handshake might date back to the 14th century, when knights and soldiers would extend their unclenched (松开的) right hands toward each other in greeting to show that they were carrying no weapons.
Now that a novel coronavirus is spreading fast, our hands are being cast in a new, doubtful light.
Could this be the end of the handshake? In fact, the tradition of shaking hands isn’t the only greeting to take a fresh look. A Maori tribe in New Zealand put the brakes on hongi, the traditional nose-to-nose hello.
COVID-19 is a real threat, and we shouldn’t take the warning lightly. We may, indeed, need to keep our hands to ourselves for the time being.
| A．Could we hug each other or nod? |
| B．As we all know, shaking hands has become a habit. |
| C．But we’re not ready to send handshake into the dustbin of history. |
| D．After all, our friendly intentions were not to infect or be infected by others. |
| E．These days, it would seem, the potential weapon isn’t a knife, but the hand itself. |
| F．We’re being drilled in hand washing techniques as if we were all second-graders. |
| G．The French have been advised to abandon the familiar kiss on the cheek greeting. |
3 . Today what I want to do is to share the story of my own.
I used to be the shyest person in the world. I hid behind my elder sister whenever I had to speak to a stranger. When I was asked to speak in class, I could hardly breathe, much less speak.
Then, in seventh grade, my sister suggested I take voice lessons. After thinking carefully, I did and tried to keep it a secret. I began a series of exercises, making it so strange that I couldn't help laughing. I learned how to howl(长嚎) like a cowboy and snort like an old lady.
By playing around with sound in the class, I gained confidence in the part of me that had been a point of embarrassment before my voice.
A few months later, I was asked to sing for some old people. I thought I would do better than before because of the voice lessons. I opened my mouth and —nothing. I couldn't remember the lyrics! My face turned red. Then the thought came into my mind: I've embarrassed myself enough in front of this crowd. There's really nothing else to lose. So, for my second song. I just relaxed and felt the energy of the song lift me. And I did much better. After that, I started singing to myself as loudly as I could in my room. That's something I had never done before. I am not a shy person anymore. What I really want to say is singing has made me more outgoing.
1. The writer sang ________ songs for the old people in total.| A．one | B．two | C．three | D．four |
| A．confident | B．humorous | C．sad | D．scared |
| A．a poem | B．a book review | C．a speech | D．a diary |
| A．Singing. | B．Change. | C．Embarrassment. | D．Shyness. |
4 . The Beauties of the Stone Age
I have just come home after viewing some amazing works of art that were recently discovered in Church Hole Gave in Nottinghamshire. They are not drawings but etchings—shapes cut into the rock—and they describe different kinds of wild animals.
First of all, the number is great: there are 90 in all. Moreover, 58 of them are on the ceiling (天花板). This is quite unusual in cave art, according to Dr. Wilbur Samson of Central Midlands University. “Wall pictures are the usual way,” he says. “The Church Hole etchings are an artistic achievement. It was thought that ice-age hunters in this country were separated from those in central areas of Europe, but the Church Hole etchings proved that they were actually part of a way of living, thinking and seeing the world that had spread right across Europe.”
News of such exciting discoveries spreads quickly, and thanks to the Internet and mobile phones, a great many people have known about this discovery. However, an examination of the etchings last year failed to show the presence of them. The reason lay in the expectations of the researchers. They looked for the usual type of cave drawings, which show up best under direct light. So they used powerful torches (火炬), shining them straight onto the rock face. However, the Church Hole etchings are not drawings on the rocks, like the other cave ones. They are modifications of the rock itself and can’t be easily made out. They show up best when seen from a certain direction in the natural light of early morning.
Dr. Samson feels that the lighting factor provides important information about the function of these works of art. I think the artists knew very well that the etchings would hardly be seen except early in the morning. We can decide that the cave was used for important events like animal worship (祭拜), and that they were conducted just after dawn, as the beginning of the day’s hunting.
To which I can only add that I feel very lucky to have been able to view Church Hole. It is a site of great importance culturally and is part of the traditional values, not only of this country, but the world as a whole.
1. What is the significance of the etchings in Church Hole Cave?| A．They show the existence of an ice-age culture. |
| B．They describe a more advanced life of Europeans. |
| C．They prove that ancient people hunted in large areas. |
| D．They indicate that fewer people settled in central Europe. |
| A．the methods taken to protect the etchings are useless |
| B．the etchings are various from the usual cave paintings |
| C．the discovery of the etchings should not be made public |
| D．many people visited the cave within hours of its discovery |
| A．Small changes. | B．Free gifts. | C．Good examples. | D．Different areas. |
| A．The search took place at the wrong place of the cave. |
| B．The artists never planned to let the etchings seen by others. |
| C．The torches people used in the examination were too bright. |
| D．The etchings were intended to be seen at a certain time of day. |
5 . Here are some must-know festivals from a handbook which you cannot miss in some Asia countries.
Singapore Night Festival
Aug. 17-25 The annual Singapore Night Festival is a celebration of the island nation’s arts and cultural heritage (遗产). A highlight of the festival is the interactive light show that transforms the front of surrounding buildings into artistic wonders. http://www.nightfestival. com
Royal Floria
Aug. 25-Sep. 2 This year’s event marks the 10th anniversary of the Royal Floria in Putrajaya, with more than 400,000 floral displays. Floral designers and landscape architects from 10 countries are set to show their talent with their arts and cultural creations. http://www.floriaputrajaya. com
Tet Trung Nguyen
Aug. 25 It is believed that during Tet Trung Nguyen (Ghost Festival), spirits of the dead return home in search of their loved ones. Vietnamese pay homage(敬意) to their ancestors during the festivals by preparing feasts as prayer offerings. http://www.vietnamtourism.com
George Town Festival
Aug. 4-Sep. 2 The George Town Festival was inaugurated(创立) in 2010 in conjunction with the city’s designation as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It has become one of the region’s important cultural festivals, showing myriad events that include musical performances, art exhibitions and film screenings taking place across multiple venues. http://www.georgetownfestival.com
1. The celebration of Singapore Night Festival lasts .| A．eight days | B．nine days |
| C．ten days | D．eleven days |
| A．Singapore Night Festival. | B．Tet Trung Nguyen. |
| C．Royal Floria. | D．George Town Festival. |
| A．From a handbook. | B．From a magazine. |
| C．From UNESCO. | D．From the websites. |
