1 . Coming into the town of Santa Catarina Palopó, in the highlands of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, the first thing you notice is the bright colors. Most of the buildings along the main street are eye-catching, deep blues and greens, dotted with red and yellow to form diverse patterns and designs.

Santa Catarina Palopó was once a sleepy town of 5, 000 people, most of them dependent on agricultural work. But as agriculture began to dry up here, poverty came. To deal with poverty and promote econ on growth through tourism, a small but creative group of laborers, artisans, domestic workers and stay-at-home moms created the Pintando Santa Catarina Palopó project.

The project aimed to paint all 850 homes and buildings in bright colors to change the hillside town into a work of art. “We wanted to paint the houses with colors and figures that represent the community” says the project’s executive director Stephany Blanco. “Families can choose designs for their house that are representative of the family.”

One of the most representative characteristics of the region is the blue huipil, a traditional blouse which has been worn commonly by local women since the 16th century. That deep sky blue was chosen the primary color-for the Pintando project, with secondary colors found in the sunsets and the nearby lake to make the design more attractive. Inspiration was also found in local culture, symbols such as volcanoes, flowers, and the national bird of Guatemala.

Each week, local artists, community members and tourists pick up paintbrushes to make buildings colorful. “At first, the idea of the project was uncertain, but now you can see a considerable difference in the town,” Melissa Whitbeck said. “The color of the buildings is believed to improve the quality-of life of the people. It uplifts the people’s mood and encourages them to be proud of their hometown.”

1. Why was the Pintando Santa Catarina project started?

A．Because of a workforce shortage.	B．Due to the poor economic conditions.
C．Thanks to the increase in population.	D．For the old-fashioned farming ways.

2. What is the project about?

A．Building family art galleries in Guatemala.	B．Creating job opportunities for local artists.
C．Developing local tourism by selling artworks.	D．Changing the town into a cultural destination.

3. What is the inspiration of the primary color for the project?

A．The surrounding volcanoes.	B．Mayan-styled butterflies.
C．A type of traditional clothing.	D．The national bird of Guatemala.

4. What is Melissa’s attitude towards the project?

A．Positive.

B．Reserved.

C．Concerned.

D．Negative.

3 . 假设你是李华，你校英语角将于周五举行一次以“Charming China”为主题的演讲比赛，请你用英语准备一篇演讲稿。内容包括：
1. 简介中国概况；
2. 简介中国特色（风景，文化，美食等）；
3. 个人感受。
注意：1. 词数100左右。
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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5 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Autumn Equinox (秋分) lies at the midpoint of autumn,     1     (divide) autumn into two equal parts. After that day, the location of direct sun light moves to the south, making days shorter and nights     2     (long) in the northern hemisphere (半球). Autumn Equinox begins this year on Sept 23 and ends on Oct 7.

By Autumn Equinox, most of the areas in China     3     (enter) the cool autumn. The cold air heading south meets the warm and wet air. The temperature also drops     4     (frequent).

In South China, there is a custom     5     (know) as “having Qiucai on the Autumn Equinox day”. Qiucai is a kind of wild amaranth. Every Autumn Equinox day, all the     6     (villager) go to pick Qiucai in the wild,     7     grows in the field, thin and about 20 cm in length. Qiucai is taken back and made into soup called “Qiutang”.

On that day, people try to make eggs stand     8     end. According to experts, on the Autumn Equinox, the day and night     9     (be) of equal time. The earth’s axis (轴线) is in a relative balance of power with the earth’s orbit around the sun. Thus it is a very conducive time to do that. But some also say that standing the egg has nothing to do with the time. The most important thing is to shift the egg’s center of gravity to     10     lowest part of the egg. The trick is holding the egg until the yolk sinks as much as possible.

8 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入 1 个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

The Old Town of Lijiang, lying in the northwest of Yunnan Province, is one of the most     1    (fame) ancient towns in China. The architecture (建筑) of the Old Town of Lijiang is attractive for the    2     (combine) of several cultures, and its ancient water-supply system still works    3     (effective) today.

The Yulong Snow Mountain    4     (serve) as the source of the rivers and springs. This town is made up    5    three parts: Dayan Old Town, Baisha housing cluster, and Shuhe housing clusters. These settlements (定居点)     6     (surround) by water present the mixture of local cultures, folk customs and traditions over several centuries.

It    7     (design) as a town around the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty. From 1253 on, the Naxi people of Lijiang developed    8    unique social system, customs and culture of their own. In the 18th century, the Qing Dynasty rulers carried out a policy of    9     (culture) interaction, and the Naxi people adopted the customs of the Tibetan peoples    10    Han peoples. Despite several earthquakes, most of the old town keeps its original structure.

9 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Rising up in the countryside of Jiangxi Province, Mount Lushan was once one of the famous cultural     1     (center) of ancient China. In fact, its historical importance meant that it     2     (honor) as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996.

Located about 20 kilometres south of Jiujiang City, it runs eastwards to the Mufu Mountains. Dahanyang Peak, the highest peak of Mount Lushan,     3     (rise) 1, 474 metres above sea level. To the north, it offers    4     (impress) views of the Yangtze River, while to, the south it overlooks Poyang Lake.

As early as the Eastern Han Dynasty, a well-known Taoist leader,     5     (name) Zhang Daoling travelled to the mountain. During the Jin Dynasty, the Donglin Temple was built on the mountain by a person called Huiyuan. From then on, many temples began coming up across the mountain, until there were over 300 of them.

However, Mount Lushan didn’t become truly famous until the Song Dynasty. During that time, it was rebuilt by Zhu Xi,    6    was the founder of Neo-Confucianism (理学). Due    7     his efforts, this place became one of the Four Great Academies of China. By the 19th century, it had become into an     8     (extreme) large place, with its own temples, study halls, and libraries. Overtime, countless writers and artists have sung the mountain’s praises,    9     (leave) over 900 works of art.

Nowadays, with its beautiful l views and famous temples, the mountain range is     10     popular tourist attraction.

10 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Yingge Dance, a traditional folk art     1     (combine) dancing, Chinese martial arts, and Chinese opera, is popular in the Chaoshan area of Guangdong province in South China. Yingge,     2     is written with the characters for “hero” and “song”, means heroic song in Chinese and Yingge dancers, as     3     (they) name implies, are the avatars of heroes. The dancers each hold a pair of short sticks and strike the sticks with force to create strong beats —     4     artistic display of masculinity. In 2006, the Puning Yingge Dance     5     (list) among the first batch of national intangible cultural heritages in China.

    6    , as young people move out of the villages, so are local folk arts gradually disappearing all around China. In Puning, Yingge is still danced during holidays such as the Lunar New Year and its performers are generally amateurs — farmers who have put down their tools and put on costumes. Some of the parts are passed     7     in the family, from father to son, and so far some villages     8     (start) giving performers a basic salary.

    9     (dress) in colorful clothes and wearing heavy makeup, ordinary villagers have created a song of cultural confidence. The     10     perform), a must-watch for the local people, graces the village square one more time.