1 . Something you may not know about End of Heat
The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. End of Heat is the 14th solar term of the year, which implies that most parts in China are getting rid of the hot summer and entering autumn. But in some areas, especially in South China, autumn is late in coming and people are still bothered by hot weather. End of Heat is also the busy harvest season for farmers.
The following are the things you should know about End of Heat.
Time for night-blooming cereus (昙花)
The night-blooming cereus is a flower full of mystery, which often blooms during the period of End of Heat. This is because the climate during End of Heat, characterized by warm days and cold nights, is similar to tropical deserts. Night-blooming cereus originates in the tropical deserts from Mexico to Brazil in South America. They blossom at night to avoid the blazing daytime sun.
Eating Duck
Duck has a sweet flavor and according to Chinese traditional medicine it has a “cool” nature. A folk tradition is to eat duck during the End of Heat period. There are many recipes for cooking duck such as roast duck, cooked duck with lemon, smoked duck with walnut dressing and sautéed duck with ginger shoots. The tradition of eating duck during the End of Heat period is still popular in China.
The Fishing Season Festival
For fishermen, the End of Heat is a season of harvest. During this period，the Fishing Season Festival is held in regions along the coastline of the East China Sea in Zhejiang province. The festival is held on the day when the fishing ban ends and fishermen can start fishing again. Due to high temperatures in the sea, stocks of fish remain and become mature. People can enjoy many kinds of seafood during this period.
1. About End of Heat, which of the following statements is true?| A．It means the whole China has entered autumn. |
| B．The areas beyond the Great Wall are still hot. |
| C．In south China, the temperature is still high. |
| D．It is the end of the harvest season for farmers. |
| A．Temperate areas. | B．Tropical areas. | C．Cold areas. | D．Polar areas. |
| A．Because there are no other animals to eat. |
| B．Because the duck has a “cool” nature. |
| C．Because it tastes especially delicious at that time. |
| D．Because there are many recipes for cooking duck. |
2 . While flat bread has a history that dates back to ancient Egypt, real pizza—pizza with tomato sauce—was invented in Naples, Italy. Legend holds that pizza margherita—filled with tomato, cheese, and basil, in the red white and green of Italy’s flag—was first created by Naples’ Pizzeria Brandi to honor Queen Margherita of Italy during an 1886 visit.
Today, of course, there are all kinds of pizza shapes, sizes and flavors around the world, but the original Neapolitan pizza is round, with a soft, thin center and thinker, crunchier sides. You should be able to fold it in four and eat it like a crepe. And that's the delicious treat that's now up for protection as an irreplaceable piece of global human heritage: This year, Italy is putting "the art of the Neopolitan pizza maker" on the list of candidates to become treasures of world heritage recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
Universally recognizable, "pizza" happens to to the Italian language's best-known word, but that doesn't mean it's a shoo-in. "UNESCO has never listed a cultural tradition linked to food production," Peirluigi Petrillo, who prepared the documents to be discussed at UNESCO, told The Local.
The European Union included pizza in its official list of “guaranteed traditional specialities” in 2016. The list specifies that any pizza called “Neapolitan” must be no more than 35 cm wide, with crust of up to 2 cm high, topped with canned tomatoes, cheese from Naples, Campania region, oil and basil. The pizza must be cooked in a wooden oven, and be elastic and soft.
Italy also says that it has more UNESCO-recognized cultural treasures than any other country. The final decision on whether pizza-making makes one more will be announced in 2022, after discussion with all 193 UN member-states.
1. Pizza margherita got such a name because________.| A．Queen Margherita gave it the name | B．it was specially created for Queen Margherita |
| C．it was created in Queen Margherita’s time | D．Queen Margherita liked eating it very much |
| A．Neapolitan pizza known in the world | B．Neapolitan pizza sold all over the world |
| C．the pizza-making art become a world heritage | D．Neapolitan pizza be thought highly of |
| A．Neapolitan pizza is only well-known in Italy |
| B．Neapolitan pizza will be recognized in the world. |
| C．The dream of Italy is sure to come true in 2022. |
| D．Neapolitan pizza might be refused by UNESCO. |
| A．has specific requirements | B．will become popular next year |
| C．must be admitted by UNESCO | D．must be created by Naples’ Pizzeria Brandi |
| A．Travel and Sightseeing | B．Food and Culture |
| C．Economy and Finance | D．Recreation and Relaxation |
(1)表达自己看到视频后的心情；
(2)赞扬他们的庆祝方式(如；包饺子)和富有中国元素的室内布置(如：中国结);
(3)询问他们如何庆祝别的国家的节日。
注意：
(1)字数不少于100字；
(2)庆祝方式和室内布置不仅限于所给提示；
(3)请适当加入细节，使内容充实、行文连贯。
参考词汇：饺子dumpling 中国结Chinese knot
When I was young, I asked my grandmother, “Why is the sea so big?” She thought for a moment and replied, “Because he knows how to combine all the rivers”, smiling. Today, I can still recall that smile on my grandmother’s face because from that lesson, I have learned the importance of integration.
Kipling said, “East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet!” But now, a century later, they have met. They have met in business. They have met in education. They have met in arts. Some would argue that these meetings leave us with a choice between East and West, but I believe the best future lies in the creative combination of both worlds. We can make Western ideas, customs and technology our own, and adapt them to our use so that we can enjoy the best of all worlds. This is our best tradition.
But, do Western styles and values threaten our identity? History makes it easy for us to think so — perhaps too easy. Some people seem to think that adopting Western customs, such as a bride wearing white which has long been a color of sadness in China, instead of the traditional Chinese red for her wedding, is a betrayal of our tradition. They fear that as we become globalized, we will no longer be Chinese. However, I do not agree. The wedding of Eastern and Western cultures, whether in white gowns(礼服）or red, brings us variety. Actually, the best attitude towards the trend lies in the lesson history teaches us — a strong and confident nation is at ease in learning from the outside world.
As a lover of Chinese cuisine, our superb flavors(口味）delight me. But my Chinese taste appreciates good food from any land. I even allow the convenience of McDonald’s a place in my life without giving up my good taste. My grandfather taught me to sing Beijing opera from the time I was very young. It is deep in my spirit, part of my soul. I love Beijing opera, because it always reminds me of who I am. But I am also a fan of modern pop music, the No.1 fan of Spice Girls on campus.
Of course, it goes far beyond food, music and dance. It goes into values and ways of thinking about the world.
1. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “integration”? (1Word )2. According to the writer, in what aspects have East and West met? ( No more than 8 words )
3. What is the most important quality of our traditions according to the passage? ( No more than 15 words )
4. What’s the best title for the passage? ( No more than 10 words )
5. What is your attitude towards “globalized”? Please explain in your own words ( No more than 20 words )
1． 时间和地点；
2． 内容：学习日常汉语、了解中国历史和传统文化、参观博物馆等；
3． 报名方式和截止时间．
注意：1． 词数：100左右
2． 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯．
Dear Tom,
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
6 . Nobody laughed when the UK comedy show Little Britain toured the US. Americans didn’t find the “British stereotypes(刻板印象)”funny. One character was a woman who was sick whenever she saw a foreigner.Another was a loud and rude 15-year-old girl cursing(骂)at her teachers.But back home,British people were laughing,thinking,“Yes!That’s exactly what we’re like!”
A laugh is a laugh in any language,but the reasons for it can be very different.Britons and Americans speak the same language,but humor does not always translate.
Take The Office as an example.This was originally a UK TV series but it was changed for the US.Both the US and UK series are set in a boring workplace in a boring town.But David Brent,the boss of the UK office,is not a nice guy like Michael Scott in the US version. “We had to make Michael Scott a slightly nicer guy,”wrote series creator Ricky Gervais.“He couldn’t be too mean.”
Gervais said British people are different from Americans because“Britons cruelly make fun of people we like or dislike…and of ourselves”. He believes the differences between the American and British senses of humor are because of“our upbringing”.
“Americans are brought up to believe they can be the next president of the United States,”he wrote.“Britons are told,‘It won’t happen for you’.”
Things usually turn out fine at the end of every US Office episode(集). Even if they’re not perfect, the characters “learn a lesson” for the future.
But in David Brent’s office—and in lots of UK comedies—the last scene is often sad. You are often left with the feeling that things just couldn’t get worse. For British people, this seems truer to life and so much funnier.
It’s not just Britain and the US that have comic differences. Few foreigners would understand a Chinese cross-talk show,for example.
Cultural differences are no laughing matter. But comic differences can be a window into a culture.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To show that British humor is not funny at all. |
| B．To show that American people don't understand British people. |
| C．To show that Britain and America have different stereotypes. |
| D．To show how humor may mean different things in different cultures. |
| A．Unkind. | B．Great. | C．Average. | D．Ugly-looking. |
| A．David Brent is quite a nice guy. |
| B．Michael Scott is a rather mean guy. |
| C．Episodes in the UK version often end on a hopeless note. |
| D．Episodes in the US version often end in a boring way. |
| A．Britons do not like to make fun of others. |
| B．British comedy often has a moral message. |
| C．American people are brought up to be more positive. |
| D．Jokes are difficult to translate from one language into another. |
| A．They are slight differences that can be ignored. | B．They can partly show cultural differences. |
| C．They show stereotypes of different cultures. | D．They help people communicate with each other. |
注意:1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.信的结尾已经给出，不计入总字数。
Dear Jonah,
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I am looking forward to your coming.
Yours ,
Li Hua
Mothers and fathers all over the world teach their children manners. Other children may have manners that are not like yours. There are all kinds of manners.
Many years ago, children who had good manners were seen and not heard. They kept quite quiet if grown-ups were talking. Today, well-mannered children have more freedom.
Sometimes good manners in one place are bad manners in other places.
Suppose you are a visitor in the land of Mongolia. Some friends ask you to eat with them. What kind of manners do they want you to have? They want you to give a loud “burp” after you finish eating. Burping would show that you liked your food.
In some countries, if you give a loud burp, you are told to say “Excuse me, please.” In many places, people like to eat together But in some parts of Polynesia, it is bad manners to be seen eating at all. People show good manners by turning their backs on others while they eat.
What are manners like in an East African town? The people try not to see you. They are being polite. You may see a friend. He may not see you at all. If you are polite, you will sit down beside him. You will wait until he finishes what he is doing. Then he will talk to you.
Suppose you visit a friend in Arabia. You should walk behind the other tents until you come to his tent. If you pass in front of the other tents, you’ll be asked into each one. The people will ask you to eat with them. And it is bad manners if you say no.
Manners are different all over the world. But it is good to know that all manners begin in the same way. People needed ways to show that they wanted to be friends.
1. What is the best title of the passage? (no more than 10 words)2. How do you understand the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2? (no more than 10 words)
3. In Mongolia, what action is thought to be a good manner according to the passage? (no more than 6 words)
4. What are well-mannered people expected to act in some parts of Polynesia during eating? (no more than 10 words)
5. Traditionally, what is a good manner during eating in China? (no more than 20 words)
9 . A decade ago, colored lights danced around the living room on New Year's Eve and happy music was played. Upstairs, the children were asleep. But I wasn't feeling happy. In mid-December, my husband and I had been informed that he had cancer and that he was going to die. He had less than a year left, the doctors said.
In the years since that painful season, I have come to look back upon New Year's Eve as an ending and a beginning. New Year's Eve brings a halt to the endless commitments that fill our daily lives and a chance to reflect.
New Year's Eve is full of possibility, and anticipation. What will be the surprising experiences and delightful successes in the coming year? But also, what disappointments are waiting for us in the next twelve months?
In many ways, New Year's Eve and the days that surround it are a line between past and future. That line is made up of a series of moments of transition that take us out of the old and into the new. Transition can be challenging for many of us. It's about letting go of the familiar and diving headlong （迅猛地）into the unfamiliar.
Just as, back then, I had to face letting go of the life I had led with my beloved husband and stepping into a new world as a widowed（丧偶的）mom. I find that each year I have to step out of the version of me that suited the year that is ending and ease into the version of me who will rise to the goals I am holding for myself for the year ahead.
Last year at this time, I sat in a chair in southern France and drank in the stillness and beauty of the countryside around me. The three children and I had brought into this world talked and laughed around the table beside me as we enjoyed a lunch of bread and cheese.
I was filled with a sense of joy and I had a glowing （热情洋溢的）heart that was full of hope. It was another ending and another beginning. May we all transition into the best of what lies ahead. May we all find happiness in this holiday season.
1. What made the author unhappy on New Year's Eve a decade before?| A．The pressure she faced in her work. |
| B．The health problem her husband faced. |
| C．The information received from her family. |
| D．The relationship between her and husband. |
| A．Stop. | B．Beginning. | C．Meaning. | D．Tradition. |
| A．Set challenging goals for the next year. |
| B．Break with daily routines and form a new habit. |
| C．Spend more time with family members. |
| D．Think about the past and get ready for the future. |
| A．Calm. | B．Indifferent. | C．Doubtful. | D．Expectant. |
| A．To memorialize her husband. |
| B．To show how she got through a hard time. |
| C．To share her view of New Year's Eve. |
| D．To remind us that uncertainty is part of life. |
French poet Victor Hugo (1802-1885) once said: “To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelt out is a spark.”
Today, when we read books, road signs and posters, it’s probably hard to imagine that only half a century ago, about 40 percent of the world’s adults were still illiterate, according to data from UNESCO. This means that two out of every five adults could neither read nor write in the 1960s. In other words, the “sparks”that now light up our world failed to do the same for theirs.
In response to this situation, UNESCO decided to name Sept. 8 as International Literacy Day, starting from 1967. Every year, the day is celebrated to highlight the importance of literacy and the progress that has been made, which itself is huge — in 2016, the global adult literacy rate rose to 86 percent, while the youth literacy rate was as high as 91 percent, according to UNESCO.
This raises a question: If the mission to boost literacy has basically been accomplished, why do we still celebrate this day?
The truth is that the definition of “literacy” keeps changing. For example, the theme for 2007 and 2008 International Literacy Day was “Literacy and health”, which targeted people’s ignorance of diseases like HIV and malaria (疟疾). For 2017, the emphasis was placed on “Literacy in a digital world”, because not knowing anything about the internet in today’s world is just like lacking basic reading abilities in the 1960s — it’s the “new illiteracy”.
The focus for this year’s International Literacy Day will be “Literacy and skills development”. But the skills in question are not job-specific skills, such as those required to be an electrician or carpenter. Instead, the focus will be on “transferable skills”— communication, critical thinking, multitasking, teamwork, and creativity, to name a few. These are the things that allow us to do our job well — any job.
This echoes what Greek philosopher Socrates said almost 2,500 years ago: “Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.”
And with more people become literate, it’s only a matter of time before their small flame turns into a big fire.
1. What did UNESCO do to raise literacy in 1960s? (within 15 words)2. The theme of this year’s International Literacy Day will be “Literacy and skills development”. What do “skills” refer to here? (within 15 words)
3. What does the underlined word “illiterate” in paragraph 2 mean? (within 5 words)
4. What progress has been made in literacy since 1967? (within15 words)
5. What’s the title of the article? (within 10 words)
