1 . When my family moved to America in 2010 from a small village in Guangdong, China, we brought not only our luggage, but also our village rules, customs and culture. One of the rules is that young people should always respect elders. Unluckily, this rule led to my very first embarrassment in the United States.

I had a part-time job as a waiter in a Chinese restaurant. One time, when I was serving food to a middle-aged couple, the wife asked me how the food could be served so quickly. I told her that I had made sure they got their food quickly because I always respect the elderly. As soon as I said that, her face showed great displeasure. My manager, who happened to hear what I said, took me aside and gave me a long lecture about how sensitive Americans are and how they dislike the description “old”. I then walked back to the table and apologized to the wife. After the couple heard my reason, they understood that the problem was caused by cultural differences, so they laughed and were no longer angry.

In my village in China, people are proud of being old. Not so many people live to be seventy or eighty, and people who reach such an age have the most knowledge and experience. Young people always respect older people because they know they can learn from their rich experience.

However, in the United States, people think “growing old” is a problem since “old” shows that a person is going to retire or that the body is not working well. Here many people try to keep themselves away from growing old by doing exercises or jogging, and women put on makeup, hoping to look young. When I told the couple in the restaurant that I respect the elderly, they got angry because this caused them to feel they had failed to stay young. I had told them something they didn’t want to hear.

After that, I changed the way I had been with older people. It is not that I don’t respect them any more; I still respect them, but now I don’t show my feelings through words.

1. The author brought the couple their food very fast because _______.

A．the manager asked him to do so	B．the couple wanted him to do so
C．he respected the elderly	D．he wanted more pay

2. When the author called the couple “elderly”, they became _______.

A．nervous	B．unhappy
C．satisfied	D．excited

3. After this experience, the author _______.

A．changed his way with older people	B．made friends with the couple
C．no longer respected the elderly	D．lost his job in the restaurant

4. Which of the following is TRUE?

A．The more the author explained, the angrier the couple got.

B． The author wanted to show his feelings through words after his experience.

C．From this experience, the author learned more about American culture.

D．The manager went back to the table and apologized to the couple.

2 . As traditional Chinese art，paper cutting has a long history. The first and earliest paper cutting was found in China 1 ,500 years ago. But this traditional art is at risk of disappearing now.

Luckily, Vivian Woo, a Chinese immigrant in America, is trying to bring this art back to life. One Saturday in 2017, Ms. Woo held a paper cutting show at a shopping center near Washington. She got much fun and peace doing it. She hoped more people would enjoy it. Ms. Woo began to study the art of paper cutting as a 14-year-old girl in her hometown in China. She said all the students at school had to learn paper cutting. But she had a deep love for it. So her teacher spent
more time teaching her after class. Later, she won the second prize in a national painting and art competition. Ms. Woo went to America after she finished college in 2008. Soon after that, she took part in an activity to promote Chinese paper cutting. And then she was invited to show the art in many important activities. “It is important to promote this art to Americans or anyone who is interested in it. Maybe it will make this art more popular. ”Woo said.

From the art of paper cutting， people can know about Chinese cultural values, history and stories of people' s life. Ms. Woo uses the art as a tool to show Chinese culture to people who know little about it.

Chinese art is not only for Chinese, but also for people all over the word.

1. What did Ms. Woo do in 2017?

A．She won the second prize in a national painting and art competition.

B．She was invited to many activities to show paper cutting.

C．She held a paper cutting show at a shopping center near Washington.

D．She took part in an activity to promote Chinese paper cutting.

2. Ms. Woo began to study the art of paper cutting______.

A．when she was fourteen	B．after she got to America
C．when she was in college	D．after she finished college

3. In the passage, the writer thinks the art of paper cutting is _______now.

A．very popular in America	B．very popular in China
C．for people who know about it	D．in danger of disappearing

3 . I have learnt a lot about Chinese life and culture while teaching in

First, family life quite ____ in China from that in the USA. In the USA, many young people ____ home after they finish their education and start working. However, in China, it is ____ for people to live with their parents until they get married. ____, many of my Chinese friends told me that their ____ lived with them and helped take care of them when they were children. It seems that Americans think independence is more important ____ the Chinese think family relationships are more important.

Bargaining is another ____ that I have tried to learn. In the USA, prices are ____ and you can’t ask for a lower price. However in some small Chinese stores and tourist places, you are ____ to bargain. My Chinese friends taught me to ask for 40 percent or 50 percent ____ the original price. If the salesperson doesn’t agree to my price, I should ____ to leave and he might let me come back and sell me the item. It is a skill that you have to ____ if you live in China.

Tipping hasn’t been easier to ____. In the USA, many people in the service ____ want to get ____ money for serving customers. Tipping is not a part of Chinese culture. ____ I tried to tip a taxi driver. He looked a little ____ and refused to take the money. In dinners, perhaps what surprises an American visitor most is that some of the Chinese hosts like to put food into the plates of their ____. Actually, this is a ____ of true friendship and politeness. My Chinese friend told me if I didn’t want to eat it, I should just ____ the food in the plate.

1.

A．unique

B．different

C．private

D．harmonious

2.

A．come

B．build

C．leave

D．abandon

3.

A．regular

B．true

C．common

D．usual

4.

A．Also

B．However

C．Therefore

D．Although

5.

A．parents

B．relatives

C．babysitters

D．grandparents

6.

A．while

B．since

C．when

D．as

7.

A．way

B．custom

C．lesson

D．habit

8.

A．made

B．agreed

C．charged

D．set

9.

A．expected

B．taught

C．suggested

D．required

10.

A．up

B．away

C．off

D．on

11.

A．promise

B．pretend

C．decide

D．hope

12.

A．tolerate

B．understand

C．practise

D．consider

13.

A．adjust to

B．turn to

C．refer to

D．stick to

14.

A．area

B．department

C．branch

D．industry

15.

A．easy

B．extra

C．pocket

D．prize

16.

A．Often

B．Once

C．Sometimes

D．Before

17.

A．excited

B．satisfied

C．frightened

D．confused

18.

A．own

B．children

C．neighbors

D．guests

19.

A．signal

B．mark

C．sign

D．feature

20.

A．leave

B．remain

C．put

D．taste

4 . During the cold winter days, there are some interesting festivals (节日) in the world. Look at the following ones.

Harbin Ice and Snow Festival

Place: China

Time: January 5 to February 5

People build incredible things out of ice and snow,decorating them with lights.

The Carnival of Venice

Place: Italy

Time: between February and March

One of the most beautiful festivals in the world,people wear masks and elaborate costumes to hide differences among classes,and there are contests for the best costumers.

Holi Festival

Place: India

Time: late February/March, on the last dull moon day

Hindus and Sikhs,in India,Nepal,and Sri Lanka celebrate the main day of this incredibly fun 16-day festival by throwing colored powder and water at each other.

Sundance Film Festival

Place: Utah, the US

Time: end of February

The largest independent film festival in the US. Watch both feature films and shorts. You need to buy a ticket.

1. Which of the following festivals can’t be celebrated at the end of February?

A．Sundance Film Festival.	B．Harbin Ice and Snow Festival.
C．Holi Festival.	D．The Carnival of Venice.

2. If you want to watch wonderful films, you may go to         .

A．India	B．China
C．America	D．Italy

3. If you go to Europe, which festival can you celebrate?

A．Sundance Film Festival.	B．Holi Festival.
C．The Carnival of Venice.	D．Harbin Ice and Snow Festival.

5 . The first day of the month of May is known as May Day. It is the time of year when warmer weather begins. People celebrate the coming of summer with customs that are expressions of joy and hope after a long winter. Today, May Day activities have been moved to the May Day holiday on the first Monday of the month. It is a public holiday when families take advantage of the time off to visit some of the UK’s many attractions, including parks, zoos, historic buildings, ancient towns and villages and beautiful countryside.

May Day celebrations have their origins in the Roman festival of Flora, the goddess of fruit and flowers, which marked the beginning of summer. People would decorate their houses and villages with leaves and flowers they picked at daybreak in the belief that the vegetation spirits would bring good luck. In the very early morning, young girls went into the fields and washed their faces with dew (露水). They believed this made them very beautiful for the following year.

May Day was an important day in the Middle Ages and was a favorite holiday of many English villages. People of the time used to cut down young trees and stick them in the ground in the village to mark the arrival of summer. This is the origin of the maypole (五月柱). People danced around them in celebration of the end of winter. Maypoles were once common all over England and were kept from one year to the next. The tallest maypole is said to have been put up in London on the Strand in 1661. It stood more than 143 feet high and was cut down in 1717, when it was used by Newton to support a new reflecting telescope (反射式望远镜) invented by Dutch scientist Huygens.

1. How do British people celebrate May Day?

A．They visit friends and family members.

B．They celebrate it on the first Monday of May.

C．They spend a lot of time shopping around.

D．They show great love for the long winter.

2. The underlined word “this” in Paragraph 2 refers to _____.

A．washing the face with dew

B．going into the fields

C．picking flowers at daybreak

D．getting up early in the morning

3. What can we learn about the maypole?

A．People climb it on May Day.

B．It was usually found in the cities.

C．It dates from the Middle Ages.

D．People used old, tall trees to make it.

4. The purpose of the text is to _____.

A．describe Roman customs

B．suggest spring family activities

C．explain the origins of maypoles

D．introduce a British festival