2 . The second Sunday in May is Mother’s Day. American children of all ages give their mothers something special. Children, young and old, try to show their love to mothers on the day. However, do you know that Mother’s Day celebration is no recent thing?

England was the first country to set a day for mothers. In the United States, Mother’s Day became an official holiday in 1910. An American girl, Anna, asked their governor to set a festival for mothers that they loved. Therefore, they set the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day and a year later all the other states celebrated it.

In the morning of Mother’s Day, some American children serve their mothers breakfast in bed. Other children will give their mothers presents which they made themselves or bought in stores. Adults give their mothers red carnations (康乃馨)，the official Mother’s Day flower. If their mothers left the world, they may bring white carnations their grave sites (墓地)，This is the busiest day of the year for American restaurants. On this special day, family members do not want their mother to cook dinner!

1. In America, who asked the government to set a festival for their loved mothers?

A．Mike.

B．Alice.

C．Tom.

D．Anna.

2. When is Mother’s Day in America?

A．On the second Sunday in May.	B．On the first Sunday in April.
C．On the second Sunday in July.	D．On the fourth Sunday in September.

3. What is the official Mother’s Day flower according to the passage?

A．Blue carnations.	B．White carnations.
C．Red carnations.	D．Green carnations.

4 . Little New Year usually falls a week before the lunar New Year. It is also known as the Festival of the Kitchen God, the deity (神) who oversees the moral character of each household. Here are six things you should know about the Little New Year, another sign of the start of spring.

1. Offer sacrifices to Kitchen God

One of the most distinctive traditions of the Little New Year is the burning of a paper image of the Kitchen God, who will report on the family’s conduct over the past year. The offerings to the Kitchen God include pig’s head, fish, sweet bean paste, melons, fruit, boiled dumplings, barley sugar, and Guandong candy. Most of the offerings are sweets of various varieties. It is thought that this will seal the Kitchen God’s mouth and encourage him to only say good things about the family when he ascends to Heaven to make his report.

2. House cleaning

According to Chinese folk beliefs, during the last month of the year ghosts and deities must choose either to return to Heaven or to stay on Earth. It is believed that in order to ensure the ghosts and deities’ timely departure people must thoroughly clean both their persons and their houses, down to every last drawer and cupboard.

3. Eat Guandong candy

Guandong candy, a sticky treat made out of glutinous millet and sprouted wheat, is a traditional snack that Chinese people eat on the Festival of the Kitchen God.

4. Paste paper-cuts to windows

In the Little New Year, old couplets and paper-cuts from the previous Spring Festival are taken down, and new window decorations, New Year’s posters, and auspicious (吉利的) decorations are pasted up.

5. Bath and hair-cut

As the old Chinese saying goes, whether they’re rich or poor, people often have a haircut before the Spring Festival. The activity of taking bath and haircut is often taken on the Little New Year.

6. Preparations for the Spring Festival

People start to stock up necessary provisions for the Spring Festival since the Little New Year. Everything needed to make offerings to the ancestors, entertain guests, and feed the family over the long holiday must be purchased in advance.

1. What is the most unusual tradition in the Little New Year?

A．Offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God.

B．Burning a paper image of the Kitchen God.

C．Preparing the necessities for the New Year.

D．Cleaning houses and people themselves.

2. What is the Kitchen God’s duty in the man’s world?

A．Collecting the information of the man’s world.

B．Protecting the character of each home.

C．Gathering sacrifices for other Gods in Heaven.

D．Watching out for the moral people in the world.

3. Why are most of the offerings sweets?

A．Because the Kitchen God loves sweet foods.

B．Because it is the traditional custom.

C．Because people hope the God says good for them.

D．Because sweets are the best sacrifices.

4. What do we know from the passage?

A．Little New Year always falls in February.

B．House cleaning is to welcome the New Year.

C．In the Little New Year only paper-cuts are pasted up.

D．People will make full preparations for the coming New Year.

5 . Midi Festival

As a rock festival, the Midi Festival 2017 in Beijing presented a musical carnival for fans. It was the 18th year of the outdoor music feast. This year, a lot of rock bands from home and abroad performed on three stages. With beautiful scenery and exciting music, it was a good opportunity to enjoy rock with friends and family.

2:00-10:30 p.m., from April 29 to May 1. China Music Valley Grassland Park, Pinggu District. 400-610-3721.

Fans of Painting

Ancient Chinese calligraphers(书法家) and painters were fond of painting on the folds of fans. Their excellence has left a wealth of outstanding works. A fan painting show exhibited 990 Ming and Qing Dynasty calligraphy and painting works on folding fans.

10:00 a.m. -2:30 p.m., from April 29 to May 29. National Museum of China, 16 East Chang’an Avenue. 010-651-6400.

Poetic Portraits

Two artists held a joint exhibition with paintings featuring portraits of Chinese women in poetic poses. Wang Xiaojin, who is from Shandong Province, has been exhibiting since 1993. The other artist, Xu Zhigang, is originally from Liaoning Province, but is now in Beijing.

10:00 a.m. -8:00 p.m., from April 28 to June 20. Rong Gallery, Sheraton Pudong Hotel, 38 Pujian Road, Pudong New Area. 0137-6408-7294.

Group Show

The artist group, “island6”, worked in new media and held a show titled Body-City-Mechanism. Through interactive video, photography, oil on canvas and sculpture, the artists explore themes of man and cyberspace.

10:00 a.m. -6:00 p.m., from April 30 to June 28. Studio Rouge, 50 Moganshan Road, Putuo District. 021-5252-7856.

1. What’s the purpose of the text?

A．To introduce some famous exhibitions of China.

B．To give readers some guide of the cultural activities.

C．To explain how to play happily with your family.

D．To present several collections in the National Museum.

2. Where can you go to enjoy natural scenery?

A．Midi Festival.	B．Fans of Painting.
C．Poetic Portraits.	D．Group Show.

3. What can you do on holiday in June?

A．Watch a music show at Rong Gallery.	B．Enjoy the performance of rock bands.
C．Visit an exhibition of portrait paintings.	D．Appreciate painting works from the Qing Dynasty.

6 . If you think about World Heritage Sites, you probably think of places connected with ancient art and culture and historical buildings. And of course, many of these are on the World Heritage List (WHL). But the WHL contains a lot of sites that are not so obvious. Let’s look at a few of them.

Robben Island, South Africa

This island was used through the centuries as a prison, a hospital and a military base. But it’s probably most famous as a maximum security prison for political prisoners (政治犯) in the twentieth century. Nelson Mandela was one of its most famous prisoners. The WHL says it represents the victory of democracy (民主) and freedom.

Pyrenees-Mont Perdu

This is an area of great natural beauty and the mountains have many interesting geological formations. But it is also an area of small farms. People there still use a type of agriculture that used to be common in mountainous areas of Europe but that has almost completely disappeared in modern times.

The city of Brasilia, Brazil

Brasilia is the capital city that was created from nothing in 1956. The WHL calls it “a landmark in the history of town planning”. The different areas of the city and the buildings themselves were all designed at the same time carefully. Every part of the city shows the ideas of the planner and architect.

Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia

The Simien Mountains National Park was one of the first sites to be listed in 1978. It is one of the highest mountainous areas in Africa, and the WHL calls it one of the most amazing landscapes in the world. It is also important for its wildlife. The number of some rare animals is getting smaller and smaller.

1. Why does the author write this passage?

A．To talk about the history of ancient buildings.

B．To describe places of great importance.

C．To introduce some of the not-so-obvious sites on the WHL.

D．To explain when these heritage sites were listed on the WHL.

2. Why does the WHL list Robben Island in South Africa?

A．For the type of agriculture.	B．For its political meaning.
C．For the ideas of the designer.	D．For the great natural beauty.

3. Which of the following was listed on the WHL for its natural scenery and wildlife?

A．The city of Brasilia.	B．Pyrenees-Mont Perdu.
C．Robben Island.	D．Simien Mountains National Park.

7 . On a September afternoon in 1940, four teenage boys made their way through the woods on a hill overlooking Montignac in south-western France. They had come to explore a dark, deep hole said to be an underground passage to the nearby Lascaux manor (庄园). Squeezing through the entrance one by one, they soon saw wonderfully lifelike paintings of running horses, swimming deer, wounded wild oxen, and other beings—works of art that may be up to 20,000 years old.

The collection of paintings in Lascaux is among some 150 prehistoric sites dating from the Palaeolithic period (旧石器时代)that have been documented in France’s Vezere Valley. This corner of south-western Europe seems to have been a hot spot for figurative art. The biggest discovery since Lascaux occurred in December 1994, when three cave explorers laid eyes on artworks that had not been seen since a rockslide 22,000 years ago closed off a large deep cave in southern France. Here, by unsteadily shining firelight, prehistoric artists drew outlines of cave lions, herds of rhinos (犀牛) and magnificent wild oxen, horses, cave bears. In all, the artists drew 442 animals over perhaps thousands of years, using nearly 400,000 square feet of cave surface as their canvas. The site, now known as the Chauvet-Pont d’Arc Cave, is sometimes considered the Sistine Chapel of prehistory.

For decades scholars had theorized that art had advanced in slow stages from ancient scratches to lively, naturalistic interpretation. Surely the delicate shading and elegant lines of Chauvet’s masterworks placed them at the top of that progression. Then carbon dates came in, and prehistorians felt shocked. At some 36,000 years old—nearly twice as old as those in Lascaux—Chauvet’s images represented not the peak of prehistoric art but its earliest known beginnings.

The search for the world’s oldest cave paintings continues. On the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, for example, scientists found a large room of paintings of part-human, part-animal beings that are estimated to be 44,000 years old, older than any figurative art seen in Europe.

Scholars don’t know if art was invented many times over or if it was a skill developed early in our evolution. What we do know is that artistic expression runs deep in our ancestry.

1. According to the passage, where did the boys find the paintings?

A．In the woods on a hill.	B．In a deep cave in France.
C．In the Lascaux manor.	D．On an Indonesian island.

2. According to the passage, “figurative art” in paragraph 2 is a form of art that_________.

A．conveys concepts by using accurate numbers and forms

B．makes stories in contrast to scientific subjects

C．represents people or things in a realistic way

D．expresses ideas or feelings by using shapes and patterns

3. It can be inferred from the passage that________.

A．the Chauvet’s paintings had been sealed by a rockslide until 1994

B．the style of Chauvet’s paintings is similar to that of the Sistine Chapel’s

C．Chauvet’s images are the earliest figurative paintings that have been found

D．the main objects of Chauvet’s images are part—human, part—animal beings

4. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A．Value of Palaeolithic Artworks	B．Preservation of Figurative Art
C．Artistic Expressions of Nature	D．Searches for Cave Paintings

8 . Undoubtedly, Britain is a nation of hat wearers. From taking off hats     1     launching mortar boards (学位帽) in the air, hats have long been associated with ceremonies and practices. Even the history of the country can     2    (tell) through hats.

    3     (date) back to medieval England, the flat cap became a symbol of working class culture in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Edwardian Era was     4     golden age of hats, when the decorations became even more delicate, ranging from flowers, birds to fruits. The pork pie hat, starting in the middle 19th century, was the     5    (choose) for many well-dressed Victorian citizens. Decades later it     6    (gradual) became a key feature of London street style. By the 1960s, though, hats faded out of people’s sight because of the rise of private cars. It was the Royal Wedding     7    (hold) in 2011 that contributed to the return of hat wearing. For example, Stockport Hat Works Museum— the only museum in the country featured in hats and hat making — is     8    (popular) than ever, with a distinct increase on its visitors.

    9     marks Britain out on the world stage is the large number of hats of different shapes and colors. The variety of hats in Britain     10     (reflect) its multicultural background and rich cultural heritage.

9 . Miang

My name is Miang. I come from Thailand. I would like to tell you about my favorite holiday, which is Chinese Spring Festival taking place in January or February every year. My family is Chinese, and we celebrate this day all together. My aunt prepares some traditional Chinese dishes, such as duck, chicken, fish, pork and so on. We will have a get-together to enjoy all these delicious food, especially a kind of food—“dumplings”.

Janine

My favorite holiday is Christmas. On Christmas, we dance, play music and sing. We have great fun on that day. We eat Christmas sweets and many special foods. We decorate our house with colorful lights. I love Christmas mainly because of holiday!

Zhenia

My favorite holiday is the New Year. We celebrate the New Year on the 31st of December. Father Frost comes with his granddaughter Snegoorochka on this night. He comes at night and puts his presents under the New Year Tree. We have a party and stay up until midnight to see the New Year in and the Old Year off. We cook tasty food for parties.

Pat

My name is Pat, and I am from Thailand. My favorite holiday is Songkran. It is a Thai New Year celebration. It takes place from the 13th to 15th of April. People pour water on each other on this holiday. It is a lot of fun. People also buy new clothes and they have big parties.

Malena

I am Malena, and I’m from Argentina. My favorite holiday is the New Year. We celebrate with fireworks at midnight. I go to Punta del Este with my family. We usually eat Arabian food (kibbe, Lajmayin and so on).

1. On Chinese New Year’s Day, Miang’s aunt may cook all of the following EXCEPT______.

A．duck

B．dumplings

C．Lajmayin

D．pork

2. We can infer that Father Frost and Snegoorochka most probably are ______.

A．present-sellers	B．Zhenia’s relatives
C．characters in tales	D．father and daughter

3. Besides Pat, who else most probably celebrates Songkran?

A．Janine.

B．Malena.

C．Zhenia.

D．Miang.

4. According to the passage, what is the main reason why Janine loves Christmas?

A．Because there is a lot of fun.	B．Because she doesn’t go to school.
C．Because she can get a lot of presents.	D．Because she can stay with her family.

10 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

New Year’s Eve is the last day of the year. It is always an exciting time because people look forward to     1    (welcome) a new year. It is also a good time to think back and say goodbye to the old year. New Year’s Eve is a     2    (nation) holiday for many people around the world. In a lot of countries , people go back to their hometown for the New Year, so usually the trains and buses    3    (pack) with people. In England, there is always a New Year’s Eve party,     4     is usually held at someone’s home and the host invites friends, families and neighbors. The living room becomes a mini disco as everyone dances    5     loud music.

I have lots of good     6    (memory) of New Year’s Eve . I once spent one freezing New Year’s Eve in Trafalgar Square in the center of London. It snowed and was     7    (bitter) cold . I also spent many wonderful New Year’s Eves in Japan. There, it is a tradition    8    (visit) a shrine(圣坛)and pray for good things. I think wherever you are, New Year’s Eve is always     9    exciting day. Maybe the last way to welcome the New Year     10    (be)watching amazing fireworks displays in the world’s cities.