1 . If Confucius(孔子)were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He'd need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.

While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It's nothing personal. Most Americans don't even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.

But this doesn't mean that Americans don't care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.

In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually include Chinese art, history and

philosophy(哲学). Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks(缺陷)of Western philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.

So the old thinker's ideas are still alive and well.

Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.

As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.

1. The opening paragraph is mainly intended to______________.

A．provide some key facts about Confucius

B．attract the readers' interest in the subject

C．show great respect for the ancient thinker

D．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations

2. We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students___________.

A．have a great interest in studying Chinese

B．take an active part in Chinese competitions

C．try to get high scores in Chinese exams

D．fight for a chance to learn Chinese

3. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Forgotten Wisdom in America

B．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language

C．Chinese Culture for Westerners

D．Old Thinker with a Big Future

4. The passage is likely to appear in__________.

A．a personal biography	B．a history paper
C．a cultural newspaper	D．a philosophy textbook

2 . 一个英文网站面向中学生征稿。请你写一篇英语稿件，介绍“清明节”及这个节日里的主要活动。
写作要点：
1. 它是中国传统节日之一；
2. 扫墓祭祀、缅怀祖先。
3. 也有踏青游玩等活动。
注意：1. 词数100左右；

2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；

3. 开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。

参考词汇：
清明节the Tomb-sweeping Day               踏青 have an outing in spring
The Tomb-sweeping Day

The Tomb-sweeping Day is one of the 24 seasonal division points in China falling on April 4-6 each year.

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3 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的适当形式。将答案填写在答题卷的相应位置。

Wuzhen Water Town is a typical ancient town in southern China.     1    (lie) in the northern part of Tongxiang City, Zhejiang Province, it can be easily accessed    2    a number of express ways. On a recent business trip to Shanghai, a local friend     3     (invite)me to Wuzhen.

It was 9:00 am when we arrived there. With its houses made of black bricks and gray tiles (瓦) against the white walls, the small town is like a       4     (tradition) Chinese ink wash drawing. Wandering along the riverside, you will be     5     (deep) impressed by the great scenery and slow lifestyle. During lunchtime, I       6     (treat) to the steamed white fish, a well-known dish served at most    7     (restaurant) in Wuzhen. It tasted so good. But I think it is the combination of culture and food that makes it so outstanding.

After lunch, we continued our walk, enjoying the sights and learning about its history, a history     8    is full of good stories and unique traits (特色).

It’s really fortunate for anybody       9     (explore) such a beautiful place. We hope there will be     10    second chance to visit this wonderful town!