1 . Recently, I was walking with some parents when we came across a five-pound note lying on the ground. We stood around it for a moment, a bit awkwardly, until someone suggested putting it on a nearby bench. Then one of the parents remarked that we’d probably have behaved differently — that is, we would have just taken the money — had we been alone.

This relates to a classic question in studies of human generosity: do we behave more selfishly when we aren’t being observed? The debate goes on across the psychological and biological sciences, as well as in popular culture, about whether kindness can exist in a competitive world.

Yom Kippur is a Jewish (犹太人的) religious holiday when Jewish people fast and ask for forgiveness for the wrongs they’ve committed. One of the points of Yom Kippur is to behave better regardless of who is watching. There’s an evolutionary beauty to the teachings of Yom Kippur, which are the products of thousands of years of cultural changes and evolution.

The Maasai people of Kenya practice osotua: relationships between people that operate based on need. When someone forms an osotua relationship with another, they enter into an unwritten contract to help their partner in times of need. And hunter-gatherer groups, which can represent the circumstances our species evolved in, have many similar examples.

Cultural evolution helps to explain the existence and complexity of these systems. Cultural changes are far faster than biological evolution, allowing intelligent species like humans to develop behavioral adaptations for managing complex social environments. Osotua, or any other practice that helps to maintain good treatment of others in society, is the result of tens of thousands of years of cultural trial and error. The customs passed down over time are those that help us to develop as cultural groups.

The study of those changes has helped us to understand how we successfully spread around the world as cooperative groups. Biological evolution has helped humans be more cooperative, but cultural changes have accelerated this process.

Cultural evolution helps us to overcome our selfish natures. Try to understand rules before you ignore them — and next time you find a fiver on the ground, you might think about the awkward situation your discovery represents.

1. What made the parents feel a bit awkward?

A．The difficulty sharing the money.

B．The difficulty finding the owner of the money.

C．The thought of putting the money on the bench.

D．The thought of keeping the money for themselves.

2. Why is “Yom Kippur” talked about in the text?

A．To highlight a fact.	B．To draw a conclusion.
C．To make a comparison.	D．To support an argument.

3. How is biological evolution different from cultural evolution?

A．It evolves much slower.	B．It takes much less time.
C．It is a more complex process.	D．It makes humans more cooperative.

4. What does the author intend to explain in the text?

A．How cultural evolution takes place.	B．Why people sometimes behave selfishly.
C．Why kindness exists in a competitive world.	D．How kindness spreads throughout the world.

2 . 假如你是李华，你的美国笔友Jack对中国倡导的德智体美劳“五育教育”中的美育很感兴趣，请你写一封电子邮件向他做一介绍。内容包括：
1. 你对美育的理解；
2. 你校美育开展情况；
3. 欢迎他来你校实地考察。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 短文的开头已为你写好。
3. 参考词汇：美育：aesthetic education 实地考察：on-site inspection
Dear Jack,

Nice to receive your email. Here let me give you a brief introduction to the aesthetic education in our school.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填人1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

A music concert “Echoes of Ancient Tang Poems” jointly performed by iSING! Suzhou and the Philadelphia Orchestra was staged at Kimmel Performing Arts Center in Philadelphia on Jan. 6.

Another concert featuring Tang poetry was    1    (successful) held at the Lincoln Center in New York on Jan. 7. Fifteen iSING! Suzhou singers from 10 countries led by Liao Guomin performed songs    2    (write) by young composers from 6 countries. The songs included many well-known    3    (poem) from the Tang Dynasty, such    4    Luo Binwang’s Singing of Goose and Li Bai’s Quiet Thoughts by Night.

The iSING! Suzhou International Young Artists Festival    5    (set) up in Suzhou in 2014 as China’s first international vocal (声乐) art festival. Over    6     past eight years, the festival has attracted outstanding young singers from all over the world, spread    7    promoted Chinese and classical music, and enhanced cultural exchanges between China and the West, becoming a cultural card for Suzhou to go    8    (globe).

The performances were also held to commemorate(纪念) the    9     (fifty) anniversary of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s China tour in 1973. The Philadelphia Orchestra, as the first American orchestra    10    (visit) China, bridged the two nations in the field of culture.

4 . Besides “wow” and “great”, what else would you say when flying over the Earth in space? Samantha Cristoforetti, the first Italian female astronaut in space, posted several lines of a famous ancient Chinese composition on Twitter to share her joy.

She first wrote in Chinese, and then attached an accurate translation of the lines in both Italian and English to help more people understand. “Looking up, I see the immensity of the cosmos; bowing my head, I look at the multitude of the world. The gaze flies, the heart expands, the joy of the senses can reach its peak, and indeed, this is true happiness,” it says. Two days before she landed on Earth, the beauty of space and Chinese literature resonated on her Twitter account. Before long, her posts went viral on Twitter with thousands of retweets, likes and replies.

The text she quoted is from the Preface to Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion,a Chinese calligraphy masterpiece by Wang Xizhi (303-361) of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420). She also attached three photos taken in space of China’s Bohai Bay and the day-night view of Beijing. “The poem and views are both magnificent as well as healing. If everyone could enjoy the same sight, a lot of pain in the world would be ‘dissipated’,” one user comments.

As the first Italian female astronaut in space, Cristoforetti carried out her first space mission on Nov 23, 2014. In 2022, she started the second mission in April and returned to Earth on Friday night after a 127-day stay in orbit.

Cristoforetti has also been active in Sino-European cooperation in the field of manned spaceflight. She was a working group member with Chinese counterparts to define and implement cooperation in the field of astronaut operations. When not traveling for work, she is an eager reader and has a great passion for languages. Speaking clear Chinese, Cristoforetti once told the media that the teams from China and Europe were working very well together in the field of astronaut training.

1. What is the result of Cristoforetti’s post online?

A．The birth of a masterpiece.

B．A trend of journey to space.

C．An instant hot issue on Twitter.

D．Different translations of the lines.

2. Which word below can be used to replace the underlined word “dissipated” in Paragraph 3?

A．Relieved.	B．Caused.
C．Increased.	D．Recognized.

3. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．Cristoforetti’s devotion to her career.

B．Cristoforetti’s language learning strategies.

C．The leadership Cristoforetti plays in her team.

D．The possible motivation for Cristoforetti’s post.

4. What can be the best title of the passage?

A．A female astronaut becomes online star

B．A Chinese poem gets popular abroad

C．Literature conveys the beauty of space

D．An Italian astronaut promotes Sino-European cooperation

5 . I’ve had the good fortune of spending a lot of time working in London over the years. I’m a typical American, _________ to making eye contact and smiling when speaking to others. But until I spent time abroad, I was never quite _________ of what my facial expressions could convey.

In the UK, I _________ not everyone made as much eye contact on the street as I did. And it was _________ to hold eye contact during a business meeting. My _________ smile could be considered as flirtatious (轻浮的). But my British colleagues _________: I was American. This forward attitude was not _________, but it was just my culture. _________, being expressively cheerful among those who keep _________ closer to their vest (背心 ) was accepted in the UK.

____________, in other countries a cultural misunderstanding of smiling can have serious results. While it’s unlikely that a mistimed smile will ____________ you a contract (合同),____________ interactions can make it much more difficult to build effective business relationships.

Different cultures ____________ smiling in different ways. In Russia, people do not smile because it ____________ that you are at best foolish or at worst, sneaky (卑劣的). Even in family photos, adults ____________ with stony faces. In Japan, smiling is a way to ____________ your feeling that you don’t want others to know. Australians have smiling cultures. While they might not have the same ____________ for giant white smiles as Americans, they smile more than our peers in Russia, Japan, Switzerland, and the UK.

If Americans have to work abroad, my ____________ is to make sure you do some research. It is ____________ to be yourself, but you should also learn about the culture you are going to visit. This will help you communicate ____________ and effectively with your peers.

1.

A．limited

B．devoted

C．addicted

D．accustomed

2.

A．ashamed

B．aware

C．fond

D．proud

3.

A．admitted

B．imagined

C．discovered

D．declared

4.

A．special

B．rare

C．funny

D．necessary

5.

A．sweet

B．artificial

C．strange

D．purposeful

6.

A．expected

B．analyzed

C．predicted

D．understood

7.

A．friendly

B．reliable

C．traditional

D．aggressive

8.

A．Regretfully

B．Luckily

C．Eventually

D．Frequently

9.

A．sympathy

B．attention

C．feelings

D．promises

10.

A．However

B．Instead

C．Thus

D．Otherwise

11.

A．cost

B．win

C．save

D．afford

12.

A．brief

B．vague

C．awkward

D．illegal

13.

A．greet

B．fancy

C．explain

D．avoid

14.

A．indicates

B．happens

C．matters

D．proves

15.

A．appear

B．leave

C．hesitate

D．observe

16.

A．stress

B．hide

C．share

D．assess

17.

A．desire

B．gift

C．reason

D．reputation

18.

A．chance

B．task

C．challenge

D．advice

19.

A．possible

B．practical

C．important

D．simple

20.

A．secretly

B．sensitively

C．gratefully

D．temporarily

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

Visits to Red tourism attractions are expected to rise this year as the Communist Party of China (CPC) celebrates the 100th anniversary of     1     (it) founding. Their increasing popularity will not only     2     (strength) people’s knowledge of CPC history, but also bring significant economic     3     (benefit).

    4     (recognize) as one of the most important revolutionary bases in China, Yan’an is home to 445 memorial sites. The city’s Red tourism market     5     (receive) 1.6 million visitors and recorded nearly 1.5 billion yuan during the past national day holiday.

“I’m quite lucky that I was born after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, but I never forget what my father told me about their hard life in the war,” Zhao Yanping, a 67-year-old visitor from Zhejiang province, said. “He told me to be grateful to the CPC, without it we could not live such     6     good life nowadays.”

Yang Guangyuan, director of Yan’an’s publicity department, mentioned the     7     (big) attraction of Yan’an is the spirit,     8     has been passed down by generations of CPC members. “In the past 100 years, the CPC     9     (grow) from weak to strong, leading China’s revolution to get out of difficulty.” he said. The city now has its traditions well protected while looking forward to     10     (build) an energetic future.

7 . The 24 solar terms were created thousands of years ago in China to guide agricultural production. They also reflect China’s rich history through the seasonal festivals, special foods, cultural ceremonies, family gatherings and even healthy living tips that correspond with each solar term.    1    

Rain Water signals the increase in rainfall and rise in temperature. With its arrival, lively spring-like scenery starts blossoming: the river water defreezes, wild geese move from south to north and trees and grass turn green again.

    2    In northern China, the spring drought is common and the precipitation of this season accounts for only 10 to 15 percent of annual average rainfall. At this time of year, farmers begin to plough their fields. It’s the right time to prepare for spring sowing when the day gets warmer.    3    

During Rain Water period, extra care is needed to deal with a returning cold spell and humidity, which is the amount of water in the air.    4    It is strongly advised not to take off the thick coats too early and to keep warm, especially the elderly and children.

The wet and humid weather during Rain Water period is considered harmful for people’s spleen and stomach according to Chinese medical practice.    5    People in Beijing often eat porridge (粥) cooked with a kind of Chinese herb medicine to resist cold and wet weather. Honey, dates and Chinese yam are also very good nourishment (营养) to put in the porridge.

A．With Rain Water coming, insects become more active.

B．A bowl of nutritious porridge is the best choice to nourish the body.

C．Therefore, Rain Water is considered as a key period to water the fields.

D．According to an old Chinese saying, the rainfall in spring is as precious as oil.

E．The temperature in most of the basin areas increases quickly during Rain Water.

F．One of the 24 solar terms, which is very important in spring, is called Rain Water.

G．The fast increase in air humidity due to rainfall can result in lower temperature and wet weather.

8 . 阅读下面对话，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。

Black Friday, which is a popular holiday, is usually celebrated     1     day after Thanksgiving in the United States. On this day, Americans all over the country rise at dawn in order to stand at the head of the line at     2     (vary) stores, so that they can get deeply discounted deals offered by these stores.

This day     3     (call) Black Friday because it is the day on which many traders “hit the black”,     4     (mean) that they start to make money after being “in the red” all year long. The traders used     5     (write) with a red pen on their ledgers (账簿) to show losses and black inks to show gains. It is not how this holiday gets its name, but it is     6     (common) believed by the public to be the case.

Although this day continues to be a big holiday in the United States, it is beginning to lose some of its     7     (popular). That is     8     more and more people are turning their attention to online shopping. It allows them to buy     9     they want with convenience. As a result, Cyber (网络的)Monday appears, which is a day directly competes with Black Friday and may lead to     10     (it) downfall.

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。

Although festivals have changed a lot with the development of society, the importance of traditional festivals in their lives has never     1     (change). Over 5000 years history has been witnessed the     2     (create) of many Chinese traditional festivals—Chinese New Year, Chinese Mid-Autumn Festivals, the Dragon Boat Festival ,many of which     3     (have) a long history in China. It's very important to promote traditional Chinese festivals as traditional festivals teach us about Chinese values and enable us     4     (learn) more about fine Chinese value. More     5     (importance), traditional festivals are a source of national pride and help shape our national identity. Traditional festivals are also .    6     reminder of what it means to be Chinese.

Many parties have important roles to play     7     promoting traditional Chinese festivals. Firstly ,the government should declare public holidays on some traditional festivals. Besides, the media can help spread more knowledge about these traditions,     8     (raise) people's interest in the origins and history of the festivals. Lastly, more activities     9     (hold) by schools can help draw students’ attention to our traditions.

With the joint efforts of these different parties, people will pay more attention to traditional Chinese festivals, and be     10     (proud) of Chinese culture.