1 . China is one of the first countries to breed a medical culture. In comparison with Western methods, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) adopts a vastly different approach. For thousands of years, Chinese people have accumulated rich experience in fighting all sorts of diseases, therefore forming a unique medical theory under the guidance of ancient Chinese philosophies (哲学).

The core behind TCM is that the human body's life is the consequence (结果) of the balance between Yin and Yang. Yang functions to safeguard us against outer harm, and Yin is the inner base to store and provide energy. When the balance between the two aspects is disturbed, people fall ill.

One of the traditional techniques of TCM, acupuncture (针刺疗法) means insertion of needles into superficial (表面的) structures of the body—usually at acupoints (穴位)—to restore the Yin Yang balance. It is often accompanied by moxibustion (艾灸疗法), which involves burning mugwort on or near the skin at an acupoint.

The first known text that clearly talks about something like acupuncture and moxibustion as it is practiced today is The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon. It is the earliest and most important written work of TCM and is considered the fundamental and most representative medical text in China.

Acupuncture and moxibustion have aroused the interest of international medical science circles. And TCM is gradually gaining worldwide recognition. The WHO issued a document in 2002 that appealed to more than 180 countries to adopt TCM as an alternative in their medical policies. In 2010, acupuncture and moxibustion of traditional Chinese medicine were added to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the UNESCO. Presently, TCM has been back in the news for its effectiveness in improving the cure rate of the COVID-19 since its outbreak in January 2020.

1. What is the key feature of TCM?

A．It adopts different medical approaches.	B．It's based on ancient Chinese philosophies.
C．It helps to restore body's self-balance.	D．It's gained experience through rich practice.

2. What can we learn about The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon from the text?

A．It distinguishes acupuncture from moxibustion.

B．It's a foundation of world medical research.

C．it stresses the importance of using acupoints.

D．It greatly contributes to the development of TCM.

3. Why does the writer write this text?

A．To review the development of TCM.	B．To introduce TCM to the world.
C．To tell TCM and Western medicine apart.	D．To argue for TCM in fighting COVID-19.

4. What might be talked about in the paragraph following the text?

A．How TCM helps in the current situation.	B．Why TCM is gaining popularity.
C．Why TCM gets recognition from WHO.	D．How other countries adopt TCM.

2 . Ready to take a gap year？ A "Gap Year" is a period of time when a student takes a break before going to university. It is often spent travelling or working．    1    

Gap years are popular with European and Australian students, but remain less popular in America. However, in recent years, more and more American students are preparing for college by taking a gap year. The advantages of taking a gap year are as follows：

    2    

Although you don't have to go abroad to experience gap years, most gap year students catch the chance to travel abroad. You are able to work out who you are and what you are for. The experiences of different cultures offer you interesting lessons. You can learn more about the world and get to know yourself better．

Face challenges and have fun

A gap year is not only a time to take a vacation, but also a time to face challenges. Gap year students usually work, volunteer or take service projects. You have to learn how to get along in the real world. This process isn't always easy, but it is an important part of growing up．    3    

Save money and improve your college admission chances

There's a common thought that gap years are only for rich students, but it's not true. Actually, taking a gap year can save your money. Gap year students often take a part-time job. Besides, at the end of a gap year, students are much more likely to know what to study in college.     4    

    5    Both of them are excellent and have high grades. However, one student has much practical experience or has volunteered in his vacation. Who do you think the admission officer will choose？

A．Learn about the world and yourself

B．Only in this way can you enjoy life and have fun．

C．Check out your gap year choices before making the right decision．

D．It can give young people useful learning experiences and new skills．

E．Imagine an admission officer trying to admit only one between two students．

F．More students than ever before are taking a gap year before going to university．

G．Clear learning goals can keep the students working hard instead of wasting time and money playing．

3 . My parents grew up during the Depression(大萧条) attending small country churches. At the close of Christmas Eve services, each child was given a brown paper bag containing an apple, an orange, nuts and several chocolates.

Years later, whenever Dad recalled that tradition, his eyes shone reliving the memory. My mother didn’t share his enthusiasm. She always said the chocolates tasted cheap and old.

Cheap chocolates or not, the paper bags with goodies were an event. Gifts of any sort during the Depression were rare, especially in large farm families with seven children.

When our children were young and we were home for Christmas one year, Mom and Dad gave each of the grandkids a brown paper bag holding an apple, an orange, nuts and several chocolates. When we finished the 8-hour drive home after the holiday, there was a message waiting on the phone when we walked in the door. “Your ungrateful kids left their apples and oranges in the back of our refrigerator. No more fruit for them!” Grandpa and Grandma were joking, of course, but still there was a degree of disrespect in the kids leaving behind thoughtfully chosen gifts.

But the paper bag didn’t have a context for our children. They had never known fruit to be a scarcity(缺乏). They didn’t appreciate the gift because they had never experienced the need the gift was meant to fill.

The same is true of Christmas today. We don’t appreciate the true gift of the season because we don’t understand the need the gift was given to fill.

It’s not like we don’t know we have needs. We know them, all right—patience, love, self-control, strength, courage, faithfulness, forgiveness—it’s just that we have become experts at numbing(使麻木) ourselves to our needs.

The true gift of the season is a perfect fit for our every need. When a gift like apples and oranges fits a need, there is a cheerful satisfaction. When the gift of a Christmas tree fits a need, there is the joy of Christmas.

1. We know from the first two paragraphs that the author’s parents     .

A．had different memories of the chocolates

B．were born into wealthy families

C．had no interest in Christmas Eve services

D．received lots of help during the Depression

2. The kids left the apples and oranges in the back of the refrigerator     .

A．because they wanted to surprise their grandparents

B．to show their disrespect for the family tradition

C．because such gifts didn’t meet their needs

D．to thank their grandparents for the well-chosen gifts

3. What can be learned from the underline sentence?

A．The kids didn’t want to carry on the tradition

B．The tradition didn’t have the same meaning for the two generations

C．The paper bags didn’t serve a useful purpose for the children

D．The kids didn’t understand the necessity of the paper bags

4. What could be the best title for the text?

A．The best gift ever

B．The Christmas tradition

C．When Christmas meets Depression

D．When the gift meets the need