1 . 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．

2 . In 1947 a group of famous people from the art world headed by an Austrian conductor decided to hold an international festival of music, dance and theatre in Edinburgh. The idea was to reunite Europe after the Second World War.

It quickly attracted famous names such as Alec Guinness, Richard Burton, Dame Margot Fonteyn and Marlene Dietrich as well as the big symphony orchestras(交响乐团). It became a fixed event every August and now attracts 400,000 people yearly.

At the same time, the “Fringe” appeared as a challenge(挑战) to the official festival. Eight theatre groups turned up uninvited in 1947, in the belief that everyone should have the right to perform, and they did so in a public house disused for years.

Soon, groups of students firstly from Edinburgh University, and later from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, Durham and Birmingham were making the journey to the Scottish capital each summer to perform theatre by little -- known writers of plays in small church halls to the people of Edinburgh.

Today the “Fringe”, once less recognized, has far outgrown the festival with around 1,500 performances of theatre, music and dance on every one of the 21 days it lasts. And yet as early as 1959,with only 19 theatre groups performing, some said it was getting too big.

A paid administrator(行政人员) was first employed only in 1971, and today there are eight administrators working all year round and the number rises to 150 during August itself. In 2004 there were 200 places housing 1,695 shows by over 600 different groups from 50 different countries. More than 1.25 million tickets were sold.

1. What was the purpose of Edinburgh Festival at the beginning?

A．To bring Europe together again.	B．To honor heroes of World War II.
C．To introduce young theatre groups.	D．To attract great artists from Europe.

2. Why did some uninvited theatre groups come to Edinburgh in 1947?

A．They owned a public house there.	B．They came to take up a challenge.
C．They thought they were also famous.	D．They wanted to take part in the festival.

3. What does the “Fringe” mean in the third paragraph?

A．unpopular groups	B．non-official groups
C．foreign groups	D．local groups

4. We may learn from the text that Edinburgh Festival      .

A．has become a non-official event	B．has gone beyond an art festival
C．gives shows all year round	D．keeps growing rapidly

3 . 阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。

Have you heard an old saying “The grass looks greener on the other side of the fence”? It means other places often look better, more interesting than the place where you live. “Let’s go to KFC for dinner and then watch some Japanese cartoons!” We all know it: more and more Chinese kids love American and Japanese food and movies. Some people worry that young Chinese are beginning to feel that way. They see young Chinese ignoring（忽视）Chinese culture and, instead, buying Japanese cartoon books, watching Korean soap operas and even celebrating western holidays.

Foreign books and soap operas are good, but Chinese writers and actors are just as good. As for holidays, Christmas is nice, but it can never have the meaning for Chinese that Spring Festival has, and the West has nothing to compare with the Mid-Autumn Festival. China has lots of cool things in its culture: calligraphy, Beijing Opera, quick meals on the streets, and even Jay Chou! And let’s not forget the part of Chinese culture I like best: its friendliness. Not all countries are as warm as China.

It’s good to enjoy other cultures and learn from them, but they can never replace your own culture. It’s good to look on the other side of the fence, but make sure you take a good long look. You will find that the grass isn’t always greener.

Although some people become worried about that, I don’t think they should. Will we get more powerful without learning from other countries? Will Chinese people live more happily without American fast food? Besides, it’s fun to learn about different cultures. Chinese kids can learn about other cultures and have fun, but they also need to learn more about their own culture. Be proud of Chinese culture and of being Chinese!

____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

5 . Hanukkah (光明节) is a Jewish festival. It is celebrated on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev (犹太教历), which is usually sometime in December. It is often called the festival of lights. The festival celebrates the time, over 2，000 years ago, when the Jewish people fought against an emperor who would not let them follow their own traditions and religion. When the Jewish people won back their temple in Jerusalem, they found there was only little holy oil to keep the sacred light burning for one day. However, to their surprise, this small amount of oil kept the light burning for eight days and nights until the people had time to make more oil.

At the center of the Hanukkah celebrations is a candlestick (called a Menorah) that holds nine candles. On the first night of Hanukkah the first candle is lit, and each day this candle is used to light another candle, until on the eighth day, the last day, all the candles are lit. During Hanukkah, people go to the synagogue (犹太教堂) to pray and to remember the miracle (奇迹) of the holy oil. Hanukkah is a time for family and friends to come together. People exchange gifts and greeting cards, and children go to parties. Parents often give their children money at Hanukkah. Potato cakes, called latkes, are a traditional Hanukkah food.

1. From the first paragraph we know that Hanukkah is a festival about ________.

A．Jewish month of Kislev	B．Jewish traditions and religion
C．how to make more holy oil	D．traditional Hanukkah food

2. According to the passage, what is necessary when celebrating Hanukkah nowadays?

A．Oil.

B．Money.

C．Cards.

D．Candles.

3. What does the Menorah remind Jewish people about?

A．The war that they fought 2，000 years ago.

B．The God that they honored best.

C．The miracle of the holy oil that happened 2，000 years ago.

D．The church they built 2，000 years ago.

4. The passage mainly tells us about ________.

A．the history of Hanukkah and how it is celebrated

B．why Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah

C．why Jewish people protect their traditions

D．the miracle of the holy oil in the Jewish temple

6 . 假定你是李华，你写了一首英文诗准备向校广播站投稿。给外教Miss Evans写封邮件，请她审核并当面指导。邮件内容包括：
1. 诗歌简介；
2. 指导内容；
3. 商定时间、地点。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为80左右；
2. 开头和结尾已为你写好；
3. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Dear Miss Evans，

How’s everything going?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours，

Li Hua

7 . Modern buildings are set up on a large scale in the city. Should they be allowed to be built next to older buildings in a historic area of a city? In order to answer this question, we must first examine whether people really want to preserve the historic feel of an area. All historical buildings are not attractive. However, there may be other reasons — for example, economic reasons — why they should be preserved. So, let us assume that historical buildings are both attractive and important to be the majority of people. What should we do then if a new building is needed?

In my view, new architectural styles can exist perfectly well alongside an older style. Indeed, there are many examples in my hometown where modern designs have been placed very successfully next to old buildings. As long as the building in question is pleasing and does not dominate its surroundings too much, it often improves the attractiveness of the area.

It is true that there are examples of new buildings which have spoilt the area they are in, but the same can be said of some old ones too. Yet people still speak against new buildings in historic areas. I think this is simply because people are naturally conservative （保守的）and do not like change.

Although we have to respect people's feelings as fellow users of the buildings, I believe that it is the duty of the architect and planner to move things forward. If we always reproduced what was there before, we would all still be living in caves. Thus, I would argue against copying previous architectural styles and choose something fresh and different, even though that might be the more risky choice.

1. What is the author's view of historical buildings in Paragraph 1?

A．Some of them are unattractive.

B．Many of them are too old to preserve.

C．They don't offer the historic feel of an area.

D．They are more pleasing than modern buildings.

2. Which of the following does the author mostly agree with?

A．We should reproduce the same old buildings.

B．Buildings shouldn't fit in with their surroundings.

C．Some old buildings have reduced the interest of the area they are in.

D．No one knows why people are against new buildings.

3. The underlined words “move things forward” mean _______.

A．destroy old buildings

B．put things in a different place

C．respect people's feelings

D．choose new architectural style

4. What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To explain why people dislike change.

B．To warn that we could end up living in caves.

C．To answer the questions people show great interest in.

D．To argue that modern buildings can be built in historic areas.

8 . Outside， it's a cold winter's day． Inside a large shopping center， people are hanging around． But then， without warning， a pop song starts to play loudly． A teenager boy walks lazily to the center of the open space， and dances crazily to the music． He's joined by two of his friends， then some of the old people． Within the space of a few seconds， more than sixty people are dancing to the music - all in time and all in step． At first， onlookers are baffled， then they start smiling and clapping． They now know what they're seeing： a flash mob （快闪）．

According to Wikipedia， the term "flash mob" was created by Bill Wasik， an editor at Harper's Magazine， in 2003． Within a year， the phrase had entered the Concise Oxford English Dictionary． Since then， hundreds - possibly thousands - of flash mobs have been carried out around the world， in almost every kind of public space imaginable!

Each flash mob has its own style， but most flash mobs follow a similar formula （方案）． Often， the organizers search for willing participants using social media． Instructions and dance moves are given through email or video download． There are usually several rehearsals （排练） before the big day．

While it's happening， a few lucky passers-by watch it live． Most people who watch it， however， will see it later online． Some of the most popular flash mobs on YouTube have been watched more than 10million times． A famous example is MP3Experiment Eight， a flash mob that took place in New York City in July 2011 with over 3，500 participants． This event differed from normal flash mobs in that much of it was completely silent - and there were no rehearsals．

Flash mobs provide the participants， onlookers and online viewers with a lot of enjoyment and pleasure． For this reason alone， they're a modern， popular art form that should be celebrated．

1. What does the underlined word "baffled" in Paragraph 1 mean？ ______

A．Excited．	B．Puzzled．
C．Satisfied．	D．Disappointed．

2. Why does the author mention the Concise Oxford English Dictionary？ ______

A．To argue against Bill Wasik．

B．To compare it with Wikipedia．

C．To explain the meaning of "flash mob"．

D．To show the rapid development of flash mobs．

3. What is special about MP3Experiment Eight？ ______

A．It was played online．

B．It was the earliest flash mob．

C．It was played with no sound．

D．It was most accepted by the audience．

4. What is the author's opinion on flash mobs？ ______

A．Supportive．	B．Hopeless．
C．Uncaring．	D．Doubtful．

9 . Experts say there are about 6，500 languages spoken throughout the world.But the United Nations estimates that about half of these languages are in danger of disappearing.

One non-profit organization seeking to save world languages is a New York-based group called Wikitongues.Officials from Wikitongues say the organization has a simple goal:to provide the tools and support that people need to save their languages.

Udell is the co-founder of Wikitongues.He said when a language disappears，many other things can go away as well.For example，parts of a community’s culture，knowledge and identity can also be lost.Because of this.Udell believes the process of bringing languages back must be done by community members themselves，“from the ground up，”he said.

“There is no way an outside organization can save someone’s language for them.”

Wikitongues was launched in 2016 as an open internet collection of world languages.The self-described“community”is operated by volunteers from around the world.The collection is in the form of language videos that people add to the Wikitongues website.

There are currently more than 400 languages and dialects represented on Wikitongues’YouTube channel.Udell says more than 1,500 people from 70 different countries have added videos to the system.

“We have people from India who record dozens of languages，which is beyond their own.”he said.

One of Wikitongues’volunteers is Kolokwe，who lives in Namibia.His native language is Subiya，however，he does not get the chance to speak his native language every day.Like many other educated people from his area，he speaks a lot of English and Afrikaans.

Kolokwe is hoping his involvement with Wikitongues call help keep Subiya and other African languages from going extinct.He wants the world to know about his language.But his goal goes beyond just sharing his language with others through video.He is also working to create a dictionary and language teaching materials that can be used in schools.

1. What is tile result of languages disappearing?

A．People are uncertain about who they are.

B．All the customs and beliefs are still existing.

C．People can not communicate with each other.

D．The community becomes more independent.

2. Which of the following is true of Wikitongues?

A．It was founded by the United Nations.

B．Officials from it want to make money.

C．It contributes to saving languages.

D．1500 languages are uploaded on its website.

3. Why is Kolokwe involved in volunteering?

A．He has no chance to speak his native language.

B．He dislikes speaking English and Afrikaans.

C．He wants to stop his native language dying out.

D．He hopes to teach his language in school himself.

4. What can we infer from the opinion of Udell?

A．The majority of languages have been saved.

B．Wikitongues can save languages disappearing.

C．Internet plays a more important part than volunteers.

D．Only community members can save their own languages.

10 . 假定最近你们班进行了一次题为“保护文化遗产是否很重要”的讨论。根据以下要点用英语向大家介绍一下讨论结果, 并谈谈你自己的看法。
1. 80%的学生认为重要及其理由。
2. 20%的学生认为不重要及其理由。
注意: 1. 词数80左右;
2. 可适当增加细节, 以使行文连贯。
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________