1 . 阅读下面短文，根据短文内容填全。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个适当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空

More than twenty-five years ago, Philadelphia started a program     1    (stop) graffiti on public buildings. Instead of illegally “tagging” buildings, graffiti artists     2    (give) the chance to make murals (壁画) on building walls in their     3    (community). Now, more than 3, 000 murals have been created through the program, which has taken off in neighborhoods across the city. Since 2001, the program has homeless worked with young people who are in detention centers (临时拘留所) or     4    (home) shelters. The program has also helped teach high school students how to make murals and provided after-school and summer arts education activities.

2 . Carnival: One Day in Rio

Last year I went to the Rio de Janeiro Carnival, and it blew my mind. It had been my dream to attend the famous carnival for many years, so I was excited. However, the moment I arrived, I was a little bit nervous because there were so many people on the streets. They say that five or six million people come to Rio during carnival time and about two million of them are on the streets on any given day. Luckily, I had a local guide, my sister’s friend Ronnie. He said he would take care of me and show me all the highlights. He did not let me down.

Well, the carnival is most definitely all about the samba. It’s a style of music and dance which has its roots in Africa. Lots of Africans were used as slave labor by the Portuguese when Brazil was being colonized, so this mixed culture of African, Latin and European styles is really strong here. Samba music is usually fast and exciting with a lot of drums and harmonic vocals. It’s the kind of music that you can’t help dancing to, and I was learning that as I followed Ronnie through the crowd, my hips and shoulders were swinging almost involuntarily.

Ronnie had got us tickets for the samba parade, the icon of Brazilian culture, inside the Sambadrome where the top samba schools compete for the championship title, but we still had a long way to go through the street parties. He said most people enjoy the carnival by making their own parties in the street. About the samba parade, twelve main teams compete for the championship, and if they win, their performance will be talked about for years to come. So, you must be wondering how it was. Well, I’m afraid I can’t tell you. Ronnie and I never made into the Sambadrome. We spent the day moving from one street party to another. There were more snacks, more drinks and lots of dancing. Do I regret missing the main parade? Not at all. I experienced the carnival like the locals, and it was truly amazing.

1. What was the main cause for the author’s tension in the beginning?

A．The doubts about the visit.	B．The nervousness over the crowd.
C．The inability to find a local guide.	D．The anxiety about visiting a new country.

2. What can we learn about samba from this passage?

A．Samba has its roots in America.

B．Samba is not the taste of the writer.

C．Samba has a long and mixed culture.

D．Samba music is usually slow and soft.

3. The author didn’t regret missing the parade because ________.

A．she met some amazing local people

B．she didn’t have the tickets for the parade

C．she celebrated the festival in a local way

D．she enjoyed the carnival by making her own parties

4. According to the passage, which of the following words can best describe Ronnie?

A．Modest and determined.	B．Humorous and ambitious.
C．Creative and sympathetic	D．Reliable and considerate.

3 . 阅读下面短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个适当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

Halloween began with the Celts(凯尔特人),     1     lived in Ireland over two thousand years ago. Back then, the holiday was an end—of summer harvest feast     2     (call) Samhain, a time when food     3     (store) for the winter. Samhain also marked the Celts’ New Year.     4     Samhain Eve, the Celts believed that the ghosts of the dead walked the earth as they crossed to the underworld, and that     5     (fairy) and demons came out of hiding.

4 . A cultural view on personal space

It’s a well-known fact that the British prefer a large “bubble” of personal space around them.     1     And in South America, a friend may grab you by the arm during conversation to make their point.

Now, a study published in the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology has looked into why different cultures have such different approaches to personal space.     2     They developed an earlier study that divided individuals into “contact” and “non-contact” cultures. Contact cultures—southern European, Latin American and Arabian—engaged in more touching and stood closer during conversation than non-contact cultures in northern Europe, North America and parts of Asia.

To a degree, this proved correct. Argentina becomes known as the most touchy-feely nation; people here keep the same distance from a stranger as a British person would an acquaintance and a Canadian individual a close friend or partner.     3     They come out with the widest distance you should stand from a stranger—more than 1.3m—but one of the narrowest gaps for close friends, just 40cm, compared to nearly 60cm for a British person. So the theory of warm versus cold is not as straightforward as it sounds.

    4     The higher a country’s average temperature, the closer people will stand to a stranger. But older people in warm climates keep a bigger distance from close friends and stand closer to strangers; women generally keep a greater distance from someone they don’t know.

The academics leading this study admit that there is a lot more to do. But what we do know is to keep your distance in Canada; prepare for a hug in Argentina.     5     They like to stand closer than anybody. To keep warm, perhaps.

A．It’s important to get the distance right, though.

B．Romanians clearly take longer to establish trust.

C．How close we stand to other people varies widely between countries.

D．And if you end up on good terms with a Norwegian, don’t draw back.

E．However, in India people will pack into trains and buses without a second thought.

F．One theory the researchers wanted to test was whether climate affects personal space.

G．The study certainly found that climate, age and gender have an effect on personal distance across cultures.

5 . Whether you believe it or not, there is a festival that honors the monkeys. Called “The Monkey Buffet Festival”, it is celebrated in the city of Lopburi. You may find this surprising, but when you ask some locals about the cultural significance of this festival you will find that there is really nothing! The Monkey Buffet Festival is supposed to be for business — a creative and unique way of attracting and increasing tourists in Thailand.

However, you may ask why, of all the animals in Thailand to honor with a festivity, choose monkeys? Interestingly, this is due to ancient folklore (民间传说) that tells the story of Hanuman, a Hindu monkey deity (神) who is believed to have rescued a bride (新娘) from a ten-headed evil spirit. It was said that Hanuman discovered Lopburi, and these monkeys, the ones living in Lopburi receiving a feast every year, are his descendants.

The yearly Monkey Buffet Festival started in 1989 organized by a local businessman. Nowadays, the festival is a major tourist event and travelers from all over the world come here to see these huge numbers of monkeys filling their stomachs.

The Monkey Buffet Festival is a unique event that will give you a new perspective (视角) on how monkeys are treated in Lopburi. It may be a strange festival, but promises a lot of fun especially for people who love animals. These long-tailed monkeys are very used to humans, so tourists have no need to worry that they will go away seeing people getting near them. However, this could be disadvantageous as well. They can be very aggressive (好攻击的) and have been known to take glasses and wallets away from tourists. So keep an eye on monkeys hanging from trees in the area.

Visit Lopburi in Thailand and enjoy the Monkey Buffet. What are you waiting for? Mark your calendar for the last Sunday of November and experience the festivities with the cute little monkeys. Where else can you find a festival where monkeys are fed with jellies, candies, sausages, and a can of Coke to drink!

1. Why is the Monkey Buffet Festival held?

A．To ask people to protect the wild animals.

B．To spread Thai cultural significance.

C．To develop tourism in Lopburi.

D．To show respect to monkeys.

2. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．The reason why monkeys are honored.

B．The way the festival is organized.

C．The influence of the festival.

D．The history of Lopburi.

3. What did the author want to do in the last paragraph?

A．Call on people to care about monkeys.

B．Encourage people to attend the festival.

C．Ask people to reflect on their actions toward nature.

D．Discuss the relationship between humans and nature.

6 . 假如你是李华，你的加拿大笔友Allen来信说近期要来北京体验中国的春节文化，希望你介绍一些有关中国春节的习俗。请根据提示写一封回信，信件的开头和结尾已为你写好。注意文段结构和衔接。要求用到以下提示词：
1. 重视，准备，打扫屋子
2. 贴汉字“福”，剪纸，春联
3. 放烟火，吓跑怪物“年”，吃年夜饭，吃饺子，发红包，看春晚，守夜，家庭团聚
4. 习俗，精神
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7 . Thousands of years ago, New Year’s Eve fell on October 31, and in some European countries, like Ireland, it was a special day for the sun god. To celebrate the coming of a new year and to scare ghosts away, people would get together and wear scary costumes (装束).

Most Europeans followed this old tradition even after they became Christians in 312 AD. As Christian practices became more and more important in most European cultures, Europeans began to see the importance in holding a special day for saints (圣人). Saints are Christians who have died but are still given special respect. Each saint is given a special day, so that Christians can celebrate the saint’s life every year.

In 609 AD, the number of saints had grown too large for each of them to have a special day on the calendar, so the church set a day, May 13, to celebrate every saint's life. It was called “All Saints’ Day”. In 835 AD, this day was moved to November 1. Later, October 31 was named “Halloween” in Ireland. This word means “the evening before the day for all saints”. It was about this time that people began going to church on both Halloween and All Saints' Day.

Today, most people don’t know much about All Saints’ Day or the history of Halloween. However, the old tradition of dressing up in scary costumes has been kept to this very day, which makes Halloween a fun evening for children.

1. New Year's Eve used to be celebrated on _____.

A．October 31

B．December 25

C．May 13

D．November 1

2. How did All Saints’ Day first begin?

A．Many saints in Europe, wanted such a holiday.

B．Christian rules required this kind of celebration.

C．There were too many saints to celebrate one by one.

D．Children didn't have any kind of holiday for themselves.

3. The word “Halloween” refers to _____.

A．the scary costumes people wear on All Saints’ Day

B．the evening before the day for all saints

C．a tradition in European countries

D．a special day for the sun god

8 . 我们生活在五彩斑斓的世界中，但中华民族似乎对红色和黄色情有独钟，请你以“中国人崇尚的颜色”为主题，介绍中国人喜欢红色和黄色的原因。内容包括：
1.在中国古代，黄色是皇权的象征。
2.红色是喜庆的象征。
注意：
1.词数100字左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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9 . Guanmei, a 65-year-old woman of the Dong ethnic group, is the inheritor of the Grand Song of Dong (侗族大歌), a national intangible cultural heritage in China. Her hometown Zaidai Village in Guizhou, southwestern China, is home to the Grand Song of the Dong ethnic group.

The Grand Song of Dong dates from more than 2,500 years ago. The way Dong singers use their vocal cords (声带) is different from how formally trained singers do. It is a folk chorus with multi-parts, no conductor, and no accompaniment. Organically growing from their natural surroundings, it is recognized internationally as “the sound of Nature.”

Before the Dong people had a writing system in 1958, the Dong culture, their history and stories were all recorded by means of songs. As a Dong saying goes, “Rice feeds the body and songs enrich the soul”. The Dong people sing right from their childhood. While not singing, they all work in their rice field.

Guanmei has been singing the Grand Song of Dong all her life, making her a famous singing teacher in her hometown and nearby areas. “The songs are our means of passing on wisdom, knowledge and life experiences to others. I will not exist in this world 100 years later, but Grand songs will. I’m honored to do this job, ” Guanmei said.

Kind-hearted, Guanmei has been volunteering to teach the Grand Song of Dong to the Dong children for over 30 years. Now she has more than 300 students. Guanmei is pleased to see the village children come to her house willingly when they have free time.

“Nowadays, more and more young people leave the village and settle in cities. Decades later, the Dong children out of the village might know nothing about Grand songs. We should do something just now. It’s our mission. What is once lost might be lost forever,” added Guanmei.

1. What makes the Grand Song of Dong known as “the sound of Nature”?

A．The outstanding conductor.

B．The special musical instrument.

C．The attractive natural environment.

D．The inspiration from nature.

2. What can we know about the Dong ethnic culture?

A．The Dong singers are professionals.

B．The Dong culture before 1958 has been largely lost.

C．Singing is of vital importance to the Dong people.

D．They have a written language with a history of over 2,500 years.

3. How does Guanmei feel about the future of Grand songs?

A．Concerned.	B．Sympathetic.
C．Optimistic.	D．Satisfied.

4. What’s the author’s main purpose in writing the passage?

A．To call on young people to return to the Dong village.

B．To guide the Dong children to learn the Grand Song of Dong.

C．To show a woman’s efforts to keep the Dong culture alive.

D．To instruct people to appreciate the Grand Song of Dong.