1 . Traditional Marriage Ceremonies

Belgium

The groom（新郎）comes to the bride’ s（新娘）house and gives her flowers. They go to the church and the man is inside when the bride’s father brings her to her future husband. When they come out, the family throws rice on them.

Germany

Some days before the wedding, friends and relatives bring old porcelain (瓷器) and kitchenware to throw on the ground in front of the bride and groom. This is supposed to grant them a happy, lucky life; that’s why this evening event is called Polterabend—the evening with lots of broken porcelain. The Polterabend often develops into an informal and casual party.

El Salvador

When a wedding is celebrated, the wedding ceremony service starts without the bride. The groom and all the people who have been invited to the ceremony are waiting for her during the service. A group of seven men goes to the bride’s home. The bride and her family are waiting for seven white cars which accompany the bride’s car until they arrive at the church.

Japan

The couple drinks Japanese rice wine in front of a priest ( 牧 师 ). First, the bride drinks the wine from a small cup. Next, the bride passes the cup to the groom and he also drinks the wine from the cup. They drink three times. This means that they make a commitment to love each other forever.

Turkey

When a girl gets married, all her female friends write their names inside her bridal shoes. After the wedding ceremony, if someone’s name has been rubbed off and can’t be read anymore, it means this person is going to get married next.

1. Why do people throw porcelain before the wedding ceremony in Germany?

A．To enjoy a casual party.	B．To respect the guests present.
C．To wish the couple good luck.	D．To start the wedding party.

2. In which country does the wedding ceremony start while the bride isn’t there?

A．Belgium.

B．Germany.

C．El Salvador.

D．Turkey.

3. What ceremony implies the new Japanese couple’s promise of a life-long love?

A．Drinking wine three times.	B．Throwing rice to their guests.
C．Writing their names in the shoes.	D．Going to the church first with a priest.

2 . 假设你是李华，在美国某中学做交流生。你的同学对中国宴请赴约的习俗很感兴趣，特请你用英语写一篇发言稿，介绍中国的宴请习俗。内容包括：
1. 到达时间；
2. 餐桌礼仪；
3. 饮酒习俗。
注意：1. 写作词数应为80左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答；
3. 参考词汇：banquet 宴会。
Hello, everyone,
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3 . 阅读下面材料．在空格处填入一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空，并将答案填写在答题卡标号为61—70的相应位置上。

Different counties and cultures celebrate the New Year in different ways. Many countries still follow the lunar calendar,     1    (mean) that their new year often starts in late January or in February. New Year     2     (celebrate) for some countries (like China, Vietnam, and Korea) last not one day, but up to two weeks!

In the US, many people attend or throw New Year parties. They drink champagne, dance and cheer at the stroke of midnight. Fireworks, which in ancient times     3    (scare) away evil spirits, are very popular throughout the US like many other countries. Americans often make one or more New Year’s decisions, such as promising to quit     4    (smoke), lose weight, or stop drinking, most of     5    last little longer than a month.

In Scotland, homeowners open the front door at midnight to let in the New Year, and open the back door to let     6     the old year. In Japan, people ring a bell 108 times     7     (get) rid of the 108 bad desires people have. In Spain, people eat 12 grapes—one per chime— as the clock chimes midnight. In Korea, people ring a bell 33 times with the     8     (intend) of memorizing 33 ancient soldiers.

In Colombia, families make     9    rag doll called “Mr. Old Year.” They fill it with     10     the family doesn’t want anymore and then set it on fire to rid themselves of all the bad things of the previous year.

4 . In 2011, the old style Malta buses were taken off the road and replaced by modern vehicles. Most of the old buses were deserted, a few were sold, and about 100 of them were put into storage in the hope of showing them in a museum at some stage.

A pre-2011 visit to Malta wouldn’t have been complete without a ride on one of the colorful buses. Until 1973 you could tell the destination of the bus just by looking at its color — Sliema was green and white, Zabbar was red and white with a blue stripe(条纹)etc. . Later, the buses all had numbers. For a while, they were all painted green and white before the ‘final’ orange, yellow and white.

In their prime, walking around the Triton fountain at the Valletta bus station, you would have found it very difficult to see two buses of exactly the same design. Most of them had locally built bodies. On the front of the buses carried names like Dodge, Leyland, Bedford etc. . You were equally likely to find football pennants(锦旗)and the like decorating the cabs. Real bus experts would have recognized that these were there mainly for decorative reasons, and were seldom an accurate reflection of the vehicle’s origins.

Nowadays much more modern buses are to be found at the Floriana bus station. They are more environmentally friendly and possibly even more comfortable than the older types. However, I miss the old buses. I remember, when you boarded your bus, you had to prepare the correct change to pay the usually bad-tempered driver as you got on. If you were seated anywhere near the front, you would have noticed that most drivers sat well to the right of their steering wheel. The reason for this, as any Maltese would tell you, was to leave space for their pet to sit alongside them. I wonder where the pet sits these days.

1. What makes a pre-2011 visit to Malta special according to Paragraph 2?

A．Traveling in colorful buses.

B．Using buses with stripes.

C．Painting buses bright colors.

D．Telling destinations by different colors.

2. Which of the following best explains “prime” underlined in Paragraph 3?

A．Painful time.	B．Exciting time.
C．Moment of fantasy.	D．Moment of glory.

3. What can we learn about Malta buses when they were popular?

A．They were of the same pattern.

B．The decorations reflected their origin.

C．Most were uniquely designed.

D．Only football pennants decorated the cabs.

4. How would the author feel about the old style Malta buses?

A．Comfortable.	B．Environment-friendly.
C．Safe.	D．Memorable.

5 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What are the speakers talking about?

A．Travel plans.

B．Famous adventurers.

C．Extreme climates.

2. What does the man say about mountain-climbing?

A．It’s quite exciting.

B．It’s quite boring.

C．It’s quite dangerous.

3. What has the woman paid close attention to?

A．Weather reports.

B．Historical events.

C．Mountain-climbing tips.

4. What can we learn from the conversation?

A．The man once was a professional trainer.

B．The man liked taking photos.

C．The man visited Pakistan.

6 . It is reported in the national press that a letter written by Charles Darwin in 1875 has been returned to the Smithsonian Institution Archives (档案馆) by the FBI after being stolen twice.

“We realized in the mid-1970s that it was missing,” says Effie Kapsalis, head of the Smithsonian Institution Archives. “It was noted as missing and likely taken by an intern (实习生), from what the FBI is telling us. Word got out that it was missing when someone asked to see the letter for research purposes,” and the intern put the letter back. “The intern likely took the letter again once nobody was watching it.”

Decades passed. Finally, the FBI received a tip that the stolen document was located very close to Washington, D.C. Their art crime team recovered the letter but were unable to press charges because the time of limitations had ended. The FBI worked closely with the Archives to determine that the letter was both authentic and definitely Smithsonian’s property.

The letter is in fairly good condition, in spite of being out of the care of trained museum staff for so long. “It was luckily in good shape,” says Kapsalis, “and we just have to do some minor things in order to be able to unfold it. It has some glue on it that has colored it slightly, but nothing that will prevent us from using it. After it is repaired, we will take digital photos of it and that will be available online. One of our goals is to get items of high research value or interest to the public online.”

It would now be difficult for an intern, visitor or a thief to steal a document like this. “Archiving practices have changed greatly since the 1970s,” says Kapsalis, “and we keep our high value documents in a safe that I don’t even have access to.”

1. What happened to Darwin’s letter in the 1970s?

A．It was recovered by the FBI.

B．It was put in the archives for research purposes.

C．It was stolen more than once.

D．It was purchased by the Smithsonian Archives.

2. What did the FBI do after the recovery of the letter?

A．They pressed criminal charges in vain.	B．They kept it in a special safe.
C．They arrested the suspect immediately.	D．They proved its authenticity.

3. What will the Smithsonian Institution Archives do with the letter according to Kapsalis?

A．Reserve it for research purposes only.	B．Make it available online.
C．Keep it a permanent secret.	D．Turn it into an object of high interest.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．A Letter by Charles Darwin Returns to the Smithsonian

B．The Smithsonian Tightens Security Measures

C．The Smithsonian Charges an Intern with Theft

D．The FBI Cracks a Criminal Case

7 . 假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；2只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。

It was The Dragon Boat Festival on last Thursday. My parents and me visited my grandparents and spend the day with them. When we arrived, they were making Zongzi, what is kind of traditional food for the festival. I was such curious about it that wanted to have a try. So my grandma taught me how to wrap glutinous rices in bamboo leaves as well as tell the story of Qu Yuan to me. I was moved because Qu Yuan was true loyal to his state. The wrapping job was difficult, and I managed to make some.

Not only did I enjoy a great time with my family but also I learned a new skill. How exciting experience it was!

8 . USA TODAY 10Best's Readers Choice Awards are currently on hold.We asked our readers to vote for the top events across six categories:music,general food,specialty food,film,cultural and emerging industries(founded in the past five years).These are some of the winners:

Kutztown Folk Festival

The nine-day Kutztown Folk Festival is the nation's oldest continuously operated folk life festival,drawing visitors from around the globe.A celebration of Pennsylvania Dutch culture and heritage,the event includes America's largest quilt sale,200 craftsmen and folk artists,local food and family friendly entertainment.

Water Lantern Festival

The Water Lantern Festival is all about connections.Magical nights in cities across the US include food,live music and the beauty of thousands of lanterns decorated with letters of love, hope and dreams floating on the water.

Carnaval of Quebec

The Quebec Carnaval is a 10-day festival of winter,the world's largest,complete with nighl parades(庆祝游行），ice skating,snow sculptures and a towering ice palace.Other highlighls include ice canoe racing,a sugar shack and iconic Caribou drinks.

San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade

San Francisco has celebrated its Chinese heritage during its annual Chinese New Year Festival&Parade since just after the Gold Rush.The parade ranks among the best in the world, with 100 units,fancy costumes,fireworks and a 268-foot Golden Dragon,which takes a team of 100 men and women to march through the streets.It has become one of the largest events of its kind in the world,drawing some three million spectators and television viewers.

1. What can you see during Kutztown Folk Festival?

A．Modern arts.

B．Quilts for sale.

C．Traditional weddings.

D．Shows on stage.

2. Which festival is meant to promote interpersonal relationships?

A．Kutztown Folk Festival.

B．Carnaval of Quebec.

C．Water Lantern Festival.

D．San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade.

3. Carnaval of Quebec and San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade both...

A．include special food

B．relate to parades

C．take place only at nights

D．have sculpture exhibitions

9 . World Wildlife Day

Celebrated annually on March 3rd, World Wildlife Day is a holiday that not only celebrates the diversity of the world's wild animals and plants but also raises awareness about the dangers they face due to human activities. Wildlife today faces many different challenges, which include, but are not limited to, loss of habitat, industrialized farming and commercial development.     1    

While extinction is a natural phenomenon, many scientists estimate that we are losing around 10,000 times the number of animals that are naturally caused by extinction.     2     As many as half of all current species may be extinct by the mid-21st century.

Proposed by Thailand at a United Nations General Assembly, World Wildlife Day was established as an international holiday on December 20th, 2013.     3     That is the day on which the Convention on International

Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was adopted.

Since World Wildlife Day is a U.N. sanctioned(认可的)observance day and not a public holiday, then schools, businesses, and government buildings are not closed on this day — if it falls during normal operation hours.     4     There are usually all different kinds of seminars and presentations highlighting the plight(困境)of the world's wildlife. Activities are held to help raise money for the rangers involved with the protection of endangered animals so they can buy new equipment.     5    

A．However, it is celebrated in a variety of different ways.

B．It was decided that it would be celebrated on March 3rd.

C．You can celebrate World Wildlife Day on your own or with others.

D．This means that dozens of species are going extinct every single day.

E．At that time hundreds of endangered species were being endangered every year.

F．There are also a number of other charity drives to raise money for endangered animals.

G．Illegal trade in animal hides, tusks or fur also brings significant risks to several species including tigers, rhinos, and elephants.

10 . Our emotions can vary considerably depending on many factors, including our health, wealth, relationships and where we live. But sometimes we need to take a step back and think about what happiness really means and how we can find it.

Maybe we should take a leaf out of Finland's book — last year the UN's World Happiness Report found the country to be the happiest place on earth. The report looked at "subjective well-being". That's how happy people feel they are and why — based on factors such as economic strength, social support, life expectancy, freedom of choice and generosity.

Research has also suggested that while personal feelings of pleasure are the accepted definition of happiness in Western cultures, East Asian cultures tend to see happiness as social harmony, and in some parts of Africa and India it's more about shared experiences and family.

Author Helen Russell has been looking at the positive characteristics of a country's population to see what makes them happy and found Japan to be one of the most content. She said this was due to their concept of wabi-sabi —"This traditional Japanese concept around celebrating imperfection... it's this idea that there is a beauty in ageing, it's to be celebrated rather than trying to disguise it." So, basically, we should be happy with who we are and rejoice in our faults and individuality.

But if you're feeling down in the dumps because your home country doesn't have a happiness concept to follow, consider some self-help ideas which include being virtuous, finding something to be passionate about, enjoying the here and now and being altruistic — helping others. However, our pursuit of happiness could make us miserable as we try to meet society's expectations and goals, making us anxious and stressed. Also, having too little experience of negative emotions can make us less adept (熟练的)at facing new challenges.

1. What is happiness in East Asian cultures?

A．Personal pleasure.	B．Harmony of society.
C．Subjective well-being.	D．Shared experiences and family.

2. What does the underlined word "rejoice" in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Be restless.	B．Be tolerant.
C．Be delighted.	D．Be ashamed.

3. What is the author's advice in the last paragraph?

A．Setting up a happiness concept of your home country.

B．Giving others in need a helping hand unselfishly.

C．Thinking twice about accepting new challenges.

D．Sticking to meeting society's expectations.

4. What is this text most likely from?

A．A diary.	B．A guidebook.
C．A novel.	D．A magazine.