1 . My father , a soldier , was deployed(调度) again . The ukulele I had watched him play was _________ The musical instrument sat there lifeless .

It came as a ________ because we had just moved into the present duty station a few weeks before . It was the fourth time we’d moved to a new place in just two years . Still ,________ was the thing that connected my father with Hawaii , a _______of his home and culture . We learned about our   ancestors   and   family   traditions mostly through his music .

But this time , everything was ________ . We were finally “home” in Hawaii and expected to ________ a place that we’d only heard about in my parents’ stories. We were just arriving, but he was already prepared to leave again, this time without us._______ ,we were surrounded by cousins and aunties who grew up knowing each other and ________ a cultural tradition of which we only knew the surface. We were ________ in the family. The person who made us fit, our father ,was gone. That was when I noticed my father’s ukulele. As I plucked（弹拨） the strings tunelessly , I felt ________ to him and our Hawaiian roots . So I picked up an old song book , and I ________ myself to play . I would play and sing,   as if my father had been here. After my father eventually________ , he bought another ukulele, and we had a mini concert. He was________ that I had learned so much. But what I really gained knowledge of was that music has the________ to do truly extraordinary things ________ us to our culture and each other , our past and our present.

1.

A．polished

B．tidied

C．abandoned

D．sold

2.

A．surprise

B．puzzle

C．challenge

D．relief

3.

A．time

B．duty

C．music

D．distance

4.

A．symbol

B．reminder

C．memory

D．review

5.

A．terrible

B．wrong

C．different

D．similar

6.

A．look for

B．fit into

C．take in

D．catch at

7.

A．Suddenly

B．Fortunately

C．Occasionally

D．Gradually

8.

A．breaking in

B．consisting in

C．delighting in

D．participating in

9.

A．visitors

B．relatives

C．acquaintances

D．foreigners

10.

A．closer

B．stranger

C．familiar

D．superior

11.

A．persuaded

B．inspired

C．taught

D．told

12.

A．responded

B．succeeded

C．returned

D．compromised

13.

A．shocked

B．confident

C．curious

D．annoyed

14.

A．potential

B．sense

C．privilege

D．power

15.

A．exposing

B．tying

C．expressing

D．introducing

2 . My father, a soldier, was ordered to change his duty station again. His favorite musical instrument—the ukulele I had watched him play each day—was going to be ______ there lifeless.

It came as a ______ because we had just moved into the present duty station a few weeks before. It was the fourth time we'd moved to a ______ place in just two years. Far from his hometown for a long time though, music, a ______ of his home and Hawaii culture, was ______ in the whole life of my father. We learned about our ancestors and family traditions ______ through his music.

But this time, everything was ______. We were finally “home” in Hawaii and expected to ______ a place that we'd only heard about in my parents5 stories. We were just arriving, but he was already prepared to ______ again, this time without us. ______ we were surrounded by cousins and aunties who grew up knowing each other and ______ a cultural tradition of which we only knew one or two. We were ______ in the family, because the person we were only familiar with, our father, was gone. That was when I ______ my father's ukulele. As I plucked (弹拨) the strings tunelessly, I felt ______ to him and our Hawaiian roots. So I picked up an old song book, and I ______ myself to play. I would play and sing, as if my father had been here. After my father eventually ______ he bought another ukulele, and we had a mini concert. He was ______ that I had learned so much. After that, the ______ I really acquired was that music has the ______ to do the extraordinary things ______ us to our culture and each other, our past and our present.

1.

A．checked

B．buried

C．sold

D．abandoned

2.

A．challenge

B．puzzle

C．surprise

D．relief

3.

A．remote

B．coastal

C．dangerous

D．new

4.

A．reminder

B．thought

C．rule

D．review

5.

A．dropped

B．caught

C．rooted

D．joined

6.

A．mostly

B．casually

C．accidentally

D．secretly

7.

A．terrible

B．wrong

C．different

D．similar

8.

A．look for

B．fit into

C．take in

D．appeal to

9.

A．bother

B．leave

C．agree

D．choose

10.

A．Suddenly

B．Obviously

C．Occasionally

D．Gradually

11.

A．breaking into

B．consisting in

C．going against

D．passing down

12.

A．witnesses

B．foreigners

C．acquaintances

D．relatives

13.

A．received

B．noticed

C．recognized

D．moved

14.

A．closer

B．stranger

C．helpful

D．superior

15.

A．persuaded

B．inspired

C．taught

D．told

16.

A．responded

B．succeeded

C．returned

D．compromised

17.

A．shocked

B．confident

C．curious

D．annoyed

18.

A．method

B．possession

C．skill

D．knowledge

19.

A．desire

B．sense

C．privilege

D．power

20.

A．distributing

B．tying

C．expressing

D．introducing

3 . The Double Seventh Festival, also known as the Qixi Festival, is a traditional Chinese festival. Here is a beautiful story _______ it.

Long，long ago, there was a young man named Niulang(Cowherd), One day, he_______a   beautiful girl- Zhinu( Weaver girl)， the Goddess s seventh daughter. She had just run away from the_______ heaven(天国) to look for fun on Earth. Zhini soon_______Niulang, and they got married without telling the Goddess. Niulang worked in the field and Zhinu wove(织布) at home. They_______a happy life and gave birth to a boy and a girl. Unluckily, the Goddess soon found out the fact and_______ Zhinii to return to heaven. After Zhini left， Niulang was _______upset. With the help of his magic cow,Niulang flew to heaven with his children to look for his wife. The Goddess discovered this and was very_______Taking out her hairpin(发簪), the Goddess created a wide river in the sky to separate(分开) the two_______. From then on, Niulang and Zhini had to live________ on the two sides of the river. However,their true love________ all the magpies(喜鹊) in the world, ________once a year tens of thousands of   magpies would fly up to heaven to make a bridge- the bridge of magpies for the couple to meet each other. At last, the Goddess allowed ________ to meet each   other on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month. That's________the Double Seventh Festival started. Today,   it is a great________for Chinese young people to express their love.

1.

A．through

B．behind

C．with

D．after

2.

A．met

B．told

C．thanked

D．missed

3.

A．boring

B．interesting

C．same

D．different

4.

A．looked forward to

B．parted with

C．turned down

D．fell in love with

5.

A．knew

B．lived

C．stayed

D．gave

6.

A．promised

B．waited

C．ordered

D．helped

7.

A．yet

B．ever

C．quite .

D．still

8.

A．angry

B．sorry

C．excited

D．satisfied

9.

A．friends

B．lovers .

C．parents

D．children

10.

A．back

B．away

C．halfway

D．apart

11.

A．surprised

B．changed

C．touched

D．protected

12.

A．so

B．but

C．though

D．because

13.

A．him

B．her

C．us

D．them

14.

A．how

B．when

C．what

D．where

15.

A．day

B．way

C．lesson

D．habit

4 . Hand Sewing (缝纫) is a culture that dances on fingertips. It has passed down from generation to generation and _______ various challenges (困难,挑战). It is the fruits of human wisdom.

In China, sewing is also _______ as a basic skill for women in traditional society. They sewed for their parents, husbands and children, due to which I always thought that sewing was particularly warm and _______.

My grandma is a gentle old lady. Like’ many women of her time, she has a(n) _______ for sewing. She made all my childhood clothes with her _______ hands.

As a baby girl, rather than playing outside with my mates, I _______ to stay with my grandma to help her sew.

Later, instead of making clothes, my grandmother would sew gloves or insoles for me. She cannot stay with me all the time, but she cared about me and _______ making these things for me. The painstaking love _______ me a lot.

It was grandma who inspired my love for sewing and taught me how to _______ love and care. Almost a year ago, I was ________ to find a birthday present for my friend, then I thought ________ don’t I sew her a gift?

I ________ up my mind to make her a pencil case. Making use of my old denim skirt, I cut out the pattern (图案), drew a ________ and then ________ myself in sewing. It ________ me about two hours to finish it There is no ________ that it was the most durable (耐用的) and ________ pencil case I could make. I sent it to my friend and wished her a happy birthday.

I could never have ________ how powerful the gift is. Just yesterday, she called me and said ________ every time she sees the pencil case, she thinks of me and gets a warm feeling. Sewing is a fantastic ________ form, which can really convey our love and care.

1.

A．created

B．faced

C．survived

D．controlled

2.

A．voted

B．viewed

C．determined

D．selected

3.

A．logic

B．magic

C．strange

D．moving

4.

A．gift

B．interest

C．request

D．advantage

5.

A．skillful

B．rough

C．powerful

D．reliable

6.

A．decided

B．preferred

C．deserved

D．directed

7.

A．insisted on

B．turned to

C．gave in

D．set out

8.

A．shocked

B．upset

C．rewarded

D．warmed

9.

A．escape

B．release

C．express

D．remove

10.

A．searching

B．struggling

C．concerning

D．suffering

11.

A．why

B．how

C．when

D．where

12.

A．showed

B．chatted

C．cut

D．made

13.

A．case

B．dress

C．pencil

D．design

14.

A．devoted

B．educated

C．buried

D．trapped

15.

A．cost

B．took

C．spent

D．paid

16.

A．wonder

B．surprise

C．possibility

D．doubt

17.

A．useful

B．loving

C．selfless

D．regular

18.

A．burst

B．showed

C．imagined

D．proved

19.

A．which

B．what

C．when

D．that

20.

A．art

B．cultural

C．worth

D．style

5 . People give gifts in almost all societies. Some gifts are expensive, as they may take months to create. Others are of less ______ , such as birthday cards. In some cultures, there are certain rules about gift exchange. In Pakistan, for example, there is a tradition called “taking giving”. It ______ this way：You give the newly-married couple a gift, and they “repay（回报）”you with a gift of higher value. Then you give the couple another gift. This one should be worth the difference between the first two gifts.

Today presidents usually bring gifts when they ______ a foreign leader. Leaders bring gifts to strengthen relationships between ______ .

Gifts can also send special messages. For example, gifts can tell people that we are thinking of them and that we want them to feel_______ . Sometimes a gift makes us remember the giver. The gift keeps the_____ of a special person and a special relationship alive．

There is no doubt about the good side of gift giving. That is why some people don’t ______ the idea that modern gift giving is very wasteful. It is ______ that there is an emotional benefit for people who exchange gifts. That is surely enough of a reason for the tradition to continue.

1.

A．power

B．help

C．fun

D．value

2.

A．works

B．stands

C．judges

D．ends

3.

A．discover

B．like

C．trust

D．visit

4.

A．countries

B．cities

C．villages

D．families

5.

A．lucky

B．special

C．safe

D．strong

6.

A．wealth

B．happiness

C．memory

D．growth

7.

A．turn down

B．give up

C．think over

D．agree with

8.

A．clear

B．strange

C．popular

D．serious

6 . The other day, my friend Jane was invited to a 40^th birthday party. The time printed on the _______ was 7:30pm. Jane went off with her husband, expecting a _______ evening of wine, _______, and song.

By 9:45, everybody was having great fun, but no food had _______. Jane and David were restless. Other guests began whispering that they, too, were _______. But no one wanted to _______, just in case some food was about to appear. By 11:00, there was still no food, and everyone was _______ off their heads. Jane and David left _______ and angry.

Their _______ suggests that the words on the printed invitations need to be made ____________. Everyone ____________ and understands the invitations ____________. Most of us would agree that 6:30-8:30pm means drinks only, go out to dinner afterwards; 8:00pm or 8:30pm means possible ____________, but 9:30pm and any time thereafter means no food, eat beforehand, arrive late.

But this is not always the case. If ____________ to a students’ party at 6:30pm, it is normal for guests not to appear before midnight, if at all, and no one cares. Being the first to arrive—looking ____________—is social death. When my mother is asked to a party for 6:30, she likes to be there, if not ____________, then no later than seven. My ____________ group (late thirties) falls somewhere between the two, but because we still think we’re ____________, we’re probably closer to student-time than grown-up time.

The accepted custom at present is ____________, sometimes annoying, and it often means you may go home hungry, but it does lend every party that precious element of ____________.

1.

A．application

B．invitation

C．form

D．surface

2.

A．disappointing

B．unexpected

C．merry

D．nervous

3.

A．flowers

B．people

C．food

D．fruit

4.

A．appeared

B．equipped

C．provided

D．unloaded

5.

A．dying

B．sleeping

C．enjoying

D．starving

6.

A．claim

B．forget

C．stay

D．leave

7.

A．happily

B．completely

C．urgently

D．crazily

8.

A．full

B．foolish

C．hungry

D．sleepy

9.

A．experience

B．failure

C．normality

D．joke

10.

A．simpler

B．clearer

C．cleverer

D．prettier

11.

A．prints

B．expects

C．reads

D．receives

12.

A．indifferently

B．differently

C．usually

D．carefully

13.

A．dinner

B．lunch

C．breakfast

D．brunch

14.

A．held

B．forced

C．hurried

D．asked

15.

A．smart

B．boring

C．thankful

D．eager

16.

A．from time to time

B．in no time

C．on time

D．for the time being

17.

A．date

B．age

C．sex

D．job

18.

A．important

B．young

C．demanding

D．innocent

19.

A．understanding

B．promising

C．confusing

D．boring

20.

A．surprise

B．fear

C．loss

D．success

7 . Christmas Eve means a lot to almost every family in the US, and mine is of no exception. Every December 24, we used to head to my parents’ house and spend the night, along with my brother’s family, and my sister’s family. We’d eat lots of foods such as candies and my mom’s ______ chocolate cookies.

We’d play a card game for hours until one team proved ______ over all other sides. ______, my sister Martie and I won, and when we beat every other ______, we’d sing and even dance. Yes, we were ______. The kids always put out cookies and milk for Santa, and my dad would sit down and color a picture with his grandchildren to ______ it for Santa Claus. And then we’d ______ every person in the family to open just one ____. After everything settled down, my father would read the story of Christmas, ______ us all of the true meaning of Christmas. Our Christmas Eves are a little ______ now as my parents have moved to heaven and my girls are in college, but December is still ______. Candies and my mom’s favorite chocolate cookies are ____ our favorite foods. Martie and I still like card games, ______ my daughter Ally and her boyfriend, Wesley, actually ______ us easily. We still open one gift that night. And, Martie’s husband, Jan, has ______ the duty to read the Christmas story.

I can hardly wait for the ______ to come! It’s my favorite time of a year because we’re all ____. I’ ll bet your family has wonderful holiday ______, too. Whatever your traditions are, I hope one of them is reading the story of Christmas. Why not teach your children the ______ meaning of Christmas this year? Because that’s the ______ gift you could ever give them!

1.

A．special

B．homemade

C．favorite

D．fresh

2.

A．helpful

B．creative

C．strong

D．victorious

3.

A．Usually

B．Recently

C．Immediately

D．Hurriedly

4.

A．sister

B．brother

C．team

D．family

5.

A．funny

B．happy

C．free

D．normal

6.

A．open

B．provide

C．leave

D．save

7.

A．allow

B．order

C．beg

D．force

8.

A．box

B．window

C．case

D．gift

9.

A．convincing

B．informing

C．reminding

D．warning

10.

A．simple

B．different

C．meaningless

D．strange

11.

A．wonderful

B．reasonable

C．comfortable

D．powerful

12.

A．even

B．rather

C．already

D．still

13.

A．and

B．or

C．though

D．as

14.

A．find

B．reach

C．cheat

D．beat

15.

A．taken over

B．thought about

C．dealt with

D．applied for

16.

A．game

B．night

C．dinner

D．day

17.

A．alive

B．healthy

C．around

D．together

18.

A．traditions

B．songs

C．foods

D．plans

19.

A．clear

B．only

C．true

D．hidden

20.

A．best

B．biggest

C．most beautiful

D．most expensive

8 . Cultural differences occur wherever you go. When visiting another country, you should be aware of those differences and ____1___ them. Here are some ___2____ on how to fit in.
Every traveler to a foreign country feels __2_____ at some point. What you do can make locals laugh. Your best defense is a sense of ____4___. If you can laugh off eating with the wrong hand in India, locals will warm to you as “that crazy foreigner.”
Wearing proper cloths is important too, ____5___ locals will judge by what you wear. In some Middle Eastern countries, exposing your flesh is ___6____, especially if you are a woman. So leave your torn jeans at home.
Also be cautious about expressing ___7____. Getting angry in Southeast Asia just makes you look silly. In some countries it is ____8___ to kiss in public.1.

A．reject

B．recite

C．respect

D．remove

2.

A．plans

B．tips

C．arguments

D．choices

3.

A．unsafe

B．excited

C．satisfied

D．awkward

4.

A．relief

B．belonging

C．humor

D．direction

5.

A．but

B．for

C．so

D．or

6.

A．forbidden

B．allowed

C．expected

D．tolerated

7.

A．emotions

B．concern

C．interest

D．views

8.

A．natural

B．advisable

C．unwise

D．unnecessary

9 . Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving Day, is a busy shopping day in the United States. Many people have a day off work on that day. Some use this to make trips; others use it to start _______ for the Christmas season.
Many stores have special offers and _______ their prices on some goods. Some _______ their opening hours. There can also be traffic jams on roads to _______ shopping destinations.
There are _______ common theories as to why it is called Black Friday. One is that the wheels of vehicles in heavy traffic on the day left many black markings on the road surface, _______ the term Black Friday. The other is from an old way of recording business accounts. _______ were recorded in red ink and profits in black. Many businesses, _______ small businesses, started making profits before Christmas, so they started to mark in black ink on the day after Thanksgiving.1.

A．traveling

B．shopping

C．visiting

D．cooking

2.

A．prepare

B．check

C．lower

D．raise

3.

A．shorten

B．enlarge

C．reduce

D．extend

4.

A．popular

B．outstanding

C．splendid

D．ordinary

5.

A．many

B．two

C．few

D．no

6.

A．leaving for

B．leading to

C．coming out

D．sticking to

7.

A．Prices

B．Interests

C．Losses

D．Benefits

8.

A．particularly

B．specially

C．obviously

D．eventually