1 . Around the World
Here is big news from Around the World.
Science Fiction Museum opens
Chengdu, China
The Chengdu Science Fiction Museum has opened its doors to the public. China’s newest museum—a star-shaped building on a lake was built in 12 months. Technology sped up the design and construction of the 635,070-square-foot museum, which has galleries, educational spaces, and cafés.
Day of the Dead is celebrated
Mexico
Thousands of people lined the streets of Mexico City to watch its annual Day of the Dead parade. The holiday was observed from October 31 to November 2 to remember and celebrate loved ones who have died. During this time, the dead are believed to return to the world. Families welcome them back with offerings, such as their favorite food.
Modern art at ancient pyramids
Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
A modern art exhibit at the Pyramids of Giza, titled Forever Is Now, has returned for a third year. This year’s show is the biggest yet and features works by 14 artists. The free event aims to celebrate ancient Egyptian culture with modern skills. Artists were careful not to harm the 4,500-year-old World Heritage Site.
Schools close due to heavy air pollution
Delhi, India
Elementary schools in Delhi are closed for at least one week because of the city’s poor air quality. The amount of harmful materials in the air has reached nearly 100 times the acceptable limit. Delhi is often very polluted in November because that is when many farmers burn their remaining crops. To reduce the smog, officials in the city have banned polluting vehicles, construction work, and the use of fireworks.
1. Where can you visit a museum on the lake?| A．In Chengdu, China. | B．In Mexico City. |
| C．At the Pyramids of Giza. | D．In Delhi, India. |
| A．To build the newest museum. | B．To hold a modern art exhibit. |
| C．To celebrate the Day of the Dead. | D．To avoid the harm caused by air pollution. |
2 . If you are a party animal in Guangxi, join us to explore some of the popular festivals in Liuzhou.
Temple Fair Day
It is believed to be the oldest and the largest temple fair day celebrated in Fengshan, Liuzhou. It is an event known to easily attract more than 30,000 people to take part in the parades. It is a day for enjoying temple wishes, dancing to non-stop ethnic songs, and tasting lots of local dishes.
Time: February Price: Free
March 3rd Festival
This is an annual event that takes place every March in Sanjiang county. The festival features a lot of ethnic minority homemade food. You can also expect to enjoy live ethnic music and dances performed by famous local dancers.
Time: March 3rd Price: 3 RMB
Liuzhou Marathon Festival
This event started more than 10 years ago. Currently, it is an attractive weekend that sees attendance go way past 12,000 people. During the festival, participants take part in exciting activities, with the major ones like funny marathon, and food sales.
Time: April Price: 12 RMB
Dragon Boat Show
Longtan park is usually the place of Dragon Boat Show—a festival for boating lovers that occurs in May. It is the largest dragon boat show in Liuzhou. A great deal of people will be there at that time. Welcome to join the show.
Time: May Price: 5 RMB
1. What is special about Temple Fair Day?| A．It features famous dance. | B．It lasts two months. |
| C．It started 10 years ago. | D．It’s free of charge. |
| A．Buy some books. | B．Watch boat show. |
| C．Taste nice food. | D．Join a parade. |
| A．Liuzhou Marathon Festival. | B．March 3rd Festival. |
| C．Dragon Boat Show. | D．Temple Fair Day. |
| A．over 2,000. | B．over 12,000. |
| C．2,000. | D．12,000. |
| A．Longtan park. | B．Sanjiang park. |
| C．Liuzhou park. | D．Fengshan park. |
3 . It’s a hot time for Chinese language learning across the world, not only because of China’s higher position in the world but also because of the increasing economic and cultural connections between China and the other countries.
For example, the United Arab Emirates(UAE)plans to open Chinese language courses in 200 public primary and middle schools, so experienced Chinese teachers are needed.
Other Chinese courses opened across the world show the increasing need for Chinese-speaking talent. Mandarin(普通话)became an elective(选修的)foreign language in Russia＇s college entrance exam. Following English, German, French and Spanish, Mandarin has become the fifth elective test subject for the exam.
Spain has more than 40,000 people learning Chinese. Last year about 8,000 people took the Chinese Proficiency Test(HSK) exam. The number of people who took the test was the biggest, according to Xinhua News Agency.
In the USA, learning Chinese has been growing fast for many years and is now a popular choice for American children, especially those who were born in rich families. The children begin to learn Chinese at an early age because their parents believe that learning Chinese will help them build successful international business.
1. Why is Chinese language learning so hot?| A．Many foreigners like China’s culturc. |
| B．China helps a lot of countries to develop. |
| C．China has the highest position in the world. |
| D．China has more international influence around the world. |
| A．The UAE needs experienced English teachers. |
| B．All American children learn Chinese at an early age. |
| C．About one fifth of the Spanish learning Chinese took the HSK. |
| D．The Mandarin exam must be taken before going to Russia’s colleges. |
| A．Helpful. | B．Difficult. | C．Boring. | D．Interesting. |
| A．More people in the UAE begin to learn Chinese. |
| B．Chinese language learning is popular around the world. |
| C．Some foreign countries want more Chinese teachers. |
| D．Many American children are learning Chinese now. |
4 . Chinese fancy knots (中国结), also called Chinese knots, are very important in Chinese culture. They began as a form of traditional art in the Tang and Song Dynasties (朝代) in China, and became popular in the Ming Dynasty. Long ago, they found their way to Japan and other Southeast Asian countries, and were well received there. Now they are regarded as one of the symbols of Chinese culture.
As for the name itself, it is surely meaningful. The Chinese word for “knot”, jie, means “connection”. And the pronunciation of the Chinese word jie is very close to that of ji, “good luck”. As a result, Chinese knots are used as a way to express people’s strong wishes for marvellous things like happiness, love and good luck.
The knots are used widely in everyday life. They come in different sizes. Small ones are connected to jewellery (珠宝), clothes and gifts in order to draw people’s attention, while large ones are used to make a living room or study more beautiful. Whether large or small, they are named after their shapes and usages. For example, Double Coin Knots are called Shuangqian Jie because they are in the shape of two ancient Chinese coins, meaning “good things come in pairs”. Besides, Chinese knots are famous for their bright colors. Different colors have different traditional cultural meanings. Red means good luck and happiness, green means health, and yellow means wealth.
All in all, the famous Chinese fancy knots fully show the Chinese culture. These brightly colored knots with their endless chains (链条) of knots mean that life on earth will continue forever.
1. What did the writer want to express in this passage?| A．Ask people to buy Chinese fancy knots. |
| B．Introduce a traditional Chinese art form. |
| C．Teach people how to make a Chinese knot. |
| D．Describe the usages of Chinese fancy knots. |
| A．pronunciation | B．size | C．shape and meaning | D．color |
| A．The Chinese word for “knot” means “luck”. |
| B．Chinese knots became popular in the Song Dynasty. |
| C．All of the Chinese knots have the same sizes and colors. |
| D．Chinese knots mean that life on earth will continue forever. |
| A．Chinese Culture | B．Chinese Knots | C．Chinese Colors | D．Chinese Life |
5 . The Chongyang Festival falls on the 9th day of the ninth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, so it is also known as the Double Ninth Festival.
The festival is held in the golden season of autumn, at harvest-time. The bright clear weather and the joy of bringing in the harvest make for a festival happy atmosphere. The Chongyang Festival is usually perfect for outdoor activities. Climbing a mountain, carrying a spray of dogwood (茱萸) and drinking chrysanthemum (菊花) wine have become the traditional activities of the festival.
The dogwood is a plant with a strong fragrance(香气), and is often used as a Chinese herbal medicine. People in ancient times believed it could drive away evil spirits and prevent one from getting a chill (寒意) in late autumn. So its history as a medicine goes back many centuries. But the custom of carrying a spray of dogwood during the Double Ninth Festival is slowly dying out and many people in the cities do not even know what a dogwood spray looks like.
Early in Han Dynasty, about 2000 years ago, people used to climb a high platform outside the capital city of Chang’ an on the occasion of the Chongyang Festival. For many, it was the last outing of the year before the onset of winter. The custom evolved (发展成) into present form, when people go climbing to get some exercises as well as enjoy the autumn scenery.
But what about those people who live in plains far from any mountain? The problem is solved by going for a picnic and eating cakes. The Chinese word for “cake” is “Gao”, a homonym (同音异义词) of the Chinese word for “high”. Mountains are high, so eating cakes can, by a stretch of the imagination, take the place of going for a climb.
1. Why do people carry a spray of dogwood on Chongyang Festival?| A．Because the dogwood is a plant with a strong fragrance. |
| B．Because the dogwood can be used as a Chinese herbal medicine. |
| C．Because the dogwood has a long history as a medicine. |
| D．Because people believed the dogwood could drive away evil spirits and prevent one from chill. |
| A．to have a last outing of the year before the onset of winter |
| B．to get some dogwoods |
| C．to climb a high platform |
| D．to get some exercise as well as enjoy the beautiful autumn scenery |
| A．the Chinese word for “cake” is “Gao” |
| B．the Chinese word “Gao” for “cake” has the same sound with the Chinese word for “high” |
| C．they often take cakes to go for a picnic on the festival |
| D．they like eating cakes |
| A．The Double Ninth Festival is on September 9th. |
| B．People climbed mountains to celebrate the Chongyang Festival in Han Dynasty. |
| C．People often celebrate the Chongyang Festival in the open air. |
| D．Eating cakes is just like climbing mountains. |
6 . Our culture is the system we use to build our identity. All living things are part of a culture. Even animals have a culture! So what is culture? It's the way we behave in a group. It begins with each individual family. Within our families we do things to build relationships with each other. This can include routines like daily housework and weekly shopping. It also includes traditions. Traditions are activities that are repeated on a regular basis.
Culture is not limited to individual family groups. The real strength of culture is in larger community groups. These larger groups are called societies. Every society makes rules for itself. It decides how people should act in different situations. Some of these rules are written down. Some are just things that are naturally expected of all members of that society.
Often, cultures can be recognized by what the people believe. Cultures are also known by what they choose to include in their art. Sometimes cultures may be formed by people who speak the same language. Cultures may also be known for their customs, including the foods they make and the things they do.
Our cultures help us understand who we are and what we believe. There are very strong feelings connecting us to our own society. Two different cultures may disagree on something, especially if they both feel strongly about it. When that happens, war is a common result.
People are learning better ways to communicate with each other. The more we communicate, the more we appreciate the differences in cultures.
1. Where does the real strength of culture?| A．In arts. | B．In families. | C．In societies. | D．In languages. |
| A．Culture is the way we behave. | B．Culture doesn't exist in animals. |
| C．Cultures may not agree with each other. | D．Cultures help us understand ourselves. |
| A．By communicating. | B．By preparing to fight. |
| C．By building a wall. | D．By making friends. |
| A．What Is Culture? | B．What Is Society? | C．What Is Tradition? | D．What Is System |
7 . On the night of 14th June 1904, New York’s Chinatown was in a deep gloom (低迷). For the past 20 years, the restaurants were filled with those crazy about a taste of real Chinese cooking “chop suey”. But suddenly, all that seemed at risk. A few days earlier, a chef named Lem Sen had arrived, saying he had invented it a decade before while working at a restaurant in San Francisco. His recipe had been stolen by an American diner to make money. Through his lawyer, he demanded restaurants pay him for using his recipe.
Chop suey was first mentioned by Chinese-American journalist Wang Chin Foo in a list of common dishes he thought most attractive to Western tastes. As he explained, “each Chinese cook has his own recipe. The main parts are pork, bacon, chicken, mushroom, bamboo shoots, onion, and pepper, while accidental ones are duck, beef, salted black beans etc. Yet it is often considered by Westerners that this is a ‘national dish of China’ more than any other dish they’ve known.”
Although a hyperbolic way to introduce this dish, it clearly showed that chop suey was indeed of Chinese origin. Where exactly its roots lay has been debated; but it was probably first cooked in Taishan, Guangdong, where most early immigrants to America had grown up. In 1866, the journalist Allan Forman noticed it as a delicious dish despite its “mysterious nature”, and nine years later, the first recipe appeared in magazines, with some un-Chinese ingredients thrown in.
It was not long before a myth making began. In 1896, Li Hongzhang visited New York, and newspapers mistakenly reported that while refusing Western dishes at a banquet (宴会), he had enthusiastically accepted a plate of chop suey. This caused a great hit, and many who never heard of it before simply assumed that it was introduced to the US by Li Hongzhang, which accidentally promoted the dish’s popularity.
1. What is the purpose of a chef’s story in paragraph 1?| A．To describe food history. | B．To bring out chop suey. |
| C．To show risky business world. | D．To introduce a law case. |
| A．Fixed ingredients. | B．Its popularity overseas. |
| C．Un-Chinese nature. | D．Mixed national identities. |
| A．remarked beyond reality | B．explained in greater details |
| C．praised in something common | D．commented based on the origin |
| A．Li Hongzhang promoted this dish. | B．Its popularity was based on facts. |
| C．Mass media belonged to the root cause. | D．Public opinions voiced acceptance. |
8 . Our culture is the system we use to build our identity. All living things are part of a culture. Even animals have a culture! So what is culture? It's the way we behave in a group. It begins with each individual (单个的) family. Within our families we do things to build relationships with each other. This can include routines like daily housework and weekly shopping. It also includes traditions. Traditions are activities that are repeated on a regular basis.
Culture is not limited to individual family groups. The real strength of culture is in larger community groups. These larger groups are called societies. Every society makes rules for itself. It decides how people should act in different situations. Some of these rules are written down. Some are just things that are naturally expected of all members of that society.
Often, cultures can be recognized by what the people believe. Cultures are also known by what they choose to include in their art. Sometimes cultures may be formed by people who speak the same language. Cultures may also be known for their customs, including the foods they make and the things they do.
Our cultures help us understand who we are and what we believe. There are very strong feelings connecting us to our own society. Two different cultures may disagree on something, especially if they both feel strongly about it. When that happens, war is a common result.
People are learning better ways to communicate with each other. The more we communicate, the more we appreciate the differences in cultures.
1. The underlined word routines in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to _______.| A．hobbies | B．behaviors |
| C．formal activities | D．daily activities |
| A．In arts. | B．In societies. |
| C．In families. | D．In languages. |
| A．Culture doesn't exist in animals. |
| B．Culture is the way we behave. |
| C．Cultures may not agree with each other. |
| D．Cultures help us understand ourselves. |
| A．By building a wall. | B．By preparing to fight. |
| C．By communicating. | D．By making friends. |
| A．What Is Culture? | B．What Is Society? |
| C．What Is Tradition? | D．What Is System? |
9 . Human remains of ancient settlements will be reburied and lost to science under a law that threatens research into the history of humans in Britain, a group of leading archeologists (考古学家) says. In a letter addressed to the justice secretary, Ken Clarke, 40 archaeologists write of their “deep and widespread concern” about the issue. It centers on the law introduced by the Ministry of Justice in 2008 which requires all human remains unearthed in England and Wales to be reburied within two years, regardless of their age. The decision means scientists have too little time to study bones and other human remains of national and cultural significance.
“Your current requirement that all archaeologically unearthed human remains should be reburied, whether after a standard period of two years or further special extension, is contrary to basic principles of archaeological and scientific research and of museum practice,” they write.
The law applies to any pieces of bone uncovered at around 400 dig including the remains of 60 or so bodies found at Stonehenge in 2008 that date back to 3,000 BC. Archaeologists have been granted a temporary extension to give them more time, but eventually the bones will have to he returned to the ground.
The arrangements may result in the waste of future discoveries at sites such as Happisburgh in Norfolk, where digging is continuing after the discovery of stone tools made by early humans 950,000 years ago. If human remains were found at Happisburgh, they would be the oldest in northern Europe and the first indication of what this species was. Under the current practice of the law those remains would have to be reburied and effectively destroyed.
Before 2008, guidelines allowed for the proper preservation and study of bones of sufficient age and historical interest, while the Burial Act 1857 applied to more recent remains. The Ministry of Justice assured archaeologists two years ago that the law was temporary, but has so far failed to revise it.
Mike Parker Pearson, an archaeologist at Sheffield University, said: “Archaeologists have been extremely patient because we were led to believe the ministry was sorting out this problem, but we feel that we cannot wait any longer.”
The ministry has no guidelines on where or how remains should be reburied, or on what records should be kept.
1. According to the passage, scientists are unhappy with the law mainly because .| A．it is only a temporary measure on the human remains |
| B．it was introduced by the government without their knowledge |
| C．it is unreasonable and thus destructive to scientific research |
| D．it is vague about where and how to rebury human remains |
| A．Temporary extension of two years will guarantee scientists enough time. |
| B．Human remains of the oldest species were dug out at Happisburgh. |
| C．Scientists have been warned that the law can hardly be changed. |
| D．Human remains will have to be reburied despite the extension of time. |
| A．The Ministry of Justice has not done enough about the law. |
| B．The Burial Act 1857 only applied to remains uncovered before 1857. |
| C．The law on human remains hasn’t changed in recent decades. |
| D．The Ministry of Justice did not intend it to protect human remains. |
| A．New discoveries should be reburied, the government demands. |
| B．Law could bury ancient secrets for ever, archeologists warn. |
| C．Law on human remains needs thorough discussion, authorities say. |
| D．Research time should be extended, scientists require. |
10 . The Mayan Indians lived in Mexico for thousands of years. The Maya were so bright that they achieved a lot. They had farms, temples and cities with many buildings. They knew much about nature and the world around them. This knowledge helped them to live a better life than most people of that time.
In ancient Mexico there were many small clearings in the forest. In each clearing was a village with fields of crops around it. The Maya planted seeds after they cleared the land. A farmer was able to grow crops that produced for several people. But not every Maya had to be a farmer. Some were builders or priests (祭司)．
The Maya believed in many gods. They built large temples to honor them. Skillful workers built cities around these temples. It was difficult because they had to carry all of the building materials themselves. Today, many of these ancient Mayan cities and temples are still standing.
Although the Maya worked hard to build the beautiful cities, very few of them lived in them. Usually, only the priests lived in the cities. The other people lived in small villages in the forests. Their houses were much simpler. Most Maya lived a simple life close to nature.
Around the year 800, the Maya left their villages and beautiful cities, never to return. No one knows why this happened. They may have died from a deadly disease. They may have left because the soil could no longer grow crops. The lost secrets of the Maya are still beyond the reach of modern people. They are still one of our greatest mysteries.
1. The Maya lived better than most people of their times because ______．| A．they had skillful workers |
| B．they believed in many gods |
| C．they knew better about nature |
| D．they could measure time correctly |
| A．the priests were not highly respected by the ancient Maya |
| B．the ancient Mayan cities and temples were well built |
| C．the ancient Mayan people led a happy life in the cities |
| D．the ancient Mayan people died from a serious disease |
| A．the Mayan people | B．the Mayan villages |
| C．the Mayan cities | D．the lost secrets of the Maya |
| A．The Cities of the Maya | B．The Belief of the Maya |
| C．The Maya | D．The Buildings of the Maya |
