1 . Monkey Buffet Festival, Thailand

On the very last Sunday of November, if you find yourself in Lopburi, Thailand, you can attend this strange and wonderful festival. In an ancient temple, an impressive feast is held for the local macaque monkeys (猕猴). After the ceremony, the furry guests of honor begin to enter the temple. Sheets are then pulled from tables and towers which feature a bright and dazzling pile of fruits, vegetables, candies, and even ice cream! Just come to watch these precious animals feed on the food happily. Actually it sounds like a party to us too.

El Colacho, Spain

This strange festival actually dates all the way back to 1620. Babies that are under 1 year of age are all welcome to participate. These babies are laid out on mattresses (褥垫) in the middle of the procession (队伍) route. Men dressed as devils will then wait for the beat of a drum to signal they should begin. Holding whips, they make their way around the route, jumping over each mattress with the baby on it. Locals feel that the event will bring their children health, luck, and guard them against evil spirits.

Cheese Rolling Festival, England

When it was first started, locals of the English town of Brock worth, Gloucestershire would gather at Cooper’s Hill. Nowadays, this festival attracts competitors from all over the world every May. From the very top, a 3-4 kg wheel of cheese is sent rolling down the hill. Participants take off after it, trying to catch the speeding cheese wheel. If nobody manages to catch the rolling cheese, the first person to cross the finish line would be the winner. The prize is the wheel of cheese, of course. The trip after the cheese is so difficult that doctors wait at the bottom to provide first aid to unlucky participants in need.

1. What is exactly Monkey Buffet Festival?

A．A ceremony for religious beliefs.

B．Showing off diverse food.

C．Action taken for protecting monkeys.

D．A feast for certain animals.

2. Why is the festival of EI Colacho observed?

A．To amuse children.

B．To bless babies.

C．To frighten devils.

D．To educate tourists.

3. What is required of competitors for Cheese Rolling?

A．Rich knowledge.

B．Keen curiosity.

C．Athletic build.

D．Responsibility.

2 . Major Snow, the 21st solar term of the year, begins this year on Dec 7 and ends on Dec 20, marking the start of the season. It begins when the sun reaches the celestial longitude (天文经度) of 255° and ends when it reaches 270°     1    , so it is named Major Snow.

By the start of Major Snow, most of China has already seen the start of winter.     2    . At this time of year, the snow gradually settles in the Yellow River Basin. In far north there is heavy snow; while in the south, it is mild with less rainfall.

    3    . Snow adds warmth and wetness to the winter wheat, preventing dry air in winter. It can also store and lock in water needed for the following year, and it kills off bacteria and pests which decreases the risk of disease.

During Major Snow, people often eat jujube cakes, made from red jujube dates (枣) which are rich in vitamin C, protein, calcium, iron, vitamins and other nutrients.     4    . Jujube dates not only replenish (补充) the spleen and stomach, but also protect the liver, increase muscle strength, and are said to be anti-aging. Because of their affordable price and high nutritional content, jujube cakes are popular all over China at this time of year.

In some areas, cured meats become a specialty product, as a way to store meat over the winter months. As the saying goes, small snow seals the ground, heavy snow seals the river.     5    .

Major Snow is an excellent season for people to replenish their bodies. There is another saying, “Replenishing your body in winter means you will be strong enough to fight a tiger in early spring.”

A．A timely snow promises a good harvest

B．You can also eat some foods that nourish your Yin

C．A large number of citrus fruits, high in vitamin C, are in season

D．Temperatures have now dropped to below 0 °C in some northern regions

E．There is an old Chinese saying that “Three dates a day means no one gets old”

F．Now, many rivers are frozen, and people can go ice-skating with friends and family

G．At this time of year, it tends to snow more frequently over a wider area of the country

3 . Culture often refers to things like food, holidays, clothing, and music, but it also goes much deeper than that.     1     So when we meet people from different backgrounds, we can sometimes find that there are big differences in how we see the world, even if we speak the same language.     

One of the best ways to understand others’ cultures is to first examine your own. Do you take your shoes off when you go inside?     2     In Japan, you would never go inside without swapping your outdoor shoes for slippers, whereas in the US, many people don’t bother taking their shoes off when they come in. Therefore, it’s so important to understand your place in the world, which will help you understand other people better too.

    3     When you meet people from a different culture, you can politely ask them about their lives. Seek out books or watch movies by and about people who’re different from you. Additionally, you can immerse (沉浸)yourself in a different culture through travel to understand how different other lifestyles can be.

However, sometimes, learning a lot about a different culture can lead you into a trap. You may think you know much about a culture, which may lead you to show off your knowledge when you meet someone from that background. But it’s a problem to assume that everyone from one particular culture has the same attitudes and experiences. Your assumptions that lead you to pre-judge against others can be harmful.     4    

Differences between us are what make life so interesting. So accept the differences between yourself and your friends from different cultures.     5     In detail, ask questions if your friends are open to it, but also learn how to just silently observe and appreciate the differences that make us unique.

A．It is a simple thing, but it’s a huge marker of culture!

B．Learning is another great way to understand different cultures.

C．Behaviors, customs, beliefs, and values are also part of your culture.

D．To achieve it, do strike a balance between curiosity and appreciation.

E．So don’t do it to others even if you understand their culture really well.

F．The more you learn, the more used you get to respecting cultural differences.

G．Wherever you live, there are probably immigrant communities (侨民团体)with their own customs.

4 . What is heritage? The word can be difficult to define. Heritage is always something that is passed down by families or other groups for many years.    1     It can also be the customs, traditions, and values shared by groups of people. One way to think about heritage is to break it down into three groups. These are the tangible(有形的), the natural, and the intangible.

    2     It can include many human-made objects that hold cultural value. Some examples are national monuments and works of art. Many ancient sites are also part of this group. On a smaller scale, a family home can be part of an individual’s heritage.

Many parts of the natural world are also important to cultural heritage. This can include bodies of water, plant life, landforms and more. One example is the Nile River.    3     Efforts to protect natural heritage are key in many cultures.

The intangible group includes any part of cultural heritage that you can’t feel through touch. Maybe you’ve read about forms of dance, like Flamenco dancing. You might know about the music of Mariachi Bands or holidays like Eid. These are all examples of intangible heritage.     4    

Exploring your own heritage can be fun. It can help you learn about yourself, your family, and your ancestors. But it’s also important to learn about the heritage of others.     5     It can also lead you to find things you may have in common with others!

A．They are treasures that can be touched.

B．What tangible items can be part of heritage?

C．However, heritage isn’t limited to concrete objects.

D．Languages, holidays and customs also make the list.

E．Therefore, it’s difficult to protect them from fading away.

F．Doing so can help you build a stronger understanding of other cultures.

G．It has been part of cultural heritage in many African nations for centuries.

5 . Living in a different country can be a culture shock for many people, so make sure you know about the food, customs and culture of the place you are planning on moving to.     1    . Here is some of my experience of moving from Spain to the UK.

    2    

The first thing that I did when I got out of the airport was to cross the road, but I looked the wrong way! In the UK the cars drive on the lefthand side of the road whereas in Spain they drive on the right. I almost got run over because I was still thinking I was in Spain. You have to be very careful when you move to another place.

Drink water

    3    . In the UK the filtering (过滤) of the water means that you can drink straight from the tap. On my first night back I forgot that I could drink water from the taps and spent the night wishing I had a bottle of water. When I woke up, I realized how silly I had been.

Time is different

If we are going for a proper night out at the weekend in Spain we might not meet until 10 or 11 pm at night or even later sometimes. This means we might not actually get home until 5 or 6 o’clock the following morning.     4    !

Greet everyone with a kiss

In the UK most men use a handshake to greet other men.     5    . Women may be greeted with a handshake, a hug or a kiss on the cheek, depending on the situation. In Spain, among my friends, everyone is greeted with a kiss on both cheeks and maybe a quick hug.

A．Be careful on the road

B．Drive on the left side of the road

C．In the UK that is already past the bedtime

D．Different places have different cultures and rules

E．In Spain, most people buy large bottles of water to drink

F．In Spain, the days are warmer, the sun shines brightly and everyone is relaxed

G．If they are good friends they may give each other a quick hug but that is about it

6 . Besides “wow” and “great”, what else would you say when flying over the Earth in space? Samantha Cristoforetti, the first Italian female astronaut in space, posted several lines of a famous ancient Chinese composition on Twitter to share her joy.

She first wrote in Chinese, and then attached an accurate translation of the lines in both Italian and English to help more people understand. “Looking up, I see the immensity of the cosmos; bowing my head, I look at the multitude of the world. The gaze flies, the heart expands, the joy of the senses can reach its peak, and indeed, this is true happiness,” it says. Two days before she landed on Earth, the beauty of space and Chinese literature resonated on her Twitter account. Before long, her posts went viral on Twitter with thousands of retweets, likes and replies.

The text she quoted is from the Preface to Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion,a Chinese calligraphy masterpiece by Wang Xizhi (303-361) of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420). She also attached three photos taken in space of China’s Bohai Bay and the day-night view of Beijing. “The poem and views are both magnificent as well as healing. If everyone could enjoy the same sight, a lot of pain in the world would be ‘dissipated’,” one user comments.

As the first Italian female astronaut in space, Cristoforetti carried out her first space mission on Nov 23, 2014. In 2022, she started the second mission in April and returned to Earth on Friday night after a 127-day stay in orbit.

Cristoforetti has also been active in Sino-European cooperation in the field of manned spaceflight. She was a working group member with Chinese counterparts to define and implement cooperation in the field of astronaut operations. When not traveling for work, she is an eager reader and has a great passion for languages. Speaking clear Chinese, Cristoforetti once told the media that the teams from China and Europe were working very well together in the field of astronaut training.

1. What is the result of Cristoforetti’s post online?

A．The birth of a masterpiece.

B．A trend of journey to space.

C．An instant hot issue on Twitter.

D．Different translations of the lines.

2. Which word below can be used to replace the underlined word “dissipated” in Paragraph 3?

A．Relieved.	B．Caused.
C．Increased.	D．Recognized.

3. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．Cristoforetti’s devotion to her career.

B．Cristoforetti’s language learning strategies.

C．The leadership Cristoforetti plays in her team.

D．The possible motivation for Cristoforetti’s post.

4. What can be the best title of the passage?

A．A female astronaut becomes online star

B．A Chinese poem gets popular abroad

C．Literature conveys the beauty of space

D．An Italian astronaut promotes Sino-European cooperation

7 . If he is in a tight spot, says Trouble Kalua, people mention his name, asking, “What do you expect?” Shortly before his birth in Malawi, his father had lost his job as a bus conductor, making the family even poorer. Then the baby nearly died. “This boy is trouble,” his father said. “His name is Trouble.”

Across Africa names can have a story behind them. Yewande, for instance, is a Yoruba name meaning “mother has paid me a visit”, given when an older female relative dies just before a girl is born. Kiptanui may suggest at a difficult birth for mothers who speak one of the Kalenjin group of languages in Kenya.

But southern Africa stands out for nominative (提名) creativity, at least when it comes to English names.

Ask Zimbabweans about their school friends and you will hear different registers: Lovemore, Hopewell, Innocence, Patience, Knowledge, Fortune, Brilliant. A Malawian (himself Golden) lists friends named Goodfriday, Wisdom and Iron.

In Zimbabwe children were long given African names with meaning. This practice switched after British colonization (殖民), when having an English name was seen as a way of getting ahead. Names may refer to conditions around the birth, a quality parents see in the child, an aspiration (期望) for them or even for the country.

Under white rule some children were called Democracy, Freedom or, allegedly, Polling Station. Other names suggested progress. One venture capitalist recalls school friends named Computer.

Names, and the language they are in, reflect changing times, too. In Zimbabwe, whose economy is falling down, one comes across people named No Money. In many places African names are supplanting (取代) English ones. In recent years in South Africa, Enzokuhle (“to do good” in Xhosa), has become one of the most popular names, perhaps inspired by a popular song, “Enzo”.

It may be that names such as Salad Nthenda will become relics. The Malawian, whose mother ate lots of vegetables when pregnant (怀孕的), says his “name felt good from day one”. He loves the “uniqueness”. Although he is teased at times, he does not care.

1. How does the author introduce the topic in paragraph 1?

A．By sharing a story.	B．By comparing facts.
C．By reporting findings.	D．By presenting figures.

2. What will a baby be named if his mother has some difficulty in giving birth to him?

A．Yewande.	B．Kiptanui.
C．Freedom.	D．Enzokuhle.

3. What does Salad Nthenda think of his name?

A．Interesting.	B．Meaningless.
C．Important.	D．Special.

4. What’s the best title for the text?

A．Stories Behind Some Names

B．Some Strange Names in Southern Africa

C．Names in Southern Africa Are Both Creative and Meaningful

D．One’s Name Is Closely Connected with Its Country’s History

8 . What are pillows really stuffed with? Not physically, but symbolically? The question occurred to me with the photos in the news and social media from the 50 cities around the world that staged public celebrations for International Pillow Fight Day. Armed with nothing more than bring-our-own sacrificial cushions, strangers struck heavily each other in playful feather from Amsterdam to Atlanta, Warsaw to Washington DC. But why? Is there anything more to this delightful celebration?

As a cultural sign, the pillow is deceptively soft. Since at least the 16th Century, the humble pillow has been given unexpected meanings. The Chinese playwright Tang Xianzu tells a famous story about a wise man who meets a depressed young scholar at an inn and offers him a magic pillow filled with the most vivid dreams of a seemingly more fulfilling life. When the young man awakens to discover that his happy 50-year dream has in fact come and gone in the short space of an afternoon’s nap, our impression of the pillow’s power shifts from wonder to terror.

Subsequent writers have likewise seized upon the pillow. When the 19th-Century English novelist Charlotte Bronte poetically observed “a ruffled (不平的) mind makes a restless pillow”, she didn’t just change the expected order of the adjectives and nouns, but instead she made unclear the boundaries between mind and matter — the thing resting and the thing rested upon.

It’s a trick perhaps Bronte learned from the Renaissance philosopher Montaigne, who once insisted that “ignorance is the softest pillow on which a man can rest his head”. On Montaigne’s thinking, intelligence and happiness confront each other forever in a pillow fight that only one can win.

With the words of Tang. Bronte, and Montaigne, we can perhaps more easily measure the attraction of the global pillow fight. Like a ritual of release, the annual international pillow fight amounts to a kind of cleansing, a brushing off of daily worries: an emptying of the world’s collective mind. Rather than a launch-pad for weightless rest, the pillow is a symbol of heavy thought: an anchor that drags the world’s soul down — one that must be lightened.

1. The example of Tang Xianzu is used to illustrate that ________.

A．pillows give people satisfactory dreams

B．dreams are always wonderful while the real world is cruel

C．people’s impression of pillows changes from wonder to terror

D．pillows symbolically convey the meaning in contrast to their soft appearance

2. From the passage, we can learn that Charlotte Bronte ________.

A．wrote poems about pillows

B．regarded pillows as reflections of our minds

C．shared the same viewpoint as Tang Xianzu on pillows

D．was likely to have been influenced by the thoughts of the Renaissance

3. The underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 “ignorance is the softest pillow on which a man can rest his head” most probably means ________.

A．pillows give us comfort

B．pillows make people more intelligent

C．people with too many thoughts have less inner peace

D．people can easily fall asleep when they know nothing

4. According to the author, why is Pillow Fight Day so popular around the world?

A．Because it is a ritual release.

B．Because it makes life delightful.

C．Because it comforts restless minds.

D．Because it contains a profound meaning of life.

9 . At the top of a hill called Mount Lee in Los Angeles on the west coast of the USA is a very famous sign, recognizable to people around the world. My job is to look after this sign.     1     The first film was made there in 1907 and by 1912, at least 15 independent studios could be found making films around town.

In the 1940s, TV started to become popular and some Hollywood film studios closed, but then TV companies moved in and took them over. Modern Hollywood was born.     2     If one of them ever fell down I would have to put it back up at exactly the same angle. They follow the shape of Mount Lee and this is part of their fame.

I am responsible for maintaining and protecting the sign.     3     When I first arrived in 1989, security was pretty low-tech-we put up a fence around the sign to stop people messing with it. But people just jumped over the fence. The back of the sign was black with graffiti(涂鸦)there was wire across it, but they still got through. So I decided to improve the effectiveness of the security.

Now we have motion-detectors and cameras. Everything goes via the internet to a dedicated surveillance(监控)team watching various structures around the city. Even so, people still try to climb over the barrier, mostly innocent tourists surprised that you can’t walk right up to the sign. But they can get a closer look on one of my regular tours.

    4     They want to light the sign, paint it pink, or cover it in something to promote their product. You’ll get a really enthusiastic marketing executive call up, terribly excited because they think they’re the first person to think of this or that idea. They mostly get turned down. That’s because we don’t like to change the image and we hope it will have the same significance for generations to come.

A．The letters in the sign weren’t straight and still aren’t.

B．I have been working there for nearly 30 years.

C．People call up with the most ridiculous ideas.

D．It says Hollywood and that’s of course the place where films have been made for over a hundred years.

E．We used to have real problems.

F．Payment must be made for those ideas for commercial purposes.

10 . Kite Festivals around the World

Hamamatsu Giant Kite Festival, Japan

The large kites of Japan are rectangular (矩形的)，and sometimes as large as 3.5 meters by 3.5 meters! The Hamamatsu Giant Kite Festival started in the 16th century when large kites were flown in celebration of the birth of a baby son to the Lord of Hamamatsu Castle. The audience watches excitedly as the kite fliers use friction (摩擦力) to cut the lines of their matches.

Portsmouth International Kite Festival, UK

This celebration is organized by Portsmouth Oily and the Kite Society of Great Britain. The International Kite Festival is regarded as one of the best, biggest and most popular kite festivals in the world. It has thousands of amazing and colorful kites in the sky and on the ground for visitors to enjoy and appreciate, showing the art of kite flying, kite making tradition around the world and exciting kite flying competitions.

Bali Kite Festival, Indonesia

Hundreds of competing kite teams gather from all over the island to fly their traditional kites. Traditional Balinese kites are as large as up to 4 meters by 10 meters. The kite festival in Bali started off as a seasonal agricultural (农业的) festival to thank God for harvests.

The Zilker Kite Festival, US

The Zilker Kite Festival is the oldest of its kind in the United States. Created in 1929, the Zilker Kite Festival was intended to inspire the creativity of children. The festival is a beloved, family-friendly tradition: activities for all ages, a traditional kite flying competition and show, a fun run and a children’s music concert. There are many competitions held such as Most Unusual Kite, Largest Kite, Smallest Kite, and Strongest Pulling Kite.

1. Where can visitors see all kinds of kites from around the world?

A．In Bali.	B．In Zilker.
C．In Portsmouth.	D．In Hamamatsu.

2. Which kite festival is best for families with children?

A．Bali Kite Festival.	B．The Zilker Kite Festival.
C．Hamamatsu Giant Kite Festival.	D．Portsmouth International Kite Festival.

3. What do the kite festivals have in common?

A．They include competitions.

B．They are international.

C．They started in ancient limes.

D．They are intended for children.