1 . To take the apple as forbidden fruit is the most unlikely story the Christians (基督徒) have ever cooked up. For them, the forbidden fruit from Eden is evil. So when Columbus brought the tomato back from South America, a land mistakenly considered to be Eden, everyone jumped to the obvious conclusion. Wrongly taken as the apple of Eden, the tomato was shut out of the door of Europeans.
What made it particularly terrifying was its similarity to the mandrake, a plant that thought to have come from Hell. What earned the plant its awful reputation was its roots which looked like a dried-up human body occupied by evil spirits. Though the tomato and the mandrake were quite different except that both had bright red or yellow fruit, the general population considered them one and the same, too terrible to touch.
Cautious Europeans long ignored the tomato, and until the early 1700s most of the Western people continued to drag their feet. In the 1880s, the daughter of a well-known plant expert wrote that the most interesting part of an afternoon tea at her father’s house had been the “introduction of this wonderful new fruit — or is it a vegetable?” As late as the twentieth century some writers still classed tomatoes with mandrakes as an “evil fruit”.
But in the end tomatoes carried the day. The hero of the tomato was an American named Robert Johnson, and when he was publicly going to eat the tomato in 1820, people journeyed for hundreds of miles to watch him drop dead. “What are you afraid of?” he shouted. “I’ll show you fools that these things are good to eat!” Then he bit into the tomato. Some people fainted. But he survived and, according to a local story set up a tomato-canning factory.
1. The tomato was shut out of the door of early Europeans mainly because __________.| A．it made Christians evil |
| B．it was the apple of Eden |
| C．it came from a forbidden land |
| D．it was religiously unacceptable |
| A．To make himself a hero. |
| B．To remove people’s fear of the tomato. |
| C．To speed up the popularity of the tomato. |
| D．To persuade people to buy products from his factory. |
| A．To challenge people’s fixed concepts of the tomato. |
| B．To give an explanation to people’s dislike of the tomato. |
| C．To present the change of people’s attitudes to the tomato. |
| D．To show the process of freeing the tomato from religious influence. |
Charity — Humanity’s most kind and generous desire — is a timeless and borderless virtue, dating at least to the dawn of religious teaching. Philanthropy (慈善行为) as we understand it today, however, is a distinctly American phenomenon, inseparable from the nation that shaped it. From colonial leaders to modern billionaires like Buffett, Gates and Zuckerberg, the tradition of giving is woven into the national DNA.
While Franklin's gifts lay in wait, the tradition he established evolved alongside the young nation.
Franklin’s gifts represent a broader principle. We are guardians of a public trust, even if our capital came from private enterprise, and our most important obligation is ensuring that the system works more equally and more justly for more people.
| A．What accounts for this culture of generosity? |
| B．This belief is central to the national character. |
| C．How can a sense of generosity be cultivated? |
| D．Americans’ generosity is rooted in selfless behavior. |
| E．America’s philanthropic nature is not restricted to the rich. |
| F．The formal practice of philanthropy traces its origin to a Founding Father. |
3 . Informal conversation is an important part of any business relationship. Before you start a discussion, however, make sure you understand: Which topics are suitable and which are considered taboo in a particular culture. Latin Americans enjoy sharing information about their local history, art, and customs. Expect questions about your family, and be sure to show pictures of your children. You may feel free to ask similar questions of your Latin American friends. The French think of conversation as an art form, and they enjoy the value of lively discussion as well as disagreements. For them, arguments can be interesting and they can cover pretty much or any topic—as long as they occur in a respectful and intelligent manner.
In the United Sates, business people like to discuss a wide range of topics, including opinions about work, family, hobbies, and politics. In Japan, China, and Korea, however, people are much more private. They do not share much about their thoughts, feelings, or emotions because they feel that doing so might take away from the harmonious business relationship they’re trying to build. Middle Easterners are also private about their personal lives and family matters. It is considered rude, for example, to ask a businessman from Saudi Arabia about his wife or children.
As a general rule, it’s best not to talk about politics or religion with your business friends. This can get you into trouble, even in the United States, where people hold different views. In addition, discussing one’s salary is usually considered unsuitable. Sports is typically a friendly subject in most parts of the world, and also be careful not to criticize a national sport. Instead, be friendly and praise your host’s team.
1. The author considers politics and religion________.| A．cheerful topics | B．a ban in cultural or religious custom |
| C．rude topics | D．topics that can never be talked about |
| A．Sports | B．Children | C．Personal feelings | D．Families |
| A．They don’t want to talk with others much. | B．They want to protect their relationship. |
| C．They are afraid to argue with their colleagues. | D．They want to keep their feelings to themselves. |
| A．Praising your own country’s sports. | B．Criticizing your own country’s sports. |
| C．Praising the sports of your colleagues’ country. | D．Criticizing the sports of your colleagues’ country. |
4 . Culture can affect not just language and customs, but also how people experience the world on surprisingly basic levels.
Researchers, with the help of brain scans, have uncovered shocking differences in perception(感知) between Westerners and Asians, what they see when they look at a city street, for example, or even how they perceive a simple line in a square, according to findings published in a leading science journal
In western countries, culture makes people think of themselves as highly independent entities(实体) .When looking at scenes, Westerners tend to focus more on central objects than on their surroundings. East Asian cultures, however emphasize inter-dependence. When Easterners look at a scene, they tend to focus on surroundings as well as the object.
Using an experiment involving two tasks, Dr Hedden asked subjects to look at a line simply to estimate its length, a task that is played to American strengths. In another, they estimated the line's length relative to the size of a square, an easier task for the Asians.
The level of brain activity, by tracking blood flow, was then measured by Brain Scanners. The experiment found that although there was no difference in performance, and the tasks were very easy, the levels of activity in the subjects’ brains were different. For the Americans, areas linked to attention lit up more, when they worked on the task they tended to find more difficult--estimating the line's size relative to the square. For the Asians, the attention areas lit up more during the harder task also--estimating the line's length without comparing it to the square. The findings are a reflection of more than ten years of previous experimental research into east-west differences
In one study, for instance, researchers offered people a choice among five pens, four red and one green. Easterners were more likely to choose a red pen while Westerners were more likely to choose the green one.
Culture is not affecting how you see the world, but how you choose to understand and internalize(使内化) it. But such habits can be changed. Some psychological studies suggest that when an Easterner goes to the West or vice versa, habits of thought and perception also begin to change. Such research gives us clues on how our brain works and is hopeful for us to develop programs to improve our memory, memory techniques and enhance and accelerate our learning skills.
1. According to the passage, Chinese people are most likely to_________.| A．emphasize independent thinking more |
| B．always focus more on their surroundings |
| C．focus on the context as well as object |
| D．think of Westerners as highly independent entities |
_________.| A．the task is much easier |
| B．the blood flow is tracked |
| C．people begin to choose colors |
| D．the task is more difficult |
| A．They indicate that culture has a great impact on the way people talk and behave. |
| B．They show that Easterners and Westerners have great differences in perceiving the world |
| C．They suggest that people's habits of thought and perception can be changed in different cultures. |
| D．They make it clear that Easterners and Westerners lay emphasis on different things |
| A．Easterners prefer collectivism to individualism |
| B．East Asian cultures lay more emphasis on independence |
| C．It took over ten years to find out how to improve our brainpower |
| D．Americans will change their habits of perception when they're in Britain |
5 . Body language, especially gestures, varies among cultures. For example, a nod of the head means “yes” to most of us.
Folded arms signal pride in Finland, but disrespect in Fiji. The number of bows that the Japanese exchange on greeting each other, as well as the length and the depth of the bows, signals the social status each party feels towards each other.
Italians might think you’re bored unless you use a lot of gestures during discussions. Many Americanmen sit with their legs crossed with one ankle resting over the opposite knee.
Likewise, Americans consider eye contact very important, often not trusting someone who is afraid to look at you in the eye. But in Japan and many Latin American countries, keeping the eyes lowered is a sign of respect.
| A．To look a partner full in the eye is considered a sign of ill-breeding and is felt to be annoying. |
| B．As is known to all, eyes are the window the soul. |
| C．However, this would be considered an insult in Muslim countries, where one will never show the sole of the foot to a guest. |
| D．But in Bulgaria and Greece a nod means “no” and a shake of the head means “yes”. |
| E．Waving or pointing to an Arab business person would be considered rude because that is how Arabs call their dogs over. |
| F．However, whatever cultures you are exposed to, bear in mind that when in Rome, do as the Romans do. |
6 . Dining in France: Culture Shock
On my first weekend abroad, I attended a dinner party with my host family to celebrate the New Year. It was everything I had imagined a French dinner party would be --- multiple courses, a variety of cheeses, bottles of champagne, and slices of fresh bread. Then, at the end of the meal, the host called out. “Okay, everyone, get under the table!”
What? An earthquake broke out? I watched as the children came running into the dining room and hid under the table. As it turns out, in the days after the New Year, the French celebrate with the galette des rois, or the “king cake”, a special cake with its own set of traditions. There is a small toy hidden inside the cake, and whoever finds it in their serving is the winner. Before it is sliced, all the children hide under the table so that they cannot see who will get the slice with the toy.
I’ve learned that many French traditions focus on food, and often they’ve taken me by surprise! From time to time, I’ve experienced a sense of culture shock, the feeling of confusion in a new country when you’re adjusting to things that maybe unfamiliar to you. Thankfully, I haven’t run into anything too difficult to manage. Before leaving for France, I learned strategies from the International Programs Office, a facility which helps prepare students to deal with these kinds of ups and downs.
They explained the phenomenon with a line graph to illustrate the highs and lows of the experience. You may experience a “honeymoon” phase, where you find everything new and exciting or even better than your home country. You may also experience low points, where all these little differences may seem frustrating and overwhelming.
I encountered a new fun, food-related culture differences while in France. For example, the French eat with both wrists resting on the table, while many Americans tend to keep their left hands in their laps. I hadn’t even noticed the difference until my five-year-old host brother pointed it out! Moreover, on formal occasions, people tend to straighten their back. And it is also common to use bread as a utensil, holding it in your hand like a knife, or using it to clean up the plate at the end of the meal. Finally, I love hearing “Bon Appétit!” (Good appetite!”) before eating, whether I am seated at the table with my host family, or just grabbing a coffee at a nearby café!
1. The reason why the host asked children to get under the table was that she wanted to ______ .| A．hide something in the cake |
| B．protect children from the earthquake |
| C．give the author, the guest, a big surprise |
| D．prevent children from slicing the cake |
| A．He wants to help students get prepared to deal with emotional changes. |
| B．He wants to tell readers how thrilling it is when we encounter novel things. |
| C．He uses it to help with the explanation of ups and downs in face of a new culture. |
| D．He uses it to prove that we may come across something disappointing abroad. |
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
7 . In spring, chickens start laying again, bringing a welcome source of protein at winter's end. So it's no surprise that cultures around the world celebrate spring by honoring the egg.
Some traditions are simple, like the red eggs that get baked into Greek Easter breads. Others elevate the egg into a fancy art, like the heavily jewel-covered "eggs" that were favored by the Russians starting in the 19th century.
One ancient form of egg art comes to us from Ukraine. For centuries, Ukrainians have been drawing complicated patterns on eggs. Contemporary artists have followed this tradition to create eggs that speak to the anxieties of our age: Life is precious, and delicate. Eggs are, too.
"There's something about their delicate nature that appeals to me," says New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast. Several years ago, she became interested in eggs and learned the traditional Ukrainian technique to draw her very modern characters. "I've broken eggs at every stage of the process—from the very beginning to the very, very end. "
But there's an appeal in that vulnerability. "There's part of this sickening horror of knowing you're walking on the edge with this, that I kind of like, knowing that it could all fall apart at any second" Chast's designs, such as a worried man alone in a tiny rowboat, reflect that delicateness.
Traditional Ukrainian decorated eggs also spoke to those fears. The elaborate patterns were believed to offer protection against evil.
"There's an ancient legend that as long as these eggs are made, evil will not prevail in the world," says Joan Brander, a Canadian egg-painter who has been painting eggs for over 60 years, having learned the art from her Ukrainian relatives.
The tradition, dating back to 300 B. C., was later incorporated into the Christian church. The old symbols, however, still endure. A decorated egg with a bird on it, given to a young married couple, is a wish for children. A decorated egg thrown into the field would be a wish for a good harvest.
1. Why do people in many cultures prize the egg?| A．It is a welcome sign of the coming of spring. |
| B．It is their major source of protein in winter. |
| C．It can easily be made into a work of art. |
| D．It can bring wealth and honor to them. |
| A．They are shaped like jewel cases. |
| B．They are cherished by the rich. |
| C．They are heavily painted in red. |
| D．They are favored as a form of art. |
| A．Eggs serve as an enduring symbol of new life. |
| B．Eggs have an oval shape appealing to artists. |
| C．Eggs reflect the anxieties of people today. |
| D．Eggs provide a unique surface to paint on. |
| A．She never knows if the egg will break before the design is completed. |
| B．She can add multiple details to the design to communicate her idea. |
| C．She always derives great pleasure from designing something new. |
| D．She is never sure what the final design will look like until the end. |
8 . Recently China’s netizens took to the microblogging site Weibo to passionately critique pictures Of the Great Wall in Suizhong County Liaoning province(辽宁省绥中县).
And rightly so.
The New York Times described the flattened section as a “cement (水泥) skateboarding lane dumped (遗弃)in the wilderness .” Let me explain if you haven’t seen in the photos : smooth concrete（混凝土）covers the top, and battlements (城垛) along the edges were completely destroyed--work done in the name of “conservation. " The Great Wall has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site for decades recognizing China's diverse architectural history. Undoubtedly, this particular “conservation” represents a tragedy for the whole world.
As the tourism industry in China picks up, heritage sites are coming under greater public scrutiny(公众监督). Sites that I have visited such as the Summer Palace, Terracotta Warriors and Yu Garden each see millions of tourists every year. As a result, we have grounds to believe that historic sites do need conservation for fear that the inevitable crowds of tourists will trample (践踏) them into dust.
However ，conservation should not only improve physical accessibility it should also retain the character and enhance the experience. One need not look farther than Badaling or Mutianyu in Beijing. While this Great wall restoration provides significant employment opportunities and mostly protects the wall from destruction, it is not without fault. Many visitors complain of overcrowding , the “fakeness” of gauy (花哨的) new architecture and high ticket prices.
Moreover, there is no comprehensive (全面的) academic publication in any language about the Great Wall. Little scientific knowledge proves the truth of historical and political claims. For instance, UNESCO still claims that the Great wall can be seen from space while China's first taikonaut Yang Liwei stated otherwise.
Unfortunately, the restoration of the Great Wall in Suizhong cannot be changed back to what it was before. Then what can you young people do to support the Great Wall and other historic sites in China? At least it is within your power to learn about the rich history of heritage sites, observe guidelines when visiting them and encourage others to follow your example.
1. According to the New York Times , the restoration of the Great Wall was_______| A．of no importance | B．far from satisfactory |
| C．worth the effort | D．not too bad |
| A．It cost a large sum of money |
| B．It was only focused on physical accessibility |
| C．It was not approved by the loyal government |
| D．It was meant to development tourism industry in China |
| A．it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site several years ago |
| B．it can be found in different provinces of China |
| C．It attracts a large number of tourists every year |
| D．it cannot be seen from space |
①spread the information of how to go to those sites
②study the rich history of those sites
③obey the guidelines when visiting those sites
④point out other tourists' bad behavior when visiting those sites
| A．①②③ | B．①②④ |
| C．①③④ | D．②③④ |
9 . April Fool’s Day and Easter Sunday rarely coincide. Since 1900, Easter has fallen on April Fools’ Day for only five times--1923,1934, 1945, 1956 and 2018. Obviously, it's a once-in-a-lifetime chance to play Easter-themed pranks on your children. Here are some suggestions.
A treasure hunt with a twist
A fantastic Easter Sunday tradition is to do a treasure hunt where the Easter Bunny has left eggs around your house. Each egg has a small written clue or riddle (谜语)directing the children to where they can find the next one. But when April Fools' Day and Easter Sunday coincide, why not leave some carrots in their place, instead of hiding chocolate eggs ?On the third or fourth clue, you can make it appear as if the Faster Bunny has left a note apologizing for eating all the chocolate but saying they hope you enjoy this left-behind lunch.
An Easter basket with a difference
Prepare an Easter basket for the children, and either wrap it up or cover it up so that the contents can’t be seen. Have a card from the Easter Bunny next to it which they can open first, with a message that the Easter Bunny wants them to have an extra special Easter and so has prepared a special gift for them. But rather than chocolate or sweets, what you've put in the basket is incredibly dull stuff that kids will be completely unimpressed by---new toothpaste, some socks or a packet of batteries.
A sticky situation
“You' ll need to prepare this in advance. Buy some of the plastic eggs that contain toys. Unwrap them, open them and then carefully glue them shut and re-wrap them. You don't have to be too tidy---your children are going to be thinking about getting to the toy and are not going to be suspicious. Sit back and enjoy them trying and failing to open the eggs.
The invisible Easter egg hunt
This is an excellent plan if you have a garden. Tell the children there is an Faster egg hunt in the garden and lead them there.Close the back door. Let your children spend ages searching fruitlessly for Easter eggs that you haven't actually hidden. After you have enjoyed a rare ten minutes of peace and quiet indoors, while they get increasingly confused and frustrated, go into the garden claiming to have found a note from the Easter Bunny. The note reads "April Fool."
1. The target readers of this passage are ________| A．Schoolchildren | B．head teachers in schools |
| C．children who have younger siblings | D．parents of young children |
| A．A treasure hunt with a twist | B．An Easter basket with a difference |
| C．A sticky situation | D．The invisible Easter egg hunt |
| A．A treasure hunt for carrots is an Easter tradition |
| B．April Fools Day and Easter Sunday coincide every 11 years |
| C．Children are usually disappointed at gifts like socks and batteries |
| D．All of the four recommended pranks require extensive preparations |
10 . Freedoms challenge in the Digital Age is a serious topic. We are facing today a strange new world and we are all wondering what we are going to do with it.
Some 2,500 years ago Greece discovered freedom. Before that there was no freedom. There were great civilizations, splendid empires, but no freedom anywhere. Egypt and Babylon were tyrannies, one very powerful man ruling over helpless masses In Greece, in Athens(雅典) a little city in a little country, there were no helpless masses.
And Athenians willingly obeyed the written laws which they themselves passed, and the unwritten, which must be obeyed if free men live together. They must show each other kindness and pity and the many qualities without which life would be very painful unless one chose to live alone in the desert. The Athenians never thought that a man was free if he could do what he wanted A man was free if he was self-controlled. To make yourself obey what you approved was freedom. They were saved from looking at their lives as their own private affair. Each one felt responsible for the welfare of Athens, not because it was forced on him from the outside, but because the city was his pride and his safety. The essential belief of the first free government in the world was liberty for all men who could control themselves and would take responsibility for the state.
But discovering freedom is not like discovering computers. It cannot be discovered once for all. If people do not prize it, and work for it, it will go. Constant watch is its price. Athens changed. It was a change that took place without being noticed though it was of the extreme importance a spiritual change which affected the whole state. It had been the Athenians pride and joy to give to their city That they could get material benefits from her never entered their minds. there had to be a complete change of attitude before they could took at the city as an employer who paid her citizens for doing her work. Now instead of men giving to the state, the state was to give to them. What the people wanted was a government which would provide a comfortable life for them; and with this as the primary object, ideas of freedom and self-reliance and responsibility were neglected to the point of disappearing: Athens was more and more looked on as a cooperative business possessed of great wealth in which all citizens had a right to share
Athens reached the point when the freedom she really wanted was freedom from responsibility
There could be only one result. If men insisted on being free from the burden of self-dependence and responsibility for the common good, they would cease to be free. Responsibility is the price every man must pay for freedom. It is to be had on no other terms. Athens, the Athens of Ancient Greece, refused responsibility; she reached the end of freedom and was never to have it again.
But "the excellent becomes the permanent, Aristotle said. Athens lost freedom forever, but freedom was not lost forever for the world. a great American, James Madison, referred to the capacity of mankind for self-government. No doubt he had not an idea that he was speaking Greek. Athens was not in the farthest background of his mind, but once man has a great and good idea, it is never completely lost. The Digital Age cannot destroy it. Somehow in this or that man s thought such an idea lives though unconsidered by the world of action. One can never be sure that it is not on the point of breaking out into action, only sure that it will do so sometimes
1. What does the underlined word "tyrannies" in Para2 refer to?| A．Countries where their people need help |
| B．Powerful states with higher civilization |
| C．Splendid empires where people enjoy freedom. |
| D．Government ruled with absolute power |
| A．The Athenians refused to take their responsibility. |
| B．The Athenians no longer took their pride in the city |
| C．The Athenians benefited spiritually from the government. |
| D．The Athenians viewed the government as a business to work for. |
| A．Athens would continue to be |
| B．Athens would cease to have freedom. |
| C．Freedom would come from responsibility. |
| D．Freedom would stop Athens from self-dependence |
| A．He is hopeful about freedom |
| B．He is cautious about self-government |
| C．He is doubtful about Greek civilization |
| D．He is critical of Greece’s loss of freedom |
| A．Freedom can be more popular in the digital age |
| B．Freedom may come to an end in the digital age |
| C．Freedom should have priority over responsibility |
| D．Freedom should be guaranteed by responsibility. |
