1 . I had just arrived in this Asian country for a one-year teaching position. One day, I took a subway to visit some ancient palaces and temples in the downtown. What happened to me next on the subway has taught me much about culture difference.
Since all the seats were taken, I stood. Suddenly, I felt someone pulling on my bag. Assuming I probably was in someone’s way, I moved over slightly. But in one quick motion, I felt my bag removed from my back, and in a flash, it was gone. I turned around to see who the thief was. I looked at the people standing behind me, but didn’t see my bag or anyone suspicious. My heart began to beat wildly and I began to panic.
I looked around, only to find directly across from me was an elderly lady, and sitting on her lap was my bag. I tried to get it back from her lap. But as I began to pull it up, she quickly took it back and held onto it. I looked around at the people standing beside me, and those sitting beside her, but no one took any notice of the situation. Trying not to cause a scene, I tried to negotiate through gestures. I used my hands as much as I could, but she ignored my requests for my bag and pointed to my back. She picked up my bag, showing how heavy it was. I finally began to understand. She was holding my bag to help me.
At the next stop, a middle-aged woman got on the crowded subway. Another elderly woman sitting down took her bag, setting it on her lap. They didn’t talk; yet this older woman was more than pleased to sit with this stranger’s bag on her lap throughout her journey.
As the subway pulled into the main downtown station and I was getting ready to get off, the woman gently handed me back my bag. But before I had a chance to thank her, she had disappeared into the crowd.
1. What happened after the writer got on the subway?| A．The writer’s bag was stolen by an elderly lady. | B．The writer stood in someone’s way. |
| C．An old lady asked the writer to sit beside her. | D．A stranger offered help to the writer. |
| A．Feel frightened. | B．Feel grateful. | C．Feel relaxed. | D．Feel ashamed. |
| A．The middle-aged woman and the elderly woman were good friends. |
| B．The passengers on the subway were very unfriendly. |
| C．Helping standing passengers with heavy bags was common on local subways. |
| D．There were many thieves on the subway. |
| A．To warn us of the potential risks in travelling abroad. | B．To tell us a culture difference. |
| C．To recommend a travel destination. | D．To give us some tips on taking a subway. |
2 . Imagine that you are a detective at the scene of a crime. What you find is confusion. Evidence has been moved, stepped on, broken. You even suspect that someone took crucial items as souvenirs! This would make your job much more difficult, right?
Archaeologists are like detectives. We study clues left by people long ago and learn a lot about them: their culture, their environment, where they came from, and where they went. Anything made or modified by people is an artifact(文物).
Archaeological sites are important to our cultural heritage. Laws protect them against damage by neglect, vandalism, or looters(掠夺者). Laws also help to preserve sites on public land.
What if you find an artifact- -maybe an arrowhead, a piece of pottery, or an old cowboy spur --in your backyard?
Then contact your state’s historic preservation officer or an archaeologist at a nearby college or university. These experts can help explain what you found.
| A．If possible, leave it in place. |
| B．Also investigate the history of where you live. |
| C．Is the ground disturbed by construction or digging? |
| D．As such, they are part of the archaeological record. |
| E．It might make it even impossible to solve the case. |
| F．It just might be a missing piece in history’s grand puzzle! |
| G．But private landowners have the rights to their own property. |
3 .
Moab Music Festival Where: Moab, Utah When: Aug. 29-Sept. 9
This area is better known for mountain biking than for music. But since 1992, it has hosted a private festival that brings classical, jazz, Latin and other types of music to the land. This year there will be 16 concerts, including three "Grotto Concerts", where guests take a 45-minute boat ride down the Colorado River to performances. Events start at 25. moabmusicfest. org.
Cheyenne Frontier Days Where: Cheyenne, Wyoming When: July 19-28
There's something for everyone at this 117-year-old festival, from an "Indian village" and Old West museum to country concerts. But the competition is still the main attraction, with cowboys(牛仔) and cowgirls competing for major money in the world's largest outdoor stage. Competition tickets start at $18, and concert tickets at 23. cfdrodeo. com.
The Glimmerglass Festival Where: Cooperstown, New York When: July 6-Aug. 24
Each summer, opera lovers from around the country (and the world) travel to upstate New York to watch productions that include stars like Nathan Gunn and Ginger Costa-Jackson. This year's performances include Wagner's" The Flying Dutchman" and Verdi's "King for a Day", in honor of the 200th birthdays of both composers (作曲家). Tickets start at 26. Glimmerglass.org.
1. If you want to enjoy a "Grotto Concert", which date suits you best?| A．June 15. | B．July 19. |
| C．August 24. | D．September 4. |
| A．18. | B．22. | C．36. | D．41. |
| A．Education. | B．Art. | C．Business. | D．Literature. |
4 . If you’re planning to visit Japan, it is a good idea to understand some basic customs.
DON’T WALK AND CHEW GUM.
Americans are always in such a hurry that we grab lunch at the drive with one hand while holding onto the steering wheel with the other.
The Japanese don’t walk around while eating or drinking. This seems strange in a culture that like vending machines (自动售卖机). In fact, the Japanese will often get a snack or soda out of a vending machine and then stand there, next to the vending machine, until they’ve finished it.
SURGICAL MASKS
Seeing photos of people in Japan wearing surgical masks, you might wonder if surgical masks are just a fashion. Meanwhile, in America, we cough into the open air, and sneak out of restrooms without washing up.
In Japan, it’s not nice to share germs (细菌). If you’re sick and you must leave your home, you put a surgical mask because that’s polite. Surgical masks are also worn out of caution — if you travel in a packed train during flu season, it’s a good idea to do so.
THE MISUSE OF SOY SAUCE
You’re probably used to eating white rice with soy sauce (酱汁) all over it in American Asian restaurants, but don’t do it in Japan. Soy sauce in Japan is not meant for drowning out the subtle flavor of white rice.
About YOUR SHOES
Wearing shoe in the house is just not something people do in Japan. You should remove your shoes immediately after entering a Japanese home and also when entering most historic buildings.
1. The author is telling American tourists in Japan to ________.| A．drink while walking | B．eat while driving |
| C．eat food quickly | D．drink near the vending machine |
| A．a fashion | B．a danger |
| C．good manners | D．a good idea |
| A．get a snack | B．remove your shoes |
| C．put soy sauce over the rice | D．wear a mask |
5 . Smith, Williams, Brown are common surnames that you will meet in Britain. However, you may come across some strange English surnames. The following surnames are rare, but they are real.
GotobedYou are not going to meet many people with the surname “Go-to-bed”. The first recorded person to have this surname was John Gotobedde of Cambridge in 1269. Professor Reaney, an authority on English surnames, explains the surname originated from people who had a bed, which was rare back in the 12th century. People were proud that they could afford to have a bed, thus adding it to their name. Strange but true!
Onions
This surname, which was first popular in France and Ireland before coming over to the UK, dates back to l279 and identified（显示）a person’s job. He was either a seller or a grower of the vegetable.
Nutter
Nutter means a crazy or silly person in spoken English. You wouldn’t usually call yourself a nutter, but it’s genuinely a surname that originates from Yorkshire and Lancashire. It’s a variation of the old English surnames “Notere”, which means a clerk, and “Nothard”, which means a person that keeps oxen.
Hardmeat
You might have guessed that “Hardmeat” must have something to do with a family of butchers. In fact, it might just have been a misspelling of the village that the name came from, which was “Hardmead” in England. Wish they had a spellchecker back then!
1. Which of the following surnames can tell a family’s wealth?| A．Nutter. | B．Onions. | C．Gotobed. | D．Hardmeat. |
| A．They originated in the UK. | B．They mean silly people. |
| C．They date from the l3th century. | D．They show the occupations. |
| A．An incorrectly-spelt village name. | B．A place famous for hard meat. |
| C．A village without a spellchecker. | D．A family of butchers. |
6 . Culture is particularly at risk in an armed conflict or disaster owing to its great symbolic value. At the same time, culture is regarded as a driver of recovery, strengthening the flexibility of a civilized society.
During recent conflicts, cultural relics have not only increasingly suffered from the damage caused by war, but have also become the target（目标） of systematic and deliberate(故意的) attacks because of its high significance in the nations to which it belongs. The destruction of the cultural relics in Palmyra(Syria) and the robbery of the National Museum of Iraq are tragic（悲剧的） examples of an intention to destroy the very cultural identity and break the bonds that bring them together as a society.
Disasters caused by natural and human-made harm including earthquakes, fires, floods and typhoons, also have caused extensive damage to many cultural and natural relics, museums, cultural institutions. The earthquakes in Nepal and Ecuador, the floods in Myanmar, Hurricane Matthew in the Western Atlantic Ocean and the heavy rainfalls following El Niño in Peru have all resulted in a mass of damage.
Culture, however, is not only a victim （受害者）of emergency situations. Immediately after a disaster or an armed conflict, all nations often find cultural relics can work well as material and psychological support. The ability to access one’s cultural attractions — like a religious building, a historic city, an historical relic or a landscape — or to keep a specific cultural practice, may provide a much-needed sense of identity and dignity（尊严）. Moreover after an emergency（紧急情况）, culture can be an engine both to rebuild economies and societies and to promote tolerance, compromise and understanding, easing tensions（紧张） and preventing renewed conflicts. Music, dance, theatre and cinema, for example, have been used to build deeper understanding among people who flee for safety.
This is why protecting culture in emergency situations, and cultural protection from disasters is fundamental to a country’s development and people’ security.
1. Some damaged cultural relics are mentioned in Paragraphs 2 & 3 to ________.| A．To prove emergency situations caused by culture. |
| B．To show the intense international relationship. |
| C．To present the terrible situation of culture in an armed conflict or disaster |
| D．To unfold the disasters and conflicts in the world. |
| A．Culture plays an important role in restoration. |
| B．Culture suffers a lot in emergency situations. |
| C．Lots of cultural relics are rebuilt after a disaster. |
| D．Culture helps people better understand each other. |
| A．Most cultural relics are destroyed by war. |
| B．Natural disasters seldom contribute to the damage of cultural relics. |
| C．Music, dance and theatre can also give people a sense of security. |
| D．Cultural relics can work better than psychological support. |
| A．The fast development of culture. |
| B．The analysis of the cultural emergency. |
| C．A specific case of ruined cultural relics. |
| D．Some measures taken to protect culture. |
7 . In order to reduce the risk of suffering from COVID-19, people are supposed to say no to a handshake, give up high fives, refuse kisses on the cheek and absolutely avoid hugging. So people all over the world are changing their daily habits at work and at home to prevent it from spreading.
In France, handshaking is regarded as daily greeting habits. And kissing on the cheek is often seen even between people who have only just met. Philippe Lichtfus, a lifestyle expert notes that handshaking is a relatively recent development in human history that began in the Middle Ages. Now, he says simply looking into a person’s eyes can serve as a greeting.
The Brazilian health ministry has recommended that citizens should not share the metal straws traditionally used to consume the caffeine-rich drink chimarrão. And a kiss—even if it is not on the mouth—is totally advised against.
One of Spain’s most treasured traditions is also affected by the outbreak—the kissing of sculptures of Virgin Mary in the week leading up to Easter. During the holy week, the faithful believers queue up to kiss the hands or feet of sculptures of Mary and the saints, seeking their protection.
Germany’s interior minister (内政部长) Horst Seehofer rebuffed Chancellor（总理）Angela Merkel’s attempt to shake hands with him, smiling and keeping both his hands to himself. They both laughed and Merkel threw her hand up in the air before taking a seat.
In Iran, a video has gone viral (走红) showing three friends meeting, hands in their pockets, two of whom are wearing masks, tapping their feet against each other as a greeting. A similar video in Lebanon shows singer Ragheb Alama and comedian Michel Abou Sleiman tapping their feet against each other while making kissing noises with their mouths.
The UAE (阿拉伯联合酋长国) is advising citizens to stop the traditional “nose to nose” greeting. The UAE also said that people shouldn’t shake hands anymore or kiss. Greet each other “by waving only”.
1. What can we learn from Philippe Lichtfus?| A．Handshaking has a long history. |
| B．People can continue to kiss on the cheek. |
| C．It is recommended that people look into other’s eyes as a greeting. |
| D．It is unusual for two people who have just met to kiss on the cheeks. |
| A．Appreciated. | B．Refused. | C．Accepted. | D．Welcomed. |
| A．Several traditional greeting habits are advised against in the UAE. |
| B．People who believe in Virgin Mary must be disappointed to cancel the ceremony. |
| C．Brazilians are crazy about consuming the caffeine-rich drink chimarrão. |
| D．Tapping feet against each other has already become a daily greeting in Iran. |
| A．Some old greeting styles are out of date. |
| B．Some new greeting styles become popular. |
| C．Different countries have different greeting styles. |
| D．People change their greeting styles to protect themselves. |
8 . Luo Dengping has become famous as the only woman in a group of “spider men”who climb cliffs of up to 100 meters high, without ropes or safety equipment of any kind, for the entertainment of tourists in China’s Guizhou Province.
Men of the Miao people, in Southwest China, have been free-climbing steep cliffs for centuries. They originally developed this skill as part of a custom, to lift coffins(棺材)of relatives up the cliffs and place them in small caves or just hang them on the cliffside, like the Tana Toraja tribe, in Indonesia. The Miao spider men continued climbing the vertical cliffs of Ziyun, in order to collect rare medicinal plants. Today, only a few members of the Miao people still practice this ancient tradition, and one of them is a woman.
Traditionally, only Miao men were considered brave and skilled enough to become spider men, but Luo Dengping had no choice but to break social norms and take up the practice. As the daughter of a skilled spider man, and with no brothers to carry on her family’s tradition, Luo began climbing the cliffs near the village when she was just 15 years old. In the beginning, she felt scared and could barely move on the precarious cliffside, but as time went by, she perfected her skills and, eventually, making her way up the giant rocks using nothing but her hands and feet became routine.
In her late teens, Luo Dengping left the village and became a migrant worker at a construction site in Guangzhou. She returned in 2000, married a villager and had two children. To support her husband, who drives freight trucks for a living, she occasionally climbed nearby cliffs in search of medicinal plants to sell. Then, in 2015, the local government decided to promote the karsts mountain as a tourist attraction, and started hiring spider men to practice their skills for entertainment purposes.
1. Why did Luo Dengping work as spider woman at first?| A．To make more money. | B．To carry on her family’s tradition. |
| C．To support her husband. | D．To collect medicinal plants. |
| A．Famous. | B．Wet. |
| C．Dangerous. | D．Unsteady. |
| A．A migrant worker. | B．A performer. |
| C．A distributor. | D．A driver. |
| A．China’s Only “Spider Woman” | B．The Promotion of Ancient Skills |
| C．A Hobby Makes “Spider Woman” | D．Spider Men Becomes a Must-see |
9 . International tourism is becoming interestingly popular, and large numbers of people from all over the world come to visit famous places such as the Great Wall of China and the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.
As for the damage, there are many different causes. For example, the paintings in the Sistine Chapel are being damaged by people breathing onto them when they visit.
In short, it is necessary to control tourism at famous places.
| A．For example, special paths can be built. |
| B．What can we do to deal with these problems? |
| C．The Great Wall was built over 2,000 years ago. |
| D．However, these visitors have caused many problems. |
| E．Traveling is the best way for us to get to know the world. |
| F．If we do not do this, these places will disappear from our planet. |
| G．Their breath contains very small drops of water that are present in the air. |
10 . Edinburgh is the world’s festival city. There are 12 festivals throughout the year, half of which are celebrated during the months of July and August.
Hundreds of thousands of people visit the Scottish capital during the summer. Here are some of the events they can enjoy:
The Edinburgh International Festival
This is the original Edinburgh festival, which began in 1947. actors, musicians, dancers and opera singers from all over the world perform to huge audiences. You need tickets for most events which take place in theaters around the city.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe
This is the largest arts festival in the world with thousands of show taking place across the city. More than 20,000 artists take part, as the festival is open to anyone. Visitors can choose from a huge variety of acts. Join thousands of visitors and locals at the Royal Mile, Edinburgh’s main street, to watch all kinds of performers and shows.
The Edinburgh International Book Festival
The largest book festival in the world began in 1983 and take place every year in Charlotte Square Gardens, in the centre of Edinburgh. There are more than 700 events for children and adults who love books. You can meet many authors, talk to them, ask them to sign a book or listen to them talk about their stories. Children can listen to stories and watch painters draw pictures.
The Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival
Music lovers come to this festival to enjoy music shows around the city. One of the highlights of this musical event is the street carnival, which is free to all. Artists perform street theatre, dance and circus shows in amazing costumes, and everyone can join in the dancing.
1. Which of the festivals is the most attractive to the bookworms around the world?| A．The Edinburgh International Festival | B．The Edinburgh Festival Fringe |
| C．The Edinburgh International Book Festival | D．The Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival |
| A．They can take part in a street carnival. |
| B．They can enjoy the performances of a great many performers. |
| C．They communicate with some famous authors from all over the world. |
| D．They can join the locals at Charlotte Square Gardens to watch all kinds of shows. |
| A．In a history book. | B．In a tourist brochure |
| C．In an encyclopedia | D．In an art magazine. |
