1 . I came to Rio, Brazil to work one year ago. So what have I found here?

You need to learn Portuguese

I started studying Portuguese about two years ago. I didn’t end up improving my Portuguese as much as I’d hoped before I came here. While Spanish and Portuguese are structurally quite similar, there are huge differences between the two. You can’t just magically understand Brazilians if you speak Spanish.

I didn’t need to bring heels.

Going out in cities like Buenos Aires is a big deal. You get dressed up, you do your hair, and you definitely wear heels—at least if you’re going out to dance. I had no idea how wrong I was. Yes, Rio is a city, but it’s a city on the beach. Of course, there are fancy clubs that probably expect everyone to show up in dress shoes(时装鞋), but most of the places I’ve been to are fine with sneakers, even for dancing.

Learning about pop music is a must.

Whenever I go out and a pop song comes on, every single other person there sings along to all the words. I still haven’t understood if there are only 25 songs that get played in public or if people really do just have a fantastic memory for lyrics, but either way, I wish I’d spent a bit more time practicing Brazilian pop music so I wouldn’t look like such a lost foreigner.

Airplanes are a surprisingly sensitive subject

In Brazil, the credit for modern flight goes to Alberto Santos Dumont. Brazilians say the Wright Brothers’ use of a catapult(飞机弹射器) was technically cheating and point to their man as the real pioneer of the plane. Therefore, be careful before bringing up the subject of planes in Brazil unless you’re ready for a lecture.

1. What can we infer about Brazilians?

A．They are fond of dancing.	B．They understand Spanish.
C．They have a good memory.	D．They are informally dressed.

2. How did the author react when the others were singing?

A．She felt like an outsider.	B．She felt ashamed.
C．She sang along.	D．She pretended to be lost.

3. What topic should you avoid in Rio?

A．Pop music.	B．Dressing styles.
C．The history of planes.	D．Spanish.

4. What’s the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To tell us something about Brazil.

B．To give foreigners in Rio some suggestions.

C．To share her life in Rio as a foreigner.

D．To encourage us to learn a foreign language.

2 . This holiday weekend will be about more than Thanksgiving treats and extra days off from school for eighth-grader Shreya Nair. Shreya will also spend some of her time conducting an interview that will end up in the Library of Congress.

Shreya, 13, is participating in a StoryCorps initiative called The Great Thanksgiving Listen. The project encourages students to interview family members and friends about their lives in an effort to preserve the stories and voices of an older generation.

“ It would be interesting to see her view on life and how it’s different from mine based on the circumstances she grew up in,”Shreya said about her interview.

StoryCorps' aim is to use audio to preserve the stories of people of all ages and backgrounds. Students will be able to record their interviews using a new app and upload them to the StoryCorps Archive at the Library of Congress.

Shreya’s English teacher decided to get involved in spreading the word about the project, by assigning the interview as homework. Alison Matthews teaches Shreya at McCall Middle School in Winchester, Massachusetts. She incorporated(纳入) the StoryCorps interview assignment into a unit on the book, The Giver. Matthews describes the novel as a“story about this community where there’s one man — the giver — who holds all the memories of the community.”

“The StoryCorps project fit in so perfectly. The Library of Congress is the keeper of our memories. So I asked kids to think about the importance of memory in our society,” Matthews said.

Shreya said that her classmates like the assignment.”It’s an interview that will help us not only understand the book we’re reading right now, but help us later in life,” Shreya said.  “One of the things I like about the project is that you get to hear so many other people’s voices,”she added. “Sometimes in this world it feels like our opinion is the only one, but when you sit down and listen, it’s amazing what it can bring.”

1. Whom might Shreya meet this holiday weekend?

A．Her grandmother.	B．one of her cousins.
C．Her English teacher.	D．one of her classmates.

2. What is the purpose of the project?

A．To start a new tradition.

B．To narrow the distance between people.

C．To record history through oral communication

D．To teach students to communicate more effectively.

3. Why does Matthews support the project?

A．It fits in a lesson perfectly.

B．It is a new teaching method.

C．Her students want to learn about interviewing.

D．Her students want to visit the Library of Congress.

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

A．A Holiday Weekend.

B．A Girl Participating in a New Project.

C．An Interview to the Older Generation.

D．A Meaningful Thanksgiving Day.

3 . The big fire in April that tore through the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris(巴黎圣母院) is still fresh in people’s minds. The 800-year-old landmark suffered great damage to its top, but thankfully the most valuable religious relics and cultural treasures were undamaged.

So a US publishing company GoArchitect organized the People’s Design Competition to invite designers, worldwide to share their ideas of rebuilding the French landmark. The open call attracted more than 200 proposals from 56 countries and regions. In the end, Chinese architects Cai Zeyu and Li Sibei won the competition with their striking design. They are both the post-90s generation.

Named “Paris Heartbeat”, the design replaces the old top with a kaleidoscope( 万花筒) of multifaceted mirrors, which is combined with a mirror roof, reflecting the ever–changing urban environment.

The kaleidoscope is the floating “time capsule”, at the top using magnetic levitation(磁悬浮) technology, which is meant to open every half century. The “time capsule” moves up and down, breathing and beating together with the city.

“I believe that the ‘time capsule’ can be achieved with present technology,” Cai told the Global Times.

The pair hoped that their design, Paris Heartbeat, could meet people’s high expectations for the rebuilding. As Cai and Li told GoArchitect, “Notre Dame witnessed Parisian history. It burns, survives and co-breathes with the ever-changing world…The 2019 fire will mark a new era.”

Though people still don’t know what kind of design the French government will choose, it’s clear that people around the world hope that the lost beauty of Notre Dame will come back. Once rebuilt, it will certainly become a permanent part of history and the Parisian skyline again.

1. What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．A open call for the recovery of Dame Cathedral.

B．The design of Paris Heartbeat by two Chinese architects .

C．A big fire which destroyed Dame Cathedral.

D．A French government’s decision.

2. How are Paragraphs 3 and 4 developed?

A．list figures	B．give examples
C．make a comparison	D．make an explanation

3. Which of the following is true according to the text?

A．Two thirds of the Notre Dame Cathedral was damaged in the big fire.

B．The French government organized the People’s Design Competition.

C．The kaleidoscope is designed using traditional architecture technology.

D．It remains to be seen whether “Paris Heartbeat” will be adopted.

4. Where is the passage possibly taken from?

A．an entertainment magazine	B．a newspaper
C．a geography textbook	D．a guide book

4 . Chinese culture values family bonds very much. Family members don't just gather during the holidays .In fact they often live under one roof all year round.     1    . Families in the East and West are very different from each other.

In most East Asian cultures, extended families are common.     2     According to the

Atlantic, 90 percent of children in Shanghai and 70 percent of children in Beijing were cared for by their grandparents. Chinese people believe that "a grandparent is a treasure to their family".

In many Western countries, most families are nuclear families （小家庭）. These are solely made up of children and their parents.

Additionally, the duties parents have toward their children can also differ.    3    .

It's normal for parents to pay for their children's college, help them find a job, or buy them an apartment. Chinese adults also follow their parents' opinions when making major life decisions, more often than not.

In most Western countries, however, kids usually move out of the house after they turn 18.

    4    . Also, if they choose to keep living with their parents after becoming an adult, it can be seen by some as a failure on their part.

While the East cares more about close family bonds, the West values privacy and independence.     5    . Families will always be a source of love, warmth, and care for people around the world.

A．These families have three or even four generations living together

B．Nuclear families are the most common type in China.

C．In China, many parents look after their children all the way into adulthood.

D．Different cultures have different family values.

E．But in the end, home is best 一 east or west.

F．Many young people going to college often need to take out loans and work part-time jobs in order to pay for tuition and rent.

G．Both Easterners and Westerners value quality family time.

5 . The Lantern Festival, a traditional Chinese festival, is celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month. And it falls on Tuesday this year.    1    The day leads to the first full moon night of the year, and is also the night when the earth returns to spring.

It was also a romantic festival in ancient China, providing an opportunity for unmarried men and women to meet.    2    But during the Lantern Festival, it is a tradition that all people? including those young women，come out for lantern shows. People hang lanterns everywhere, in their house or in the streets, which depict various characters, like flying birds, leaping fishes, and shining fireworks, showing an atmosphere of joy.    3    .

Another activity，guessing the answers to lantern riddles，gave young people a chance to interact with each other and know more about each other. For thousands of years, there have been numerous love stories originating during the Lantern Festival.

Besides watching lanterns and guessing the answers to lantern riddles，there are many other traditions for the festival.

1. Dragon lantern dance

    4    At the festival, people perform dragon lantern dances and look forward to this year’s good weather and peace.

2. Lion Dances

It is similar to the dragon lantern dance，delivering good wishes and good luck.

3. Eating yuanxiao

Eating yuanxiao on Lantern Festival is another tradition.    5    The stuffing includes bean paste, sugar，hawthorn various kinds of fruit and so on. It can be boiled, fried or steamed   to eat.

A．Chinese people regard the dragon as a symbol of good luck.

B．Here is a guide for you to spend a happy I intern Festival.

C．Yuanxiao is made of glutinous rice, either solid or stuffed.

D．Almost all people will come out and appreciate the beautiful scene.

E．As a traditional food, YuanXiao appeals to a lot of people.

F．In ancient times, young women, especially daughters of respected families, hardly stepped out their houses.

G．It is a continuation of celebrating the Spring Festival.

6 . Music Festivals

1. Why do people in the Buku Music Festival need to catch up on their sleep?

A．Sleep during the night is difficult.	B．Buku has a post-industrial setting.
C．The performances will last overnight.	D．The tickets for the festival are very expensive.

2. Which music festival can you find sports programs?

A．Buku Music Festival.	B．Horizon Festival.
C．Gasparilla Music Festival.	D．Golden Plains Festival.

3. Where is the Golden Plains Festival held?

A．On a mountain.	B．In a downtown square.
C．In a music hall.	D．In an open-air theatre.

7 . Bank holidays! We all love them!

A bank holiday is an English term for a public holiday. During the day banks and offices are closed and a lot of people have a day off work. In the UK, people only get eight bank holidays in one year.     1    

People in Colombia are much luckier. There are twenty bank holidays for the whole country in one year! And there can be even more, depending on which region(地区) you live in.     2     As in the UK, most of the bank holidays in Colombia exist for religious reasons.

    3     One such example is Independence Day on 20 July every year. This is just like Bastille Day in France on 14 July.     4     It is in memory of the day that Christopher Columbus, first reached America in the year 1492.

Bank holidays are very important for western people.     5     They may also choose to stay at home to relax and forget about work.

A．Bank holidays are different in Colombia.

B．During the holidays, they often travel with their families.

C．This is because different regions have their own holidays.

D．And at least five of those are around Christmas time and Easter.

E．Every country on the continent of America celebrates Columbus Day.

F．Another historical bank holiday in Colombia is Columbus Day on 12 October.

G．However, some bank holidays in Colombia came into being for historical reasons.

8 . These days, people who do manual (体力的) work often receive far more money than people who work in offices. People who work in offices are frequently referred to as “white-collar workers” for the simple reason that they usually wear a collar and tie to go to work. Such is human nature, that a great many people are often willing to sacrifice higher pay for the honor of becoming white-collar workers. This can lead to curious situations, as it did in the case of Alfred Bloggs who worked as a dustman for the Ellesmere Corporation.

When he got married, Alf was too embarrassed to say anything to his wife about his job. He simply told her that he worked for the Corporation. Every morning, he left home dressed in a smart black suit. He then changed into overalls (工作服) and spent the next eight hours as a dustman. Before returning home at night, he took a shower and changed back into his suit. Alf did this for over two years and his fellow dustmen kept his secret. Alf’s wife has never discovered that she married a dustman and she never will, for Alf has just found another job. He will soon be working in an office. He will be earning only half as much as he used to, but he feels that his rise in status (身份；地位) is well worth the loss of money. From now on, he will wear a suit all day and others will call him ‘Mr. Bloggs’, not ‘Alf’.

1. What does the case of Alfred Bloggs show?

A．That people often care more about the status of a job than the income.

B．That “white-collar workers” usually wear a suit to go to work.

C．That manual workers prefer to keep their jobs a secret.

D．That office workers earn less than manual workers.

2. What did Alfred Bloggs do for over two years?

A．He told his wife he worked for the Corporation, when in fact he did not.

B．He dressed himself as a dustman before leaving home every morning.

C．He lied to his wife about his job.

D．He earned twice as much as a white-collar worker.

3. What does Alfred Bloggs think of his new job?

A．He feels it is a pity because he now earns less than before.

B．He thinks it is worthwhile for his rise in status.

C．He is proud because he earns much more than before.

D．He is satisfied because he no longer needs a shower before returning home.

4. What’s the best title of the passage?

A．The Double Life of Alfred Bloggs.

B．Money or Status, Which Comes First?

C．The Story of Alfred Bloggs, a Dustman.

D．Truth Will Come to Light Sooner or Later.

9 . Ready to take a gap year？ A "Gap Year" is a period of time when a student takes a break before going to university. It is often spent travelling or working．    1    

Gap years are popular with European and Australian students, but remain less popular in America. However, in recent years, more and more American students are preparing for college by taking a gap year. The advantages of taking a gap year are as follows：

    2    

Although you don't have to go abroad to experience gap years, most gap year students catch the chance to travel abroad. You are able to work out who you are and what you are for. The experiences of different cultures offer you interesting lessons. You can learn more about the world and get to know yourself better．

Face challenges and have fun

A gap year is not only a time to take a vacation, but also a time to face challenges. Gap year students usually work, volunteer or take service projects. You have to learn how to get along in the real world. This process isn't always easy, but it is an important part of growing up．    3    

Save money and improve your college admission chances

There's a common thought that gap years are only for rich students, but it's not true. Actually, taking a gap year can save your money. Gap year students often take a part-time job. Besides, at the end of a gap year, students are much more likely to know what to study in college.     4    

    5    Both of them are excellent and have high grades. However, one student has much practical experience or has volunteered in his vacation. Who do you think the admission officer will choose？

A．Learn about the world and yourself

B．Only in this way can you enjoy life and have fun．

C．Check out your gap year choices before making the right decision．

D．It can give young people useful learning experiences and new skills．

E．Imagine an admission officer trying to admit only one between two students．

F．More students than ever before are taking a gap year before going to university．

G．Clear learning goals can keep the students working hard instead of wasting time and money playing．

10 . The meaning of silence varies among cultural groups. Silences may be thoughtful, or they may be empty when a person has nothing to say. A silence in a conversation may also show stubbornness, uneasiness, or worry. Silence may be viewed by some cultural groups as extremely uncomfortable; thus efforts may be made to fill every gap(间隙) with conversation. Persons in other cultural groups value silence and view it as necessary for understanding a person’s needs.

Many Native Americans value silence and feel it is a basic part of communicating among people, just as some traditional Chinese and Thai persons do. Therefore, when a person from one of these cultures is speaking and suddenly stops, what may be implied(暗示) is that the person wants the listener to think about what has been said before continuing. In these cultures, silence is a call for thinking.

Other cultures may use silence in other ways, particularly when dealing with disagreements among people or in relationships of people with different amounts of power. For example, Russian, French, and Spanish persons may use silence to show agreement between parties about the topic under discussion. However, Mexicans may use silence when instructions (指示，命令) are given by a person in authority rather than be rude to that person by arguing with him or her. In still another use, persons in Asian cultures may view silence as a sign of respect, particularly to an elder or a person in authority.

Nurses and other care-givers need to notice the possible meanings of silence when they come across the personal worries their patients may be experiencing. Nurses should recognize their own personal and cultural construction of silence so that a patient’s silence is not disturbed too early or allowed to go on unnecessarily. A nurse who understands the healing(治愈) value of silence can use this understanding to help in the care of patients from their own and from other cultures.

1. Which of the following people might take silence as a call for careful thought?

A．The Chinese.	B．The French.
C．The Mexicans.	D．The Russians.

2. What does the author advise nurses to do about silence?

A．Let it continue as the patient pleases.	B．Break it while treating patients.
C．Evaluate its harm to patients.	D．Make use of its healing effects.

3. What may be the best title for the text?

A．Sound and Silence	B．What It Means to Be Silent
C．Silence to Native Americans	D．Speech Is Silver; Silence Is Gold