1 . More than 10 million Chinese cultural relics have been lost overseas, most of which were stolen and illegally shipped out of China during the times of war before 1949. About 1. 67 million pieces are housed in more than 200 museums in 47 countries, which accounts for 10 percent of all lost Chinese cultural relics, and the rest are in the hands of private collectors.

Most of these treasures are owned by museums or private collectors in the United States, Europe, Japan and Southeast Asian countries. There are more than 23,000 pieces in the British Museum, most of which were stolen or bought for pennies more than 100 years ago.

The major method to recover these national treasures was to buy them back. In some cases, private collectors donated the relics to the government. Also the government can turn to official channels(渠道) to demand the return of relics.

In 2003, a priceless bronze pig's head dating from the Qing Dynasty was returned to its home in Beijing after it was removed by the Anglo­French Allied Army over 140 years ago. Macao entrepreneur(企业家) Stanley Ho donated 6 million yuan to buy it back from a US art collector and then donated it to the Poly Art Museum in Beijing.

Although buying­back is the most feasible way to recover the lost treasures, limited funding is always a big headache.

In recent years, the Chinese government has improved efforts to recover the precious cultural relics lost overseas. It has started a national project on the recovery of the treasures and has set up a database(数据库) collecting relevant information. It has signed several international agreements with many countries on this matter, and is also looking for international cooperation to recover the relics by working closely with several international organizations.

1. What is the passage mainly about?

A．How to recover cultural relics.

B．The efforts to recover Chinese cultural relics.

C．Stanley Ho donated a bronze pig's head to Beijing.

D．Chinese cultural relics were stolen by the Anglo­French Allied Army.

2. Most of lost Chinese cultural relics         .

A．have been recovered by the Chinese government

B．were bought for little money by foreigners

C．are owned by private collectors

D．are housed in foreign museums

3. Which of the following statements about the bronze pig's head is NOT true?

A．It was made in the Qing Dynasty.

B．It is now in the Poly Art Museum in Beijing.

C．It was donated by the French government to China.

D．It was removed by the Anglo­French Allied Army over 140 years ago.

4. The underlined word "feasible" in Paragraph 5 can be replaced by "       ".

A．possible	B．difficult
C．popular	D．careful

2 . The Children's Groundwater Festival, first organized by the Groundwater Foundation 19 years ago, is celebrated every year in Nebraska, a state of the central United States in the Great Plains. After organizing the festival for 16 years, the foundation passed the program on to the local community of Grand Island, Nebraska. The festival is an annual event for fourth and fifth graders of Nebraska. It is an interesting and energetic day filled with hands­on education. Water magic, folk singers and musicians, storytellers, and bird shows add to the happy atmosphere during the festival. There are also some educational activities:

Gooey Garbage: Children build a landfill (废物填埋场) and learn how a properly­built landfill can protect groundwater.

Water Races: Children learn about water pollution by racing a drop of water through a model.

Well in a Cup: By building a small aquifer (蓄水层) in a cup, children learn about aquifers and drinking water wells.

Taster's Choice: Children drink different types of water, from tap water to bottled water. Then they are taught about the treatment process of each type of water.

There's No New Water: Students are taught to make a special glass container and learn about the water cycle.

The Children's Groundwater Festival not only has a great influence on Nebraska's people. So far, similar festivals have been held in nearly 40 American states, Mexico City, several provinces in Canada, and New Delhi, India. People everywhere are realizing the importance of educating young people to learn and care about groundwater.

For more information about this festival, remember to watch our program tomorrow evening. I'll be waiting for you.

1. We can learn from the passage that the Children's   Groundwater Festival ________.

A．was started in 1978 by the Groundwater Foundation

B．is now organized by the Groundwater Foundation

C．is aimed at educating college students to care about groundwater

D．offers both fun and educational activities

2. How long does the Children's Groundwater Festival last？

A．One day.	B．Two days.
C．One week.	D．Two weeks.

3. Which of the following activities can help children know how bottled water is made drinkable？

A．Gooey Garbage.	B．Water Races.
C．Well in a Cup.	D．Taster's Choice.

4. The passage is most probably taken from ______.

A．a radio program

B．a TV program

C．one of Nebraska's local newspapers

D．a magazine about environment

3 . Paris is the city of dreams. If you plan to head to Paris for a study period, then perhaps a little reality check is in order. But my experience was a romantic one.

I paved my path to Paris through an exchange program. On arrival in Paris, I was constantly reminded of the official processes I had to complete — forms to be filled in, meetings to attend, the list seemed endless.

Then the real work began. Once classes were underway, I found myself volunteering to do oral presentations and assignments first, rather than last. This method proved to be very helpful.

Once I had finished class for the week, I had an ever-increasing list of museums to visit, neighborhoods to explore, and cafés to sit in. Read books about Paris. Talk to locals and other foreigners living there. But the one thing that reading a book or talking to someone cannot do is to provide you with the experience of wandering Paris on foot. The people watching, the sounds of the city, the colors as the seasons change, they all add to the ecstasy that I experience in Paris as an exchange student.

After spending five months wandering through the charming neighborhoods, I fell in love with the atmosphere that came out from every open door, and with every spoken word. There is something comforting about walking to the market each Sunday to enjoy the beautiful display of fruits, vegetables and dairy products. There is warmth in saying bonjour to the passers-by.

On my last day in Paris, I confidently said, “Bonjour Monsieur,” as I passed the little store down the street. I guess the best part about going on exchange in Paris is falling in love with the city in your own way. And I know mine is unique and special to me, my own little pieces of Paris.

1. What does the underlined word "ecstasy" in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Courage.	B．Imagination.
C．Happiness.	D．Reputation.

2. What does the passage mainly tell us?

A．An exchange student’s life.	B．Charming neighborhoods.
C．An exchange program.	D．A traveling experience.

3. Beyond reading books, which experience would the author treasure most?

A．Enjoying coffee in his spare time.

B．Greeting people in French in the street.

C．Buying vegetables in the market.

D．Hanging around in Paris.

4. According to the passage, what left the author the deepest impression?

A．The friendly people he met in Paris.

B．The special culture he experienced in the city.

C．The academic achievement he made in his study.

D．The presentations and assignments he did in class.

4 . Why Stand in Line on Black Friday?

Standing in line is a pain. At the post office. At the box office. At a restaurant.     1    The first spot outside some Best Buy stores is usually claimed (认领) weeks in advance, often by a person in a tent. Shoppers at Walmart will print out maps of the store, with circles around their primary targets.     2    

“These queues are quite different than the usual annoying ones we come across day to day at the ATM or in the subway,” said Richard Larson, a professor at MIT who has spent years studying line behavior. “Once a year,” he said, “the lines are exciting. They’re the kind you might tell your grandchildren about.”     3     Billie LeClere, 45, was first in line on Thursday at Walmart in Manchester, Iowa. She said she was a regular Black Friday shopper. But this year, she came with a specific purpose: to get a good deal on a new TV. She and her husband had recently separated, and he had taken the old TV earlier that day. “The marriage died, not the TV,” she said.     4     “It’s going to be nice to have something that’s newer-and it’s mine, not his.”

    5     The following are two of the typical results. The “gotta have it” atmosphere makes people more anxious. Sometimes the behaviour of the queue turns violent. Therefore，lines test patience，personal space especially on Black Friday, when the crowds can be overwhelming (势不可挡的).

A．Shoppers are excited to buy gifts.

B．But on Black Friday, it’s an experience.

C．Moreover, the crowds are queuing for good deals.

D．Many families are queuing to chat with each other.

E．The experience gave her a sense of accomplishment.

F．They are trying to turn the experience into an adventure.

G．The behaviour of people in lines has inspired decades of research.

5 . Corporate culture is the values and beliefs a company develops over time.The role of corporate culture isto improve a company’s mission and strategies,with long-term hopes of improvements in a company’s profit.Mostly corporate culture comes from a company’s top management.

One role of corporate culture is to influence employee behavior, honesty, and compliance（服从）. A company does not have to necessarily create a direct influence for these actions.A direct influence may be a setof written regulations or other policies,and while these may be in place,the corporate culture is usually moreof an indirect influence.

While many companies try to create corporate culture through the use of written policies,its role isharder to define.The human factor has an influence on how corporate culture is expressed.The way uppermanagement acts and reacts to various situations defines how lower-level employees will act,and this aspectmay be more important than any written policy.

A company’s corporate culture can also extend beyond the walls of the business. Consumers who believe a company to be honest and forthright（直率）may be more loyal in their buying behavior. Employees in a company’s customer service department can also exhibit positive corporate culture to outside individuals.Inthis case,the culture creates a link between the company’s employees and its customers.How customers reactmay be a direct result from the company’s corporate culture.

Product quality can also be influenced by a company’s corporate culture.Companies that focus only onprofits may decide to avoid high-quality materials in products,but try to suggest that the products are ofhigher quality than they really are.This negative culture can then result in lower brand loyalty withconsumers.

1. What do we know about corporate culture from this passage?

A．It is a set of rules and regulations.

B．It is the way the employees act.

C．It is the values and beliefs of a company.

D．It is the long term hope of a company.

2. Which of the following is more efficient in creating corporate culture?

A．Making a set of rules and regulations.

B．Setting an example for the employees.

C．Learning the corporate culture regularly.

D．Encouraging the employees to work harder.

3. What can we infer from the fourth paragraph?

A．The customer is always right.

B．Corporate culture has different functions.

C．Without corporate culture,a company will die.

D．Positive corporate culture can promote sales.

4. Which word can describe the companies mentioned in the last paragraph?

A．Creative.	B．Efficient.
C．Dishonest.	D．Disloyal.

6 . When my grandmother died at the age of 96, there were two things she left behind in abundance—nearly 100 photo albums documenting decades of travel and home life, and a dozen quilts, one of which my mother gave me.

Quilting is the process of sewing together fabric(布料) to make one large piece of fabric. In my family，quilting and sewing is a tradition that has been passed down through the generations. My mother says her great-grandmother would occasionally travel around New York State to sew clothing for other families.

In the United States，quilting was a craft(手艺) that started as a necessity and eventually became much more. In 1862, the U.S. government offered millions of acres of land to Americans who wanted to move west. This allowed families to settle on land that that could eventually own. They often built their own homes and lived off the vegetables in their gardens and the livestock they had. Sewing was very important for women because they were responsible for clothing their families and keeping them warm.

Quilting also became a chance for women to socialize with each other. They would gather for so-called “quilting bees”，where they would meet up and work on one quilting project together. This provided a much-needed relief from the lonely life of living on a large piece of land.

Throughout history, the different patterns on American quilts have conveyed all kinds of information. From then，we can tell where a person lived，what region of the world they originated from, or sometimes a story is told in pictures on a quilt.

Even today，women still gather to quit together in a show of friendship and a love for the craft，just like the old days. My sister has tried quilting a few times，and hopefully，her two daughters may one day continue this family tradition.

1. What do we know about quilting?

A．It is a lost traditional craft.

B．It is a major means of making a living in the USA.

C．It is a craft that has become a cultural symbol.

D．It was a way to carry on the American history.

2. What does the author intend to do in Paragraph 3？

A．Introduce a new topic for discussion.

B．Summarize the previous paragraphs

C．Add some background information.

D．Praise the U.S.government's policy.

3. What does the underlined word “this” in paragraph 4 refer to？

A．Working on the land.

B．Participating in “quilting bees”.

C．Designing a quilting project.

D．Clothing the family.

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

A．To instruct how to sew together fabric.

B．To show the author's skills of quilting.

C．To tell about the struggle of women.

D．To appeal for preservation of quilting.

7 . Every time a new year is coming, people set out to better themselves. They promise they will lose weight, find a new job, or maybe even take that vacation they’ve always talked about. But why do we make these promises to ourselves, and where did this tradition come from? Why does this tradition live on when so many people fail to keep the resolutions(决定) they made? Well, we can start by blaming the ancient Babylonians.

Around 4,000 years ago in Babylon, the earliest recorded celebration honoring the coming of a new year was held. Calendars weren’t as they are today, so the Babylonians did it in late March during the first new moon after the Spring Equinox(春分). The festivities were meant for the rebirth of the sun god, but the Babylonians made promises in order to please their gods. They felt this would help them start the new year off well.

Resolutions continued on with the Romans. When the early Roman calendar no longer synced(同步) up with the sun, Julius Caesar decided to make a change. He consulted with the best astronomers and mathematicians of the time and introduced the Julian calendar, which more closely represents the modern calendar we use today. Caesar declared January 1 the first day of the year to honor the god of new beginnings, Janus. The Romans celebrated the New Year by offering sacrifices to Janus.

To this day, the traditions of the ancient Babylonians and Romans continue   around the world. So much that Google launched a Resolution Map in 2013 where people could add resolutions and see others adding theirs in real time. However, no matter how many people participated in Google’s project, the numbers are bleak when it comes to the number of people who maintain their resolutions----only eight percent of people are successful in sticking them out.

1. Why did the ancient Babylonians make promises to their gods?

A．To honor the god of new beginnings.

B．To observe the rebirth of the sun god and please him.

C．To honor the coming of a new year and satisfy their gods.

D．To please their gods and hope for a good start of the year.

2. What can we know about the tradition of the New Year’s resolutions?

A．The tradition of making New Year’s resolutions will soon die.

B．A lot of people don’t feel like making New Year’s resolutions.

C．Julius Caesar made January 1 the first day of a year on his own.

D．The history of making New Year’s resolutions is not well known.

3. What does the underlined word “bleak” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Large.	B．Unpleasant.
C．Encouraging.	D．Hopeful.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．How Making New Year’s Resolutions Came Into Being?

B．The Ancient Babylonians and the Romans

C．The Change of Roman Calendars

D．How People Better Themselves

8 . To an outsider，any culture can seem confusing.And the UK's got a thing or two that raises a few eyebrows.However，understand the why and things might be less puzzling.    1    .

In a world where 61％of nations drive on the right，Brits drive on the left.Why? Most people think it goes back to Medieval，maybe even Roman times.    2     when you remember that right-handed people wear a sword on their left hip.Travelling on the left allowed you to   keep your weapon arm toward your opponent，who would be on your right.This practice continued until the 18th century when a law was passed requiring all traffic crossing London Bridge to keep to the left.

Visitors to the UK that have just washed their hands in an old-fashioned sink might be wondering why one tap is only for hot water，the other cold.    3    .So，why this oddity? It relates to a time when hot and cold water were kept separate to prevent pollution.Drinkable cold water came from a mains supply，but hot water came from attic tanks and was not considered suitable for consumption.So they were kept apart.

Millions of people drink tea worldwide，but the odd Brits put milk in theirs.Why? This mysterious practice relates to the quality of china cup used in the 18th century when tea was first imposed.For the majority of Brits，the cups available couldn’t stand the heat of the boiling water and would break，so milk was added first.    4    .And this practical tweak soon became a national habit.

    5    .As you can see，these odd Brits have perfectly clear reasons for left-hand driving，two-tap sinks and tea with milk.Even if they still seem strange，at least now you’re in the know.

A．This makes it difficult to improve

B．There is a method to the madness

C．This unusual behavior makes sense

D．You can know the origins of the practices

E．Either can make washing very uncomfortable

F．This cooled the cup enough to resist the boiling water

G．Here are the reasons for three of Britain’s more puzzling practices

9 . We shouldn’t judge a person by their appearance but we do. In fact, the experts say that when we meet someone for the first time we make a decision about what that person is like in three seconds.     1     One of the most important things we look at is clothes, but it isn't the brand of clothes that people wear that is important. The important thing is to wear the right clothes for the right places.

Schools have always understood this and a lot of them ask their students to wear a uniform. Why? A lot of teachers think a uniform makes students feel that they are part of their school and that their form helps them to be serious about their studies.     2     If all the students wear uniforms, they can’t judge each other because of their clothes. It also stops gossips about who or what is fashionable.

    3     We all have fixed ideas about what the people in a certain job should wear. If we visit a doctor, we hope to see respectable clothes under the doctor’s white coat.     4     Police officers wear uniforms to make themselves easily identifiable to non-police officers. In fact, a lot of companies have dress codes for their staff because they know that the customers hope to see them dressed in certain types of clothes.

But can our clothes really tell people what we are like?     5     When people see us in the right clothes, they think we are serious about what we are doing. Furthermore, if we are clean, smart and polite, people will believe us a lot.

A．Maybe not, but they can show our attitude to what we are doing at the moment.

B．Some of the teachers hold different opinions.

C．But what do we look at?

D．Teachers say that uniforms can help in other ways too.

E．Our clothes stand for our attitude.

F．However, it is not only schools that want people to dress in a certain way.

G．When we go into a bank we expect the staff to wear suits or dresses.

10 . Teachers’ Day is, interestingly, not celebrated on the same day all over the world. In some countries it is marked by a holiday, in others it is a working day.

International Teachers’ Day is celebrated on October 5. Being held ever since 1994, it is in honor of teachers' organizations worldwide. Its aim is to encourage supports for teachers and to meet the needs of students.

China ― In 1939, Teachers’ Day was set for August 27, Confucius' birthday. In1951, the celebration was stopped. However, it was founded again in 1985, and the day was changed to September 10.

India ― Teachers’ Day is celebrated on September 5 in honour of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the second president of India, whose birthday falls on that day.

Russia ― In Russia, Teachers’ Day was celebrated on the first Sunday of October between 1965 and 1994. Since 1994, the day is observed on the October 5, just the same day as World Teachers Day.

The US ― In the US, Teachers’ Day is non-official holiday. It is celebrated on the Tuesday of the first full week of May. A number of activities are organized in schools to honor teachers. The celebrations can continue for the whole week of May.

Thailand ― In Thailand, National Teachers’ Day is celebrated every year on January 16. The first Teachers’ Day was held in 1957. The day is a holiday in schools.

1. What country celebrates Teachers’ Day in October?

A．India.	B．Russia.
C．Thailand	D．The US.

2. Which of the following is possibly true?

A．China has celebrated Teachers’ Day since the year 1931.

B．Teachers’ Day is an official holiday in the United States.

C．Teachers’ Day is a working day in schools of Thailand.

D．Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan’s birthday is in September.

3. From the passage we can learn that ________.

A．The first Teachers’ Day was held in 1965 in Thailand

B．Teachers’ Day falls on Confucius' birthday in China

C．International Teachers’ Day aims to benefit the students

D．A lot of activities are held on Teachers’ Day across the world