1 . A housewarming party is a special party to be held when someone buys or moves into a new apartment or house. The person who bought the house or moved is the one who throws the party. The party is a chance for friends and family to congratulate the person on the new home.     1     And it is good time to fill the new space with love and hopeful presents.

    2     Some people register a list of things they want or need for their new home at a local stores. Some common things people will put on a gift registry include kitchen tools like knives and things like curtains. Even if there isn’t a registry, a good housewarming gift is something to decorate the new house with, like a piece of art or a plant.

    3     This is often appreciated since at a housewarming there isn’t a lot of food served. There are usually no planned activities like games at a housewarming party. The host or hostess of the party will, however, probably give all the guests a tour of their new home. Sometimes, because a housewarming party happens shortly after a person moves into their new home, people may be asked to help unpack boxes.     4    

Housewarming parties get their name from the fact that a long time ago people would actually bring firewood to a new home as a gift.     5     Now most homes have central heating and don’t use fires to keep warm.

A．This isn’t usual though.

B．It is traditional to bring a gift to a housewarming party.

C．You can also bring food or drinks to share with the other guests.

D．If you’re lucky enough to receive gifts, keep them in a safe place.

E．It also gives people a chance to see what the new home looks like.

F．The best housewarming parties encourage old friends to get together.

G．This was so that the person could keep their home warm for the winter.

2 . Traditional Chinese Culture

Chinese culture is over 5000 years old.     1    

The spirit of the tea ceremony

Xi Hu Long Jing （West Lake Dragon Well） and Yunnan Pu'er have long been, world famous.     2     .The spirit of the Chinese tea ceremony captures the Chinese attitude towards life and spirituality. These are the things that people all over the world can benefit from.

A handful of good tea leaves with some boiling water and a set of lovely tea ware are the perfect way to spend a sunny afternoon and gain some insight into the wisdom of this ancient civilization.

    3    

During the 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, many different flavors, styles, and cuisines （烹饪）have developed based on traditional philosophy and culture. This ancient food culture has had a direct impact on the countries, such as Japan, Mongolia, South Korea, Thailand, and Singapore. It has benefited billions of people around the world through such innovations as Chinese vegetarian culture, tea culture, vinegar, pasta medicated diets, ceramic tableware, and the use of soybeans in the diet.

Chinese Confucianism

Confucianism has flourished during the last 2,500 of China's 5,000-year history.     4     . This school of thought has had the most profound and long lasting influence in China's history. Seventy-four Nobel Prize winners and many other highly respected scholars have stated that for the benefit of mankind's livelihood and development into the next century, these teachings should be promoted and adopted worldwide.     5     .

A．Chinese cuisine

B．Traditional Chinese culture

C．It has been the mainstay （支柱〉of this ancient civilization

D．They are pretty popular due to their superior color and flavor

E．The following three items of traditional Chinese culture have had a worldwide impact

F．This wonderfully rich food culture has also had an impact on Europe, America and Oceania

G．This would provide long lasting benefits for man, helping to ensure a peaceful and happy life

3 . On the last Monday in May, people in the United States celebrate Memorial Day. This federal holiday honors members of the American military who died at war. Schools and government offices close. Most people in the US have this day off from work. People celebrate Memorial Day with outdoor parades.

Most Americans consider it the start of summer though the season really begins in June. With so many people off work, Memorial Day has also become a popular shopping day. However, on most occasions Memorial Day is a serious and even sorrowful holiday. Those who have lost family members at war visit burial sites to decorate the graves. They place flowers, wreaths and US flags on the graves.

Memorial Day comes from a tradition that began after the US Civil War called Decoration Day. The Civil War was a very dark time in the US history. Historians have long thought that about 620,000 soldiers died in the fighting. However, new research suggests that the dead numbered about 750,000.

In 1868, about 5,000 people gathered at Arlington National Cemetery on the edge of Washington, D. C. They decorated more than 10,000 graves of Union and Confederate soldiers. They called it Decoration Day. bone

The tradition spread to other areas of the country. In 1873, New York State called it Memorial Day and was the first to make it a legal-holiday. Other States allowed, but not all. Some southern states had (and-still have) separate celebrations that honor only dead Confederate soldiers.

After World War I ended in 1918, Memorial Day became a day to honor all American soldiers killed at war. In 1971, Congress passed a law making it an official federal holiday all over America.

1. What's the purpose of Memorial Day in America?

A．To mark the start of summer.	B．To let people enjoy themselves.
C．To show respect to dead soldiers.	D．To set a holiday to encourage soldiers.

2. What's the atmosphere of American Memorial Day like on most occasions?

A．Sad.	B．Casual.
C．Pleasant.	D．Relaxing.

3. When did Memorial Casual, become a legal holiday throughout the US?

A．In 1971.	B．In 1873.
C．In 1918.	D．In 1868.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Celebration Activities of Memorial Day in the US

B．The Prospect of American Memorial Day

C．Members Honored on American Memorial Day

D．The Evolution on Memorial Day in the US

4 . If you hear the word“Castle” or the word“palace”，you may picture the same kind of building for both：large，made of stones，probably with a tower. And，of course，you're not entirely wrong，as those are features of both palaces and castles.

So then hay bother to visit one royal building in the United Kingdom Buckingham Palace and another the same country Windsor Castle?It turns out there is a difference，and you

can find it pretty plainly in these two popular buildings.

The Case for Castles

Castles were residences for royalty.But they were also intend as defensive seats. Say you're a king who has taken a particular area over.Now you have to hold it. castle and staff it with soldiers to defend your conquered territory and ensure it remains part of   your kingdom.

Castles were built throughout Europe and the Middle East primarily for protection of the king and his people.Some common features of castles include：

●thick walls and heavy gates to keep invaders out

●protective low walls for archers to shoot with cover

●high towers for keeping a lookout over the surrounding

●gate houses for admitting allies instead of allowing enemies into the castle

The Place for Palaces

Palaces， on the contrary， had no defensive purposes.They were first meant for showing off the great victory of the war.Palaces were where the spoils(战利品) of war might be displayed,along with grand architecture,massive banquet halls,golden table settings and maybe even hundreds of luxuriously decorated rooms.

While kings certainly took up residence in palaces as well as castles,nonmilitary royals might also have lived in (or still live in)palaces. Ministers could live in castles to show the power of their riches rather than their nonexistent military power. The term comes from Palatine Hill in Rome.

1. Which of the flowing is one feature of castles?

A．Low towers surrounding castles.

B．Defensive low walls for shooting.

C．Gatehouses allowing enemies into the castle.

D．Thick walls and heavy gates to lock invaders in.

2. Why were palaces first built?

A．To accommodate ordinary soldiers.

B．To defend the king's conquered territory.

C．To show off the art of royal painting,

D．To display huge success of the war.

3. What is the main purpose of the next?

A．To list the reasons for kings living in palaces.

B．To make a comparison between castles and palaces.

C．To talk about The value of castles in modern times.

D．To show palaces are more popular than castles.

5 . Do you think studying in a different country is something that sounds very exciting? Certainly, it is a new experience, which brings the opportunity of discovering fascinating things and a feeling of freedom.     1     You will experience culture shock. Evidently, at least four essential stages of culture-shock adjustment occur.

The first stage is called "the honeymoon". In this stage, you feel excitement about living in a different place, and everything seems to be marvelous.     2    

Eventually, however, the second stage of culture shock appears. This is the "hostility stage".     3     You become tired of many things about the new culture. Moreover, people don't treat you like a guest anymore. Everything that seemed to be so wonderful at first is now awful, and everything makes you feel distressed and tired.

Then you come to the third stage called "recovery". You start feeling more positive, and you try to develop comprehension of everything you don't understand. The whole situation starts to become more favorable.     4    

The last stage of culture shock is called "adjustment".     5     The things that initially made you feel uncomfortable or strange are now things that you understand. Now you feel comfortable; you have adjusted to the new culture.

A．Actually, culture shock is something you cannot avoid when studying in a foreign country.

B．You have reached a point where you feel good because you have learned enough to understand the new culture.

C．You like everything, and everybody seems to be so nice to you.

D．You recover from the symptoms of the first two stages.

E．In spite of these advantages, however, there are also some challenges you will encounter.

F．However, when you have completely adjusted to a new culture you can more fully enjoy it.

G．You begin to notice that not everything is as good as you had originally thought it was.

6 . Friday and Saturday were full of surprises for Chinese, as two places in China were listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites. The first, a World Natural Heritage, is composed of a series of migratory bird sanctuaries(候鸟保护地)along the coast of the Yellow Sea in Yancheng, East China's Jiangsu Province. The second, the Liangzhu Archaeological Site in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, was listed as a World Cultural Heritage site.

China began the application process for the bird sanctuaries in 2017. It only took two years to successfully complete the process. The reason the migratory bird sanctuary application was successful is because of the special geographical category of the area. It is the largest intertidal mudflat seashore in the world. The success of this application marks the beginning of China's world natural heritage from land to sea. The migratory bird sanctuaries are the central node of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway and many endangered species, especially threatened migratory birds including red- crowned cranes and flamingos, go there to hunt for food during the migration season. The birds usually take a month to finish their migration. At about 10 days into their migration, they must stop and find food in order to have the energy to continue their journey.

Compared to the short turnaround for the World Natural Heritage's application, the Liangzhu application was far more complicated. The application team spent six years making their dream a reality. A lot of archaeological work had to be carried out for the Liangzhu site, which means the application and assessment(评定)process takes a longer time. The site in Liangzhu is evidence of the existence of an early regional state in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River during the late Neolithic period in China, which helps fill in the gaps in the history of the rice-cultivating civilizations of China and East Asia more than 5000 years ago. The site was one of the 20th century's most important archaeological discoveries in China.

With these two new additions, China now has 55 World Heritage sites, the highest number in the world. The successful application means greater responsibility and obligations(义务). Protecting these places is much more important and is our future work. The new status of the migratory bird sanctuaries might boost local tourism industries but this too poses a challenge as local governments will need to control tourist volume so as not to impact the birds' migration patterns. Meanwhile, the sheer area that the Liangzhu Archaeological Site covers, some 14.3 square kilometers, makes protection a difficult issue to handle. Those workings at the site are busy constructing protective shelters for the site and even reburying certain areas to protect them from exposure. Plans are also underway to build a local museum for the storage and display of artifacts, so visitors can come and learn more about the history of the nation.

1. What is special about the migratory bird sanctuaries?

A．It's the first China's world natural heritage on the sea.

B．It provides safe habitats for endangered species.

C．It's located along the coast of the Yellow River.

D．It supplies abundant fresh water to migratory birds.

2. According to Paragraph 2, how do migratory bird sanctuaries protect birds?

A．By creating warm places to produce baby birds.

B．By preventing them from being killed by hunters.

C．By providing food supplies during their migration.

D．By curing the endangered birds after their journey.

3. Why is Liangzhu chosen for the world heritage site?

A．It shows the long history of China.

B．It proves the wisdom of the people.

C．It witnesses the civilization of an age.

D．It reveals the food of the late Neolithic.

4. What is the last paragraph mainly talking about?

A．The application success's promotion of tourism.

B．Chinese responsibilities after the successful application.

C．The two places' influence on Chinese history.

D．Chinese challenge of protecting birds' migration.

7 . Get out your shovels, your seeds, and your soil-it's almost April 22. Here are four fun ways to celebrate Earth Day with your kids.

Plant a tree.

Since the first Earth Day in 1970, planting trees has been a traditional way of celebrating the holiday. Try planting one in your own backyard, or attending a local tree-planting event. In its lifetime, that single tree will absorb approximately one ton of carbon dioxide.    1    .

Spend the day without a car.

    2    . Yet, challenge yourself to make your way through the day without hopping in the car. Walking, biking, or catching the bus will keep your carbon dioxide emissions down and show the kids there are other fun ways of traveling.

Take a walk in nature.

Perhaps the most obvious Earth Day activity is a nature walk. Make a list of things you'd like to find and check them off on your walk.    3    . Go through the colors of the rainbow and try and find an object in that color on your walk.

Attend a community activity.

Show your kids it's not just Mom and Dad who care about Earth Day. Tons of people will show up for local events as well!    4    . We guarantee you will find some activities like park cleanup, recycling demos, or tree-planting ceremony.

    5    .

When it comes to taking care of Earth, we all need to do our share. Take your kids to the local playground and give them each a pair of gloves and a small garbage bag. Task them with picking of scraps of trash as fast as they can-whoever fills up their bag first, wins. Once you get back home, enjoy some Earth Day movies.

A．Play the clean-up game

B．Remember that every day can be Earth Day

C．If you don't feel like making a list, try a color search

D．Check out your newspaper the week leading up to the holiday

E．On Earth Day, we realize what we can do to preserve our natural resources

F．And there are a lot more surprising facts about trees you can share with your kids

G．Depending on where you live, this will bring varying degrees of problem to travel

8 . Modern buildings are set up on a large scale in the city. Should they be allowed to be built next to older buildings in a historic area of a city? In order to answer this question, we must first examine whether people really want to preserve the historic feel of an area. All historical buildings are not attractive. However, there may be other reasons — for example, economic reasons — why they should be preserved. So, let us assume that historical buildings are both attractive and important to be the majority of people. What should we do then if a new building is needed?

In my view, new architectural styles can exist perfectly well alongside an older style. Indeed, there are many examples in my hometown where modern designs have been placed very successfully next to old buildings. As long as the building in question is pleasing and does not dominate its surroundings too much, it often improves the attractiveness of the area.

It is true that there are examples of new buildings which have spoilt the area they are in, but the same can be said of some old ones too. Yet people still speak against new buildings in historic areas. I think this is simply because people are naturally conservative （保守的）and do not like change.

Although we have to respect people's feelings as fellow users of the buildings, I believe that it is the duty of the architect and planner to move things forward. If we always reproduced what was there before, we would all still be living in caves. Thus, I would argue against copying previous architectural styles and choose something fresh and different, even though that might be the more risky choice.

1. What is the author's view of historical buildings in Paragraph 1?

A．Some of them are unattractive.

B．Many of them are too old to preserve.

C．They don't offer the historic feel of an area.

D．They are more pleasing than modern buildings.

2. Which of the following does the author mostly agree with?

A．We should reproduce the same old buildings.

B．Buildings shouldn't fit in with their surroundings.

C．Some old buildings have reduced the interest of the area they are in.

D．No one knows why people are against new buildings.

3. The underlined words “move things forward” mean _______.

A．destroy old buildings

B．put things in a different place

C．respect people's feelings

D．choose new architectural style

4. What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To explain why people dislike change.

B．To warn that we could end up living in caves.

C．To answer the questions people show great interest in.

D．To argue that modern buildings can be built in historic areas.

9 . The 33-year-old Australian, Bradley, is actually a student in international relations completing his PhD through Griffith University. He came to Beijing for a cooperative research at Peking University less than two   years ago. Such an academic life was just added color with a chance offered by the cultural exchanges project, “I’m in China”.

Bradley was lucky to win the most “likes” for his photo story about his life in China and became one of 20 winners to visit locations after a global recruitment (招募) by the project this summer. All the winners’ experiences were filmed to produce a reality show, My Chinese Working Day, which will be broadcast by mid-September. The film crew took them to many “amazing sites” and the staff taught them a lot about how to incorporate modern Chinese characteristics while still keeping traditional customs. “I would have to say two things stick out as the most memorable: the helicopter ride and talking with the staff at the hotel about how they organize weddings here in China,” he said. That was Bradley’s first time to be in a helicopter, and he was too absorbed with the awesome view of the beautiful coastline. “I think it is so important to show other Australians the different landscapes China has to offer. I think so many Australians, when they think about China, imagine the historical sites of Beijing and the exciting things to see in Shanghai but have no idea about other beautiful places, like Sanya or the many other places people have been taken to in this TV series,” Bradley said.

“I’m in China” is a project sponsored by China Intercontinental Communication Centre and other institutions under the guidance of China’s State Council Information Office. It invites foreign natives worldwide to experience unique jobs and participate in activities that one can find nowhere else except in China.

1. What does the underlined word “incorporate” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Distinguish.	B．Clarify.
C．Receive.	D．Include.

2. According to this passage, what impresses Bradley most in his experience in China?

A．The historical sites and the exciting things to see.

B．The thrilling ride and the unique wedding arrangements.

C．The different landscapes and traditional customs.

D．The unique jobs and kind-hearted Chinese people.

3. What’s the author’s purpose of writing the passage?

A．To introduce the cultural exchange project.

B．To invite the Australians to visit China.

C．To inform us of the reality show.

D．To tell an experience in China.

4. In which column are we likely to read this passage?

A．Education.	B．Environment.
C．Culture.	D．History.

10 . Black Friday signals the beginning of the holiday shopping season. Although it's not an official holiday, millions of employers give their employees the day off, and many people use that day to get a jumpstart on their holiday shopping. A similar day in Canada and the Great Britain is called “Boxing Day”.

Black Friday has become a marketing hit in recent years. Since 2005, it has been the busiest shopping day of the year. To lure shoppers, retailers(零售商) open their doors as early as 4 am and offer special sales and promotions to the shoppers that arrive early. Some of the special deals offered by stores are only available in limited quantities. That is why some shoppers planning to get the best deals often camp out in front of stores overnight so that they will be the first in line when the doors open.

But why Black Friday? Historians believe the name started in Philadelphia in the mid 1960s. Bus drivers and police used the “Black Friday” name. In the early 1980s, a more positive explanation of the name began to spread. According to this explanation, Black Friday is the day when retailers finally begin to turn a profit for the year. In accounting terms, operating(运营) at a loss is called being “in the red” because accountants traditionally used red ink to show negative amounts. Positive amounts were usually shown “in black ink”. Thus, being in the black is a good thing because it means stores are operating at a profit.

Recently, for those who are too busy to shop on Black Friday, or who just don’t want to fight the crowds, the Monday following Black Friday has become known as Cyber Monday for shoppers can take advantage of the comfort of getting many online deals at their homes.

1. On Black Friday, the Americans ________.

A．have to go to work as usual

B．look exactly like the Canadians

C．are usually busy doing shopping

D．stay at home and relax themselves

2. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “lure” in Paragraph 2?

A．attract	B．protect
C．charge	D．remind

3. How do the retailers understand Black Friday according to Paragraph 3?

A．It has the same meaning as Boxing Day.

B．They usually lose some money on the day.

C．It always keeps them very busy all day.

D．It probably brings them more money.

4. What is the author's purpose in writing this passage?

A．To state the development of Cyber Monday.

B．To tell the difference between red and black.

C．To introduce Black Friday to the readers.

D．To explain the meaning of Boxing Day.