1 . There is more of a connection between food and culture than you may think. On an individual level, we grow up eating the food of our culture. It becomes a part of who we are. Many associate food from our childhood with warm feelings and good memories and it ties us to our families, holding a special and personal value for us. Food from our families often becomes the comfort food we seek as adults in times of frustration and stress.
On a large scale, traditional food is an important part of culture. It also operates as an expression of cultural identity. Immigrants bring it wherever they go, and it is a symbol of pride in their culture and means of coping with homesickness.
Many immigrants open their own restaurants and serve traditional dishes. However, the food does not remain exactly the same. Some materials needed to make traditional dishes may not be readily available, so the taste and flavour can be different from what they would prepare in their home countries. Additionally, immigrants do not only sell dishes to people from the same countries as them, but to people from different countries. Therefore, they have to make small changes in the original dishes to cater to a wider range of customers. Those changes can create new flavours that still keep the cultural significance of the dishes.
We should not only embrace our heritage (传统) through our culture’s food, but also become more informed about other cultures by trying their food. It is important to remember that each dish has a special place in the culture to which it belongs, and is special to those who prepare it. Food is a window on culture, and it should be treated as such.
1. What’s the function of food mentioned in the text?| A．To help motivate homesickness. |
| B．To show cultural identity. |
| C．To reflect a country’s history. |
| D．To show a community’s superiority. |
| A．The specific traditional food. |
| B．The national culture. |
| C．A traditional expression of food. |
| D．The old-fashioned taste. |
| A．To attach cultural importance to their dishes. |
| B．To announce the beginning of their life on foreign soil. |
| C．To make the dishes popular among customers. |
| D．To present their own food culture in a new way. |
| A．Negative. |
| B．Balanced. |
| C．Unfair. |
| D．Unchangeable. |
2 . A British friend told me he couldn’t understand why Chinese people love eating sunflower seeds(嗑瓜子) as a snack so much.“I’ve met a lot of older Chinese and many have a crack in their front teeth, I believe that’s from cracking the seeds,”he said.
I had never noticed the habit, but once he mentioned it, I suddenly became more aware, I realized that whenever I’m watching TV or typing a report, I always start mindlessly cracking sunflower seeds. My friend doesn’t like sunflower seeds, and, to him, it seems unnecessary to work so much just to get one small seed.
When we were young, the whole family would usually get together for Chinese New Year. Then, we all lived close to one another, usually in a small city, and sometimes even neighbors would go door-to-door on Chinese New Year’s Eve to check out what every household was making.
I remember my parents would be in the kitchen cooking. Out in the living room, a large table would already be laid out, complete with fancy tablecloth, ready-made dumpling fillings, and dishes full of candy, fruits and sunflower seeds. Some of the dishes were to be offered to our ancestors later, while others were for neighbors and children to eat before the evening feast. I must have learned how to crack sunflower seeds back then.
I don’t think it’s right to criticize one’s choice in food or eating habits, no matter how strange they may seem.
It’s not only in China. When I went abroad, I found people had all sorts of strange habits when it came to food. In Denmark, they put salted red fish on bread and eat it for dinner, no matter how much it ruins your breath. They think it’s a delicacy(美味佳肴), and it’s connected to their certain culture. I think it’s a wonderful tradition.
1. What did the writer become aware of?| A．She had ever typed a report about seeds. |
| B．She had various snacks while watching TV. |
| C．She had a habit of cracking sunflower seeds. |
| D．She damaged her teeth by eating sunflower seeds. |
| A．The families get together for it. | B．Eating sunflower seeds is related to it. |
| C．The traditions of celebrating it disappear. | D．Children can eat delicious food on that day. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Critical. | C．Understandable. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．It is good to form healthy eating habits. |
| B．Eating habits come from a certain culture. |
| C．Changing your eating habits will change your life. |
| D．One kind of food doesn’t necessarily suit everyone. |
3 . It is always said that China is the homeland of tea, which has a very long history of tea.
➢Color
➢Flavor(味道)
New tea is extremely clear and transparent with strong aroma(芳香), while old tea is characterized by brown color and weak fragrance. Take green tea and black tea for example, new green tea tastes a little bitter first, and then the fresh sweet taste begins to surface gradually, leaving a long and memorable after taste in mouth.
➢Place of origin
There is great gap of quality among various places of origin.
| A．Every tea leaf has its own shape. |
| B．Some varieties are identified by tightness of the leaves. |
| C．It is always advised to select tea from its main producing areas. |
| D．While you’re selecting tea, you should pay attention to following aspects. |
| E．For foreigners in China, drinking tea may seem like simple refreshment(提神). |
| F．Generally, new tea leaves look fresh and pleasing, with light green or dark green. |
| G．On the contrary, if bitter taste takes the lead and fresh sweet taste subsides(减弱), it is black tea. |
4 . An 85-year-old primary school constructed in 1935 in Shanghai has been lifted off the ground in its entirety and relocated using new technology called the “walking machine.” The project marks the first time this “walking machine” method has been used in Shanghai to relocate a historical building.
Urbanization（都市化）has continued to significantly threaten architectural heritage. In the capital Beijing, for instance, more than 1,000 acres of its historic hutongs and traditional courtyard homes were destroyed between 1990 and 2010.
In the early 2000s, cities including Nanjing and Bejjing-due to the critics’ protest about the loss of old neighborhoods-drew up long-term plans to preserve what was left of their historic sites, with protections introduced to safeguard buildings and restrict developers.
These conservation efforts have taken different forms. In Beijing, a near-ruined temple was transformed into a restaurant and gallery, while in Nanjing, a cinema from the 1930s was restored to its original form, with some additions providing it for modern use. In 2019, Shanghai welcomed Tank Shanghai, an arts center built in renovated（重修的）oil tanks.
“Relocation is not the first choice, but better than destroying,” said Lan, the Shanghai primary school’s project supervisor. “I’d rather not touch the historical buildings at all.” Building relocations he said however, are “a workable option.” “The central government is putting more emphasis on the protection of historical buildings. I’m happy to see that progress in recent years.”
Shanghai has arguably been China’s most progressive city when it comes to heritage preservation. The survival of a number of 1930s buildings and 19th-century “shikumen” （or “stone gate”） house have offered examples of how to give old buildings new life.
“We have to preserve the historical building no matter what, ” Lan said. “The relocation has challenges, but in general, it is cheaper than destroying and then rebuilding something in a new location.”
1. How did cities respond to the loss of historical sites?| A．They criticized the developers. | B．They rebuilt the historic hutongs. |
| C．They ended the significant threat. | D．They proposed the protection project. |
| A．All original form. | B．A new addition. | C．A cinema. | D．A temple. |
| A．Provide strong evidence. | B．Introduce different opinions. |
| C．Summarize previous paragraphs. | D．Add some background information. |
| A．Walking Machine: a New Technology | B．Rebuilding: a New Option for Relics |
| C．Old Building Torn down for Modern Use | D．Historical Site “Walks” to New Life |
5 . It may seem as if Mother's Day was invented by a company named Hallmark, but people have been taking time on the calendar to give a shout-out to Mom for a long time. The Greeks and Romans had mother goddess festivals — although their celebrations didn't involve the menfolk taking their underappreciated mothers out to dinner. A more recent tradition was Mothering Sunday, which developed in the British Isles during the 16th century. On the fourth Sunday in April, young men and women who were living and working apart from their families were advised to return to their mothers’ houses.
Mother's Day as it is observed in the United States started in the 1850s with Ann Jarvis, a West Virginia woman who held “Mothers' Work Days” to promote health and hygiene(卫生 ) at home and in the workplace. During the Civil War, Jarvis organized women to improve sanitary conditions for soldiers on both sides, and after the war she became a peacemaker, furthering the cause by bringing together mothers of Union and Confederate soldiers and promoting a Mother's Day holiday.
Jarvis's work inspired another 19th-century woman, Julia Ward Howe. In 1870 Howe published her “Mother's Day Proclamation”, which envisioned(设想) the day not as appreciation of mothers by their children but as an opportunity for women to exercise their collective power for peace. Howe started holding annual Mother's Day celebrations in Boston, her hometown, but after about a decade she stopped footing the bill and the tradition faded away.
It was Jarvis's daughter Anna who succeeded in getting Mother’s Day recognized as a national holiday. After her mother died, in May 1905, Anna started holding yearly ceremony on the anniversary and conducting a tireless PR campaign to have the day made a holiday. In 1908 she succeeded in enlisting the support of John Wanamaker, the Philadelphia department store magnate and advertising pioneer, and by 1912 West Virginia and a few other states had adopted Mother's Day. Two years later, President Woodrow Wilson signed a resolution declaring the second Sunday in May a national holiday.
It wasn't long, though, before whatever ideals the day was supposed to celebrate were buried under an amount of greeting cards and candy. By the 1920s Anna Jarvis was campaigning against the holiday she had been instrumental in creating. “I wanted it to be a day of emotionalism, not profit,” she said.
1. It can be inferred from the first paragraph that .| A．mothers didn't get enough appreciation in the past |
| B．Mother's Day was invented by Hallmark |
| C．young people all returned to their mothers' houses |
| D．Greeks and Romans were the first to celebrate Mother's Day |
| A．Ann Jarvis. | B．Julia Ward Howe. |
| C．Woodrow Wilson. | D．Anna Jarvis. |
| A．Because it was extremely emotional. |
| B．Because the festival was not profitable. |
| C．Because the celebrations went against the original spirit. |
| D．Because the day was celebrated in the form of exchanging greeting cards and candy. |
| A．The Definition of Mother’s Day |
| B．The Argument on Celebrating Mother's Day |
| C．The Story Behind the Creation of Mother's Day |
| D．Different Forms of Celebration on Mother's Day |
6 . Today is Friday the 13th of the year. Even though the date is known throughout Western culture as one associated with negative things, it’s really just another Friday on the calendar. There is no scientific evidence to suggest this day has an increased chance of bad occurrences compared with other days. But that doesn’t mean scientists haven’t tried to find any.
In Thomas W. Lawsons 1907 novel, Friday, the thirteenth, a businessman takes advantage of the superstition (迷信) and creates a Wall Street panic on the day. The book was the likely inspiration for a number of scientific examinations of stock market returns on Fridays that fell on the 13th day of the month compared with all other Fridays. In 2001, Brian Lucey, a business professor at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland, published his analysis of a few of those studies and found several flaws. The studies had narrow assessments overall, focusing on just a few markets or a single stock exchange. But when he analyzed the data as a whole, Lucey found that internationally, with few exceptions, returns on Friday the 13th were typically just a little higher than returns on other Fridays.
The scientific evidence for cause and effect may not be there, but people may still alter their behavior on Friday the 13th in a way that causes certain things to happen. The way people drive might be different from their usual. But the few studies that have examined traffic accidents haven’t found statistically significant trends to suggest Friday the 13th is more dangerous than other Fridays on the road.
The science is clear: Friday the 13th is a normal day. Yet, people continue to think this is meant to be a bad day. “Psychologically, superstitions arise from the desire to influence external events, decrease anxiety and reduce uncertainty,” said Neil Dagnall, a psychologist at Manchester Metropolitan University. “Besides, I don’t think people know often why they do things.”
1. Why is Friday the 13th usually associated with negativity?| A．The date increases possibility of risks. | B．Scientists have found enough evidence. |
| C．Culture has taught people to believe so. | D．Things always go bad or worse on the day. |
| A．Novels relating to Friday the 13th. | B．Written records of Wall Street panic. |
| C．Analysis of successful business cases. | D．Stock market returns on Friday the 13th |
| A．human fear of Friday the 13h is not necessary |
| B．traffic accidents can be avoided on other Fridays |
| C．people tend to behave strangely on Friday the 13th |
| D．staying at home is recommended on Friday the 13h |
| A．They can lead to endless human desires. |
| B．They can help people to reduce anxiety. |
| C．They cause great harm to physical health. |
| D．They produce a sense of controlling everything |
7 . Almost all cultures celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of another in some way. Different cultures celebrate the beginning of a new year in different ways, and at different times on the calendar.
In Western countries, people usually celebrate New Year at midnight on December 31st or January 1st. People may go to parties, sometimes dressed in formal clothes, and they may drink champagne（香槟）at midnight. During the first minutes of the new year, people cheer and wish each other happiness for the year ahead. But some cultures prefer to celebrate the new year by waking up early to watch the sunrise. They welcome the new year with the first light of the sunrise.
Many cultures also do special things to get rid of bad luck at the beginning of a new year. For example, in Ecuador, families make a big doll from old clothes. The doll is filled with old newspapers and firecrackers. At midnight, these dolls are burned to show the bad things from the past year are gone and the new year can start afresh（重新）.
Other common traditions to keep away bad luck in a new year include throwing things into rivers or the ocean, or saying special things on the first day of the new year.
Other New Year traditions are followed to bring good luck in the new year. One widespread Spanish tradition for good luck is to eat grapes on New Year's Day. The more grapes a person eats, the more good luck the person will have in the new year. In France, people eat pancakes for good luck at New Year. In the United States, some people eat black-eyed peas for good luck—but to get good luck for a whole year you have to eat 365 of them！
1. Which of the following can be the best title of the text?| A．Several different New Year traditions |
| B．The meaning of "Happy New Year!" |
| C．What to eat on New Year's Day |
| D．Why people dress up nicely on New Year's Day |
| A．Different cultures celebrate the beginning and ending of a year in the same way. |
| B．The Western people celebrate the New Year only by watching the sunrise. |
| C．People around the world celebrate the New Year at different times. |
| D．People hold parties, wear new clothes and drink champagne for a whole day. |
| A．To bring good luck. |
| B．To forget everything. |
| C．To avoid bad luck. |
| D．To plan for the next year. |
| A．Families make big dolls filled with old clothes |
| B．Friends tell something special to each other |
| C．Some people get up early to watch the sunrise |
| D．Europeans eat 365 grapes on New Year's Day |
8 . In 2011, the old style Malta buses were taken off the road and replaced by modern vehicles. Most of the old buses were deserted, a few were sold, and about 100 of them were put into storage in the hope of showing them in a museum at some stage.
A pre-2011 visit to Malta wouldn’t have been complete without a ride on one of the colorful buses. Until 1973 you could tell the destination of the bus just by looking at its color — Sliema was green and white, Zabbar was red and white with a blue stripe(条纹)etc. . Later, the buses all had numbers. For a while, they were all painted green and white before the ‘final’ orange, yellow and white.
In their prime, walking around the Triton fountain at the Valletta bus station, you would have found it very difficult to see two buses of exactly the same design. Most of them had locally built bodies. On the front of the buses carried names like Dodge, Leyland, Bedford etc. . You were equally likely to find football pennants(锦旗)and the like decorating the cabs. Real bus experts would have recognized that these were there mainly for decorative reasons, and were seldom an accurate reflection of the vehicle’s origins.
Nowadays much more modern buses are to be found at the Floriana bus station. They are more environmentally friendly and possibly even more comfortable than the older types. However, I miss the old buses. I remember, when you boarded your bus, you had to prepare the correct change to pay the usually bad-tempered driver as you got on. If you were seated anywhere near the front, you would have noticed that most drivers sat well to the right of their steering wheel. The reason for this, as any Maltese would tell you, was to leave space for their pet to sit alongside them. I wonder where the pet sits these days.
1. What makes a pre-2011 visit to Malta special according to Paragraph 2?| A．Traveling in colorful buses. |
| B．Using buses with stripes. |
| C．Painting buses bright colors. |
| D．Telling destinations by different colors. |
| A．Painful time. | B．Exciting time. |
| C．Moment of fantasy. | D．Moment of glory. |
| A．They were of the same pattern. |
| B．The decorations reflected their origin. |
| C．Most were uniquely designed. |
| D．Only football pennants decorated the cabs. |
| A．Comfortable. | B．Environment-friendly. |
| C．Safe. | D．Memorable. |
9 . A student's life is never easy.
●Knowing the country.
You shouldn't bother researching the country's hottest tourist spots or historical places. You won't go there as a tourist, but as a student. It'll be helpful to read the most important points in their history and to read up on their culture.
●Studying their language.
Don't expect that you can graduate abroad without knowing even the basics of the language. Before leaving your home country, take online lessons to at least master some of their words and sentences.
●
Check the conversion（兑换）of your money to their local currency, set up your bank account so you can use it there, get an insurance, and find an apartment. The Internet or your intended school will be very helpful in finding an apartment and helping you understand local currency.
Remember, you're not only carrying your own reputation but your country's reputation as well. If you act foolishly, people there might think that all of your country men are foolish as well.
| A．Packing your clothes. |
| B．Preparing for other needs. |
| C．Most importantly, read about their laws. |
| D．This will be useful in living and studying there. |
| E．That would surely be a very bad start for your study abroad program. |
| F．Going with their trends will keep it from being too obvious that you're a foreigner. |
| G．And it is even more difficult if you will have to complete your study in a foreign land. |
10 . 2020 at Butlin’s
EASTER HOLIDAYS
Fri 3-Mon 20 April 2020
The Easter holidays are the perfect opportunities to shake off the winter coats, breathe in the fresh sea air and have your first paddle of the year in the sea. With lots of Easter-themed things to do, your kids can enjoy some of the more traditional Easter activities and shows.
Come with your family, make the most of the extra days off work and spend your Easter holidays with the people who matter most to you.
MAY HALF TERM
Fri 22 May-Mon 1 June 2020
The kids are off school, spring has come and there’s a bank holiday weekend in the mix; that means a trip to the seaside is a must! When the British weather’s playing ball, enjoy our outdoor activities, head to the beach and treat the family to an ice cream.
And if the weather’s not on our side, embrace the seaside in true British form while making the most of our indoor activity venues (场地) and brilliant live shows.
SUMMER HOLIDAYS
Fri 17 July-Fri 4 September 2020
Pack up the car and take your kids on a summer holiday to create long lasting family memories. Make the most of the beautiful beaches sitting on our resorts’ doorsteps, enjoy the Traditional Fairground and its unique rides, see live shows, and dive into our family pool; perfect for those not-so-sunny summer days.
CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS
Fri 4 Dec 2020-Sat 2 January 2021
Join us throughout December as we transform our resorts into festive(节日的) wonderlands, with particular live
Christmas shows and activities for all ages.
Whether it’s seeing a festive show, sitting down to eat together or wrapping up for a wander along the beach on Christmas Eve, we’re sure the whole family will leave feeling sparkly on the outside and warm and fuzzy on the inside.
1. What can you do at Butlin’s during the MAY HALF TERM?| A．Visit a bank. | B．Play ball. | C．Enjoy the beach. | D．Observe the weather. |
| A．EASTER HOLIDAYS | B．MAY HALF TERM |
| C．SUMMER HOLIDAYS | D．CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS |
| A．Families. | B．Students. | C．Kids. | D．Adults. |
