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.

2. What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．The specific traditional food.

B．The national culture.

C．A traditional expression of food.

D．The old-fashioned taste.

3. Why do some immigrants have to change the original dishes in their restaurants?

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.

4. What’s the author’s attitude towards different food cultures?

A．Negative.

B．Balanced.

C．Unfair.

D．Unchangeable.

2 . Festivals are a great way to experience a destination in a different way. Whether you are looking for a unique cultural difference or the experience of sheer joy, there is something here for everyone in this article.

St. Patrick's Day

Dublin, Ireland & New York, the USA, March 17th

It has been a cultural and religious celebration held in memory of the death date of Saint Patrick, the foremost patron saint of Ireland, since 1762. On that day, the whole city turns green and many Irish make traditional bread. It is also one of the most fun days of the year, when the whole city turns into a big green party.

South by Southwest (SXSW)

Austin, the USA, March

Founded in 1987, SXSW has been praised by music fans and the media worldwide as one of the top 10 music festivals in the world. It is not only a music feast but also dedicated to the integration of technology and films. You can also enjoy free food, drinks and music. Sounds good?

King's Day

Amsterdam, Netherlands, April 27th

King's Day may well be the best party in Holland and Amsterdam turns a very bright color of orange on April 27th. People celebrate King Willem Alexander's birthday with music, street parties, flea markets, and fun fairs. The king himself travels through the country with his family.

Just for Laughs

Montreal, Canada, July 14th—30th

For comedy lovers there is no other festival in the word better than Montreal's Just for Laughs. The festival concentrates most of its shows in the Latin Quarter. During the day street performers delight the crowds and at night the city comes alive with comedy all over the city.

1. Which of the four festivals mainly involves music and films?

A．St. Patrick's Day.	B．South by Southwest.
C．King's Day.	D．Just for Laughs.

2. What do St. Patrick's Day and King's Day have in common?

A．They are both religious festivals.

B．They are celebrated in the same month.

C．They are in honour of the birthday of a great person.

D．They both feature a color.

3. What can we learn about Just for Laughs?

A．It lasts for a month.	B．It provides free food for all.
C．It's the best comedy feast.	D．It is concerned about the royal family.

3 . 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.

2. What does the writer prove by mentioning Chinese New Year?

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.

3. What’s the writer’s attitude to Denmark’s way of eating bread?

A．Indifferent.

B．Critical.

C．Understandable.

D．Doubtful.

4. What idea does the writer want to express in this passage?

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.

4 . 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.     1     They've thrown rubbish everywhere, brought more traffic and even done serious damage to ancient relics.

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.     2     That may raise the humidity (湿气) of the air and damage the paintings. Damage in other places such as the Great Wall is because of tourists climbing on delicate (脆弱的) areas. Besides, roads have also been built to help visitors climb the Wall easily. These activities can cause a lot of damage to the area.

    3     Firstly, we have to cut down tourist numbers, because fewer visitors will result in less damage. Secondly, we should make strict rules about which areas people can visit and what they can do when they get there.     4     People will not be allowed to walk off the paths. Visitors to indoor places can be asked to wear masks to protect the paintings.

In short, it is necessary to control tourism at famous places.     5     And people who live hundreds of years later will have no chance to see these great 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.

5 . In Europe, men do not usually wear skirts. But the Scottish national clothing for men is a kind of skirt. It is called a kilt. The Scottish like to be different. They are also proud of their country and its history, and they feel that the kilt is part of that history. That’s why the men still wear kilts at traditional dance and on national holidays. They believe they are wearing the same clothes that Scottish men always used to wear.

That’s what they believe. However, kilts are not really so old. Before 1703, Scottish men wore a long shirt and blanket around their shoulders. These clothes got in the way when the men started to work in factories. So in 1730 a factory owner changed the blanket into a skirt — the kilt. That’s how the first kilt was made.

Then in the late 1700s Scottish soldiers in the British Army began to wear kilts. One reason for this was national feelings: The Scottish soldiers wanted to be different from the English soldiers. The British Army probably had a different reason: A Scottish soldier in a kilt was always easy to find! The Scottish soldiers fought very hard and became famous. The kilt was part of the fame, and in the early 1800s men around Scotland began to wear kilts.

These kilts had colorful stripes (条纹) going up and down and across. In the 1700s and early 1800s, the color of the stripes had no special meaning. Men sometimes owned kilts in several different colors. But later the colors became important to the Scottish families. By about 1850, most families had special colors for their kilts. For example, men from the Campbell family had kilts with green, yellow and blue stripes. Scottish people often believe that the colors of the kilts are part of their family history. In fact, each family just chose the color they liked best.

This is not the story you will hear today if you are in Scotland. Most Scottish people still believe that kilts are as old as Scotland and that the colors are as old as the Scottish family. Sometimes feelings are stronger than facts!

1. Scottish soldiers were dressed in kilts partly because of      .

A．the colors

B．the weather

C．the feelings toward nation

D．the design

2. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The English soldiers were the first to wear kilts.

B．Colors are not specially designed in the first kilts.

C．It was hard then to tell the Scottish soldiers from the English ones.

D．The factory owner made the first kilt from long shirts to make his workers different.

3. The colors of the kilts are      .

A．not part of the Scottish family history	B．older than the Scottish family history
C．for the Campbell family only	D．mainly green, yellow and blue

4. From the last paragraph we can infer that      .

A．the European people are full of strong feelings

B．there are no stories about kilts in Scotland today

C．the British like to do things not on facts

D．the Scottish prefer to keep their tradition rather than believe the fact

6 . November in Atlanta brings more than football and Thanksgiving. Try one or two of these festivals.

•Nov. 5~22, MJCCA Book Festival

More than 40 authors appear during this annual two-week event that is all about books and reading. Meet your favorite writer at the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta.

•Nov, 7~8, Chastain Park Arts Festival

With more than 150 artists from around the country, this free event is about food, family, fun and art. There will be fine art, a children's area, food trucks and musicians.

•Nov. 13~15, Sojam

Held at Emory University, Sojam is a weekend-long cappella（清唱的）entertainment event by the Contemporary A Cappella Society. It features concerts, competitions and master classes.

•Nov. 19~21，Atlanta DocuFest

The 10th annual Atlanta DocuFest brings the best in independent documentary（纪实的） films and videos from across the globe.

•Nov. 21~22, Indie Craft Experience

Shop for special gifts for holidays at this market that features 100 sellers, local food suppliers, DJ Zano and bags for the first 100 people who want to buy.

•Nov. 28, Beer and Tacos Festival

Head to Philips Arena for beer and tacos, a type of Mexican food, while enjoying music and art.

1. Where will the event about reading books take place?

A．At MJCCA.	B．In Philips Arena.
C．In Chastain Park.	D．At Emory University.

2. When can we attend an activity to enjoy some films?

A．On Nov. 5.

B．On Nov. 8.

C．On Nov. 20.

D．On Nov. 28.

3. Which should we attend in order to look for some Thanksgiving gifts?

A．Sojam.	B．Indie Craft Experience.
C．Atlanta DocuFest.	D．Beer and Tacos Festival.

7 . Ancient China produced many types of beautiful works of art. Among them, calligraphy (书法), poetry (诗歌) and painting are the most famous. Often they would be put together in art.These became important starting with the Song dynasty.

Calligraphy is the art of handwriting. In the old times the Chinese considered writing as an important form of art. Calligraphers would practice for years to learn to write perfectly, but with style. Each of the over 40,000 characters (汉字) needed to be written correctly. And each stroke (笔画) in a character had to be written in a certain order.

Poetry is also an important form of art. Great poets were famous all over the country, and all educated people were expected to write poetry. During the Tang dynasty poetry was so important that writing poetry was part of the examinations to become a civil servant (文官)and work for the government.

Chinese painting is often connected with calligraphy. It is one of the oldest artistic traditions in the world. The most traditional way of Chinese painting is known as “national painting” or “native painting” which is quite different from Western painting. People can draw mountains, buildings, birds, trees and water.

1. Calligraphers needed to write over _____ characters correctly in the old times.

A．10,000

B．20,000

C．30,000

D．40,000

2. What was part of the civil servant examinations during the Tang dynasty?

A．Painting.

B．Calligraphy.

C．Writing poetry.

D．Playing music.

3. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Calligraphy, poetry, and painting are the most famous works of art in ancient China.

B．The strokes of each character can be written in any order.

C．Poetry is an important form of art like calligraphy.

D．Chinese painting is often connected with calligraphy.

4. What’s the passage mainly about?

A．Chinese art.	B．Chinese examinations.
C．Chinese history.	D．Chinese dynasties.

8 . 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.

9 . Of late, the Chinese media have turned the spotlight on a woman named Li Ziqi, praising her for doing an excellent job of “telling China’s story to the world”. Li seems to have become an unofficial cultural ambassador showcasing China’s history and culture.

Li, 29, lives with her grandma in a small village of Mianyang. She has been posting videos of her daily life on social media platforms since March 2016 to connect to the world.

Her popularity online can be proved from these figures: on YouTube, Li’s “channel” has more than 7.61 million subscribers, and the figure is growing daily. On Sina Weibo, one of China’s most popular social media platforms, she has more than 21.5 million fans. And each of her 104 YouTube posts has been viewed between 2 million and over 40 million times.

Technically, the fine quality of her cinematographic output is the most eye-catching feature. The stunning scenery of Li’s village, her elegant yet confident way of getting jobs done, and the relaxing background music are all appealing to viewers. Culturally, what touches the heart of Li’s followers is the universal language of love, inner peace, caring for the family and love for nature. Many viewers find inspiration from Li’s posts. Others , tired of their technology driven fast paced urban life, find comfort in her simple and tranquil life.

Ironically, Li has not been as well received at home as overseas. Some critics question whether she alone filmed and edited her early posts. A few even accuse her of showcasing the “backwardness” of China to foreigners, while some argue that her presentation of rural China is imaginary. And recently, a debate has started on whether or not Li is “exporting” Chinese culture abroad.

But the fact that Li single-handedly produced her early works has been documented and publicized. And she cannot be blamed for having a small crew now that her filming and editing work has increased. As for “exporting culture”, Li has never claimed the responsibility of spreading Chinese culture to the world. What she does instead is merely recording and presenting her lifestyle to make a living.

Li’s popularity makes us reflect on what should be an effective way of “telling China’s story” to the world and changing the stereotype image of China described in some Western media.

1. What's the purpose of the figures listed in paragraph 3?

A．To suggest that Li is more popular on Sina Weibo than on YouTube.

B．To show that Li is liked by a large number of netizens.

C．To explain why Li is praised by the Chinese media.

D．To persuade more netizens to subscribe Li’s “channel” .

2. What does the underlined word “tranquil” in paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Complex.	B．Tiring.
C．Peaceful.	D．Touching.

3. Why does Li post her videos online?

A．To make a living.	B．To export Chinese culture abroad.
C．To improve her skills in producing videos.	D．To show her love for her grandma.

4. What might the author talk about next?

A．Effective ways to become an online celebrity.	B．Possible reasons of Li’s popularity.
C．Stereotype images of China in some media abroad.	D．Useful methods to export culture.

10 . The Torch Festival (火把节) is a traditional festival which is celebrated among some ethnic groups in southwestern China, such as the Yi, Bai, Hani, Lisu, and Lahu, etc. It usually falls on the 24th or 25th of June, with three days of celebrations. The festival came from worship (崇拜) of fire by ancestors (祖先). For some ethnic groups, it’s a tradition in the festival for elders to share farming experience with young people and educate them about taking care of crops.

During the festival, big torches are made to stand in all villages, with small torches placed in front of the door of each house. When night falls, the torches are lit and the villages are bright. At the same time, people walk around the fields and houses, holding small torches and placing the torches in the field corners. Inside the villages, young people are singing and dancing around the big torches that keep burning throughout the night. Other activities like horse races are also held during the festival.

In a horse race of the Yi people in Yunnan, torches are used to form hurdles for riders to get through. The Hani people in Yunnan traditionally tie fruits to torches with strings. When the strings are broken after the torches are lit, people struggle for the fruits for good luck.

For the Lisu people in Sichuan, the festival is an occasion for holding torch parades. Big torches are carried by teams of people, which is like a fire dragon. If different teams meet, it’s a tradition to exchange the big torches with one another.

1. What can we know about the Torch Festival from the first paragraph?

A．It has nothing to do with farming.

B．Its celebrations usually last two days.

C．It is a traditional festival of all China.

D．It is a festival to show worship of fire.

2. What does the underlined word “them” in paragraph 1 refer to?

A．ancestors.	B．young people.
C．elders.	D．ethnic groups.

3. What is the main idea of the second paragraph?

A．Why the festival is enjoyed.	B．Where the festival is celebrated.
C．How the festival is celebrated.	D．What torches are used for the festival.

4. Which is a way that Lisu people in Sichuan celebrate the festival according to the text?

A．Holding torch parades.	B．Tying fruits to torches with strings.
C．Struggling for fruits for good luck.	D．Using torches as hurdles for a horse race.