1 . Food festivals are a common occurrence in the UK and take place in all sorts of places and at all sorts of times. Whatever your taste, there’s a food festival to match — no matter how specialized.

1. Meatopia

This three-day, London-based festival takes place at the end of August and is a meat lover’s paradise. In addition to a range of legally sourced meat products, from juicy burgers to tender steaks, attendees can listen to live music, watch butchery demonstrations, and attend informal meat-based workshops.

2. The National Honey Show

If you have a sweet tooth, then it could be that the National Honey Show, which started in 1921 and is the largest event of its kind, is the place for you to be. This three-day event attracts many local entries who showcase their sweet golden honey, some of which is sold globally.

3. The Orange Sauce Festival

Have you heard about a festival that is devoted only to orange sauce? Held in Cumbria, this sweet, fragrant festival has been running for 3 years. What attracts people most is a competition to find the best homemade orange sauce. There are thousands of participants from over 30 different countries across the globe, bringing their local snacks to share here.

4. The Ginger and Spice Festival

If you’d prefer something with a little more kick to it, then you could attend The Ginger (姜) and Spice Festival held in Market Drayton. Unlike other food festivals, it celebrates its town’s historic connection to Robert Clive, who returned from India with ginger. Because of this, they specialize in baking gingerbread, but also sell a range of traditional spices from mild to hot.

1. What do Meatopia and the National Honey Show have in common?

A．Both of them last for three days.	B．Both of them hold workshops.
C．Both of them originated from London.	D．Both of them have a long history.

2. If you are interested in foreign food, which festival do you like best?

A．The Meatopia.	B．The Ginger and Spice Festival.
C．The National Honey Show.	D．The Orange Sauce Festival.

3. What is special about the Ginger and Spice Festival ?

A．It has something to do with a historic figure.

B．The ginger used in the festival is from India.

C．It sells spicy food.

D．The food is cooked by Robert Clive.

2 . Below are the international days currently playing a more and more important role across the world.

World Earth Day.

Every year on April 22, People all over the world celebrate Earth Day. It is a time to work to keep our earth clean. U.S. Senator (参议员) Gaylord Nelson first thought of the idea for Earth Day in 1962 when he saw polluted rivers and cities with smoke. He needed to get support from Americans to clean up the earth. Finally, on April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans celebrated the first Earth Day! It is a day that is meant to raise awareness (意识) and appreciation about the Earth’s natural environment.

World Book Day.

World Book Day is a celebration to improve the enjoyment of books and reading. Each year, on April 23, celebrations take place all over the world. April 23 marks the anniversary (周年纪念日) of the birth or death of a number of well-known writers, including William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes and Manuel Mejía Vallejo. World Book Day is an occasion to pay a worldwide respect to books and authors and to encourage people to discover the pleasure of reading.

World Autism Awareness Day (世界自闭症关注日)

World Autism Awareness Day aims to increase people’s awareness about people, especially children, with autism. This condition affects the brain’s functions and remains with a person for his or her whole life. The first signs usually appear before a child is three years old. On December 18, 2007, the UN General Assembly (联合国大会) determined April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day. It was first observed in 2008.

1. What made Gaylord come up with the idea for Earth Day at first?

A．Polluted water and cities with smoke.

B．Support from Americans.

C．Serving as a Senator.

D．The Earth’s natural environment.

2. Why is April 23 the day of World Book Day?

A．To help children with autism.

B．To discover the pleasure of reading.

C．To honor some well-known writers.

D．To sell more books.

3. What do the Days have in common?

A．The Days raise the awareness of protecting the earth.

B．The Days took place in the same month.

C．The Days are only celebrated in America.

D．The Days were all first celebrated in 2008.

3 . The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms More than 2000 years ago, ancient Chinese people created this overall framework to mark the annual passage of time based on observations of the sun's motion. In the international meteorological field (国际气象界) the 24 solar terms are honored as “the fifth great invention of China”.

The 24 solar terms begins with Start of Spring followed by Rain Water, Insects Awaken...and ends up with Minor Cold and Major Cold. Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice are two days of the year with the longest and shortest amount of daylight respectively, while Spring Equinox and Autumn Equinox are days with the most balanced amount of daytime and nighttime. Through these four parts, a year is divided into four part: Spring Summer, Autumn and Winter.

In ancient times this system not only guided agricultural production, instructing farmers to expect the changes in temperature, spring planting and autumn harvest but also directed Chinese folk customs. For example, Winter Solstice was the first one set among 24 terms and later developed into a festival to worship Heaven and ancestors. Every year at Winter Solstice, emperors of Ming and Qing dynasties would go to the temple of Heaven to hold a ceremony to worship Heaven, for good weather for their crop, and peace and prosperity for the country.

Nowadays, the 24 solar terms could not only be applied to farming but also guide Chinese everyday life. They remind people to adapt to the changes in the seasons through suitable food and cultural rituals (文化仪式). Seasonal customs are sill the rage such as eating spring pancakes at Start of Spring, sweeping ancestors' tombs at Qing Ming, gaining weight to keep warm at Start of Autumn and eating nutritious food to store energy at Start of Winter. They have actually became important rituals in Chinese life.

The 24 solar terms is a common cognitive system among Chinese. It reflects the emotional bond, the wisdom and creativity of Chinese, who respect and live in harmony with nature.

1. How were the 24 solar terms created in ancient China?

A．They were the results of leaning from each other.

B．They were set based on the movements of the sun.

C．They were created according to the change of the weather.

D．They were gradually developed from the practical experience.

2. What is a common feature of Spring Equinox and Autumn Equinox?

A．They both have the same amount of day and night.

B．They were set only for guiding agricultural activities.

C．They both play the role in dividing a day into day and night

D．They are the days on which the length of a day is longer than night.

3. What does the underlined word in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Cheer

B．Honor.

C．Appreciation.

D．Fashion.

4. What’s the text mainly about?

A．The reasons for the recognition of the 24 solar terms.

B．The invention of the 24 solar terms in ancient China.

C．The origin and influence of the 24 solar terms in China

D．The ways to handle the relationship between human and nature.

4 . When visitors to the Palace Museum feel a need to sit down for a cup of tea or find a bathroom without a long line, they soon will be able to turn to their smart phones for the information they need.

This modern day solution comes thanks to an agreement signed on Friday by the museum and Huawei Co., the telecommunication giant, to build a “smart network” using 5G technology. Under the agreement, 5G Wi-Fi signals will cover the Palace Museum, China's royal palace from 1420 to 1911, and the branch museum of the institution under construction in northwestern Beijing.

“It’s essential to always stay close to the latest technology to better serve the public,” said Shan Jixiang, former director of the Palace Museum. Shan said there is still much room for improvement in the handling of a huge number of cultural relics (文物)，such as when the priceless painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival is exhibited again in the future. When it was last exhibited in 2015, visitors stood in long lines until 3 am to get a glimpse. The museum ended up preparing instant noodles to serve the hungry visitors. “I don't want that scenario to reoccur," Shan said. “Our operation can be done in a more scientific way.

The new system will also make use of the closed--circuits television cameras that are set up all over the Palace Museum to safeguard the museum's precious relics. More than 1.86 million of them are housed at the museum, which recorded nearly 20 million visits from the public last year, topping all museums worldwide. “How can we make sure no single visitor who might have evil ideas threatens these treasures?" Shan said. “After adopting the internet of things, we can instantly detect any motion involving the artifacts to prevent such threats.”

The 5G network also will be used to improve remote consultation through webcams, which will facilitate conversations with overseas scholars to jointly find the best answers for restoration and preservation issues.

1. What do we know about the Palace Museum?

A．Its visitors won't have to queue up for the bathroom.

B．It has served as China's royal palace for over 500 years.

C．It will cooperate with Huawei to promote its management.

D．It will set up advanced television cameras for the purpose of safety.

2. What does the underlined word “scenario” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Disaster.

B．Situation.

C．Operation.

D．Exhibition.

3. What are the figures in Paragraph 4 intended to show about the Palace Museum?

A．It is better than any other museums.	B．It has a rich collection of cultural relics.
C．It enjoys great popularity all over the world.	D．It faces a tough challenge of protecting relics.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．A Feast for Museum Visitors	B．A Revolution in Exhibition
C．A Protector of Cultural Relics	D．A Connection Between Old and New

5 . The world is designed for right-handed people, but why does a tenth of the population prefer the left?     1    

The answer to it remains a bit of a mystery. Since scientists have noticed that left-handedness tends to run in families, it’s assumed that left-handedness has a genetic(基因的) component to it.

    2     In fact, identical twins, who share the same genes, can sometimes prefer to use different hands. There are also plenty of theories on what else might determine which hand you write with, but many experts believe that it’s kind of random.

Historically, the left side and left-handedness have been considered a negative thing by many cultures.     3     In some areas, the left hand became known as the “unclean” hand. In many religions, the right hand of God is the favored hand. For example, Jesus sits at God’s right side. God’s left hand, however, is the hand of judgment. Various activities and experiences become rude or even signs of bad luck when the left hand becomes involved. In some parts of Scotland, it is considered bad luck to meet a left-handed person at the start of a journey.     4    A person giving directions will put their left hand behind them and even physically try to point with their right hand if necessary. In some Asian countries, eating with the left hand is considered impolite.

    5    People come to realize that left-handedness is natural. Some researchers find out that lefties are more creative and can deal with abstract thinking better. The left-handedness is more easily adaptable to the right-handed world as well. Being left-handed is no longer a sad story now; instead, it is a wonderful gift or maybe it is something you should take pride in.

A．In other words, left-handers are born that way.

B．Left-handedness used to be regarded as a disability.

C．The unfavorable associations of the use of the left hand among cultures are varied.

D．Why do they prefer to use their left hand rather than their right hand for routine activities?

E．Why do some parents force their left-handed children to become right-handed when writing?

F．In Ghana, pointing, gesturing, giving or receiving items with the left hand is considered rude.

G．Fortunately, nowadays most societies and cultures no longer reject left-handedness like before.

6 . Living in a foreign culture can be exciting, but it can also be confusing(令人迷惑的). A group of Americans who taught English in other countries recently discussed their experiences. They found that miscommunication was always possible, even over something as simple as “yes” and “no”.

On her first day in Micronesia, an island in the Pacific, Lisa thought people weren’t paying any attention to her. The day was hot. She went into a store and asked, “Do you have cold drinks？” The woman there didn’t say anything. Lisa repeated the question. Still the woman said nothing. She later learned that the woman had answered her: She had raised her eyebrows(眉毛), which in Micronesia means “yes”.

Jan remembered an experience she had in Bulgaria, a country in Europe. She went to a restaurant that was famous for its cabbage. She asked the waiter, “Do you have cabbage today？” He nodded his head. Jan waited, but the cabbage never came. In that country, a nod means “no”.

Tom had a similar problem when he arrived in India. After explaining something in class, he asked his students if they understood. They answered with many different nods and shakes of the head. He thought some people had not understood, so he explained again. When he asked again, they did the same thing. He soon found out that his students did understand. In India, people nod and shake their heads in different ways depending on where they come from. You have to know where a person is from to understand whether they mean “yes” or “no”．

1. The Americans teaching English in other countries found that they ________.

A．had problems with communication	B．needed to learn foreign languages
C．should often discuss their experiences	D．should go abroad for vacations

2. People in Micronesia show “yes” by ________.

A．nodding heads	B．raising eyebrows
C．shaking heads	D．saying “no”

3. Tom misunderstood his class at first because ________.

A．he didn’t know where the students came from

B．he didn’t explain everything clearly enough

C．some students didn’t understand his questions

D．he did not know much about Indian culture

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to this passage?

A．In Bulgaria, nodding heads means “no”

B．Jan taught English on a Pacific island.

C．Lisa was trying to buy some cabbage.

D．In India，only shaking heads means “yes”.

7 . Many countries follow special customs when a child’s baby teeth fall out. Many of these customs tell stories about animals taking the teeth.

For example, Koreans have the custom of throwing the fallen tooth onto the roof of a house so that a magpie (喜鹊) can take the tooth away and bring a new tooth for the child. This custom is also followed by some other Asian countries, such as Japan and Vietnam.

Other countries, though, have tooth customs about other animals. In Mexico and Spain, for example, it is thought that a mouse takes a fallen tooth away and leaves some money. But in Mongolia, it is dogs that take children’s teeth away. Dogs are highly respected in Mongolian culture. It is believed that the new tooth will grow strong if the baby tooth is fed to a dog, so parents in Mongolia will put their children’s fallen teeth in a piece of meat and feed it to a dog.

In France and the USA, a child will put a fallen tooth under his or her pillow before going to bed. It is thought that in the early morning, when the child is still sleeping, the Tooth Fairy will take the tooth away and leave something else under the pillow. What she will leave is hard to know. It is said that in France the Tooth Fairy may leave some candies; however, in the United States, she may leave money.

1. In Vietnam, if a child’s tooth falls out, he or she will __________.

A．throw it onto the roof of a house

B．feed it to a mouse

C．put it in a piece of meat and feed the meat to a dog

D．leave it to the Tooth Fairy

2. From the last paragraph, we can know that in France and the USA _________.

A．a child will put his or her fallen tooth beside the pillow

B．the Tooth Fairy takes the fallen teeth away at midnight

C．the Tooth Fairy will leave some candies to the children after taking the fallen teeth away

D．no one knows for sure what the Tooth Fairy will leave to the children after taking the fallen teeth away

3. The passage is mainly about ___________.

A．customs about fallen teeth in western countries

B．customs about fallen teeth in different countries

C．stories about human teeth

D．stories about some animals

8 . The act of giving gifts is a gesture of friendship, love, celebration and thanks. With a little planning, your gifts will be remembered for years.

    1     Put a reminder in your diary one or two weeks before the occasion so that you can start doing your shopping. If your receivers live very far away and you need to mail the gift, then advanced planning is even more important. It will make sure that your gift gets to them on time.

Don't give gifts based on what others give you. We often hear people say, “She’s spending $ 100 on me, so I should spend $ 100 on her”.    2    Your gifts should be based on what is on your heart for your receivers. Don't worry about whether your receivers are going to give you something back or how much they are spending on your gifts.

Respect your budget.    3    　Gifts given with sincerity are appreciated even more than expensive items. By planning how much you need to spend on your gifts for others and assigning a dollar amount to each desired gift on your list, you'll be better prepared to shop within your budget.

Be aware of wrappings.    4    　A tastefully wrapped gift with materials that can be reused or recycled shows your caring for the environment.

Present your gift with respect.    5    　And when you do, present your gift by holding with both your hands as though you were holding it on a silver platter.

A．This thinking completely ruins the value of giving gifts to each other.

B．Beautiful gifts don't necessarily need to rely on ribbons or boxes.

C．The cost of your gift will not be the main factor in its success.

D．The best way to present a gift is always presenting it in person.

E．This is adopted from Asian culture to show respect and care.

F．You shouldn't buy gifts which are out of your budget.

G．Keep a schedule of the special dates.

9 . If you are a fruit grower — or would like to become one —join in Apple Day to see what’s around. It’s called Apple Day but in fact it’s more like Apple Month. The day itself is on October 21, but since it has become popular, events now last through most of October around Britain.
Visiting an apple event is a good chance to see, and often taste, a wide variety(品种) of apples. To people who are used to the limited kinds of apples such as Golden Delicious and Royal Gala in supermarkets, it can be quite eye-opening to see some classical apples still in existence, such as Decio which was grown by the Romans. Although it doesn’t taste of anything special, it’s still worth a try.
There are also varieties developed to suit certain local conditions. One of the very best varieties for eating quality is Orleans Reinette, but you’ll need a warm, sheltered place with perfect soil to grow it, so it’s ______ for most apple lovers who fall in love with it.
At the apple events, you can also meet expert growers and discuss which ones will best suit your conditions, and because these are family affairs, children are well entertained with apple-themed fun and games.
Apple days are being held at all sorts of places with an interest in fruit, including stately gardens and commercial orchards(果园). If you want to have a real orchard experience, visit the National Collection at Brogdale, near Faversham in Kent.
1. What can people do at the apple events?

A．Attend experts’ lectures.

B．Visit fruit-loving families.

C．Taste many kinds of apples.

D．Plant fruit trees in an orchard.

2. What can we learn about Decio?

A．It is a new variety.

B．It is rarely seen now.

C．It has a strange look.

D．It has a special taste.

3. What does the underlined phrase “a pipe dream” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．A clever idea.	B．A selfish thought.
C．A great plan.	D．A useless hope.

10 . Moving abroad can be a challenging experience. You leave your family，friends and everything you know behind. You enter a new culture where the customs and sometimes the languages are different.     1    .It's a time to discover new things，make new friends and begin a new adventure.

So what are the best ways to involve yourself in the new culture while living abroad?

Live with a native speaker

    2    .First，you have a friend！Living alone can be a lonely experience，especially if you're far from home. I've also had the opportunity to meet my housemate's friends and socialize (交往) with them.     3    .In addition，you have someone to tell you about the cultural customs and interesting places in the area.

Socialize with the local people

The thought of making friends and mixing with the local people may seem scary at first but it's worth it.     4    ，attending an evening class or participating in a language exchange with people that are interested in learning your native language.

    5    

The food in France is amazing and discovering new food is a fun experience. I've tried things that I've never tried before. My knowledge of different bread and cheese types has grown greatly.

A．Try the local food

B．But it's also exciting

C．I currently volunteer with homeless people

D．You can also speak the local language every day

E．Improve my French vocabulary and understanding

F．You can meet other people in the area by joining a club

G．There are many advantages of living with a native speaker