1 . National Bird Day
National Bird Day is a holiday which has been celebrated on January 5th. The purpose of this holiday is to bring attention to the situation of our friends — birds. This holiday is also a good day to appreciate the beauty and the diversity of these creatures.
However, National Bird Day shouldn't be confused with Bird Day — one of the oldest bird holidays. Bird Day is a holiday that is celebrated annually in the United States on May 4th since the late 19th century.
History
National Bird Day is a holiday which has been celebrated for over a decade now. Bird Day, on the other hand, goes back a lot further. According to the Library of Congress, Bird Day was established by Charles Almanzo Babcock in 1894.
Facts About Birds
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, there are almost 10,000 different species of birds. But almost 900 of them are on the verge of extinction(濒临灭绝).
Customs, Traditions, and Celebrations
National Bird Day can be celebrated in many different ways. Participants can watch birds, and they can take part in one of the activities for the protection of birds. In schools across the US, children often are given the task of researching into birds on this day or drawing a nice picture of birds for the classroom.
1. What can we learn about National Bird Day?| A．It is celebrated all over the world. |
| B．It was set up earlier than Bird Day. |
| C．It has a history of more than 100 years. |
| D．It is celebrated earlier than Bird Day every year. |
| A．0.8%. | B．0.9%. | C．8%. | D．9%. |
| A．Buy some birds. | B．Feed some birds. |
| C．Study some birds. | D．Set some birds free. |
2 . The Great Sphinx of Giza, Egypt, is one of civilization’s greatest mysteries. No one knows for sure exactly when, why or how it was built. It is an enormous sculpture, believed to be the biggest ever created. It measures about 241 feet(73.5 meters) long and 66 feet(20 meters) high. Due to its unknown origin, this massive creation has puzzled locals, tourists, historians, and archaeologists for centuries.
The Sphinx has the body of a lion and the head of a man, which gives it the appearance of a mythical(神话里的)creature. It remains mostly intact today, with the exception of its nose. Many legends surround the missing nose, but a widely accepted explanation is that a former ruler had the nose carved off at some point after its creation.
Most archaeologists believe that the Sphinx was built about 4,600 years ago by a pharaoh(法老), or ruler, named Khafre. His pyramid, the giant tomb that holds Khafre’s body, is located directly behind the Sphinx. Stone blocks cut out in order to carve the Sphinx’s face were used to build the Khafre Valley Temple at about the same time. Some historians also believe the Sphinx’s face was modeled after the face of Khafre.
For most of its existence, the Sphinx was buried in sand. One story claims that around 1400 BC, the pharaoh Thutmose IV dreamed that the Sphinx ordered him to clear away the sand in return for the crown of Egypt. The sand soon buried the Sphinx again, however. In the 1850s, the sand was partially cleared, and in the 1930s, the Sphinx was completely exposed. Now, however, wind, humidity(湿热）,and smog are causing the Sphinx to crumble. Archaeologists must act quickly to preserve this mysterious symbol of Egypt.
1. Why is the Sphinx considered to be mysterious?| A．It is the biggest sculpture ever made. |
| B．Wind and smog didn’t break it down. |
| C．People know little about it. |
| D．It was buried in the sand for centuries. |
| A．complete | B．magical |
| C．mysterious | D．confusing |
| A．The history of Khafre’s famous tomb. |
| B．Khafre’s great achievement in building the Sphinx. |
| C．Documents recording Khafre’s ruling of Egypt. |
| D．Evidences supporting Khafre’s building of the Sphinx. |
| A．Dig out the Sphinx completely. |
| B．Take action to protect the Sphinx. |
| C．Make the Sphinx the symbol of Egypt. |
| D．Beautify the Sphinx to attract more archaeologists. |
3 . Diwali（Deepavali）is a festival of lights observed in October or November each year in Canada. During the festival, various community groups, businesses, schools and associations celebrate it in different ways. Some companies have Diwali dinners and some communities organize gatherings that feature firework displays, dances, street lighting, and plays.
Many women wear fine jewelry and silk outfits to celebrate Diwali. Some women and girls use Mehendi, a dye decoration which can last a limited time, on their palms, and then they will finally get colorful hand paintings. Many homes that celebrate Diwali have various types of sweets, salty and spiced food as well as Diwali herbs （香料）. Various lights, candles and sparklers are lit inside and outside homes, particularly in courtyards, on Diwali. Diwali is not a nationwide public holiday in Canada but it is a prevalent festival celebrated in many towns and cities. There may be traffic jams and parking places may be full in areas where events are held to celebrate Diwali. Some Indian businesses may close early on Diwali.
Diwali is called the "Festival of Lights" and is celebrated to honor Rama, a hero who once fought and won a battle against the demons（恶魔）. In the past, people lit their houses to celebrate his victory over demons（light over darkness）. At the same time, every household did careful and complete cleaning at home in advance. It is believed that the goddess of happiness and good fortune, Lakshmi travels around the Earth on this day and enters the house that is pure, clean, and bright.
Diwali celebrations may vary in different communities but its spiritual meaning is generally "the awareness of the inner light". As the word “Deepavali” means “a row or cluster of light”, the festival symbolizes the victory of righteousness and the lifting of spiritual darkness.
1. What can we learn about Diwali from the first two paragraphs?| A．It is celebrated on a fixed day. |
| B．It centers on various local food. |
| C．People stay up late to prepare for It. |
| D．People from all walks of life enjoy celebrating it. |
| A．Popular. | B．Free. |
| C．Serious. | D．Funny. |
| A．To pray for good journey. |
| B．To expect joy and good luck. |
| C．To create a romantic atmosphere. |
| D．To welcome their friends to visit. |
| A．Showing respect for others. |
| B．Staying straight and positive. |
| C．Valuing your family members. |
| D．Improving your living environment. |
| A．To stress the importance of a public holiday. |
| B．To tell an interesting story about a Canadian festival. |
| C．To briefly introduce a traditional festival in Canada. |
| D．To show different holiday celebrations in Western cultures. |
4 . Something you may not know about End of Heat
The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. End of Heat is the 14th solar term of the year, which implies that most parts in China are getting rid of the hot summer and entering autumn. But in some areas, especially in South China, autumn is late in coming and people are still bothered by hot weather. End of Heat is also the busy harvest season for farmers.
The following are the things you should know about End of Heat.
Time for night-blooming cereus (昙花)
The night-blooming cereus is a flower full of mystery, which often blooms during the period of End of Heat. This is because the climate during End of Heat, characterized by warm days and cold nights, is similar to tropical deserts. Night-blooming cereus originates in the tropical deserts from Mexico to Brazil in South America. They blossom at night to avoid the blazing daytime sun.
Eating Duck
Duck has a sweet flavor and according to Chinese traditional medicine it has a “cool” nature. A folk tradition is to eat duck during the End of Heat period. There are many recipes for cooking duck such as roast duck, cooked duck with lemon, smoked duck with walnut dressing and sautéed duck with ginger shoots. The tradition of eating duck during the End of Heat period is still popular in China.
The Fishing Season Festival
For fishermen, the End of Heat is a season of harvest. During this period，the Fishing Season Festival is held in regions along the coastline of the East China Sea in Zhejiang province. The festival is held on the day when the fishing ban ends and fishermen can start fishing again. Due to high temperatures in the sea, stocks of fish remain and become mature. People can enjoy many kinds of seafood during this period.
1. About End of Heat, which of the following statements is true?| A．It means the whole China has entered autumn. |
| B．The areas beyond the Great Wall are still hot. |
| C．In south China, the temperature is still high. |
| D．It is the end of the harvest season for farmers. |
| A．Temperate areas. | B．Tropical areas. | C．Cold areas. | D．Polar areas. |
| A．Because there are no other animals to eat. |
| B．Because the duck has a “cool” nature. |
| C．Because it tastes especially delicious at that time. |
| D．Because there are many recipes for cooking duck. |
5 . There are now many products and services on the market which are similar in content though produced by different companies. It is vital, therefore, for a company to distinguish itself from its competitors by having a strong company image which is immediately recognizable.
Logos are part of this image. They are symbols which often include a name or initials to identify a company. The logo establishes a visual identity for the company, just as different groups of young people express their identity through hairstyles and clothes. All groups from all cultures and throughout the ages have used colors and symbols to show their identity.
In different cultures, different colors carry different meanings. Some colors may be connected with coldness in one culture and with warmth in another; some colors represent life in one culture but death in another. International companies have, therefore, to make sure that their logos will not be misunderstood in different countries.
The logos of large international companies are instantly recognizable throughout the world. One of the most famous logos is that of Coca-Cola. The design of the words "Coca-Cola" has not changed since 1886, although the surrounding design has been changed from time to time. Many companies have, over the years, renewed their logos to fit in with contemporary design and to present more powerful images. Company logos can be emotive and can inspire loyalty by influencing the subconscious （潜意识的）. Some logos include an idea of the product: the steering wheel in the Mercedes logo, for example, and the aero plane tail of Alitalia.
Logos are used on packaging and brochures as well as on the product itself. They may also appear in newspapers or on television as part of an advertising campaign. Companies need to have a strong corporate identity. The logo helps to promote this image and to fix it in the minds of the consumers. Logos, therefore, need to be original and to have impact and style.
1. The most basic function of a company's logo is to ______.| A．project a positive image of the company and its products or services |
| B．make the products and services of the company more recognizable |
| C．distinguish the company from its realistic and potential competitors |
| D．describe the business the company is engaged for the consumers |
| A．The name or initials of a company. |
| B．A visual image of the company in colors. |
| C．Symbols and colors representing the company. |
| D．Symbols including the name or initials of the company. |
| A．Colors are not the best tools to identify a company. |
| B．Colors may be misinterpreted in different cultures. |
| C．Colors may represent death in some cultures. |
| D．International companies are careful about the use of colors. |
| A．explain the name of a company should remain unchanged |
| B．illustrate the importance of having a recognizable image |
| C．state the surrounding design of the logo can always be changed |
| D．ensure that the logo should not be misinterpreted in different cultures |
| A．fitting in with the contemporary design | B．inspiring loyalty from the consumers |
| C．displaying originality and impact | D．promoting a strong corporate identity |
6 . Christmas Traditions
Since about 400 AD, Christmas day has been celebrated on 25th December. This date was the old mid-winter festival in pre-Christian times, around the time of the longest night and the shortest day. Christmas in the 21st century has many traditions.
Shops can make about 60 per cent of their year's income in the three months before Christmas. So most shops get ready for it in October. The shopping centres are beautifully decorated and stay open late at night. The first time this happened was in 1867 when Macys', a famous shop in New York, stayed open until midnight on Christmas Eve (24th December).
By mid-December, almost every house, shop and street has a Christmas tree. This tradition was started by the Germans as early as 700 AD. In the northern countries of the world, winter is cold and dark and most trees lose their leaves. The beautiful green trees decorated with lights and coloured glass balls give people hope that spring will come again.
Father Christmas is known across the world with his white hair, red coat and big bag of toys. Young children are told that he lives it in the north of Finland and makes toys for them. By tradition, he brings the toys to children at midnight, on the night before Christmas.
On Christmas day a traditional meal is eaten, usually turkey and a rich, spicy cake. Some people hate Christmas. Others feel it is a magical and exciting time. They love seeing family and friends; they also love the traditions. Love it or hate it, Christmas is a time to look back over the old year and forward to the new one.
1. Christmas has been celebrated ________.| A．for over 3,000 years | B．for over 1,600 years |
| C．since the start of the 21st century | D．for 400 years |
| A．they can stay open later | B．they are beautifully decorated |
| C．much of the income is made | D．more people go shopping |
| A．they make people think of Germany | B．they are easy and cheap to get |
| C．they lose their leaves in winter | D．they make people think of spring |
| A．a real person who lives in Finland | B．a magical story for kids |
| C．a character in a film | D．a real person who makes toys |
| A．On Christmas day people love to visit friends. |
| B．Christmas time is loved by some people and hated by others |
| C．Christmas is a magical and exciting time for all. |
| D．On Christmas day turkey is a traditional meal. |
7 . Festivals and celebrations of all kinds have been held everywhere since ancient times. Most ancient festivals would celebrate the end of cold weather, planting in spring and harvest in autumn .Today's festivals have many origins: some are seasonal, some for special people and some for special events.
Dragon Boat Festival celebrations take place in China on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. They are held in memory of Qu Yuan, a famous person who wrote poems in Ancient China. It was the first traditional Chinese festival added to UNESCO'S List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Thanksgiving is celebrated mainly in North America, in October or November. Traditionally, it was a chance to give thanks for a good year, Now. i is also a time for families to get together for a big dinner.
May Day s a festival to celebrate the start of summer, with celebrations held across Europe and in parts of North America. People prepare decorations with flowers and dance around poles.
The Spring Festival that is also called Chinese New Year is one of the most important Festivals in China.It stars with a new moon and ends 15 day later on the full moon, marking the beginning of spring .During this festival,people eat dumpling, fish and meat and may give children lucky money in red paper. Nowadays, more and more countries around the world are holding celebrations for Chinese Spring Festival.
Festivals let us enjoy life , be proud of our customs and forget our work for a little while.
1. How many festivals are introduced in the text?| A．Two. | B．Three | C．Four | D．Five. |
| A．May Day. | B．Thanksgiving. |
| C．The Spring Festival. | D．Dragon Boat Festival |
| A．Pies and chicken. | B．Dumplings and fish. |
| C．Noodles and meat. | D．Sandwiches and Turkey. |
| A．In China | B．Across Europe. |
| C．in North America | D．In South Africa. |
| A．The introduction of some festivals. | B．The activities of some festivals. |
| C．The customs of some festivals. | D．The history of some festivals. |
When I was young, I asked my grandmother, “Why is the sea so big?” She thought for a moment and replied, “Because he knows how to combine all the rivers”, smiling. Today, I can still recall that smile on my grandmother’s face because from that lesson, I have learned the importance of integration.
Kipling said, “East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet!” But now, a century later, they have met. They have met in business. They have met in education. They have met in arts. Some would argue that these meetings leave us with a choice between East and West, but I believe the best future lies in the creative combination of both worlds. We can make Western ideas, customs and technology our own, and adapt them to our use so that we can enjoy the best of all worlds. This is our best tradition.
But, do Western styles and values threaten our identity? History makes it easy for us to think so — perhaps too easy. Some people seem to think that adopting Western customs, such as a bride wearing white which has long been a color of sadness in China, instead of the traditional Chinese red for her wedding, is a betrayal of our tradition. They fear that as we become globalized, we will no longer be Chinese. However, I do not agree. The wedding of Eastern and Western cultures, whether in white gowns(礼服）or red, brings us variety. Actually, the best attitude towards the trend lies in the lesson history teaches us — a strong and confident nation is at ease in learning from the outside world.
As a lover of Chinese cuisine, our superb flavors(口味）delight me. But my Chinese taste appreciates good food from any land. I even allow the convenience of McDonald’s a place in my life without giving up my good taste. My grandfather taught me to sing Beijing opera from the time I was very young. It is deep in my spirit, part of my soul. I love Beijing opera, because it always reminds me of who I am. But I am also a fan of modern pop music, the No.1 fan of Spice Girls on campus.
Of course, it goes far beyond food, music and dance. It goes into values and ways of thinking about the world.
1. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “integration”? (1Word )2. According to the writer, in what aspects have East and West met? ( No more than 8 words )
3. What is the most important quality of our traditions according to the passage? ( No more than 15 words )
4. What’s the best title for the passage? ( No more than 10 words )
5. What is your attitude towards “globalized”? Please explain in your own words ( No more than 20 words )
9 . Nobody laughed when the UK comedy show Little Britain toured the US. Americans didn’t find the “British stereotypes(刻板印象)”funny. One character was a woman who was sick whenever she saw a foreigner.Another was a loud and rude 15-year-old girl cursing(骂)at her teachers.But back home,British people were laughing,thinking,“Yes!That’s exactly what we’re like!”
A laugh is a laugh in any language,but the reasons for it can be very different.Britons and Americans speak the same language,but humor does not always translate.
Take The Office as an example.This was originally a UK TV series but it was changed for the US.Both the US and UK series are set in a boring workplace in a boring town.But David Brent,the boss of the UK office,is not a nice guy like Michael Scott in the US version. “We had to make Michael Scott a slightly nicer guy,”wrote series creator Ricky Gervais.“He couldn’t be too mean.”
Gervais said British people are different from Americans because“Britons cruelly make fun of people we like or dislike…and of ourselves”. He believes the differences between the American and British senses of humor are because of“our upbringing”.
“Americans are brought up to believe they can be the next president of the United States,”he wrote.“Britons are told,‘It won’t happen for you’.”
Things usually turn out fine at the end of every US Office episode(集). Even if they’re not perfect, the characters “learn a lesson” for the future.
But in David Brent’s office—and in lots of UK comedies—the last scene is often sad. You are often left with the feeling that things just couldn’t get worse. For British people, this seems truer to life and so much funnier.
It’s not just Britain and the US that have comic differences. Few foreigners would understand a Chinese cross-talk show,for example.
Cultural differences are no laughing matter. But comic differences can be a window into a culture.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To show that British humor is not funny at all. |
| B．To show that American people don't understand British people. |
| C．To show that Britain and America have different stereotypes. |
| D．To show how humor may mean different things in different cultures. |
| A．Unkind. | B．Great. | C．Average. | D．Ugly-looking. |
| A．David Brent is quite a nice guy. |
| B．Michael Scott is a rather mean guy. |
| C．Episodes in the UK version often end on a hopeless note. |
| D．Episodes in the US version often end in a boring way. |
| A．Britons do not like to make fun of others. |
| B．British comedy often has a moral message. |
| C．American people are brought up to be more positive. |
| D．Jokes are difficult to translate from one language into another. |
| A．They are slight differences that can be ignored. | B．They can partly show cultural differences. |
| C．They show stereotypes of different cultures. | D．They help people communicate with each other. |
10 . People from East Asia tend to have more difficulty than those from Europe in distinguishing facial expressions — and a new report published online in Current Biology explains why.
Rachael Jack, University of Glasgow researcher, said that rather than scanning evenly (均匀的) across a face as Westerners do, Easterners fix their attention on the eyes.
“We show that Easterners and Westerners look at different face features to read facial expressions,” Jack said. “Westerners look at the eyes and the mouth in equal measure, whereas Easterners favor the eyes and neglect (忽略) the mouth.”
According to Jack and her colleagues, the discovery shows that human communication of emotion is more complex than previously believed. As a result, facial expressions that had been considered universally recognizable cannot be used to reliably convey emotion in cross-cultural situations.
The researchers studied cultural differences in the recognition of facial expressions by recording the eye movements of 13 Western Caucasian and 13 East Asian people while they observed pictures of expressive faces and put them into categories: happy, sad, surprised, fearful, disgusted, angry, or neutral. They compared how accurately participants read those facial expressions using their particular eye movement strategies.
It turned out that Easterners focused much greater attention on the eyes and made significantly more errors than did Westerners. “The cultural difference in eye movements that they show is probably a reflection of cultural difference in facial expressions,” Jack said. “Our data suggest that whereas Westerners use the whole face to convey emotion, Easterners use the eyes more and mouth less.”
In short, the data show that facial expressions are not universal signals of human emotion. From here on, examining how cultural factors have diversified these basic social skills will help our understanding of human emotion. Otherwise, when it comes to communicating emotions across cultures, Easterners and Westerners will find themselves lost in translation.
1. The discovery shows that Westerners_______.| A．consider facial expressions universally reliable |
| B．pay equal attention to the eyes and the mouth |
| C．observe the eyes and the mouth in different ways |
| D．have more difficulty in recognizing facial expressions |
| A．To classify some face pictures. | B．To get their faces impressive. |
| C．To make a face at each other. | D．To observe the researchers’ faces. |
| A．The researchers of the study. | B．The participants in the study. |
| C．The errors made during the study. | D．The data collected from the study. |
| A．do translation more successfully |
| B．study the mouth more frequently |
| C．examine the eyes more attentively |
| D．read facial expressions more correctly |
| A．is a student in University of Glasgow |
| B．studies the fields related to biology or cultures |
| C．has published a new report on human rights |
| D．shows that facial expressions are universal signals of human emotion |
| A．The Eye as the Window to the Soul |
| B．Effective Methods to Develop Social Skills |
| C．How to Increase Cross-cultural Understanding |
| D．Cultural Differences in Reading Emotions |
