3 . To take the apple as forbidden fruit is the most unlikely story the Christians (基督徒) have ever cooked up. For them, the forbidden fruit from Eden is evil. So when Columbus brought the tomato back from South America, a land mistakenly considered to be Eden, everyone jumped to the obvious conclusion. Wrongly taken as the apple of Eden, the tomato was shut out of the door of Europeans.

What made it particularly terrifying was its similarity to the mandrake, a plant that thought to have come from Hell. What earned the plant its awful reputation was its roots which looked like a dried-up human body occupied by evil spirits. Though the tomato and the mandrake were quite different except that both had bright red or yellow fruit, the general population considered them one and the same, too terrible to touch.

Cautious Europeans long ignored the tomato, and until the early 1700s most of the Western people continued to drag their feet. In the 1880s, the daughter of a well-known plant expert wrote that the most interesting part of an afternoon tea at her father’s house had been the “introduction of this wonderful new fruit — or is it a vegetable?” As late as the twentieth century some writers still classed tomatoes with mandrakes as an “evil fruit”.

But in the end tomatoes carried the day. The hero of the tomato was an American named Robert Johnson, and when he was publicly going to eat the tomato in 1820, people journeyed for hundreds of miles to watch him drop dead. “What are you afraid of?” he shouted. “I’ll show you fools that these things are good to eat!” Then he bit into the tomato. Some people fainted. But he survived and, according to a local story set up a tomato-canning factory.

1. The tomato was shut out of the door of early Europeans mainly because __________.

A．it made Christians evil

B．it was the apple of Eden

C．it came from a forbidden land

D．it was religiously unacceptable

2. What is the main reason for Robert Johnson to eat the tomato publicly?

A．To make himself a hero.

B．To remove people’s fear of the tomato.

C．To speed up the popularity of the tomato.

D．To persuade people to buy products from his factory.

3. What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To challenge people’s fixed concepts of the tomato.

B．To give an explanation to people’s dislike of the tomato.

C．To present the change of people’s attitudes to the tomato.

D．To show the process of freeing the tomato from religious influence.

4 . Body language, especially gestures, varies among cultures. For example, a nod of the head means “yes” to most of us.     1     Likewise, a sign for OK, forming a circle with our forefinger and thumb, means zero in France and money in Japan.     2    

Folded arms signal pride in Finland, but disrespect in Fiji. The number of bows that the Japanese exchange on greeting each other, as well as the length and the depth of the bows, signals the social status each party feels towards each other.

Italians might think you’re bored unless you use a lot of gestures during discussions. Many Americanmen sit with their legs crossed with one ankle resting over the opposite knee.     3    

Likewise, Americans consider eye contact very important, often not trusting someone who is afraid to look at you in the eye. But in Japan and many Latin American countries, keeping the eyes lowered is a sign of respect.     4    

A．To look a partner full in the eye is considered a sign of ill-breeding and is felt to be annoying.

B．As is known to all, eyes are the window the soul.

C．However, this would be considered an insult in Muslim countries, where one will never show the sole of the foot to a guest.

D．But in Bulgaria and Greece a nod means “no” and a shake of the head means “yes”.

E．Waving or pointing to an Arab business person would be considered rude because that is how Arabs call their dogs over.

F．However, whatever cultures you are exposed to, bear in mind that when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

5 . Many of China’s ancient architectural treasures smashed to dust before Lin Huiyin and Liang Sicheng began documenting them in the 1930s. The husband and wife team were among the first preservationists to operate in China, and by far the bestknown. Their efforts have since inspired generations of people to speak out for architecture threatened by the rush toward development.

Becoming China’s best architectural historians was no easy accomplishment. The buildings they wanted to save were centuries old located in distant parts of the country.In many cases, they had to journey through dangerous conditions in the Chinese countryside to reach them. Exploring China’s remote areas during the 1930s meant traveling muddy, poorly maintained roads by mule（骡子）or on foot. Inns were often dirty food could be polluted, and there was always risk or violence from rebels, soldiers and robbers.

Their greatest discovery was the Temple of Buddha’s Light, in Wutai County, Shanxi Province. The breathtaking wooden temple was built in 857 A. D., making it the oldest building known in China at the time.

Liang and Lin crawled into the temple’s most forbidding, forgotten areas to determine itsage, including one hideaway inhibited by thousands or bats and millions of bedbugs, covered in dust and littered with dead bats. “In complete darkness andamong the awful smell, hardly breathing, with thick masks covering our nosesand mouths, we measured, drew, and photographed with flashlights for several hours. When at last we came out to take a breath of fresh air, we foundhundreds of bedbugs in our bag. We ourselves had been badly bitten. Yet the importance and unexpectedness of our find made those the happiest hours of myyears hunting for ancient architecture.” Liand wrote of the experience in anaccount included in “Liang and Lin; Partners in Exploring China’s ArchitectualPast.”

1. On their way to the ancient buildings in 1930s,Liang and Lin faced following risks EXCEPT ________.

A．accommodations	B．personal security
C．road conditions	D．vehicles

2. Liang and Lin raised public awareness of ________.

A．documenting smashed historical buildings

B．rebuilding historically valuablebuildings

C．saving the oldest temples in China

D．Protecting historical buildings.

3. While exploring the Temple of Buddha’s Light,________

A．Liang and Lin caught insects with awful smell.

B．Liang and Lin were forbidden to breathe inside

C．Liang and Lin were pleased at something unhoped for

D．Liang and Lin determined its age by studyingbedbug’s hideaway

4. Which of the following is the best title for thepassage?

A．Creativeness results in discovery	B．Difficulty produces achievement
C．Efforts contribute to happiness	D．Responsibilities make development

6 . The concept of peace is a very important one in cultures all over the world. Think about how we greet people. In some languages, the phrases for greetings contain the word for peace. In some cultures we greet people by shaking hands or with another gesture to show that we are not carrying weapons – that we come in peace. And there are certain symbols which people in very different cultures recognize as representing peace. Let’s look at a few of them.

The dove

The dove has been a symbol of peace and innocence for thousands of years in many different cultures. In ancient Greek mythology it was a symbol of love and the renewal of life. In ancient Japan a dove carrying a sword symbolized the end of war. There was a tradition in Europe that if a dove flew around a house where someone was dying then their soul would be at peace. And there are legends which say that the devil can turn himself into any bird except for a dove. In Christian art, the dove was used to symbolize the Holy Ghost and was often painted above Christ's head. But it was Pablo Picasso who made the dove a modern symbol of peace when he used it on a poster for the World Peace Congress in 1949.

The rainbow

The rainbow is another ancient and universal symbol, often representing the connection between human beings and their gods. In Greek mythology it was associated with Iris, the goddess who brought messages from the gods on Mount Olympus. In Scandinavian mythology the rainbow was a bridge between the gods and the earth. In the Bible a rainbow showed Noah that the Biblical flood was finally over, and that God had forgiven his people. In the Chinese tradition, the rainbow is a common symbol for marriage because the colours represent the union of yin and yang. Nowadays the rainbow is used by many popular movements for peace and the environment, representing the possibility of a better world in the future and promising sunshine after the rain.

The olive branch

The olive tree has always been a valuable source of food and oil. In Greek mythology, the goddess Athena gave the olive tree to the people of Athens, who showed their gratitude by naming the city after her. But no one knows for sure when or why it began to symbolize peace. There is probably a connection with ancient Greece. Wars between states were suspended during the Olympic Games, and the winners were given crowns of olive branches. The symbolism may come from the fact that the olive tree takes a long time to produce fruit, so olives could only be cultivated successfully in long periods of peace. Whatever the history, the olive branch is a part of many modern flags symbolizing peace and unity. One well-known example is the United Nations symbol.

1. Who played the major role in making the dove a modern symbol of peace?

A．Pablo Picasso.	B．A god in Greek mythology.
C．Jesus Christ.	D．Ancient Japanese.

2. How many examples does the writer give to show the rainbow as a universal symbol of peace?

A．Two.	B．Three.
C．Four.	D．Five.

3. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A．Different Concepts of Peace.	B．The popularity of Peace Symbols.
C．The Origins of Peace Symbols.	D．Cultural Differences in Peace.

7 . Every country has certain cultural patterns making it unique. Of course, habits and customs between cultures and countries tend to overlap(重叠). The popularity of social media, for instance, ignores borders and breaks down cultural differences. Technology has made the world a much smaller and culturally similar place. However, when looking at a foreign country, we will always find differences between our traditions and theirs. Young Italians and young Americans, for example, though alike in many respects, have also some pronounced differences, especially when it comes to work, pastimes and sports.

Most American teens have part-time jobs through high school and college. Youths in Italy tend not to. The reasons behind this are multifaceted. It is, to begin with, rather hard in Italy to find the type of part-time jobs students usually take up. Moreover, there is also a different cultural attitude to take into consideration, especially when thinking of certain parts of Italy. Young Italians like to enjoy life to the full and feel there will be time to work once they become adults, hence the lack of interest in finding odd jobs while still in school. Like the old saying goes, some Italians work to Live, while some Americans often live to work.

In a lot of ways, young Italians and Americans spend their free time in a similar fashion. Listening to music, watching movies, hanging out, practicing sports and surfing the Internet are all common ways to pass some free time. Italians, especially, make a point of going out and being social, often choosing between pizzeria or birrerie (place for pizza or beer), which stay open late. Italians often pile into a couple of cars and go out in a big group. In general, American teens participate in a lot of extracurricular(课外的) activities, many often through school, while Italians may not take part in so many.

When going out, Italian teens tend to meet and gather on the streets of their cities or towns, something not as common in the United States, especially in highly populated areas. This very Italian habit can be linked to the urban arrangement of Italian towns. Many of them date back thousands of years and feature central piazzas(广场) and areas built around historical sites that have now become gathering places for the young. If you’re in Italy, don’t be surprised by the sight of hundreds gathered in a piazza or on the street, laughing and drinking the night away.

1. The passage is mainly about ________.

A．the unique lifestyles shared by American and Italian teens

B．the relationship between young people of America and Italy

C．some customs and habits of the Americans and Italians

D．some differences in tradition between young Americans and Italians

2. By saying “some Italians work to live, while some Americans often live to work”, the author most probably wants to tell us that ________.

A．Italians have a better life attitude toward working

B．Americans are more diligent and thus live a better life

C．Americans and Italians both find it hard to locate a satisfying job

D．Italians and Americans have different choices regarding work

3. According to paragraph 3, which of the following statements is true?

A．American teens practice sports and surf the Internet to pass time.

B．Italian youth take an active part in extracurricular activities.

C．American teens like to drive out and social together in big groups.

D．Italian youth enjoy pizza and beer because they are cheap.

4. If there is one more paragraph in this passage, what will it most probably be about?

A．The working conditions of the young Americans and Italians.

B．The differences in practicing sports between teens of the two nations.

C．The central piazzas and areas built around historical sites in Italy.

D．The urban arrangement of the highly populated American cities.

8 . An opinion poll was conducted in the early 1990s to find out the cultural attitudes of residents of five countries in Western Europe (Britain, France, Italy, Spain and Germany). One thousand people, forming a representative sample of the adult population, from each of the five participating countries were interviewed.

The poll assumed that literature, history, science, arts, law, economics and so on would be regarded as significant elements of culture by all participants, but it set out to examine the areas which they considered the most important forms of cultural expression. In addition, the poll required interviewees to indicate in a questionnaire the type of education they considered most appropriate for the modern world, the best channels of knowledge and arts they most valued.     1    

The results of the poll show interesting differences between the participating nations in terms of which components of culture they regard as most important forms of cultural expression. For the French and Italians, literature comes well at the top of the list.     2     History occupies second place for the French, the Italians and Germans but is given very low priority by the British. For the Spanish these four areas are more or less equal, with mathematics having a slight edge.

It seems that members of each country in the survey have a common definition of culture but that definition varies from country to country.     3     The French and Italians are literary peoples, the British scientific and the Germans practical and hard-working.

France has the distinction, according to the results of the poll, of being the country which provokes most interest from its British. Italian and German neighbors.     4     The French also placed Italy first. Italy occupies second place for both the British and the Germans. It would seem, then, that the “literary” nations of France and Italy are more culturally exciting than the scientific British or the practical Germans!

A．In contrast, mathematics is given priority by the British and economics,/politics by the   Germans.

B．There are clear differences in the views of various European nations.

C．The interviewees were also asked which European country they found most attractive from a cultural point of view.

D．Spanish interviewees indicated more interest in Italy than in France.

E．The residents of the five countries of the survey share the view that books are the best way of broadening knowledge.

F．The variations tend to support the national stereotypes we have of one another.

9 . Human remains of ancient settlements will be reburied and lost to science under a law that threatens research into the history of humans in Britain, a group of leading archeologists (考古学家) says. In a letter addressed to the justice secretary, Ken Clarke, 40 archaeologists write of their “deep and widespread concern” about the issue. It centers on the law introduced by the Ministry of Justice in 2008 which requires all human remains unearthed in England and Wales to be reburied within two years, regardless of their age. The decision means scientists have too little time to study bones and other human remains of national and cultural significance.

“Your current requirement that all archaeologically unearthed human remains should be reburied, whether after a standard period of two years or further special extension, is contrary to basic principles of archaeological and scientific research and of museum practice,” they write.

The law applies to any pieces of bone uncovered at around 400 dig including the remains of 60 or so bodies found at Stonehenge in 2008 that date back to 3,000 BC. Archaeologists have been granted a temporary extension to give them more time, but eventually the bones will have to he returned to the ground.

The arrangements may result in the waste of future discoveries at sites such as Happisburgh in Norfolk, where digging is continuing after the discovery of stone tools made by early humans 950,000 years ago. If human remains were found at Happisburgh, they would be the oldest in northern Europe and the first indication of what this species was. Under the current practice of the law those remains would have to be reburied and effectively destroyed.

Before 2008, guidelines allowed for the proper preservation and study of bones of sufficient age and historical interest, while the Burial Act 1857 applied to more recent remains. The Ministry of Justice assured archaeologists two years ago that the law was temporary, but has so far failed to revise it.

Mike Parker Pearson, an archaeologist at Sheffield University, said: “Archaeologists have been extremely patient because we were led to believe the ministry was sorting out this problem, but we feel that we cannot wait any longer.”

The ministry has no guidelines on where or how remains should be reburied, or on what records should be kept.

1. According to the passage, scientists are unhappy with the law mainly because       .

A．it is only a temporary measure on the human remains

B．it was introduced by the government without their knowledge

C．it is unreasonable and thus destructive to scientific research

D．it is vague about where and how to rebury human remains

2. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A．Temporary extension of two years will guarantee scientists enough time.

B．Human remains of the oldest species were dug out at Happisburgh.

C．Scientists have been warned that the law can hardly be changed.

D．Human remains will have to be reburied despite the extension of time.

3. What can be inferred about the British law governing human remains?

A．The Ministry of Justice has not done enough about the law.

B．The Burial Act 1857 only applied to remains uncovered before 1857.

C．The law on human remains hasn’t changed in recent decades.

D．The Ministry of Justice did not intend it to protect human remains.

4. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

A．New discoveries should be reburied, the government demands.

B．Law could bury ancient secrets for ever, archeologists warn.

C．Law on human remains needs thorough discussion, authorities say.

D．Research time should be extended, scientists require.

10 . Online purchases have soared during the Chinese New Year holiday.
It’s the dead of winter in Shanghai. Delivery man Liu Jia and his colleagues start the day when most of people are still asleep. Working at a distribution point of a shopping website in Shanghai, they promise to deliver products within three hours of an order being placed. “I buy most of my grocery online, especially the heavy items. It’s convenient and cheap compared to the supermarket in my neighborhood,” Customer Chen Hong said. Orders such as these have increased for the New Year, forcing Liu Jia to work around the clock. “The orders are usually rice, laundry detergent（洗涤剂）, tissue paper and snacks, mostly food and articles for everyday use,” Liu Jia said.
According to an industry report, China’s B2C （Business to Customer） online sales are growing at an annual rate of 25 percent. Competition between online giants like Taobao and Jingdong is now fiercer than ever. “The essence of online shopping is that customers can buy products easily. So the competition is about: firstly, the range of products; secondly, the depth under each category of products; third, the price and user experience,” Pan Biao, vice president of YHD. com, said. E-commerce is one of China’s fastest growing sectors. It’s changed people’s buying habits, and even their living habits. And it’s had a huge impact on the retail industry. To make online shopping more convenient, major sites are investing heavily to build payment systems
and logistics（物流）networks.
On average, a retailer now can deliver goods to the majority of cities within 3 days, and to towns and more remote areas in the country within a week. “Competition will produce a number of good companies, making better products and services that customers need. In the field of E-commerce, we are leading the world in terms of products, services and industry development,” Liu Yinbin, associate professor with Dept of Information Management, Shanghai University, said.   Experts also say customers are increasingly making their online purchases from mobile devices, opening up vast new opportunities and competition for retailers.
1. All of the following about Liu Jia are true EXCEPT that ________.

A．he works as an online store owner in Shanghai

B．he has to work around the clock to deliver so many products

C．he starts working when most of people are still asleep

D．he must deliver products within three hours of an order being placed

2. The possible meaning of the underlined word “essence” in Paragraph 3 is ________.

A．way	B．advantage
C．result	D．influence

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Chen Hong buys most of her electronic products online.

B．Pan Biao encourages retailers to open up new chances.

C．China’s B2C online sales are growing at a rate of 25 percent.

D．Liu Yinbin thinks competition will help make better products and services.

4. Which of the following can be the best topic of the passage?

A．Customers like buying mobile devices.

B．Online shopping increases rapidly for Chinese New Year.

C．Most customers buy food and articles for everyday use.

D．Taobao and Jingdong are competing fiercely.