4 . Directions：After reading the passage below, fill in each blank with a proper word given in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than.

A. vacant   B. raised   C. acknowledges   D. quoted   E. alerts   F. colonial G. housed   H. former   I. recommendations   J. requests   K. reviews

Museums Rethink What to Do with Their African Art Collections

Recently, a discussion is happening in museums around the world over the volume of African art in their collections. Officials in Germany and the Netherlands have announced plans to return art and artifacts（文物）taken from Africa during the    1    period. And more museum staff are meeting on the topic across Europe.

According to the most commonly    2    figures from UNESCO（United Nations Educational, Scientifie and Cultural Organization）, 90% to 95%of sub-Saharan cultural artifacts are    3    outside Africa. Many were taken by force long ago and ended up in museums across Europe and North America.

At the Africa Museum in Belgium, director Guido Gryseels says 85 percent of the-museum’s collection comes from the Congo-the site of Belgium’s    4    colony in Central Africa. For decades, Congolese leaders have asked for these objects to be returned. Most of their    5    , and those by African countries to other museums, have been refused.

But recent events in Europe have    6    the possibility of returns at a much larger scale. In addition to the plans announced in Germany, last year France conducted a study of how much African art French museums are holding and made    7    about what to do with it.

The study recommended the return of a wide range of objects taken by force. The suggestion got mixed    8    in France, where there are at least 90000 African items in museums.

In France, some people have suggested returns could leave shelves    9    in French museums. Cecile Fromont, a French historian of Central African art, says that’s not going to happen. One way of thinking about it, she says, is that more African art can go on display.

However, Guido Gryseels of the Africa Museum in Belgium    10    that attitudes are changing. He says he’s in discussion with the Congo to return works.

5 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box.Each word can be used only once.Note that there is one word more than you need.

A.approaches       B.shape       C.previously       D.evident       E.secrets       F.date G.hardly       H.remains       I.irrelevant        J.potential       K.particularly

Swedish Archaeologists Make New Discoveries

Archaeologists have begun exploring an unknown ancient city at a village called Vlochós, five hours north of Athens. The archaeological     1     are scattered on and around the Strongilovoúni hill on the great Thessalian plains and can be traced to several historical periods.

“What used to be considered remains of some     2     settlement can now be upgraded to remains of a city of higher significance than     3     thought,”says Robin Rönnlund, PhD student in Classical Archaeology and Ancient History at the University of Gothenburg and leader of the fieldwork.

“We came across the site which has never been explored before in connection with another project last year and realised the great     4    right away.”

Working together with the Swedish Institute at Athens and the local archaeological service in Karditsa, the Vlochós Archaeological Project (VLAP) was started with an aim to explore the remains. The project’s research team completed the first field season during two weeks in September 2016.

Rönnlund says that the hill is hiding many     5    . Remains of towers, walls and city gates can be found on the mountaintop and slopes, but     6     anything is visible on the ground below. The ambition is to avoid digging and instead use     7     such as ground-penetrating radar. This will enable the team to leave the site in the same     8     as it was in when they arrived. The success of this method is     9     from the results of the first field season:

“We found a town square and a street network that indicate that we are dealing with quite a large city. The area inside the city wall measures over 40 hectares. We also found ancient pottery and coins that can help to     10     the city. Our oldest finds are from around 500 BC, but the city seems to have flourished mainly from the fourth to the third century BC before it was abandoned for some reason, maybe in connection with the Roman conquest of the area.”

Rönnlund believes that the Swedish-Greek project can provide important clues as to what happened during this violent period in Greek history.

6 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. criticize       B. desperately       C. establish       D. feature       E. focus       F. gratitude G. heartfelt       H. humanity       I. influence       J. present       K. touch

Letters Brought Back to Life

Letters as a way of communication have long given way to phone calls and WeChat messages. But a TV show, Letters Alive, is helping bring this old way to keep in touch back into the     1    .

Letters Alive took its idea from a UK program with a similar name, Letters Live. Both shows     2     famous actors and actresses, but there is no gossip, no eye-catching visual effects. Instead, it’s just one person walking up to a microphone and reading a letter.

But these are not just any letters. They vary greatly in time and subjects. There is, for example, a passionate letter that famous painter Huang Yongyu wrote to playwright Cao Yu 30 years ago to     3     his lack of creativity. There is also a(n)     4     note from Spring and Autumn Period written by two ordinary young soldiers to their elder brother to report their lives in the war zone.

Compared to published texts, letters also come with a personal     5    .

One example from Letters Live was a note of     6     from the mother of a dying child to JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books. It read: “Mrs Rowling, cancer threatened to take everything from my daughter, and your books turned out to be the castle we so     7     needed to hide in.”

According to Guan Zhengwen, the director of Letters Alive, it is this kind of     8     behind every letter that strikes a harmony with the audience. “It’s a thing of the past that entertainment shows     9     themselves only with pretty faces,” Guan told Sohu News. “Entertainment industry is starting to switch to a(n)     10     on wisdom and intelligence.”

7 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once.   Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. stressed       B. exhibited       C. reveals       D. momentary       E. reluctance       F. unforgettable G. attaches        H. amusedly       I. understatement       J. confusedly       K. delivery

The Correct Answer to the Question

The usual answer to the greeting “How are you?” is generally “Not too bad.” Why? Because it’s all-purpose. Whatever the circumstances, whatever the conditions, “Not too bad” will get you through. On an average day it     1     a confusing modesty. In good times it implies a decent pessimism (悲观), a kind of     2     to express oneself. And when things are rough, really rough and annoying, it becomes a heroic     3    , as if everything goes well. Best of all, it gently prevents further inquiry with all three syllables (音节) equally     4    , because it is basically meaningless.

Americans are small-talk artists. They have to be. This is a wild country. The weakest agreement     5     one person to the next. So the “Have a nice day”, the “Hot enough for you”, and the “How about those guys” serve a vital purpose. Without these little commonly-used phrases and the     6     social contract that they represent, to calm people, the streets would be a free-for-all exhibition of disaster.

But that’s the negative view. Some of my happiest interactions with other human beings have been glancing moments of small talks. It’s an extraordinary thing. A person stands before you, a complete stranger, and the best everyday small talk can have his or her soul     7     in front of your eyes.

I was out walking the other day when a UPS truck pulled to the side of the road. As the driver leaped from his cab to make a     8    , I heard relaxing music coming out of the truck’s speakers -- a kind of familiar and weightless blues music, and it’s my favorite tune. “China Cat Sunflower?” I said to the UPS guy as he rushed back to his truck. He     9     showed a huge smile, “You got it, babe!”

The exchange of feelings, the perfect understanding, the simplest small talk that emerged instantly between us, and, most of all, the     10     “babe”—I was high as a kite for the next 10 minutes after such a pure small talk.

8 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. inhabitants     B. captured       C. minimum   D. innovation E. network F. apparently       G. highlighted   H. equally     I. humble       J. expansion   K. displays

Is Boasting Good or Bad Business?

Sweden is one of the most creative countries in the world, yet has a culture that warns against boasting about its success in public. And is this    1     manner a help or an obstacle when it comes to start-up?

From household names such as Spotify and Skype, to gaming leaders King and Mojang, Sweden is a land of     2     for industrial changes and new products. Despite just 10 million     3    occupying a land mass largely defined by forest wildness, the nation has in recent years created billion-dollar companies per head than everywhere else outside Silicon Valley.

The more familiar narrative for Sweden’s start-up success story typically includes the following factors. It has strong digital facilities, a highly educated, tech-experienced workforce, and an ideal population size for testing innovations. And for those whose ideas are not in line, there is a strong social welfare     4    to set them back on their feet.

While Ingvar Kamprad, founder of Ikea, has emphasized his being modest and economical in his attitude, research is always at the heart of Ikea’s    5    . These firm-held cultural features have    6     the attention worldwide. Local and global observers are admiring their constant role in promoting Sweden’s lively economy.

“Trying to keep boasting to a    7     and finding a common ground so that everybody is on the same page” remain to be two of the most spreading practice in the Swedish workforce, says Lola Akinmade Akerstrom, a cultural commentator, who     8     this in her recent book Lagorm: The Swedish Secret of Living Well.

Rather than focus on a rock star’s or a CEO’s “killing it” , in Swedish business : “It’s about everybody getting together, making sure their voices are heard     9    , so that they can all reach a most desirable solution together,” she says.

This culture has its roots in what Swedes call “Jantelagen”, which describes a century-old tradition that discourages unnecessary    10    of wealth or success. In other words, nobody should consider themselves better than anyone else.

9 . There are a few different stories behind the origin of the modern-day Christmas tree, although not all     1     (root) in fact. Evergreen trees were     2     (actual) used by people in winter festivals for thousands of years. During the winter solstice (冬至), evergreens signified the coming of spring. As Christianity spread throughout Europe, the trees began to be used as a symbol for Christmas. In mystery plays in Germany, they were often used as props (支柱),     3     (decorate) with apples to represent the Garden of Eden.

One legend credits 16th century Protestant reformer Martin Luther for     4     (bring) the Christmas tree into homes. Luther was supposedly walking through the forest on the night before Christmas when he looked up to see stars shine through the tree     5     (branch). He was so dazzled by the     6     (beauty) sight that he told his children it reminded him of Jesus and then put up     7     tree in his own home.

But it wasn’t until the mid-19th century           8     the Christmas tree as we now know it became custom. England’s Queen Victoria encouraged her husband to decorate a tree as he had back at home in     9     is now Germany. When a drawing of the royal family with their beautiful Christmas tree     10     (appear) in a London newspaper, the tradition also became popular throughout the UK and US.

10 . The ancient Chinese divided the sun’s annual circular movement into 24 parts. Each part was called     1     specific “Solar Term（节气）”. The criteria for the formation of of Twenty -four Solar Terms were developed through the observation of changes of seasons, astronomy and other natural     2     (phenomenon) in this region and have been progressively applied nationwide

It     3     (start) from the Beginning of Spring and ends with the Greater Cold,     4     (move) in cycles. The theory spreads from generation to generation and is     5     (traditional) used to direct production and daily routines. It, in particular, remains     6     (importance) to farmers for guiding their practices     7     is used widely by communities and shared by many racial groups in China. Some festivals in China are closely associated     8     the solar term. It may also be referenced in children’s songs, folk songs and old sayings, These various functions of the solar term have strengthened     9     (it) position as a form of intangible cultural heritage(非物质文化遗产) and have made a great     10     (contribute) to the community’s cultural identity.