1 . The shadow play is a typical traditional entertainment that has survived and thrived over the centuries. It is taken as an earliest ancestor of modern cinema.

Legend has it that more than 2,000 years ago，Emperor Wudi of the Western Han Dynasty was very depressed over the death of his favorite concubine（妃子）.To help him get over his sadness, a minister made a puppet out of cotton and silk in the likeness of the concubine and projected its shadow on a curtain for the emperor to see. The show brought the emperor some comfort. He somehow believed the shadow was his lover’ spirit. This is thought to be the beginning of the shadow play.

One mouth tells stories of thousands of years；a pair of hands operates millions of soldiers. This is how the shadow puppeteer works. Nicknamed “the business of the five”，a shadow puppet group is made up of five people. One operates the puppets, one plays a Suona and a Yueqin, one plays the Banhu, one is in charge of percussion（打击乐器）instruments, and one sings.

During performances, “actors” are held close to a white curtain with their colored shadows cast on it by a strong light from behind. The operator plays five puppets at the same time，each of which has three threads. Ten fingers handle fifteen threads. Moved by guiding sticks，the puppets play roles with musical accompaniment. The popularity of shadow play in some way lies in the equipment being light and easy to carry, the small number of people needed for a performance, and the flexible requirements for performance places. The plays can be quite dramatic and, when it comes to fairy tales or kungfu stories, the "actors" may be made to ride on clouds or perform unusual feats, to the great enjoyment of the audience, especially children.

The design of the figures follows traditional moral evaluation. The audience can tell a figure’s character by seeing his mask. Like the masks in Beijing Opera, a red mask represents honesty, a black mask, loyalty, and a white one, betrayal.

Nowadays, the shadow play has been industrialized and developed a series of tourist products for the promotion of Chinese culture and tourism.

1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?

A．A love story of Emperor Wudi.	B．How to please an Emperor.
C．The origin of the shadow play.	D．How to make a cotton puppet.

2. According to the author, the audience may take great pleasure___________.

A．when roles are played without music

B．because the equipment is light to carry

C．when the puppets give lively performances

D．because the number of the operators is small

3. What is the best title for the text?

A．The Rapid Development of Beijing Opera

B．Shadow Puppetry: Traditional Arts and Crafts

C．The Business of the Five: A Shadow Puppet Group

D．Traditional Characters and Masks in Beijing Opera

4. What is the author’s attitude towards the future of shadow play?

A．Negative.	B．Doubtful.
C．Positive.	D．Unconcerned.

2 . 语法填空

Many Americans put away their white clothes on Labor Day     1     do not wear them again until the following May.

One reason for the clothing custom relates to the season. In the United States, the     2     (month) between June and September are summer. The weather is usually hot in northeastern cities. Many people there historically wore light-colored clothing in the summertime     3     (keep) cool.

Judith Martin is an expert on manners,     4     spoke to Time Magazine about the history of wearing white in summer. She said Americans in the 1800s and early 1900s wore formal clothes all year long. Wearing white clothes in the summertime may make people more     5     (comfort). Then, in about the 1930s, wearing white clothes in the summertime became fashionable. That is because some wealthy Americans went on vacation     6     weeks or months in the summer. The white clothes then became connected with ease,     7     (beautiful) and money. But at the end of summer, they put those white clothes away and     8     (return) to their lives in the city,     9     (wear) darker and heavier clothes.     10     (eventual), not wearing white clothes after Labor Day became a bit of a fashion rule.

3 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

Summer in Britain

The summer is a great time to be in Britain. The British Museum, the Natural History Museum, the Tate Gallery are all a must-see for everybody who     1     (come) to the country ，but there are also a lot of interesting things to do for those     2    love the outdoors.

The Notting Hill Carnival (诺丁山狂欢节） changes the face of the famous London borough in the last weekend of August. It’s the     3    ( large) street festival in Europe. First     4     ( hold) in 1964，it’s a celebration of Caribbean culture but now includes Brazilians, Africans, Europeans and anybody else who likes to dress     5     ( colourful) and feels the urge to dance to the sound of a beat.

With its     6     ( popular) growing, it’s estimated (估算） that 50，000 performers will take part in the parade，     7    ( attract) more than 1 million people over the weekend.

In mid-August，in Bristol, a city about 200km from London, the sky is filled     8     colours during its annual balloon fiesta. If the weather is good, more than 100 hot air balloons     9     ( rise) from the fiesta’s site in Ashton Court.

Britain is full of traditions and sometimes just stopping at a country pub for a beer     10     having a cream tea in a small tearoom can make a moment special. Always be sure where you are, and learn enough English to ask for directions. Have a nice holiday!

4 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

The day of February 2nd brings the most-watched weather forecast of the year because of a kind of little animal. Legend says that     1    this morning, if a groundhog(土拨鼠)can see its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter.     2    it cannot see its shadow, spring is on the way.

Since a groundhog hibernates for the winter, its     3    (come)out of the ground is a natural sign of spring. Centuries ago, people in Europe watched for other hibernating animals     4    signs of winter's end. Germans     5    immigrated to Pennsylvania in the mid1800s began keeping an eye on the groundhog. The widespread population of the little animal made     6    easy for them to forecast the weather.

    7    (origin), February 2 is a holiday called Candlemas Day(圣烛节). Early people believed that if the sun came out on Candlemas Day, winter     8    (last)for six weeks more.

In the 1880s some friends in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, went into the woods on Candlemas Day to look for groundhogs. This outing became     9    tradition, and a local newspaper editor nicknamed the seekers "the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club".     10    (start)in 1887, the search became an official event centred on a groundhog called Punxsutawney Phil. The ceremony still takes place every year.

5 . Craziest Food Festivals sounds like a joke topic, but once you start looking into it, you’ll realize they’re everywhere — the crazier, the better.

1. Bibimbap Festival

In the South Korean town of Jeonjuloves, their “mixed rice” dish is a hearty serve of rice topped with raw beef, a rainbow of vegetables, a raw egg and gochujang sauce so much. They take four days out of October to celebrate it.

Like any festival there’s music, entertainment and magic, but making it that little bit different is the bibimbap that’s whipped (搅拌) up in a big bowl by dozens of chefs and served to over 400 people.

2. Waikiki Spam Jam

Who knew this canned meat had so much love? Well, it turns out that a can of Spam is the go-to item in Hawaii, along with a grass skirt and garland (花环). The people of Hawaii love Spam so much that they even spend a day in May giving out the best Spam, a type of cheap canned meat made mainly from pork.

3. Bessieres Easter Egg Festival

At Easter time, for those in the French town of Bessieres it’s all about an egg far less sweet.

Here they celebrate the holiday by getting dozens of chefs to make one large omelette (煎蛋卷) — 15,000 eggs strong — for the townsfolk (市民).

4. Potato Days Festival

This festival actually takes place in Barnesville, Minnesota, the US. Over the last Friday and Saturday in August the town celebrates its potato-growing skills by hosting potato picking and peeling contests, as well as a Miss Tater Tot pageant (盛典) for five- and six-year-old girls.

1. What makes Bibimbap festival special?

A．They take four days to celebrate it.

B．The mixed rice is rich in many vegetables.

C．There’s music, entertainment and magic during the festival.

D．The rice dish needs to be mixed in one big bowl by dozens of chefs together.

2. What do we know about Waikiki Spam Jam ?

A．The spam is the most favorite for Hawii people.

B．People spend one day to prepare the Jam.

C．The Jam isn’t affordable for the plain townsfolk.

D．The Jam is mainly made from raw beef.

3. If you have time in August, you can go to ______.

A．Bibimbap Festival	B．Waikiki Spam Jam
C．Bessieres Easter Egg Festival	D．Potato Days Festival

6 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What are the speakers getting ready for?

A．Timmy’s birthday.

B．Christmas.

C．New Year’s Day.

2. What will the woman do later?

A．Wrap the presents.

B．Send holiday cards.

C．Go to the market.

7 . In the US, people prefer waiting for a table to sitting with people they don’t know. This means a hostess may not seat a small group until a small table is available, even if a large one is. If you are sitting at a table with people you don’t know, it is impolite to light up a cigarette first asking if it will disturb them.

At American restaurants and coffee shops you are usually served tap water before you order. You may find the bread and butter is free, and if you order coffee, you may get a free refill.

Most cities and towns have no rules about opening and closing time for stores or restaurants, though they usually do make rules for bars. Especially in large cities, stores may be open 24 hours a day.

Serving in restaurants is often large, too large for many people. If you can’t finish your meal but would like to enjoy the food later, ask your waitress or waiter for a “doggie bag”. It may have a picture of a dog on it, but everybody knows you’re taking the food for yourself.

Supper and dinner are both words for the evening meal. Some people have “Sunday dinner”. This is an especially big noon meal.

Tips are not usually added to the check. They are not included in the price of the meal, either. A tip of about 15% is expected and you should leave it on the table when you leave. In some restaurants, a check is brought on a plate and you put your money there. Then the waiter or waitress brings you your change.

1. Which statements is true?

A．American people like sitting with people they don’t know.

B．Hostess always seats a small group at a large table.

C．American people never sit with people they don’t know.

D．American people would not light a cigarette if the people who sit at the same table mind their smoking.

2. What do American people always do when servings are too large for them?

A．They take the food home with a doggie bag for their dogs.

B．They leave the food on the table and go away.

C．They take the food home with a doggie bag and enjoy the food later.

D．They ask the waitress or waiter to keep the food for them.

3. What can you learn about “tips” according to the passage?

A．Customers often add tips to their check.

B．Tips are supposed to be left on the table when customers leave.

C．People don’t need to pay tips.

D．The price of the meal usually includes the tip.

8 . 假如你是李华，刚从敦煌莫高窟旅游回来，你看到莫高窟受到了自然和人为的破坏，为此感到心痛。因此，你给当地政府写了封邮件，希望当地政府能够采取措施保护这宝贵的文化遗产。
内容包括：
1. 莫高窟现状：受到破坏；
2. 保护文化遗产的重要性；
3. 你的建议。
注意：
1. 词数120左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文流畅；
3. 开头和结尾已经给出，不计入总词数。
参考词汇：敦煌莫高窟Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes          文化遗产cultural heritage
Dear Sir,

I have just finished traveling in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I would appreciate it if my suggestions were accepted.

Sincerely yours,

Li Hua

9 . For Western designers, China and its rich culture have long been an inspiration for Western creative.

“It’s no secret that China has always been a source(来源) of inspiration for designers,” says Amanda Hill, chief creative officer at A+E Networks, a global media company and home to some of the biggest fashion(时尚) shows.

Earlier this year, the China Through A Looking Glass exhibition in New York exhibited 140 pieces of China-inspired fashionable clothing alongside Chinese works of art, with the aim of exploring the influence of Chinese aesthetics(美学) on Western fashion and how China has fueled the fashionable imagination for centuries. The exhibition had record attendance, showing that there is huge interest in Chinese influences.

“China is impossible to overlook,” says Hill. “Chinese models are the faces of beauty and fashion campaigns that sell dreams to women all over the world, which means Chinese women are not just consumers of fashion — they are central to its movement.” Of course, not only are today’s top Western designers being influenced by China—some of the best designers of contemporary fashion are themselves Chinese. “Vera Wang, Alexander Wang, Jason Wu are taking on Galliano, Albaz, Marc Jacobs—and beating them hands down in design and sales,” adds Hill.

For Hill, it is impossible not to talk about China as the leading player when discussing fashion. “The most famous designers are Chinese, so are the models, and so are the consumers,” she says. “China is no longer just another market; in many senses it has become the market. If you talk about fashion today, you are talking about China—its influences, its direction, its breathtaking clothes, and how young designers and models are finally acknowledging that in many ways.”

1. What can we learn about the exhibition in New York?

A．It promoted the sales of artworks.	B．It attracted a large number of visitors.
C．It showed ancient Chinese clothes.	D．It aimed to introduce Chinese models.

2. What does Hill say about Chinese women?

A．They are setting the fashion.	B．They start many fashion campaigns.
C．They admire super models.	D．They do business all over the world.

3. What do the underlined words “taking on” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．learning from

B．looking down on

C．working with

D．competing against

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

A．Young Models Selling Dreams to the World

B．A Chinese Art Exhibition Held in New York

C．Differences Between Eastern and Western Aesthetics

D．Chinese Culture Fueling International Fashion Trends

10 . 假定你是李华。你的澳大利亚朋友Mike写信告诉你,他将参加他所在城市举行的“我所了解的中国传统节日”的演讲比赛,请求你为他推荐一个中国传统节日。请你给他回信,要点包括：
1. 收信时的感想；
2. 推荐并介绍中国节日；
3. 预祝对方取得好成绩。
注意：1.词数100左右

2.可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。

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