1 . We all love bank holidays. In the UK, we only get eight bank holidays in one year, and at least five of those occur around Christmas time and Easter time! A bank holiday is a British English term. This is an official day that is decided by the government, when banks, shops and offices close for the day even though it’s a weekday—usually a Monday, and a lot of people have a day off work.

Bank holidays are different in Colombia -firstly, they are called “festivos”. There are twenty festivos for the whole country in one year! In Britain, people get more holiday allowances(津贴)than Colombians but fewer bank holidays. There can be even more festivos in Colombia, depending on which region of Colombia you live in. This is because different regions have their own holidays. For example, some regions have a patron saint(守护神), so they have an extra festivo to celebrate that saint.

However, there are some days that are national holidays for historical reasons. There is an Independence Day celebration on July 20 every year. This is just like Bastille Day in France on July 14, or Independence Day in the United States on July4. Other important festivos in Colombia are: Labour Day, on May 1, and Columbus Day on October 12. Columbus Day is a historical bank holiday that almost every county on the continent of America celebrates. This includes Colombia, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Mexico and the United States. It is memorialization of the day when the Italian sailor, Christopher Columbus, first reached land on the continent in the year 1492. Many people criticize this day and say it is not something to celebrate because of the way Columbus and his team treated the people that were already living there.

1. What is a “bank holiday” according to the text?

A．An official nationwide vacation.

B．A holiday only for the bank staff.

C．A British traditional religion festival.

D．A celebration for Christmas and Easter.

2. What can we learn from Paragraph2?

A．Colombia and Britain have the same number of festivos.

B．All Colombians have the same number of festivos.

C．Colombians have fewer holiday allowances than British people.

D．People in most regions celebrate a patron saint.

3. Why do many Americans refuse to celebrate Columbus Day?

A．Because Columbus wasn’t an American at all.

B．Because Columbus once treated the locals badly.

C．Because it wasn’t Columbus who found America first.

D．Because Columbus didn’t live in the continent of America.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．A British English term.

B．Bank holidays in Colombia.

C．Important festivos in America.

D．Different bank holidays in the world.

2 . It may not yet be October, but the world’s biggest beer festival is already happening in Munich, Germany. In spite of its name, Oktoberfest actually begins in the third weekend of September and lasts until the first Sunday in October. This year it started on Sept 21 and will end on Oct 6.

By the end of the two weeks, an estimated (估计) over 6 million people will have arrived at the famous tented fairgrounds for the celebration. While the festival falls in September, the beer is traditionally brewed (酿造) all the way back in March. During Oktoberfest, the rest of the year’s beer is drunk to make room for the new year’s beer.

Each year, over 5 million liter mugs (马克杯) of beer are usually drunk. But even more popular than the beers themselves are the mugs. Security guards take about 150,000 from souvenir hunters every year, but many still go missing. So the fine for stealing the must-have item is up to $60 (368 yuan).

While it may be obvious that Oktoberfest is about drinking massive (大量的) glasses of beer, eating plenty of delicious German foods is another fun festival activity. The most popular meals involve smoked meat and potatoes. Germans often prefer to eat heavy food, using plenty of mustards and sauces. The country has as many as 1,500 different kinds of sausages (香肠). There are also 300 kinds of bread to go with the sausages.

The clothes that Oktoberfest goers wear also make the annual fall festival special. Lederhosen (皮短裤) and tall socks are traditional dress. But no German outfit would be complete without the famous Peter Pan-esque (彼得·潘风格的) hats.

1. Which of the following aspects (方面) about Oktoberfest is not mentioned in the passage?

A．Foods.	B．Activities.
C．Clothes.	D．Weather.

2. Which of the following statements about Oktoberfest is TRUE?

A．Oktoberfest is the most popular beer festival in the world.

B．People can taste delicious German foods during Oktoberfest.

C．Every Oktoberfest goers must wear the Peter Pan-esque hat.

D．Each year, over 5 million mugs go missing during Oktoberfest.

3. In which column can you probably read the article?

A．Culture.	B．Science.
C．Education.	D．Sports.

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式．

The makeup of British families has changed    1    （rapid） over the last two hundred years． The traditional family structure （结构）before the Industrial Revolution was the extended family in    2    three generations lived under one roof． The early twentieth century saw the    3    （ grow） of the nuclear family﹣parents and a small number of    4    （child） would form a single family． In the last thirty years， however， the UK    5    （ see） a breakdown of the typical nuclear family．

Increased divorce rates， later marriage and a move away from marriage altogether have resulted    6    new forms of family； divorced parents will develop new relationships and take their kids with them． A survey    7    （ conduct） by researchers shows that over 50% of kids are now born to parents who are not married．

Some minority communities stick to the extended family structure， and it is common    8    （find） that three generations are living together in an Indian family． They say that apart from strengthening traditional family ties，    9    can provide security for older people when they cannot work anymore． They believe that the phenomenon of other old people living in care homes    10    （indicate） that many old people in the wider community are abandoned in their old age．

4 . Imagine a relay race. During this race, an athlete holds a stick as he runs a certain distance. Then he passes the stick to the next runner. That person runs faster, and then passes the stick to a third runner. Now imagine that the runners do not pass a stick. Instead they pass shiny silk, as well as gold, fruit, and glass. Imagine that the race does not move forward in just one direction. Instead the runners go back and forth along a road. They trade goods all along this route (路线) and at each end of it. Now imagine that the runners are businessmen. They lead caravans (商队) or lines of camels that carry things to sell. They travel on the ancient Silk Road to earn their living.

The Silk Road was a complex trade network. It passed through thousands of cities and towns. It stretched from eastern China, across central Asia and the Middle east, to the Mediterranean Sea. Businessmen traveled on the Silk Road from about 200 B.C. to about 1300 A.D.. Then sea travel began to offer new routes. Some people called the Silk Road the world’s longest highway. However, the Silk Road included many routes--not just one smooth path. The routes ran through mountains and across deserts. They passed through an area that now includes 18 countries. The Silk Road had many dangers. These dangers ranged from hot sun and deep snow to thieves and wars. Only expert traders could survive.

The Silk Road got its name from its most prized goods. People used silk as money. They could pay taxes or buy goods with it. Traders carried more than just silk, though. They had gold, silver, and glass from Europe. People in the Middle East and Asia wanted these things. Businessmen also took horses from flat, grassy areas in central Asia and brought them to China and other areas. The horses changed the way people farmed and ran their armies. Indian businessmen traded salt and rare, beautiful stones. Chinese merchants traded medicine and china. They also traded paper, which quickly replaced animal skins in the west. Businessmen carried apples from central Asia to Rome. The Chinese had learned to combine different trees to create new kinds of fruit. They taught this science to others, such as the Romans. The Romans began to grow apples for food. The Silk Road led to worldwide commerce 2,000 years before the World Wide Web.

The people along the Silk Road did not share only goods. They also shared beliefs. Monks, priests, and other faith leaders taught their religions to others. The Silk Road created pathways for knowledge, diplomacy, and religion.

1. People turned to the sea for new routes after around 1300 A.D.because ________.

A．the Silk Road included many routes

B．the Silk Road passed through many areas

C．people traveled on the Silk Road for too long

D．there were more dangers along the Silk Road

2. Which of the following is closest to the meaning of the word prized in paragraph 3?

A．appropriate	B．preserved
C．valuable	D．useful

3. Which of the following statements is WRONG?

A．The Silk Road helped spread religions to more people.

B．The Silk Road gave people the idea to build highways.

C．Some people probably died while travelling.

D．Westerners probably used to write on animal skins.

4. In which column of a newspaper can we most probably read the article?

A．Science.	B．Travel.
C．Sports.	D．Culture.

5 . Food serves as a form of communication in two fundamental ways. Sharing bread or other foods is a common human tradition that can promote unity and trust. Food can also have a specific meaning, and play a significant role in a family or culture's celebrations or traditions. The foods we eat—and when and how we eat them—are often unique to a particular culture or may even differ between rural (农村的) and urban areas within one country.
Sharing bread, whether during a special occasion (时刻) or at the family dinner table, is a common symbol of togetherness. Many cultures also celebrate birthdays and marriages with cakes that are cut and shared among the guests. Early forms of cake were simply a kind of bread, so this tradition hits its roots in the custom of sharing bread.
Food also plays an important role in many New Year celebrations. In the southern United States, pieces of corn bread represent blocks of gold for prosperity (兴旺) in the New Year. In Greece, people share a special cake called vasilopita. A coin is put into the cake, which signifies (预示) success in the New Year for the person who receives it.
Many cultures have ceremonies to celebrate the birth of a child, and food can play a significant role. In China, when a baby is one month old, families name and welcome their child in a celebration that includes giving red-colored eggs to guests. In many cultures, round foods such as grapes, bread, and moon cakes are eaten at welcome celebrations to represent family unity.
Nutrition is necessary for life, so it is not surprising that food is such an important part of different cultures around the world.
1. According to the passage, sharing bread______.

A．indicates a lack of food

B．can help to develop unity

C．is a custom unique to rural areas

D．has its roots in birthday celebrations

2. What does the coin in vasilopita signify for its receiver in the New Year?

A．Trust.	B．Success.
C．Health.	D．Togetherness.

3. The author explains the role of food in celebrations by______.

A．using examples	B．making comparisons
C．analyzing causes	D．describing processes

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．The custom of sharing food.

B．The specific meaning of food.

C．The role of food in ceremonies.

D．The importance of food in culture.