1 . Tell a Joke Day

On August 16, make everyone around you laugh by telling them a joke because it is Tell a Joke Day.     1     Yet we can all safely believe that the creator of this unofficial holiday was aiming to make the world a happier place by encouraging people to tell and listen to jokes.

    2     They can be verbal like in the case of a whole story or in the form of a question and answer, where the answer provides the humor. Jokes can also be physical such as in the case of a practical joke, where the act rather than the words provides the humor.     3    

Jokes have been an integral (不可分割的）part of human history and a great many minds have spent time and energy trying to understand what makes jokes funny.

The day is known in the US as National Tell a Joke Day.     4     Every time you meet someone on this day, tell them a joke. Just make sure the jokes are proper to the setting.       5     Watch your favorite comedians do their thing either on TV or on stage and enjoy a few hours of humorous entertainment. Fancy yourself as a comedian. Play a harmless trick on your co-worker or friend.

A．A joke can be of different types.

B．Everyone enjoys being with pleasant people.

C．The origins of this very funny day are unknown.

D．But don’t be confused with International Joke Day on July 1.

E．Pick up a joke book and spend your lunch hour reading it.

F．Either way, the main purpose of a joke is to provide humor.

G．You may want to know how to become a person with humor.

2 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What does the Golden Rule ask people to do?

A．Develop personal rules.

B．Respect their families and ancestors.

C．Treat others as they wish to be treated.

2. Which is a teaching of Confucius?

A．Governments should be moral.

B．Husbands should respect wives.

C．People should memorize rules of behavior.

3. How did Confucius teach lessons?

A．Through arguments.

B．Through reasoning.

C．Through personal examples.

4. What does the speaker say about Confucius’ influence?

A．He used to be even more important.

B．He has influenced many cultures.

C．He has little effect on people today.

3 . The meaning of silence varies among cultural groups. Silences may be thoughtful, or they may be empty when a person has nothing to say. A silence in conversation may also show stubbornness, uneasiness, or worry. Silence may be viewed by some cultural groups as extremely uncomfortable; therefore attempts may be made to fill every gap（间隙）with conversation. Persons in other cultural groups value silence and view it as necessary for understanding a person's needs.

Many Native Americans value silence and feel it is a basic part of communicating among people, just as some traditional Chinese and Thai persons do. Therefore, when a person one of these cultures is speaking and suddenly stops, what may be implied（暗示）is that the person wants the listener to consider what has been said before continuing. In these cultures, silence is a call for reflection.

Other cultures may use silence in other ways, particularly when dealing with different conflicts among people or in relationships of people with different amounts of power. For example, Russian, French, and Spanish persons may use silence to show agreement between parties about the topic under discussion. However, Mexicans may use silence when instructions are given by a person in authority rather than be rude to that person by arguing with him or her. In still another use, persons in Asian cultures may view silence as a sign of respect, particularly to an elder or a person in authority.

Nurses and other care-givers need to be aware of the possible meanings of silence when they come across the personal anxiety their patients may be experiencing. Nurses should recognize their own personal and cultural construction of silence so that a patient's silence is not interrupted too early or allowed to go on unnecessarily. A nurse who understands the healing（治愈）value of silence can use this understanding to assist in the care of patients from their own and from other cultures.

1. What does the author say about silence in conversations?

A．It is content-based.	B．It develops friendship.
C．It implies anger.	D．It is culture-specific.

2. Which of the following people might regard silence as a call for careful thought?

A．The French.	B．The Mexicans.
C．The Russians.	D．The Chinese.

3. What does the author advise nurses to do about silence?

A．Make use of its healing effects.

B．Let it continue as the patient pleases.

C．Break it while treating patients.

D．Evaluate（评估）its harm to patients.

4. What may be the best title for the text?

A．Sound and Silence.

B．What It Means to Be Silent.

C．Silence to Native Americans.

D．Speech Is Silver, Silence Is Gold.

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。

Coffee is an essential part of people's daily life in the West, so is tea in China. One can see teahouses along the streets of China. The Chinese have such a close relationship with tea     1     they have developed an entire “Tea Culture”. Tea Culture     2     (include) articles, poems, and paintings about tea, as well as the art of making and drinking tea and various related     3     (custom).

Tea plays a significant role in Chinese social and emotional life. Always, a guest     4     (offer) a tea immediately upon entering a Chinese home. Serving a cup of tea is more than a matter of mere     5     (polite). It is a symbol of togetherness，a sharing of something enjoyable，and a way of showing respect to visitors. In some areas of China,     6     might be considered bad manners not to take at least a sip.

The Chinese attach great attention to their tea and     7     way they drink it. People have high requirements for the quality of the prepared tea leaf, the water they use     8     (make) tea and the wares they use to prepare and serve tea. Normally, the     9     (fine) tea is grown at altitudes of 3,000 to 7,000 feet. People select their water carefully. The Chinese emphasize（重视） water quality and water taste. Fine water must be pure, sweet, cool, clean, and     10     (flow). Water from good springs is considered best, as is rainwater from autumn and the rainy seasons.

5 . 阅读下段并用一句话概括其大意（用自己的语言，不抄袭原句），字数不超过20个单词。

Geography plays a part in making dialects. Some people who live in the mountains of the eastern USA speak with an older kind of English dialect. When Americans moved from one place to another, they took their dialects with them. So people from the mountains in the southeastern USA speak with almost the same dialect as people in the northwestern USA. The USA is a large country in which many different dialects are spoken. Although many Americans move a lot, they still recognize and understand each other's dialects.

Answer: ____________________________________

6 . America is a nation built upon immigrants. There was time when everyone was a first-generation American, but centuries have passed since then and traditions have been established. No matter how “American” you might look, or how perfect your English is, there’s always something that’s going to give away your status as a foreigner. And that “thing” usually shows up on your plate.

1. Peanut butter and jelly was a joy you weren’t familiar with until adulthood. And if you’re smart, you’re making up for lost time by eating as many as you possibly can now.

2. Actually, all your sandwiches were different from other kids’ at school. The bread was hard with covering or the contents were anything but American cheese slices.

3. Having friends over for dinner was the most horrifying experience of your young life. Your parents decide to cook up “special” dish, like raw steak for the occasion, not understanding that your new friend would rather die than eat raw meat and will probably never speak to you again for having to do so at your house.

4. Breakfast at your house was usually not as good as breakfast elsewhere. No matter how nice the morning meal at your house was, it wasn’t pancakes with eggs and bacon. And even if no one else you knew was eating that Monday morning either, it was all you could think about as you ate your non-American food before heading out to school.

5. It took your parents much effort to prepare the Thanksgiving meal which did not include the sweet potato casserole green bean casserole, pumpkin pie and possibly even a turkey. You didn’t understand why anyone really cared about this holiday. That is until the day you had the opportunity to eat a proper Thanksgiving meal as a guest at a friend’s house. One bite of pecan pie and you quickly changed your belief and finally a true American.

1. What is mainly talked about in the passage?

A．Traditional foods American people eat every day.

B．People are keeping off American traditional food gradually.

C．Inviting your friend to a proper Thanksgiving meal.

D．The food you eat can tell if you are a true American.

2. What’s the real meaning behind the underlined words “the most horrifying experience” in the passage?

A．It was not easy to invite your friend over to eat dinner at your house.

B．Steak eaten raw with blood is considered as true American food.

C．You were scared by your friend who wanted to die after the dinner.

D．You felt terribly sorry for your friend’s manners at your house.

3. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．You started to believe that true Americans value Thanksgiving day.

B．You believed that you were not from a true American family.

C．You held it that other people care about the food at Thanksgiving Day.

D．It cannot be a Thanksgiving meal without sweet potato casserole.

4. In which part of the newspaper can you most likely find the article?

A．Entertainment.

B．Travel

C．Culture.

D．Economy.

7 . Chinese culture values family bonds （纽带）very much. Family members don't just gather during the holidays. In fact, they often live under one roof all year round.

    1    Family in the East and West are very different from each other.

In most East Asian cultures, extended families（大家庭）are common.     2    According to a survey, 90 percent of children in Shanghai and 70 percent of children in Beijing were cared for by their grandparents. Chinese people believe that “ a grandparent is a treasure to their family”.

In many Western countries, most families are nuclear families （小家庭）.These are made up of children and their parents.

Besides, the duties parents have toward their children can also be different.

    3    It's normal for parents to pay for their children's college, help them find a job, or buy them an apartment. Chinese adults also consider their parents' opinions when making major life decisions.

In most Western countries, however, kids usually move out of the house after they turn eighteen.     4    If they choose to keep living with their parents after becoming an adult, it can be seen as a failure on their part.

While the East cares more about close family bonds, the West values privacy （隐私）and independence.     5    Families will always be a source of love, warmth, and care for people around the world.

A．But in the end, east or west——home is best.

B．But different cultures have different family values.

C．Nuclear families are the most common type in China.

D．Both Easterners and Westerners value quality family time.

E．These families have three or even four generations living together.

F．In China, many parents look after their children all the way into adulthood.

G．Many young people need to take out loans and work part - time jobs to pay for college.

8 . 假定你是李华，你的英国笔友Bruce 要来体验元宵节，请你帮他预定酒店，并回一封邮件，告知你所找的酒店的具体情况。内容包括：
1．表示欢迎；
2．酒店的相关情况；
3．预祝游玩快乐。
注意：
1．词数80左右；
2．可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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9 . “When I think of England, I think of the queen taking her dogs for walk in the countryside,” says Carsten Haferkamp, a dog-owning German working in London. Data from Tractive, a firm that provides GPS tracking for pets, show that Britons walk their dogs more than their European neighbors do.

The British love for dog-walking may have more to do with the walking than the dogs. Britons are big walkers –they came fifth in the world in a study in 2017, the highest in Europe. Dogs provide walkers with company and a purpose, so it may be that walking encourages dog-ownership.

But Julien Dugnoille, an expert at Exeter University, suspects dog-walking has a deeper significance. Dogs, he suggests, are a useful aid to a socially awkward nation. “Britons tend to have a chat with strangers and exchange a few jokes and comments about the weather without putting themselves in danger.”

A tradition among the British nobles of owning and training dogs also leads Dr Dugnoille to assume that dog-walking is a way to keep ancient honor. “When people in the park say Max is very well-behaved,” says Dr Dugnoille, “that is a way to show their authority in the art of dog training compared to those dog owners who are not in control of their own dog.”

But it’s not just about showing off, in his view. He believes walking with one’s best friend creates a time and space where dogs and humans meet as species and connect as individuals.

Still, Britons should not congratulate themselves too much on their behavior towards their dog companions. According to Dr Carri Westgarth of Liverpool University, “People say that a dog needs a walk every day, but they will find reasons why their dog doesn’t need a walk. They’ll say: he’s got company indoors, he’s nervous or he doesn’t like the rain.”

1. The queen is mentioned in paragraph 1 to show _______.

A．the queen’s love for dogs	B．a foreigner’s impression of England
C．the British devotion to walking dogs	D．the importance of dog-walking for Europeans

2. What does Dr Dugnoille most probably agree with?

A．Britons see dogs as protectors from danger.

B．Dog-walking is related to the British traditional culture.

C．Britons prefer to walk rather than walk the dog.

D．Dog-walking is a close link between the British and nature.

3. Dr Westgarth’s comment on the British dog-walking suggests that_______.

A．Britons are proud of dog-walking	B．dogs are a good companion for Britons
C．he is doubtful of the British love for dogs	D．weather is a popular topic among Britons

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A．Love Your Dog, Walk Your Dog	B．How Do Britons Walk Their Dogs?
C．Opinions on Dog-Walking in Britain	D．Why Do Britons Love to Walk Dogs?

10 . In an effort to stop the pandemic's advance, we may be finding ourselves taking certain precautionary (预防的) measures and maintaining a reasonable degree of social distance. Our habits have had to change to accommodate the reality of coronavirus.     1    

People are advised against touching high-touch surfaces in public places, including elevator buttons, door handles, and especially other people's hands. Consequently, the traditional habit of handshake has been substituted for other gestures, like elbow bump (碰撞)and foot tap, which involve less bodily contact.     2     The foot tap and the elbow bump have a way of feeling vaguely ridiculous, and it's hard to take them entirely seriously, especially in business settings. Centuries of tradition has normalized handshake in our culture, and it may be too deeply rooted in our custom to be abandoned.

    3     In 1996, a sales manager developed an experiment to test the impact of the handshake on strangers. He found that more people told the truth when he introduced himself to them with a handshake before asking the question." A handshake, "he later told The New York Times, "creates a higher level of trust, a degree of familiarity, within a matter of seconds."

With more communication on screen, the handshake is an occasion to reach out and touch one another, to enjoy a tiny, fleeting connection.     4     And meeting someone face to face, whether a client or a colleague, always suggests a closer level of familiarity than merely touching base online.

As the coronavirus spreads and habits change, it may prove that you can't fist bump or foot tap a handshake either. There's something in human nature that responds to the handshake. It feels good to shake the hand of someone you respect or admire, to have that moment of bonding.     5     When COVID-19 is a distant memory, chances seem good that the handshake will prevail (流行)again.

A．The handshake is the first thing to go.

B．In a sense it can't be seriously replaced.

C．The handshake is a way of maintaining relationships.

D．The real human contact feels all the more precious now.

E．The handshake is also a rare gesture of casual closeness.

F．These touch-free alternatives are likely to replace the handshake.

G．However, adjusting to these new forms of greeting has been difficult.