The art of paper-cutting in China may date back to the second century, since paper
With
Chinese papercuts are rich in content. The auspicious（吉祥的）designs symbolize good luck and the avoidance of evil. The child, lotus and bat designs suggest a family with
2 . Everyone knows about New Year’s Eve and Independence Day. But did you know that there are enough holidays to fill every day of the year? Here are just a few we found interesting.
World Hello Day
To celebrate this day, say hello to at least ten different people. World Hello Day began in the autumn of 1973, shortly after the end of a war in the Middle East. Brian and Michael McCormack of Omaha, Nebraska, wondered what they could do to encourage world peace. They felt the best way was by getting people to talk with one another.
The McCormacks sent letters to the leaders of every country in the world about the first World Hello Day. They wrote the letters in as many different languages as they could. Officials wrote back from sixteen countries and encouraged Brian and Michael to make World Hello Day a yearly event. The holiday has been held on the third Sunday of November every year since. The McCormacks have received letters from many famous people congratulating them for their efforts.
International Day of the Seal (海豹)
March 22 is the official International Day of the Seal. But the National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C., and many other zoos and research centers around the world celebrate this holiday on the third weekend of March. The holiday was created to tell people about the dangers seals face from pollution and fishing nets.
At the National Zoological Park, you can find out how seals live and ways to help protect their habitats (栖息地).
Do it! Day
Are you a procrastinator? Here’s a day to finish all those things you’ve been meaning to do. Do It! Day is celebrated on the first Wednesday in September. “The whole idea is to feel good about getting things done,” says the founder of Do It! Day, Ethel Cook. She came up with the idea as part of her work helping businesses get organized. Cook hopes everyone will turn their Do Its into Did Its.
1. World Hello Day was set to .| A．create peace worldwide |
| B．stop the war in the Middle East |
| C．encourage foreign language learning |
| D．spread knowledge about different countries |
| A．By reporting it on TV. |
| B．By meeting famous people. |
| C．By publishing it in the newspapers. |
| D．By writing letters to world leaders. |
| A．On March 22. |
| B．On the third weekend of March. |
| C．On the third Sunday of November. |
| D．On the first Wednesday in September. |
| A．cleans up things quickly | B．puts off things until later |
| C．always comes up with good ideas | D．feels good about getting things done |
1. 展览时间及地点；
2. 展览内容：中国茶的历史、文化；茶叶、茶具等；
3. 观看茶艺表演、品茶。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：茶具tea set；茶艺the art of tea-making
Dear Mr. Smith,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
注意:
1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.结束语已为你写好。
Dear Peter,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Best wishes.
Yours,
Li Hua
Li Ziqi, a vlogger, has over 6 million fans on YouTube,
Li,
Most viewers find that the lifestyle and the landscapes
Aside from showing how to cook, Li has even shown other ancient skills, such as dyeing cloth and making furniture. She has impressed her viewers
“As an
6 . Why do Americans struggle with watching their weight, while the French, who consume rich food, continue to stay thin? Now a research by Cornell University suggests how life style and decisions about eating may affect weight. Researchers conclude that the French tend to stop eating when they feel full. However, Americans tend to stop when their plate is empty or their favourite TV show is over.
According to Dr Joseph Mercola, a health expert, the French see eating as an important part of their life style. They enjoy food and therefore spend a fairly long time at the table, while Americans see eating as something to be squeezed between the other daily activities. Mercola believes Americans lose the ability to sense when they are actually full. So they keep eating long after the French would have stopped. In addition, he points out that Americans drive to huge supermarkets to buy canned and frozen foods for the week. The French, instead, tend to shop daily, walking to small shops and farmers’ markets where they have a choice of fresh fruits, vegetables, and eggs as well as highquality meats for each meal.
After a visit to the United States, Mireille Guiliano, author of French Women Don’t Get Fat, decided to write about the importance of knowing when to stop rather than suggesting how to avoid food. Today she continues to stay slim and rarely goes to the gym.
In spite of all these differences, evidence shows that recent life style changes may be affecting French eating habits. Today the rate of obesity — or extreme overweight — among adults is only 6%. However, as American fast food gains acceptance and the young reject older traditions, the obesity rate among French children has reached 17% — and is growing.
1. In what way are the French different from Americans according to Dr Joseph Mercola?| A．They go shopping at supermarkets more frequently. |
| B．They squeeze eating between the other daily activities. |
| C．They regard eating as a key part of their life style. |
| D．They usually eat too much canned and frozen food. |
| A．Americans and the French |
| B．life style and obesity |
| C．children and adults |
| D．fast food and overweight |
| A．by contrast (对⽐) | B．by space |
| C．by process | D．by classification (分类) |
7 . In a recent study of 19-month-olds, University of Chicago doctoral student Lauren Howard found that children who heard various languages in their neighborhoods were more receptive to people who spoke languages other than their parents ‘language.
“We measured imitation. At this age, that’s how they show us their willingness to learn, ”explained Howard. The lead author of the report titled Neighborhood Linguistic Diversity Predicts Infants' Social Learning. The experiments tested how well the babies could learn new tasks from a non- English speaker.
The study, which included 82 children from the Chicago and Washington areas, was in the November issue of Cognition.
“Babies are not only affected by parents and caregivers--- previous studies proved that --but also by people they hear at the store or on the bus, "Howard said. “Incidental exposure matters.”
The study indicates that kids in diverse communities may grow up to have open minds. Good news for families living in such neighborhoods--- but can other families do something to increase children's cultural exposure？
Cultural diversity can be within reach, even in unlikely areas. Although she grew up in not very diverse"， Julie, 23， said she picked up much knowledge about other languages and cultures from the many students her family hosted through the AFS-USA international student exchange program.
“It’s the little differences that make you more understanding and less judgmental, ”Julie said “Yuilya from Kazakhstan, for example, was very disciplined because she couldn't go to college unless her grades were good. Matias from Paraguay wasn't used to being on time because his culture is more laid-back. ”
For families unable to host a student for a whole year, AFS-USA offers other volunteer opportunities, such as being “welcome families ”to ease students ’ transitions（过渡）.
But there are countless ways to expose kids to other countries, said Lucas, author of “Growing Up Global: Raising Children to Be at Home in the World.”
Just a few of her tips: Take the kids to foreign films. Try exotic restaurants. Put a world map on the wall. Help your children’s teachers make global classrooms. Encourage the kids to invite friends of other cultures for dinner. “They’ll thank you later, "Lucas said.
1. What does Howard stress by saying "Incidental exposure matters"？| A．Babies are also influenced by people outside their home |
| B．Parents fail to realize the importance of incidental learning |
| C．Parents and caregivers have more influence on babies |
| D．Babies learn little knowledge at the store or on the bus. |
| A．She frequently volunteered in some welcome families |
| B．She lived in neighborhoods with various language learn |
| C．She was a member of the AFS-USA program |
| D．She learned from the foreign students living in her home |
| A．Curious | B．Happy |
| C．Tolerant | D．anger |
| A．How to improve children’s behavior |
| B．How to teach children foreign languages |
| C．How to better communicate with children. |
| D．How to help children seek diversity |
8 . Culture shock isn’t a clinical term or medical conditions. It’s simply a common way to describe the confusing and nervous feelings a person may have after leaving a familiar culture to live in a different culture.
Everyone feels the pressure to fit in at one time or another—whether they’ve lived in the area for days or years. But don’t feel like you need to change everything about yourself so you can stand out less.
Here are a few tips for making sure your new culture doesn’t overpower the old:
Educate people about your culture. Just because you’re the one entering the new culture doesn’t mean you should be the one doing all the learning.
Find a support group. Find kids in your class or neighborhood who recently moved, too. You can share experiences.
Remember, it’s important to be yourself.
| A．Keep in touch with home. |
| B．Understand the new culture. |
| C．But the good news is that culture shock is temporary. |
| D．When you move to a new place, you’re bound to face a lot of changes. |
| E．Try not to force yourself to change too fast or too many things all at once. |
| F．All of your experiences before you came to your new home are part of you. |
| G．Take the opportunity to teach classmates and new friends about your culture. |
Family life, bargain and no tipping
I have learnt a lot about Chinese life while
10 . America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real, yet disappear soon if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while—then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendships between us flower more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending (延伸) sometimes deeply into both families.
Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality (好客) easily, but truly can't manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily routine. They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. And they expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real. We will find ourselves treated hospitably.
Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they include us warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don't show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time. This is usually the opposite of the practice in our country where we may be generous with our time. Sometimes, we, as hosts, will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends. The Americans, however, express their welcome usually at homes,
For the Americans, it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to go to restaurants, except for pure business matters. So accept their hospitality at home!
1. Where are we expected to call our American friends if we go there by plane?| A．On the bus. |
| B．At the airport. |
| C．Near their home. |
| D．At our own hotel. |
| A．Friendships between Americans usually last for all their lives. |
| B．Americans always show their warmth even if they are very busy. |
| C．Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break. |
| D．Friendships between Americans usually extend deeply into their families. |
| A．Treating friends at home. |
| B．Sharing everything they have. |
| C．Taking days off to be with friends. |
| D．Meeting friends at the airport at midnight. |
| A．Americans' hospitality. |
| B．The mobility of Americans. |
| C．Friendships between Chinese. |
| D．Americans' views of friendships. |
| A．Culture. | B．News. | C．Story. | D．Travel |
