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 . Many people may know Coachella, which is one of the largest, most famous and most profitable (盈利的)music festivals in the United States and all over the world. However, few people know Just for Laughs (JFL). Founded by Montreal producer Gilbert Rozon in 1983, Just for laughs is the largest international comedy festival in the world. Paul Ronca, the festival’s director, describes Just for Laughs as the Coachella of comedy. “If you’re a fan of comedy or work in it, this festival should be at the very top of your list,” he says.
Just for Laughs was originally a two—day French—only comedy event. In 1985, Andy Nulman joined the festival's staff and introduced English language events as well. Thanks to Andy Nulman, the festival grew from a two—day show to a month—long event drawing international audiences. In 1999, Nulman left the festival’s fall —time employ. However, he directed its major shows at the Saint—Denis Theatre every July, and remained on the board of directors of the festival's parent company. About II years later, Nulman returned to Just for Laughs in July 2010 as president of Festivals and Television.
Now Just for Laughs is coming Io Africa. A joint venture (合资企业) between the great comedy brand and a South Africa's company, Just for Laughs Africa will give the African comedians the opportunity of getting international publicity. The long—term continental partnership was announced during the 35th Montreal Comedy Festival, with the news that the first Just for Laughs Africa will take place in Durban, South Africa.
“We have already set up successful Just for Laughs festivals in many cities beyond Montreal including Toronto, Vancouver and Sydney, and we couldn’t be more excited by this new venture in South Africa ,” says Gilbert Rozon, president and founder of the Just for Laughs Group. “The opportunity to bring the experience of the Just for Laughs team to developing African comedy was one we just couldn’t decline, so we agreed on the partnership,” says Gilbert Rozon.
1. What can we learn from Paul Ronca’s words?| A．JFL is as popular as Coachella. |
| B．JFL plays an important role in comedy. |
| C．JFL has more supporters than Coachella. |
| D．JFL attracts many people to learning comedies. |
| A．Promoting JFL successfully. |
| B．Making JFL more profitable. |
| C．Introducing JFL to South Africa. |
| D．Helping JFL get more show invitations. |
| A．develop more skills | B．make Africa widely known |
| C．become known worldwide | D．improve the development of comedy |
| A．Doubt. | B．Explain. |
| C．Understand. | D．Refuse. |
3 . It may seem as if Mother's Day was invented by a company named Hallmark, but people have been taking time on the calendar to give a shout-out to Mom for a long time. The Greeks and Romans had mother goddess festivals — although their celebrations didn't involve the menfolk taking their underappreciated mothers out to dinner. A more recent tradition was Mothering Sunday, which developed in the British Isles during the 16th century. On the fourth Sunday in April, young men and women who were living and working apart from their families were advised to return to their mothers’ houses.
Mother's Day as it is observed in the United States started in the 1850s with Ann Jarvis, a West Virginia woman who held “Mothers' Work Days” to promote health and hygiene(卫生 ) at home and in the workplace. During the Civil War, Jarvis organized women to improve sanitary conditions for soldiers on both sides, and after the war she became a peacemaker, furthering the cause by bringing together mothers of Union and Confederate soldiers and promoting a Mother's Day holiday.
Jarvis's work inspired another 19th-century woman, Julia Ward Howe. In 1870 Howe published her “Mother's Day Proclamation”, which envisioned(设想) the day not as appreciation of mothers by their children but as an opportunity for women to exercise their collective power for peace. Howe started holding annual Mother's Day celebrations in Boston, her hometown, but after about a decade she stopped footing the bill and the tradition faded away.
It was Jarvis's daughter Anna who succeeded in getting Mother’s Day recognized as a national holiday. After her mother died, in May 1905, Anna started holding yearly ceremony on the anniversary and conducting a tireless PR campaign to have the day made a holiday. In 1908 she succeeded in enlisting the support of John Wanamaker, the Philadelphia department store magnate and advertising pioneer, and by 1912 West Virginia and a few other states had adopted Mother's Day. Two years later, President Woodrow Wilson signed a resolution declaring the second Sunday in May a national holiday.
It wasn't long, though, before whatever ideals the day was supposed to celebrate were buried under an amount of greeting cards and candy. By the 1920s Anna Jarvis was campaigning against the holiday she had been instrumental in creating. “I wanted it to be a day of emotionalism, not profit,” she said.
1. It can be inferred from the first paragraph that .| A．mothers didn't get enough appreciation in the past |
| B．Mother's Day was invented by Hallmark |
| C．young people all returned to their mothers' houses |
| D．Greeks and Romans were the first to celebrate Mother's Day |
| A．Ann Jarvis. | B．Julia Ward Howe. |
| C．Woodrow Wilson. | D．Anna Jarvis. |
| A．Because it was extremely emotional. |
| B．Because the festival was not profitable. |
| C．Because the celebrations went against the original spirit. |
| D．Because the day was celebrated in the form of exchanging greeting cards and candy. |
| A．The Definition of Mother’s Day |
| B．The Argument on Celebrating Mother's Day |
| C．The Story Behind the Creation of Mother's Day |
| D．Different Forms of Celebration on Mother's Day |
4 . What better way to experience the history of a site than to have a hand in actually preserving it? This was the thought behind the founding of Adventures in Preservation(AIP) in 2001. The nonprofit's founders.Judith Broeker and Jamie Donahoe, were both long time preservationists and world travelers. They had seen a great many buildings in poor condition, as well as buildings that had been“restored" without the benefit of conservation expertise.
Twelve years on, they are still involved in the day-to-day management of the organization, supported by a volunteer staff located around the world, Judith' s favorite projects have long been the ones in Eastern Europe, and she enjoys opportunity to travel there each year. She, along with anyone else who's joined an adventure, always quotes their fellow jammers, as they' re called, as the highlight of each project. The groups are made up of people from all different ages, occupations, and cultures.Yet each time, they form a strong bond and work so well together that the work becomes fun. Which,after all, is the point of a working vacation, no?
Raising understanding of people's own heritage(遗迹) is another part of AIP projects. In many places, there is so much focus on the news that not only are heritage buildings being lost but so are the traditional building skills needed to keep them. By providing training and raising awareness of the importance of their heritage, AIP is helping keep both alive.
Next year, AIP has projects in Europe and the US. There will be even more projects the following year as projects currently under development in Ghana, Armenia, Ukraine and the US come on line. Each project is also an opportunity for travel, adventure, and personal growth, and AIP welcomes people from around the world to join a project and“"jam" with them.
1. For what major purpose was AIP set up?| A．To gain wonderful benefits. | B．To protect old buildings. |
| C．To hunt for experts. | D．To train fresh hands. |
| A．Machines. | B．Projects. | C．Colleagues. | D．Organizations. |
| A．Ambition. | B．Education. | C．Wealth. | D．Effort. |
| A．AIP' s boom(繁荣). | B．AIP' s eagerness. |
| C．AIP' goal. | D．AIP' function. |
5 . International tourism is becoming interestingly popular, and large numbers of people from all over the world come to visit famous places such as the Great Wall of China and the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.
As for the damage, there are many different causes. For example, the paintings in the Sistine Chapel are being damaged by people breathing onto them when they visit.
In short, it is necessary to control tourism at famous places.
| A．For example, special paths can be built. |
| B．What can we do to deal with these problems? |
| C．The Great Wall was built over 2,000 years ago. |
| D．However, these visitors have caused many problems. |
| E．Traveling is the best way for us to get to know the world. |
| F．If we do not do this, these places will disappear from our planet. |
| G．Their breath contains very small drops of water that are present in the air. |
6 . There are many famous festivals around the world like the Carnivals in Rio and Venice Munich's Oktoberfest.Here are some unusual and crazy festivals in the world.
Mighty Mud Mania,USA
Children's dreams really do come true in the City of Scottsdale.Children aged 1 to 13,get to participate in a mud race.During the running of the Mighty Mud Obstacle(障碍物)course,several mud holes in the ground are intentionally placed as kids compete for the fastest time in each race.There are also mud puddle pools for small kids,and a mini mud course for those six and younger.
The New Straits Times Million Ringgit Charity Duck Race,Malaysia
Thirteen years ago,Eric Schechter and his friends were brainstorming to find new ways raising money for local charities when they came up with the idea of rubber duck races.The event,crazy as it may sound,involves racing“cool”rubber ducks down a local waterway and having members of the community"adopt"the ducks for a chance to win valuable donated prizes,possibly even＄1 million bucks.
Songkran Festival,Thailand
What better way to celebrate the"start of the return of rains"than with a country—wide water fight?Thais celebrate their festival officially from April 13th until April 15th.These three days represent the last day of the old year,the day of transition,and the first day of the New Year.These are days of cleaning the houses and the body,days of merry making,and renewal.Nothing evil has to be taken into the New Year.
Canberra Sled Dog Classic,Australia
Dog sledding is one of the fastest growing sports on the east coast of Australia.As there's no snow(the trail is earth and sand and is smooth and wide with a few hills and turns),the sleds have wheels instead of runners,but the excitement is the same.
1. What is special about Mighty Mud Mania?| A．Water and mud games. | B．Fastest growing sports. |
| C．Snow and sand tracks. | D．Longest local history. |
| A．To raise ducks. | B．To collect money. |
| C．To found charities. | D．To make waterway. |
| A．USA. | B．Malaysia. |
| C．Thailand. | D．Australia. |
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
8 . Traditions of giving middle names vary around the world.
Scotland
Middle names are actually a fairly recent discovery in Scotland. However, as the practice has become popular around the world, it has become pretty common for Scottish babies to have middle names. Because last names in Scotland are generally associated with their family roots, and first names usually describe a physical characteristic, many parents see a middle name as an opportunity to give their baby a slightly more creative name.
Spain and Latin America
In Spain and Latin America, a middle name is a way to break free from the cultural code governing first names. In some countries, even first names are legislated(立法) to be of Christian origin. In Chile, most girls are named Maria, after the Virgin Mary, so the middle name is used in practice for differentiation. Maria is the most common name in the Spanish-speaking world, so in all Spanish-speaking countries the middle name takes on great significance.
Russia
In Russia, both boys and girls are given middle names based on their father's first name. For boys, the middle name usually has ovich, or evich, added to its ending. For girls, the middle patronymic(从父名衍生出的名字) name usually has ovna, or evna, added to its ending. People in Russia are often referred to by both their first and middle names, sort of the way parents in America use their children's full names when they're trying to get their attention(or yell at them). Close friends in Russia often don't use their first names completely, and use only patronymic names, when talking to each other.
Australia
According to Law Buddy, an Australian legal advice service, child naming laws in Australia allow Birth Registrars to refuse to register baby names that to be offensive to register to careless, inappropriate, ridiculous. They do allow for children to get a middle name, which is typically reserved for the mother's maiden name(娘家姓),provided, of course, that the mother's maiden name is not offensive, careless, inappropriate, or ridiculous.
1. What do we know about giving middle names in Scotland?| A．It needs to be based on their family roots. |
| B．It's opposed by the elderly in the country |
| C．It mainly describes a baby's appearance. |
| D．It didn't become common until not long ago |
| A．Showing family roots. |
| B．Showing their unique culture. |
| C．Describing a physical characteristic. |
| D．Allowing people to have different names |
| A．They usually have the same ending. |
| B．They're usually very creative names. |
| C．They're usually difficult to remember. |
| D．They're based on their father's middle name. |
| A．Avoiding a middle name. |
| B．Avoiding registering baby names. |
| C．Using the mother's proper maiden name. |
| D．Using an unusual name for differentiation. |
Every culture has its own ways to show friendship. On the islands of Hawaii ,friendship is part of the aloha spirit". In the language of the Hawaiians who first
Hawaiians believe that once somebody loves
10 . A small supermarket is decorated with a lot of red lanterns. There are piles of red envelopes on sale, for filling with cash and handing out as gifts. Such festive trappings can be seen everywhere in China in the build-up to the Lunar New Year. But this is Yangon, the former capital of Myanmar, where Han Chinese are a mere 2.5% of the country's population. They are a sign that Chinese New Year is becoming a global holiday.
Several countries in Asia celebrate the Lunar New Year in their own way. But dragon and lion dances in Chinatowns over the world have helped make China's the most famous. In Tokyo, window cleaners dress up as the animals of the Chinese zodiac （生肖）.America, Canada and New Zealand have issued commemorative stamps for the Year of the Rooster. Last year New York City made the Lunar New Year a school holiday for the first time.
The spread of the Spring Festival, as China calls it, is partly due to recent emigration（移民）from China: 9.5 million Chinese people have moved abroad since 1978, many of whom are far richer than earlier waves of migrants. It also reflects the wealth and ambitions of China's new middle class: festivities in other countries are partly aimed at the 6 million Chinese who are expected to spend their week long holiday abroad this year.
It's hoped that the festival will promote Chin's cultural "soft power" abroad. So related events are welcomed, such as a display this year of martial arts in Cyprus and a traditional Chinese temple-fair in Harare, Zimbabwe. More and more Chinese are glad to see foreigners enjoy such festivities. Though there is a growing enthusiasm among Chinese for Western celebrations such as Christmas, Chinese New Year is a welcome chance to reverse（逆转）the cultural flow.
1. The scene in a supermarket shown in the first paragraph is to________ .| A．stress the importance of the Spring Festival |
| B．explain why the Lunar New Year is popular |
| C．present the popularity of Chinese New Year |
| D．show how other countries celebrate the Spring Festival |
| A．Dragon and lion dances. |
| B．Eating dumplings and singing and dancing. |
| C．Dressing up as animals and dancing. |
| D．playing cards and letting off fireworks. |
| A．reflect on their own cultures |
| B．show respect to the Chinese traditions |
| C．promote the values of Chinese customs |
| D．attract Chinese to spend the holiday there |
| A．Celebrating Chinese Festivals Becomes a Trend. |
| B．Welcoming China's Cultural "Soft Power*', |
| C．China's Biggest Festival Is Going Global. |
| D．Foreigners' Love of China's Festivals. |
