1 . If you are planning a New Year’s Eve party, make sure you have more planned than just the champagne toast at midnight and the finger foods. Your guests will have a much better time if you set up some games for them to play and enjoy.
Guess the Resolution（新年计划）—Give each member of the party five pieces of paper and a pencil. Ask them to write down five resolutions without writing down their names. Place all of the resolutions in a hat and mix them up. Pull pieces of paper out of the hat one at a time and see if your guests can guess which person came up with the resolution. There will be some fun surprises as strange or entertaining resolutions are read out loud.
New Year’s Rock Band—This game requires a collection of noisemakers, pots, pans and wooden spoons. These items will be your guests’ instruments as they play a song on the popular Guess That Tune game. Split the group into two teams. Have one team select four members to be their rock band for the turn and whisper the name of a song to the band members. The band must then play the song using their instruments while the rest of their teammates try to guess. The team gets a point if they get the song correct. Repeat the same step with the other team. This game will yield ridiculous performances of popular and entertaining songs.
Around the World-Most—New Year’s Eve parties don’t start until late evening. An around the world theme allows the party to start earlier in the day, with a celebration each time a new time zone reaches midnight. A world map displayed in the party room allows guests to track the current celebration. Adding a pin in each time zone as it reaches midnight adds an interactive element to the party. A menu with food from around the world emphasizes the theme of the party. Decorations may include globes and items from different parts of the world.
1. Which is necessary in “Guess the Resolution”?| A．Writing down resolutions with one’s name. |
| B．Reading out the resolutions one by one. |
| C．Putting some of the resolutions in the hat. |
| D．Writing down five resolutions on a piece of paper. |
| A．The host. | B．The band. |
| C．The teammates of the band. | D．The other team. |
| A．The party takes place in the evening. |
| B．There are guests from around the world. |
| C．There are various New Year’s Eves. |
| D．The celebrations last for several days. |
2 . The word ‘sorry’ is probably the most over-used word in the United Kingdom: whether people are sorry about the weather or sorry because someone else has bumped（撞上）into them, chances are an average person has made at least one apology in the past hour or two.
The British apologise more frequently than members of other cultures. But why?
The readiness of the British to apologise for something they haven’t done is impressive. In her book Watching the English, social anthropologist Kate Fox describes experiments in which she deliberately bumped into hundreds of people in towns and cities across England. She also encouraged colleagues to do the same abroad, for comparison.
Fox found that around 80% of English victims said ‘sorry’—even though the collisions were clearly Fox’s fault. “Possibly people said it without even realising it, but compared to when tourists from other countries were bumped, the difference was marked,” Fox writes.
British society values that its members show respect without imposing（强加）on someone else’s personal space, and without drawing attention to oneself. As a consequence, British people may sometimes use ‘sorry’ in a way that can seem inappropriate to outsiders, including Americans.
There may be some benefits to saying ‘sorry’, too—such as fostering trust. Interestingly, that is true even when people are apologising not for mistakes they’ve made, but rather for circumstances beyond their control.
In one study, psychologist Wood Brooks arranged for an actor to approach 65 strangers at a train station on a rainy day and ask to borrow their mobile phone. In half the cases, the stranger began by saying: “Sorry about the rain”. When he did this, 47% of strangers gave him their mobile, compared to only 9% when he simply asked to borrow their phone. Further experiments confirmed it was the apology about the weather that mattered, not the politeness of the opening sentence.
“By saying ‘I’m sorry about the rain’, the apologiser acknowledges an unfortunate circumstance, takes the victim’s attitude and expresses empathy for the negative circumstance—even though it is outside of his or her control,” says Wood Brooks.
1. Why did Fox deliberately bump into people?| A．To prove what was written in her book. |
| B．To compare the results of her experiments. |
| C．To see how many people would make an apology. |
| D．To see how many people would demand an apology. |
| A．It makes them believe in you. |
| B．It makes them feel confident. |
| C．It helps them deal with a difficult situation. |
| D．It makes them less worried about the weather. |
| A．shows interest in | B．expresses doubts about |
| C．gives his or her opinion about | D．shares the victim’s feelings about |
| A．Social skills. | B．Changes in languages. |
| C．Traditional customs. | D．Cultural differences in languages. |
The first religions started thousands of years ago,
4 . Culture Shock
Culture shock refers to the anxiety and feelings(of surprise,uncertainty,confusion,etc.)felt when people have to operate within a different and unknown cultural or social environment,such as a foreign country.
Generally speaking,we could say that there are four stages of culture shock.The first stage is called“the honeymoon”
The next stage is“the hostility stage(排斥期)”.In this stage,you begin to notice not everything is as good as you originally thought it was.
Then you come to the third stage called“recovery”.In this stage,you start to feel more positive.
The last stage of culture shock is called“adjustment".
Not all individuals visiting another country will experience all these four stages.
| A．You should communicate with people more often. |
| B．And you try to learn everything you don't understand. |
| C．You become tired of many things about the new culture. |
| D．Friends should help each other to deal with culture shock. |
| E．In addition,culture shock is not limited to the overseas visitors. |
| F．In this stage,you are excited about living in a different place. |
| G．In this stage,you have reached a point where you actually feel good. |
1.讲座的时间和地点；
2.讲座内容：中国的名胜；
3.建议他去听这个讲座。
注意：
1.写作词数应为80左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
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1.你的邀请；
2.在民俗村可进行的一些活动。
注意：1.词数80左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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7 . The art of paper cutting in China has a long history, which originated from the 6th century. As paper became more affordable, paper cutting has become one of the most important types of Chinese folk art. Later, this art form spread to other parts of the world, with different areas adopting their own cultural styles. Because the paper cuts are often used to decorate doors and windows, they are sometimes referred to as “window flowers”.
Scissors and knives are the basic tools to make a paper cut, and the subjects are different in figures, such as flowers, bird, characters, familiar folk stories and fairy tales. It’s also common to see some Chinese characters on paper cuts. The most famous paper cutting characters in Chinese are words meaning “lucky” and “double happiness”. Even these days, Chinese people love to hang paper cutting of these two characters at their doors.
Chinese paper cuts were used for religious and ceremonial purposes in the past. They have been buried with the dead and burned at funerals. At the same time, paper cuts have special significance on festivals and holidays.
Paper cuts are made in many areas through the country; in general, the northern style is bold and free while the southern is delicate (精致的) and smooth.
People express wishes and hopes with paper cutting. As a national non-material culture heritage (遗产), paper cutting is really precious.
1. What is necessary if you want to learn paper-cutting?| A．Glue. | B．Scissors. |
| C．Chinese characters. | D．Different colors. |
| A．Paper cutting skills. | B．Paper cutting experts. |
| C．The art of paper cutting. | D．The history of paper cutting. |
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Neutral. |
8 . The royal family is filled with rules, and one in particular might explain why Princess Charlotte is a princess, but her kids likely won't be.
When it comes to the British royal family, one thing is almost always true: they have a pretty confusing set of official rules and protocols. For instance, the royal family doesn't have a last name. And don't forget the fact that Queen Elizabeth celebrates two birthdays every year.
If your head isn't swimming yet, consider the tradition of royal titles. As a British custom, only the daughter of a prince or a prince's wife may be considered a formal “princess”. The latter applies to Kate, who is both a princess and the Duchess of Cambridge thanks to her marriage to Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge. And their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, also bear official royal titles because their father is Prince William.
However, while Prince George's future children will also carry their father's royal status, any children that Princess Charlotte has will not automatically be considered princes or princesses. Why? Royal custom dictates that royal titles are passed down via sons, but not daughters.
However, while Prince George's future children will also carry their father's royal status, any children that Princess Charlotte has will not automatically be considered princes or princesses. Why? Royal custom dictates that royal titles are passed down via sons, but not daughters.
"Royal titles are inherited through sons, so if Princess Charlotte has children they would not automatically inherit the titles (his or her royal highness) HRH, Prince, or Princess,” Lucy Hume, associate director of etiquette experts Debrett's, told Town& Country.
Of course, exceptions can (and will!) be made. (Learn about every time the British royal family broke their own protocol.) The Queen has offered HRH status to other royal offspring in the past, including the children of Queen Elizabeth's daughter, Anne. Although Princess Anne and her husband, Captain Phillips, declined, perhaps Princess Charlotte will be extended the same offer when her own children are born.
1. What's the meaning of the underlined word "protocol" in the second paragraph?| A．Promise. | B．Behavior. | C．Manners. | D．Connection. |
| A．The son of a princess. | B．The daughter of a prince. |
| C．The daughter of a princess. | D．The wife of a king. |
| A．Prince George. | B．Elizabeth. | C．Prince William. | D．Captain Philips. |
| A．Any person can break traditional rules. |
| B．Not every person must obey traditional rules. |
| C．Any British royal family member has their own title. |
| D．Maybe the British royal family will break their own rules. |
Dear Sir/Madam,
Recently there has been a lot of discussion in
Well, I have one question. What about all the people
Best wishes!
Michael
10 . Americans celebrate Valentine’s Day each year on February 14th. So do candy companies, jewelry stores and people selling flowers. Valentine’s Day is for lovers. It is a good day to ask your boyfriend or girlfriend to marry you. It is also a popular day for marriage. But other couples might celebrate with a dinner at a nice restaurant.
The holiday is named for Saint Valentine. He was an early Christian churchman who was said to have helped young lovers. Valentine was executed for his Christian beliefs on February 14th, more than one thousand seven hundred years ago. But the day is even older than that.
The ancient Romans celebrated a holiday for lovers more than two thousand years ago. As part of the celebration, each girl wrote her name on a piece of paper and put it in a large box. Each boy reached into the box and pulled out the name of a girl. That girl became his girlfriend for a year.
Lovers still put their names on pieces of paper on Valentine’s Day. They send each other cards that express their love. Sometimes they send other gifts, too, like jewelry, flowers, candy, or all three!
It was reported that the average American spent about $134 for Valentine’s Day in 2014. That was up about three dollars from 2013. Men spent about twice as much on their partners as women did. And it is said the total spending for Valentine’s Day in the United States reached about $17.3 billion.
1. Valentine’s Day is named for Saint Valentine mainly because Valentine_____.| A．came up with the idea for Valentine’s Day |
| B．lost his life because of his Christian beliefs |
| C．once helped young lovers as a churchman |
| A．a boy got his girlfriend quite by luck |
| B．boys and girls exchanged cards to show love |
| C．a girl had the freedom to choose her boyfriend |
| A．Writing lovers’ names on pieces of paper. |
| B．Sending gifts like candies, flowers and jewelry. |
| C．Asking your boyfriend or girlfriend to marry you. |
| A．After Valentine’s Day in 2013. |
| B．Before Valentine’s Day in 2013. |
| C．After Valentine’s Day in 2014. |
