1 . Chopsticks Taboos: Unholy Ways to Pick Up Your Food

The use of chopsticks to pick food up from the plate will earn you several complements from Chinese people. But over time, once in a while your close friends might remind you about some basic chopsticks etiquette(礼节) such as never insert chopsticks vertically(垂直地) into a bowl of rice.     1    , here are several rules to keep in mind.

Do not use chopsticks of different lengths. This will remind people of a Chinese idiom “three long and two short”,     2    , because a coffin without a lid is composed of five boards, three long, and two short.

Don’t use chopsticks to poke at each dish without knowing what you want or only one chopstick to fetch the food in the plate.

    3    . Chinese people believe that their ancestors are resting underneath the earth, and dropping chopsticks would disturb them.

Don’t make noise with chopsticks by hitting the side of your bowl,     4     .

While passing someone a bowl of rice or noodles, never insert the chopsticks vertically in the middle of the food for convenience.     5    .

A．Do not drop your chopstick on the floor.

B．because only beggars do that to get attention.

C．In Chinese culture, the sign of crossing is negative.

D．which is used as another name for coffin,

E．If you want to master the art of using this old tool

F．Do not drop food and liquid from your chopsticks to the table.

G．The action would remind people of burning certain sticks in the pot in memory of the dead.

2 . 假定你是李华，正在加拿大参加短期访问交流活动。你偶然在一本近期的杂志里看到一篇介绍中国端午节的文章，但文章里没有注明日期是中国农历，且文中所配图片是赛艇而不是龙舟。请你给编辑部写一封信，指出其中的错误并要求更正。
内容包括：
1. 指出错误，给出正确信息；
2. 要求更正；
3. 赞赏对方介绍中国文化。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
3. 参考词汇：中国农历 the Chinese Lunar Calendar
赛艇 rowing boat            龙舟 dragon boat
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3 . 假定你是李华，你的留学生朋友James来信询问你市即将举办的中国民谣节(the Chinese Balled Festival)的情况，请给他回信。
内容包括：
1.举办的时间和地点；
2.活动内容和目的；
3.邀请James 一同前往。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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4 . Whether it's hanging the stockings or baking cookies, all of our favorite Christmas traditions have an interesting history. But no matter where or how you celebrate the holiday season, you might notice a rather unusual custom: finding oranges in your stocking on Christmas morning. As it turns out, there are several arguments as to why people began to put oranges in Christmas stockings.

According to the original story of St. Nicholas (now called Santa Claus), the saint gave three bags of gold to a poor man. The money helped the man pay for his daughters' weddings, and St. Nick has had a reputation for being generous ever since. Meanwhile, the oranges are thought to represent the gold he left the girls.

Some believe, on the other hand, that the practice began during the Great Depression. Because many families couldn't afford to buy Christmas gifts or candy, luxury (奢侈) foods, like oranges and walnuts were placed under the tree, instead.

Another explanation is that the oranges are a reminder to share what you have with others, as December is the season of giving. And finally, some think the oranges were once a "special treat" in the winter — especially for children living in the north. Therefore, there appeared oranges in the stockings.

1. What does the underlined word "reputation'' in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Great system.	B．Future generation.
C．Big celebration.	D．Good name.

2. Why are the oranges a reminder to share what you have with others?

A．Because December is the season of giving.

B．Because many families couldn't afford to buy Christmas gifts or candy.

C．Because the oranges are thought to represent the gold he left the girls.

D．Because the oranges were once a "special treat" in the winter.

3. How many arguments are there according to the passage?

A．2.	B．3
C．4.	D．5.

4. What can we learn from the passage?

A．People can only put oranges in Christmas Stockings.

B．Many families were rich during the Great Depression.

C．St. Nicholas helped the man pay for his daughters' weddings.

D．The oranges were not a ''special treat" in the winter for children living in the south.

5 . What are the speakers mainly talking about?

A．A festival.

B．Foods.

C．TV programs.

6 . 假定你是李华，你的英国朋友John来信询问中国人过春节的风俗习惯。请你结合自己家乡的实际情况给他回信，内容包括：
1. 春节的简介；
2. 过节的风俗习惯；
3. 邀请他来中国过春节。
注意:
1. 词数80左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节, 以使行文连贯；
3. 信的开头已为你写好。
Dear John,

__________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________ _______________________

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Yours,

Li Hua

7 . How people read facial expressions of others says a lot about their cultural practices, a new study suggests.

In the study, about 80 Japanese and American student participants viewed a series of images (图像), each of which consisted of one center model and four background models. The researchers manipulated (操纵) the facial expression (happy, angry, sad) of the center or background models and asked the participants to determine the emotion (情绪) of the center figure.

The majority of Japanese participants (72%) reported that their judgments of the center persons emotions were influenced by the emotions of the background figures, while the same percentage of western participants reported they were not influenced by the background figures.

“What we found is quite interesting,” says Takahiko Masuda, a psychology professor from the University of Alberta. “Our results show that when Americans are trying to figure out how a person is feeling, they selectively focus on that particular person’s facial expression, while Japanese consider the emotions of the other people in the situation.”

“This may be because Japanese attention is not concentrated on the individual, but includes everyone in the group,” says Masuda.

In another round of image-viewing, researchers monitored the eye movements of the participants and again the results indicated that the Japanese looked at the surrounding people more than the westerners when judging the situation.

While both the Japanese and westerners looked to the central figure during the first second of viewing the photo, the Japanese looked to the background figures at the very next second, while westerners continued to focus on the central figure.

“East Asians seem to see people in terms of the relationships to others,” says Masuda. People raised in the western culture tend to separate a person from their surroundings, while East Asians are accustomed to “kuuki wo yomu”, which literally translates to “reading the air” of a situation. “As a result, they think that even surrounding people’s facial expressions are an informative source to understand the particular person’s emotion,” says Masuda.

1. Why were there background models in the study?

A．To show the participants various facial expressions.

B．To let the participants figure out their emotions.

C．To see whether they would influence the center model.

D．To see whether they would influence the participants’ judgments.

2. In the image-viewing process, the westerners ________ than the Japanese.

A．spent more time looking at the background models

B．spent less time looking at the background models

C．determined the emotion of the center model more quickly

D．determined the emotion of the background models more slowly

3. “Kuuki wo yomu” in the last paragraph indicates ________.

A．dealing with a situation

B．reading facial expressions

C．looking at the surroundings

D．knowing the surrounding people

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Facial Expressions Show Emotions

B．Culture Affects How We Read Faces

C．Team Work Strengthens Relationship

D．Cultural Differences Determine How We Feel

8 . 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。

Laba rice porridge was first introduced to China in the Song Dynasty about 900 years ago.

There is a     1     (touch) story. When Sakyamuni, the first Buddha and founder of the religion, was     2     his way into the high mountains in his quest for understanding and enlightenment (佛教的觉悟), he grew tired and    3     (hunger). Exhausted from     4     (day) of walking, he failed away by a river in India. A shepherdess (牧羊女) found him there and     5     (feed) him her lunch-porridge made with beans and rice. Sakyamuni was thus able     6     (continue) his Journey.

After six years of strict discipline, he     7     (final)realized his dream of full enlightenment on the     8    (eight) day of the twelfth lunar month. Ever since, monks have prepared rice porridge on the eve and held a ceremony the following day,     9     they chant sutras (吟诵佛经) and offer porridge to Buddha.

Thus, the tradition of eating Laba porridge was based in religion, though with the passing of time the food     10     (it) became a popular winter dish especially in cold northern China.

9 . 假定你是李华，你听说美国青年 Martin在北京开了一间茶室（tea house），该茶室面向年轻人提供世界各地的茶饮。你对茶文化感兴趣，请给他写封邮件，内容包括：
1. 对该茶室的作用作出肯定的评价；
2. 表达你想暑假期间到该茶室当志愿者的愿望，并说明其目的。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 邮件的开头已为你写好，不计入总词数
Dear Martin,

I’m Li Hua, a high school student in China. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10 . Some Famous Libraries in the World

The Royal Library of Alexandria

The Royal Library of Alexandria in Alexandria, Egypt is probably known as the largest and the most famous library in the ancient world. It is said that the ancient library was burned three times over the centuries. A likeness of the ancient library was built in Alexandria and was opened on October 16，2002.

Celsus Library

Celsus Library was built in what had been a monument tomb of the governor of the Province of Asia, Celsus Polemaeanus in Ephesus, Turkey. It used to be the third richest of ancient times in the world，which had more than 12,000 works of art, but it was destroyed in wars, leaving some ruins. Even so, it is now still so world-famous for its beautiful structure that many visitors come to see it. There is a statue of Athena at its entrance as she is the Goddess of Wisdom. It remains delicate and appealing.

Bodleian Library

Bodleian Library is attached to Oxford University and mainly used as a research library. It is also a copyright library, which means it has a right to every book published in the United Kingdom. The library was designed by the architect, Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. Construction was completed in 1940.

The British Library

The British Library was set up in 1973 and is one of the world’s greatest libraries. This library has PACCAR gallery of living and workshop of words. The sounds and images offer shows and different programs at the theme exhibitions. They also have a wide collection of stamps of the world which are on show for visitors. The library also offers events like music and discussions.

1. Which of the following libraries has been reconstructed?

A．The Royal Library of Alexandria.	B．Celsus Library.
C．Bodleian Library.	D．The British Library.

2. What can you do in Celsus Library?

A．Read books.	B．Borrow books.
C．See a stamp exhibition.	D．Enjoy the beautiful remains.

3. What is special about Bodleian Library?

A．It belongs to a university.

B．It was once destroyed by fires.

C．It is one of the famous ancient libraries.

D．It is well-known for its beautiful structure.