1 . My name is Jack. When my family moved to America, we brought not only our luggage, but also our rules, customs and culture in China. One of the rules is that young people should always respect the elders. Unluckily, this rule led to my very first embarrassment(尴尬) in the United States.

I had a part-time job as a waiter in a Chinese restaurant. One day, when I was serving food to a middle-aged couple, the wife asked me how the food could be served so quickly. I told her that I had made sure they got their food quickly because I always respect the elderly. As soon as I said that, she looked very unhappy. My manager gave me a long lecture about how Americans dislike the word “old”. I then walked back and apologized to the lady.

In my hometown in China, people are proud of being old. Not so many people live to be seventy or eighty, and people who reach such an age have the most knowledge and experience. Young people always respect older people because they know they can learn from their rich experience.

However, in the United States, “old” means that a person is going to retire(退休). Here many people try to keep themselves from growing old by doing exercises. When I told the couple in the restaurant that I respect the elderly, they got angry because this caused them to feel they had failed to stay young.

After that, I changed the way I had been with older people. It is not that I don’t respect them any more; I still respect them, but now I don’t show my feelings through words.

1. Why did Jack serve the couple their food very fast?

A．He wanted more pay.	B．He respected the elderly.
C．He was asked to do so.	D．He was a hard-working waiter.

2. What do we know about Jack’s hometown from the passage?

A．People there are proud of being old.

B．People there dislike being called “old”.

C．No people there reach the age of seventy or eighty.

D．Young people there show little respect to the older.

3. What did Jack do after this experience?

A．He made friends with the couple.	B．He lost his job in the restaurant.
C．He no longer respected the elderly.	D．He changed his way with older people.

4. We can know from the passage that _________.

A．the couple disliked fast service at all.

B．the manager apologized to the couple.

C．Jack wanted to show his feelings through words.

D．Jack knew more about American culture than before.

3 . I came across quite a few language problems while spending holiday with my family last summer. The most embarrassing was when my Mom apologized to the people we were staying with because her “pants were dirty”. They looked at her in surprise, not knowing how to react. You see, Mom had fallen over and gotten mud on her jeans. But in Britain, “pants” means underpants or knickers (内裤;衬裤), not trousers as it does back home.

Katie — From America

I went to stay with a friend on the west coast last summer. Her flat was on the first floor of a high-rise building so I got the lift up. Then I wandered round for ages looking for her flat but couldn’t find it. Fed up and tired, I finally had to go out to find a phone box. She explained that her flat was on the first floor, which for me meant the ground floor.

David — From Britain

When I asked for the “restroom” in a big department store, people kept directing me to a room with seats where I could sit and “rest”. It took me years to get through to (使...明白)someone that I only wanted the toilet!

Tom — From America

1. Hearing Katie’s mother’s words, Katie’s friends were in surprise because ________.

A．Katie’s mother got mud on her jeans	B．Katie’s mother’s underpants were dirty
C．they mistook pants for underpants	D．they didn’t understand British English

2. David went out to find a phone box to ________.

A．phone the police for help	B．phone his friend for help
C．tell his friend he couldn’t visit her	D．apologize for his being late

3. When Tom asked for the “restroom”, the people around him thought ________.

A．he wanted to have a rest	B．he wanted to go to the toilet
C．he wanted to go to bed	D．He wanted to go to a department store

5 . 假定你是李津，你的美国朋友James发来稿件，提到他对中国的传统节日春节很感兴趣， 请你给他回一封电子邮件。为他介绍春节。
1.节日意义；
2.庆祝形式；
3.喜欢理由。
Dear James,

I’m glad to hear that you are interested in Chinese Spring Festival.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours.

Li Jin

6 . 假定你是李华。你刚从英国为期五天的旅游回来，感谢好友Rick的款待。得知他对中国的文化非常的感兴趣，特别是即将到来的端午节，请你写一封信介绍中国的端午节。内容要点：
1. 感谢他的招待。
2. 介绍中国的端午节（时间，意义，风俗等）
3. 欢迎他来中国。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 开头和结尾已为你写好，不计入总词数。
参考词汇：端午节 the Dragon Boat Festival;纪念屈原in memory of Qu Yuan;粽子rice dump-ling;赛龙舟dragon boat race
Dear Rick,

How is everything going?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Best wishes.

Yours sincerely,

Li Hua

7 . The “24 solar terms” (节气) originated and was first used in China. It was created thousands of years ago on the basis of practical needs of agricultural. Ancient Chinese people used it to guide agricultural production, explain special climate signs and even come up with healthy living tips. Last year, the 24 solar terms was added to UNESCO's world cultural heritage list(联合国教科文组织世界文化遗产名录). Now, it has been brought to life thanks to a creative designer from Southwest China's Guizhou Province.

On the eve of this year's Qingming Festival, Shi Changhong released (发布) his version of reproduced and packaged characters for each solar term in the form of “moving art” of gifs. Since their first release on Zcool on March 29, the gifs have won great praise among the general public and quickly flooded the social media with millions of hits during the festival period.

To maximize publicity, Shi released his work in three forms: the video, the animation and pictures. The background sounds add to the brilliance.

“When I watch the short video, I can strongly feel the Chinese-style elements hidden in it. And it is really cool to liven up traditional Chinese culture in such a unique way.” WeChat user Xiao Feifei said.

“It is really a comfort to me to see so many people like my latest work. To be honest, it would really surprise me if the work had not aroused great interest among Chinese people. The 24 solar terms is a deeply rooted concept that covers the essence of Chinese wisdom. However, only a small portion of people know all the names or the correct order of those terms. My intention is to increase Chinese people’s self-awareness to learn more about our traditional fine culture. Actually, the 24 solar terms work is only a part of my whole design program ‘Charm China’, which I started a year ago.” Shi told China Daily.

1. Which part of the newspaper does the text probably belong to?

A．Travel.

B．Culture.

C．Agriculture.

D．Education.

2. What do you think the underlined word “Zcool” refers to?

A．Newspaper.	B．Magazine.
C．Radio broadcast.	D．Website.

3. Which of the following statements is true according to the text?

A．The background sounds of the work make the video more attractive.

B．It really surprised Shi Changhong to see so many people like his latest work.

C．Most people know all the names or the correct order of the 24 solar terms.

D．The 24 solar terms work designed by Shi Changhong was added to UNESCO’s heritage list.

4. What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To introduce a creative designer.

B．To introduce the 24 solar terms work.

C．To introduce the origin of the 24 solar terms.

D．To introduce a design program “Charm China”.

8 . Festivals are a great way to experience a destination in a different way. Whether you are looking for a unique cultural difference or the experience of sheer joy, there is something here for everyone in this article.

St. Patrick's Day

Dublin, Ireland & New York, the USA, March 17th

It has been a cultural and religious celebration held in memory of the death date of Saint Patrick, the foremost patron saint of Ireland, since 1762. On that day, the whole city turns green and many Irish make traditional bread. It is also one of the most fun days of the year, when the whole city turns into a big green party.

South by Southwest (SXSW)

Austin, the USA, March

Founded in 1987, SXSW has been praised by music fans and the media worldwide as one of the top 10 music festivals in the world. It is not only a music feast but also dedicated to the integration of technology and films. You can also enjoy free food, drinks and music. Sounds good?

King's Day

Amsterdam, Netherlands, April 27th

King's Day may well be the best party in Holland and Amsterdam turns a very bright color of orange on April 27th. People celebrate King Willem Alexander's birthday with music, street parties, flea markets, and fun fairs. The king himself travels through the country with his family.

Just for Laughs

Montreal, Canada, July 14th—30th

For comedy lovers there is no other festival in the word better than Montreal's Just for Laughs. The festival concentrates most of its shows in the Latin Quarter. During the day street performers delight the crowds and at night the city comes alive with comedy all over the city.

1. Which of the four festivals mainly involves music and films?

A．St. Patrick's Day.	B．South by Southwest.
C．King's Day.	D．Just for Laughs.

2. What do St. Patrick's Day and King's Day have in common?

A．They are both religious festivals.

B．They are celebrated in the same month.

C．They are in honour of the birthday of a great person.

D．They both feature a color.

3. What can we learn about Just for Laughs?

A．It lasts for a month.	B．It provides free food for all.
C．It's the best comedy feast.	D．It is concerned about the royal family.

9 . In the long history of about 5,000 years, numerous Chinese traditional festivals were celebrated in memory of gods or some significant days, some of which are passed down from generation to generation and people always practice special traditional activities in each festival.

Qingming Festival

Qingming Festival is on the 15th day after Spring Equinox, round April 4 or April 5 every year.     1     They remove the weeds growing on the ancestors’ tombs to make them clean, so this festival is also called Tomb-sweeping Festival. In some areas, people are forbidden to use fire to cook food, so they only eat cool food.

Double Ninth Festival

    2    The Chinese character of September is the same as 9, so we get this special name. Chinese people, especially the north Chinese, climb the mountains to the peak to enjoy the wonderful scenery, and admire the beauty of chrysanthemum.

Winter Solstice(冬至)

Winter Solstice is on around December 22 or 23 of solar calendar each year. From Winter Solstice on, the daytime will be longer and longer.     3     In the northern region, people eat dumplings and wonton(馄饨), while in the southern region rice balls.

    4    

In China, this festival is in late January or early February, the last day of the Lunar year. People celebrate it by having a family reunion dinner, setting off fireworks and staying up late. Breaking the dishes and bowls is a thing all the people scare, but if you did it, you have to say: “sui sui ping an”.     5    

A．New Year’s Eve

B．Spring Festival

C．People will go to worship their ancestors.

D．People always visit their friends and relatives.

E．That day people in different regions eat different food.

F．It is a pun(双关语), meaning you will be healthy every year.

G．It is celebrated on Sept. 9th of the Lunar Calendar, around October.

10 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What difference does the speaker talk about first?

A．Traffic rules.

B．Some expressions.

C．The food.

2. What does the speaker think of the weather in London?

A．Great.

B．Uncomfortable.

C．Changeable.

3. When does the speaker finish work now?

A．At 5 p.m.

B．At 8:30 p.m.

C．At 9 p.m.

4. Where did the speaker use to go on Friday evening in America?

A．To the club.

B．To the gym.

C．To the restaurant.