1 . Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill once said, “The British are the only people who like to be told how bad things are.” This is definitely (绝对地) true of British comedy. Most people think humor is about happy things, but for the British, the opposite is true. We love to use our cruel sense of humor to complain and be negative (消极的).

British comedy, for example, draws a fine line between comedy and tragedy (悲剧). BBC’s The Office is a TV show, famous for its dry humor. The main character, David Brent, is a foolish man, and the show’s comedy comes from his delusions. For example, he often tells himself that he is loved by everyone but the viewer can see that everyone hates him.

Stupid characters for the audience to laugh at are an old tradition in Britain. In Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night, the character Malvolio is an old man whom people play tricks on. The audience will laugh away, although the reality is that this man is a truly tragic individual (个体).

This side of British humor is reflected (反映) in friendships as well. At university, my friends and I would always laugh at one another. I had an American friend who actually found this sarcasm (挖苦) quite upsetting. She didn’t realize that in Britain, the better friends you are with someone, the more you laugh at them.

This approach – laughing at everything – may sound rather depressing (让人郁闷的), but our strange humor played a big part in British history. In World War II, along with a stiff upper lip (坚定沉着), the British got through it by laughing. What else was there to do?

There is a saying in English: “Laugh and the world laughs with you; cry and you cry alone.” If you are ever on the receiving end of British sarcasm, you may feel like crying, but it’s best to just laugh it off!

1. How is British comedy different from other types?

A．It is often surprising and boring.

B．It often laughs at human nature.

C．It is often about negative things.

D．It often makes people feel depressed.

2. What does the underlined word “delusions” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．strong abilities

B．fun characters

C．incorrect beliefs

D．deep confidence

3. Why is Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night mentioned in the article?

A．To show one of the best examples of British comedy.

B．To explain how Shakespeare’s comedy is different.

C．To show how difficult it is to make people accept British comedy.

D．To prove Britain has a long tradition of laughing at stupid characters.

4. How does the author advise people to react to British humor?

A．Learn from it.

B．Don’t take it seriously.

C．Reply sarcastically.

D．Be careful not to make stupid mistakes.

2 . 假设你是李华，你的英国朋友Jack热爱中国的传统文化，尤其对中国的茶文化感兴趣，听说你的家乡是著名的砖茶之乡，他想了解相关情况。请你给他写封电子邮件，告知有关信息。
内容包括：
1. 中国茶文化历史悠久，促进了人文交流和社会发展；
2. 介绍自己家乡的相关情况（如：羊楼洞盛产砖茶，是著名的茶马古道起点之一）；
3. 邀请他到中国亲身体验（以茶会友，听茶事，观茶艺，赏茶具，品好茶）。
注意：1. 词数120左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
3. 参考词汇：羊楼洞Yang Loudong        茶马古道Great Tea Road        砖茶brick tea
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua

3 . Be cautious of Friday the 13^th！Many people think the day is unlucky.    1    （fortune）, there's only one Friday the 13^th this year. As the legend goes，you should try not     2    （break）any mirrors，walk under a ladder，or even spill any salt. Why？Researchers say    3     is tough to find out how the tradition came into being. Many believe it has     4    （religion）origins. In the Christian faith，there were 13 guests at table for the Last Supper，which was held the day before the Friday    5    Jesus died. Now，Friday the 13h has become a cultural wonder. Many Americans avoid the number 13 all together，    6    （include）hotel rooms and airplane seat assignments. It even costs couples less to get married on the day. There are many other    7    （explain）behind the luckless day. Simon Bronner，a professor of American studies at Pennsylvania State. University，    8    （believe）Friday the 13h is a way for people to pin their bad luck to a certain cause:. The fact should be    9    there's nothing special about the number itself. After all，the number 13     10    （consider）to be lucky in some countries，like Italy

4 . Visitors to Britain may find the best place to sample local culture is in a traditional pub. But these friendly pubs can be dangerous places of potential gaffes（失礼）for the newcomers.

A team of researchers have discovered some of the unknown customs of British pub-starting with the difficulty of getting a drink. Most pubs have no waiters-you have to go to the bar to buy drinks. A group of Italian youths waiting 45 minutes before they realized they would have to fetch their own. This may sound inconvenient, but there is a hidden purpose.

Pub culture is designed to promote sociability in a society known for its reserve. Standing at the bar for service allows you to chat with others waiting to be served.   The bar counter is possibly the only' site in the British Isles in which friendly conversation with strangers is considered entirely suitable and really quite normal behavior. "If you haven't ben to a pub, you haven't ben to Britain." This tip can be found in a booklet,   Passport to the Pub: The Tourists' Guide to Pub Etiquette, a customers' rule of conduct for those wanting to sample a central part of British life and culture"。

The trouble is that if you do not follow the local rules, the experience may fall flat.   For example, if you are in a big group, it is best if only one or two people go to buy the drinks. Nothing annoys the regular customers and bar staff more than a group of strangers blocking all access to the bar while they chat and hesitate about what to order.

1. The underlined word "sample" in the first paragraph probably means"____________”.

A．defend	B．experience
C．test	D．record

2. The culture of pub in Britain is so developed to____________.

A．encourage people to communicate with each other

B．encourage more people to consume drinks

C．attract more tourists to the pubs

D．form its own character of culture

3. What does the author mean by giving the example of a group of Italian youths in Paragraph2?

A．British pubs don't always have waiters or waitresses.

B．There is always a hidden purpose in most British pubs.

C．It is quite convenient for people to get a drink in British pubs.

D．Not knowing the custom of British pubs may cause inconvenience.

5 . 假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10 处语言错误，每句中最多有两处，每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加:在缺词处加一个漏词符号（∧),并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改:在错的词下面画一横线，并在该词下面写上修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Dear John，

I am so glad hear from you. Learn that you are working on Chinese, I strongly recommend   the novel Journey to the West one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, It tells about a Buddhist monk and his three disciples, animal with human characteristic，traveling west to India in search for Buddhist scriptures. I think，the study of this novel open the way to Chinese values and history, from what you will get a better understanding of Chinese culture. Beside the novel offers a mixture of adventure and comedy, so while enjoying，you   will gradually find you can speak and write in Chinese more fluent.

I hope you keep reading to enjoy the charm of Chinese language but you will achieve a great progress in your Chinese.

6 . 假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧ )，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改:在错的下面画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Throughout the world, festivals held to satisfy the ancestors, and to express people’s gratitude to the God who brings themselves a year of plenty. For example, Japanese observe Obon, which people go to clean graves and light incense in the memory of their ancestors. India has a national festival in October 2 to honour Mohandas Gandhi who helped India become an independently country. Chinese Spring Festival takes place in January or February, and is the most energy and important of all because it is a festival that look forward to the arrival of spring. The reason why all these festivals are celebrated everywhere is because people can get together to eat, drink and have funs with each other.

7 . Can you imagine digging in your yard one day and finding a life-sized soldier made completely of clay? That’s what happened several decades ago when farmers in Xi'an, China, were digging wells.

Archaeologists（考古学家） have since found about 6,000 more of these soldiers, along with horses, weapons, tools, and other artifacts. The huge army was meant to protect the tomb of the first ruler of China. The first emperor of China, Qin Shihuang, accomplished a huge amount during his rule. Between 221 and 210 B.C., he started the construction of the Great Wall. He built a large network of roads. He introduced a new writing system, currency（货币）, and a set of measurements. The emperor also ordered the construction of a huge army of life-sized terracotta soldiers. These, he hoped, would protect his tomb after his death.

The soldiers in Xi'an's terracotta museum are today light brown, but they weren't always. They began as an army of red, blue, yellow, green, white, and purple. Sadly, most of the colors did not last to the present day. After being exposed to air during excavation(挖掘), the coating under the paint began to fall off. The paint disappeared in less time than it takes to boil an egg, taking with it important pieces of history.

Now new techniques are starting to reveal the army's true colors. Archaeologists have recently discovered an area with more than a hundred soldiers. Many of these still have their painted features, including black hair, pink faces, and black or brown eyes. Chinese and German researchers have developed a special liquid to help preserve the soldiers’ colors. After they find a soldier or other artifacts(手工艺品), archaeologists spray it with the liquid. They then cover it in plastic. Archaeologists are also finding colors in the dirt around the soldiers. It’s important not to disturb the dirt, so the colors won’t be lost. “We are treating the earth as an artifact,”says archeologist Rong Bo, the museum’s leading chemist. The next challenge, says Rong, is to find a way to apply the colors to the army again. Once that happens, artists can bring Emperor Qin's army back to life in full, vivid color.

1. The terracotta soldiers were constructed to _________.

A．show the outside world about China’s greatness

B．be enjoyed by everyday people

C．frighten China’s enemies

D．protect Emperor Qin’s tomb

2. What is the main idea of the third paragraph?

A．The soldiers lost their colors very quickly.

B．The soldiers’ paint fell off because of the high temperature.

C．Visitors to the museum are not actually seeing the real soldiers.

D．Being exposed to water is bad for the soldiers.

3. What have archaeologists recently discovered?

A．A place with over a hundred soldiers.

B．A written description of the soldiers’ true colors.

C．A special liquid in the tomb to preserve the soldiers’ colors.

D．A new tomb for Emperor Qin.

4. Which statement would Rong Bo probably agree with?

A．The soldiers should stay in their current, brown color.

B．Artists should be able to paint the soldiers in any color they want.

C．Archaeologists can only guess at the soldiers’ original colors.

D．We should try to restore the army’s vivid colors.

8 . 假如你是李华，你校外教Mr． Johnson打算在中国过春节．请你用英文给他写一封电子邮件，内容包括：
1． 邀请他与你共度春节；
2． 介绍过春节的活动，如吃团圆饭，放烟花，剪纸等；
3． 表达期待和祝愿．
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：   家庭团聚   a family reunion   烟花 firework   剪纸 paper-cutting
Mr．Johnson，
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours，

Li Hua

9 . Outside， it's a cold winter's day． Inside a large shopping center， people are hanging around． But then， without warning， a pop song starts to play loudly． A teenager boy walks lazily to the center of the open space， and dances crazily to the music． He's joined by two of his friends， then some of the old people． Within the space of a few seconds， more than sixty people are dancing to the music - all in time and all in step． At first， onlookers are baffled， then they start smiling and clapping． They now know what they're seeing： a flash mob （快闪）．

According to Wikipedia， the term "flash mob" was created by Bill Wasik， an editor at Harper's Magazine， in 2003． Within a year， the phrase had entered the Concise Oxford English Dictionary． Since then， hundreds - possibly thousands - of flash mobs have been carried out around the world， in almost every kind of public space imaginable!

Each flash mob has its own style， but most flash mobs follow a similar formula （方案）． Often， the organizers search for willing participants using social media． Instructions and dance moves are given through email or video download． There are usually several rehearsals （排练） before the big day．

While it's happening， a few lucky passers-by watch it live． Most people who watch it， however， will see it later online． Some of the most popular flash mobs on YouTube have been watched more than 10million times． A famous example is MP3Experiment Eight， a flash mob that took place in New York City in July 2011 with over 3，500 participants． This event differed from normal flash mobs in that much of it was completely silent - and there were no rehearsals．

Flash mobs provide the participants， onlookers and online viewers with a lot of enjoyment and pleasure． For this reason alone， they're a modern， popular art form that should be celebrated．

1. What does the underlined word "baffled" in Paragraph 1 mean？ ______

A．Excited．	B．Puzzled．
C．Satisfied．	D．Disappointed．

2. Why does the author mention the Concise Oxford English Dictionary？ ______

A．To argue against Bill Wasik．

B．To compare it with Wikipedia．

C．To explain the meaning of "flash mob"．

D．To show the rapid development of flash mobs．

3. What is special about MP3Experiment Eight？ ______

A．It was played online．

B．It was the earliest flash mob．

C．It was played with no sound．

D．It was most accepted by the audience．

4. What is the author's opinion on flash mobs？ ______

A．Supportive．	B．Hopeless．
C．Uncaring．	D．Doubtful．

10 . 假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文．文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处．每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改．
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词．
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉．
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词．
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

2．只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分．

Dear Tom,

How time flies! Next week is my birthday. Happy birthday to you! I've sent for you a can of tea as a gift, hoping that you will like it. Having known that you have a great interest Chinese culture, now I will introduce Chinese tea culture to you.

Enjoy a long history of more than 4,000 years, Chinese tea never fail to attract many people in China. Generally speaking, there're more kinds of tea in China, included green tea, red tea and so on. Most Chinese are fond of drinking tea, that is served not only at tea house and restaurants but also at home. It has been discovered that drinking tea does a lot of good to people's health， making you relaxing and refreshed. Moreover, it's said that green tea can prevent cancers. I'm sure that tea is becoming increasing popular with people around the world.

I hope you will love Chinese tea and tea culture. Happy birthday and every day!

Yours,

Li   Hua