1 . People from East Asia tend to have more difficulties than those from Europe in distinguishing facial expressions and a new report published online in Current Biology explains why.
Rachael Jack, University of Glasgow researcher, said that rather than scanning evenly (均匀的) across a face as Westerners do, Easterners fix their attention on the eyes.
“We show that Easterners and Westerners look at different face features to read facial expressions,” Jack said. “Westerners look at the eyes and the mouth in equal measure, whereas Easterners favor the eyes and overlook the mouth.”
According to Jack and her colleagues, the discovery shows that human communication of emotion is more complex than previously believed. As a result, facial expressions that had been considered universally recognizable cannot be used to reliably convey emotion in cross-cultural situations.
The researchers studied cultural differences in the recognition of facial expressions by recording the eye movements of 13 Western Caucasian and 13 East Asian people while they observed pictures of expressive faces and put them into categories: happy, sad, surprised, fearful, disgusted, angry, or neutral. They compared how accurately participants read those facial expressions using their particular eye movement strategies.
It turned out that Easterners focused much greater attention on the eyes and made significantly more errors than Westerners did. “The cultural difference in eye movements that they show is probably a reflection of cultural difference in facial expressions,” Jack said. “Our data suggest that whereas Westerners use the whole face to convey emotion. Easterners use the eyes more and mouth less.”
In short, the data show that facial expressions are not universal signals of human emotion. From here on, examining how cultural factors have diversified these basic social skills will help our understanding of human emotion. Otherwise, when it comes to communicating emotions across cultures, Easterners and Westerners will find themselves lost in translation.
1. What does the discovery show about Westerners?| A．They pay equal attention to the eyes and the mouth. |
| B．They consider facial expressions universally reliable. |
| C．They observe the eyes and the mouth in different ways. |
| D．They have more difficulty in recognizing facial expressions. |
| A．To get their faces impressive. | B．To make a face at each other. |
| C．To classify some face pictures. | D．To observe the researchers’ faces. |
| A．They do translation more successfully. | B．They study the mouth more frequently. |
| C．They examine the eyes more attentively. | D．They read facial expressions more correctly. |
| A．The Eye as the Window to the Soul | B．Cultural Differences in Reading Emotions |
| C．Effective Methods to Develop Social Skills | D．How to Increase Cross-cultural Understanding |
2 . The Lunar Calendar (农历) Modern Chinese use the solar calendar (阳历) as English people do. But at the same time, they use their own lunar calendar. Each lunar year is given the name of one of these animals: the rat, the ox, the tiger, the hare, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the goat, the monkey, the chicken, the dog and the pig. This list lasts for 12 years and then starts again.
Each Chinese month starts on the day of the new moon. And the full moon comes on the 15th day of the month. The New Year always starts between January 21 and February 20. On the last day of the lunar year, there is a big family dinner. All members of the family except married daughters try to be present at this meal, even they have to travel many miles to reach the home of their parents. Old quarrels are forgotten, and everybody is happy. After the dinner, the children keep awake to welcome the New Year.
The New Year celebrations last for 15 days, from the new moon to the full moon. On the first day , children and unmarried people go to visit their elders.
1. If next year is the year of the goat, what was the name of last year?| A．It was the year of tiger. | B．It was the year of the hare. |
| C．It was the year of snake. | D．It was the year of the ox. |
| A．On February 15. | B．On February 16. | C．On February 14. | D．On February 17. |
| A．the married son | B．the married daughter | C．the unmarried son | D．the parents |
| A．old Chinese use the solar calendar (阳历) as English people do |
| B．each Chinese month starts on the day of the new sun |
| C．on the first day, children and married people go to visit their elders |
| D．each lunar year is given the name of animals |
3 . It took two years to complete the design work for the Chinese Olympic athletes’ entry uniform. After several rounds of selections and evaluations, final uniform designs with the theme of “making a good start” were officially confirmed in March last year for the Chinese Olympic athletes participating in the Tokyo Olympics.
After designing uniforms for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Paralympics, the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology has since taken on the task of costume design for a number of major international sporting events, creating uniforms for athletes that confidently express the national identity and image (形象) of China.
Since the appearance of the athletes is a focus of the opening ceremony, an eye-catching color like red is a top choice, especially since it is the primary shade in China’s national flag and also symbolizes energy, enthusiasm and joy in traditional Chinese culture. White — which represents brightness, purity and holiness — plays a softening role in the costume design. The combination of red and white at the opening Ceremony of the Olympics reflects the theme of the design: “making a good start”.
Color along with patterns can convey the visual characteristics of a country and express a more accurate national image. The bottom edge of the white dress for female athletes has China’s national flower, the peony. The source for the pattern was drawn from a Ming Dynasty (1368—1644) peony bowl, which is representative of traditional Chinese aesthetics (美学). The design of the men’s shirts is inspired by the five-star pattern of China’s national flag. It reflects the spirit of the Chinese Olympic team to fight together for national honor.
Professor He Yang, one of the designers behind the uniform, said that one of their considerations during the design process was that the uniform should reflect the traditional Chinese cultural character in an understandable and identifiable way. “We need to strike a balance between cultural representation, etiquette (礼仪) and the spirit of modern Chinese sportsmen,” said He.
1. What is known about the colors of the entry uniform?| A．White is used as the major color of the entry uniform. |
| B．Red is chosen in line with the color of the national flag. |
| C．Red is used as the only color to symbolize Chinese identity. |
| D．The mixture of red and white softens the theme of the uniform. |
| A．The Chinese abundant history. |
| B．The Chinese athletes’ art taste. |
| C．The representative Chinese elements. |
| D．The Chinese athletes’ sports achievements. |
| A．They manage to develop Chinese sports. |
| B．They are devoted to promoting Chinese culture. |
| C．They are qualified to win the world competitions. |
| D．They make efforts to strengthen international cooperation. |
| A．A good start at Tokyo Olympics |
| B．An eye-catching appearance at Tokyo Olympics |
| C．The entry uniform of Chinese athletes for Tokyo Olympics |
| D．The spirit of the Chinese Olympic team to fight for national honor |
要点包括：
1. 该节日的具体日期：
2. 该节日期间，人们的主要活动或该节日的特色。
3. 作文题目可以该节日的名称为题，也可以My Favorite Festival为题。
注意：写作词数应为80左右。
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Winter Solstice (冬至)
Winter Solstice, also
Winter Solstice is the 22nd in the present system of solar terms, but it was in fact the first one to
The winter season starts in most areas in China from the day on. But because
Eating dumplings on Winter Solstice is a tradition in northern China. Compared with dumplings, sweet dumplings (tangyuan) are even
6 . People often talk about cultural differences between western and eastern countries, but how about the western world itself? Surprisingly, a closer look at it can reveal a good many curious details.
The most obvious characteristic of the majority of Americans is that they smile a lot. It does not matter whether they have a strong reason to smile; they do it, sometimes simply because they have to. A smile is not just a powerful marketing tool but also a way to show that someone is friendly, and that life in general is fine. Europeans, on the contrary, prefer to keep a more neutral (不带感情色彩的) facial expression. They smile mostly when they are in a good mood, or feel amused; if not, a European’s face will remain neutral, or even dull. In Russia, for example, there is a proverb, saying that laughing for no reason is a sign of a fool. It does not mean that Europeans are serious, or that they do not have a sense of humor.
The same refers to communication in general. Americans are extremely communicative; small talks and chats are common. Europeans talk mostly when there is something to say, and rarely enter communication just for the purpose of talking to other people. American people prefer to express what they think carefully, considering how it might affect surrounding people. Europeans are more straightforward, even with unfamiliar people. A European friend will almost always voice his opinion on different occasions, and will not hesitate to remind you that you need to lose some weight or take a shower.
It can be said that Americans are people of contrasts. They are open-minded, flexible, and ready to accept everything new enthusiastically; but at the same time, American society manages to bring up unbelievable conservatives. Americans are extremely politically correct, which, in most cases, is indeed a secure and beneficial practice, but it can also mess up daily or even private communication, sometimes preventing having close relationships. Europeans, on the contrary, are more straightforward, preferring to tell the truth in direct ways. Each way of communication is different—neither is correct or incorrect.
1. What does the author say about smiling?| A．It is a powerful marketing tool across cultures. |
| B．It is culture-related within western countries. |
| C．It is thought of as a sign of a fool in America. |
| D．It is regarded as a social necessity in Europe. |
| A．Beating around the bush. | B．Hiding their feelings carefully. |
| C．Expressing themselves openly. | D．Having small talks and chats. |
| A．Being politically correct. | B．Being straightforward. |
| C．Accepting everything new. | D．Raising unbelievable conservatives. |
| A．By making comparisons. | B．By analyzing cause and effect. |
| C．By classifying body language. | D．By discussing research findings. |
7 . Usually when another old cave is discovered in the south of France, it is not news. Rather, it is an ordinary
Early artists drawing these pictures finished a difficult but
Although they are not out
| A．guideline | B．principle | C．site | D．event |
| A．common | B．rare | C．amazing | D．awful |
| A．pays attention to | B．takes care of | C．looks into | D．watches over |
| A．Therefore | B．However | C．Besides | D．Instead |
| A．relieved | B．puzzled | C．amazed | D．satisfied |
| A．schedules | B．pictures | C．projects | D．places |
| A．hunting | B．eating | C．freeing | D．walking |
| A．noticeably | B．strangely | C．particularly | D．importantly |
| A．reassessing | B．overvaluing | C．outnumbering | D．underestimating |
| A．achievable | B．impossible | C．challenging | D．meaningful |
| A．accessible | B．broken | C．destroyed | D．collapsible |
| A．streets | B．passages | C．escapes | D．approaches |
| A．Reluctantly | B．Unbelievably | C．Generally | D．Unfortunately |
| A．committed | B．addicted | C．exposed | D．applied |
| A．make a contribution to | B．have an impact on | C．play a role in | D．get the hang of |
| A．outside | B．inside | C．beyond | D．beneath |
| A．at a distance | B．within reach | C．out of sight | D．in the open air |
| A．narrowly | B．slightly | C．hardly | D．easily |
| A．students | B．discoverers | C．researchers | D．tourists |
| A．damage | B．notice | C．construction | D．repair |
8 . Icelanders have a beautiful tradition of giving books to each other on Christmas Eve and then spending the night reading. This custom is so deeply rooted in the culture that it is the reason for the Jolabokaflod, or “Christmas Book Flood”, when the majority of books in Iceland are sold between September and December in preparation for Christmas giving.
At this time of year, most families receive a yearly free book catalog of new publications called the Bokatidindi. Icelanders read the new catalog carefully and choose which books they want to buy, fueling what Kristjan B. Jonasson, president of the Iceland Publishers Association, describes as “the backbone of the publishing industry”.
The small Nordic island，with a population of only 329,000 people, is extraordinarily literary. They love to read and write. According to Rosie Goldsmith of the BBC, “The country has more writers, more books published and more books read, than most countries in the world.”
In North America, e-books have grown in popularity—it’s not the same in Iceland. One bookstore manager told NPR, “In Iceland, you give paper books instead of e-books as gifts.” The book industry is driven by the majority of people buying several books each year, rather than the North American pattern of a few people buying a lot of books.
When I asked an Icelandic friend what she thought of this tradition，she was surprised. “I hadn’t thought of this as a special Icelandic tradition. It’s true that a book is always considered as a nice gift. We’re very proud of our authors,” said she.
It sounds like a wonderful tradition, perfect for a winter evening. I’ll include it into my own family’s celebration of Christmas. I doubt my loyalty (忠诚) to paper books will ever fade; they are what I can’t resist collecting, in order to read and re-read them, to beautify and personalize my home, to pass them on to friends and family as needed. Combining my love for books with quiet and relaxing Christmas Eves sounds like a perfect match.
1. Why do many Icelanders buy books between September and December?| A．To honor Kristjan B. Jonasson. | B．To use them as Christmas gifts. |
| C．To prepare for a reading festival. | D．To support the publishing industry. |
| A．E-books have become more popular. |
| B．Paper books are placed more value on. |
| C．People’s love for books seems to fade. |
| D．A few people buy most of the new books. |
| A．It comes as a surprise. | B．It proves less popular. |
| C．It is rather unique. | D．It is quite ordinary. |
| A．The author’s family tradition on Christmas. |
| B．The reason for the author’s interest in reading. |
| C．The influence of the tradition on the author. |
| D．The wide spread of the wonderful tradition. |
Chinese proverbs are rich and they are still
It is said that a short-tempered man in the Song Dynasty (960－1279) was very anxious to help his rice crop grow up quickly. He was thinking about it day and night. But the crop was growing much slower than he expected.
One day, he came up with an idea
He was very tired
His son heard about this and went to see the crop.
This proverb is saying we have to let things go in their
10 . An Englishman, a Frenchman and a Russian were discussing happiness. "Happiness," said the Englishman, "Happiness is when you return home tired after work, yet find your slippers(拖鞋) warming by the fire."
"You English have no romance," said the Frenchman. "Happiness is when you go on a business trip, find a pretty girl who entertains you －then afterwards you part without regrets."
"You are both wrong," said the Russian. "True happiness is when you are at home in bed and at 4 a.m., you hear a hammering at the door and outside stand the secret police, who say to you, 'Ivanovitch, you are under arrest', and you say, 'Sorry, Ivanovitch lives next door.'"
1. The Englishman's happiness suggests that ________.| A．he should have no time to warm his slippers |
| B．he enjoys the warmth of the family |
| C．he thinks it the most important to have slippers |
| D．he wants someone to warm his slippers |
| A．a man can be free to play with any pretty girl when possible |
| B．he wants to marry a girl he loves |
| C．he is interested in going on a business trip |
| D．the Englishman should have more romance |
| A．both the Englishman and the Frenchman were not right |
| B．neither the Englishman nor the Frenchman were right |
| C．neither the Englishman nor Frenchman were wrong |
| D．either the Englishman or the Frenchman were wrong |
| A．he would like to have a good sleep at night |
| B．he will feel happy if his neighbour is arrested |
| C．he thinks it happiness to feel safe |
| D．he will feel afraid if anyone knocks at his door at night |
