1 . With the development of modern society, we have almost no time for relaxation and enjoyment. So celebrating festivals is a good excuse to escape the boredom. There are many kinds of festivals. Some are funny and interesting; some are traditional or religious; others are national.     1    

Festivals are a significant tool to bring unity to all kinds of people.     2     They act as a special occasion when families can develop stronger relationship and strangers can become friends.

    3     Nowadays, everyone is buried in work on regular working days without time to take away all the mental tension and get cheered up. On festivals, we can spend quality time enjoying sweets and foods and make ourselves feel more relaxed.

Some festivals are observed to remember some important days, or a great time. We are given an opportunity to value those moments.     4     It is a time when people all over the world celebrate the very beginning of a year. This day reminds us that one year has passed and the new one is coming with new things.

For an individual, a festival is not just a day off, but is a lot more than that.     5     We should try to understand the deep meaning behind celebrating them and the message that every festival gives us.

A．Without them, we can't enjoy life fully.

B．Therefore, we should enjoy festivals to the fullest.

C．It is a time to give the poor an opportunity to smile.

D．At the heart of festivals is the nature of togetherness.

E．Festivals also serve to give a break from daily rush.

F．For example, an important celebration is New Year's Day.

G．Whatever they are, they play an important role in people's life.

2 . Papermaking is widely known as one of the Four Great Inventions of ancient Chinese civilization. Among different types of paper, Xuan paper holds an important place.     1     , massive ancient documents and artworks might not have survived till today.

Regarded as one of the Four Treasures of the Study, Xuan paper has always been valued by the Chinese as a source of pride since it is a necessary part of the Chinese culture.     2    .

Five Oxen by painter Han Huang is acknowledged as the oldest Chinese painting on Xuan paper.     3    . According to the National Library of China, there are about 30 million ancient paper books preserved in the library, and most of them are made of Xuan paper.

Featuring a smooth surface, pure texture (质地) and high tensile strength, Xuan paper’s most well-known feature is that it can be preserved for a long time.     4     If preserved well,its longevity can reach more than 2,000 years while the ink and color on it remain fresh and bright.

    5    , Xuan paper can show evident effects of ink shown on the paper. So Xuan paper has become an extremely popular medium for capturing and conveying the soul of traditional Chinese calligraphy and ink wash paintings.

A．If it were not for the paper

B．It is also a witness to the Chinese history

C．As it has a history of more than 1,500 years

D．Because it has excellent water-absorbing capacity

E．The quality will not change for more than 1,000 years

F．The undamaged art piece is more than 1,200 years old

G．Up to now, Xuan paper has not yet been produced by modern machine

3 . 阅读下面材料, 在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Several different stories are told about the origin of Saint Valentine’s Day. One legend     1    (date) as far back as the days of Roman Empire. According to the story, Claudius,     2     Emperor of Rome, wanted to increase the size of the army. He knew that it would be easier to get young men who were not married     3    (join) the army; therefore, he made a rule that no young men could marry     4    he had served in the army for a number of years.   

A priest     5     (name) Valentine broke the rule and     6    (secret) married a great number of young people. Finally, Claudius found out about Valentine and put the priest in prison,     7     he remained until he died on February 14.   

After his death, Valentine     8    (make) a saint and the day of his death was named Saint Valentine’s Day.   

February 14, Valentine’s Day, is sweetheart’s day. After     9    (put)their love message in a heart shaped box of chocolate or a bunch of flowers, people give the gifts to their lover.     10     (word) may be written on the flower covered card, or something else.

4 . The kites in Weifang never disappoint. Every year the Weifang International Kite Festival amazes visitors and netizens (网民) with innovative kites, as “paper birds” of unimaginable designs keep appearing in the sky.

The origin of kites in China can be traced back to the Warring States Period when the great Chinese philosopher Mozi in the State of Lu (part of today’s Shandong Province) made the first “wooden kite”. Kites didn’t actually become popular until the Ming Dynasty. By the middle of the Qing Dynasty, artists specialized in kite making began to appear in Weifang. In 1984, the first Weifang International Kite Festival was held.

Kites were used in China for military purposes at the very beginning. They were made to signal and measure distance, providing intelligence to aid moving large armies across difficult terrain (地形). For example, they can be used to calculate and record wind readings, similar to ship flags at sea. Over time, kites became associated with leisure activities, and were often flown during festivals and holidays.

Today, kite-flying is a popular leisure activity in China, and the Weifang International Kite Festival is one of the largest kite festivals in the world. In 2023, 622 kite artists from 59 countries and regions participated in the event. Compared with previous festivals, the 2023 event was highlighted by many innovations by both veteran (经验丰富的) and young kite makers. Zhang Xiaodong, 74, as a national intangible culture inheritor of Weifang kites, he has attended all 40 festivals. In the early days, he only brought traditional kites to take part in the competitions, but this time, he applied sound and light to make the fairy tale of Chang'e flying to the moon come “alive”.

The Weifang kite festival is not only a platform to share kite-making skills, but also a way to enhance friendship between people from different countries. The innovative kites presented in 2023 brought many pleasant surprises to kite lovers all over the world, and brought the people of China and other countries closer. As one netizen put it, “No matter how far away kite lovers go, there is always a ‘thread’ in their heart that can pull them together.”

1. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．The history of kites in China.	B．The popularity of kites in Weifang.
C．The introduction to great kite artists.	D．The development of kite-making skills.

2. What was the original function of kites in China?

A．To serve as gifts at festivals.	B．To judge the height of mountains.
C．To measure wind speed for sailors at sea.	D．To provide important information for armies.

3. How was the Weifang kite festival in 2023 different from the previous ones?

A．It involved more creative kite artworks.

B．It became the largest kite festival in the world.

C．It contained plenty of Chinese traditional elements.

D．It attracted many young kite artists’ wide attention.

4. What can we infer about the Weifang kite festival from the netizen’s words?

A．It inspires artists to create a lot of surprises.

B．It is a good platform for kite makers to share skills.

C．It promotes the spread of traditional Chinese culture.

D．It strengthens the bond between kite lovers all over the world.

5 . Guqin-making is a process that takes patience and carefulness. Patience is one of the key parts in making a guqin.” It takes about two years to finish making one,” says Sui Yiyangg, 37, who, has been applying himself to guqin-making for over ten years.

The body of a guqin is made of two parts, a fat bottom and an arched (拱形) top. The body of the instrument is carefully and repeatedly covered with a thin layer of oil paint, which can take months to finish.

The strings (琴弦) of a guqin are traditionally made of silk; today they are often specially developed into steel-and-nylon strings.

Sui learned guitar as a teenager. He was introduced to the guqin when he travelled with his father. During the seven-hour drive from Beijing to the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, he listened to the guqin recording in his father’s car and was attracted.

“The beautiful and lasting sounds of the guqin are different from the Western musical instruments I learned,” he remembers.

After returning to Beijing, he started learning the instrument. Later, he learned how to make the guqin from HAN Tingyao, now 85, a Beijing-based master artist.

Sui travels nationwide and even abroad to buy high-quality materials and tools. For example the kind and quality of the wood is very important, so he often travels to Fujian and Jiangxi provinces in search of the right materials. He gets the paint, which is used to protect the guqin from corrosion (腐蚀)，from a single place — Rentoushan, a village in Maoba township, Lichuan city, Hubei province.

Years of guqin-making experience has gifted Sui with the ability to make high-quality instruments. “Each guqin has its unique sense of reality, which you can only get to know after you feel it with your own hands,” he says.

1. Which of the following can best describe Sui Yiyang?

A．Out-going and loving.	B．Easy-going and careless.
C．Patient and careful.	D．Confident and responsible.

2. When did Sui Yiyang learn guqin?

A．Five years ago.	B．After the trip with his father.
C．During a party with his friends.	D．While visiting a famous artist in Beijing.

3. Why did Sui travel at home and even abroad?

A．Because he wanted to learn guitar.

B．Because he wished to visit the places of interest.

C．Because he hoped to become an artist like Han Tingyao.

D．Because he wanted to find the good wood of making the guqin.

4. In which section of a newspaper can we find the text?

A．People.

B．Sports.

C．Travel.

D．Nature.

6 . 假定你是校新闻社的一名记者，你得知有一群年轻人成立了一个组织采取行动保护文化遗产，请用英语写一篇有关他们的新闻报道。内容包括：
1. 寻找文物并拍照；
2. 把照片展示给公众并筹集资金；
3. 把资金用来帮助修复古建筑。
注意：
1. 词数80左右；
2. 文章应包括以上要点，可适当发挥。
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7 . Sneakers (运动鞋) have come a long way from when they were first invented in 1860s England for the upper-class playing croquet and tennis. But what transformed sneaker culture into a true phenomenon was the 1985 release of Nike’s Air Jordan 1.

In 1984, Michael Jordan was a talented new player who had yet to play in a professional game. Despite that, Nike — better known then as a running shoe company — saw Jordan as the future of their brand. The bet paid off. As Jordan proved to be one of the greatest basketball players of all time, the sneaker’s popularity skyrocketed.

Sneaker culture began to take off beyond the basketball court too. When the influential hip-hop group Run-D. M. C. released their single My Adidas in 1986, it earned the group a first-of-its-kind endorsement (代言) deal with the brand. Soon after, Kurt Cobain of the grunge band Nirvana made Converse a symbol of rebellion and youth.

Meanwhile, another cultural shift was taking place as white-collar businesses introduced casual Fridays. Suddenly, men were allowed to put aside their suits and wear something one day a week that showed people who they really were.

Nowadays, sneakers are also how people express their beliefs — for instance, when NBA player Dwyane Wade wore hiscustom-designed, limited-edition “Black Lives Matter” Li-Nings or NFL placekicker Blair Walsh wore anti-bullying sneakers covered in the words “Speak Out.”

“It’s like art,” says Akio Evans, a Baltimore creative who specializes in turning shoes into wearable artwork. “Even though it is a sneaker that is on the shelves or inside of a box inside a store, the very first thing you are doing is admiring what you see. You look at all the pieces and decide which one appeals to your emotions.”

Decades after their first introduction to the fashion industry, sneakers are finally getting their due as part of our cultural heritage.

1. How has Michael Jordan affected sneaker culture?

A．He is a key figure in its taking over the world.

B．He played in a professional game in 1984 to start it.

C．He has created it since he became a talented new player.

D．He was known for wearing running shoes as advertisement for it.

2. Why are Adidas and Converse mentioned?

A．To introduce Run-D. M. C. and Kurt Cobain.	B．To prove Nike the best sneaker brand.
C．To show the popularity of sneaker culture.	D．To emphasize rebellion and youth.

3. What can men do on casual Fridays?

A．Wearing sneakers.	B．Embracing suits.
C．Stopping work.	D．Hiding themselves.

4. Which statement will the author probably agree with?

A．Famous athletes express their beliefs on sneakers just for fun.

B．Artists pay too much attention to turning sneakers into artwork.

C．Sneakers deserve the admiration and popularity nowadays.

D．Sneaker culture plays the most important role in fashion industry.

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。

Before my visit to a friend in Australia, I had done some research on the country     1    （locate）to the south of the equator. After reading about some     2    （icon）sites, I couldn't wait to see all of them. In fact, I was more interested in meeting people in Australia and experiencing their culture, food and way of life.

When I arrived in Sydney, my friend shared many different meals with me,     3     my first impressions of Australia were all about food. A lot of typical Australian food is     4    （original）British. The influence of Asian cultures, on the other hand, led to the     5    （introduce）of bean curd and Asian herbs. When we arrived in Katherine, a town in Australia's Northern Territory, we learned about the life and customs of the Aborigines,     6     are native to Australia. While the Aboriginal population might be small, its influence is still visible.

    7    （survive）in this vast land on the ocean, the Aborigines had to be in close contact     8     nature, which also shows in their music.

After being there for several days, my biggest impression is the complicated mix of peoples and cultures. Although the main cultural influence since 1788     9    （be）Western culture, minority cultures have also played a part in shaping the unique Australian culture. After experiencing Australia, I have to say that I agree with     10     tourism slogan: “There's nothing like Australia.”

9 . 语法填空

Known as the Zhongqiu Jie (the Mid-Autumn Festival) in China, the Chinese Moon Festival dates back to over 3,000 years. As with all practices so old, a lot of legends    1     (develop) over the years; it becomes difficult to understand the original traditions. Most stories    2    (base)on the idea     3     the goddess Chang’e lives on the moon; however, tales of how she got there differ     4     (wide).

One story suggests that the moon goddess    5    (be) the wife of a legendary archer (射手) who was ordered to shoot down all but one of the suns in the sky. That’s why we only have one sun. After accomplishing the task, he was given an immortality (永生) pill as    6    reward. His wife found and took the pill instead, then later flew to the moon     7    she lives now.

Another Chinese Moon Festival legend states that paper messages inside of mooncakes were used as a way    8     (organize) the exact date of a revolution against the ruling Mongols (蒙古人) during the Yuan Dynasty. The Mongols were overthrown    9     the night of the Moon Festival. Although this legend seems a little     10    (reasonable) than a goddess living on the moon, little historical evidence suggests that this is how the Mongols were defeated.

10 . 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。

Giving the Lion Dance More Bite

Expertise and various cultural elements combine to add to the wonder and attract new enthusiasts. The lively and strong beat of gongs and drums from Yang Feilong’s training facility can     1     (hear) more than a kilometre away.

As the door is pushed open, the sound     2     (flood) the air and is suddenly overpowering, while a group of young people     3     (dress) in multicoloured lion-shaped costumes jump into view.

They quickly move on the     4     (careful) arranged iron piles, fixed to the ground, of varying heights, while completing complex flips (空翻) and twists (旋转)     5     (show) an extraordinary performance that shows the charm of local folk culture.

Through their movement, the dancing lion takes on a life of its own,     6     (display) a variety of poses, from sitting and crouching (蹲) to drinking water and licking its tail.

“The key lies     7     cooperation among the performers,” says Yang,     8     observes the lion dance practices and gives his     9     (instruction).

“You also have to know how to show force and put your heart into the performance, so the lion can be presented in a way that it looks real,” adds Yang. He was recently named as     10     model young inheritor (继承者) of lion dance in Xitao town, Wuzhi county, Jiaozuo city, Central China’s Henan province.