1 . Cultural differences occur wherever you go. When visiting another country, you should be aware of those differences and ____1___ them. Here are some ___2____ on how to fit in.
Every traveler to a foreign country feels __2_____ at some point. What you do can make locals laugh. Your best defense is a sense of ____4___. If you can laugh off eating with the wrong hand in India, locals will warm to you as “that crazy foreigner.”
Wearing proper cloths is important too, ____5___ locals will judge by what you wear. In some Middle Eastern countries, exposing your flesh is ___6____, especially if you are a woman. So leave your torn jeans at home.
Also be cautious about expressing ___7____. Getting angry in Southeast Asia just makes you look silly. In some countries it is ____8___ to kiss in public.1.

A．reject

B．recite

C．respect

D．remove

2.

A．plans

B．tips

C．arguments

D．choices

3.

A．unsafe

B．excited

C．satisfied

D．awkward

4.

A．relief

B．belonging

C．humor

D．direction

5.

A．but

B．for

C．so

D．or

6.

A．forbidden

B．allowed

C．expected

D．tolerated

7.

A．emotions

B．concern

C．interest

D．views

8.

A．natural

B．advisable

C．unwise

D．unnecessary

2 . Look to many of history’s cultural symbols, and there you’ll find an ancestor of Frosty, the snowman in the movie Frozen. It appeared on some of the first postcards, starred in some of the earliest silent movies, and was the subject of a couple of the earliest photos, dating all the way back to the 1800s. I discovered even more about one of humanity’s earliest forms of life art during several years of research around the world.
For example, snowmen were a phenomenon in the Middle Ages, built with great skill and thought. At a time of limited means of expression, snow was like free art supplies dropped from the sky. It was a popular activity for couples to leisurely walk through town to view the temporary works of chilly art. Some were created by famous artists, including a 19-year-old Michelangelo, who in 1494 was appointed by the ruler of Florence, Italy, to build a snowman in his mansion’s courtyard.
The Miracle of 1511 took place during six freezing works called the Winter of Death. The city of Brussels was covered in snowmen—an impressive scene that told stories on every street corner. Some were political in nature, criticizing the church and government. Some were a reflection of people’s imagination. For the people of Brussels, this was a defining moment of defining freedom. At least until spring arrived, by which time they were dealing with damaging floods.
If you fear the heyday of the snowman has passed, don’t worry: I’ve learned that some explosive snowman history is still being made today. Every year since 1818, the people of Zurich, Switzerland, celebrate the beginning of spring by blowing up a snowman. On the third Monday of April, the holiday Sechselauten is kicked off when a cotton snowman called the Boogg is stuffed with explosive and paraded through town by bakers and other tradesmen who throw bread to the crowds. The parade ends with the Boogg being placed on a 40-foot pile of firewood. After the bells of the Church of St. Peter have rung six times, representing the passing of winter, the pile is lit. When the snowman explodes, winter is considered officially over—the quicker it is burnt down, the longer summer is said to be.
1. According to the passage, why did snowmen become a phenomenon in the Middle Ages?

A．People thought of snow as holy art supplies.

B．People longed to see masterpieces of snow.

C．Building snowmen was a way for people to express themselves.

D．Building snowmen helped people develop their skill and thought.

2. “The heyday of the snowman” （paragraph 4） means the time when___________.

A．snowmen were made mainly by artists

B．snowmen enjoyed great popularity

C．snowmen were politically criticized

D．snowmen caused damaging floods

3. In Zurich, the blowing up of the Boogg symbolizes__________________.

A．the start of the parade

B．the coming of a longer summer

C．the passing of the winter

D．the success of tradesmen

4. What can be concluded about snowmen from the passage?

A．They were appreciated in history

B．They have lost their value

C．They were related to movies

D．They vary in shape and size

3 . Food serves as a form of communication in two fundamental ways. Sharing bread or other foods is a common human tradition that can promote unity and trust. Food can also have a specific meaning, and play a significant role in a family or culture's celebrations or traditions. The foods we eat—and when and how we eat them—are often unique to a particular culture or may even differ between rural (农村的) and urban areas within one country.
Sharing bread, whether during a special occasion (时刻) or at the family dinner table, is a common symbol of togetherness. Many cultures also celebrate birthdays and marriages with cakes that are cut and shared among the guests. Early forms of cake were simply a kind of bread, so this tradition hits its roots in the custom of sharing bread.
Food also plays an important role in many New Year celebrations. In the southern United States, pieces of corn bread represent blocks of gold for prosperity (兴旺) in the New Year. In Greece, people share a special cake called vasilopita. A coin is put into the cake, which signifies (预示) success in the New Year for the person who receives it.
Many cultures have ceremonies to celebrate the birth of a child, and food can play a significant role. In China, when a baby is one month old, families name and welcome their child in a celebration that includes giving red-colored eggs to guests. In many cultures, round foods such as grapes, bread, and moon cakes are eaten at welcome celebrations to represent family unity.
Nutrition is necessary for life, so it is not surprising that food is such an important part of different cultures around the world.
1. According to the passage, sharing bread______.

A．indicates a lack of food

B．can help to develop unity

C．is a custom unique to rural areas

D．has its roots in birthday celebrations

2. What does the coin in vasilopita signify for its receiver in the New Year?

A．Trust.	B．Success.
C．Health.	D．Togetherness.

3. The author explains the role of food in celebrations by______.

A．using examples	B．making comparisons
C．analyzing causes	D．describing processes

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．The custom of sharing food.

B．The specific meaning of food.

C．The role of food in ceremonies.

D．The importance of food in culture.

4 . Did anyone find the names of “Great Britain”, “the United Kingdom”, “England” and “the British commonwealth” which have the same meaning? Strictly speaking, these names all refer to something different. None of them are exactly the same as any of the others.
The British isles refer to the main islands and several thousand small ones as well, which you can see on the map. Great Britain, or Britain, refers to the larger of the two main islands. But the word “Britain” is often used as a short form for the United Kingdom or you call it the UK .
Now as for England, it refers simply to the largest of the three countries on the island of Great Britain. The United Kingdom is the name of the state and the official name of the country, which many people popularly refer to England.
Finally, the Britain commonwealth is the usual name for what is left of the British Empire. This change shows the weakening of British Empire and the rising of the national liberation movements throughout the world today.
1. According to the passage, we know that ____ .

A．Great Britain has the same meaning as Britain

B．the United Kingdom has the same meaning as Britain or England

C．all the names in the first paragraph have the same meaning

D．all the names refer to England

2. It is clear that the British isles refer to ____ .

A．Britain, England and the UK.

B．the two main islands and thousands of small ones

C．three countries and several islands

D．Great Britain or the United Kingdom

3. Which of the following shows the right relationship (关系) between the British isles (BI), Britain (B) and England (E)?

A．B>BI>E

B．BI>E>B

C．E>B>BI

D．BI>B>E

4. If you want to write to someone in Edinburgh that lies in Scotland, you should write the address as ____.

A．Edinburgh, England

B．Edinburgh, Great Britain

C．Scotland, Edinburgh, England

D．Great Britain, Scotland, Edinburgh

5 . In Mexico, girls mark their fifteenth birthday with a celebration called Quinceanera. In the morning, the birthday girl goes to the church with her family and her best friends. She wears a beautiful dress. Later in the day, there is a huge party, with a big cake that matches the girl’s dress, and a night filled with music and dancing.
Becoming an adult is a very important life change, and Japan has a special holiday to celebrate this. The second Sunday in January is Coming-of-Age Day. On that day, everyone who had their twentieth birthday in the last year goes to their Town Hall for a special activity. Everyone dresses up, and many women wear beautiful dresses. The mayor makes a speech and gives presents to all the new adults.
Some kids are afraid to start school, but six-year-olds in Germany can’t wait. For them, Schulanfang is a big holiday. To celebrate a child’s first day of school, parents or friends give the child a Zuckertuete, a big color box filled with candy and little presents. People take pictures of the kids holding their Zuckertuete, and there is a school party later for the parents with cake and coffee.
1. What happens at Quinceanera?

A．The birthday girl buys many gifts.

B．The birthday girl goes to the church.

C．Parents give a Zuckertuete to the child.

D．Parents make speeches in the church.

2. When is Coming-of-Age Day celebrated?

A．On one’s first day of school.

B．On one’s twentieth birthday.

C．On a girl’s fifteenth birthday.

D．On the second Sunday in January.

3. Schulanfang is celebrated when German children ______.

A．start school	B．reach the age of 15
C．grow into adults	D．are born

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Celebrating birthdays.

B．Celebrating school holidays.

C．Celebrating life changes.

D．Celebrating national holidays.

6 . Meeting people from another culture can be difficult. From the beginning, people may send the wrong signal. Or they may pay no attention to signals from another person who is trying to develop a relationship.

Different cultures emphasize the importance of relationship building to a greater or lesser degree. For example, business in some countries is not possible until there is a relationship of trust. Even with people at work, it is necessary to spend a lot of time in “small talk”, usually over a glass of tea, before they do any job. In many European countries, like the UK or France, people find it easier to build up a lasting working relationship at restaurants or cafe rather than at the office.

Talk and silence may also be different in some cultures. I once made a speech in Thailand. I had expected my speech to be a success and start a lively discussion, instead there was an uncomfortable silence. The people present just stared at me and smiled. After getting to know their ways better, I realized that they thought I was talking too much. In my own culture, we express meaning mainly through words, but people there sometimes feel too many words are unnecessary.

Even within Northern Europe, cultural differences can cause serious problems. Certainly, English and German cultures share similar values, however, Germans prefer to get down to business more quickly. We think that they are rude. In fact, this is just because one culture starts discussions and makes decisions more quickly.

People from different parts of the world have different values, and sometimes these values are quite against each other. However, if we can understand them better, a multicultural environment will offer a wonderful chance for us to learn from each other.

1. What’s the probable meaning of the underlined word “emphasize”?

A．To draw special attention to.	B．To ignore.
C．To laugh at.	D．To get close to.

2. The author mentions his experience in Thailand to show that _____.

A．the English prefer to make long speeches

B．too many words are of no use

C．people from Thailand are quiet and shy by nature

D．even talk and silence can be culturally different

3. According to the text, how can people from different cultures understand each other better?

A．By sharing different ways of life.	B．By accepting different habits.
C．By recognizing different values.	D．By speaking each other’s languages.

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A．Multicultural Environment.	B．Cross-Cultural Differences.
C．How to Understand Each Other.	D．How to Build Up a Relationship.

7 . For five days, Edmonton's Downtown Park is transformed into one huge stage where artists are able to share their talents, and where people are able to celebrate and enjoy themselves. Since its beginning in 1980, the Edmonton Folk Music Festival has been commemorating (纪念) the true feeling of what folk music is all about and that's the traditional togetherness (友爱) that is felt when people gather to share stories and feelings through song.

This year will be the sixth year when volunteer Riedel will be offering up her time to the festival. “People coming off a busy spring and summer have a moment of relaxation,” Riedel said. “It's really easy to relax, and it's great seeing family and friends have fun together.” These families and friends come from all different kinds of musical tastes. People who take pleasure in Blues are there, so are people who love Bluegrass. This festival does its best to develop everyone's musical interests.

With so many years of experience, the festival has become a well­oiled machine, and does whatever it can to make attendees feel as comfortable as possible. There are free water stations throughout the venue (举办地) for people to fill up their travel cups. When people buy food, reusable dishes are given a $2 plate fee, but that is returned when the plate is brought back.

The festival has completely sold out of tickets, and in record time. But with big names such as Van Morrison and Jakob Dylan, it's easy to see how that was going to happen. There is no parking area during the festival, so using the Park & Ride system or Edmonton Transit is highly recommended. A bike lock­up area is provided and will be available Thursday until Sunday one hour before the gates open until 45 minutes after the gates close.

The Edmonton Folk Music Festival begins on Wednesday, Aug. 4 with Van Morrison playing the special donation fund (基金) concert，and will finish up on Sunday, Aug. 8.

1. The Edmonton Folk Music Festival is held mainly to ________.

A．gather people with different musical tastes

B．remind people of the real sense of folk music

C．exhibit the good voices of great talents in folk music

D．collect old stories of folk music

2. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Riedel has volunteered for the festival for at least 5 years.

B．It's hard for people to appreciate Blues.

C．It costs people a little to fill up their cups from water stations.

D．People have to pay $2 for a plate of food.

3. We can learn from the passage that ________.

A．people can get tickets easily for the festival

B．the Edmonton Folk Music Festival is well organized

C．driving one's own car to the festival is highly recommended

D．bikes are available at the festival from Wednesday to Sunday

4. What would be the best title for this passage?

A．Folk Music of Blues

B．One Festival for All

C．Festival for Family Gathering

D．Edmonton's Downtown Park