2 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. confusion   B. delivered     C. reflection        D. offer   E. context    F. set       G. signaled       H. fluent     I. torn       J. culture     K. genuine

This is a story about how a foreigner got confused about a Mexican word even though she could speak     1     Spanish. It happened when she     2     foot on Mexican soil for the first time. She asked an ice-cream seller for an ice-cream, and he said “ahorita.” She thought it would be     3     immediately because the word can be directly translated to “right now.” But she waited for half an hour and still no ice-cream came. When she asked the seller about it, he said “ahorita” again, with his face showing     4    . She felt     5     between waiting and walking away. Finally, she had to go home, so she     6     to the seller that she could not wait any longer. Years later back in Mexico, she came to realise that the meaning of “ahorita” changes according to its     7    . It could mean “tomorrow,” “within five years,” “never,” or even “no, thanks” when one wants to refuse an     8    . “Ahorita Time” is a     9     of different cultural understandings of time. That is, understanding “ahorita” takes not a fluency in the language, but a fluency in the    10    .

3 . 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。

Guan Yu, an ancient general known for his loyalty and bravery in battles, has been widely worshipped (敬奉). The Temple of Guan Yu in Xiezhou, North China’s Shanxi Province, is the     1    (large) one among countless temples worshipping the general across the country and also a major historical and cultural site protected at the national level.

In 2020, a research institute     2     studied the culture behind this folk belief in Guan Yu was founded in Xiezhou, and eight graduate students were hired. This summer, researchers of     3     institute are compiling chronicles (编年史) for the temple, and studying the fine elements of traditional culture contained in the temple.

Across the country, historical and cultural heritage sites are protected and studied to discover and learn about traditional Chinese culture, amid the nation’s efforts     4    (build) a modern Chinese civilization.     5     total, there are 5,058 major historical and cultural sites protected at the national level. “    6    (witness) the long history and splendid culture of the Chinese nation in the past years, the historical and cultural sites offer     7    (we) rich ‘spiritual nutrients’ in the midst of building a modern Chinese civilization,” said Gao Jiangtao, a research fellow with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

In Shanxi, with local protection work     8    (trouble) due to understaffing, a project was started in 2022 to enroll a total of 600 students for a span of five years,     9    (specific) for 117 localities across the province in need of protection professionals. These students will     10    (offer) general education on relics protection during college.

4 . Long, long ago, rain stopped falling in China. The people prayed(祈祷)for rain to the Jade Emperor, who controlled everything in heaven(天庭), on the land and in the sea, but no matter how much they prayed, rain did not fall.

Four dragons in the East China Sea saw what was happening, and saw people eating grass from the ground, for the people had nothing else left to eat.

They thought of a way to help. They started swimming this way and that, scooping up water with their bodies. Then all four flew into the sky. Black Dragon flew to the north, Long Dragon to the west, Pearl Dragon to the south of China, and Yellow Dragon to the center of the country. All at once, they let the water fall from their mouths, arms, legs, and even their tails.The people could not see the dragons,         _ .“Rain!” they cried happily, and all the people and animals ran out into the rain and started to dance.

When the Jade Emperor saw the rain, he was very angry. Then he saw the four dragons flying around in the sky. He ordered Mountain God to kill the dragons.

When the four mountains landed on top of them and tried to crush(压扁) the four dragons, a strange thing happened. Suddenly four rivers formed, spreading across the whole country.

This is how the four great rivers (the Yangtze, the Yellow, the Pearl and the Heilongjiang) of China were created.

1. Why did the people pray Jade Emperor for rain?

A．Because he controlled the rain.	B．Because he had lots of rain.
C．Because he didn’t allow rain to fall.	D．Because there was much rain on earth.

2. What does the underlined word“they” refer to(指的是)?

A．The people.	B．The rivers.
C．The mountains.	D．The dragons.

3. Which of the following sentences can be put in the_      ?

A．but they could see the clouds from the sky

B．but they could see the rain falling from the sky

C．but they know the Jade Emperor helped them

D．but they think the Jade Emperor helped them

4. Which one is the best title for this passage?

A．Birth of four Chinese rivers	B．Punishment from Jade Emperor
C．Four Dragons and the Rain	D．Jade Emperor and Four Dragons

5 . 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.

2. Suppose that next Chinese New Year’s Day is on 15th February, when will people have their big family dinner ?

A．On February 15.

B．On February 16.

C．On February 14.

D．On February 17.

3. The family usually have their big family dinner at the home of ________ .

A．the married son

B．the married daughter

C．the unmarried son

D．the parents

4. From this selection we know that______.

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

6 . 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。

Applause (掌声) rang across Zhaxizom town last month. The air was filled     1     excitement as players sang and danced     2     (happy). The event marked the beginning of the town’s music and food festival. Zhaxizom is at an altitude of 4,200 meters at the foot of Mount Qomolangma, the world’s highest peak, which is known in English as Mount Everest.

“I planned     3     (head) straight to Mount Qomolangma Base Camp, but when I arrived in this small town, the     4     (amaze) festival caught my eye and I decided to stay for several more days to enjoy the music and food here before     5     (continue) my journey,” said one traveler Zhang, who is from Liaoning province.

Migmar Lhamo, a college student     6     lives in Zhaxizom, said, “The festival will allow people to learn about our town. It will become a new     7     (attract) for people.” Migmar Lhamo believes the festival will play     8     important role in improving the development of the local culture and tourism.

According to the county government, more activities such as live music shows, firework displays and food fairs     9     (organize) as part of future festivals to provide both locals and     10     (tourist) with an extremely impressive experience of local culture. “The music and food festival will help the growth of the local economy,” Zhu said.

7 . 语法填空

Christmas Day, the 25th of December, is the biggest festival that     1     (celebrate) in the Christian countries of the world. Now many of the customs and celebrations     2     (be) not of a religious nature.

In the large shops, preparations for Christmas     3     (make) by the actual day. Shop owners like Christmas because it is a time when people exchange presents. This means more goods     4     (buy) than at any other time of the year. In larger towns decorations     5     (put) up in the main streets two or three weeks before Christmas usually these decorations     6     (light) up at night.

Preparations are also made at home. Special puddings and cakes are eaten on Christmas Day and these have     7     (make) three or four weeks in advance. Two or three days before Christmas people decorate their houses with paper decorations and leaves and ranches. People also like to have a Christmas tree in the living room.

Although everyone enjoys Christmas Day, it is particularly enjoyed by children, who get very excited because of the presents which     8     (receive). Small children believe that their presents are brought by Father Christmas, a kind old man who, the children     9     (tell), lives at the North Pole. He travels through the sky on a sledge which is pulled by reindeer and loaded with presents. Stopping on the roofs of the houses, he enters by climbing down the chimney. When small children go to bed on Christmas Eve, they hang a stocking at the end of their beds. Their parents warn them not to try to look at Father Christmas or he will not leave them anything. When they wake up, they find their stockings     10     (fill) with presents. Children are very excited on Christmas morning and always wake up early.

8 . Traditional tea processing techniques and their social practices in China were added to UNESCO’s List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on November 29th, 2022. This is the 43rd entry from China on the List. Therefore, China’s list tops all other countries.

In fact, what is on the List is not Chinese tea, but the knowledge, skills and practices concerning management of tea plantations, picking of tea leaves, and the processing, drinking and sharing of tea.

Over 2,000 tea varieties, mainly in six categories, which are green, black, yellow, oolong, white and dark, are grown in China. Although the types differ, the skills of making tea are very similar. They include inactivation (杀青), yellowing, piling, withering (萎凋), leaves shaking, cooling, fermentation (发酵) and scenting.

According to UNESCO, in China traditional tea processing techniques are closely associated with geographical location and natural environment. The techniques are mainly found in the provinces and autonomous regions of Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Hunan, Anhui, Hubei, Henan, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi. Associated social practices, however, are spread throughout the country and shared by multiple ethnic groups.

Tea-related customs are not only found across the country, but also influenced the rest of the world through the ancient Silk Road and trade routes. As a document from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to UNESCO explained, tea is common in Chinese people’s daily life. Steeped or boiled tea is served in homes, workplaces, tea houses, restaurants, and temples. And it is used as an important medium for communication in socializing and ceremonies such as weddings and sacrifices.

“Practices of greeting guests with tea and building good relationships within families and among neighborhoods through tea-related activities are shared among multiple ethnic groups, and provide a sense of identity and continuity for communities, groups and individuals concerned,” the document said.

1. What can we know from the text?

A．So far China has the most entries on the intangible list.

B．Only intangible cultural heritage is worth protecting.

C．China has the most cultural treasures worldwide.

D．Every country in the world joins UNESCO.

2. What does the underlined word “yellowing” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Select the yellow tea leaves.	B．Make tea leaves become yellow.
C．Add some yellow liquid to it.	D．Use yellow boxes to collect leaves.

3. What is Paragraph 5 mainly about?

A．Varieties of Chinese tea.	B．Skills of making tea.
C．Tea procesing techniques.	D．Tea-related customs.

4. What might be the best title of the passage?

A．China is full of cultural heritage.	B．UNESCO is a great organization.
C．Chinese tea is different and unique.	D．Chinese tea is on UNESCO’s list.

9 . 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。

Poetry    1     (communicate) in words. To do that    2     (successful), it must have something important to say, expressing it in a unique way. Whether you are writing poetry yourself or analysing (分析) poems     3     (write) by someone else, you should be thinking about these two broad categories: what is being said, and how it is being expressed.

What is being said may be something unforgettable or something funny, something deeply emotional or something that has just made the writer stop and think. Whatever it is, the theme of the poem will be something worth     4     (say). If you are writing a poem yourself and are not very    5     (experience), it’s best to choose a topic you feel deeply about. Writing a poem     6     begins with ‘I remember’ is a good way to focus your attention       7     something really memorable.

However, two poems could easily have     8     same theme and yet be completely different. What makes     9     (they) different? How they are expressed is the key. It is the way the poet writes that you need to analyse if you are writing about a poem, and if you are writing one yourself, you must choose the form and the words which suit what you want     10     (express).