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。

With its long history and prosperous culture, China is rich in cultural heritage, including historical villages, time-honored brands and, critically, ancient sites.

Last December, the National Cultural Heritage Administration announced    1    (it) fourth list of national-level archaeological parks. Nineteen were added to the list,    2    was initially launched in 2010, bringing the total number to 55.

“Archaeological parks can help enrich cultural knowledge by    3    (display) both the sites and their artifacts,” said He Yun’ao, a professor at the Department of Archaeology and Cultural Relics at Nanjing University.

“The 19 parks are all doing well in terms of management and operation, archaeological studies and protection efforts, and their displays of cultural artifacts and explanations,” the list said. “They each    4    (protect) and explored in ways suited to local conditions, and stand out among their counterparts for their special situations and innovations.”

    5    particular, the Erlitou Archaeological Site Park in Yanshi District, Luoyang City, Henan Province,    6     (attract) a lot of attention since the National Cultural Heritage Administration announced new findings at the site last September. It is    7     (wide) believed to have been the capital toward the end of the Xia Dynasty, the first dynasty in traditional Chinese historiography(编史). Erlitou is among the parks added to the fourth list.

The site plays    8    essential role in the study of early China and the culture of the Xia Dynasty. The latest studies suggest the people of the era built a grid(网格) city, with intersecting roads creating square divisions used for residential, commercial and other    9    (purpose). The roads provide important clues for studying the Xia economic system, their socioeconomic development and crafts, as well as ceremonies     10    (perform) during the period.

4 . 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.

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。

On an early August morning, craftsman Zhang Xi drove his car quickly along a winding mountain road in Longquan, Zhejiang province,    1    (hope) to reach his destination—a century-old kiln (窑) —as soon as possible,    2    hundreds of pieces of pottery (陶器) that had been given their final celadon glaze (青釉) were finally ready.

The 51-year-old craftsman     3     (use) the old kiln, which is located on a mountain near Xitou village, for many years. Every time he removes his     4     (create) from the kiln, seeing them in their finished celadon color remains as exciting and nerve-jangling as ever.

“It’s like opening blind boxes. The same formula of glaze     5     (apply) to different vases can look     6     (total) different on each one,” says Zhang.

Their colors usually fall in the spectrum (色谱) between lavender gray and plum green. However, sometimes they end up being brown or yellow. All these colors depend on temperature changes during the two-day firing,     7     process described by local craftsmen     8     “a song of clay and fire”. The     9    (tradition) firing technique of Longquan celadon pottery, which dates back further than 1,600 years,     10    (include) on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List in 2009.

7 . 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。

Cheering, dancing and singing, local people and tourists gathered around the fire during the Torch Festival of the Yi People in Bijie’s Hezhang county, Guizhou, on Aug 12. The festival was listed     1    a national intangible cultural heritage in 2011.

Though there are many     2    (describe) of the origin of the festival, it mostly relates to the natural worship of fire. For the early Yi people who lived in high-altitude-mountainous-areas, fire     3    (be) essential to light, warm, and cook food. There was     4    old practice: Before bringing animal meat into the home, a small fire must first be lit outside the door and the meat should     5    (smoke) on the fire to drive away filth. That’s     6    the Yi people have a proverb that says, “Everything you eat must ‘see’ fire.” In farming, they used to light     7    (pile) of branches and leaves and bury them in the ground later,     8    (use) them to fertilize the land.

The Yi people used to celebrate the festival as a way to pray for a good harvest and to drive away evil from their home and farmland. Today, it has become a     9    (society) event, through     10    the Yi people not only share their joy and thanks for their good life, but also get more people to understand their lifestyle and traditions.

8 . 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

9 . 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

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。

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.