2 . If you followed the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, you may have noticed that several athletes, including US swimmer Michael Phelps, had circular bruises on their bodies. These bruises were the results of “cupping therapy”, a traditional Chinese medical practice that has been around for more than 2,000 years.

Cupping therapy involves attaching circular cups to the skin using suction(吸力). The suction is created either by heating the cup inside or by using a handheld pump. This suction pulls the skin upward into the cup. Sometimes it can leave dark red bruises, other times there is no mark at all.

Many athletes say that they have benefited from the therapy. Phelps used the therapy in the fall of 2014 and has used it about twice a week since, reported ABC News. Another US swimmer, Dana Vollmer, also believes that “it really helps with blood flow, and helps pull swelling out of different areas.”

However, some have said that the supposed health effects result from people feeling that the treatment works, rather than any physical effects of the treatment.

To figure out whether cupping therapy has any physical effects, last year researchers from Germany carried out a test in which a sham(假装的) treatment was provided.

In the study, the same type of cups was used in the real treatment and the sham treatment. But in the sham treatment, the cups had a hole at the top so that they couldn’t create the proper suction.

The tested patients, who suffered from a disorder(疾病) that causes a lot of pain, were told that they would receive either a traditional cupping or “soft cupping”. But they were not informed that the so-called “soft cupping” was a sham treatment.

It turned out that most patients correctly guessed which kind of cupping they had received. In both groups, patients also experienced about the same reductions in pain. The results suggest the effects of cupping therapy might come fro factors that are not necessarily part of the treatment itself, the researchers told the Live Science website.

The question of whether cupping therapy works still needs to be answered. But because the treatment is relatively safe and it could be helpful for some people, “the therapy can be used as a part of a comprehensive treatment program involving other exercises, nutritional choices and lifestyle interventions(干预)”, Dr Brent Bauer, director of the US’ Mayo Clinic Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program, told Live Science.

1. Which of the following statements is TRUE about cupping therapy?

A．It leaves bruises every time.	B．Heating is crucial to cupping therapy.
C．The key to cupping therapy is suction.	D．It has been widely used in Western countries.

2. The purpose of the test was to ________.

A．prove the health effects of cupping therapy

B．see whether cupping therapy has a physical effect

C．compare traditional cupping and the soft cupping

D．compare cupping therapy’s effects on different groups of people

3. What can be concluded about the test?

A．Different types of cups were used for different cupping therapies.

B．Patients knew which kind of cupping treatment they would receive before the treatment.

C．The real treatment and the sham treatment were almost equally effective for patients.

D．The results show the effects of cupping therapy result from people’s belief in the treatment

4. The underlined word “comprehensive” in the last paragraph probably means ________.

A．easy and convenient to carry out

B．newly invented and untraditional

C．requiring a long period of time to take effect

D．including everything that is important and necessary

3 . Drums

When we think of a drum we usually think of a musical instrument. The drum has also been used for years as an important tool for communication. The human voice is very good for communication, but it cannot be heard very far. As early humans began to live in groups, runners were sent from village to village with important messages, but that took a lot of time. It was discovered that beating on hollow logs could be heard for greater distances, and so a new form of communication called “talking drums” was born.

In many early communities, a large drum was set in the middle of the village to help send messages to nearby tribes. The drums could be hit with hands and sticks. Some of the larger drums could be heard up to sixteen miles away!

A group in West Africa made an amazing talking drum system. Their drums were made of round pieces of wood that were four to five feet long. A skin (often an elephant ear) was stretched over one end of the wood and was held in place by a rope. The skin was tightened or loosened to make higher and lower sounds. They had learned to use the drums so well that they could actually copy the language that they spoke! The drums sounded like a person speaking in a voice loud enough to be heard far away.

Most systems of drum communication used a series of beats that meant something. The messages usually told of danger, death, war, or other news of great importance. The message could be sent very far by a relay system. That is, one village would send a message and a nearby village would hear it. They would then repeat the message on their drums, sending it to their neighbors. Some relay systems worked so well that they could send a message about 200 miles very quickly.

Although “talking drums” became a good system of communicating over distances, it had one very big problem. Their enemies could understand the drum messages, so they would know what was being said or planned. Communication by drums certainly wasn’t perfect!

Question 1-4
True or False. Decide the following statements are true (T) or false (F).
1. The main idea of the passage is that drums can be heard over great distances.
2. Drums are only used as a musical instrument.
3. People in West Africa tightened the skin over the drum to make a lower sound.
4. Drums made by people in West Africa could speak.
Question 5-7
Select the meaning which most closely matches the word, as it is used in the text. Circle the correct letter.
5. communication

A．traffic

B．speech

C．intercourse

6. stretch

A．extend

B．bounce

C．run

7. relay

A．delay

B．pass

C．beat

Question 8-10
Passive and active verb forms
These sentences are in the passive form and are adapted from the text. Rewrite the sentences below using the active form.
8. It was discovered that beating on hollow logs could be heard for greater distances, and so a new form of communication called “talking drums” was born.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
9. A skin (often an elephant ear) was stretched over one end of the wood and was held in place by a rope.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
10. The message could be sent very far by a relay system.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4 . You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write at least 250 words. Remember to use paragraphing and appropriate language.

Nowadays, many films are based on novels and comic books. It is hard to say if the viewers like it or not. Some examples of books that have been turned into films include the Harry Potter series, the Lord of the Rings, and the James Bond series. There are many more that you may know.

In your writing, discuss:

Is it better to read a story in a book or watch it in a film? Which do you prefer and why?

Include specific examples to illustrate your answer.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5 . You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. You should write at least 150 words. Remember to use paragraphing and appropriate language.
Who are you?
Use this topic to paint a picture of yourself:
       personal details such as age, physical description and personality;
       important influences or events from the past that have shaped your life; and your dreams or ambitions for the future.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________