1 . It’s a race against time, as generations of cultural heritage conservators at the Dunhuang Academy make a great effort to protect the artistic charm of the Mogao Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, despite erosion (侵蚀) by sand and wind.
The team is dedicated to protecting the 45, 000 square meters of murals (壁画) and more than 2, 400 painted sculptures of the 735 caves of the site, the construction of which spans about a thousand years, from the 4th century to the 14th century. The cultural relics are the product of the cultural exchanges that took place over centuries on the ancient Silk Road. “Our work, repairing murals and painted sculptures, is to better preserve the caves, which promotes the great Dunhuang spirit of inclusiveness (包容) to the world and inspires modern people,” says Su Bomin, director of the Dunhuang Academy.
Commonly seen “diseases” affecting the murals include cracking and flaking (剥落), as well as erosion that is caused by changes in temperature and humidity of the caves, and the deposition of salts. To restore (修复) a mural requires an all-rounder. Restorers should know painting, master the skills of a mason (石匠) and have some knowledge of chemistry and physics, to be able to recognize the problems and their corresponding (相应的) causes and deliver a solution. They must also select proper materials and tools, and conduct experiments, before formally carrying out the restoration and evaluating the effect afterward.
The restoration (修复) should respect the original work and aim to maintain the status quo (现状) of the murals rather than repainting them. When the restorers find some parts of murals missing or fading away, they never repaint them to create a “perfect” appearance in restoration. “Cultural relics are witnesses of history,” explains Su. “When you pursue the so-called intact (完好无损的) look for artistic reasons, you will lose their key meaning.”
Cave conservation is about continuously solving problems. “It needs a long-term research to better preserve the caves, over a much wider time span that goes beyond our lifetimes,” Su says. But at least, they can keep the existing look of the murals for as long as possible.
1. What is the main purpose of paragraph 2?| A．To show the popularity of Dunhuang murals. |
| B．To explain the history of the ancient Silk Road. |
| C．To stress the significance of the restoration work. |
| D．To present the ways of protecting cultural heritage. |
| A．Creative. | B．Well-paid. | C．Interesting. | D．Demanding. |
| A．Spotting the faded murals in time. |
| B．Fixing the missing parts of murals. |
| C．Making preservation(保护) of the murals as they are. |
| D．Repainting to perfect the appearance of murals. |
| A．The Artistic Charm of Mural Paintings. |
| B．The Mural Restoration in the Mogao Caves. |
| C．The Successful Experiment on Cave Conservation. |
| D．The Role of the Dunhuang Spirit in Chinese Culture. |
In a very cold January, a puppy wandered around Mr. Lacey’s house, where he lived with his wife Mamie and their daughter Doris. Icicles (冰锥) hung three feet or more from the roofs of houses and snow swallowed up cars.
The puppy had been abandoned, and it made its way down the road toward the Laceys’ small house, with its ears down and trembling from shyness and cold. Doris, whose school had been called off because of the snow, was clearing the steps when she spotted the puppy on the road.
“Come on, little dog!” she called it over. The puppy shyly wagged its tail when Doris approached. As soon as Doris put the dog down in the kitchen, her mom, Mrs. Lacey, asked where the dog came from. Mr. Lacey, who was cleaning his fingernails with his pocketknife at the table, said, “I don’t know where it came from, but I know for sure where it’s going.” Doris hugged the puppy hard against her. She said nothing.
Because of the snowy weather, Mr. Lacey couldn’t take the puppy to the shelter right away. So, it stayed in the basement, and Doris fed it leftovers, even though her mom didn’t want to waste food. Doris thought the puppy was around six months old and would be quite noisy sometimes. Surprisingly, the puppy behaved well, didn’t cry or make trouble in the basement, and only followed Doris upstairs when she invited it. Doris often found it on the basement steps listening to the kitchen talk and smelling the food. She felt the puppy wanted company.
Even after a week, Doris didn’t name the dog, knowing her parents wouldn’t let her keep it. Her father made so little money that any pets were out of the question. Desperate to keep the dog, Doris tried to convince her parents by praising the dog’s good behavior and expressing her love for it, but her parents didn’t give a definite answer.
Despite her efforts, Doris secretly wished the bad weather would never go away, fearing the puppy’s unavoidable trip to the shelter. However, nine days after the dog had arrived, the sun was shining.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150个左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Doris knew it was time to say goodbye to the dog and felt rather worried.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Doris put her hand to her mouth and couldn’t believe what she had heard.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| A．Rocky. | B．The woman. | C．The woman’s brother. |
1. What does the man want to drink coffee with?
| A．Cream. | B．Brown sugar. | C．Powdered milk. |
| A．Because he has to catch the last bus. |
| B．Because he has to get up early tomorrow. |
| C．Because he will go to work early tomorrow morning. |
| A．Chopsticks. | B．Fork | C．Knife. |
| A．On August 15th. | B．On September 15th. | C．On October 15th. |
1. What’s the possible relationship between the two speakers?
| A．Strangers. | B．Friends. | C．Husband and wife. |
| A．He was waiting for the same bus as the one that the woman was waiting. |
| B．He moved to Florida by himself. |
| C．Because it was too cold in Indiana, he moved to Florida. |
| A．In the woman’s house. | B．In a shop. | C．In a hotel. |
1. Why do so many people come to visit Chicago’s Grant Park every year?
| A．Because the park is very beautiful. |
| B．Because there is a musical festival held there. |
| C．Because there is a food festival held there. |
| A．Over 70%. | B．70%. | C．Below 70%. |
| A．Free concerts by popular local and national artists. |
| B．Cooking demonstrations. |
| C．Barbecued ribs. |
| A．The wonderful food. | B．The great attractions. | C．Both A and B． |
| A．In a meeting room. | B．In a hotel. | C．At the Concert Hall. |
