1 . Each year, the women of Olney, England, and Liberal, Kansas, have an unusual “pancake racing”. This tradition is said to have started on Shrove Tuesday,1445, in Olney. Shrove Tuesday is the day before the Christian season of Lent begins.
It is said that in 1445, an Olney woman was making pancakes. She suddenly heard the church(教堂) bells ring, signaling the beginning of the Shrove Tuesday service. Realizing that she was going to be late for church, she raced out the door still wearing her apron(围裙) and headscarf and holding her frying pan(锅) with a pancake in it. Olney women continue this tradition more than 500 years later.
In 1950, a person of Liberal wanted his town to join in Olney Pancake Race. He made some phone calls to Olney to set up a friendly competition, and the people of Olney accepted the challenge.
The rules are simple. Racers must wear the traditional headscarf and apron. They have to flip(抛) the pancake in the air so that it flips and lands back in the pan on the other side. After the race, there are Shrove Tuesday church services. Then Liberal and Olney connect through a video call to compare race times and announce a winner.
In both towns, the races have grown into larger festivals. Olney’s festival is an allday event starting with a big pancake breakfast. Liberal’s festival lasts four days and includes a parade, a great show, and eating competitions.
Although the women’s race is still the main event, both towns now hold races for boys and girls of all ages. Emma Evans,14, was the winner of her age group’s race in Liberal last year. She wore an apron that her grandma made for her and used a pan passed down to her from her older brother. Her family cheered her on from the sidelines.
“It’s a family tradition, ”Emma says. “And there are only two places in the world that compete against each other in a race like this, so it feels special.”
1. What do we know about Olney Pancake Race?| A．It was founded by a cook. | B．It was started during Lent. |
| C．It is a centuriesold tradition. | D．It has been held every year since 1445. |
| A．Wear their formal clothes. | B．Throw and catch the pancake. |
| C．Hand the pancake to another. | D．Eat the pancake while running. |
| A．lasts only one day | B．has more varied activities |
| C．holds different races for boys | D．starts with a delicious breakfast |
| A．It is familyfriendly. | B．It is quite competitive. |
| C．It should be internationalized. | D．It should provide aprons for racers. |
2 . New efforts are being made to prevent American college campuses from cigarette smoking. Twenty colleges in the United States recently received money to help protect their campuses from the harm of cigarettes.
Supporters say that every child deserves to grow up in a safe and healthy environment free from harmful second-hand cigarettes. And in November, smoking at college campuses may become illegal.
Before banning smoking at college campuses, the US has passed laws banning smoking at most workplaces. 27 American states ban smoking in all indoor workplaces.
Those supporting smoke-free at workplaces and college campuses give one major reason: the bad influence of smoking on health.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says smoking has a great influence on health. They think cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States. Smoking is responsible for 480,000 deaths every year.
Supporters say the bad influence of second-hand smoke makes it a public health problem. Some also say that college campuses are a good place to ban smoking.
Gary Reedy, the CEO of the American Cancer Society, said it was important to stop college students from smoking, and he expected to successfully create a cigarette-free generation (世代).
The CDC found that 13 percent of adults between the ages of 18 and 24 smoke cigarettes. Reedy says that reducing the number of college students who smoke can help reduce the number of older adult smokers. He also says once a person starts smoking, it is hard to stop.
1. Who are the new efforts good for?| A．College students. | B．The CDC. |
| C．Young smokers. | D．People in public places. |
| A．The bad influence of smoking. | B．Money wasted on cigarettes. |
| C．Laws passed by the US. | D．Public attention to health. |
| A．Smoking spreads easily among college students. |
| B．Smoke-free campuses have a long-term influence. |
| C．It is easier for college students to stop smoking. |
| D．There’re more older adult smokers in the world. |
| A．Second-hand smoke is affecting college students too |
| B．Groups take steps to protect college students |
| C．Cigarettes should be totally banned in college |
| D．Banning smoking is being tried at US colleges |
3 . Many questions can be expected in advance and it’s wise to have some well-constructed answers that you can tailor more closely on the day. It’s sensible to have a number of key phrases to use. Remember to always try and make your answers positive.
Q1: Tell me about yourself. (The interviewer is really saying “I want to hear you talk.”)
A1: This is just to get things started, but it is a very common question. Write a script, and practice it so that it sounds natural. Spend a maximum of four minutes describing your qualifications, career history and your range of skills. Emphasize those skills that are relevant to the job on offer.
Q2: What have been your achievements to date? (The interviewer is saying “Are you an achiever?”)
A2: Again, this is a common question, so be prepared. Select an achievement that is experience-related and fairly recent. Identify skills you used in this achievement and say what the results were.
Q3: What do you like about your present job? (The interviewer is really trying to find out whether you will enjoy the things the new job has to offer.)
A3: This is a straightforward question. All you have to make sure is that your ‘likes’ correspond to the skills etc. required for the job on offer. Be positive, describe your job as interesting and diverse, but do not overdo it. After all, you are leaving?
Q4: What are your strengths? (The interviewer simply wants a straightforward answer as to what you are good at.)
A4: This is the one question that you are definitely going to get, so there is no excuse for being unprepared. Concentrate on discussing your main strengths. List three or four explanations of how they could benefit the employer. Strengths to consider include technical proficiency; ability to learn quickly; determination to succeed; positive attitude; your ability to relate to people and achieve a common goal. You may be asked to give examples of the above, so be prepared.
Q5: Tell me about the most difficult situation you’ve had to face and how you handled it.
(The interview is really trying to find out your definition of “difficult” and whether you can show a logical approach to problem solving using your initiative.)
A5: This can be a trap! To avoid it, select a difficult work situation that was not caused by you and which can be quickly explained in a few sentences. Explain how you defined the problem, what the options were, why you selected the one you did and what the outcome was. Always end on a positive note.
1. The passage is mainly intended to ________.| A．highlight the importance of looking positive in an interview |
| B．give suggestions on how to answer interview questions |
| C．provide some sample answers to interview questions |
| D．illustrate how to look confident in an interview |
| A．talk about what you dislike about it |
| B．comment positively on your colleagues |
| C．relates it to the job you are applying for |
| D．describe how interesting it is as far as possible |
| A．Tell me about yourself? |
| B．Tell me about your strengths? |
| C．What have been your achievements to date? |
| D．How did you handle the most difficult situation? |
4 . “Dad, I need your help. Come here!” My 5-year-old girl pulled me towards the computer. “Dad, please buy everything I have in the Amazon shopping cart (购物车). Here, take this cash from my savings!” The shopping cart showed ten items for a total of about 130 dollars. “Wait!” I replied.“That’s too much money! Why do you need all these things?”“Please, Dad! These items will get here before Christmas. I have a surprise for everyone. No peeking(偷看)!” she explained, and I bought everything.
A couple of days later, she got everything. I saw her then wrapping (包装) all her gifts. “Can I help you?” I asked.“No, Dad. I told you these are special surprises. No peeking!” she replied. Her excitement was obvious.
The day came. She was all around her gifts, planning, protecting, arranging. Everything had to be perfect. As soon as dinner was over, she jumped from her chair and took her gifts. She went around giving each one of us her piece of love. These were small items, but it was the meaning of giving her heart that we were really feeling. As she gave the gift to each person, she watched the expression on our faces. Our smiles were her greatest reward. Her last gift was for my 2-year-old boy—a toy car. It was hard to describe my little boy’s delight at getting this gift! For several minutes, everyone’s attention was focused on watching him go all around the house happily.
Seeing these acts of my 5-year-old helped me understand the power of giving—giving from the heart. Later that day, my girl received some gifts, but she didn’t need them. She focused on others, not on herself. It was clear that she was the one feeling true joy.
1. Why did the girl ask her father for help?| A．She didn’t have enough money. |
| B．She needed him to keep the secret. |
| C．She wanted to get his opinions on gifts. |
| D．She couldn’t make the online payment. |
| A．She felt proud. |
| B．She felt delighted. |
| C．She felt cautious. |
| D．She felt satisfied. |
| A．Pleasant. | B．Creative. |
| C．Reasonable. | D．Surprising. |
| A．To praise his daughter for her generosity. |
| B．To share his experience of raising his kids. |
| C．To discuss how to find happiness in daily life. |
| D．To share the lesson learned from his daughter. |
5 . What are pillows really stuffed with? Not physically, but symbolically? The question occurred to me with the photos in the news and social media from the 50 cities around the world that staged public celebrations for International Pillow Fight Day. Armed with nothing more than bring-our-own sacrificial cushions, strangers struck heavily each other in playful feather from Amsterdam to Atlanta, Warsaw to Washington DC. But why? Is there anything more to this delightful celebration?
As a cultural sign, the pillow is deceptively soft. Since at least the 16th Century, the humble pillow has been given unexpected meanings. The Chinese playwright Tang Xianzu tells a famous story about a wise man who meets a depressed young scholar at an inn and offers him a magic pillow filled with the most vivid dreams of a seemingly more fulfilling life. When the young man awakens to discover that his happy 50-year dream has in fact come and gone in the short space of an afternoon’s nap, our impression of the pillow’s power shifts from wonder to terror.
Subsequent writers have likewise seized upon the pillow. When the 19th-Century English novelist Charlotte Bronte poetically observed “a ruffled (不平的) mind makes a restless pillow”, she didn’t just change the expected order of the adjectives and nouns, but instead she made unclear the boundaries between mind and matter — the thing resting and the thing rested upon.
It’s a trick perhaps Bronte learned from the Renaissance philosopher Montaigne, who once insisted that “ignorance is the softest pillow on which a man can rest his head”. On Montaigne’s thinking, intelligence and happiness confront each other forever in a pillow fight that only one can win.
With the words of Tang. Bronte, and Montaigne, we can perhaps more easily measure the attraction of the global pillow fight. Like a ritual of release, the annual international pillow fight amounts to a kind of cleansing, a brushing off of daily worries: an emptying of the world’s collective mind. Rather than a launch-pad for weightless rest, the pillow is a symbol of heavy thought: an anchor that drags the world’s soul down — one that must be lightened.
1. The example of Tang Xianzu is used to illustrate that ________.| A．pillows give people satisfactory dreams |
| B．dreams are always wonderful while the real world is cruel |
| C．people’s impression of pillows changes from wonder to terror |
| D．pillows symbolically convey the meaning in contrast to their soft appearance |
| A．wrote poems about pillows |
| B．regarded pillows as reflections of our minds |
| C．shared the same viewpoint as Tang Xianzu on pillows |
| D．was likely to have been influenced by the thoughts of the Renaissance |
| A．pillows give us comfort |
| B．pillows make people more intelligent |
| C．people with too many thoughts have less inner peace |
| D．people can easily fall asleep when they know nothing |
| A．Because it is a ritual release. |
| B．Because it makes life delightful. |
| C．Because it comforts restless minds. |
| D．Because it contains a profound meaning of life. |
6 . As the effects of climate change set in, coastal cites such as the Italian city of Venice and the American city of New Orlean are slowly sinking. So is Bangkok. Officials in the city and scientists say they do not know how long people will be able to continue living in the Thai capital.
Thailand’s military rulers are considering action. The National Reform Council wants the government to form a committee to deal with the warnings that Bangkok could be permanently underwater many years from now.
The Saen canal was built in Bangkok in the late 1830s. In a neighborhood near the waterway, walkways are breaking up. Walls on homes, small businesses and an Islamic center appear to be bending. The area is sinking about two centimeters a year, which is two times the average rate for the rest of Bangkok.
“I don’t know what to do.” says Vijitri Puangsiri who has lived in the neighborhood for 44 years. Her home needs to be repaired every year because of the sinking ground. The walkway in front of her century-old house where she operates a small restaurant must also be repeatedly repaired.
“If you travel on the canal boats, you can see how this is all hollow,” Somsak Kongeeng says, “The buildings to see him are sinking because they were not built on solid foundations,” He joked that if we come back to see him again in 20 years, the water level will be almost as high as his head. But he is also partly serious. That might be only a small overstatement in a city that is, on average, just two meters above sea level.
Observers say two reasons for the sinking are a rising sea level and too much pumping of groundwater. Another reason, they say, is the decision by developers to build so many high-rises because they earn quantities of money by doing so. This kind of development worries those who are concerned with the rising water level.
1. What do we know from the passage?| A．Vijitri Puangsiri’s home needs repairing owing to the broken walkway. |
| B．The Saen canal was a supporting evidence of the sinking ground. |
| C．Somsak Kongeeng simply treats the sinking as a joke. |
| D．Bangkok is not suitable for people to live in any more. |
| A．replacing the loose soil with concrete | B．controlling pumping groundwater |
| C．forbidding the construction of high-rises | D．stopping the rising of sea level |
| A．To appeal to protect the city of Bangkok. | B．To explain the reasons for the sinking |
| C．To stress the significance of Bangkok. | D．To inform us of the situation of Bangkok. |
| A．The Saen Canal — Cause of the Sinking | B．A Warning from Bangkok |
| C．Bangkok — a Coastal City at Risk | D．Reasons for Sinking Building |
7 . The custom of flying a piece of cloth high in the sky began more than 2,000 years ago in China. Since then, kites have been served in many fields, like doing scientific experiments, powering boats, taking pictures from the air and much more. In fact, kite-flying is a great way to clear the mind.
When Americans Kay and Larry Day found a store selling kites nearly 20 years ago, they decided to buy a few kites for their family. For fun, Larry bought one for himself. “He went out and flew it and decided he needed to go back and get a better one,” Kay remembered. Since then, she and her husband have loved kite-flying. They own many kites and plan trips around flying them. They also organize a kite-flying event each winter in their hometown in Iowa. “I’m at peace when I’m flying a kite,” said Larry.
Nic O’Neill, president of the American Kite-fliers Association said that kite-flying can be done alone or with friends and family. Kites appeal (有吸引力) to people who like to create works of art or to those who like to combine kite-flying with music. O’Neill said, “Part of the reason I love flying kites is that I have to risk trying and not succeeding. The best way to learn is to go out, undo the string (细绳) and let your kite fly. The perfect condition includes a nice steady wind and a place away from trees and buildings.”
Grant Lovett began flying simple kites as a child, but moved on to costlier and more complex kites as an adult. Today, Lovett likes making his own kites. He builds them from strong, lightweight materials and products designed for sailboats. Lovett attends kite-making classes and looks for new models on the Internet. He makes kites of different shapes and sizes because flying conditions can be greatly different. He also notes that experience makes a difference, and so does the weather and he likes the happy feelings that he experiences when his kite moves through the sky. “It is really calming,” he said.
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?| A．Kites have been used widely. |
| B．Kites have developed gradually. |
| C．Kites have been designed differently. |
| D．Kites have lost their popularity. |
| A．Excited. | B．Hopeful. | C．Peaceful. | D．Amazed. |
| A．The flying experiences. |
| B．The flying conditions. |
| C．The skills of making kites. |
| D．The materials for making kites. |
| A．Kite-Flying Is Fit for All Ages. |
| B．Kite-Flying Gets More Popular. |
| C．Kite-Flying Is a Traditional Sport. |
| D．Kite-Flying Gives a Lift to People. |
8 . Wolves are important animals in the traditions and stories of most Native American tribes. To Native Americans, wolves often stand for bravery. The animals also are signs of strength, loyalty, and success at hunting. However, something happened. Perhaps wolves attacked too many people or ate too many farm animals. Whatever the reason, wolves were killed in many areas. They also became known as villains. From the wolves in some films to the wolves in children’s stories, wolves get a bum rap in both literature and English expressions.
For starters, there is the term “lone wolf”. The lone wolf isn’t a bad person. But they like to do things on their own. Lone wolf makes you think the person doesn’t want to be around people because he or she dislikes them. In news stories, you sometimes hear the terms “lone wolf attacker” or “lone wolf shooter”. These individuals are not part of a larger group carrying out an attack. They are acting alone.
Now, let’s move on to the home. Parents might criticize their child for wolfing down their food. In other words, the child eats very quickly and looks a little wild. And if someone says a child was raised by wolves, that child has bad manners and is behaving like a wild animal. A wolf call is a whistle or other noise made by a man to show that he likes the way a woman looks. But a wolf call is not a nice thing. These men sound wild and rude. A wolf at the door means someone to whom you owe money is waiting just outside your door.
1. What can we learn from Paragraph 1?| A．Wolves are thought little of now. | B．The wolves in some films are brave. |
| C．Wolves attack many people every year. | D．Wolves stand for strength in children’s stories. |
| A．Someone who feels lonely. | B．Someone who is less popular. |
| C．Someone who does things alone. | D．Someone who has little experience. |
| A．A wolf call. | B．A wolf at the door. |
| C．Being raised by wolves. | D．Wolfing down something. |
| A．Too many wolves being killed. | B．Our misunderstanding about wolves. |
| C．Different meanings of the word “wolf”. | D．Some expressions about the word “wolf”. |
9 . Mention the terms Italian culture and Renaissance art and one is immediately reminded of the mysterious smile of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.
The Renaissance had a deep effect on the development of European culture. Having its beginnings in Italy, by the 16th century, it had spread to the rest of Europe. Its influence was felt in different fields such as philosophy, literature, religion, science, politics, and, of course, art. The scholars of the Renaissance period applied the humanistic method to every field of study, and wanted to have human emotion and realism in art.
Renaissance scholars studied the ancient Latin and Greek texts, searching the libraries of Europe for works of ancient times that had become obscure, in their hunt for reforming and perfecting their worldly knowledge. However, that does not mean that they refused religion. In fact, many of the greatest works of the Renaissance period were devoted to it, with the church supporting a lot of the works of Renaissance art. However, there were slight changes in the manner in which the scholars began to treat religion, which affected the cultural life of society, which in turn influenced the artists of that period and therefore was reflected in their art.
In Raphael’s The School of Athens, for example, some well-known people were described as classical scholars with Leonardo da Vinci given as much importance as Plato in his time. Giotto di Bondone, 1266-1337, a Florentine, who is regarded as the greatest Italian painter just earlier than the Renaissance period, is thought to be the first artist who treated a painting as a window into space.
However, it was only after the writings of Filippo Brunelleschi, 1377-1446, who is considered the first great builder of the Italian Renaissance, that perspective (透视法) was formally accepted as an artistic technique.
1. What makes Italy stand out in a way in world history?| A．Its artists during the Renaissance were numerous. | B．It was the center of the European countries. |
| C．It had many famous inventors in different fields. | D．It was home to the Renaissance. |
| A．meaningless and hard to recognize | B．clear and meaningful to guiding people |
| C．unclear and difficult to understand or see | D．easy to understand but having little meaning |
| A．After the completion of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. |
| B．After Leonardo da Vinci’s being compared to Plato. |
| C．After Giotto di Bondone’s paintings were respected. |
| D．After Filippo Brunelleschi’s completing his writings. |
| A．Italy’s Renaissance art and artists | B．the famous artists in Italy’s history |
| C．Italy’s influence on the world in culture | D．the hardships during the Renaissance in Italy |
10 . The Story of Music
How did music begin? Did our early ancestors first start by beating things together to create rhythm, or using their voices to sing? What types of instruments did they use?
So, what is music?
This is difficult to answer, as everyone has their own idea. “Sound that conveys emotion” is what Jeremy Montagu of the University of Oxford and author of the article describes.
If we take singing, then controlling pitch(音高) is important. Scientists have studied the skulls and jaws of early apes, to see if they were able to make a sound and control pitch. Another important component of music is rhythm. Our early ancestors may have created rhythmic music by clapping their hands.
Many of these instruments are likely to have been made from soft materials like wood, and so haven't survived. What have survived are bone pipes. So, music is old, and may have been with us from when humans first evolved.
But why did it arise and why has it existed?
There are many possible functions of music. One is dancing. Another obvious reason for music is entertainment.
However, the major reason why music arises and exists may be that it brings people together.
| A．When did our ancestors begin making music? |
| B．Music can express certain emotion that you can feel. |
| C．This may be linked to the earliest musical instruments. |
| D．Our ancestors created music by beating stones or sticks by accident. |
| E．Has music always been important in human society, and if so, why? |
| F．Music can also be used for communication, often over large distances. |
| G．“Music leads to bonding, such as bonding between mother and child or bonding between groups,” explains Montagu. |
