1 . Many animals are in danger now and the government is setting up nature parks and developing other plans to protect __________.

A．it

B．that

C．they

D．them

2 . I’m now writing __________ the classmates to invite you to come and attend our farewell party on Saturday.

A．in contrast to

B．on behalf of

C．in charge of

D．in the shape of

3 . Frank Lloyd Wright probably is the greatest architect that the United States has ever produced. He was very gifted and had a natural ability to design buildings. His buildings were not only beautiful, but they were also practical and useful. They fit their purposes very well. Wright’s churches, for example, make people feel like thinking and praying. His office buildings make people enjoy working, and his houses make people feel comfortable at home. However, Frank Lloyd Wright’s beautiful, practical and useful buildings are not the only reason that he is famous. There is another reason.

Frank Lloyd Wright is called the greatest American architect because he started an American style in architecture. Most of the architecture in the United States before Wright was really European, not American. Wright’s buildings do not look like old European buildings. They have their own style. Wright’s ideas about style are still used in the United States and in other parts of the world.

The most important idea in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Style of Architecture is that a building must fit its purpose and the land around it. His houses are often called “grass-land houses” because their lines are similar to the lines on the grassland. Both the lines of the grassland and the lines of Wright’s house are parallel (平行的) to the horizon, the place where earth and sky seem to meet. They are horizontal lines. Most European style houses, in contrast, have many vertical lines that form 90°angles with the horizon.

1. Which of the following best describes the character of the houses that Wright designed?

A．They were very large and beautiful.

B．They could be used as churches.

C．They were beautiful and fitted their purposes.

D．They were beautiful in design but not practical in use.

2. Frank Lloyd Wright’s style in architecture was _________.

A．learned from some European countries

B．not only used in the U.S.

C．no longer popular

D．somewhat similar to the European style

3. What’s the most important idea in Wright’s style?

A．Architectural design should match natural surroundings.

B．A building must have grassland around it.

C．American style in architect should be different from the European’s.

D．Design should be more important than use.

4. Which of the following is NOT true about Wright’s “grass-land houses”?

A．The lines of “grass-land houses” are similar to lines on the grassland.

B．The lines of “grass-land houses” are horizontal.

C．The color of the lines of “grass-land houses” is green.

D．They are different from European style houses.

5. The best title for this passage would be _________.

A．How to Make Your Houses More Beautiful

B．“Grass-land” houses Designed by Wright

C．The Differences Between the American and European Styles in Architecture

D．The Style of Wright’s Buildings and his Influence on American Architecture

4 . Culture is a way to bring harmony to society via exchange of knowledge and thoughts, and also the respect of others’ belief and cultural heritage. Before I came to China to study business, my only information about the country was what I had read in our school books, TV shows on Pakistan national TV, and Chinese movies.

But once I arrived in China, my view changed. China has made great leaps in development, keeping a strong link to their ancestors’ heritage, hard work and courage. The announcement of the Belt and Road Initiative (倡议) (BRI) by President Xi Jinping in 2013 has provided trade opportunities for participating countries, and can also be a meeting place for the exchange of ideas, thoughts, knowledge and culture.

Being a combination of diverse cultural and traditional systems, the BRI promotes harmony, and through the heritage of the Silk Road, these diversified cultures can treat one another with respect and exist together peacefully. China can play a leading role to maximize identity, cohesion (凝聚力) and creativity of the diverse cultures, nations and people to combine resources along the belt and road and ensure all the countries involved receive mutual (相互的) benefit.

International students coming to China and Chinese students going abroad for studies are cultural ambassadors. They learn the language, local customs, arts and exchange thoughts. The BRI is a chance for the Chinese dream to become reality. China has a lot to share with the BRI countries. China has a rising number of Chinese language learners around the world. Confucius Institutes are non-profit public institutions affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of Education whose stated aim is to promote Chinese language and culture, support local Chinese teaching internationally and facilitate cultural exchanges. As of 2014, there were over 480 Confucius Institutes in dozens of countries on six continents. The Ministry of Education estimates 100 million people overseas are learning Chinese, and the program is expanding rapidly and aims to establish 1, 000 Confucius Institutes by 2020. These institutes are playing an important role for local students to learn Chinese, meaning more job opportunities for BRI projects.

Since ancient times, the Silk Road culture has supported diversity. Accordingly, China needs to maintain relationships with the countries of the ancient Silk Road civilization.

A discussion meeting on how to better carry out the BRI Cultural Development Action Plan was held in Beijing by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Through cooperation and exchanges between countries, the BRI can revitalize (振兴) traditional Silk Road culture by opening up overseas markets, introducing advanced ideas to every participating country.

1. The change in the author’s understanding of China corresponds with the saying, “__________”.

A．Seeing is believing.

B．Actions speak louder than words.

C．One is never too old to learn.

D．There is no royal road to learning.

2. From the passage, we can draw a conclusion that all the BRI countries __________.

A．will remove cultural barriers

B．may achieve a win-win result

C．will join hands in resource protection

D．may keep peace with other countries

3. Why are so many people outside China learning Chinese?

A．To acquire more knowledge about China today.

B．To communicate with Chinese-speaking people.

C．To gain benefit from the Belt and Road Initiative.

D．To serve as cultural ambassadors in BRI countries.

4. The countries along the Silk Road __________.

A．need to restore their ancient civilization via the BRI

B．have a long tradition of respecting different countries

C．will spread their traditional culture to other countries

D．are eager to exchange advanced ideas with each other

5. According to the passage, what do you know about Confucius Institutes except that _______.

A．it’s a non-profit public institution affiliated by the Chinese Ministry of Education

B．it can promote Chinese language and culture

C．it supports local Chinese teaching internationally and facilitate cultural exchanges

D．it supplies more job opportunities for BRI projects

5 . Either by air or by sea, the first building you will see is the ______ of Liberty if you go to New York.

A．Monument

B．Figure

C．Statue

D．Shadow

6 . Although the COVID-19 pandemic has ______ the world economy, China is the first to recover from its impact.

A．steered clear of	B．offered a window into
C．cast a shadow on	D．struck a chord with

7 . ______ being a manager seems like a good job, I would prefer to be a teacher.

A．Even

B．Although

C．No matter

D．Now that

8 . The visiting scholar’s humorous speech really amused most of the listeners, ________ the topic was rather serious.

A．though

B．as long as

C．as though

D．as soon as

9 . The trees threw long _______ in the moonlight.

A．shadows

B．shuttles

C．telescopes

D．particles

10 . Today we see writing all around us. We would be _________ without writing.

The earliest people have no _________ of writing. However, writing _________ over thousands of years in different cultures around the world.

_________ writing existed, drawings were used as a form of _________. Rock drawings have been found in many places. One rock drawing in a mountainous area of New Mexico _________ a mountain goat standing up and a man riding a horse upside down. Experts believe that the drawing was a _________ to riders that the road was dangerous.

Modern forms of writing began when people _________ to use symbols, such as letters, words, to stand for _________. At first, they used __________ that stood for words. __________, a picture might show a hunter, the tools the hunter used, and a pair of deer the hunter killed. __________ developments took place in Mesopotamia, where people learned to use the same symbols to stand for different words. The writing used by ancient Egyptians also used __________ known as hieroglyphs (象形文字).

Even greater advances were __________ in China about 3500 years ago. The Chinese used tens of thousands of signs. With their systems, they could __________ new words. This, __________, was a different system. To make writing __________, things had to be simplified in some way. The __________ was the development of alphabets. The Phoenicians (腓尼基人) are __________ considered to have developed one of the first useful alphabets. The Phoenicians alphabet used about 20 or 30 signs. They were well on their way to at least one type of modern writing __________, as we know, the modern English alphabet uses 26 letters.

1.

A．lost

B．calm

C．hurt

D．skeptical

2.

A．pan

B．system

C．motivation

D．dream

3.

A．began

B．developed

C．appeared

D．failed

4.

A．When

B．While

C．After

D．Before

5.

A．communication

B．experience

C．relationship

D．education

6.

A．shows

B．notices

C．follows

D．produces

7.

A．joke

B．warning

C．memory

D．mistake

8.

A．begged

B．refused

C．learned

D．promised

9.

A．worries

B．cultures

C．ideas

D．questions

10.

A．lines

B．pictures

C．tools

D．animals

11.

A．For example

B．Above all

C．As usual

D．At first

12.

A．Less

B．Worse

C．Older

D．Further.

13.

A．letters

B．alphabets

C．stars

D．symbols

14.

A．prevented

B．checked

C．made

D．taught

15.

A．mix

B．read

C．write

D．remember

16.

A．however

B．besides

C．therefore

D．otherwise

17.

A．longer

B．easier

C．more interesting

D．more popular

18.

A．answer

B．problem

C．future

D．message

19.

A．never

B．hardly

C．even

D．often

20.

A．but

B．because

C．if

D．so