1 . 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.

Protecting friendship

A. appreciation	B. committed	C. marking	D. determined	E. shifted	F. reference
G. coinciding	H. thrown	I. attempt	J. portraying	K. line

For the last 50 years, giant pandas from China have captured the hearts of people in the US.

A “Pandaversary Night” party was    1    on Aug 24 at the Chinese embassy (大使馆) in Washington,    2    the 50th anniversary of giant pandas’ arriving in the US capital. And the Smithsonian’s National Zoo expects the panda craze to last for several more years.

“Giant pandas are worthy ambassadors. They have much longer tenures (任期) than each of the Chinese ambassadors here, and they have many more fans than us,” Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang said at the reception. “Year by year, giant pandas have become an icon of mutual    3    and friendship between the two peoples. In particular, the arrival of Xiao Qi Ji (Little Miracle) two years ago has brought us a happy surprise.”

He was referring to the cub’s birth in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic,       4    with the deterioration of China-US bilateral relations to its lowest point in four decades.

The ambassador noted that the number of giant pandas in the wild in China has increased from several hundred 50 years ago to more than 1,800, which meant the species is no longer “endangered”, thanks to unrelenting (持续的) efforts at protection and conservation.

“But sadly, ‘panda-huggers’ are endangered. Now they need protection and conservation,” he said, in    5     to China-US relations, with hawkish (强硬的) US politicians increasingly seeking to “outcompete” China by    6    the country as a challenger or even a threat to the US.

“China’s approach to panda diplomacy has    7     to serve more of a tool to project soft power”, New York Times said in a recent article.

In addition to Xiao Qi Ji, another panda – Kung Fu Panda – was also made in the US. “I still remember a/an    8    from it: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift, that is why it’s called present!” Qin declared. “At present, we get together to cherish the wonderful gift of the panda. We need more pandas, and we also need more ‘panda-huggers’.”

“I’m absolutely    9    to 50 more years of giant panda care and protection, so I look forward to working with our colleagues in China, as we are     10    about the future for our giant panda program,” said Brandie Smith, director of the National Zoo.

2 . Complete the personal account with the correct form of the verbs below.

tell   shout   reply   greet   weep   speak

We were in Rome when World War Ⅱ ended. The first we knew of it was when we heard bells ringing and people running into the streets. Everyone was     1     with joy and excitement. “What’s going on?” I asked. “It seems like the war is over,”     2     one of the soldiers. Everyone started     3     at once. Some people began     4     with joy and relief. Others were     5     each other that it was a day that they would go down in history. Later that day we     6     the allied tanks as they rolled into the square. It was a day of great joy and one I will never forget!

3 . Complete the conversation about the UK using the phrases in their correct forms.

as well as     belong to     add to     join to     break away     keep your eyes open

A: I can never remember what the UK means! There’s England, Britain,     1     Great Britain!
B: Well, it helps if you remember that there are four countries that     2     the UK. That’s why it’s called the United Kingdom.
A: Four countries? I must have been asleep in that part of our history class! So the first country was England, and the others were     3     that?
B: Yes, right. First England, then Wales, then Scotland. The last country was Ireland, but later the southern half didn’t want to be     4     the United Kingdom.
A: Oh, I remember now! The southern part     5     from Northern Ireland, right?
B: Yes, you got it well remembered! But     6     in history class next time!

4 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need. (1’*7=7’)

A. executive B. substantially C. borders D. minority E. fiercely F. unrest G. efficient H. move

Ukraine, a nation whose history has experienced long periods of occupation from other countries, today wrestles(摔跤，全力应付)between war and peace, as well as between corruption and reform. The nation     1    the Black and Azov seas to the south and lies next to several Eastern European nations, including Russia.

Ukraine declared independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991. Its president is directly elected by voters. The prime minister is the head of the central government, which is separated along     2    , legislative and judicial branches.

The country’s post-Soviet political life has been controversial, disturbed by persistent charges of government corruption and fraud. Large-scale protests at the end of 2013 turned violent in 2014, leading to the ouster(罢免)of the government and     3    in the heavily ethnic Russian eastern regions of Ukraine. Russia annexed(抢占)the Crimea region of Ukraine in early 2014, a     4    by Moscow that has been widely criticized by the international community.

Ukraine joined into a free trade area at the beginning of 2016, and the World Bank noted that the country’s economy did begin to show signs of a weak recovery. A broader recovery has been held back, the World Bank says, by continuing conflict in the east and the need for reforms.

Ukraine entered a long-awaited agreement with the European Union in September 2017, a move that brings the country a step closer to the goal of joining the European Union and NATO.

Services, industry and agriculture are Ukraine’s three largest economic sectors. The nation     5    relies on natural gas imports from Russia to meet its energy needs. Agricultural production and energy consumption can be made more     6    , and in doing so Ukraine could play an important role in global food security, according to the World Bank. Culturally, Ukraine is influenced by Western and Central Europe, Russia to the east and by religion— the predominant faith in the country is Eastern Orthodoxy. The country has a rich history in literature, music, architecture and folk art, including “pysanky”, Ukrainian Easter eggs. Ethnic Ukrainians form the overwhelming majority of the country’s population, with ethnic Russians serving as the largest     7    group.

Ukraine is a member of major international and regional organizations, including the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Commonwealth of Independent States.