1 . Directions: After reading the passages below, fill in the blanks to make the passages coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

A Very Brief History of Greetings

Physical greetings may be part of human nature, but they also vary hugely from culture to culture. The oldest evidence of the handshake, for example, can be seen in an Assyrian (亚述人) relief from the 9th century BC, which shows King Shalmaneser’s     1    (seal) an alliance with a clasp of the hand. Handshaking can also be found in ancient Greek literature as a sign of hospitality.

Evidence of kissing is even older. The social kiss dates to at least the Roman Empire, where it     2    (see) as a greeting between equals. The emperor Tiberius, who reigned from AD 14 to 37, banned the practice at court receptions, since it was believed to spread a dangerous facial infection. The ban didn’t last for long; cheek-kissing     3     (remain) particularly popular across southern Europe so far.

Some cultures touch noses as a greeting. This is known as the hongi to New Zealand’s Maori population, to     4    the “sharing of breath” is considered to symbolize the unity between two people. It can also be found in some Inuit (因纽特人) cultures,    5    it isn’t as widespread as the cliche of the “Eskimo kiss” would suggest.

Many cultures prefer socially distanced greetings, such as bowing, to symbolize trust and cooperation, and these, too, are ancient. Bow greetings are still common in countries such as India, Japan, and Thailand. In Tibet, China, people will stick their tongues out of their mouth     6    (show) their friendly intentions.

These distanced greetings remain the safest option for anyone who wants to convey good wishes     7    getting too close and personal. However, some more recently     8    (invent) greetings might serve as alternatives. There is evidence     9    the fists bump, which emerged in the 1960s, lowers the risk of transmitting a disease compared with a more formal handshake. Along with the elbow bump, which seems     10    (originate) in the 1980s, it may become much more common now that the covid-19 pandemic has increased our awareness of the disease-transmitting potential of more intimate greetings.

2 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. alternative             B. capacity             C. characteristic             D. extinct             E. exclude             F. identity G. increasingly       H. interacting             I. measuring                    J. narrative             K. restore

The earliest storytellers

A stunning cave painting discovered in Indonesia may be the earliest evidence of storytelling. The artwork is at least 43,900 years old, and shows that humans were depicting scenes tens of thousands of years earlier than previously thought.

The painting is a 4.5-metre-wide hunting scene, discovered by Maxime Aubert of Griffith University, Australia and his colleagues. It depicts at least eight small human-like figures hunting two pigs and four dwarf buffaloes with spears or ropes. “It’s a(n)    1    scene,” says Aubert. He and his colleagues calculated the painting’s age by    2    the levels of uranium (铀) in stone layers that cover the images. At 43,900 years old, it could be the oldest figurative cave painting that has yet been found although we don't know what type of human made them. Until this discovery, the oldest known artworks depicting visual “stories”, with humans and animals    3    in a recognizable scene, dated from around 20,000 years ago and was found in Europe, such as the famous Lascaux paintings in France. “Now we show that at least 44,000 years ago, in South-East Asia, humans were telling stories and they were depicting them in rock art,” says Aubert.

“It’s really an exciting discovery,” says Genevieve von Petzinger at the University of Victoria, Canada, “It shows a (n)    4    timeline of how art developed. When you get a scene like this one, it opens the door a little further." The human-like figures appear to have animal    5    .” They are half human, half animal. The oldest previously known example was the Lion Man statue. Carved around 40,000 years ago, it combines a lion's head and human body. Until now, it was the earliest evidence of the ability of humans to depict things that don’t exist in nature-a(n)    6    linked to imagination and spirituality. “Now it seems the same thing was happening in South-East Asia, but even earlier,” says Aubert.

The cave painting gives us a glimpse into the minds of the people who created the Indonesian art, but we don’t yet know whether they were modern humans or one of our    7    cousins. The team hasn't found human remains in the Sulawesi cave, says Aubert, so it isn't possible to be sure of the    8    of the artists.

One possible group is the Denisovans, who may also have lived in Asia at this time. Earlier this year, while studying a site in China thought to have been home to Denisovans, a team of researchers revealed artistic engravings on a piece of bone.

“We can’t completely    9    Denisovans or another species,” says Aubert of the Indonesian cave art, “There were probably at least two other species that lived in this region at the same time as modern humans.”

The discovery comes as archaeologists    10    turn their attentions towards Asia. “People should stay tuned to Asia,” says von Petzinger, “In the next decade there will be many exciting announcements coming from this part of the world.”

3 . 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.

A. polluted       B. consideration       C. undergoing       D. alternatives       E. account F. power       G. gathered       H. locally       I. present       J. readily       K. available

The course of human history has seen several changes in the forms of energy. Human inventions have dramatically increased the average amount of energy     1     for use per person. The first step toward the developing of more efficient fuels was taken when people discovered that they could use vegetable oils and animal fats instead of     2     or cut wood. Charcoal gave off a more intensive heat than wood and was more easily obtainable than organic fats. The Greeks first began to use coal for metal smelting in the 4th century, but it didn’t come into extensive use until the Industrial Revolution.

In the 1700s, more energy used in the United States and other nations     3     industrialization came from renewable sources such as wood, water streams and wind etc. These were     4     obtainable supplies. By mid-1800, 91 percent of all commercial energy consumed in the United States and European countries was obtained from wood. However, at the beginning of the 20^th century, coal became a major energy source and replaced wood. Although in most regions and climate zones wood was more     5     accessible than coal, the latter represents a more concentrated source of energy. In 1910, natural gas and oil firmly replaced coal as the main source of fuel because they burned more cleanly and     6     less. Unlike coal, oil could be refined to manufacture liquid fuels for vehicles, a very important     7     in the early 1900s, when the automobile arrived on the scene.

Nowadays, fuels such as oil and natural gas provide over 82 percent of commercial and industrial energy to     8     the world economic growth. Other forms of energy derived from nuclear fission and solar power     9     for 18 percent. However, with the petroleum prices rising and the limitations in fossil fuels, energy     10     will eventually become more attractive to reduce the dependency on oil and natural gas.

4 . A Chinese coin found in a Hampshire field suggests that medieval (中世纪) trade between England and the Far East was more extensive than previously thought, a historian has said.

The coin of the Northern Song dynasty dates from 1008-1016, but is of a type that remained in wide use in China for several hundred years.

It is the second Chinese coin found in a medieval context in England and experts said that its discovery added weight to the idea that the two coins were genuine medieval losses and not dropped by modern collectors.

The coin was found by a detectorist near Petersfield and about 20 miles from the only other Chinese work of art from medieval England: a piece of blue and white porcelain (瓷器) from a small cup or bowl, which could be placed in Winchester in the 14th century.

Caitlin Green, a historian at the University of Cambridge, suggested in a blog that the coin might have been brought to England at about the same time as the porcelain.

She said the finds of this coin and another Northern Song dynasty coin of 1066-77, unearthed in Cheshire, suggest the Winchester porcelain may have been part of the objects from the Far East in the 14th century rather than a one-off. This was centuries before imports of Chinese goods became widespread in the 1600s, but about the same time as Chinese pottery is known to have been owned by royals in France and Italy.

The history of Chinese goods in Britain goes back further, however, with rich Roman Britons known to have bought Chinese silk.

Dr Green said that goods from China would have reached England over several stages by way of the Middle East and Italy.

1. What can be learned about the two Chinese coins mentioned in the passage?

A．They were unearthed at the same site.

B．They were believed to have arrived at England in the 1300s.

C．They were found to have been owned by royals in France and Italy.

D．They were dropped by modern collectors.

2. The word “one-off” (paragraph 6) most probably means _______.

A．something that doesn’t happen regularly

B．something that doesn’t happen only once

C．something that happens on a small scale

D．something that happens unexpected

3. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage??

A．Chinese coin hints at vast medieval trade route

B．Coins and white porcelain trace back to ancient China

C．Chinese silk points at a lasting England-China relationship

D．History of Chinese goods in Britain has been redefined

5 . St Kilda is a tiny archipelage (群岛) of the North Atlantic Ocean. The islands are among the most spectacular, but the greatest fascination is that, for over a thousand years, people lived there and possessed a sense of community. Cut off from the mainland, the islanders had a distinct way of living their lives, mainly eating the seabirds that returned to breed on the rocks.

Isolation also had a big effect upon St Kildans’ attitudes and ideas. The people sacrificed themselves year in and year out, in a constant battle to secure a livelihood. In such harsh conditions, life was only possible because the whole community worked together.

In the 19th century St Kilda was subject to pressures from the outside world. Education, religion and tourism all attempted to throw the St Kildans’ way of life into doubt. In the early 20th century, the strength of the community became weakened as contact with the rest of Britain increased. When disease cut their numbers, and wind and sea made it difficult to get adequate food, the St Kildans were forced to turn to the mainland for assistance.

In 1930, the St Kildans finally agreed to abandon their homes. They settled on the Scottish mainland, not realizing it meant throwing themselves into the 20 century. As adults, they had to accept those values most Scots believe in. For instance, the islanders found difficult to base their existence upon money. They had never lived in a world where they bought goods and services from each other.

The islanders showed themselves indifferent to the jobs they were given on the mainland. The labours asked of them were unskilled compared with the spectacular skills they had once performed in order to kill seabirds. Moreover, killing birds had once provided the community with food to survive. On the mainland, however, the tasks they were asked to perform did not provide them immediately with what was needed to keep them fed and warm.

The history of the St Kildans after the evacuation (撤离), of their inability and lack of resolution to fit into urban society, makes sad reading. When they were resettled on the mainland, the St Kildans were forced to live in a society whose values were unacceptable and incomprehensible to the majority of them. For many, the move was a tragedy.

1. According to Paragraph 3, the following factors lead to St Kildans seeking help from outside EXCEPT ________.

A．unbearable wind	B．insufficient food supply
C．contact with Britain	D．worsening health

2. After the St Kildans inhabited Scotland, they ________.

A．soon learned how to buy goods and services from others

B．had trouble adapting to the value of dominant society

C．exhibited willingness to carry out their given jobs

D．had the opportunity to show their skills of killing seabirds

3. Which of the following is NOT about how people used to live on St Kilda?

A．The major source of food was found locally.

B．It was essential for people to help each other.

C．Very few people had visited mainland Scotland.

D．Money played an insignificant role in life.

4. What is the passage mainly concerned with?

A．The role of money in modern communities.

B．How a community adapted to a different form of life.

C．The destruction of an old-fashioned community.

D．How a small community fight against opposite conditions.

6 . Pioneers of the Pacific

No one is sure how they did it or even why they did it, but over 3,000 years ago people sailed into the enormous emptiness of the Pacific Ocean in simple canoes. Within a few centuries, these people now known as the Lapita— had migrated from Papua New Guinea to the island of Tonga, at least 2,000 miles to the east.     1    And they discovered and then inhabited dozens of tropical islands never before seen by human eyes: Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Samoa.

    2    Although their voyage began in the northern islands of Papua New Guinea, their language came from Taiwan, and their style of pottery decoration probably had its roots in the northern Philippines. So who were the Lapita? Did they come from a single point in Asia or from several different places?

Now, archaeologists Matthew Spriggs and Stuart Bedford of the Australian National University are working to answer the questions. A Lapita cemetery on the island of fate in the Pacific nation of Vanuatu has revealed information about Lapita customs, and DNA from the ancient bones may help to answer questions about the Lapita people. “This represents the best opportunity we’ve had yet,” says Spriggs, to find out who the Lapita actually were, where they came from, and who their closest descendants are today.”

    3    Atholl Anderson, professor of prehistory at the Australian National University, suggests that El Nino, the same warming of ocean water that affects the Pacific today, may have helped. Climate data obtained from slow-growing corals around the Pacific arid from lake-bed sediments in the Andes of Sou& America indicate a series of unusually frequent El Nino around the time of the Lapita expansion. By reversing the regular east-to-west flow of the trade winds for weeks at a time, these super El Nino might have carried the Lapita sailors on long, unplanned voyages far over the horizon.

    4    Their descendants have inhabited the region for thousands of years, and why not? They’re living in an island paradise that many of us only dream about.

A．However they arrived on the islands, the Lapita came to stay.

B．But even if the archaeologists can answer these questions, we still won’t know how the Lapita sailed so far east against the trade winds, which normally blow from east to west.

C．Archaeologists have long been wondering about the reason why the Lapita left their home for a brand-new world.

D．They explored millions of square miles of the Pacific.

E．Therefore, the Lapita gave us some new perspective to understand the Pacific.

F．There is much we do not know about the Lapita.

7 . While DNA from animal bones or teeth can cast light on an individual species, environmental DNA enabled scientists to build a picture of a whole ecosystem.

A core of ice age sediment (沉积物) from northern Greenland has yielded the world’s oldest sequences of DNA. The 2 million-year-old DNA samples revealed the now largely lifeless polar region was once home to rich plant and animal life — including elephant-like mammals known as mastodons (乳齿象), reindeer, hares, lemmings, geese, birch trees and poplars, according to new research published in the journal Nature on Wednesday.

The finding is the work of scientists in Denmark who were able to detect and restore environmental DNA — genetic material drop into the environment by all living organisms — in tiny amounts of sediment taken from the Copenhagen Formation, in the mouth of a strait in the Arctic Ocean in Greenland’s northernmost point, during a 2006 expedition.

They then compared the DNA pieces with libraries of DNA collected from both extinct and living animals, plants and microorganisms. The genetic material revealed dozens of other plants and creatures that had not been previously detected at the site based on what’s known from fossils and pollen records.

“The first thing that blew our mind when we’re looking at this data is obviously this mastodon and the presence of it that far north, which is quite far north of what we knew as its natural range,” said study co-author Mikkel Pedersen.

The mix of temperate (温带) and Arctic trees and animals suggested a previously unknown type of ecosystem that has no modern equivalent — one that could act as a genetic road map for how different species might adapt to a warmer climate, the researchers found.

Love Dalen, a professor at the Centre for Palaeogenetics at Stockholm University, said the finding “pushed the envelope” for the field of ancient DNA. “Also, the findings that several temperate species (such as relatives of spruce and mastodon) lived at such high latitudes are exceptionally interesting,” he added.

Further study of environmental DNA from this time period could help scientists understand how various organisms might adapt to climate change. “It’s a climate that we expect to face on Earth due to global warming and it gives us some idea of how nature will respond to increasing temperatures,” he explained.

1. What can we know about environmental DNA from the passage?

A．It makes it easier to understand individual species.

B．It is a collection of DNA from all kinds of living things.

C．It includes DNA of mammals living 2 million years ago.

D．It was first discovered in sediment from northern Greenland.

2. How did the scientists identify the result of their research?

A．By looking at the data of mastodon.

B．By detecting DNA samples at the site.

C．By analyzing fossils and pollen records.

D．By comparing the newly-found DNA with existing ones.

3. What do the underlined words mean in the 7th paragraph?

A．broke the limit	B．laid a foundation
C．raised a new question	D．attracted wide attention

4. Which is the best title for the passage?

A．Northern Greenland faces species extinction

B．Oldest DNA reveals a solution to global warming

C．Northern Greenland faces increasing temperatures

D．Oldest DNA reveals a 2 million-year-old ecosystem

8 . At the top of a hill called Mount Lee in Los Angeles on the west coast of the USA is a very famous sign, recognizable to people around the world. My job is to look after this sign.     1     The first film was made there in 1907 and by 1912, at least 15 independent studios could be found making films around town.

In the 1940s, TV started to become popular and some Hollywood film studios closed, but then TV companies moved in and took them over. Modern Hollywood was born.     2     If one of them ever fell down I would have to put it back up at exactly the same angle. They follow the shape of Mount Lee and this is part of their fame.

I am responsible for maintaining and protecting the sign.     3     When I first arrived in 1989, security was pretty low-tech-we put up a fence around the sign to stop people messing with it. But people just jumped over the fence. The back of the sign was black with graffiti(涂鸦)there was wire across it, but they still got through. So I decided to improve the effectiveness of the security.

Now we have motion-detectors and cameras. Everything goes via the internet to a dedicated surveillance(监控)team watching various structures around the city. Even so, people still try to climb over the barrier, mostly innocent tourists surprised that you can’t walk right up to the sign. But they can get a closer look on one of my regular tours.

    4     They want to light the sign, paint it pink, or cover it in something to promote their product. You’ll get a really enthusiastic marketing executive call up, terribly excited because they think they’re the first person to think of this or that idea. They mostly get turned down. That’s because we don’t like to change the image and we hope it will have the same significance for generations to come.

A．The letters in the sign weren’t straight and still aren’t.

B．I have been working there for nearly 30 years.

C．People call up with the most ridiculous ideas.

D．It says Hollywood and that’s of course the place where films have been made for over a hundred years.

E．We used to have real problems.

F．Payment must be made for those ideas for commercial purposes.

9 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

“This belongs to Iraq.” reads the poster held by Iraqi student Zeidoun Alkinani at the Babylonian Ishtar Gate in the Pergamon Museum of Berlin.

Excavated and acquired by German archaeologists in     1     is today’s Iraq, the Ishtar Gate is one of the many artifacts shipped back to Western countries prior to World War I as part of a larger trend by European colonists across the Middle East. In 2002 Iraqi officials urged Germany to return the gate.

There are still no plans made for its return. The viral image does, however, bring to light the long-argued debate between museums in the US. and Europe     2     the ownership of ancient artifacts and the objects countries of origin.

Another example of the stolen artifacts displayed in Germany is the famous bust of Nefertiti a statue     3     (represent) the pharaoh of Egypt Akhenaten’s royal wife. Around 1340 BC the bust was constructed of limestone, gypsum, and wax in Egypt.     4     ancient items usually show their age with time passing by, it seems     5     (have) relatively little effect for the bust of Nefertiti. Its shape remains largely undamaged its colors are intact and the face of the queen appears unsullied by age.

It is rare to find so pristine an ancient figure in the modern era. The bust     6     (unearth) by German archaeologists in 1912. The following year, it found its way to Germany and     7     (stay) there ever since. In 2011, the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities sent a request to the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation for the artifact’s return. It is in the museum run by the foundation     8     the bust is now displayed. However, the foundation replied that the bust was obtained legally and Egypt has no grounds to reclaim it.

The Supreme Council of Antiquities explained “This request is a natural consequence of Egypt’s long-standing policy of seeking the restitution of all archaeological and historical artifacts     9     have been taken illegally out of the country.

The foundation’s president disagreed:“The bust of Nefertiti is and remains the ambassador of Egypt in Berlin. Besides, the long trip home     10     cause permanent damage to the delicate statue.”