1 . How did we get the alphabet? It was a long process, covering thousands of years.
The first people to write things down carved symbols onto rocks or shells. These symbols represented people or things.
These people who lived a long time ago had simple lives with simple needs. One of the most basic needs was food. Before the introduction of agriculture, people were called HunterGatherers because they hunted animals and gathered nuts and berries for food. To tell each other about how to hunt animals or where to find them, these people drew on cave walls or on animal hides. Soon, people were growing their own crops. They were also using a system of symbols to stand for people, places and things. The best ancient example of this was found in Egypt, where hieroglyphs (象形字) were used. These people believed in many different gods. Each god had its own symbol. Symbols were also used to stand for water, buildings, food, and other parts of life.
But these picture drawings and hieroglyphs represented whole words, not just sounds. How did we get an alphabet? Recent research suggests that the idea of an alphabet was first used in Egypt about 1900 BC. Civilizations that traded with or fought against Egypt were exposed to this alphabet, and the idea spread.
The ancient Greeks adapted this alphabet and created their own. The ancient Romans polished it up to a state almost like our modern alphabet. The idea of stringing letters together to make words was born. You can see by looking at letters from the Roman alphabet that these letters survive almost unchanged in our modern English alphabet.
This was the case in the Western world. Actually, a similar thing also happened in the East. You can see many examples in such areas’ language development.
1. Why did HunterGatherers use drawings?| A．To assist them in searching for food. |
| B．To put a series of symbols into a system. |
| C．To warn their companions to hide safely. |
| D．To record some methods of growing crops. |
| A．The difficulties ancient people have learning languages. |
| B．The different kinds of religious beliefs in the same god. |
| C．The poor living conditions and agricultural development. |
| D．The needs of ancient people to survive and communicate. |
| A．They made improvements to it. |
| B．They created it all by themselves. |
| C．They managed to keep it unchanged. |
| D．They turned it into the modern one. |
| A．The effects of the alphabet on global languages. |
| B．Why the alphabet grew better in Western world. |
| C．How the alphabet appeared in the Eastern world. |
| D．A number of examples of language evolution. |
From 1405 to 1433, Zheng He made seven historic voyages to Asia and Africa. Thanks to frequent friendly
Zheng He’s fleet traveled from the Western Pacific through the Indian Ocean to West Asia and the east coast of Africa,
Sadly, many of the official Chinese records of these voyages were destroyed
1.时间、地点；
2.主讲人；
3.主题及内容。
注意：
1.词数80左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：兵马俑terracotta warriors
Dear David,
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4 . A valuable sketch (素描) from World WarⅠhas turned up in a garage sale in Perth. It’s a sketch of soldiers playing soccer with a tin can during an unofficial truce (停战) between German and Allied soldiers on the Western Front in 1914. The artwork was drawn by an unnamed German soldier during the war on the Western Front.
The artwork was given to Private Jack Shelley, a British soldier, when he was defending the town of Frelinghien, France. The sketch is an important historical document, as it provides evidence that the tales of enemy soldiers socializing together are true. But for Private Shelley’s descendants(后代) it has even greater value, since it was his prized possession. Jessie Shelley, Jack’s great-granddaughter, has fond memories of the old man sharing stories about his experiences in the war when he came to live permanently in Australia in 1930. the family lost track of the artwork after Jack’s possessions were moved during the sale of his house when he died in 1984.
‘Great-grandpa had a tobacco tin with a dozen or so buttons from the uniforms of men from both sides. He told us all the details of every one of those buttons. To Great-grandpa they represented real people he had known, some of whom hadn’t come home from the war. He had at least two buttons from German uniforms that he told us were exchanged between the men involved in the Christmas Day Truce.’
On Christmas Day of 1914, the soldiers came out of their trenches(战壕) into no-man’s-land and shared food, drinks and cigarettes. Some even exchanged small gifts. The men even played football games together. Later, this spirit of cooperation continued in unofficial agreements between the sides to stop shooting at mealtimes and even at times when soldiers were working in the open.
This fascinating image of peace and humanity during the war has continued through the years. The sketch is a symbol of the potential for humanity, hope and kindness to exist in even the most violent circumstances.
1. In what situation was the sketch done?| A．It was done in a garage |
| B．It was done on the front line. |
| C．It was done during a formal soccer match. |
| D．It was done by a soldier fighting in Germany. |
| A．It explains the specific reason for the war. |
| B．It shows the war on the Western Front came to an end. |
| C．It proves enemy soldiers could live in peace sometimes. |
| D．It is evidence that soldiers could adapt quickly to society. |
| A．They were from German uniforms. |
| B．Some of them represented his honor. |
| C．Some of their owners didn’t survive the war. |
| D．They were collected during Christmas Day in 1914. |
| A．It brought about more truces. |
| B．It started wide information exchanges. |
| C．It led to no agreement between the sides. |
| D．It resulted in more celebrations between the sides. |
5 . To an outsider，any culture can seem confusing.And the UK's got a thing or two that raises a few eyebrows.However，understand the why and things might be less puzzling.
In a world where 61％of nations drive on the right，Brits drive on the left.Why? Most people think it goes back to Medieval，maybe even Roman times.
Visitors to the UK that have just washed their hands in an old-fashioned sink might be wondering why one tap is only for hot water，the other cold.
Millions of people drink tea worldwide，but the odd Brits put milk in theirs.Why? This mysterious practice relates to the quality of china cup used in the 18th century when tea was first imposed.For the majority of Brits，the cups available couldn’t stand the heat of the boiling water and would break，so milk was added first.
| A．This makes it difficult to improve |
| B．There is a method to the madness |
| C．This unusual behavior makes sense |
| D．You can know the origins of the practices |
| E．Either can make washing very uncomfortable |
| F．This cooled the cup enough to resist the boiling water |
| G．Here are the reasons for three of Britain’s more puzzling practices |
6 . The University of Sheffield
Back to its origin
The University of Sheffield is a research university in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original “red brick” universities, which are a group of top and famous old universities. The University of Sheffield was originally formed by the combination of three colleges. The Sheffield School of Medicine was founded in 1828, followed in 1879 by the opening of Firth College by Mark Firth, a steel manufacturer (制造商), to teach arts and science subjects. Firth College then helped to provide money for the opening of the Sheffield Technical School in 1884 to teach applied science. In 1897 the three institutions were joined together to form the University College of Sheffield, which in turn became the University of Sheffield by Royal Charter (特许) in 1905. This university is famous for its good education and boasts a number of Nobel Prize winners among its former students.
More information
System: The University has five departments: Arts and Humanities; Engineering; Pure Science; Social Sciences; Medicine, Dentistry and Health. Sheffield also has many research programs in fields including aerospace, environmental science, psychology, and biology.
City show: Sheffield is a lively city in the north of England. Sheffield is known as the greenest city in Europe because of its 2 million trees. As a result, there are many parks and woods throughout the city and beyond. Sheffield is the greenest city in England with 150 woodlands and 50 public parks within the city. Once, in Sheffield, the folk hero—Robin Hood lived in Sherwood Forest with 150 of his loyal friends. And Charlotte Bronte, the English writer noted for her novel Jane Eyre was born in Sheffield.
1. Sheffield is in the of England.| A．east | B．west |
| C．south | D．north |
| A．It has a good fame for many great graduates. |
| B．It has a long history of more than 180 years. |
| C．It is one member of “red brick” universities. |
| D．It owns different departments and research programs. |
| A．Sheffield has very beautiful scenery. |
| B．Charlotte Bronte is an English writer. |
| C．Sheffield is the biggest city of England. |
| D．Robin Hood is a character in Jane Eyre. |
The Silk Road was a passage for the transportation of silk in ancient times. Lots of relics on the road can still
The Silk Road is a long route,
If you are an experienced traveler
Along the Silk Road route, Xi'an and Gansu province are suitable to visit all-year round. The best time
Dujiangyan is the oldest man-made water system in the world, and a wonder in the development of Chinese science.
In ancient times, the region in which Dujiangyan now stands
Once the system was finished, no more floods occurred and the people were able to live
The Silk Road is in fact a relatively recent term. These ancient roads had no particular name until in the mid-nineteenth century, Baron Ferdinand von Richthofen
In the nineteenth century, a new type of travelers stepped onto the Silk Road: archaeologists and geographers, enthusiastic explorers who were eager
Today, many historic
10 . Have you ever wondered why people drive on a different side of the road? It might seem bizarre that U. K. Drivers stay on the left, but they’re not the only ones. Around 35 percent of the world population do the same, including people in Ireland, Japan, and some Caribbean islands.
Originally, almost everybody traveled on the left side of the road. However their way of transport was quite different from today: Think about four legs instead of four wheels. For Medieval swordsmen on horseback, it made sense to keep to the left to have their right arms closer to their enemies. Getting on or off was also easier from the left side of the horse, and safer done by the side of the road than in the center.
So why did people stop traveling on the left? Things changed in the late 1700s when large wagons (货车) pulled by several pairs of horses were used to transport farm products in France and the United States. The wagon driver sat behind the left horse, with his right arm free to use his whip to keep the horses moving. Since he was sitting on the left position, he wanted other wagons to pass on his left, so he kept to the right side of the road.
The British Government refused to give up their left-hand driving ways, and in 1773 introduced the General Highways Act, which encouraged driving on the left. This was later made law thanks to The Highway Act of 1835.
When Henry Ford showed his Model T in 1908, the driver’s seat was on the left, meaning that cars would have to drive on the right hand side of the road to allow front and back passengers to exit the car onto the roadside. However, British drivers remain on the left, and this is highly unlikely to change.
1. What does the underlined word “bizarre” in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．Funny. | B．Strange. |
| C．Wrong. | D．Difficult |
| A．It was safer to keep on the left |
| B．It was easier to carry goods. |
| C．It was easier for them to fight. |
| D．It was necessary to control the horse. |
| A．Their sitting position. |
| B．The road conditions. |
| C．The number of horses. |
| D．The products in the wagons. |
| A．UK Drivers Still Go On The Left |
| B．Why People Like Sitting On The Left Side |
| C．The History Of Transportation Means |
| D．The Reasons For Different Driving Sides |
