1 . Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.

Getting rid of dirt, in the opinion of most people, is a good thing. However, the attitudes to dirt are always changing.

In the early 16th century, people thought that dirt on the skin was a means to block out disease, and washing off dirt with hot water could open up the skin and let ills in. A particular danger was thought to lie in public baths. By 1538, the French king had closed the bath houses in his kingdom. The king of England did something similar in 1546. Thus began a long time when the rich and the poor in Europe lived with dirt in a friendly way. France’s Henry IV was famously dirty. Upon learning that a nobleman had taken a bath, the king ordered that, to avoid the attack of disease, the nobleman should not go out.

Though the belief above was long-lived, dirt has no longer been regarded as a nice neighbour ever since the 18th century. Scientifically speaking, cleaning away dirt is good to health. Clean water supply and hand washing are practical means of preventing disease. Yet, it seems that standards of cleanliness have moved beyond science since World War II. Advertisements repeatedly sell the idea; clothes need to be whiter than white, cloths ever softer, surfaces to shine. Has the hate for dirt, however, gone too far?

Attitudes to dirt still differ hugely nowadays. Many first-time parents nervously try to warn their children off touching dirt, which might be responsible for the spread of disease. On the contrary, Mary Ruebush, an American immunologist(免疫学家) , encourages children to play in the dirt to build up a strong immune system. And the latter position is gaining some ground.

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2 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Cholera used to be one of the most feared diseases in the world. In the early 19th century, when cholera     1     (break) out in Europe, John Snow became frustrated because no one knew how to prevent or treat cholera. However, he never lost his desire to destroy cholera once and for all. Snow subscribed     2     the theory that cholera was caused by an infection from germs in food or water. He suspected that the water pump was     3     (blame). Snow began by marking on a map the exact places     4     all those who died had lived. As     5     consequence, John Snow was able to announce that the pump water carried cholera germs.     6     (according), he had the handle of the pump     7     (remove) so that it could not be used. The truth was     8     there was a link between cases of cholera and the different water companies in London. The people who drank this water were much     9     (likely) to get cholera than those who drank pure or boiled water. Fortunately, we now know how to prevent cholera, thanks to the work of John Snow. Moreover, by     10    (use) maps and statistics, Snow transformed the way scientists study diseases. For this reason, Snow is considered the father of modern epidemiology.

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

A fan can drive summer heat away and help bring a cool breeze (微风).     1     ancient times, the Chinese fan has been carrying artistic and unique     2     (nation) style. China has always been regarded as “the kingdom of fans”.

The fan first appeared in China about 3,000 years ago, in the Shang and Zhou dynasties. In the early period, the fan was called “the fan of honor”,     3     (serve) as the symbol of etiquette (礼仪).

After the Qin and Han dynasties, the main     4     (shape) of fans were square, round and hexagon (六边形). The materials used to make fans     5     (be) mainly silk. People called the silk fans “court fans”    6     they were often used in royal court. The person     7     held the silk fan always looked gentle.

During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the common fans were round fans, feather fans, and some paper fans. The folding fan     8     (gradual) became popular after the Song dynasty. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, the folding fan was popular in Zhejiang, Suzhou and Sichuan. Then the     9     (popular) of writing poems and drawing pictures on the cover of a fan was rising. Later, this skill     10     (introduce) to Europe and other parts of the world.