2 . Discoveries at the famous Sanxingdui ruins in Southwest China show that the region’s ancient Shu Kingdom Civilization shared similarities with the Maya.

The Sanxingdui ruins belonged to the Shu Kingdom that existed at least 4,800 years ago and lasted more than 2,000 years, while the Mayan civilization built its city-states around 200 AD．

The bronze-made remains of trees unearthed at the ruins of the Shu Kingdom resemble the sacred ceiba tree, which symbolized the union of heaven, earth and the underworld in the Mayan civilization. “They are very important similarities,” says Santos, a Mexican archaeologist (考古学家) stressing that “the representations of trees in both cultures provide a symbolism that is very similar”.

The findings at the Sanxingdui ruins, considered one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century, also show a new aspect of Bronze Age culture, indicating the ancient civilization already had technologies that were thought to have been developed much later.

While the time span between the Shu kingdom and the Mayan culture is great, the findings highlight the closeness between the two civilizations. They developed in areas with comparable climates and reflected their worldview through related symbols. “In the end, man is still man, independent of time and space. What we have is that, at this latitude (纬度), both the Shu people and the Mayans looked at the same sky and had the same stars on the horizon,” the expert says.

One notable feature of the recent discoveries at Sanxingdui was the cross-subject work and technology applied by teams of Chinese archaeologists, which allowed the unearthing of artifacts as fragile as silk remains, which other types of less careful digging methods would not have been able to register.

Cooperation between Chinese and Mexican archaeologists could benefit projects in the Mayan world, where the rainy climate and humidity are problematic for the conservation of ruins.

“Every time our cultural knowledge increases, regardless of whether we speak one language or another, what it shows us is that we continue to be sister cultures and, therefore, the exchange of such knowledge is fundamental,” says Santos.

1. What is a similarity between the Shu Kingdom and Maya civilization?

A．Their starting time.	B．Their historical origins.
C．Their cultural symbols.	D．Their ceremony traditions.

2. The findings at the Sanxingdui ruins have proved that ________.

A．silk was a common clothing material then

B．some technologies were developed much earlier

C．the Bronze Age started earlier than previously assumed

D．the Shu Kingdom and the Mayan world had close contact

3. What is a common challenge for the conservation of both ruins?

A．Damp weather.	B．Positioning of ruins.
C．High latitude.	D．Language barriers.

4. What is the focus of Santos quote in the last paragraph?

A．Our cultural knowledge is increasing.

B．The benefits of speaking a different language.

C．The increasing sisterhood in culture between China and Mexico.

D．The importance of the exchange of cultural knowledge.

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入一个适当的单词或者括号内单词的正确形式。

The Bell Tower in Xi’an, has a history of over 600 years and reopened to the public after renovation (整修).

The Bell Tower     1     (build) in 1384 during the Ming Dynasty. The 36-meter-tall, wood-and-brick structure is known     2     one of the     3     (large) and best-protected bell towers in China. The tower has witnessed the city’s changes and development for     4     (century).

“Due to long-time exposure to wind, sunlight, rain and dust, the tower became broken, with its roof leaking and some paint     5     (drop).” Wang Lei, curator (馆长) of Xian Bell and Drum Towers Museum said. To prolong the life of the tower, the museum began to repair     6     (it) roof and outer golden columns in June.

The reopening of the Bell Tower has attracted visitors     7     come from home and abroad.       8     (visit) by more than 1, 000 tourists on the opening day, it had attracted twice the number of visitors before its repair. The museum staff told the media that they determined     9     (extend) the opening hours by one hour every night. This was     10     sixth renovation to the Bell Tower since 1949, with the last done in 2011.

5 . It is likely that on American TV shows you at times will be attracted by rubber balls on people’s desks.     1     People can squeeze them when feeling stressed out. It’s believed that by concentrating on the act of squeezing, they can let go of the negative energy in their bodies.

Indeed, stress is a big problem for many people.     2     In fact, the rubber stress relief balls that are so popular today in the US are believed to date back to ancient China. Back in the Han Dynasty (206 BC–AD 220), soldiers used walnuts to get rid of stress. By squeezing them during moments of anxiety, soldiers were able to calm themselves down before going into battle. And in the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), ordinary citizens—not just soldiers—developed the habit of rolling two walnuts, or balls made from iron or stone, around in their hands.     3     And today, we have many gadgets (器具) and toys that are designed to reduce stress in addition to stress relief balls. One example is the popular fidget spinner (指尖陀螺).     4     You have to spin the gadget around. There’s also the fidget cube, which features different “gimmicks (机关)” on each side of the cube. You can click, spin, pull, push and rotate different parts of the cube.

    5     But perhaps we should take them more seriously. “After all, the history of stress balls is a history of modern-day coping (应对),” reporter Nadia Berenstein wrote for Woolly magazine.

A．This helped them relax as well.

B．These gadgets may look like simple toys.

C．It keeps your hand busy with an easy task.

D．These balls are known as “stress relief balls”.

E．Fortunately, we have many ways to deal with it.

F．This was the perfect way to ease away your tension.

G．A focused activity helps take your mind off the problems of your day.

6 . 假定你是李华，你校交换生David对兵马俑十分着迷。请你写封邮件邀请他聆听一场有关兵马俑的讲座，要点包括:
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,
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . The Great Depression that followed the stock market crash of 1929 saw hundreds of thousands of Americans out of work. In the years of great fear and depression, a lot of American citizens looked desperately to the federal government for assistance. Of all the programs designed by President Roosevelt when he took office in 1932, few were more criticized---or had more lasting impact---than the Work Projects Administration, better known as the WPA.

The intention of the WPA, which functioned from 1935 to 1943, was to design and administer public works projects to help relieve unemployment. The majority of these projects involved historic or artistic attempts. The WPA’s Writers Project, for example, was responsible not only for such practical works as state guidebooks but also for the collection of historically valuable oral histories. Over 2,900 of these records were collected in 24 states. They provide an irreplaceable firsthand account of people’s diets, customs, celebrations, and political and religious beliefs at the time.

The artworks created through the Federal Arts Project are one of the WPA’s most lasting achievements. Out-of-work painters, both famous and unknown, created paintings that beautified schools, libraries, and government buildings, WPA photographers traveled across the country recording the hardships of life on small rural farms. When the United States entered World War Ⅱ in 1941, WPA artists were enlisted to produce posters supporting the war effort. Many WPA artworks, including hundreds of small drawings picturing scenes of everyday life, still exist today.

1. When did the Work Projects Administration begin to work?

A．In1929.	B．In1932.
C．In1935.	D．In 1943.

2. What can be inferred about the WPA?

A．It was made up of several components.

B．It was President Roosevelt’s favorite project.

C．It played an important role during World War Ⅱ.

D．It trained artists before sending them out to work.

3. How does the author mainly develop this text?

A．By examples.	B．By comparison.
C．Through a true story.	D．Through a persuasive argument.

4. What’s the main idea of the text?

A．President Roosevelt designed the WPA.

B．The WPA helped relieve unemployment.

C．WPA artists painted pictures in schools and libraries.

D．The WPA produced many valuable and lasting works.