2 . Doubling as educational centers and conservation centers, museums play an important role in the protection of ________. Although these institutions ________ in size and specialty, the task of most museums is around the display and care of their collections.

Today, many museums are among the most visited ________ in the world. In order to figure out how this important cultural phenomenon came to be, it is ________ important to understand its origins and trace how its role has developed over time.

The word museum ________ from “mouseion”, the Greek term for “a holy place for the Muses”. In classical Greek mythology, the nine Muses are the goddesses of the arts and sciences, making them perfect protectors for these ________ institutions.

Earliest museums were private collections and were only accessible to a narrow circle of people. They displayed ________ and curious natural objects and works of art. Some of them even ________ “wonder rooms” or “cabinets of curiosities”.

In 1683, an Englishman named Elias Ashmole donated the contents of his wonder room to Oxford University, forming the ________ of the Ashmolean Museum. Believing that “the knowledge of Nature is very necessary to human life and health,” Ashmole wanted to ________ the public through his unprecedented (前所未有的) donation. Following his footsteps, many like-minded collectors across Europe shifted their focus from ________ use to public access in the late 17^th and 18^th centuries. During this time, world-class museums began to make their art collections accessible to the public. The opening of these institutions ________ a string of similar movements in the 19^th century.

Today, the importance of public institutions is stronger than ever before. ________ taking care of collections and making them accessible to the public, many museums are using new technologies to improve their public programs, ________ their collections, and share their research. With these modern methods, museums are able to ________ audiences in new ways and extend their tasks beyond their walls.

1.

A．tourism

B．architecture

C．religion

D．culture

2.

A．form

B．vary

C．respond

D．improve

3.

A．sites

B．states

C．palaces

D．entrances

4.

A．critically

B．roughly

C．barely

D．slightly

5.

A．escapes

B．benefits

C．originates

D．differs

6.

A．newly-built

B．knowledge-based

C．carefully-chosen

D．theory-guided

7.

A．common

B．familiar

C．similar

D．rare

8.

A．cared about

B．served as

C．referred to

D．relied on

9.

A．basis

B．structure

C．destination

D．position

10.

A．raise

B．train

C．admire

D．educate

11.

A．special

B．scientific

C．private

D．regular

12.

A．featured

B．indicated

C．celebrated

D．inspired

13.

A．Opposite to

B．Instead of

C．In addition to

D．Thanks to

14.

A．digitize

B．industrialize

C．organize

D．localize

15.

A．introduce

B．engage

C．identify

D．select

4 . Football is a popular sport with fans all over the world. There is, however, an indoor version of the game     1     (know) as “table football”. It was invented in 1921 and people     2     (get) great pleasure from it since then. The game is played on a special table. Players control their “team” by turning sticks, to which the “players” are attached. As in real football,     3     (point) will be awarded when putting the ball in the other players’ goal. Table football requires using hands and eyes together excellently, which is really exciting.

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.    1    .

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.    2     when you remember that right-handed people wear a sword on their left hip.Travelling on the left allowed you to   keep your weapon arm toward your opponent，who would be on your right.This practice continued until the 18th century when a law was passed requiring all traffic crossing London Bridge to keep to the left.

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.    3    .So，why this oddity? It relates to a time when hot and cold water were kept separate to prevent pollution.Drinkable cold water came from a mains supply，but hot water came from attic tanks and was not considered suitable for consumption.So they were kept apart.

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.    4    .And this practical tweak soon became a national habit.

    5    .As you can see，these odd Brits have perfectly clear reasons for left-hand driving，two-tap sinks and tea with milk.Even if they still seem strange，at least now you’re in the know.

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 third theme of geography is movement. As people travel around the world, exchanging goods, ideas and interests, the global community is transformed. Take surfing, for example, the sport originated in Hawaii centuries ago. Today, the cry “surf up!” can be heard along coastlines everywhere.

Europeans were the first Westerners to observe the sport. In 1779, Captain Cook, a British explorer, and his crew sailed around the Sandwich Islands ( Now Hawaii ). Near the rocky coast of the Big Island, they witnessed a man riding a wave while standing on a board.

Cook was stricken by what he saw. Hawaiians would pray for good waves and hold ceremonies when building surfboards. Their boards were built according to rank: Chiefs used long boards (16 to 18 feet long ), while commoners used shorter ones (6 to 8 feet long ).

After the arrival of Europeans, Hawaiian surf culture declined. Many Hawaiians died of European-borne diseases. Also, Christian missionaries (传教士) spread the belief that surfing was “ignorant (愚昧的)fun”.

These conditions changed after Hawaii became a United States territory in 1900( It became a state in 1959.) Travelers to the islands brought back stories of wave riding. Tales of the thrilling sport spread across the U.S., then to the rest of the world.

Today, surfing is the king of board sports. According to wannasurf.com, the world has nearly 8,000 “surf spots” in 136 countries on 6 continents. The Association of Surfing professionals (ASP) holds an annual world tour in which top riders compete for millions of fans on the waves.

Top-5 countries with surf spots country NO. of Sports

United States   1375

Australia          1160

South Africa       575

France             352

New Zealand     338

1. According to the passage , surfing originated in________.

A．Britain

B．Europe

C．America

D．France

2. Which of the following is TRUE?

A．Captain Cook was interested in surfing.

B．There are no surf spots in Asia.

C．In Hawaii, everyone was equal in sports.

D．Surfing is the third theme of geography.

3. The underlined word in the fourth paragraph probably means________.

A．excited Europeans	B．gradually lost its strength
C．died out	D．became more and more popular

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A．The spread of surf culture.	B．The history of surf culture.
C．The rebirth of surf culture.	D．The advantages of surf culture.