Kite flying dated from China and became popular around the country. With a long history, it is considered as the
In the past, people fastened bamboo-made whistles onto a kite. While
In the 7th century, kite
Around the Qingming Festival, usually on early April, many people fly kites in public squares. The sky is dotted with kites of different
The traditional Chinese kite expresses harmony between human and nature, a long-held belief
Originated in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), Kunqu Opera is said to be the mother of all Chinese operas and is one of the oldest forms of opera still
The development of Kunqu Opera went through several
Kunqu Opera is acknowledged as
3 . We live surrounded by advanced technology.
Actually, all of our modern things are based on older technologies. Ancient people didn't necessarily have steel or wheels or, electronic communication. Yet, they built monument (纪念碑) even bigger than Stonehenge.
At first, scientists long believed that the ancients who lived 80,000 years ago were the first to throw spears with stone tips. Then came the discovery of 279,000-year-old stone spear tips in Ethiopia These pushed the date back.
Scientists have been trying to figure out how ancient people developed their tools and build their cities and monuments.
| A．Ancient people were really clever |
| B．Not all of these technologies are useful |
| C．For example, there are skyscrapers and spaceships |
| D．They also raised huge stone heads on Easter Island |
| E．They use modern technologies to explore the ancient places |
| F．Not all of advanced technologies were limited to modern people |
| G．And it has been suggested that even prehuman species hunted with spears |
4 . The United States is a country of immigrants. It is a place where people from all over the world come to build a better life. Some immigrants bring their families. Some bring a few of their favorite things. Others come alone with nothing but determination. One thing that every immigrant brings with them is their culture.
American immigration began in 1607 with the colony of Jamestown. In 1620, another group of people left England to build a settlement in America. They wanted to go to a place where they could practice their religion freely. Then many more people left their homes in Europe to build a better life in America. Many also came to America from Africa. By 1770, more than two million people had moved to America. Later on, more people came to the United States than ever before.
In cities all over America, you can see different cultures that formed this country. Many things that you may think of as being “American” are actually from a foreign culture. Some of the best examples of this are the foods people eat. Pizza and spaghetti are foods that all Americans know and love. But both of them are from Italy. Baseball is an all-American sport. But the hot dogs that people eat during the game are a type of food that was brought to America by German immigrants.
Over time, pizza and hot dogs have become a part of what is considered to be American food. In the same way, different groups of people have come together to define what an American is. An American can be a person of any background. An American can be of any faith . An American can be of any skin color. They can speak English clearly. They can speak English with an accent. Each new immigrant adds something new to American culture. It will keep changing as more people come to this country.
1. Why do many foreigners move to America ?| A．To achieve individual dreams |
| B．To avoid political punishment |
| C．To improve the life quality |
| D．To reunite with the beloved ones |
| A．the history of American immigration |
| B．why people chose to move to America |
| C．the rapid growth of the population of America |
| D．what immigrants have brought to America |
| A．they have a long history in America |
| B．they are very popular with Americans |
| C．America is a country full of tasty foods |
| D．America is made up of different cultures |
| A．simple | B．strange |
| C．diverse | D．advanced |
| A．Immigrants and their American dreams |
| B．America: a melting pot of cultures |
| C．America: a land of opportunity |
| D．Life in the US: culture shock |
5 . In October 1937, a newly published book became an instant hit in London, with more than 100,000 copies sold in just a few weeks and still much sought after following three additional printings. That book was Red Star Over China by Edgar Snow, an American journalist who first made the Communist Party of China(CPC中国共产党)known to the world.
In the 1930s, China was in the war of resistance against Japan. The Long March finally took the Central Red Army to Shaanbei in October 1935. Yan'an, a small town in Shaanbei and then the base of the CPC, was like an islet(小岛)surrounded by the ocean of the Kuomintang's military and information blockage. The world knew little about the CPC and the Red Army.
In order to pursue valuable news in China, Snow made it to Yan'an after a long and difficult journey on July 13, 1936. After over 100 days in Shaanbei, Snow was fascinated by the unique charm of the East, something he believed representing the light of rejuvenation(复苏)for the ancient nation of China. For him, the Communists were the most outstanding men and women he had met in China in the past decade with the “military discipline, political morale, and the will to victory”. He recalled his four-month time with the Red Army as a most inspiring experience, during which he had met with the most free and happy Chinese he'd ever known. In these people who devoted themselves to what they believed was the right and just cause, Snow felt an energetic hope, passion and the unbeatable strength of mankind, something he had never felt again ever since.
In the preface(前言)to Red Star Over China, Snow attributed the global popularity of the book not to its style or form, but the stories. According to him, the stories were created by the young Chinese revolutionists and based on the accounts of them. What he did was simply writing them down in words as fair as the water running in spring.
1. What is the function of Paragraph 2?| A．To show the importance of Snow's book in the history |
| B．To inform an important part of CPC's history in Shaanbei. |
| C．Yan'an was surrounded by the Kuomintang' military. |
| D．To tell readers that Long March finally took the Central Red Army to Shaanbei. |
| A．Independent and easygoing. | B．Strong and outspoken. |
| C．Modest and confident. | D．Determined and fair-minded. |
| A．It was the first book to publicize China to the world. |
| B．It was a reflection of the political wisdom of ancient China. |
| C．It was written to show Edgar Snow's sympathy for the Red Army. |
| D．It was filled with first-hand information from the young Chinese revolutionists. |
| A．introduce Edgar Snow. |
| B．recall the long history of CPC. |
| C．introduce the book “Red Star Over China”. |
| D．show respect for the Red Army. |
Kite flying dated from China and became popular around the country. With a long history, it is considered as the
In the past, people fastened bamboo-made whistles onto a kite. While
In the 7th century, kite
Around the Qingming Festival, usually on early April, many people fly kites in public squares. The sky is dotted with kites of different designs, such as dancing butterflies, bounding dragons, and swimming fish. When people look at those kites, they feel as if they were flying away with the kites
The traditional Chinese kite expresses harmony(和谐) between human and nature, a long-held
7 . Archaeologists(考古学家)have discovered at least 58 shipwrecks(沉船)filled with ancient objects near the islands of Fournoi in the Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey. The discovery is believed to be the largest collection of shipwrecks ever found in the Mediterranean. They gathered there over a long time period, from time of ancient Greece to the 20th century. But most of the ships are from the time of the Greek, Roman and Byzantine civilizations.
Peter Campbell is leading the underwater research of the wrecks for the RPM Nautical Foundation, a group that studies ancient objects. He said, "The excitement is difficult to describe. I mean, it was just unbelievable. We knew that we had come across something that was going to change the history books. "
The international team began the underwater study in 2015. They found 22 shipwrecks that year. That number has climbed to 58 with the latest discovery. The team believes there are even more secrets lying on the seabed below.
Campbell called it "one of the top archaeological discoveries of the century". He told Reuters, "We now have a new story to tell of a trading road that connected the ancient Mediterranean. "
The wrecks and their contents show ships carrying goods from nearby areas like the Black Sea, Greece, Turkey, Armenia and Italy. Other goods come from places farther away such as Spain, Sicily, Cyprus, Egypt, the Middle East and North Africa.
The team has raised more than 300 ancient objects from the shipwrecks, including many tall jars(广口瓶)with two ears used by ancient Greek and Roman people to carry liquid.
Campbell said, "Those jars are used mainly for transporting liquids and semi-liquids in the past, so the goods it would be transporting were mostly wine, oil, fish sauces, perhaps honey." He added that fish sauce from the Black Sea area was rare and precious in ancient times.
1. How did Peter Campbell feel about the discovery of the shipwrecks?| A．Excited. | B．Shocked. | C．Confused. | D．Terrified. |
| A．22. | B．36. | C．58. | D．300. |
| A．Oil. | B．Wine. | C．Honey. | D．Fish sauce. |
| A．Seabed Secrets Attracted the Archaeologists |
| B．New Ancient Civilizations Were Discovered |
| C．Ancient Shipwrecks Tell Stories of Trade Roads |
| D．More Shipwrecks Exist in the Mediterranean |
8 . History tells us that footwear was one of the first things ancient people learned to make. Footwear helped them across rocky paths or hot sands without injuring themselves. The earliest footwear we know of was simply a piece of plaited (编织的) grass or leather tied to the feet.
The ancient Egyptians seem to have invented the first footwear with a firm sole (鞋底) — sandals. Egyptian royalty usually wore sandals that had a different style from those with lower status (身份), while slaves were not allowed to wear anything on their feet. The sandal is still the basic form of footwear in many countries, particularly those with a hot climate, whereas in cold climates, an entirely different type of shoe appeared — the moccasin — a slipper-shaped shoe made of soft but strong leather.
The Greeks were the first to develop shoes with heels (鞋跟). Then, in the Middle Ages, shoes with long points at the toe became very chic for the nobility. These shoes were often very difficult to wear. Other trends followed, with square-toed shoes, wide shoes, and even shoes that could make a woman stand two feet taller. Not surprisingly, these sometimes led to accidents. Even today, fashion rather than comfort often leads to the kind of shoes women wear.
Mechanical shoemaking appeared in the 1800s in North America. Until then, shoes had been made with the same kinds of hand tools used by the ancient Egyptians. And in 1858, a machine was invented that could stitch (缝合) the sole of a shoe to the upper part. Now it was possible to make shoes that were shaped to fit either the left or right foot. Toward the end of the 1800s came a new type of shoe that was specifically designed for sports — the sneaker — and it soon become an all-time favorite.
1. What did shoes often show in ancient times?| A．The rich resources. | B．People's different beliefs. |
| C．People's status in society. | D．The changeable climates. |
| A．Valuable. | B．Convenient. |
| C．Fashionable. | D．Comfortable. |
| A．shoes were often very difficult for people to wear. |
| B．all the shoe patterns made by the Greeks were the same. |
| C．the only function of footwear was to protect people's feet. |
| D．people wore the same-shaped shoes on their two feet |
| A．By providing examples. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By following the order of time. | D．By following the order of importance. |
Ahh… Fish, chips and soft peas! There is nothing
The potato
Both Lancashire and London claim to be the first
Ordinary people soon decided that putting fried fish and chips together was a very tasty
The first fish and chip shop in the North of England was founded in Mossley around 1863. Mr. Lees sold fish and chips from a wooden house in the market and later he moved the business to a shop across the road
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
