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。

Does Takeaway Exist in Ancient China?

As early as in the Song Dynasty, “takeout” services were already available. In Zhang Zeduan’s popular painting Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival, there is a restaurant boy who has just come out of the shop with “to-go boxes” in his left hand and tableware(餐具) in his right, still     1    (wear) the shop apron and seeming to deliver the food somewhere. That image is believed to be a reflection of the original takeaway boy.

In ancient times, there were three ways to order food. The first is servant order. Send a family servant to go to a restaurant and make     2     order. When the food is ready, there is someone who     3    (particular) delivers the food to the customer’s home, and then gets paid. The second is agreed delivery. Sign a long-term     4    (agree) with the restaurant. The store,     5     every agreed day, will pack the food well and send     6     to the customer’s home. The last one is door-to-door selling. The sellers from restaurants sell the food door to door, especially in the entertainment places like theaters,     7     are crowded with many people.

The to-go box, wenpan (warm tray),    8    (consist) of two layers of porcelain(瓷). When     9     (use), hot water is injected into the interlayer of the plate     10    (keep) the dishes warm. In this way, the dish is still warm when it arrives at the customer’s home.

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入适当的内容(1 个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

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     1     (exist) in China. This traditional art was named after its birthplace, Kunshan,     2     is near the city of Suzhou in today’s Jiangsu Province.

The development of Kunqu Opera went through several     3     (stage). In the early days, the songs were     4     (main) composed of long and short lines. In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644),     5     (reform) by Wei Liangfu, Kunqu Opera became mild, smooth and     6     (attract). The performers attached great     7     (significant) to clear recitation, correct singing and pure tunes. Meanwhile, the composers wrote the musical scores after working out the tunes, and the songs     8     (write) in seven-character or ten-character lines. Moreover, three types of musical instruments (stringed instrument, bamboo flutes, and drums and clappers) formed the accompaniment.

Kunqu Opera is acknowledged as     9     elegant opera. Carrying forward the tradition of ancient poetry and common speech, the art is also     10     very high literary value.

4 . A small group of paleontologists (古生物学家) recently discovered 10 species of ancient mammals previously unknown to science with the help of an enormous number of helpers at their dig site: ants.

The study of ancient mammals throws new light on the diversity of mammals that existed in North America around 33 million to 35 million years ago, when the climate was changing dramatically. It also pays attention to the harvester ants, with which researchers have long had a love-hate relationship. “The ants are not fantastic when they’re biting you,” said Samantha Hopkins, a professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Oregon. “But I’ve got to appreciate them because they make my job a whole lot easier.”

Most species of harvester ants live in subterranean caves that sit beneath a small hill of dirt. They strengthen the dirt by covering it with bits of rock and other tough materials. The ants have been known to travel over a hundred feet from their caves and to dig six feet deep in pursuit of materials that help secure their caves. The materials include fossils. Harvester ants can carry materials 10 times to 50 times the weight of their body, although they do not weigh very much, so the heaviest fossil they can collect weighs less than the average pill.

Given the size, harvester ant hills are hot spots for what scientists call microvertebrate (微型脊椎动物) fossils, which are animal fossils too small to see without a microscope. For over a century, scientists like Dr. Hopkins have found sediment (沉积物) off the sides of harvester ant hills in search of these fossils, making it easier to find large numbers of fossilized mammal teeth without spending hours in the field sifting through sand and dirt.

1. What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To compare two different species.

B．To provide evidence for discoveries.

C．To promote awareness of mammal protection.

D．To introduce a kind of ant serving as a helper.

2. Which aspect may influence the diversity of mammals in the past?

A．Ant numbers.

B．Climate.

C．Cave materials.

D．Dirt locations.

3. What does the underlined word “subterranean” mean in Paragraph 3?

A．Coastal.

B．Underground.

C．Urban.

D．Mountainous.

4. What can we learn about the harvester ants from the last two paragraphs?

A．Their caves are miles deep.

B．They can carry pills around.

C．Fossils may be found around their hills.

D．Materials with fossils are their food.

5 . 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。

The history of Chinese characters dates back to ancient times, with a history of at least several thousand years. It is agreed that hanzi began     1     simple pictures, images that the ancient Chinese people drew, painted, and carved     2    (describe) nature and their lives.

The     3     (old) symbols recognizable as Chinese characters are those found on ancient animal bones. These 3000-year-old symbols, jiaguwen,     4    (carve) on turtle shells or bones of animals, and can give us insight into     5    ancient Chinese saw the world around them and into their great creativity.

When you first look at Chinese characters, you will most     6    (like) feel that they are very complicated. About 80% of Chinese characters are composed of smaller     7     (part), which are combined in many different ways to form tens of thousands of hanzi. Fortunately you need to know only about two or three thousand characters for use in     8    (day) life.

Chinese characters and Chinese culture are inseparably linked. China’s writing system forms     9     strong bridge linking the Chinese people and culture of the present with     10    (that) of the past. As China takes its place in the international community, many international students are studying Chinese and are coming to appreciate China’s impressive culture.

6 . The first men and women came to Britain over two and a half million years ago.     1     But the British Isles only became islands separated from the rest of Europe about 8, 500 years ago, when melting ice formed the English Channel!

3,000 years after Britain became an island, new tribes who came by boat from the mainland introduced farming.    2    Many of these man-made hills can still be seen.

Later on, people learned to build stone monuments. The most amazing is Stonehenge, a circle of huge stones begun about 4,500 years ago. Stonehenge is the world's most famous prehistoric monument.     3    

3,000 years ago the climate in Britain became colder and wetter than before.     4     A bit later iron started to be used for tools and weapons instead of bronze. Knowledge of ironworking may have been brought by the Celts, a new wave of immigrants who started to arrive from southern Europe in about 500 BC.

What we know about the first people in Britain has been worked out by archaeologists from the remains they left behind them. Pytheas, a Greek, was the first person who could read and write to come to Britain. His visit was in about 330 BC, over 2, 000 years after Stonehenge was begun. Unfortunately, what Pytheas wrote has been lost, so we don't have any written record of Britain until the Romans came.     5    

A．That was almost 300 years after he did!

B．As a result, people had to move down from high ground.

C．Because of the climate change, much of the ice has melted.

D．Many archaeologists believe that Britain was once covered by ice.

E．These tribes built earthworks for protection and as tombs for their dead bodies.

F．They were hunters and gatherers of food, who used stone tools and weapons.

G．We don't know what it was used for, though many different suggestions have been made.

7 . How Did the Ancient Chinese Keep Food Warm in Winter?

Facilities like electric rice cookers, microwaves, and electric kettles, make it easy for people to keep food warm and enjoy a comfortable winter. So how did Chinese people in ancient times keep food warm in winter without these? In fact, ancient Chinese people used their own methods of heat preservation as early as the Shang and Zhou Dynasties.

☆ “Wen Ding”, ancient rice cooker

One of the major functions of an electric rice cooker is to keep food warm. The “Wen Ding”, an ancient cooking container, served the same purpose, but instead of using electric energy, the ancient cooking container preserved heat by burning fuels like charcoal.

The “Wen Ding” unearthed in Nanjing in 1989 is thought to be the oldest of its kind discovered in China, dating back to the Stone Age. The craftsmanship of making the “Wen Ding” was developed in the Bronze Age. The bronze Ding from the Shang and Zhou Dynasties took on different shapes and structures.

☆ “Ran Lu”, ancient small hot pot

The “Ran Lu” is a small size cooking vessel (器皿) made of bronze, which can be divided into three parts. A charcoal stove forms the main structure, with a bottom tray to hold charcoal ashes, and a movable cup at the top. Some experts have concluded that the vessel’s structure suggests it may have been used as a small hot pot and that these vessels became popular in the Warring States Period (475—221 B.C.).

☆ Bronze You, ancient kettle

The Bronze You was one of the most common wine containers during the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. The Bronze You can also be used to warm wine. For example, the Bronze You with beast mask design, unearthed in Jiangxi Province, has an opening where charcoal could be placed. Just as people today can’t do without an electric kettle, the Bronze You allowed people to enjoy a hot drink.

☆ Bronze Yan, ancient steamer

Although the “Wen Ding” was effective at keeping food warm, the ancient Chinese people later found that its burning process produced pollution. As a result, the Bronze Yan made with a two-tier structure and used to steam rice and other grains. After the Eastern Han Dynasty (25A.D.-220A.D.), further improvements to the Bronze Yan led to the modern-day steamer.

1. When did the “Ran Lu” become popular?

A．In the Zhou Dynasty.	B．In the Eastern Han Dynasty.
C．In the Warring States Period.	D．In the Stone Age.

2. The Bronze You, unearthed in Jiangxi Province, has an opening to ________.

A．place charcoal	B．store wine
C．pour water	D．hold charcoal ashes

3. What is the unique advantage of the Bronze Yan?

A．It is warm.	B．It is convenient.
C．It is useful.	D．It is environment-friendly.

8 . The “Chong Yang Festival” is celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, which is also known as the Double Ninth Festival.     1    

Climbing Mountains

People like to climb mountains on this festival, so Double Ninth Festival is also called “Mountain-climbing Festival”.

The 9th lunar month, with clear autumn sky and bracing air, is a good time for sightseeing.     2    . It is really refreshing to climb mountains and enjoy the beauty of nature at this bright and clear time in autumn.

Climbing mounting also indicates “climbing to a higher position”. Another reason why climbing mountains are valued by people, especially by the elderly is that it has a meaning of “climbing to ligneous life”. Climbing mountains on Double Ninth Festival was already popular in the Tang Dynasty.    3    

Drinking Chrysanthemum Flower(菊花) Wine

The chrysanthemum flower wine is unique in brewing. In ancient times, people usually picked fresh chrysanthemum flowers and leaves on the 9th of the 9th lunar month, and brewed the mixture of them and grains into the wine.     4    . The wine is said to have wholesome effects on sharpness of the eye, drop of high blood pressure, reduction of weight and removal of stomach trouble, thus contributing to longevity.

    5    

The Double Ninth cake is also known as “flower cake”. It dates back to the Zhou Dynasty. It is said that the cake was originally prepared after autumn harvests for farmers to have a taste of what was just in season, and it gradually grew into the present cake for people to eat on the Double Ninth Day.

A．Eating Double Ninth Cake

B．Making “flower cake” with friends

C．A lot of poems were devoted to this custom

D．So people love to go sightseeing this month

E．It would not be drunk until the same day next year

F．Here are some traditional customs of the Double Ninth Festival

G．But few Chinese people are aware of the importance of the festival

9 . When it comes to cultural heritage protection, the Grand Canal of China is probably the world’s greatest project of its kind.   The big inland waterway system in the north-eastern and central eastern plains passes through eight of the country’s present-day provinces.
The Canal runs from Beijing in the north to Zhejiang Province in the south. Constructed in sections from the 5th century BC onwards, it was designed as a means of communication in the 7th century AD.   The Canal is the world’s greatest civil engineering project before the Industrial Revolution.
The Grand Canal reached a peak in the 13th century, providing an inland navigation(航行) network consisting of more than 2,000 kilometers of artificial waterways, linking five of the most important river basins in China, including the Yellow River and the Yangtze. It entered a bid as a UNESCO(联合国教科文组织) cultural heritage site in 2008.
The Grand Canal cultural square is located in Beijing’s Tongzhou district. Ever since the Yuan dynasty 800 years ago, the Tongzhou section of the Grand Canal has been the life blood of Beijing. Grain and building materials were all transported to meet the endless demands of the big cities. Even today, the Grand Canal plays a major role in the lives of its citizens.
"I grew up near the Grand Canal. In the past the waterway was a lot narrower, but now it’s nice and wide and bridges are built over it. I think if the bid for world heritage status succeeds, it will greatly make Tongzhou more famous in the world, especially with Tongzhou aiming to be a sub-center of the capital Beijing," a citizen said.
The result of the bid is set to be released next week, and no doubt it will certainly make it into the history books if the Canal is listed as a world heritage site.
1. It can be concluded from the passage that .

A．The bid’s result of the Canal will be announced soon

B．the Canal is the UNESCO’s newest world heritage site

C．the Canal is to connect Tongzhou with Zhejiang Province

D．the Canal will be a bid for a UNESCO cultural heritage site

2. The Grand Canal was in the most glorious time .

A．when it was aimed as a means of communication

B．when it crossed the Yellow River and the Yangtze

C．when it was born about six hundred years later

D．when it was designed as an artificial waterway

3. What can we infer by reading the passage?

A．Tongzhou used to be the capital of the Yuan dynasty.

B．Most citizens living in Tongzhou depend on the Canal.

C．Tongzhou will benefit if the Canal is made a heritage site.

D．Some citizens think the Canal not to be a cultural heritage item.

10 . Buckingham Palace is where the Queen lives. It is the Queen’s official and main royal London home.Buckingham Palace was originally a splendid house built by the Duke(公爵) of Buckingham for his wife. George IV began changing it into a palace in 1826. It has been the official London home of Britain’s royal family since 1837. Buckingham Palace is also an office and used for the administrative work of the royal family.
When the Queen is at home you can see her royal flag (the Royal Standard) flying from the flag pole on top of Buckingham Palace.
The flag is divided into four equal parts. The first and fourth parts represent England and contain three gold lions waking on a red field; the second part represents Scotland and contains a red lion standing on a gold field; the third part represents Ireland and contains the gold coat of arms of Ireland on a blue field.
In flag protocol (礼仪), the Royal Standard which must only be flown from buildings where the Queen is present is supreme (至高无上的). It flies above the British Union Flag (the Union Jack ), and other British flags. It never flies at half mast.
The guards of the Palace wear red jackets and tall, furry hats. When the first guards come on duty, there is a ceremony called the Changing of the Guard. A familiar sight at Buckingham Palace is the Changing of the Guard ceremony that takes place in the open space in front of it each morning.
The Palace has around 750 rooms, including 19 state rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 78 bathrooms, 92 offices, a cinema and a swimming pool. It also has its own post office and police station. About 400 people work at the Palace, including servants, chefs, footmen, cleaners, gardeners, electricians, and so on. More than 50,000 people come to the Palace each year as guests to dinners, receptions and Royal Garden Parties.
1. For whom was the original Buckingham Palace built?

A．The Duke of Buckingham.

B．George IV.

C．The Duke of Buckingham’s wife.

D．George IV’s wife.

2. According to the text, the Royal Standard_________.

A．is flown at Buckingham Palace every morning

B．represents the four countries of the UK

C．flies at half mast only on a few occasions

D．flies higher than the British Union Flag

3. When can a visitor see the Changing of the Guard ceremony?

A．Every morning and evening.

B．Every morning.

C．When the Queen’s flag is flying.

D．When a flag is flying at the Palace.

4. What is the last paragraph about?

A．What you can see inside Buckingham Palace.

B．The royal parties at Buckingham Palace.

C．The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.

D．People living and working at Buckingham Palace.