2 . 阅读下面材料，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。

China’s tea culture can be traced as far back to before 2000 BC. The Shennong Emperor discovered tea when a leaf fell into boiled water he was drinking, beginning a tradition that still     1     (exist) nowadays.

During the Tang dynasty(618-907) in China, the culture of tea underwent a remarkable development. When Emperor Lu Yu     2     (author) the highly regarded Classic of Tea (茶经), he set off on a journey that would play a critical role in establishing tea’s cultural     3     (significant) in China. Lu Yu, a monk who later earned fame     4     the’Sage of Tea’ (茶圣), had an enormous impact on the spread of tea drinking and linked     5     to Buddhist ideas, including the harmony and mysteries of the universe. The Classic of Tea is the oldest     6     (know) guide to tea drinking and culture. It covers all aspects of tea culture, from growing to harvesting, producing as well as techniques for farmers and craftsmen     7     (produce) the finest teas.

Throughout the Tang dynasty,     8     culture of tea drinking spread quickly among scholars. Inspired by Lu Yu’s ideas, they added medicinal qualities to tea, praised for     9     (sharpen) the mind. At the same time, wine was falling out of favour for their alcoholic properties, paving a path for tea to spread throughout society     10     to be used in religious occasions and offerings.

3 . As archaeologists (考古学家) examined ancient tombs in Turfan in western China, they discovered some surprisingly well-preserved and familiar relics. Though hardened from over 1,000 years, there sat little dumplings.

Exactly who invented dumplings remains a mystery. But some scholars suspect they were first spread by nomadic (游牧的) Turkic peoples living in western China and Central Asia. This is thought to be the case because “manti,” meaning “dumpling” or “steamed bun” in many Turkic languages, appears to be the root word for dumpling in several other languages. Ancient Turkic people probably filled their dumplings with meat. But it’s unclear when this practice began, or whether they learned the art of dumpling-making from others. However this happened, dumplings certainly gathered steam in ancient China.

Dumplings continued to take off and diversify in China over the next thousand years. Instead of the traditional meat filling, some communities chose vegetarian (素食) dumplings. People developed new cooking methods. The relationship between Chinese dumplings and those in other areas is tricky to trace, but food historians have made their best guesses based on available clues.

Besides Turkic tribes, some scholars believe that the Mongol Empire also contributed to the spread of dumplings, perhaps introducing them to parts of Eastern Europe. These dumplings could have come by way of China or directly from some of the Turkic peoples the Mongols hired to run their empire. One theory is that this gave rise to dumplings like pelmeni in Russia, pierogi in Poland and vareniki in Ukraine. The Mongol Empire also controlled Korea and might have likewise introduced dumplings there. Later, after Chinese dumpling varieties were introduced to more countries, English speakers began calling them dumplings, which means “little lumps”. During the Second World War, Chinese “jiaozi” were brought to Japan. So what about the Italian dumpling-like pasta? Some historians think it might be brought by Arab conquerors.

It’s unlikely that all dumpling dishes came from the same root tradition. However, we can appreciate the mysterious historical web that made dumplings so various.

1. What made Turkic peoples suspected to first spread dumplings?

A．The languages they used.	B．Their eating habits.
C．Their dumpling-making skills.	D．The newly found tombs.

2. What does the phrase “gathered steam” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Originated.	B．Stabilized.
C．Got well-cooked.	D．Became popular.

3. What does paragraph 4 focus on?

A．The spreading process of dumplings.

B．The possible origins of dumplings.

C．Differences between various dumplings.

D．Reasons for the popularity of dumplings.

4. Which of the following best describe dumplings according to the passage?

A．Delicious.

B．Diverse.

C．Unusual.

D．Regional.

4 . 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。

Deep in the jungle, the Maya built an empire (帝国). And now, scientists are unlocking more secrets about this ancient civilization with the     1     (discover) of 417 cities dating back to 2,000 years ago, said The Washington Post. The cities were found to be connected by 110 miles (177 kilometers) of “highways” in May. They     2     (consist) of the “world’s first-ever extensive system of highways”. The “highways”, as Reuters reported, were     3     (space) stone roadways. Plus, scientists also found pyramids, ball game courts and water     4     (engineer).

The Maya civilization was “far more advanced than we thought”, noted The Washington Post. The new findings showed that they were already busy     5     (create) cities in world history at the time, CNN reported. They did all this in a jungle environment,     6     is rare and impressive. They had to clear rainforest areas     7     (farm) and built large underground reservoirs to store rainwater.

    8    , by 900 BC, many Maya cities were abandoned, calling an end     9     the empire. Scientists still don’t know why. With new forms of technology, maybe this mystery and others could     10     (uncover), telling us even more about this fascinating civilization.