1 . 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。

What comes to your mind when you think of music in Austria? You might think of Mozart or the film The Sound of Music, but Austrian music started off quite     1     (different).

One of the earliest types of Austrian music may not seem like music at all. Yodelling, a form of singing that alternates (交替) in pitch (音高) between low and high,     2     (be) thought to have begun as a way for animal owners in the mountains     3     (call) their animals. Even today, yodelling     4     (use) in pop, rock and country music.

In the 18th century the Austrian royal family drew many famous musicians to Vienna, making     5     a centre for musical innovation and performances. Some classical composers even used     6     (tradition) Austrian folk songs or tunes in their works.

Opera has also been popular in Austria. Not only rich Austrians     7     regular citizens flooded into Vienna to attend performances. Even today, there are operas     8     (perform) every year at the St. Margarethen Opera Festival, in a very unusual location: a quarry (采石场). They all take place in the open air under the stars,     9     (take) advantage of the quarry’s unique acoustics (音响效果).

Austria has a long and rich musical history, from folk songs and dances     10     classical symphonies and operas. The sounds of Austrian music are everywhere.

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。

Xu Xiake was born in 1587．    1     (he) parents were rich landowners. Yet he gave up a     2     (comfort) life, and decided to explore the mountains and rivers on foot.

China has more famous explorers. There was: Zhang Qian,     3     traveled into Central Asia during the second century BC, opening a trade road that became what is known as the Silk Road. Or Zheng He, the sailor who in     4     15th century sailed as far away as Africa. Yet these explorations     5     (support) by governments. Xu was totally different.

“On the surface, Xu’s travels can neither be classified as great affairs of state nor great adventures that changed the course of history,” writes cultural historian Cheng Pei-kai. “Xu travelled to satisfy his own     6     (curious).”

Scholar Julian Ward agrees, describing the lonely Chinese wanderer like the Middle Kingdom’s version of John Muir: “Deep in love with nature and eager to find freedom     7     worldly concerns, Xu was a man addicted to     8     (see) and describing the landscape.”

“The few coins     9     (slip) from a hole in my pocket while I was climbing a mountain in Yunnan. When I finally managed to the town, I sold all my clothes, bought myself a bottle of wine and a good dinner     10     (celebrate) my survival,” the dreamy explorer wrote in his diaries, which mix details of geology, geography and botany with such personal travel experiences.

4 . 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 Chinese writing system is one of the main factors that make     1     possible for China to have a glorious civilisation. At the beginning, symbols     2    (carve) on animal bones and shells. By the Shang Dynasty, the symbols had become a well-developed writing system. It was after Emperor Qinshihuang united the whole country     3     it began to develop in one direction. Written Chinese is not only important in uniting Chinese people and culture, but has also become a means by     4    China’s present is connected with its past.

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。

In China, the history of people planting and using bamboo can date back as far as 7000 years. As early as the Shang Dynasty, bamboo was being used in ancient people’s daily lives. It was used for food, clothing, housing, transportation,     1     (music) instruments and even weapons.

The     2     (apply) of bamboo in science and technology is thrilling. In 251 BC, Li Bing, in Sichuan,     3     (lead) the local people in building the Dujiang Weirs, the first irrigation network in the world, in     4     bamboo played an important role. The world’s oldest water piper was also     5     (make) of bamboo. During the Han Dynasty, the people in Sichuan     6    (successful) sank a 1600-metre-deep well with thick bamboo ropes. This technology did not spread to Europe     7     the 19th century, and it was by using the technology that the Americans drilled the first oil well in Pennsylvania in 1859.

In Chinese culture, bamboo is well-known as     8     of the “four gentlemen” in plants. To many distinguished men, bamboo is     9     symbol of goodness and honesty. It is always closely related to people of positive spirits. Bamboo culture contributes to encouraging people to hold on when     10     (face) tough situations.

6 . 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 Silk Road was one of the most important arteries (干线) of trade and culture in the world history.     1     planes and trains brought our world close together, the Silk Road was the first link     2     ever connected the East and the West and the life blood of international trade in ancient time.

Many merchants     3     (travel) on this route between China and Mediterranean bank area for more than 2,000 years. The trading activity has brought culture exchange, religions spreading and contrasts to the connected regions and formed     4     remarkable culture tie featured by Asian, European and the Mediterranean bank.

Since the Chinese highly     5     (qualify) silk had made its fame to the western countries, the merchants    6     (seek) the opportunity of trading Chinese silk along this route and gained a great fortune. Few people would really finish the whole silk route journey, because they just traded certain local crafts such as silk, blanket and carpet, etc.     7     other merchants. Many people took part and numerous goods     8     (trade) in the great international trade at that time.

“The Silk Road is an invaluable world heritage to be celebrated for reminding the world of the importance of cultural     9     (diverse) and cross-cultural communication,” said Shahbaz Khan, director of UNESCO Beijing and Representative to China. “Cultural and artistic creations, no matter what their specific forms are, are all     10     (benefit) to innovation and sustainable development in a country.”

8 . 课文内容填空

Many people are confused about the     1    (mean) of the names: the United Kingdom, Great Britain, Britain and England.     2     (solve) this puzzle, knowing a little bit about British history will help.

In the 16th century, the nearby country of Wales     3    (join) to the Kingdom of England, followed by the country Scotland in 18th century. In the 19th century, the Kingdom of Ireland was added to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.     4     (final), in the 20th century, the southern part of Ireland broke away    5    the UK, resulting in the full name we have today: “the United Kingdom” or “the UK”. People from the UK are called “British”,     6     means the UK is also often referred to as Britain or Great Britain.

Even though the four countries which     7     (belong) to the United Kingdom work together in some areas, such as using the same flag, sharing the same currency and military     8     (defend), they also have some differences. Anyhow, the United Kingdom has     9     long and interesting history to explore, which can help you understand much more about the country and     10     (it) traditions.