1 . Four Historic American Theatres

Today, theatres remain a key part of a city’s lifeblood. The following are four historic theatres in America.

Pantages Theatre, Minneapolis, MN

The Pantages Theatre, which now seats 1,014, opened in 1916 as part of Alexander Pantages’s well-known group of theatres. It was designed by the local firm Kees and Colburn. In 1922, the theatres was rebuilt by Scottish theatres architect Benjamin Marcus Priteca. After going through several owners, in 1984, it was closed and remained unopened until 1996. Some theatre supporters had it repaired and improved, resulting in its reopening in 2002.

Saenger Theatre, New Orleans, LA

New Orleans’s Saenger Theatre was built two years before the Great Depression, in 1927, and cost a then unheard-of $ 2.5 million. It was designed by Emile Weil, featuring a 15th-century Florentine courtyard and gardens, and Greek and Roman statues. Although the theatre was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, after a $ 53 million renovation (修葺), it reopened in 2013.

Thalian Hall, Wilmington, NC

Thalian Hall has been in almost continuous use since its opening in 1858. It is the only surviving theatre designed by John Montague Trimble, one of America’s foremost 19th-century theatre architects, and originally housed the town government, a library, as well as an “Opera House”, seating 1, 000 people. Some repairs in 1909 led to the removal of the side balconies and the installation of electric stage lights.

Providence Performing Arts Center, Providence, RI

It was originally opened as a movie palace in 1928, and the silent movies it showed were accompanied by a $ 90, 000 Robert Morton organ. After several decades, the theatre suffered from the increased popularity of television, as well as damage by two hurricanes. Over the past decade and a half, it has undergone extensive renovations and modernization.

1. What can we know about the Pantages Theatre?

A．It has a seating capacity of 1, 916.	B．It will be turned into a movie house.
C．It was designed by Alexander Pantages.	D．It was once shut down for over a decade.

2. Of the following theatres, which is the oldest?

A．Pantages Theatre.

B．Saenger Theatre.

C．Thalian Hall.

D．Providence Performing Arts Center

3. What do the listed theatres have in common?

A．They went through major renovations.

B．They were hit by terrible natural disasters.

C．They were built by American theatre architects.

D．They belong o Alexander Pantages’s group of theatres.

2 . Icehouse and ice ticket

As early as Pre-Qin Dynasty, people used natural ice to keep food fresh and make cold drinks. The Zhou royal court had a specialized department called “ice administration”. They collected natural ice blocks each December to store in the icehouse. During the Qing Dynasty, “ice tickets” were used and they were available only to officials and the rich.

Ice container

The most commonly used cooling tool is called “Jian”, which is a big container filled with ice. It was made of clay in early Chinese history, and was later made of copper (铜). The “Jian” can be seen as an ancient refrigerator, which can be used to make cold drinks.

Hiding food in the well

During the Qin and Han dynasties, for common people, the most common way to cool off is by using their wells. Some families put a pot in the well as a cold closet, or put food in a basket and lowered the basket into the well with a rope.

Herbal drinks

During the Qing Dynasty, taking Chinese herbal medicine was popular in Beijing. In hot summer, some people preferred to drink ice water, some boiled perilla leaves, and liquorice as summer soup to keep off the heat. Ancient people also loved to make lotus seed soup in summer for the benefit of strengthening the body.

1. What does “Jian” have the same function as?

A．Container.

B．Refrigerator.

C．Clay.

D．Copper.

2. Which of the following is unavailable to common people?

A．Ice tickets.

B．Ice container.

C．Hiding food in the well.

D．Herbal drinks.

3. What’s the common purpose of the above four ways?

A．To strengthen the body.	B．To keep food fresh.
C．To escape the summer heat.	D．To make cold drinks.

3 . 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。

It is hard to give Western art a precise     1     (define). As there have been so many styles of Western art,     2     is impossible to describe them all in a short text. Perhaps the best way to understand Western art is to look at its development. During the Middle Ages, the main aim of painters was     3     (represent) religious themes. Their works were often primitive and two-dimensional. During the Renaissance, new ideas and values     4     (gradual) replaced old one     5     (hold) in the Middle Ages and painters adopted a more humanistic attitude     6     life. Some influential painters produced some of the greatest works that Europe had ever seen. With time going by, great changes took place in society,     7     (lead) to new painting styles. Then Impressionism emerged, during     8     Impressionists painted scenes of nature, daily life or people. After Impressionism is Modern Art. Some painters gave their paintings a     9     (reality) but dream-like quality while others turned to abstract art. Maybe, no one can predict     10     painting styles will be like in the future.

6 . The pasty (馅饼) has been a recorded part of the British diet since the 13th century, at that time being enjoyed by the rich upper classes. The fillings were different and rich. It wasn’t until the 17th and 18th centuries that the pasty was popular among miners and farm workers in Cornwall as a means for providing themselves with easy and tasty meals while they worked. And so the Cornish pasty was born.

Traditionally, the pasty fillings are beef with potato, onion and swede! As meat was much more expensive in the 17th and 18th centuries, its presence was rare and so pasties traditionally included much more vegetables than today. The presence of carrot in a pasty, although common now, was the mark of a poor pasty at first.

Filling ideas are endless however, and can be as different as your taste will take you. There is much discussion as to whether the ingredients (原料) should be mixed together first or lined up on the pastry in a special order. However, there is agreement that the meat should be cut into pieces, the vegetables sliced and none should be cooked before they are sealed (密封) within the pastry. It is this that makes the Cornish pasty different from other similar foods.

It was such a commonly used method of eating amongst the miners that some mines had tools down the mineshafts (井筒) specifically to cook the pasties. If they were cooked in the mornings, the pastry could keep the fillings warm for 8-10 hours and, when held close to the body, keep the miners warm too. It was also common for the pasties to provide not only a main course lunch, but also a sweet or fruity dessert course. The salty filling would be cooked at one end of the pasty and the sweet course at the other end. Hopefully these ends would be marked on the outside too!

1. What do we know about the pasty in the 13th century?

A．It was enjoyed in Cornwall only.

B．It was popular among miners and farm workers.

C．It had few and simple fillings.

D．It was widely eaten by the rich upper classes.

2. If carrot was in a pasty in the 17th and 18th centuries, the pasty would ______.

A．be more expensive	B．be sold out very soon
C．be seen as one of bad quality	D．be made without other fillings

3. What is special about the Cornish pasty?

A．Its fillings can’t be very different.	B．Its ingredients should be mixed.
C．Its ingredients should be put in the correct order.	D．Its fillings shouldn’t be cooked before they are sealed.

4. What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To show how to make pasties.	B．To introduce the basic information of pasties.
C．To compare different pasties.	D．To encourage people to taste pasties.

7 . 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。

Hanfu is the     1     (old) of China's traditional clothes. The main characteristic of Hanfu is the collar, which     2     (tie) with rope instead of buttons, giving people the impression of free and easy. These characteristics are obviously different     3     other ethnic costumes.

According to legend, it     4     (date) back to over 4, 000 years ago, when Lei Zu, Huangdi's wife, used silk     5     (make) cloth. It was constantly improved throughout several     6     (dynasty). Until the Han Dynasty, the Hanfu was adopted by the ruling class. It then became the     7     (nation) clothing of the Han ethnic people.

The ancient Hanfu culture is an important part of the ancient traditional culture,     8     has lasted for more than 3, 000 years and has     9     glorious history until the Ming Dynasty. It also had a far-reaching influence on neighboring Asian countries, such as Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.

Nowadays, Hanfu is     10     (rare) worn except on special occasions, such as festivals and weddings, or when young girls want to show off or take photos.

8 . 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。

Several large wooden constructions     1     ( date) back to the Neolithic era（新石器时代) were unearthed at the Jijiaocheng ruins site, a prehistoric cultural site located in Changde City, central China's Hunan Province.

First discovered in 1978,the site used     2     ( be) a city from the Qujialing culture period (3300 BC-2600 BC) - a Neolithic civilization,     3     had roots in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River primarily     4     (find) in today's Hunan and Hubei provinces.

Researchers     5     (conduct) three excavations(挖掘)at the southwestern part of the city wall since 2020. More than 30 housing sites were discovered at the 721 -square-meter area,     6     a number of wooden architectural relics unearthed that were built 4,800 years ago. Researchers think they are the most complete and     7     (early) wooden structure building foundation in China. Besides, remains of rice husks (外壳) were also found at the site, covering     8     area of 80 square meters.

Researchers believe     9     ( strong) the new findings will enrich the architectural history of prehistoric China. " The     10     ( discover) helps us understand the overall architectural style of the Yangtze River Basin," said Zhao Hui, a professor at Peking University School of Archaeology and Museology.

9 . 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。

China boasts its brilliant and long history, in    1     the Song Dynasty (AD 960 —1279) was very wealthy with its large population and fast-growing economy. At the    2     (high) of its power, a huge number of technological innovations    3     (emerge) with many practically significant applications.

Bi Sheng of the Northern Song Dynasty (AD 960 —1127) invented the movable type printing, using individual blocks. The blocks could each print a single character and then be used     4     (repeated). To be more efficient, he prepared two sets of iron boards. When    5     was being used for printing, the other could be used to arrange characters for the next page. This time-honored technology, the movable type printing, was one of the     6     (important) inventions in the Song Dynasty, and greatly improved the speed and quality of printing, having     7     influence on the world. However, it was not until around 15th century     8     this technology eventually showed up in Europe. Furthermore, the Chinese were also the first     9     (invent) the compass, which changed sailors’ navigation in the sea.     10     (accompany) with star charts, another Chinese invention, the compass made sea travel much easier.