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。

Cold Food Festival is a    1     (tradition) Chinese holiday celebrated before Qingming Festival, which usually falls    2     April 4 or 5.

Legend has it that Chong’er, a prince of Jin in the Spring and Autumn Period, experienced many hardships while he moved around the warring states. Once, when the prince suffered from     3     (starve), Jie Zitui, offered him food. Later, when Chong’er became the duke of Jin, he ordered a search for Jie who had gone into hiding in the remote mountains with his mother. The duke wanted Jie    4     ( serve) as one of his ministers. Contrary to    5     many people might assume, Jie, who preferred living a simple life in the Mianshan Mountain to     6     (become) a politician, refused the duke’s invitation. Chong’er ordered the mountain to be burned down to force Jie out of hiding.     7     (fortune), Jie did not give in and the fire ended up killing him and his mother. Feeling extremely sorry, Chong’er required that the setting of fire    8     (forbid) on the anniversary of Jie’s death. This meant all food was eaten cold. Therefore the festival is thus named.

Mianshan Mountain,     9     the tragedy happened, is now a famous tourist destination in Shanxi Province. In many areas of Shanxi, locals still remember this tradition.     10     cold food is not the only choice for people during the celebration, the practices of making typical cold dishes for the event have been preserved.

2 . Did anyone find the names of “the British Isles”, “Great Britain”, “the United Kingdom”, “England”and “the British Commonwealth” which have the same meaning? Strictly speaking these names all refer to something different. None of them are exactly the same as any of the others.

The British Isles refer to the main islands and several thousand small ones as well, which you can see on the map.Great Britain, or Britain, refers to the larger of the two main islands.But the word “Britain” is often used as a short form for the United Kingdom or you call it the UK.

Now as for England, it refers simply to the largest of the three countries on the island of Great Britain.The United Kingdom is the name of the state and the official name of the country, which many people popularly refer to England.Finally, the British Commonwealth is the usual name for what is left of the British Empire (帝国).This change shows the weakening of British Empire and the rising of the national liberation movements throughout the world today.

1. According to the passage, we know that ________ .

A．Great Britain has the same meaning as Britain

B．the United Kingdom has the same meaning as Britain or England

C．all the names in the first paragraph have the same meaning

D．all the names refer to England

2. It is clear that the British Isles refer to________.

A．Britain, England and the UK

B．the two main islands and thousands of small ones

C．three countries and several islands

D．Great Britain or the United Kingdom

3. If you want to write to someone in Edinburgh that lies in Scotland,you should write the address as________.

A．Edinburgh,England	B．Edinburgh,Great Britain
C．Scotland,Edinburgh,England	D．Great Britain,Scotland,Edinburgh

4. We can infer from the passage that________.

A．the UK is not as powerful as it was in the past

B．the British Commonwealth is another name of the UK

C．England is the largest country in the British Commonwealth

D．no other country is left in the British Commonwealth except Britain

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。

China is widely known for its ancient civilization     1     has continued all the way through into modern times. There are many reasons why this has been possible.

At the beginning, written Chinese was     2     picture-based language. Ancient Chinese people carved     3    （ symbol） on animal bones and shells. By the Shang Dynasty, a well-developed writing system had come into being. At that time, people lived in different places,    4     （ lead） to many varieties of dialects and characters.

Emperor Qinshihuang united the seven major states into one country where the Chinese writing system began to develop     5    one direction. The writing system was of great     6    （important） in uniting the Chinese people and culture. Even today, wherever Chinese people live or whatever dialect they speak, they can communicate    7     （free） in writing.

Written Chinese has also become an important means by which China's present is connected with    8    （it） past. People in modern times can read classic works that    9    （write） by Chinese in ancient times. The high regard for the Chinese writing system can be seen in the development of Chinese characters as an art form,    10    （ know） as Chinesecalligraphy, which has become an important part of Chinese culture. Today, the Chinese writing system is still an important part of Chinese culture.

4 . Before the 1830s, most newspapers were sold through annual subscriptions in America, usually $8 to $10 a year. Today $8 or $10 seems a small amount of money, but at that time these amounts were forbidding to most citizens. Accordingly, newspapers were read almost only by rich people in politics or the trades. In addition, most newspapers had little in them that would appeal to a mass audience. They were dull and visually forbidding. But the revolution that was taking place in the 1830s would change all that.

The trend, then, was toward the “penny paper”—a term referring to papers made widely available to the public. It meant any inexpensive newspaper; perhaps more importantly it meant newspapers that could be bought in single copies on the street.

This development did not take place overnight. It had been possible(but not easy) to buy single copies of newspapers before 1830, but this usually meant the reader had to go down to the printer’s office to purchase a copy. Street sales were almost unknown. However, within a few years, street sales of newspapers would be commonplace in eastern cities. At first the price of single copies was seldom a penny—usually two or three cents was charged—and some of the older well-known papers charged five or six cents. But the phrase “penny paper” caught the public’s fancy, and soon there would be papers that did indeed sell for only a penny.

This new trend of newspapers for “the man on the street” did not begin well. Some of the early ventures(企业) were immediate failures. Publishers already in business, people who were owners of successful papers, had little desire to change the tradition. It took a few youthful and daring businessmen to get the ball rolling.

1. Which of the following best describes newspapers in America before the 1830s?

A．Academic.

B．Unattractive.

C．Inexpensive.

D．Confidential.

2. What did street sales mean to newspapers?

A．They would be priced higher.	B．They would disappear from cities.
C．They could have more readers.	D．They could regain public trust.

3. Who were the newspapers of the new trend targeted at?

A．Local politicians.	B．Common people.
C．Young publishers.	D．Rich businessmen.

4. What can we say about the birth of the penny paper?

A．It was a difficult process.	B．It was a temporary success.
C．It was a robbery of the poor.	D．It was a disaster for printers.