1 . There is an old saying in China that goes, “The days of the Sanjiu period are the coldest days.” “Sanjiu period”, which is in Minor (较小的) Cold, refers to the third nine-day period (the 19th to the 27th day) after the day of the Winter Solstice (冬至). There are many different customs related to Minor Cold in China.

Eating hotpot

During Minor Cold people should eat some hot food to benefit the body and defend against the cold weather. Winter is the best time to have hotpot and braised mutton with soy sauce. But it is important to notice that too much spicy food may cause health problems.

Eating huangyacai

In Tianjin, there is a custom to have huangyacai, a kind of Chinese cabbage, during Minor Cold. There are large amounts of vitamins A and B in huangyacai. As huangyacai is fresh and tender, it is fit for frying, roasting and braising.

Eating glutinous rice (糯米饭)

According to tradition, the Cantonese eat glutinous rice in the morning during Minor Cold. Cantonese people add some fried preserved (腌制的) pork, sausage and peanuts and mix them into the rice.

Eating vegetable rice

In ancient times, people in Nanjing took Minor Cold quite seriously, but as time went by, the celebration of Minor Cold gradually disappeared. However, the custom of eating vegetable rice is still followed today. The rice is steamed and is unspeakably delicious. Among the ingredients (原料), aijiaohuang (a kind of green vegetable), sausage and salted duck are the specialties in Nanjing.

1. What do we know about Minor Cold?

A．The Sanjiu period is in this period.	B．It refers to the Winter Solstice.
C．It lasts twenty-seven days.	D．It marks the first day of winter.

2. What is a special custom in Tianjin in Minor Cold?

A．Eating hotpot.	B．Having vitamin A and B pills.
C．Having huangyacai.	D．Buying cabbage.

3. This text may be taken from the        column (栏目) of a newspaper.

A．travel

B．fashion

C．culture

D．science

2 . 假如你是李华，你的美国朋友汤姆（Tom）非常喜欢中国美食，他写信给你，想要你介绍给他一些中国的饮食习惯和好吃的菜。请根据要求给他写一封回信，开头已给出，不计入总数。
注意：
1. 词数80左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Tom,

I am very glad to get your letter. You ask me about Chinese food. Now, I will

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua

3 . What can bring people from around the world together? Skin colour? Language? A favourite football team? According to a recent study conducted by OnePoll, a London-based marketing research company, food is the answer.

OnePoll surveyed 2,000 people around the world. 84% of participants said that food had the power to connect people of different cultures and backgrounds.

“Food has to do with how we live—it’s not just something that we ingest. Food is a part of our lives, and it helps bring people closer together,” one participant in the survey said.

People can get a better understanding of another culture through trying its cuisine. For example, Chinese culture is based on the idea of harmony (和谐), which can be seen in almost every aspect of life in China, most noticeably its cuisine. In Chinese cuisine, every ingredient is used in a balanced way to create delicious dishes that go well together. Another example is the rich diversity of American cuisine, which directly reflects the rich diversity of its multicultural influence.

Food can help strengthen cultural ties. Every country has its own way of doing things, which means that sometimes there can be very little common ground between countries. However, every country has food in common—after all, we all need to eat. So something as simple as a dinner gathering has the power to bring together people from different countries or cultures. In fact, food is often the catalyst (催化剂) in forming many important decisions and friendships.

“We believe food has a transcending (超越的) ability to connect us, and that delicious things can happen when we share heritage, culture, and uniqueness through food,” said Jason Levine, one of the survey’ s conductors.

1. How many people in the survey said food brings people together?

A．2,000

B．1,680

C．320

D．84

2. What does the underlined word ingest most probably mean?

A．eat

B．appreciate

C．digest

D．prefer

3. According to the passage, which best describes Chinese culture and cuisine?

A．Deep and vital.	B．Diverse and balanced.
C．Balanced and harmonious.	D．Harmonious and delicious.

4. How can food help strengthen cultural ties?

A．By experiencing different cultures.

B．By accepting foreign ideas.

C．By bringing people together.

D．By sharing heritage with others.

4 . 阅读短文，在空白处填入适当的内容或括号内单词的正确形式。

As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, people are attempting       1     (find) their favourite mooncakes with different fillings. Some like sweet mooncakes while others prefer savoury ones.

    2     unique kind of mooncake—filled with mature vinegar—recently attracted followers in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province. Based on traditional     3     (produce) processes and fillings, including different nuts and dried fruits, mature vinegar    4     (add) , which greatly improves its flavour. The vinegar removes some of the sweetness and greasy taste while leaving no sour flavour.

In recent years,     5     (vary) regions have introduced innovative mooncake flavours based on their local characteristics. Luosifen, a dish of rice noodles       6     (cook) with snails, is a signature street food. Luosifen mooncakes are filled with these local ingredients,     7     (offer) crowds a special festival experience. People in Sichuan Province love hot pot so deeply     8     many businesses have launched hot pot mooncakes. The filling of this mooncake is made up       9     brown sugar, flour, and signature hot pot broth, putting a new twist on this     10     (traditional) sweet desert. Guangzhou and Shenzhen have many milk tea shops. Named “cheese pop milk tea mooncake”, the mooncake is filled with the ingredients of milk tea, which caters to the tastes of young people.

8 . A British friend told me he couldn’t understand why Chinese people love eating sunflower seeds (磕瓜子) as a snack so much. “I’ve met a lot of older Chinese and many have a crack in their front teeth; I believe that’s from cracking the seeds,” he said.

I had never noticed the habit, but once he mentioned it, I suddenly became more aware. I realized that whenever I’m watching TV or typing a report, I always start mindlessly cracking sunflower seeds. My friend doesn’t like sunflower seeds, and, to him, it seems unnecessary to work so much just to get one small seed.

When we were young, the whole family would usually get together for Chinese New Year. Then, we all lived close to one another, usually in a small city, and sometimes even neighbors would go door-to-door on Chinese New Year’s Eve to check out what every household was making.

I remember my parents would be in the kitchen cooking. Out in the living room, a large table would already be laid out, complete with fancy tablecloth, ready-made dumpling fillings, and dishes full of candy, fruits and sunflower seeds. Some of the dishes were to be offered to our ancestors later, while others were for neighbors and children to eat before the evening feast. I must have learned how to crack sunflower seeds back then.

I don’t think it’s right to criticize one’s choice in food or eating habits, no matter how strange they may seem.

It’s not only in China. When I went abroad, I found people had all kinds of strange habits when it came to food. In Denmark, they put salted red fish on bread and eat it for dinner, no matter how much it ruins your breath. They think it’s a delicacy (美味佳肴), and it’s connected to their certain culture. I think it’s a wonderful tradition.

1. What did the writer become aware of?

A．She had ever typed a report about seeds.	B．She had various snacks while watching TV.
C．She damaged her teeth by eating sunflower seeds.	D．She had a habit of cracking sunflower seeds.

2. What does the writer prove by mentioning Chinese New Year?

A．The traditions of celebrating it disappear.	B．Eating sunflower seeds is related to it.
C．The families get together for it.	D．Children can eat delicious food on that day.

3. The writer’s attitude to Denmark’s way of eating bread is _________.

A．neutral(中立的)

B．critical(批评的)

C．acceptable

D．doubtful

4. What lesson can we learn from the story?

A．One kind of food doesn’t necessarily suit everyone.	B．It is good to form healthy eating habits.
C．Eating habits come from a certain culture.	D．Changing your eating habits will change your life.

9 . What can be both red or green, round or sharp, big or small, and more importantly, loved or hated by someone? Yes, the answer is chilies (辣椒).

Many of us in China enjoy adding chilies to our food but did you know that this spicy vegetable could also be dangerous? “A 34-year-old US man recently ended up in hospital after eating a Carolina Reaper, the spiciest chili people have known so far. After taking just a single bite of one, the man suffered from serious headaches in the following days,” reported BBC News.

In fact, eating spicy food causes stomachache and headaches. But if chilies are harmful, why do people like to eat this vegetable? So what makes people love chilies so much? “The human body is influenced by natural chemicals that produce a sense of happiness,” noted BBC News.

And chilies do good to people in another way. Scientists found that the death rate of those who eat spicy food once or twice a week is 10 percent lower than those who eat it less than once a week. The death rate is 14 percent lower for those who eat spicy food six to seven times a week. This encourages people to eat more spicy food to improve health and bring less death risk at an early age. So, don't worry if you love spicy food. It seems that chilies are actually good for us.

1. What is the main idea of the second paragraph?

A．Eating chilies can be dangerous.	B．The US man died in hospital.
C．The US man often had headaches.	D．The Chinese enjoy eating chilies.

2. People like to eat chilies because _____.

A．chilies do no harm to people	B．the chili is a kind of vegetable
C．they can get personal enjoyment	D．chemicals in chilies make them mad

3. What is true about the last paragraph?

A．The more chilies you eat, the longer you live.

B．Scientists encourage us to add chilies to our food.

C．We should eat spicy food six times a week.

D．Proper spicy food may improve our health.

4. Which of the following can be the best title?

A．Eating chilies, a healthy lifestyle

B．A loved and hated vegetable

C．Chili — a harmful vegetable

D．Causes of stomachache