1 . When Did Shaking Hands Become a Standard Way of Greeting Someone?

Shaking hands seems like a gesture that has been around forever. Indeed, the Iliad, a Greek epic poem, dated to the 8th century BC. Centuries later, Shakespeare wrote in As You Like It that two characters “shook hands and swore brothers.” It might seem like shaking hands is an ancient custom, the________ of which are lost to the sands of time.

Some historians have noticed that handshaking in the________ sense of a greeting doesn’t appear until the mid-19th century, when it was considered a slightly________ gesture that should only be used with friends. But if Shakespeare was writing about shaking hands a few hundred years earlier, what happened?

The________ may come from differing definitions of the handshake. The early hand-shakes mentioned above were part of making deals or making peace: in the Iliad, Diomedes and Glaucus shook hands when they realized they were “guest-friends”. Shakespeare was________ describing settlement of a conflict.

The modern handshake as a form of greeting is________ to trace. Traditionally, the origins are often given to the Quakers. But as Dutch sociologist Herman Roodenburg wrote, “More than in any other field, the study of gesture is one in which the historian has to________ only a few clues.” For instance, the 16th-century German translation adds________ to shaking hands.

There’s________ evidence for a handshaking tradition in that era: In 1607 the author James Cleland claimed that instead of things like bowing down to everyone’s shoes and kissing hands, he’d rather “maintain our good old Scottish shaking of the two right hands together at meeting”.

As the centuries progressed, handshaking was________ by more “hierarchical (等级体系的)” ways of greeting — like bowing. Handshaking survived only in a few places, like in Dutch towns where they’d use the gesture to be friendly after________. Then, as the hierarchies of the continent weakened, the handshake re-emerged as a standard greeting among equals — the way it remains today. Not everyone fell in love with the handshake,________. For example, a society has been recently formed to________ “shake-hands” as a rude English innovation.

As for why shaking hands was thought a good method of greeting, rather than some other gesture, the most popular explanation is that it makes the right hand________ for weapon holding. In the 19th century it was argued that shaking hands without removing gloves was quite rude and required an immediate apology.

________, in a world where obscure translations provide critical evidence, the true reason may remain forever unknown.

1.

A．reasons

B．roots

C．rituals

D．characteristics

2.

A．modern

B．traditional

C．popular

D．global

3.

A．improper

B．delicate

C．reasonable

D．honorable

4.

A．attempts

B．mysteries

C．problems

D．solutions

5.

A．purposely

B．consciously

C．clearly

D．similarly

6.

A．worthier

B．funnier

C．easier

D．harder

7.

A．take up

B．go in for

C．make use of

D．account for

8.

A．definitions

B．references

C．explanations

D．illustrations

9.

A．additional

B．solid

C．vague

D．sufficient

10.

A．accompanied

B．replaced

C．questioned

D．welcomed

11.

A．encounters

B．conversations

C．disputes

D．agreements

12.

A．though

B．rather

C．instead

D．otherwise

13.

A．establish

B．rule

C．abolish

D．view

14.

A．available

B．useless

C．flexible

D．accessible

15.

A．Doubtlessly

B．Briefly

C．Fortunately

D．Sadly

2 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

The first castles constructed in England were made from earth and timber. Those whoc onstructed them took advantage of natural features, such as hills and rivers,     1     (increase) defences. Since these castles were constructed from wood, they were highly susceptible to attacks by fire. Wooden castles were gradually replaced by stone, which greatly increased the strength of these fortifications; however,     2     (make) from stone did not make these castles entirely fireproof. Attackers could hurl flaming objects into the castle through the windows or ignite the wooden doors. This led to moving the windows and entrances off of the ground floor and up to the first floor to make them     3     (difficult) to access.

As the nobility accumulated wealth, England became increasingly attractive to those who     4     (seek) to plunder (抢劫). Raids by Vikings and other marauders increased in regularity.     5     response to these attacks, castle defences were updated and improved. Arrow-slits were added. These were small holes in the castle, large enough for     6     arrow to fit through,     7     allowed defenders to fire from nearly invulnerable positions. Towers were built from which defenders could provide flanking fire. These towers were connected to the castle by wooden bridges,     8     if one tower fell, the rest of the castle was still easy to defend. Multiple rings of castle walls were constructed. Even if attackers made it past one wall, they would be caught on a killing ground between the inner and outer walls. Advances such as these greatly increased the defence of castles.

The demise of castles     9     ultimately be attributed to gunpowder. Gunpowder was first introduced to Europe during the 14th century, but the first gunpowder weapons were unreliable, inaccurate, and weak by later standards. During the 15th century, artillery became powerful enough to break through stone walls. This greatly undermined the military role of castles. Castles were then replaced by artillery forts that had no role in civil administration. Though castles no longer serve their original purposes,     10     (remain) castles receive millions of visitors each year from those who wish to experience these majestic vestiges of a time long passed.

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。

In 1960s, it is said     1     graffiti became popular in the United States. Young adults created the tag     2     (identify) themselves and their artwork. Some were signs     3     (mark) the territories of city gangs or illegal crime groups.

Up to the 1970s, most people hated graffiti, considering it disgusting and it was illegal and punishable     4     fines. In the early 1980s, there was     5     craze for graffiti art. In late 1980s, the     6     (popular) of hip-hop music helped     7     (far) spread the culture of it.

By now, graffiti     8     (become) a separate movement expressing the street culture of young people living in big cities. You can find it in places     9     you’d least expect it. Large international companies realise     10     (it) appeal in advertising.

4 . During the 15th century, spices (香料) from India were very popular in Europe, however, the only way to travel from Europe to India was over land. This was a long and expensive trip. The King of Portugal realized if he could find a way to get to India by sailing on the ocean, he would become rich by trading spices in Europe. An explorer (探险家) by the name of Bartolomeu Dias had discovered the Cape of Good Hope at the tip of Africa. It was thought that there may be a way around the Cape and to the northeast towards India. However, many were skeptical and thought that the Indian Ocean did not connect with the Atlantic Ocean.

Vasco da Gama, who was born in 1460s to a wealthy Portuguese family in Sines, was given a fleet of ships by the king and told to discover a sea route (路线) around Africa to India. He was also told to look for other trading possibilities along the way.

Vasco da Gama left on his first voyage (航行) from Lisbon, Portugal, with four ships and 170 men on July 8, 1497. Gama and his men rounded the southern tip of Africa at the Cape of Good Hope on November 22. They then headed north up the coast of Africa. They stopped at trading ports along the way including Mombasa and Malindi. At Malindi (about 120 km northeast of Mombasa), they picked up a local pilot who knew the direction to India. With the help of a monsoon wind they were able to cross the Indian Ocean and arrive in Calicut, India in less than a month (on May 20, 1498). At Calicut, Vasco ran into serious trouble when trying to trade. He had brought little of value in his ships. This made the local traders doubtful of him and very soon he had to leave. The voyage back was disastrous. Around half of his men died from scurvy (坏血病) as the trip back took much longer because of the winds not blowing in his favor. However, when he returned home, he was still a hero. He had found the much needed trade route to India.

1. What does the underlined word “skeptical” in Paragraph 1 mean?

A．Worried.	B．Doubtful.
C．Hopeful.	D．Supportive.

2. What was the main purpose of Vasco da Gama’s first voyage to India?

A．To take control of India.

B．To control the spice trade.

C．To find a trade route to India.

D．To bring back spices from India.

3. Which is the correct route of Gama's first voyage to India?

A．Sines→the Cape of Good Hope→Mombasa→Malindi Calicut.

B．Sines→the Cape of Good Hope→Malindi→Mombasa→Calicut.

C．Lisbon→the Cape of Good Hope→Malindi→Mombasa→Calicut.

D．Lisbon→the Cape of Good Hope→Mombasa→Malindi→Calicut.

4. What happened to Gama and his men when they stayed at Calicut?

A．Their trading was well-­received.

B．Half of them got a serious illness.

C．They missed the best time to go back home.

D．They were considered unwelcome by the local traders.

5 . One of the most famous nursery rhymes(摇篮曲) in the English language is Mary Had a Little Lamb(羔羊).It has touched many children who have read it.It is about the deep love between a young girl and her pet lamb.The poem is from a true story that happened in the early part of the 19th century in the town of Sterling,Massachusetts,in the USA.

Mary Sawyer (1806—1889) lived on a farm with her family.One day,when she was about nine years old,she saw a little lamb that had just been born and left behind by its mother.It was very weak and looked as if it would die at any moment.Mary took pity on the lamb and spent the whole night looking after it.Eventually,it grew strong and became a very close friend with Mary,following her everywhere she went.

One day,the lamb even followed Mary to school.At first she wanted to turn it back but her brother suggested that it would be fun to take the lamb to school.During the class,she hid the lamb under her desk.But when she was called to go to the front of the class,to her surprise,the lamb followed her.Though the students and the teacher thought it was funny to see a lamb at school,the teacher had to ask Mary to keep the lamb out of the school.

That very day,a young man called John Roulstone was visiting Mary’s school.He was so moved by the love between the child and her little pet lamb that he wrote a poem which he handed to Mary the next day.His poem contained twelve lines.

Later,Sara Josepha Hale added another twelve lines to the poem and published it in 1930 under the title “Mary Had a Little Lamb”.The poem has become a classic,loved by children all over the world.The appeal (吸引力) of the poem lies not only in the funny idea of a sheep going to school but also in the true love between the little girl and her pet.The town of Sterling has honoured Mary’s lamb by building a statue of the lamb with Mr Roulstone’s poem below the statue.

1. Why did the poem become a classic?

A．It was written by a young man.

B．It had another twelve lines added.

C．A statue of lamb was built in the town of Sterling.

D．It describes the true love between a little girl and her pet lamb.

2. Which could be the right order of the following events according to the passage?
a.Mary found a little lamb.
b.People built a statue to honor the lamb.
c.The poem “Mary Had a Little Lamb” became popular.
d.A young man was moved by the story and wrote a poem.
e.Mary’s brother suggested that she take the lamb to school.

A．a→e→d→c→b	B．a→d→e→c→b
C．a→d→e→b→c	D．a→e→d→b→c

3. Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage?

A．Mary’s mother was also fond of the little lamb.

B．Mary and the little lamb developed a very close friendship.

C．Mary wrote to John Roulstone and asked him to write the poem.

D．All children were allowed to take their pets to school in America.

6 . 课文语法填空

Throughout history, we can find examples of inspiring young people who showed courage and hope in times of extreme hardship. Anne Frank is one of them. Her diary is one of the     1    (important) diaries ever     2    (write).

Anne was born in Frankfurt, Germany. Her family was Jewish. During World WarⅡ, they had to live in a secret hiding place to escape the Nazi Holocaust. This was a time     3     the German Nazis were killing Jews. The place was small and crowded. Everyone had to be very quiet. They were often hungry and always afraid of being caught.    4     (keep) busy, Anne wrote in her diary. She described her daily life and her struggles, but also wrote about her hopes and dreams.    5     4 August, 1944, the place     6     (discover) and everyone hiding there were sent to labour camps. Anne and her sister Margot died in     7    German camp in March 1945. Anne’s diary was discovered by friends and returned to her father after the war. The diary was     8     (original) written in Dutch. Since then, it     9     (publish) in at least 67 languages and 31 million     10    (copy) have been sold.

Although Anne’s life in hiding was extremely difficult, her diary reveals her positive attitude. Anne Frank’s diary has inspired teenagers everywhere. “The good news,” she wrote, “is that you don’t know how great you can be, how much you can love, what you can accomplish, and what your potential is!”

7 . 语法填空

Robert Falcon Scott and Roald Amundsen were two of the most well-known    1     (explore) of the 20th century. The race between them to Antarctica in    2     early 20th century received wide attention.

Amundsen was the first     3     (leave) on 8 September, 1911, reached the Pole on 14 December and returned safely to their starting base on 25 January, 1912, ten days ahead of their planned schedule, thus     4     (win) the race.

However, the journey for Scott was     5     (difficult) than expected. On their way to the Pole, his two sledges    6    (break) down and then the horses began to have serious difficulties with the snow and the cold. When they arrived, they were shocked to find they lost the race. On their return journey, they were extremely tired and running out of food. What was worse, they     7     (catch) in a terrible storm on their way to one of their food bases. None of his team survived. However, they found some valuable rocks,     8     proved the continent of Antarctica was covered by plants in the distant past.

Although Scott and his team lost the race and didn’t survive, they were regarded     9    heroes for their honesty, sincerity, bravery and the great courage     10     (show) to the world.

8 . 阅读下面短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个适当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

Cash is king, or so they say. In one form or another, human beings have been carrying around money for hundreds of years. Metal was first coined into cash between 700 and 600 BC by the Lydians, and banknotes have been in circulation since     1    (they) first use in China around 1000 AD. These days, though, habits     2     (change). Modern technology means     3     while money is still widely used, it’s more likely to be a digital transaction than a wad of notes and a handful of shrapnel. If cash is king, then it may eventually be dethroned.

9 . 语法填空。

An epidemic is the name given to     1     infectious disease that rapidly spreads over a short period of time,     2    (cause)large number of deaths,the number of which differs for different diseases.

Professor Jim Smith conducted a study     3    (compare)the bird flu which occurred in 1997 with other     4    (dead)epidemics in our history. He found that the earliest epidemics took place as early as to 550 CE     5     killed half of the population in that particular area. The same epidemic     6    (call) “The Black Death” returned in the 1330s in Asia and spread quickly to Europe. Some hundred years later, the Great Flu Epidemic broke out in 1918, also known     7     the Spanish Flu, killing 50 million people. This was considered the most severe epidemic in human history. The 1997 bird flu which claimed over 100 lives was an     8    (adapt)of the 1918 Spanish Flu.

At the start of the 21st century there were two major epidemics SARS and, EVD. The more recently     9    (discover) SARS disease infected about 8,000 people. According to official records, EVD has killed more than 11,310 people in West Africa alone.

Globally, researchers are coming together to try to find out the causes and help to find     10    (effect)treatments for epidemics.

10 . A castle was the fortress(堡垒)and home of a king or nobleman.

Most of the castles we think of today were built in Europe. They were constructed from about 1,000 AD to about 1,500 AD, during a period known as the Middle Ages.

Castles played an important role after the fall of the Roman Empire. When a king granted land to nobles, the nobles promised in return to serve the king and provide him with soldiers. Nobles built castles on the lands given to them. But some nobles simply claimed land as their own and built a castle on it. That was asking for trouble. There were many power struggles between nobles and kings, and among the nobles themselves.

A typical stone castle had several main parts. At the centre of the castle was a tall and very strong building called the keep. This is where people in the castle made their last stand if the outer defences failed. The keep was set in a courtyard, where there were workshops, stables, and a kitchen.

High, thick walls surrounded the keep and the courtyard. Strong, round defensive towers stood at the corners of the walls. Guards walked along the tops of the walls and towers.

Many stone castles were surrounded by a wide ditch called a moat. Some moats were filled with water, but many were not. The only way into the castle was across a wooden drawbridge over the moat. If enemies attacked, the defenders raised the bridge. Then they lowered a heavy iron-and-wood barrier called a portcullis to block the entrance to the castle.

A well-built castle was a pretty safe place to be. Attackers had a hard time getting in. But they still had some options. They could go over the walls using ladders. They could smash (撞碎) through the walls or doors. Or they could dig under the walls and try to get part of the wall to fall down. If none of those things worked, they could just camp outside until the defenders ran out of food.

Attackers sometimes brought large machines called siege engines with them to break through castle doors or walls. This was a heavy wooden beam with a metal cap. In the early 1500s, cannons entered wide use in warfare. Cannonballs could dig into the base of stone walls and weaken them. The walls then fell under their own weight. As a result, castles were no longer needed.

1. The underlined word “That” refers to the fact that ________.

A．nobles built castles on the lands given to them

B．the nobles promised to serve the king in return

C．some nobles simply claimed land as their own

D．the nobles provided the king with soldiers

2. How many choices are mentioned to occupy a castle before the sixteenth century?

A．3

B．4

C．5

D．6

3. What can we infer from the passage?

A．Some castles were built to attract more visitors.

B．Kings in ancient Europe were more generous.

C．Portcullises were used to break through castle doors.

D．Warfare must be frequent from 1,000 AD to about 1,500 AD.

4. What is the best subtitle of the last two Paragraph?

A．Attacking a castle

B．Weakness of a castle

C．Pretty safe place

D．Siege engines