1 . Forks trace their origins back to the ancient Greeks. Forks at that time were fairly large with two tines that aided in the carving of meat in the kitchen. The tines prevented meat from twisting or moving during carving and allowed food to slide off more easily than it would with a knife.

By the 7th century A.D., royal courts of the Middle East began to use forks at the table for dining. From the 10th through the 13th centuries, forks were fairly common among the wealthy in Byzantium. In the 11th century, a Byzantine wife brought forks to Italy; however, they were not widely adopted there until the 16th century. Then in 1533, forks were brought from Italy to France. The French were also slow to accept forks, for using them was thought to be awkward.

In 1608, forks were brought to England by Thomas Coryate, who saw them during his travels in Italy. The English first ridiculed forks as being unnecessary. “Why should a person need a fork when God had given him hands?” they asked. Slowly, however, forks came to be adopted by the wealthy as a symbol of their social status. They were prized possessions made of expensive materials intended to impress guests. By the mid-1600s, eating with forks was considered fashionable among the wealthy British.

Early table forks were modeled after kitchen forks, but small pieces of food often fell through the two tines or slipped off easily. In late 17th century France, larger forks with four curved tines were developed. The additional tines made diners less likely to drop food, and the curved tines served as a scoop so people did not have to constantly switch to a spoon while eating. By the early 19th century, four-tined forks had also been developed in Germany and England and slowly began to spread to America.

1. What is the passage mainly about?

A．The different designs of forks.

B．The spread of fork-aided cooking.

C．The history of using forks for dining.

D．The development of fork-related table manners.

2. By which route did the use of forks spread?

A．Middle EastGreeceEnglandItalyFrance

B．GreeceMiddle EastItalyFranceEngland

C．GreeceMiddle EastFranceItalyGermany

D．Middle EastFranceEnglandItalyGermany

3. How did forks become popular in England?

A．Wealthy British were impressed by the design of forks.

B．Wealthy British thought it awkward to use their hands to eat.

C．Wealthy British gave special forks to the nobles as luxurious gifts.

D．Wealthy British considered dining with forks a sign of social status.

4. Why were forks made into a curved shape?

A．They could be used to scoop food as well.

B．They looked more fashionable in this way.

C．They were designed in this way for export to the US.

D．They ensured the meat would not twist while being cut.

2 . Directions: Complete the following passages by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. historical          B. rationing          C. original          D. regulated                 E. reflected F. refuge               G. stored             H. removal          I. typical                    J. character K. restored

The 1940s House

The house is at 17 Braemar Gardens, West Wickham, Kent, now a suburb of Greater London. Series art director Lia Kramer, who had helped create The 1900 House, identified the property and oversaw its restoration. The     1     house was built in 1932 by Bradfield Bros & Murphy, and was retrofitted（翻新）so that the technology and fashions of a middle-class English home of the late 1930s were     2     . It is a three-bedroomed home, with a boiler fueled by coke providing hot water, and there was no telephone or refrigerator. The retrofit included the     3     of central heating, the custom-fitted kitchen cabinets and appliances, and the carpeting as well. The carpeting had been used to cover the original checkerboard floor tiles. Fireplaces were     4     to working condition, and the original French doors which led outside were reinstalled. The existing beds were replaced by iron bedsteads, including twin beds for Michael and Lyn. When neighbours learned of the project, many donated period home furnishings for free. The garden was changed to be     5     of a victory garden, which was also called war garden or food garden for defense.

The family's work in the show was demanding. The family had to act like a typical family of the time, which included the sewing of curtains, building an air-raid shelter, and facing wartime food     6    . Air raids were like real during the show, forcing the family to take     7     in its air-raid shelter. The near-nightly sound of the air-raid siren（fixed in a hallway in the home）left the family upset, even after they returned to their regular lives. The family had to stay in     8     all the time, including when the boys went to school. Even minor aspects of life, such as the depth of water in the bath tub, which could be no deeper than five inches, were     9     .

Filming began on 15 April 2000, and lasted nine weeks. Unlike other     10     reality television shows, the Hymers were not isolated. Their neighbours helped them dig their air-raid shelter, the family also visited a retirement home. Nonetheless, Lyn Hymers later said that the family did feel isolated, and seldom got the sense of community spirit that people living in the 1940s would have felt.

3 . 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.

Carrying Firewood to Put Out a Fire

In 273 BC, the Qin army launched a more serious attack upon the State of Wei, which was too weak to defend itself. The king of the State of Wei gathered his officials, and asked them with a     1     (worry) look if anyone could propose a way to defeat the Qin army.

After years of difficulties     2     (cause) by the wars, the officials trembled when fighting was mentioned, and no one dared to speak of resistance.

At the critical moment     3     a large enemy force was approaching the border, most of the officials persuaded the king to beg for peace     4     the cost of giving away to the State of Qin, a large area of land.

However, Su Dai, a counselor, didn’t agree. He hurried up to the king and said, “Once there was a man     5     house was on fire. People told him to put out the fire with water, but he would not listen. Instead, he carried firewood to put out the fire, only     6     (make) the fire fiercer. Isn’t it similar to carrying firewood to put out a fire     7     you agree to trade the land of the State of Wei for peace?”

    8     Su Dai’s argument was very convincing, the king accepted the suggestion of those officials. Finally, the State of Wei was destroyed by the State of Qin. This story appears in the Historical Records written by Sima Qian. The phrase “carrying firewood to put out a fire”     9     (use) to mean adopting a wrong method to save a situation and ending up by making it     10     (bad).

4 . On US TV shows, you may sometimes see rubber balls on people’s desks. These balls are known as “stress relief balls”. People can squeeze them when they feel stressed out. It’s believed that by concentrating on the act of squeezing, they can let go of the negative energy in their bodies.

    1    . Fortunately, we have many ways to deal with it.

In fact, the rubber stress relief balls that are so popular today in the US are believed to date back to ancient China.     2    . By squeezing them during moments of anxiety, soldiers were able to calm themselves down before going into battle. And in the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), people started rotating (转动) walnuts in their hands. Ordinary citizens—not just soldiers—developed the habit of rolling two walnuts, or balls made from iron or stone, around in their hands,     3    .

And today, we have many gadgets (器具) and toys that are designed to reduce stress in addition to stress relief balls. One example is the popular fidget spinner (指尖陀螺).     4    —spinning the gadget around. There’s also the fidget cube, which features different “gimmicks (机关)” on each side of the cube. You can click, spin, pull, push and rotate different parts of the cube.

    5    , but perhaps we should take them more seriously than they are given credit (赞赏) for. “After all, the history of stress balls is a history of modern-day coping,” reporter Nadia Berenstein wrote for Woolly magazine.

A．thus making them feel relaxed as well

B．These gadgets may look like simple toys

C．It keeps your hand busy with an easy task

D．Indeed, stress is a big problem for many people

E．This is the perfect way to get yourself concentrated

F．A focused activity helps take your mind off the problems of your day

G．Back in the Han Dynasty (206 BC–AD 220), soldiers used walnuts to get rid of stress

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。

The Shaolin Temple, an ancient religious site on Songshan Mountain in Henan Province, was     1     (actual) set up in 495 AD.

An Indian,     2     is now called Tamo by Chinese people, came to China in around 527 AD. According to some reports, in India he had trained martial arts (武术) as well as meditation (冥想).

When he arrived at the Shaolin Temple, he laughed     3     the monks (和尚) for being weak and without martial arts training. Then he was told to leave.     4     was said that he had stayed in a cave for meditation for a long period of time, and finally he     5     (accept) by other monks of the Shaolin Temple and they started training martial arts and meditation.

After that, monks both at the temple and all over China had a     6     (hard) time than any other period and they were attacked. In some periods, the governments even decided     7     (break) down the religion and the monks were considered to be enemies. However, at other times, the monks at the temple won their positions after helping to protect a     8     (rule).

Although the Shaolin Temple was once seriously damaged, in the last few decades the Chinese government     9     (build) it again. Nowadays it has become widely popular in the world. Every year the temple attracts a great number of     10     (tourist) at home and abroad to visit it.

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。

History of English

The history of the English language started with the     1     (arrive) of the Germanic tribes (部落) in Britain during the 5th century AD. Their language in Britain developed into what we now call Old English. Old English did not sound or look     2     English today. Native English speakers now have great difficulty     3       (understand) Old English. However, about half of the most common words in Modern English have Old English roots. Old English was spoken     4     around 1100.

In 1066, William, the Duke of Normandy, came to England. The new comers brought with them a kind of French,    5     became the language of the ruling and business classes. At that time, the     6     (low) classes spoke English and the upper classes spoke French. In the 14th century, English became important in Britain again, with many French words added. This language     7       (call) Middle English, which is still difficult for native English speakers to understand today.

From the 16th century on, the British had contact with many peoples from around the world, meaning that many new words and phrases     8     (slow) entered the language. The invention of printing also meant that there was a common language in print. Printing     9     (bring) standardization to English. Spelling and grammar became fixed, and the dialect of London became the standard. In 1604, the     10     (one) English dictionary came out. As a result, Modern English came into being.

7 . Badminton was known in ancient times; an early form of the sport was played in ancient Greece. In India, the game was called “Poona” during the 18th century, and British Army officers stationed there took a competitive Indian version back to England in the 1860s, where it was played at country houses as an upper class game. Isaac Spratt, a London toy dealer, published a booklet, “Badminton Battledore — a new game” in 1860, but unfortunately no copy has survived.

The new sport was launched in 1873 at the Badminton House, Gloucestershire, owned by the Duke of Beaufort. During that time, the game’s official name became “Badminton”.

Until 1887 the sport was played in England under the rules popular in India. The Bath Badminton Club standardized the rules and made the game applicable to English ideas. The basic regulations (规则) were draw up in 1887. In 1893, the Badminton Association of England published the first set of rules according to these regulations, similar to today’s rules. They also started the All England Open Badminton Championships, the first badminton competition in the world, in 1899.

Badminton World Federation (BWF) was founded in 1934 with Canada, Denmark, England, France, the Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, and Wales as its founding members. India joined as a member in 1936. The BWF now governs international badminton and works in cooperation with regional governing bodies to improve the sport of badminton around the world.

While originated in England, international badminton has traditionally been controlled by a few Asian countries, plus Denmark from Europe. China, Indonesia, South Korea and Malaysia are among the nations that have consistently produced world-class players in the past few decades and influenced competitions on the international level.

1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?

A．Issac Spratt was a writer fond of playing badminton.

B．Badminton was invented by people in ancient Greece.

C．Badminton was favored by wealthy people in England at first.

D．British Army officers often played badminton with the Indians.

2. Why were some basic regulations written out?

A．To make preparations for today’s rules.

B．To suit the game to the players in England.

C．To help start the first badminton competition.

D．To differ from the rules that prevailed in India.

3. What does BWF mainly do?

A．It works for regional governing bodies.

B．It supports the development of badminton.

C．It helps its founding members to win the games.

D．It persuades more countries to become its members.

4. What does the last paragraph tell us?

A．British players are better at badminton.

B．Chinese players are the best in the competitions.

C．Asia has a stronger influence on international badminton.

D．All world championships have been won by Asian players.

8 . 语法填空

The kite is believed to have originated (起源) in China. Since its     1     (invent), there have been many changes to the kite by various cultures around the world. The kite you probably flew as a kid looks     2     bit different from the ancient Chinese kites and even the kites of modern China.

Kites     3     (create) in the early Warring States Period by Mozi and Lu Ban. Kites were often made     4     (look) like the shapes of birds.     5     (main), they were used for military purposes. The first Chinese kites were used for measuring distances,     6     was useful information for moving large armies across     7     (difficulty) areas. They were also used to calculate (计算) and record wind readings and provided a unique form of communication similar     8     ship flags at sea.

Chinese kites usually represent symbolic creatures as well as legendary figures. Some have whistles designed to make unique sounds while     9     (fly). We can divide them into two types: large and small kites. In size they can range between 4 centimeters     10     75 meters across. Today, you will see people flying small kites with children in many Chinese parks. You can also see adults flying the larger kites and using more advanced methods with larger ropes to support the great size.

9 . It was two thousand years ago____the Chinese began to make paper.______everybody knows, paper was one of the most important______in Chinese history. It is because of the invention that______Chinese history was kept. However, in_______parts of the world, much of the history over hundreds of years is_______because they had no paper in these countries.

Can you______that ancient Chinese people______records by putting many stones together in the old times? As soon as writing was developed, words were______on animal bones, later on metal pots; examples of these have been______from the 16th to the third century BC.______the second and the fifth centuries A. D. words were written on pieces of bamboo or wood. Maybe you have seen the earliest books, which were made______pieces of bamboo or wood______words were written.

About 2,000 year______another kind of paper was______,which was made from ____. It was much easier to write and draw on it than______. But it was too expensive so people made a kind of paper from the fibers of plants,______the outside of trees, pieces of old clothes and so on. This kind of paper was as good as silk but much ____ .

In the first century the making of paper had been well developed in China. In the 18th century a paper-making______was built in the Middle East. And later on, Spain, Russia and America began to make paper as well.

1.

A．that

B．since

C．when

D．ago

2.

A．As

B．Which

C．That

D．What

3.

A．things

B．discoveries

C．wonders

D．inventions

4.

A．many of

B．much about

C．little

D．much on

5.

A．another

B．the others

C．others

D．other

6.

A．known

B．unknown

C．remained

D．lost

7.

A．think

B．trust

C．imagine

D．consider

8.

A．used to keep

B．used to keeping

C．were used to write

D．were used to writing

9.

A．written

B．drawn

C．carved

D．printed

10.

A．seen

B．looked

C．searched

D．made

11.

A．Between

B．During

C．In

D．At

12.

A．up of

B．of

C．into

D．from

13.

A．in which

B．on that

C．here

D．on which

14.

A．before

B．ago

C．later

D．after

15.

A．developed

B．being invented

C．appeared

D．discovered

16.

A．wood

B．silk

C．cloth

D．bamboo

17.

A．on bamboo and wood

B．bamboo or wood

C．on bamboos or woods

D．on bamboo or wood

18.

A．as

B．such as

C．like

D．for example

19.

A．more cheap

B．more cheaper

C．cheaper

D．more expensive

20.

A．company

B．factory

C．house

D．building

10 . WALLS OF FAME

Famous fortificatlons around the world

THE GREAT WALL CHINA Stretching from the shores of the Yellow Sea at Laolongtou in the east, curving around the top of Beijing and snaking across 5,500 miles of land to Lop Nur, the Great Wall of China, whose story began over 2,400 years ago is undeniably an historic achlevement of engineering and human effort to preserve political control over the population and keep out the invaders.
		HADRIAN's WALL ENGLAND Stretching 73 miles, coast-to-coast across northern England, this wall was built in six years (AD 122-28) during the rule of Emperor Hadrian, and marked the northern limit of the Roman Emplre. Although commonly thought to have been a line of defence to keep Anclent Britons, many historians belleve it may have been designed more to stop the stealing and illegal transportation of cattle.
WALIS OF BABYLON IRAQ The legendarily beautiful city of Babylon on the banks of the Euphrates River was a major city in ancient Mesopotamia, which was famously protected from invading enemies by richly decorated walls, reputed to be strong and thick enough for chariot (二轮战车) races to be held on top of them. Sadly, the walls did not prove unaffected by time, neglect and conflict.			THE BERLIN WALL GERMANY A concrete barrier swiftly erected by the German Democratic Republic in 1961, the Berlin Wall physically divided the city, cutting off West Berlin from communist East Germany for 28 years, until being torn down in 1989 — an event that marked the end of the Cold War.
	THE WALL OF JERICHO PALESTINE Featured apocryphally (虚构地) In the Bible (In which it collapses when the Israelites march around the city, blowing trumpets), the Wall of Jericho did exist. Dating to 8,000 BC, the remains make up the oldest city wall ever discovered.

1. The underline word “fortifications” in the subtitle is closest in meaning to ________.

A．battlefields rich in impressive legends

B．protective forces stationed around cities

C．walls built to defend a place against attack

D．works of engineering to honour emperors

2. Which of the following best fits in the timeline from 1 to 4?

1                                        2                                      4

Past                                                                                                                               Present

Walls of Babylon                         3

A．Walls of Jericho→ the Great wall→ Hadrian's Wall→ the Berlin Wall

B．the Berlin Wail → Hadrian's Wall →the Great wall→Walls of Jericho

C．the Great wall →Walls of Jericho→ Hadrian's Wall → the Berlin Wall

D．Hadrian's Wall →Walls of Jericho →the Great wall→Walls of Babylon

3. Which of the following is true about the features of the walls?

A．The five walls were built over long periods of time.

B．Some walls stretch nationwide while others city wide.

C．The walls were strong since they were made of concrete.

D．Time, neglect and conflict caused the ruin of the five walls