Living in a culture that is different from your own can be both an exciting and challenging experience. The following are six cultural differences between China and the US to help promote mutual understanding.

1．­______________

Chinese people do not have the same concept of privacy as Americans do. They talk about topics such as ages, income or marital status, which Americans think is annoying and disturbing.

2．Family

In China, elders are traditionally treated with great respect while the young are cared for . In America, the goal of the family is to encourage independence, particularly that of the children. Unlike the Chinese, older Americans seldom live with their children.

3．Friends

Chinese people have different meanings to define friends. Just hanging out together time to time is not friendship. Friendship means lifelong friends who feel deeply necessary to give each other whatever help might seem required. Americans always call people they meet friends, so the definition of friends is general and different. There are work friends, playing friends, school friends and drinking friends.

4．Money

As is well known, the Chinese like to save. They are always conservative（保守的） when they are planning to spend money. It is different in the USA, where far fewer families are saving money for emergencies and education than their Chinese counterparts（对应面）.

5．Education

Chinese people value education and career more than Americans, who in turn put more emphasis on good character and faith.

6．Team VS Individual

Basically China values the community and the US values the individual. If you achieve something in the US, it's because you were great. While in China, if you achieve something in China it’s because the team, or family, or company is great. Everything you do gets attributed to the greater whole, while in America individual merits（功绩）are celebrated.

21．The most appropriate word to show the first cultural difference is           .

A．Privacy            B．Income                 C．Age                      D．Marriage

22．Which is a fact according to the text?

A．American parents seldom live with their children.

B．There is no friendship between American people drinking together.

C．Chinese people are usually generous with money to spend.

D．Americans value good character and faith in terms of education.

23．The underlined phrase in the text can Not be replaced by          .

A．is attached to    B．benefits from         C．is contributed to    D．results from

       Do you know how to deal with failure at school? Here are four steps that will help you get the most out of each failure, and move on.

         16      When you feel bad after failing, talk with your parents or a good friend, or any other adult. Then decide to take the responsibility to improve yourself. Read the teacher’s comments on your test carefully.

    Ask yourself what your were trying to do and why you failed.      17      Maybe you didn’t have all the information you needed; maybe you made a mistake or a poor decision. If so, give yourself a pat in the back. Fewer people ever get something right the first time they try it, and often it takes them many times.      18      Sometimes the failure isn’t because of something you did or didn’t do; it is someone else’s fault. But don’t spend time blaming them; instead, move on toward your goals.

     Don’t give up easily.      19      There is a difference between making a decision and giving up. Deciding to follow a better way is one thing; simply walking away means you really have failed.

     Keep trying again. Successful people are different because they choose their next steps instead of just reacting to feelings. If a goal is still important to you, figure out what to do and go after it again.      20      

A.      No pains, no gains.

B.      Failure is unavoidable.

C.      If it isn’t, do your best on something else.

D.     Remove your bad feelings.

E.      Actually it was because you were lazy.

F.      Review the situation to see what your choices are.

G.     Usually it was because you were trying out a new skill or learning a new subject.

As a boy, my family used to vacation to Oregon. Without even   41   it at the time, I formed a (n)   42  attachment(impression) to those beautiful mountains and forests. Years later, this attachment would   43 itself in a powerful and life-changing way.

Sometime during my first year in college I began to get really restless. I grew__44  school and wanted to do something else. Without analyzing the   45  , I quit school and took a job in a big construction company. It was my 46  that this temporary change would provide me with a whole new idea. Well it 47,  because I soon realized that I wanted something   48  . I wanted peace and quiet. I also wanted lots of space around me and a much slower pace.

Then it 49 me what I really wanted was those beautiful forests of Oregon that I had visited when I was a(n)50 . This is 51  my restlessness gained some focus and my wants changed into intention. At the time, I had no idea how I was going to be successful, 52  I was completely certain that I would turn this new vision into  53  .

My wants became the seeds of my   54   to create a whole new life for myself. __55 , that intention moved me to take decisive action in the direction of my goal. Within two years, I had bought 56 , pulled up stakes in Southern California, and was living in the forests of Oregon. I had left everything familiar   57  . Besides the property, I had a tent, a jeep, and $1,000. I was 21 years old and it was an amazing adventure.

      58   on your dreams is the only way to breathe life into them. Your life can be whatever you want it to be, but it won’t  59  just  because you want it to. One intention can   60   the course of your whole life; that’s what happened to me. 

41. A. handling             B. realizing            C. focusing        D. enjoying

42. A. deep             B. bitter               C. simple           D. honest

43. A. prove                B. drag                     C. show             D. pay

44. A. curious about        B. interested in            C. lost in              D. tired of

45. A. situation            B. pressure                 C. pay              D. part

46. A. story                B. hope                     C. excuse           D. shame

47. A. stuck                B. rose                 C. worked           D. faded

48. A. wrong                B. distant                  C. tight                D. different

49. A. occurred         B. struck                   C. lifted               D. lit

50. A. grown-up         B. worker                   C. artist               D. boy

51. A. where                B. when                 C. which                D. that  

52. A. really               B. still                    C. likely               D. never

53. A. reality              B. service              C. power            D. shape

54. A. doubt                B. intention                C. effect               D. state

55. A. On the whole    B. In particular            C. In turn              D. On average

56. A. nursery              B. furniture                C. jewels               D. property

57. A. behind               B. out                  C. off              D. for

58. A. Keeping          B. Taking               C. Acting           D. Calling

59. A. go                   B. strike                   C. stay             D. happen

60. A. fail                 B. disturb                  C. change               D. pick

_{When Charles Stratton was five, he stopped growing．His mother took him to see the famous showman, P．T．Barnum．Mr．Barnum thought a small person would be the perfect addition to his show．He hired Charles' parents along with him, and they traveled the world together．
　　He gave the two-foot-tall Charles a name, General Tom Thumb．He taught Tom how to sing, dance, act and tell jokes．When he felt Tom was ready to perform on stage, he made up ads．To stir up great interest, he said that Tom was eleven years old and had come from England．
　　During the show, Tom fought battles pretendedly with tall people．He also danced upon a wooden plate held by a person who was eight feet tall．Tom's act was very popular and brought in a lot of money．By the time Tom was an adult, he had grown very rich．He had become a billionaire at the age of twenty five．
　　Fortunately for Tom, Mr．Barnum added more little people to his show, and Tom became lucky in love as well．One of the little people was Lavinia Warren, a schoolteacher．Tom was able to win her love, and they married．
　　The ceremony and reception were the talk of the town．They were attended by many rich and famous people and by about 2000 guests．Crowds filled the streets of New York to have a look at their tiny wedding marriage．The couple even met with President Abraham Lincoln on their honeymoon just before going to live in Tom's house in Connecticut．
　　Their wedding, which took place during the Civil War, provided a welcome escape from the sad problems of war．Not willing to let this bit of sunshine fade, communities throughout the country sponsored "Tom Thumb" weddings．In these weddings, small boys and girls, all dressed up, went through marriage ceremony for fun．
1．The underlined words "talk of the town" means________．
　　A．it was in the newspaper
　　B．it was the most popular topic
　　C．people spread bad rumors about it
　　D．it was discussed in a city meeting
2．What does the author think about Tom's wedding?
　　A．Tom and Lavinia were stupid．
　　B．People gave it too much of their attention．
　　C．It was funny and ridiculous．
　　D．It helped people cheer up in a dark time．
3．What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
　　A．Weddings always make people feel full of sunshine．
　　B．People are always disappointed during war time．
　　C．Entertainment can serve an important purpose．
　　D．People should be married when they are small children．}

Tales From Animal Hospital

David Grant

     David Grant has become a familiar face to millions of fans of Animal Hospital. Here Dr Grant tells us the very best of his personal stories about the animals he has treated, including familiar patients such as the dogs Snowy and Duchess, the delightful cat Marigold Serendipity Diamond. He also takes the reader behind the scenes at Harmsworth Memorial Animal Hospital as he describes his day, from ordinary medical check-ups to surgery （外科手术）. Tales From Animal Hospital will delight all fans of the program and anyone who has a lively interest in their pet, whether it is a cat, dog or snake!

     $14.99 Hardback 272 pp Simon Schuster               ISBN 0751304417

Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer

Michael White

     From the author of Stephen Hawking A Life in Science, comes this colorful description of the life of the world's first modern scientist. Interesting yet based on fact, Michael White's new book offers a true picture of Newton completely different from what people commonly know about him. Newton is shown as a gifted scientist with very human weaknesses who stood at the point in history where magic ended and science began.

     $ 8.99 Hardback 320 pp Fourth Estate                 ISBN 1857024168

Fermat's Last Theorem

Simon Singh

      In 1963 a schoolboy called Andrew Wiles reading in his school library came across the world's greatest mathematical problem: Fermat's Last Theorem（定理）. First put forward by the French mathematician Pierre de Fermat in the seventeenth century, the theorem had baffled and beaten the finest mathematical minds, including a French woman scientist who made a major advance in working out the problem, and who had to dress like a man in order to be able to study at the Ecole Polytechnique. Through unbelievable determination Andrew Wiles finally worked out the problem in 1995. An unusual story of human effort over three centuries, Fermat's Last Theorem will delight specialists and general readers alike.

      $12.99 Hardback 384 pp Fourth Estate               ISBN 1857025210

56. “Animal Hospital” is _______.

   A. a news story       B. a popular book     C. a research report    D. a TV program

57. In Michael White's book, Newton is described as        .

   A. a person who did not look the same as in many pictures

   B. a person who lived a colorful and meaningful life

   C. a great but not perfect man               D. an old-time magician

58. The underlined word "baffle" probably means        .

   A. to encourage people to raise questions      B. to cause difficulty in understanding

   C. to provide a person with an explanation     D. to limit people's imagination

59. The purpose of these three advertisements is        .

   A. to make the books easier to read          B. to show the importance of science

   C. to introduce new authors                D. to sell the books

---Don’t tell me you’ll have a dinner date again.    ---______.I didn’t mean to.

A. You meant it.    B. You made it.  C. You guessed it.  D. You deserved it.

Mrs Chen is         paper-cutting expert, whom I interviewed for my article on

         Chinese Art.

A.a； the                     B.an；/                 C．a；／              D.an；the

 Some insects____the color of their surrounding to protect themselves.

A. take in              B. take off          C. take on             D. take out

 I’m afraid the teacher will blame you for you’ve failed to do what you ________to. 

  A. will expect         B. will be expected   C. expected         D. were expected

Tired of all the pushing in supermarkets? Fed up with waiting in endless lines to pay for what you have bought? Angry at wasting time in traffic jams only to find no parking spaces when you eventually arrive at the store? If this is you, then online shopping is the answer to your dreams of trouble-free shopping. Or is it?

Online shopping brings its own challenges. Here are a few things to bear in mind when browsing (浏览) various websites. The claim made by online sites is that shopping online is a safe and secure way to make purchases. The evidence challenges this. In any case, you only have to be the victim of fraud (诈骗) once to experience all the problems that come with this form of stealing. Use only sites that have a trusted history and an excellent reputation.

Another problem is the appearance of items in reality is often quite different from what you see on your computer screen. This might not be a problem if you are buying washing up powder but could be a major disappointment when that beautiful blue dress you ordered turns up in green. Also, product descriptions are sometimes simply untrue. Perhaps the wisest plan is to purchase items where design and color are not essential to customer satisfaction.

Some even argue that online shopping indirectly contributes to global warming. Yes, your car can stay parked but how are online goods delivered? Often by some large vans pouring out carbon monoxide and adding to our already desperate traffic problems. You are also by now becoming increasingly irritated (使烦恼) by the fact that the delivery is late and you have wasted the leave from work you have taken to receive it!

Without question, online shopping is here to stay and it has its benefits. However, perhaps it is not as wonderful as some of its supporters claim it to be.

39. The author lists several questions in Para. 1 to         .

A. support online shopping                       B. collect answers from readers

C. show his dislike of going shopping             D. introduce the topic of the passage

40. By what can online shoppers avoid fraud?

A. Using only trusted websites.                B. Choosing big websites.

C. Collecting shopping evidence.                          D. Seeking advice from the police.

41. The author agrees with the fact that ______.

A. customers are never satisfied with products

B. online shopping is a safe way to make purchases

C. online shopping has nothing to do with global warming

D. delivery delay often makes online shoppers unhappy

42. What is the author’s attitude towards online shopping?

A. Very popular.   B. A wise choice.    C. Not trouble free.  D. A waste of time.

Men are spending more and more time in the kitchen encouraged by celebrity (名人) chefs like Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver，according to a report from Oxford University.

The effect of the celebrity role models，who have given cooking a more manly picture，has combined with a more general drive towards sexual equality and men now spend more than twice the amount of time preparing meals than they did in 1961.

According to the research by Prof.Jonatahn Gershuny，who runs the Centre for Time Research at Oxford，men now spend more than half an hour a day cooking，up from just 12 minutes a day in 1961.

Prof.Gershuny said，“The man in the kitchen is part of a much wider social trend.There has been 40 years of sexual equality，but there is another 40 years probably to come.”

Women，who a generation ago spent nearly two hours a day cooking，now spend just one hour and seven minutes—a great fall，but they still spend far more time in the kitchen than men.

Some experts have named these men in aprons as “Gastrosexuals (men using cooking skills to impress friends)”，who have been inspired to pick up a kitchen knife by the success of Ramsay，Oliver as well as other male celebrity chefs such as Hugh Fearnley－Whittingstall，Marco Pierre White and Keith Floyd.

“I was married in 1974.When my father came to visit me a few weeks later，I was wearing an apron when I opened the door.He laughed，” said Prof.Gershuny.“That would never happen now.”

Two－thirds of adults say that they come together to share at least three times a week，even if it is not necessarily around a kitchen or dining room table.Prof.Gershuny pointed out that the family meal was now rarely eaten by all of its members around a table—with many “family meals” in fact taken on the sofa in the sitting room，and shared by family members.“The family meal has changed a lot，and few of us eat—as I did when I was a child—at least two meals a day together as a family.But it has survived in a different format.”

24. What is one reason behind the trend that men spend more time cooking than before?

A.The improvement of cooks'status.        B.The influence of popular female chefs.

C.The change of female's view on cooking.  D.The development of sexual equality campaign.

25. What does the author think about the time men and women spend on cooking?

A.Men spend more time cooking than women nowadays.

B.Women spend much less time on cooking than before.

C.It will take 40 years before men spend more time at the stove than women.

D.There is a sharp decline in the time men spend on cooking compared with 1961.

26. How did Prof.Gershuny see the family meal according to the passage?

A.It has become a thing of the past.          B.It is very different from what it used to be.

C.It shouldn't be advocated in modern times.   D.It is beneficial to the stability of the family.

27. Which is the best title for the passage?

A.The Changes of Family Meals          B.Equality between Men and Women

C.Cooking into a New Trend for Men      D.Cooking—a Thing of the Past for Women

New Yorkers and visitors to the Big Apple will get to ring in the Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year in the U.S., in style with a fireworks display on the Hudson River set to music written by Academy Award-winning composer Tan Dun.

The display is part of the second annual “Happy Chinese New Year: Fantastic Art China” festival held in New York on February 5-10, 2016. The China Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), the U.S.-China Cultural Institute and the Cultural Associate of the Committee of 100 announced this year’s events on November 18 at a press conference at the Lincoln Center.

The “Fantastic Art China” festival will feature a larger and more diverse series of artistic and cultural events across New York’s top cultural venues (地点) and landmarks, including the Lincoln Center, Empire State Building and Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

This year’s theme focuses on exploring the complicated relationship between sound and image, said Professor Yu Ding from CAFA, who is also president of Fantastic Art China and in charge of the festival’s design. Lunar New Year, which celebrates the “Year of the Monkey” in 2016, is an opportunity to bring China’s modern art to mainstream America, and the festival serves as  an innovative approach to establishing cultural exchange between China and New York City, Yu said.

UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Tan Dun’s music is a new edition that will be featured  at several venues, including a major art exhibition at the Javits Center, events at the Lincoln Center and the fireworks display on the Hudson, which will take place on the evening of February 6. Five barges (游艇) on the river will launch the fireworks designed by CAFA that will tell a story about celebration and conservation.

“We Chinese are fond of nature, so the best way to celebrate the Lunar New Year is to salute with the sounds of nature, such as sounds of water, stone and bamboo,” said Tan Dun at the press conference, “And it will be fun to use the music of water during the firework display.”

In addition to the fireworks, a special lighting show at the Empire State Building will illuminate New York City during the holiday. 

 Chinese New Year is being recognized as a public school holiday for the first time in New York. Children from the National Dance Institute, which represents 75 schools, will perform traditional Chinese dances at the Lincoln Center and the Javits Center. And, in celebration of the “Year of the Monkey” events will feature a conservation message about the endangered golden monkey in China.

28. The theme of this year’s celebration is centered on ________.

   A. diversity of Chinese traditional festivals

B. relationship between sound and image of nature

   C. endangered species and environment protection

   D. cultural exchange between China and America

29. The coming “Year of the Monkey” is to be celebrated in New York by ________.

   A. sailing on the Hudson River along with a new-year speech

   B. holding a special concert at the Empire State Building

   C. setting off fireworks and holding a special lighting show

   D. taking a week off and organizing Chinese dance contests

30. What does the underlined word “illuminate” (in Para. 7) most probably mean?

   A. Lighten.        B. Surround.       C. Decorate.        D. Broaden.

31. This passage is written mainly in order to ________.

   A. compare some traditional festivals in China and America

   B. attract visitors to America for the coming new-year celebration

C. strengthen the cultural co-operation between China and America

D. report celebration activities for the “Year of the Monkey” in New York

 Our parents and teachers often tell us that we 　　　be careful enough no matter what we do. 

A. mustn’t　　　B. shouldn’t　　C. can’t　　　　D. needn’t

环保部目前发布《中国环境噪声污染防治报告（2016）》，披露了全国城市噪声环境现状以及噪音防治工作的总体状况，其中，全国最“吵”的地方，并非京沪等特大城市，而是贵阳。请写一封信到市长信箱，内容应包括：

1.表达对贵阳面临的噪音问题的担忧；

2.分析造成该问题的原因（如车辆增加、城市建设等）；

3.提出适当建议。

注意：

1. 词数100左右；

2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

Dear Mayor,

Recently, the environmental protection department has issued a report

_____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours sincerely,

Li Hua

 By now, no one has come up with a（n）_____ explanation of why dinosaurs died out, and it remains a mystery．

    A. astonishing          B. amusing              C. convincing           D. puzzling

 When you reach the other end of the bridge, I ______ right there to show you the way.

A. wait                                   B. have waited        C. was waiting               D. will be waiting

I have a good friend whom name is Rose. Last month, she lent one of my favorite

book. Yesterday I asked her to return the book back to me. To my surprising, she

said she had already given the book to me. I search my desk and school bag, but I

didn’t find one. I became very angry about her and shouted at her. She left the

classroom with tears in her eyes. However, when I came home last night. I was

surprised to find my book lie under my pillow. Now I regret quarrelling with her. I

am afraid I will lose friend. What should I do?