The “24 solar terms” originated and was firstly used in China. It was created thousands years ago on the basis of practical needs of agriculture. Ancient Chinese people used it to guide agriculture production, special climate signs and even healthy living tips. Last year, the 24 solar terms was added to UNESCO’s world intangible cultural heritage list. Now, it has been brought to life thanks to a creative designer from Southwest China’s Guizhou province.

On the eve of this year’s Qingming Festival, Shi Changhong released his version of re-produced and pack-aged characters for each solar term in the form of “moving art” of gifs. Since their initial release on Zcool on March 29, the gifs have won great acclaim among the general public and quickly engulfed social media with millions of hits during the festival period.

To maximize publicity, Shi released his work in three forms: video, animation and picture, while, the background sounds add to the brilliance.

“When I watch the short video, I can strongly feel the Chinese-style elements hidden in them. And it is really cool to rejuvenate Chinese traditional culture in such a unique way.” WeChat user Xiao Feifei said.

“It is really a comfort to me to see so many people like my latest work. To be honest, it would really surprise me if the work does not arouse a sensation among Chinese people. The 24 solar items is a deeply mooted concept that encapsulates the essence of Chinese wisdom. However, only a small portion of people know all the names or the correct order of those terms. My intention is to increase Chinese people’s self awareness to learn more about our traditional fine culture. Actually, the 24 solar items work is only a part of my whole design program ‘Charm China’, which I started over a year ago.” Shi told China Daily.

1.What do you think the underlined word “Zcool” refer to?

A. Website. B. Magazine.

C. Radio Broadcast. D. Newspaper.

2.What is the purpose of the passage?

A. To introduce a creative designer.

B. To introduce the origin of the 24 solar terms.

C. To introduce a design program “Charm China”.

D. To introduce the 24 solar items work.

3.Which of the following statement is true according to text?

A. The 24 solar items work designed by Shi Changhong was added to UNESCO’s heritage list.

B. The background sounds of the work make the video more attractive.

C. It really surprised Shi Changhong to see so many people like his latest work.

D. Most old people know all the names of the correct order of the 24 solar terms

4.Which part of the newspaper does the text probably belong to?

A. Travel. B. Culture.

C. Agriculture. D. Education.

China’s boss of table tennis Liu Guoliang was shocked at his first sight of Japanese teenager Miu Hirano who beat three top-ranked Chinese to claim a sensational victory of the women’s singles at the Asian Table Tennis Championships.

"She’s much better than I had imagined," said Liu, on the conclusion of the continental tournament（锦标赛）. "When she came out the winner of last year's World Cup, I thought maybe she took advantage of the absence of the Chinese women paddlers. However, I changed my mind when I saw her play here. She’s strong enough technically and mentally, and capable of beating any one in the world," added Liu.

Hirano, who just turned 17 years old on Friday, stunned China's world No. 1 Ding Ning 3-2 in the quarterfinals before second-ranked Zhu Yuling 3-0 and finally seeing off world No. 5 Chen Meng, also 3-0, to smash the Chinese dominance（统治）of the tournament.

"She's so young and has so many possibilities in the future," said Liu. "That makes her success more intimidating to our women's team."

In Liu's opinion, the difficulties that China faced in these Asian championships reflected the changes of table tennis world map in recent years.

"It's not just recently that Japan wants to beat China," he said. "By the end of the day, their efforts finally worked out."

The head coach, however, refused to stand all by the Japan's side. "We do need to learn from the other associations, including the Japanese, who do an excellent job on youth training," Liu said. "But one failure should not lead to the whole denial to our own team. I think it's a good thing to have competitors who can pose real challenges, which makes our sport more competitive and more healthy," he added.

1.What’s the meaning of the underlined word “intimidating” in paragraph 4?

A. possible B. certain

C. threatening D. impossible

2.Why could Miu Hirano win the last year’s World Cup?

A. Because Miu made use of the absence of the Chinese women paddlers.

B. Because Chinese women paddlers were weak.

C. Because Miu was capable of winning the game.

D. Because Liu Gouliang wanted her to win the game.

3.Which statement is NOT true according to the passage?

A. Zhu Yuling is the second-ranked in the world of table—tennis.

B. Miu Hirano was defeated by Ding Ning in the quarterfinals of the Asia Table Tennis Championships.

C. China’s female paddlers face the great challenge.

D. Female table-tennis world map has changed in recent years.

4.The passage most likely comes from______.

A. a news report B. a fashion magazine

C. a biography D. a science fiction

Retired nurse Sue Collins was just beginning the second length of her local pool when her morning swim suddenly became anything but a pleasure.

Two months ago Sue, 69, who has never suffered from asthma or any other breathing problem in the past, suddenly found herself hard for breath.

“I felt as if my throat and oesophagus (食道) were closing up,” says Sue.

Sue is convinced the problem is related to the indoor swimming baths. “I spend half the year in Turkey and swim every day outside in a pool or the sea there and never have this problem,” she says.

She may be right, because although a trip to the pool is the perfect exercise for many, the chlorine (氯气) used to keep the water free from germs can lead to problems.

But in most cases it’s not the chlorine that causes problems, but the by-products formed when chlorine interacts with other substances — and this is mostly due to people not showering before they enter the pool.

“This then poisons the water for them and for others,” says Dr. Hull. “The chlorine interacts with sweat and urine(尿素) on the skin and forms by-products called chloramines that float above the surface as a gaseous solution that can be inhaled in.”

Chloramines are heavier than air so hang over the water where they are easily breathed in. Some believe they may cause lung disorders. A Swedish study in 2013 examining the health of 146 workers at 46 indoor pools found that 17 per cent had airway trouble at work — but no problems at home.

As Dr. Hull says: ‘People need to remember that showering isn’t just for them. It is for the greater good.’

1.Where did Sue suddenly suffer from asthma?

A. In an outdoor swimming pool. B. In the sea.

C. In an indoor swimming pool. D. At home.

2.Why should we put chlorine into the water of the pool?

A. To keep the water warm. B. To kill the germs in the water.

C. To make the people easy to breathe. D. To stop the possibility of asthma.

3.Taking a shower before swimming in the pool is to ________.

A. stop the interaction between the chlorine and sweat and urine on the skin

B. make the swimmer feel comfortable

C. obey the rule of the pool

D. stop people from breathing in the chlorine

4.What’s the purpose of the passage?

A. To show how to avoid asthma.

B. To explain chloramines’s usage.

C. To help people cure asthma.

D. To tell people why to take a shower before swimming in a pool.

Chopsticks

Right now, millions of people are digging into their food with two sticks that have school the test of time as a utensil(烹调用具)for humans. But what’s so special about them? 1.Personally, I think they teach us the importance of:

2.

If you’re ever tried using them, you know that you can’t get what you want by just randomly stabbing at the plate. To be able to get what you want, you have to aim for it. There’s no way you can pick up everything in one go. Know what you want, and just do it. 3.

Practice

Using chopsticks doesn’t come naturally. You can’t learn to use them by just reading about them. 4.It is the same with the real life. You can read as much as you like about all the things you want to do, but it will just amount to dreams and theory if you don’t try actually doing it.

Slowing Down

5.Why? Because it allows your stomach to tell your brain you’re full before you overeat. Eating with chopsticks is a slower process, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes we need to slow down and take things one step at a time, so that we have time to think and realize that we don’t have to keep charging full speed through life.

A. Aim

B. Motivation

C. What can we learn from them?

D. You have to practice using them

E. Those who eat too fast were less successful at losing weight

F. Sometimes, a little bit of focus makes the difference between failure and success

G. A common health tip is to try to eat with chopsticks when you can

One day, I drove into a service station to get some gas. It was a beautiful day and I was feeling_______. As I paid for the gas, the attendant said, “How do you feel?” that seemed like a_______question, but I felt fine and told him so. “You don’t look _______.” he replied and continued to tell me my skin appeared _______.

By the time I left, I was a little _________. About a block away, I _________ to the side of the road to look at my face _______the mirror. Was everything all right? Had I picked up _______rare disease? By the time I got home, I was beginning to feel a slight _______somewhere in my body.

The next time I went into that gas station, I __________ what had happened: The place had recently been painted a bright, bilious yellow, and the light reflecting off the walls made everyone inside ________as though they were sick! That was the truth. ________, I let that short conversation change my attitude for an entire day. His __________ observation affected the way I felt and acted.

This experience made me think a lot. It is the same with life, in which attitude ________. The way we look at life determines how we feel and how we ________. If we expect something to turn out________, it probably will. But ________ also works in reverse. If we expect good things to happen, they ________do. An optimistic attitude, I believe, is not a luxury but a(an)________. So after that, I chose to highlight the ________throughout the rest of my life.

1.A. great B. excited C. sick D. uncomfortable

2.A. considerate B. thoughtful C. strange D. funny

3.A. happy B. comfortable C. satisfied D. well

4.A. grey B. yellow C. black D. red

5.A. angry B. uneasy C. painful D. unbelievable

6.A. pulled over B. pulled in C. pulled out D. pulled through

7.A. on B. at C. over D. in

8.A. certain B. some C. several D. anxiety

9.A. comfort B. relief C. pain D. anxiety

10.A. picked out B. put out C. turned out D. figured out

11.A. feel B. behave C. look D. see

12.A. However B. Therefore C. Besides D. Otherwise

13.A. kind B. helpful C. rude D. negative

14.A. matters B. affects C. decides D. speaks

15.A. work B. perform C. learn D. believe

16.A. smoothly B. badly C. well D. positively

17.A. the principle B. the saying C. the meaning D. the sentence

18.A. usually B. certainly C. definitely D. seldom

19.A. imagination B. tool C. necessity D. importance

20.A. important B. useful C. positive D. special

A television series is fast gaining its word-of-mouth 1.(popular) among not only Chinese households but also some foreigners. The drama, 2.(call) In the Name of the People, offers viewers, 3.(particular) foreigners, an opportunity to better understand China’s politics and culture and also the nations’ iron-fist resolve in the fight 4.corruption(腐败) among the country’s officials. The drama is 5.effort rarely seen in recent memory that carries the anti-corruption topic onto mainstream television. Before that, the discussion of this topic was widespread 6.mostly remains private in Chinese society.

“I was quite 7.(impress) by the jaw-dropping scene8.the cash hidden on a giant wall was found in a low-level official’s house. It is a bribe(行贿)he’s accepted which is worth 230 million yuan (about 33 million U. S. dollars)”, said Eric Ivarsen from Norway, a master’s student 9.(major) in the public management and social development at the University of Chinese Academy of Science.

“My subject has a very high requirement of knowledge about Chinese politics and culture. After watching the drama, I 10.(well) understand China’s political terms, for example, seats order according to official rankings, languages being used in a meeting, which is quite different from my country,” lvarsen added.

假定英语课上，老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。作文中共有10处错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。

修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词。

2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

Dear Tom,

I’m glad to accept your last letter. Thanks for your concern about the heavy haze affecting normal teaching activities in our school. We have actual taken several practical measures to handle.

To begin with, attach great importance to the health of the young, our government has fixed a set of equipments to provide fresh air in our school, that can basically solve the problem. In addition to, parents donate lots of air purifiers. However, inside the buildings of our school, we did have fresh and refined air. Besides these, our school avoids outdoor activities when haze attacks.

I do believe a disturbing issue will be solved pretty soon in China.

Yours,

Li Hua

假如你是李华，你校外教Rita对中国传统文化感兴趣。端午节即将来临，你打算邀请她来家里过端午节。请写一份电子邮件给Rita，要点如下；

1．说明写信目的；

2．介绍端午节（时间、纪念屈原）；

3．你计划的庆祝活动。

Dear Rita,

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Looking forward to your reply.

Yours,

Li Hua

He was the man who inspired the Beat Generation, and nearly half a century after his death Jack Kerouac is still receiving grateful letters from his fans.

Most letters are sent in the post to his last home in St Petersburg, Florida, and the mail box in the front yard is full to bursting. But others are delivered by hand, pushed under the front door or left on the doorstep.

They usually thank the author of On the Road for inspiring them to travel and be independent. “You remind me to stay true to who you are and to encourage a sense of adventure in all of us.” reads one letter, handwritten by “Cindy” on paper covered with pictures of butterflies and flowers. She adds, “I hope you’re writing, liberated and drinking a glass of wine.”

Another, signed “Friend of Jack”, reads, “I prefer to think of myself as a free spirit and a person who follows a path of her own choosing. You have always been my inspiration.”

His home, where he was living with his mother Gabrielle and his wife Stella, has become a destination for hundreds of fans every year.

Kerouac rocketed to fame at the age of 35, with the publication of On the Road in 1957.

But after becoming a symbol and leader of the alternative lifestyle movement, he struggled with that fame and claimed that he only wanted people to read his books.

Kerouac died just 12 years after On the Road was published. He was suffering from liver problem, following years of heavy drinking largely brought on by his love-hate relationship with fame.

Kerouac, the creator of vivid characters such as Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty, died at a St Petersburg hospital in 1969, at the age of 47.

1.Why do people still write to Kerouac after his death?

A. His wife and mother still live in his home.

B. They are also suffering from serious illness.

C. People benefiting from his books want to say thanks.

D. People hope to learn how to deal with overnight fame.

2.What is On the Road probably about?

A. How to deal with becoming famous.

B. How vivid characters can be created.

C. Teaching people to appreciate his books.

D. Getting to know oneself better through travel.

3.What can we learn about Kerouac from the text?

A. He had great difficulty dealing with fame.

B. He was depressed because people didn’t read his books.

C. He drank a lot to celebrate his being famous for his works.

D. He was scolded because he promoted an alternative lifestyle.

I have just returned from a visit to my landlord, Mr. Heathcliff. I am delighted with the house I am renting from him, which suits me perfectly.

Mr. Heathcliff is my only neighbour, and I think his character is similar to mine. He does not like people either.

When I introduced myself, he said nothing, but frowned, and did not encourage me to enter. After a while, however, he decided to invite me in.

“Joseph!” he called. Joseph was an old servant. He looked crossly up at me as he took my horse. “God help us! A visitor!” he whispered to himself. Perhaps there were no other servants, I thought. And it seemed that Heathcliff hardly ever received guests.

His house is called Wuthering Heights. The name means “a windswept house on a hill”, and it is a very good description. The trees around the house are bent by the north wind, which blows fiercely every day of the year. Fortunately, the house is strongly built, and is not damaged even by the worst winter storms.

Mr. Heathcliff and I entered the huge main room. We sat down by the fire, in silence.

“Joseph!” shouted Mr. Heathcliff. No answer came from the cellar, so he dived down there, leaving me alone with several rather fierce-looking dogs. Suddenly one of them jumped angrily up at me, and in a moment all the others were attacking me.

“Help! Mr. Heathcliff! Help!” I shouted. My landlord was nowhere to be seen, but luckily a woman, who might be the housekeeper, rushed into the room to calm the dogs.

“What is the matter?” Mr. Heathcliff asked me rudely, as he finally entered the room, accompanied by his man-servant.

“Your dogs, sir!” I replied. “You shouldn’t leave a stranger with them. They’re dangerous.”

“Come, come, Mr. Lockwood. Have some wine. We don’t often have strangers here. I’m afraid neither I nor my dogs are used to receiving them.” I could not feel offended after this, and accepted the wine. We sat drinking and talking together for a while. I suggested visiting him tomorrow. He did not seem eager to see me again, but I shall go anyway. He seems a fascinating man.

1.In which order should the following events be arranged?

a. Mr. Lockwood introduced himself to his landlord.

b. Mr. Lockwood and Mr. Heathcliff sat drinking and talking together.

c. Mr. Heathcliff invited Mr. Lockwood into the house.

d. Mr. Lockwood was attacked by some dogs.

e. Mr. Lockwood and Mr. Heathcliff sat down by the fire, in silence.

f. Mr. Heathcliff appeared in the main room with Joseph.

A. a, c, f, b, d, e. B. c, a, b, e, d, f.

C. a, c, e, d, f, b. D. c, a, f, e, d, b.

2.Why did Joseph say “God help us! A visitor!” when he met Mr. Lockwood?

A. He was very shocked to have a visitor.

B. He thought Mr. Lockwood was a new servant.

C. He had waited for Mr. Lockwood for a long time.

D. He was happy his prayer for guests was answered.

3.Why is the house called “Wuthering Heights”?

A. It is struck by strong winds all the year round.

B. It is protected well by the trees surrounding it.

C. The trees around it are bent by the north wind.

D. It is specially designed to resist strong winds.

4.What was the writer’s impression of Mr. Heathcliff?

A. He was rich but foolish. B. He was rude but interesting.

C. He was handsome but boring. D. He was strange but friendly.