The Festival of Cultures

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　August 11-14

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　City Park

　　The Festival of Cultures is an annual event to celebrate the wide range of cultures found in our great state. People representing 40 cultural groups will share their traditions and customs. Here are just a few of the festival’s many activities.

　　Crafts: See the fine art of basket weaving from Vietnam and Zimbabwe. Watch the delicate art of making paper umbrellas from Thailand and the decorative craft of paperl picado, or paper cutting, from Mexico. All craft demonstrations provide a firsthand view of how things are made. You will appreciate the process involved in making these products.

　　Music and Dance: Experience musical instruments that you have never heard before. Listening to the music of a sho from Japan, a bull-roarer from Australia, a sitar from India, and a chakay from Thailand. You will also be entertained by folk dances from around the world, such as the troika from Russia and the mayim mayim from Israel. From 1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. on August 14, special folk-dancing classes for children will be offered. Children ranging in age from 6-8 can learn the kinderpolka from Germany. Children ranging in age from 9-12 can learn the raspa from Mexico.

　　Storytelling: Listen for hours as professional storytellers charm you with captivating tales. Fables, folktales, and ballads from various countries will be told. By popular demand, Gwendolyn Washington, a famous African American storyteller, is back.

　　Food: Enjoy irresistible foods from other countries, such as gyros from Greece, seafood paella from Spain, crepes from France, and tandoori chicken from India. These tasty dishes will be difficult to pass up.

If we say the four great inventions (Gunpowder,Compass,Paper and Art of Printing) reflected ancient China’s scientific achievements,then Zhaozhou Stone Bridge perfectly represented one of the greatest contributions to ancient China’s bridge building.Nobody was unfamiliar with the stone bridge full of legends and vivid folk stories.

The ancient Zhaozhou stone bridge started to be built in 590 during the Sui Dynasty (581～618) and established in 608.The pioneer for building the bridge was Li Chun who overcame unimaginable difficulties,undergoing all hardships.The location of the bridge is in Zhao County south,Hebei Province.It lay across the Xiaoshui River,far away from the mountains that provided rocky materials.In ancient times,it was such a busy,deep and wide river that could be used as an important carriage to transport heavy rocks and other materials.As we know,no train,no lifting machine could be used to move granite(花岗岩)blocks to the construction site.As an intelligent stonemason and engineer,Li Chun worked out his plan and design all from his own direct observation and investigation.It took his whole life-time in completing the great historical project inChina.Nowadays it is not only a historical remarkable model of architecture,but also a brilliant Chinese cultural crystallization(结晶) of wisdom.

The entire length of the bridge is 50.82 meters with 10 meters width.The whole stone bridge looks like a big bow,the span of which is 37.02 meters,and its height from the top to the surface of water at a regular position is 7.23 meters.The bridge arch seems to be moving smoothly and flatly.The whole arch consists of 28 big granite blocks connected each other tightly together.On both end sides of the general arch there are 4 smaller arches,2 of which on one side,the other 2 on the other side.The smaller arches could be used to decrease the weight of the bridge and save stone materials,and help flood get through easily,which seems to be much prettier.Such a hard-thinking and careful consideration of the engineering article is really a model of design and layout.The span was much wider than the other stone bridge in ancient times all over China.

Today Zhaozhou Stone Bridge is one of international cultural relics and perfectly protected and preserved by the concerned administration of China.

1.The best title of this passage is _________.

A.Great engineer in ancient China　　　　　 B.Zhaozhou stone bridge

C.Four great inventions　　　　　　　　　 D.How to build a bridge

2.The third paragraph mainly tells us _________.

A.the materials of Zhaozhou bridge　　　 B.the structure of Zhaozhou bridge

C.the arches of Zhaozhou bridge　　　　　 D.the importance of Zhaozhou bridge

3.The underlined word “carriage” probably refers to _________.

A.cart　　　　　 B.transport　　　　 C.channel　　　　 D.resourse

Although I love my life, it hasn’t been a lot of fun as I’ve been ill for 28 years.

Music has always been a great love of mine and, in my 20s, when my 　1 was more manageable , I 2　 ten years as a professional singer in restaurants, playing and singing folk songs. 　3　 that was years ago and times have changed. 　4　 I live with mother on a country farm

Two years ago, I decided that I would need to have some kind of extra work to 　5 my disability pension (残疾抚恤金). 　6 I needed to sleep in the afternoons, I was limited in my 　7　 . I decided that I would consider 8　 to singing in restaurants.

My family are all musicians, so I was 　9 when I went into our local music store. I explained that I wanted to sing again but using recorded karaoke music. I knew that discs were very expensive and I really didn’t have a lot of　 10　 to get started. And 11　 you find only three to four songs out of ten on a disc that you can 　12　 use.

When I told the owner of the shop about my 　13　 ; he gave me a long thoughtful 　 14　 . “This means a lot to you, doesn’ t it?” he said. “Come with me.”

He led me 　15 the crowded shop and to a bench with a large professional karaoke box on it. He placed his large hand 16 on his treasure and said, “I have 800 karaoke songs in here. You can take your 17 and I’ll record them for you. That should get you started.”

I 　18　 . Thanking him, I made a time with him to listen to all the songs and choose 　19 that I could sing. I have come full circle with his help.

His 　20 still warms my heart and makes me do just that bit extra, when I have the chance.

1. A. loneliness 　　　　　 B. sadness 　　　　　　　　 C. tiredness 　　　　　　　 D. sickness

2. A. set 　　　　　　　 　　B. enjoyed 　　　　　　　　　 C. kept 　　　　　　　　　　 D. shared

3. A. Gladly 　　　　　　　　 B. Eventually 　　　　　　　 C. Unfortunately 　　　　 D. Surprisingly

4. A. Now 　　　　　　　　　 B. Then 　　　　　　　 　　C. Sometime 　　　　　　　 D. Meanwhile

5. A. add up to　　 　 B. make up for 　　　 C. get rid of 　　　　 D. take advantage of

6. A. If 　　　　　　　　　　　 B. As 　　　　　　　　 　　C. Though 　　　　　　　 D. Before

7. A. movement 　　　　 B. condition 　　　　　　　 C. choices 　　　　　　　　 D. positions

8. A. reaching out 　　B. living up 　　　　　　　　 C. getting on 　　　　　　　 D. going back

9. A. recognized 　　　　 B. interviewed 　　　　　　 C. found 　　　　　　　　　　 D. invited

10. A. money 　　　　　　　　　　 B. time 　　　　　　　　　　　 C. energy D. knowledge

11. A. thus 　　　　　　　　 B. once 　　　　　　　　　　　 C. seldom 　　　　　　　　　 D. often

12. A. actually 　　　　　　 B. hardly 　　　　　　　　　　 C. nearly 　　　　　　　　　　 D. formerly

13. A. job 　　　　　　　　　 B. family 　　　　　　　　　　 C. idea 　　　　　　　　　　 D. offer

14. A. face 　　　　　　　　 B. view 　　　　　　　　　　　 C. look 　　　　　　　　　　　 D. sight

15. A. over 　　　　　　　　 B. along 　　　　　　　　　　 C. towards 　　　　　　　　 D. through

16. A. unhappily 　　　　 B. lovingly 　　　　　　　　 C. pitifully 　　　　　　　　　 D. gratefully

17. A. pick 　　　　　　　　 B. turn 　　　　　　　　　　　 C. role 　　　　　　　　　　　 D. step

18. A. had to cry B. ought to cry C. should have cried 　 D. could have cried

19. A. more 　　　　　　　 B. the ones 　　　　　　　　 C. few 　　　　　　　　　　　 D. the rest

20. A. courage 　　　　　　 B. devotion 　　　　　　　　 C. kindness 　　　　　　　　 D. trust

Charlie likes_______folk music and plays_______guitar well.?

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

A folk group was formed to demand that the bus company ____ its unfair____.

A. changed; pracitce 　 B. change; practices

C. to change; practice 　 D. be changed; practices