Ma Weidu is the founder and curator(館長)of Guanfu Museum, which is the first private  museum in China. With mainly Chinese artifacts on exhibition, the museum was founded on Jan. 18,l 997.It was not well-known by the public until 2008.
On Jan. l,2008,Ma Weidu was invited to be the guest in the flagship CCTV program “Lecture Room”. He talked about his museum and more importantly, he introduced Chinese artifacts and their underlying historical, cultural significance.
In 2009,Ma Weidu initiated Beijing Guanfu Cultural Foundation. Creating a culture foundation had been Ma’s dream for many years. Beijing Guanfu Cultural Foundation is committed to spreading Chinese traditional culture, funding the development of Guanfu Museum, heritage research and conservation projects, building a platform for public culture, promoting and guiding the public in the spirit of “charity&culture sponsorship(贊助)”.
Guanfu Museum is currently located at No.18 Jinnan Road, Zhangwanfen, Dashanzi, Chaoyang district, Beijing. But due to the city planning, it has to move. Guanfu Museum, which has experienced relocation for three times, is now looking for a new place. According to Mr. Ma, it should be around 20,000-30,000 square meters.
【小題1】According to this passage, which of the followings is true?

A．Guanfu Museum was built in 2008.

B．Ma Weidu was invited to lecture by Guanfu Museum.

C．The public were attracted by Chinese artifacts on exhibition.

D．Guanfu Museum, the first private museum in China was founded fifteen years ago.

【小題2】Guanfu Museum, according to the city government,_______ .

A．will be painted	B．has to hold a new exhibition
C．has to move to a new place	D．has to be enlarged

【小題3】The proper title of this passage should be_____.

A．Ma and His Museum

B．Museums

C．Culture Relics

D．Chinese Culture

The Winter Olympics is also called the White Olympics. At this time, many colorful stamps are published to mark the great Games. The first stamps marking the opening came out on January 25, 1932 in the United States for the 3rd White Olympics. From then on, publishing stamps during the White Olympics became a rule. During the 4th Winter Olympic Games a group of stamps were published in Germany in November 1936. The five rings of Olympics were drawn on the front of the sportswear. It was the first time that the rings appeared on the stamps of the White Olympics. In the 1950’s, the stamps of this kind became more colorful.
When the White Olympics came, the host countries(東道國) as well as the non-host countries published stamps to mark those Games. China also published four stamps in February 1980, when the Chinese sports men began to take part in the White Olympics. Japan is the only Asian country that has ever held the White Olympics. Altogether 14,500 million stamps were sold to raise money for this sports meet. Different kinds of sports were drawn on these small stamps. People can enjoy the beauty of the wonderful movements of some sportsmen.
【小題1】The White Olympics and the Winter Olympics _______.

A．a(chǎn)re the same thing	B．a(chǎn)re different games
C．a(chǎn)re not held in winter	D．a(chǎn)re held in summer

【小題2】The world made it a rule to publish stamps to mark the great world games _______.

A．a(chǎn)fter the year 1936	B．a(chǎn)fter the 3rd White Olympics
C．before the 3rd White Olympics	D．before the year 1932

【小題3】The Winter Olympics is held once _______.

A．every two years	B．every three years
C．every four years	D．every five years

【小題4】Which of the following is true?

A．Only the host countries can publish stamps to mark those Games.

B．Only the non-host countries can publish stamps to mark those Games.

C．All the countries can publish stamps to mark those Games.

D．Japan can’t publish stamps to mark those Games

【小題5】What may appear on the stamps of the White Olympics?

A．Basketball.

B．Table tennis.

C．Football.

D．Skating.

Every culture has it own ways to show friendship. On the island of Hawaii, friendship is part of the “aloha spirit”. In the language of the Hawaiians who first settled the islands long ago, aloha had a very special meaning. That is “to be with happiness”.
Hawaiians believe that once somebody loves the land, they are ready to love their people or community. This is the second most important thing of friendship. It is called lokahi in the Hawaiian language, which means “oneness with all people”. To enjoy the land you should not be selfish. The land is for everyone who lives on. Today many different people call Hawaii their home. Indeed, Hawaii is a place where people make one big community from many smaller communities. Each person gives kokua(help) to other people so that all feel stronger. It is believed that the islands can be a paradise(天堂) when people live in peace. People are told that their actions should be as gentle as the wind that blows from the sea. When problems happen, people are asked to solve them with understanding. So when people of Hawaii talk about ohana(family), they are really talking about all those who live on the island.
Living in peace, Hawaiians have developed a third sign of friendship. This personal friendship is shown by giving leis to one another. The lei, a string of flowers, is put over a friend’s neck. Then the friend is given a kiss on the cheek. Visitors to the islands are also given leis. When they hear aloha, visitors began to feel at home. Aloha also means “goodbye”, so visitors will hear it again when they leave. It can mean “our hearts singing together”. Perhaps this is how most visitors will remember their new friendship.  
【小題1】Which of the following can be the proper title for this text?

A．People in Hawaii	B．Visitors to Hawaii
C．Traveling in Hawaii	D．Friendship in Hawaii

【小題2】How do you understand the underlined sentence in the first paragraph ?

A．Happiness matters most for Hawaiians.

B．Friendship is always together with happiness.

C．Friendship is every thing in Hawaiian culture.

D．Friendship has special meanings for Hawaiians.

【小題3】Which of the following proverb can best express the idea of friendship by Hawaiians?

A．Practice makes perfect.

B．Love me, love my dog.

C．A penny saved is a penny gained.

D．An apple a day keeps a doctor away.

【小題4】Which of the following is a sign to show friendship by Hawaiians?

A．A warm handshake.

B．A kiss on the cheek.

C．A string of flowers.

D．A big hug.

【小題5】According to the text, which of the following Hawaiian word expresses more good wishes?

A．aloha

B． lokahi

C．kokua

D．ohana

New Zealand
What can you see?   Mountains, volcanoes, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, forests, beaches. Both islands are mountainous. In fact, only 30% of New Zealand is flat.
The Maoris
When the Maoris first arrived in New Zealand, they lived in villages and were excellent fishermen, hunters and farmers. About 50 years ago many Maoris started to live and work in the large cities and took jobs in government, industries, medicine and education. They are proud of their culture and are determined to keep many of the customs which are part of their way of life.
Who can you meet?  Most people live on North Island. Eighty-five percent of New Zealanders are “pakeha” (“white men”), which means their “great grandfathers” came from Europe. Ten percent are Maoris. The Maoris came to New Zealand from the Polynesian islands probably around the tenth century. The “pakeha” started to arrive in New Zealand from Europe about 200 years ago as farmers and traders.
Fact box: New Zealand
Position: South of the Equator ;  Nearest neighbor: Australia, 1600 km away.
Size: Two main islands — North Island and South Island: together they are 268.680 sq. km.
Population: 4 million
Capital: Wellington
Languages: English and Maori   
【小題1】Which of the following is a fact about New Zealand?

A．20% of the population being Maoris.

B．Four million white people.

C．About 1600 km south of the Equator.

D．Nearly 1/3 of the country being plains.

【小題2】The country’s population is mainly made up of  _________.

A．the white people and the Polynesians

B．the white people and the “pakeha”

C．the Maoris and the white people

D．the Maoris and the Polynesians

【小題3】When did the white people begin to live in New Zealand?

A．1000 years ago.	B．200 years ago.
C．85 years ago.	D．50 years ago.

【小題4】What do the Maoris value most in life?

A．Living in small villages.	B．Developing farming skills.
C．Keeping their own culture.	D．Taking up government jobs.

It may seem to be a hard task to trace back the history of rap music, though you often see the informal music associated with highly informal dance style. As far as the origin of rap music is concerned, most people agree that it is from Afro-American and Latino Street culture of New York City. Not only in this city but in the surrounding areas there is the influence of African people and their culture.
Rap is a vocal (口頭的) style in which the performer speaks rhythmically and in rhyme, generally to a beat. The term of rap music is the same with hip-hop music typically-consisting of a rhythmic vocal style called rap. If we see it carefully, then we will definitely notice that the music usually is sung at higher pitches (調(diào)). Most of the time rap music is associated with chorus. Though rap music was primarily an American music style with African influence over its music and lyrics, recently it has been spread to almost the entire world.
There is hardly any country or nation where rap music cannot be seen in some form or another, and it is one of the most popular music styles among the youngsters. However, when it comes to its history, it is believed that hip-hop or rap music started in the early 1970s，and gained much popularity throughout the world during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The history of rap music and hip-hop music is full of controversies (爭議) and bans, as the lyrics sometimes relate to drugs and crime; even most famous pop stars and hip-hop musicians and singers were found to be associated with the controversies in their life. For that reason, no matter how popular this music style was or still is, it has always had a bad reputation in the eyes of mainstream society.
【小題1】The passage is mainly about _____.

A．when rap music started	B．how rap music develops
C．what rap music is like	D．why rap music is popular

【小題2】The characteristics of rap music are _____.

A．solo, rhymes，beats and pops

B．speaking, rhythms，beats and solo

C．repeating, speaking, pops and chorus

D．speaking, rhymes, beats and chorus

【小題3】Rap music is now one of the music styles mostly run after by _____.

A．the teenagers in Africa

B．a(chǎn)ll kinds of people in the world

C．the youngsters all over the world

D．the young people in the US

【小題4】Rap music is often not well thought of by the mainstream because _____.

A．it comes from the lower class

B．it has a short history

C．it is associated with crimes and drugs

D．its music is full of controversies

“Slow City” — a recently launched project focused on preserving the traditional quality of life enjoyed in some of Italy’s smaller cities and towns. The project was born from the idea of the “Slow Food” movement — started in Italy in the 1980s — which promotes leisurely eating and the growing of local, healthy products to fight against the American fast-food style.
“The American urban model has invaded our cities, making Italian towns look the same. We want to stop this kind of globalization,” says Paolo Saturnini, an Italian mayor.
The “Slow City” project plans to emphasize the rich, cultural, culinary(廚房的) and artistic local traditions of each community.
Walking areas will be enlarged and squares and parks will be made greener with more plants. Car alarms and other noise that disturbs the peace will be banned, and ugly TV aerials(天線), advertising posters, and signs will be taken down.
City councils will also insist on the use of recycling and renewable energy sources, and will also introduce ecological transport systems. Parking will be made stress-free by creating more public parking areas, and easily accessible walkways and bike lanes will cross the city. But in the “Slow City” way, all improvements will probably come about slowly.
Thirty-two Italian city councils, which joined the “Slow City” program, have decided to take further steps in this direction by increasing the numbers of traditional family-style eating establishments, reducing noise pollution, and concentrating on making their towns friendlier for people to live in.
Organic local produce will be promoted in all restaurants and genetically modified foods(轉(zhuǎn)基因食品) will be banned. “We can’t stop large, fast-food chains from coming here, but we hope that people who come to our towns will not want to eat exactly the same hamburger they can eat in Melbourne, London or Paris, but want something genuine and different,” said Saturnini.
【小題1】According to the passage, the “Slow City” project aims at _____.

A．preventing Italy from being affected by America

B．beautifying the environment of small Italian cities and towns

C．calling on Italians to enjoy stress-free life

D．protecting the traditional Italian lifestyle

【小題2】From Paragraphs 4-5, we can infer that ______.

A．cars in “Slow City” will have to go slowly

B．people can park their cars free of charge in “Slow City”

C．“Slow City” will take on an environmentally friendly look

D．a(chǎn)dvertising in “Slow City” will be banned

【小題3】Further measures will be included in the “Slow City” program EXCEPT _____.

A．cutting down noise pollution

B．stop genetically modified foods

C．getting more towns involved in the project

D．building more family-style restaurants

【小題4】In Saturnini’s opinion, when traveling in “Slow Cities”, visitors_____.

A．a(chǎn)ren’t provided with fast food

B．will see few fast-food chains

C．can enjoy themselves like in London

D．can enjoy real Italian-style healthy food

When I first saw the book Alice in Lace, I thought I was going to like it. And as it turned out, I love it! I love books about life and being a kid. And Alice in Lace is just that kind. It’s a humorous book about being thirteen and the problems kids might face. Alice and her friends get a strange assignment from their totally cool teacher, Mr. Everett. It was like playing the game of “Life,” but you had to act it out.
So Pamela is pregnant, Elizabeth buys a car and Alice gets married. Well, of course, Pamela wasn’t really pregnant, but she walked around with a pillow under her shirt to get people’s reactions. Elizabeth didn’t really buy a car, but she went to the car lot and made the sales guy think she was. The whole class got assignments like these! I would love to do something like that for school.
In the book Alice has a lot to think about. “Getting married is hard!” Alice says. She has to plan the ceremony, the honeymoon, find a place to live, pay for furniture and two months’ rent and food. Maybe she and her “husband” could work it out — if they were getting on fine!
Although this book was funny, it really made me think about how problems like these could really mess up your life. Take teenage pregnancy for example. How could you have a baby and stay in school? You couldn’t find a babysitter every day to stay with your kid. A child really consumes your life. I understand what the teacher was trying to do. He was trying to discourage the class from getting into these problems by giving them a glimpse of life. As someone about to become a teenager myself, I can say sometimes a story makes you think about what’s up ahead.
Overall, I would say this book is wonderful. My favorite part of the book is discovering that if I like it, there are seven other Alice books I can check out at my local library. I love this book, and I hope you will too.
【小題1】We can infer from the passage that Pamela, Elizabeth and Alice _______.

A．turn out to be the author’s classmates

B．a(chǎn)re characters in Alice in Lace

C．get along quite well

D．become dismissed from school

【小題2】By saying “getting married is hard” in the paragraph 3, Alice means ______.

A．life isn’t easy as expected

B．it is hard to deal with her husband

C．she regrets getting married

D．it’s fun to get married

【小題3】Why did Mr. Everett give his students such assignments?

A．To encourage them to enjoy a meaningful life.

B．To prevent them getting into those troubles at an early age.

C．To make them realize the hardship of life.

D．To teach them how to make a living.

【小題4】The author writes the passage mainly to _____.

A．a(chǎn)dvise us to buy Alice in Lace

B．tell us how wonderful Mr. Everett’s idea is

C．share her inspiration from Alice in Lace

D．show off her reading ability

Why is pink or purple a color for girls and blue or brown for boys?
The answer depends largely on cultural values as well as personal experiences. To the Egyptians, green was a color that represented the hope and joy of spring, while for Muslims, it means heaven. Red is a symbol of good luck in many cultures. In China, children are given money in a red envelope to bring good fortune in the New Year. For many nations, blue is a symbol of protection and religious beliefs. Greek people often wear a blue necklace hoping to protect themselves against evils(災(zāi)禍).
People’s choice of colors is also influenced by their bodies’ reactions(反應(yīng)) toward them. Green is said to be the most restful color. It has the ability to reduce pain and relax people both mentally and physically. People who work in green environment have been found to have fewer stomach aches.
Red can cause a person’s blood pressure to rise and increase people’s appetites(食欲). Many decorators will include different shades of red in the restaurant. Similarly, many commercial websites will have a red “Buy Now” button because red is a color that easily catches a person’s eye.
Blue is another calming color. Unlike red, blue can cause people to lose appetite. So if you want to eat less, some suggest that eating from blue plates can help.
The next time you are deciding on what to wear or what color to decorate your room, think about the color carefully.
【小題1】Muslims regard green as a symbol of heaven mainly because of their              .

A．cultural values	B．commercial purposes
C．personal experiences	D．physical reactions to the color

【小題2】Why will many commercial websites have a red “Buy Now” button?

A．To relax people physically.

B．To increase people’s appetites.

C．To encourage people to make a purchase.

D．To cause a person’s blood pressure to rise.

【小題3】What color might help lose weight according to the text?

A．Red

B．Green

C．Blue.

D．Purple.

【小題4】Which of the following would be the most proper title for the text?

A．Colors and Human Beings.	B．The Cultural Meaning of Color.
C．Colors and Personal Experiences.	D．The Meaning and Function of Color.

It helps us understand the world better if we know a little geography and have some maps at hand. But with maps in Chinese only, misunderstanding is possible in studying world events. Chinese names are long, hard to pronounce and without meaning to a foreigner. For the opening of the country maps are important and helpful and needed badly.
I wish maps various languages, such as those used in the United Nations, would come out and be sold in all bookstores open to Chinese.
【小題1】The writer is mainly talking about ____.

A．geography	B．maps
C．Chinese names	D．the opening of the country

【小題2】Knowing a little geography and having some maps in Chinese only, a foreigner ____.

A．can study world events easily

B．can study world events without misunderstanding

C．can’t study world events without misunderstanding

D．will fell joy in studying world events

【小題3】What are the difficulties for a foreigner to use a map in Chinese?

A．A foreigner has nowhere to buy a map

B．All the bookstores only open to Chinese.

C．The names of Chinese people are long, hard to pronounce and without meaning.

D．The names of places on a map in Chinese are long, hard to pronounce and without meaning.

【小題4】In the United Nations people use maps in ____.

A．foreign languages only	B．Chinese only
C．various languages	D．English only

【小題5】According to the passage maps in foreign language are badly needed ____.

A．in a country open to other parts of the world

B．if a country is going to join the United Nations

C．when we are learning geography

D．if there are no maps in bookstores open to Chinese

It is easy to find your way about in New York. It is laid out so regularly. Instead of streets winding and twisting (迂回) as they do in London, they are all regular and well planned. The streets running north and south are called “avenues” and are numbered, e.g. 1^st Avenue, 2^nd Avenue, etc. The streets going east and west are called “streets” and are also numbered, e.g. 51^st Street, 63^rd Street. It is all much more logical (合理的) than London’s street names. But I couldn’t help thinking how much more interesting than these dull cold numbers are London’s illogical but colorful names of streets, e.g. “Bishopgate” (which is not a gate and hasn’t a Bishop in it); “Haymarket” or “Corn market” (where you won’t see any hey or corn) or “Poultry” (without a living chicken anywhere in sight) or “Thread needle Street” (where you won’t find little girls learning to sew).
【小題1】In the second sentence of the passage, “l(fā)aid out” means ______.

A．built

B．be put

C．designed

D．cut down

【小題2】The streets running from north to south are called _______.

A．a(chǎn)venues in London	B．streets in America
C．a(chǎn)venues in New York	D．streets in London

【小題3】According to the writer’s opinion, ______.

A．a(chǎn)venues and streets are the same

B．streets in America are better than avenues in England

C．streets in New York are better than those in London

D．the writer didn’t agree with the London streets planners

【小題4】The names of streets both in London and New York ______.

A．a(chǎn)re quite good	B．a(chǎn)re interesting
C．a(chǎn)re not practical	D．differ greatly in form

【小題5】The writer tells his readers that he prefers (更喜歡) _____.

A．London streets	B．New York streets
C．both	D．neither