Most people think the first pies were made by early Romans. They may have learned about pie making
from the Greeks. These pies were sometimes made in "reeds (芦苇叶)", which were used for the purpose
of holding the filling (馅), and were not eaten.
      The Romans spread the word about pies around Europe and the word "pie" became a popular word in
the 14th century. The first pie recipe (食谱) was also published by the Romans.
       Pies first appeared in England as early as the twelfth century. The early pies were mostly meat pies.
There was actually more crust (皮) than filling. Often these pies were made from fowl (家禽) and the fowl's
legs were left to hang over the side of the dish and used as handles. Fruit pies were probably first made in
the 1500s. It is said that Queen Elizabeth I made the first cherry pie. 
      Pie came to America with the first English settlers. The early settlers cooked their pies in long narrow
pans. As in the Roman times, the early American pie crusts were often not eaten, but simply used to hold
the filling during baking (烘焙).
      Over the years, pie has become what it is today-"the most traditional American dessert". Pie has
become so much a part of American culture that we now often use the phrase "as American as apple pie".

1. Which people might probably first grasp the skill to make pies?

A. The Romans.
B. The Greeks.
C. The Englishmen.
D. The Americans.

2. Which of the following is NOT true about pies?

A. English settlers brought pies to America.
B. Early Romans ate not only pies but also the crusts.
C. The Romans first published pie recipe.
D. The word "pie" became popular because of the Romans' efforts.

3. What can best show pies have become part of American culture?

A. Americans use long narrow pans to cook pies.
B. People use "as American as apple pie" to show something about American characteristics.
C. Americans don't eat crusts but use them to hold the filling during baking.
D. Pies are the most traditional American dessert.

4. The best title of this passage is "______".

A. The History of Pies
B. Pies, the Delicious Food
C. Pies, American Dessert
D. How to Make Pies

      Daban town is famous for girls and windmills (风车), while Loulan is a myth (神话) in the desert. From
Daban, we move to another ancient city, Loulan.
      Two thousand years ago, beside the beautiful and rich Luobu Lake, there lay Loulan, ancient city on the
Silk Road. Businessmen from every country gathered here and there were dancing parties. Everything shows
that people in Loulan lived a rich life then.
      However, two thousand years later, this rich land suddenly disappeared from the map of China. Then it
became an area covered with sand and dead tree trunks.
      Loulan was first "discovered" by a Swedish man Sven Hedin in 1900. People from America, Britain, Japan
and Sweden, all set foot here. Then in the 1930s, a Chinese named Huang Wenbi came to Loulan for the first
time. He visited and studied this area and found many relics that were beautifully and carefully made.
      It is recorded that the ancient city of Loulan was the capital of Loulan Kingdom during the Han and Jin
dynasties. In the past century many things have been dug out there including Han Dynasty coins, mirrors and
many others from Greece and Rome. All these things show that a lot of business between East and West once
took place there.
      Lying on the northwest of the Lop Nur area, the Loulan Kingdom is now a lifeless area with endless
"forests" of mounds (小丘) which aren't easily seen in other parts of the world. Its mystery (神秘) has been
attracting so many people from so many countries.

1. The first person to set foot in Loulan in the 20th century is _____.

A. a European
B. an American
C. an Englishman
D. a Japanese

2. Before Loulan disappeared, _____.

A. a lot of business between East and West had taken place there
B. people from America and Japan had set foot there
C. a lifeless area with lots of mounds could easily be seen there
D. Africans had visited the ancient country

3. We can infer from the passage that _____.

A. Loulan was destroyed by the terrible weather there
B. wars between dynasties made Loulan disappear
C. foreigners came to Loulan and destroyed it
D. how Loulan disappeared is still unknown to us

4. What makes so many people visit Loulan Kingdom?

A. The beautiful scenery there.
B. Its developed business in the past.
C. Its mysterious stories.
D. Those buried treasures there.

       Academy Awards The Academy Awards are the most prominent film award in the United States. The
Awards are granted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Academy Awards are nicknamed
"Oscars", which is also the nickname of the statuette. The name is said to have been born in 1931 when
Margaret Herrick saw the statuette on a table and said. "It looks just like my uncle Oscar!" 
      Berlin Film Festival One of the "A" festivals in Europe. The Berlin International Film Festival, also called
the "Berlinale", is held annually in February and started in 1951 after an initiative of the American, who
occupied part of the city after World War II. The jury always placed special emphasis on representing films
from all over the world, from the former Eastern Bloc Countries (东方阵营) as well as from Western
countries.The awards are called Golden and Silver Bears ( as the bear is the symbol of Berlin).
      Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival takes place every year in late August/early September on
the Lido in the historic Palazzo del Cinema, in Venice, Italy since 1932; its main award is the "Leond'Oro"
(Golden Lion). Recently, a new award has been added, the San Marco Award for the best film. 
      Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival is. a famous international film festival. It has been held
annually in Cannes, in the south of France, since 1946 with a few exceptions. Given massive media exposure,
the Festival is attended by many movie stars and is a popular venue for movie producers to launch their new
films and attempt to sell their works to the distributors who come from all over the globe.
      The most famous award given out at Carmes is the "Palme d'Or" (Golden Palm) for the best film; this is
sometimes shared by multiple films in one year.

1. Which award can be shared by multiple films in one year?

A. Golden Lion.
B. Golden Palm.
C. Academy Awards.
D. San Marco Award.

2. Which of the following statements about "Oscars" is NOT true?

A. It s the nickname of Academy Awards.
B. It's also the nickname of the statuette.
C. It got its name because Margaret said the statuette looked like her uncle.
D. It s an award in France.

3. Which award has the shortest history?

A. Golden Lion.
B. Golden Palm.
C. Academy Awards.
D. San Marco Award.

4. Which of the following best states the main idea of the passage?

A. An introduction to famous film festivals and film awards.
B. An advertisement for films and TV programs.
C. An introduction to the nicknames of famous film awards.
D. A guide of bow to attend famous film festivals.

      For Chinese, it's a time for dragon boat racing and Zongzi (粽子). But across the Yellow Sea, South
Korea, wrestling (摔跤) and swing play are the highlights. However, both events go by the same name-the
Dragon Boat Festival-which falls on May 5 of the lunar calendar.
      One festival, two cultures: does one nation have the right to call its own? It has been reported that South
Korea will apply to the United Nations Educational, Social and Cultural Organization (UNESCO联合国教科
文组织) to make the celebration its cultural heritage (文化遗产). If successful, people from other countries
may see the Dragon Festival as a Korean creation.
      As the birthplace of the yearly event more than 2,000 years ago, China is not happy with the situation.
"It would be a shame if another country successfully made a traditional Chinese festival part of its own
cultural heritage ahead of China," said Zhou Heping, deputy culture minister. The Ministry of Culture is even
thinking of making its own application to UNESCO, covering all traditional Chinese festivals, including the
Dragon Boat event.
      Over the years, the Dragon Boat Festival has spread throughout the world. In Japan and Viet Nam, as
well as South Korea, the festival has mixed with and become part of local culture.
      With this in mind, some experts say that it is meaningless to argue about which country the festival
belongs to. "No one can deny that it came from China," said Long Haiqing, an expert from Hunan Province.
"But if all the countries involved can protect culture heritage together, they will all benefit."

1. The underlined word "highlights" can be probably replaced by "____".

A. most exciting events
B. highest lights on the building
C. brightest lights at night
D. most famous festivals

2. It can be inferred that South Korea ____.

A. has proclaimed (宣布) the Dragon Boat Festival as a part of its cultural heritage
B. has the exactly same Dragon Boat Festival as China
C. has no idea that China has such a festival
D. is paying more attention to its cultural heritage than China

3. China is not happy with the situation because ____.

A. it created the festival
B. it is also making an application
C. South Korea has no right to call the festival its own
D. UNESCO may approve (批准) South Korea's application

4. If South Korea's application to UNESCO is successful, ____.

A. China will also make its own application to UNESCO
B. it will be meaningless to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival
C. people from other parts of the world will think South Korea created the festival
D. the Dragon Boat Festival will become part of local culture

5. The author would probably support ____.

A. a move by South Korea to cancel its application
B. China getting UNESCO's approval of the festival first
C. the opinion of Zhou Heping
D. China paying more attention to its cultural heritage

       1._______ However, the real movie capital is Mumbai, in India. Mumbai used to be known as Bombay,
and so the film industry there is called "Bollywood". Bollywood makes twice as many movies each year as
Hollywood-more than 800 films a year. 
      2. _______ For one thing. Bollywood movies are much longer than most Hollywood movies. Most
Bollywood movies are more than three hours long, and contain singing, dancing, action, adventure, mystery,
and romance. Because Bollywood films contain so many different features, this style of film is sometimes
called a "masala" film.("Masala" is an Indian word for a mixture of spices.) 
      3. _______ It takes much longer to make a movie in Hollywood than in Bollywood. In fact, filming may
begin on a Bollywood movie before the script (剧本) is even finished. The director and writer can make up
the story while the film is being made. 4. _______ 
      Bollywood actors are very popular and some are in such high demand that they may work on several
movies at the same time. 5. _______ Since most Bollywood movies follow the same kind of story, shooting
scenes for several films at the same time is not a big problem for actors or directors. This also helps keep
the cost of Bollywood movies lower than the cost of Hollywood movies. The average Bollywood film, with
a budget (预算) of only two million U. S. dollars, seems very cheap compared to the average budget of sixty
million U.S. dollars for a Hollywood film - thirty times as much!

A. Another big difference between Bollywood and Hollywood movies is the way the movies are made.
B. Bollywood produces more movies than Hollywood.
C. Most people think that the capital of the movie world is Hollywood, in the United States.
D. They may even shoot scenes for several films on the same day using the same, clothes and scenery.
E. Only Indian people can understand Bollywood movies.
F. Sometimes they will even write the script by hand instead of taking time to type it.
G. The movies from Bollywood are very different from Hollywood movies.

      In front of a popular restaurant, a line of customers wait for taxis. And wait. Most of the cabs (taxis)
are full. That's nothing unusual in this city of 4 million people. But it's 2:30 in the morning.
       Visitors to the Olympic Games may leave disappointed if they see Athens only through the eyes of the
typical tourist, who makes a beeline of the islands after the visit to the Acropolis (雅典卫城) and the unusual
and attractive Plaka district. To fully appreciate and discover Athens' many charms (魅力), do as the Greeks
do: walk out into the neighborhoods, find the packed nightclubs, eat at one of the innumerable (数不清的)
restaurants, or see Hollywood stars under real stars in a romantic outdoor cinema. 
      The Greek capital is named for the ancient goddess Athena, whose favourite animal was the owl (猫头鹰).
It's a fitting symbol for the city's nocturnal (夜里的) nature, which often reaches its highest point in summer
with a rush hour just before dawn.
       As native Athenian Panos Demestiha said, Athens by day is unlivable (不宜居住的), but it's magical at
night. Athenians face up to heavy traffic block, decreasing green space, dusty streets…City officials are using
the momentum (契机) of the August 13-29 Olympics to fix some of these problems and make city life more
bearable.

1. To the surprise of the visitors to Athens, _____.

A．most of the cabs are often full all day long
B. the cabs are often empty
C. the cabs are almost full even at 2:30 am
D. there is no cab in the street at 2:30 am.

2. The name of Athens came from _____.

A. a goddess
B. a famous athlete
C. a kind of animal
D. a kind of plant

3. The typical visitors will often visit the following places EXCEP _____.

A. the neighborhood
B. the Plaka district
C. the Acropolis
D. famous islands

4. The underlined word"bearable" in the last paragraph can be replaced by "_____".

A. astonishing
B. forgettable
C. exciting
D. comfortable

      We know the westerners like to plan for their time carefully in order to do all the things that are important
to them. So if your American or English friend asks you to dinner, he usually invites you a week ahead. But if
you really have no time and can't go to the dinner, you can ring him to say sorry. The dinner is usually served
at home, sometimes at a restaurant. You should get there on time, and don't forget to put on your fine clothes.
It is also a good idea to take some little presents to your friend, such as flowers, chocolates and so on. When
you are at dinner, you should also observe (遵守) some other customs. Here I'll give you some dos and don'ts
about them in the following:
1) Don't leave bones on the table or the floor. (You should put them on your plate with fingers.)
2) Don't use your bowl to drink soup, but use your spoon to help you instead.
3) Don't talk with much food in your mouth.
4) Don't ask others to have more wine. (This is quite different from that in China.)
5) After dinner, use your napkin (餐巾) to clean your mouth and hands.
6) Make sure small pieces of food are not left on your face.
      Then after dinner, you can stay there a little time. And your friend will be pleased if you leave in half an
hour or so. Next day, you had better ring him up to thank him for the good dinner.

1. When you come to the dinner, you'd better _____.

A. get there a bit earlier
B. put on your usual clothes
C. take some presents like flowers, chocolates and so on
D. take your best friends with you

2. It would be impolite to _____.

A. put bones on your plates with fingers
B. persuade others to drink more
C. drink soup with your spoon
D. make sure that there is nothing left on your face after dinner

3. Which of the following is not true?

A. After dinner, you'd better stay and talk with your friends for a long time to show your thanks.
B. You'd better ring your friend the next day to show your thanks.
C. After dinner, you'd better leave in half an hour.
D. After dinner, use napkin to clean your mouth.

4. The best title for this passage would be _____.

A. Custom in England and America
B. Custom in the West
C. Living Custom in the West
D. Custom at Dinner Table in the West

      When someone says, "Well, I guess I'll have to go to face the music", it does not mean he is planning to
go to a concert. It is something far less pleasant, like being called in by your boss to explain why you did this
or that, and why you did not do this or that. Sour (剌耳的; 拙劣的) music, indeed, but it has to be faced. 
     The phrase "to face the music" is familiar to every American, young and old. It is at least 100 years old.
Where did the expression come from? 
     The first information comes from the American writer James Fennimore Cooper. He said in 1851 that the
expression was first used by actors while waiting in the wings to go on stage. After they got their clue (提示,
暗示) to go on, they often said, "It's time to go to face the music." And that is exactly what they did-face the
orchestra (管弦乐队) which was just below the stage.
     An actor might be frightened or nervous as he moved on to the stage in front of the audience that might be
friendly or perhaps unfriendly especially if he forgot his lines. But he had to go out. So, "to face the music"
came to mean having to go through something, no matter how unpleasant the experience might be, because
you knew you had no choice.
     The other explanation comes from the army. Men had to face inspection (视察) by their leader. The soldiers
worried about how well they looked. Was their equipment clean-shiny enough to pass inspection? Still, the men
had to go out, and face the music of the band, as well as the inspection. What else could they do?

1. According to the passage, the word "music" means _____.

A. your boss's criticism (批评)
B. something unpleasant to be experienced
C. your leader's inspection
D. sour pop music

2. The phrase "to face the music" was first used by _____.

A. all the Americans
B. the American writer James Fennimore cooper
C. some American actors
D. the American orchestra

3. The phrase "to face the music" is also used to mean that soldiers were not willing _____.

A. to be examined about their equipment
B. to be found weak
C. to show themselves up in public
D. to be inspected by their leader

4. The passage is mainly about _____.

A. the meaning of the phrase "to face the music"
B. how to deal with something unpleasant
C. how to learn English phrase
D. how to go through difficulty

      Who taught you to speak English? Your parents, while you were a young child? Your teachers at
school? Perhaps even the BBC as a grown-up. Whoever it was, somehow you have developed an
understanding of what is rapidly becoming a truly global language.
     There are now about 376 million people who speak English as their first language and about the same
number who have learnt it besides their mother tongue. It is said there are one billion people learning
English now and about 80% of the information on the Internet is in English. 
     Is this a good thing, or a bad thing? Should we celebrate the fact that more and more of us can
communicate, using a common language, across countries and cultures? Or should we worry about
the dangers of "mono-culturalism", a world in which we all speak the same language, eat the same food
and listen to the same music? 
     Does it matter if an increasing number of people speak the same language? On the contrary (相反),
I would have thought-although I have never accepted the argument that if only we all understood each
other better, there would be fewer wars. Ask the people of India (where many of them speak at least
some English) and Pakistan (the same situation with India)…
     If we all speak English, will we then all start eating McDonald's burgers? Surely not. If English
becomes more dominant (占主导地位的), it will kill other languages? I doubt it. When I travel in Africa
or Asia, I am always surprised by how many people can speak not only their own language but also one
or more other related languages, as well as English and perhaps some French or German as well.
     When we discussed this on Talking Point a couple of years ago, we received a wonderfully poetic
email from a listener in Ireland. "The English language is a beautiful language. Maybe it's like a rose," he
said. "But who would ever want their garden just full of roses?"
     Well, I love roses, and I think they make a beautiful addition to any garden. But the way I see it, just
by planting a few roses, you don't necessarily need to pull out everything else. If more and more people
want to plant English roses, that's fine by me.

1. By saying "Ask the people of India … and Pakistan" (in Paragraph 4), the author is trying to show
    that _____.

A. speaking the same language doesn't necessarily bring peace
B. wars can destroy the relationship between two countries
C. English doesn't kill other languages
D. English is widely used in the world

2. What does "rose" in the last two paragraphs stand for?

A. The world
B. Family
C. Language
D. The Earth

3. The author would probably agree that _____.

A. it's very hard to plant many kinds of flowers in a garden
B. it's good for people from other countries to learn English
C. more and more people like to plant roses in their gardens
D. English is easier to learn than other languages

4. This passage is mainly about _____.

A. why English has become a global language
B. how many people in the world speak English
C. how people in the world learn English as a foreign language
D. whether we need to worry about English being a world language

     In Eastern Europe, blue jeans symbolize (象征) American culture and "the good life". In Spain they are
known as "cowboys". In China, jeans are known as ｎｉｕｚａｉｋｕ, also, "cowboy trousers", which
means they are connected with the American West cowboy culture and outdoor work.
     Jeans are usually made from denim (粗布), but may also be made from other materials. The earliest
known cloth for jeans was a thick cotton cloth from the Indians. At first they were working clothes. They
became popular among teenagers in the 1950s. Today jeans are a very popular form of casual wear around
the world and come in many styles and colors.
     Jeans were first made in Genoa in Italy. The trousers were made for the Genoese navy (海军) because
they needed trousers which could be worn wet or dry, and whose legs could be easily rolled up while the
men were cleaning the ships. These jeans would be washed by pulling them in large fishing nets behind the
ship, and the sea water would make them white.
     In the 1850s Levi Strauss, a business man living in San Francisco, was selling blue jeans under the
"Levi's" name to the coal workers of California.
      During World War II, the coal workers liked jeans very much because they were strong and did not tear
easily. In the 1950s, jeans became popular with young people in the United States. Wearing of blue jeans by
teenagers was the symbol of rebels (反叛者) in TV programmes and movies. Some cinemas and restaurants
refused to let people in if they wore blue jeans. In the 1980s, jeans finally became high fashion clothing, when
famous designers started making their own styles of jeans, with their own labels on them. Sales of jeans went
up and up.

1. From the first paragraph we know that _____.

A. cowboy culture is usually related to the West of America
B. cowboys wear jeans only
C. cowboys live a good life
D. American culture is cowboy culture

2. Jeans were first made in _____.

A. America
B. Italy
C. Spain
D. China

3. From Paragraph 4 we know that "Levi's" was _____.

A. the name of a worker
B. the brand (名牌) of a kind of jeans
C. the name of a kind of cloth
D. the nickname of a businessman

4. Why the people who wore blue jeans were refused to go into the cinema in the 1950s?

A. Because jeans were made for workers.
B. Because jeans were made of denim.
C. Because wearing jeans was the symbol of rebels.
D. Because it was during the time of war.