Besides entertainment and beautiful lanterns, another important part of the Lantern Festival, or Yuanxiao Festival is eating small dumpling balls made of glutinous rice flour. We call these balls Yuanxiao or Tangyuan. Obviously, they get the name from the festival itself. It is said that the custom of eating Yuanxiao originated during the Eastern Jin Dynasty in the fourth century, then became popular during the Tang and Song periods.
The fillings inside the dumplings or Yuansiao are either sweet or salty. Sweet fillings are made of sugar, Walnuts, sesame（芝麻）, osmanthus flowers(桂花), rose petals, sweetened tangerine（橘子）peel, bean paste, or jujube paste（枣子酱）. A single ingredient or any combination can be used as the filling . The salty variety is filled with minced meat（肉末儿）, vegetables or a mixture.
The way to make Yuanxiao also varies between northern and southern China. The usual method followed in southern provinces is to shape the dough of rice flour into balls, make a hole, insert the filling, then close the hole and smooth out the dumpling by rolling it between your hands. In North China, sweet or nutmeat stuffing is the usual ingredient. The fillings are pressed into hardened cores, dipped lightly in water and rolled in a flat basket containing dry glutinous rice flour. A layer of the flour sticks to the filling, which is then again dipped in water and rolled a second time in the rice flour. And so it goes, like rolling a snowball, until the dumpling is the desired size.
The custom of eating Yuanxiao dumplings remains. This tradition encourages both old and new stores to promote their Yuanxiao products. They all try their best to improve the taste and quality of the dumplings to attract more customers.Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The custom of eating Yuanxiao dates back to the fourth century. |
| B．Sugar, rose petals and minced meat are all fillings of Yuanxiao. |
| C．Sweet Yuanxiao are usually made in southern China. |
| D．People in northern China usually make Yuanxiao by rolling like a snowball. |
Which country does the Lantern Festival come from?
| A．China | B．South Korea | C．Jin Dynasty | D．Tang and Song periods. |
Choose the right order of making Tangyuan in southern provinces.
① make a hole and insert the filling
② roll the dough between your hands
③ shape the dough of rice flour into balls
④ close the hole
⑤ prepare some rice flour
| A．⑤③②①④ | B．③⑤①②④ | C．③①④②⑤ | D．⑤③①④② |
What is the best title of this passage?
| A．The Lantern Festival | B．The ingredients of Yuanxiao |
| C．The difference between Yuanxiao and Tangyuan. | D．China’s traditional food—Yuanxiao. |
Why do we eat Yuanxiao today?
| A．Because it’s a tradition. |
| B．Because it’s a tasty food. |
| C．Because we love our country. |
| D．Because this food can make money. |
Compassion is a desire within us to help others. With effort, we can translate compassion into actions. An experience last weekend showed me this is true. I work part-time in a supermarket across from a building for the elderly. These old people are our main customers, and it’s not hard to lose patience over their slowness. But last Sunday, one aged gentleman appeared to teach me a valuable lesson. This untidy man walked up to my register (收款机) with a box of biscuits. He said he was out of cash, had just moved into his room, and had nothing in his cupboards. He asked if we could let him have the food on trust. He promised to repay me the next day.
I couldn’t help staring at him. I wondered what kind of person he had been ten or twenty years before, and what he would be like if luck had gone his way. I had a hurt in my heart for this kind of human soul, all alone in the world. I told him that I was sorry, but store rules didn’t allow me to do so. I felt stupid and unkind saying this, but I valued my job.
Just then, another man, standing behind the first, spoke up. If anything, he looked more pitiable. “Charge it to me,” was all he said.
What I had been feeling was pity. Pity is soft and safe and easy. Compassion, on the other hand, is caring in action. I thanked the second man but told him that was not allowed either. Then I reached into my pocket and paid for the biscuits myself. I reached into my pocket because these two men had reached into my heart and taught me compassion.What does the word “compassion” underlined in Paragraph 1 mean?
| A．pity for the sufferings of others |
| B．feeling or expression of sorrow |
| C．liking for each other produced in people who have similar opinions or tastes |
| D．something for which to be thankful |
The aged gentleman who wanted to buy the biscuits _____.
| A．promised to obey the store rules |
| B．forgot to take any money with him |
| C．hoped to have the food first and pay later |
| D．could not afford anything more expensive |
Which of the following best describes the first old gentleman?
| A．kind and lucky | B．poor and lonely |
| C．friendly and helpful | D．hurt and disappointed |
The writer acted upon the store rules because _____.
| A．he wanted to keep his present job |
| B．he felt no pity for the old gentleman |
| C．he considered the old man dishonest |
| D．he expected someone else to pay for the old man |
What does the writer learn from his experience?
| A．Wealth is more important than anything else. |
| B．Helping others is easier said than done. |
| C．Experience is better gained through practice. |
| D．Obeying the rules means more than compassion. |
Searching for life on other planets
For more than thirty years scientists have been searching for signs of life on other planets. Most of these searches have been done over the radio. The hope is that someone in outer space may be trying to get in touch with us. Scientists also have sent radio and television messages, as well as messages on spaceships traveling through space, on the chance that someone may receive such messages.
Scientists are using powerful radio telescopes to “listen” to signals from about 1,000 stars, all within 100 light years of Earth. In addition, they will scan the entire sky to listen for radio messages from more distant stars. Using a computer, they will be able to monitor more than eight million channels at a time. Scientists are looking for any signal that stands out from the background noise.
Of the 200 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy, scientists find that five percent are like our sun. Perhaps half of them have a planet like Earth. Such a planet would be a reasonable distance from the star for temperatures to be right for life. Based on the planets in our galaxy, most scientists agree that one or more of these planets may support some life.
However, many scientists wonder whether intelligent life exists on other planets. Some believe that thirty years of searching without any intelligible messages shows that no one is out there. They say that intelligence comparable to ours is unlikely.
Other scientists believe that our search hasn’t been long enough to rule out the possibility that intelligent life exists in our galaxy. Although our sun family is only about five billion years old, our galaxy is about 20 billion years old. In that time some scientists think it is likely that civilizations much more advanced than ours have developed. Perhaps these civilizations send us no signals; perhaps we have not recognized the signals they have sent us. If we hope to find intelligent life, these scientists believe that we have to keep looking.To look for signals from distant stars, scientists _____.
| A．have sent up spaceships to other planets |
| B．have sent radio and television messages to outer space |
| C．are listening to the radio messages all the year round |
| D．will use computers to pick up background noise |
According to the passage, how many planets in our galaxy might be inhabitable?
| A．5 billion. | B．10 billion. | C．15 billion. | D．200 billion. |
Some scientists believe no other planet has life because ______.
| A．most of the researches have been done over the radio |
| B．thirty years of searching doesn’t have any result |
| C．we didn’t send messages on spaceships |
| D．none of the other stars is right for life |
Some scientists think there might be more advanced civilizations on other planets because _____.
| A．some planets support more advanced civilizations |
| B．some civilizations have sent us signals we can’t recognize |
| C．the evolution of intelligence on other planets is unlike ours |
| D．some planets in our galaxy are much older than the earth |
Which of these statements is true based on the information in the passage?
| A．The earth is one of the oldest planets in our galaxy. |
| B．Most scientists believe that there is intelligent life on other planets. |
| C．Scientists are trying different ways to find signs of life on other planets. |
| D．More advanced civilization than ours have developed on other planets. |
Are morning people born or made? In my case it was definitely made．In my early 20s, I rarely went to bed before midnight, and I would almost always get up late the next morning．
But after a while I couldn’t ignore the high relationship between success and rising early．On those rare occasions where I did get up early, I noticed that my productivity was almost always higher．So I set out to become a habitual early riser．But whenever my alarm went off, my first thought was always to stop that noise and go back to sleep．Eventually some sleep research showed me that I was using the wrong strategy．
The most common wrong strategy is this: You assume that if you’re going to get up earlier, you’d better go to bed earlier．It sounds very reasonable, but will usually fail.
There are two main schools(流派) of thought on sleep patterns．One is that you should go to bed and get up at the same time every day．The second school says you should go to bed when you’re tired and get up when you naturally wake up．However, I have found both of them are wrong if you
care about productivity．If you sleep at set hours, you’ll sometimes go to bed when you aren’t sleepy enough．You’re wasting time lying in bed awake and not being asleep.
If your sleep is based on what your body tells you, you’ll probably be sleeping more than you need．Also, your mornings may be less predictable if yo
u’re getting up at different times．
The solution for me has been to combine both methods．I go to bed when I’m sleepy and get up with an alarm clock at a fixed time．So I always get up at the same time (in my case 5 am), but I go to bed at different times every night — sometimes at 9:30pm, and other times at midnight．Most of the time I go to bed between 10-11 pm．
However, going to bed only when I’m sleepy, and getting up at a fixed time every morning is my way．If you want to become an early riser, you can try your own.According to the passage, the underlined phrase refers to ____.
| A．people who stay up until the next morning. |
| B．people who get up early in the morning. |
| C．people who feel sleepy in the morning. |
| D．people whose productivity is the highest in the morning. |
Why did the author want to become a habitual early riser?
A．Because h e / she wanted to form the habit of going to bed early and getting up early. |
| B．Because he / she had found that his / her productivity was higher when he / she got up early. |
| C．Because he / she wanted to see which of the two main schools of thought on sleep patterns was right. |
D．Because he / she was told t he high relationship between success and rising early. |
The author experienced all the following EXCEPT ____.
| A．going to bed after midnight． |
| B．getting up early occasionally. |
| C．pressing off the alarm to go on sleeping. |
| D．asking scholars for advice on sleeping habits. |
The passage is mainly about ____。
| A．how to become an early riser． |
| B．how to have good sleep. |
| C．wrong strategies for getting up early. |
| D．main schools of thought on sleep patterns. |
| EMU AIRLINE Secretary Emu Airline is now offering a permanent, part – time secretarial position. The po  sition offers a minimum of 20 hours a week, with a view to full – time work in the future．Phone 899 3264 for an appointment. |
City College Union Inc Secretary / Typist The Union is a student run organization with a permanent staff of 20．typing speed of at least 60 wpm. The ability to take shorthand dictation and a working knowledge of filling procedures are essential requ  irements.The basic salary for the position is $18,500 per year. Enquires to R．Barbar 387 5075. |
| Word Processor Operator (full - time) Applications are invented for an operator to work in an office associated with the building industry．Only experienced operators need apply. Starting salary $ 17,950. Apply in writing to: The Personnel Officer Hill Morgan Pty Ltd 38 Greenhill Rd．Kensington 2033 |
Sewing Machinist Wanted – Jeans Industry We are an expanding clothing company located south of the city．Our denim range includes jeans, skirts, jackets and shorts．We are looking for sewing machine operators. The factory works a 38 – hour week over 4.5 days．Wages and conditions are in line with the current industrial award. If you are interested, call in and pick up an application form from Ripper Jeans, 23 North Ave, Beaudesert. |
All these passages belong to _____．
| A．sales advertisement | B．want advertisement |
| C．resume (简历) | D．notice |
The applicants for the post of a secretary in City College Union Inc should have the following qualities except _____． .
| A．typing skill | B．writing rapidly |
| C．ability of organization | D．knowledge about filling the form |
The attractiveness of the post in EMU AIRLINE is _____ ． .
| A．its good salary | B．its nice working condition |
| C．its promising future | D．its free flying |
According to Sewing Machinist, how can you contact with this company?
| A．By phone. | B．By email. | C．By fax. | D．By visit. |
Did you ever think someone was scary (恐怖的)because they looked different or ate strange food? Well, they might think the same about you! One of the things we all need to do is to celebrate variety．We shouldn’t think badly of people from other cultures because they behave differently from us.
Sometimes we treat people from other countries unfairly, because one person from that culture did something bad．Well, has your class ever been punished just because a few kids were causing trouble? Has your whole family ever been blamed for something your little sister did? It doesn’t seem fair, does it? It’s just equally unfair to blame a whole culture for what two or three people have done.
So here are some things that you can do to help yourself understand other cultures:
①Find common ground!
Just remember that even though some people look different on the outside, that doesn’t change how they are on the inside．They still have the exact same feelings!
②________________
Because someone from another culture has been mean to you, you decide to avoid everyone from that culture．Well think about it．Why are you blaming them for something they didn’t have anything to do with? Put yourself in their shoes．How would you feel? Putting yourself inside someone else’s head can be a very powerful way to understand WHY they are acting the way they are.
③Try to make friends with people from other cultures!
You could ask them about their culture, or what it is like in their country, if they can remember, or if they have ever lived there．Try foods from their culture, or ask them about words in their language．You might be surprised at how interesting other cultures can be! You can join great discussion groups, participate in projects, and have lots of fun doing new things.
④Be aware that you’ve judged other people
If you know what you have done, it helps to make things better．Pay attention to what you think about other people．It helps.What is mainly discussed in this passage?
| A．Why there are differences between people |
| B．What to do to understand other cultures |
| C．How people feel when they meet people from other cultures |
| D．The differences between people from different cultures |
Which of the following can be put into the blank behind ②?
| A．Avoid everyone from that culture! |
| B．Put all responsibilities on others! |
| C．Consider oneself first! |
| D．Don’t blame all because of one! |
The underlined word “celebrate” most probably means “_______”.
| A．feel proud of | B．express ideas of |
| C．praise and enjoy | D．pay attention to |
The following can be the better way to treat foreigners except_______.
| A．join their discussion groups | B．try foods from their culture |
| C．avoid meeting them | D．find common ground |