The Fourth "21th Century Cup" National English Speaking Competition is to be held in Shanghai.

  Organizers: China Daily and Shanghai Broadcasting Network.

  Coordinator(协调者): China University English Speaking Association ( CUESA).

  Co-sponsors (联办单位): English Speaking Union (ESU), Lotus Software (China) Co. LtD., Times Publishing Group of Singapore, Hilton Shanghai, Pearson Education, Foreign Language Teaching & Research Press.

  Date: March 26 ( Friday), 2017

  Place: Hilton Shanghai.

  Competition Format (形式): Each student will present a prepared speech on the given topic, followed by a three-minute off-hand speech and a three-minute question and answer period with the judges.

  Prepared speech period: six minutes.

  Q & A period: three minutes.

  Speech topic: People and Nature: In search of harmony (和谐）in a new age + your personal opinion. (Topics for the off-hand speech will be given on the day of competition).

  Prizes: Besides books and certificates (证书), the top two winners will be offered scholarships to travel to the annual international English-speaking competition which will be held by the English Speaking Union in London in May, 2017. The third and fourth place winners will be offered a study trip to Singapore, sponsored by the Times Publishing Group. The fifth through 10th place winners will be offered cash prizes. All the competitors will receive certificates from the English Speaking Union and book prizes provided by Pearson Education and Foreign Language Teaching & Research Press. The teachers of the top winners will also receive a one-year membership to the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL).

1. The main purpose of this passage is __________ .

A. to help to improve your spoken English

B. to inform you of some information about the competition

  C. to invite you to take part in the competition

  D. to show you how to win the competition

2. Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the Shanghai English Speaking Competition?

A. The number of its competitors.       

B. It’s competition format. 

C. What each winner will be offered.        

D. Where and when it will take place.

3. Suppose you get the sixth place, you'll ___________ .

  A. travel to London for free.

  B. get some money, some books and a certificate

  C. become a one-year member of IATEFL

  D. get a chance to study in Singapore

4. According to the passage, an "off-hand speech" is _________ .

A. a speech not longer than three minutes    

B. a speech with a piece of paper in hand

C. a speech which is well prepared       

D. a speech without preparation  

Neighbors play an important role in our lives. Their lifestyle, friends, and social habits can have a strong influence on our lives. So it’s a good idea to get along well with neighbors and build a better relationship that will last for many years to come. But how should you get along with your neighbors?
   When you hear of a special need you can meet, do it, such as sitting with a sick child while your neighbor goes to work or taking an elderly parent to a doctor’s appointment when their car won’t start.
   If you hear that someone close by is ill, has an accident, or is out of work, give him or her a hot meal or a fresh dessert(甜点). Your kindness will add a special feeling during a difficult time. If your neighbor is cutting down a tree or building a doghouse, offer helping hands to him or her. There is no better way to build relationships. Besides, you never know when the favor might be returned.
   Exchange holiday cards, gifts or traditions. Invite your neighbors over for a cup of coffee or lunch. A backyard barbecue can be a great way to share food and fun. If they’ve watched your kids grow up or been concerned about your family events, they may want to share these special events.
   Plan a party. Invite all your neighbors to your party. Planning and carrying out the activity helps everyone to know and understand each other.
   Your neighbors are like your family in many ways since you have to live with them, or near them for a long time. Appreciate their strong points and ignore weak points, and everyone will get along well.

5. The purpose of the first paragraph is to___________.

A. introduce how you can get along well with your friends

B. show how to make friends with your new neighbors

C. explain the importance of getting along well with your neighbors

D. list the advantages of building strong family relationships

6. According to the passage, to build a good relationship with your neighbors, you should _____.

A. give them a good job if they’re out of work

B. do housework for them when they are sick

C. try to give them a helping hand

D. lend them money when their parents are ill

7. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A. Tips on how to form a healthy lifestyle．

B. Tips on how to get along with your neighbors．

C. The importance of being helpful．

D. The best way to form good habits．

8. This passage most probably belongs to__________.

A. a physical science magazine         B. the travel news

C. a magazine of social life            D. the technology news

   Why should I teach my children history? That sounds like a stupid question to even ask. But, as I hear different home schooling teachers discuss history, I get the idea that there may be different reasons for teaching history. Let me briefly explain the three good reasons for studying history and two bad reasons for studying history.

   The major reason I see for studying history is that we can learn from the past. I am convinced（确信的） that the world would be a much better place if more people understood the successes and failures of the past and the things that made these successes and failures. However, as the unfortunately true statement goes "the one thing we seem to learn from history is that we don't seem to learn from history." Perhaps at least in teaching history to my children I can do a small part in changing this.

   A second major reason for studying history is that it is hard to understand the current political climate in the absence of an understanding of its historical context. We cannot even understand why we are and where we are without history, much less (更不必说) try to figure out where we are going or how we should get where we want to be.

   I teach my children history, for one more reason. I purchased a set of historical audio (录音机) tapes for our children. My seven-year-old son listened to them over and over. It was my hope that he would become inspired by the accomplishments of people like the Wright brothers to accomplish things by himself. I think that it is good that we celebrate the accomplishments of people like Martin Luther King Jr. if, in doing so, young people are called on to stand for the principles that he stood for and accomplish what he accomplished. I also think that by studying people like Adolph Hitler, people can learn to stand against the things that he stood for.

9. What message can we get from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2?

A. Many people fail to make good use of history and make the same mistakes.

B. Many people aren't clever enough to learn well from the past.

C. Many people feel it hard to understand history.

D. Many people have no interest in studying history.

10. In Paragraph 3, the author shows that history is useful because ___________.

  A. it makes the current political situation go smoothly

  B. it helps us understand why things are the way they are.

  C. it helps us realize the importance of historical events

D. it helps people accept the present situation where they live

11. What would be talked about in the following paragraph?

A. Some negative reasons for studying history.

B. How to get more people to study history.

C.    How to teach history effectively.              

D. Some bad historical figures.

12. The main purpose of this passage is to ____________.

A. inspire the parents to teach their children history  

B. show the importance of history in politics

C. introduce the writer’s own way of teaching history

D. explain the reasons why children study history

Beauty is only skin deep. This expression means that beauty is only a surface quality. And some beauty products can cause lasting damage that goes far below the surface of the skin. But people, especially women, will risk a lot for beauty.

In the United States, many people use sunlight or non-natural light to darken their skin. But in the African country of Senegal（塞内加尔）, lots of women take health risks trying to do the opposite.

The World Health Organization says that 25 percent of Senegalese women use skin-lightening products on a usual basis. These products can have chemicals which can burn the eyes and skin and possibly cause cancers.

A beauty supply shop in Dakar has many kinds of skin-lightening products. The shop worker Adama Diagne advises her visitors to avoid the stronger products that promise fast results but bring more damage. She says that some women want to lighten their skin every day. But for her, she likes to be a shade of brown.

Women in Senegal say they lighten their skin for the same reasons women all over the world make changes to their appearance. They want to look beautiful, to find a husband, to stand out in a crowd or to simply look great for a special event.

This thinking troubles Senegalese filmmaker Khardiata Pouye Sall. So she made This Color That Bothers Me, a film about the subject of skin lightening. “I used the most shocking images so that women would see the dangers. It is hard to understand why a woman would tell herself that dark skin is not beautiful.” Ms. Sall says the government needs to better control the marketing and sale of skin lighteners. But she adds education is the best way to persuade people against using them.
13. The underlined part “the opposite” in Para. 2 refers to the fact that _________.
  A. some women pay more attention to skin cancers
  B. some women use products to lighten their skin
  C. some women want to get lasting beauty
  D. some women think the black skin beautiful
14. Which of the following does Adama Diagne probably agree with?
  A. Chemicals should not be used in beauty products.
  B. Beauty products can really improve women’s skin quality.
  C. No effort could be too much for women to become beautiful.
  D. The stronger the products are, the more damage they do.
15. Ms. Sall made the film This Color That Bothers Me to _________.
  A. show the true meaning of beauty
  B. explain how beauty products damage the skin
  C. tell people how to use beauty products properly
  D. educate people on the dangers of beauty products

People who are confident really seem to be naturally outstanding and just seem to do everything with more styles than others.   16  It is a habit that everyone can develop in life. Try these simple tips to drill and build up your confidence:

1. Admit your shortcomings calmly.

Do not try to escape from them or cover them. Face them bravely.   17  Fight against them every day until the day when you could break away and conquer them.

2. Dress for self-confidence.

    18  And therefore pay attention to your dress, display your unique physical advantages and exhibit your best image. In addition, in formal occasions such as a business party or a wedding ceremony, elegant dressing contributes to building your confidence.

3.   19 

You should get rid of your habit that deals with the work passively(被动地). Concentrate your efforts immediately on overcoming it, because it will make your restless mind at ease and build your self-confidence.

4. Be positive.

Feel pity neither on yourself nor on others. If you are used to hating and blaming yourself, others would tend to do that and believe it. Instead, you should speak positively about yourself, your progress, and your bright future.   20 

A. Build your confident vocabulary.

B. Don’t judge a person by appearance.

C. Don’t put off what you eventually have to do.

D. Actually, true self-confidence is neither born nor acquired overnight.

E. Then talk about them to a reliable mate, a friend or a family member. 

F. Your appearance could put you into embarrassment or increase your confidence.

G. By doing so, you would encourage your growth in a positive direction.