If there is something that appears most frequently on Chinese dining tables, it is doufu—bean curd. Bean curd looks like soft cakes and it's made from dried soybeans. Bean curd used to be considered a favourite of the poor because of its low cost. Beans have high yields(产量) every year with their short growing period and suitability for various(各种各样) soil both dry and wet.

Historical records show bean curd was invented by Liu An, Prince of Huainan and uncle of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty(206BC—220AD). He had a dream of finding the pill for longevity(长寿). He travelled all over the country and found soybeans, which looked much the same as gold in terms of colour. He collected soybeans, put them in the water and crushed them into pulp(浆). It got solidified and became known as doufu. Although it's not able to keep longevity, it's really good for one's health with high protein and low fat.

With a long history, bean curd is rooted deep in Chinese culture. People eat more meat and fish than bean curd. But they are encouraged to have bean curd every once in a while for it's really good for health. Most Chinese people still keep bean curd as one of their favourite dishes.

1．Why was bean curd considered to be liked by the poor?

 A. It's easy to make.       B. It's easy to cook.

 C. It's cheap.            D. It's good for health.

2．Where can beans grow well?

 A. Only in wet soil.     B. In dry soil.

 C. In soft soil.         D. In any soil.

3．What appears more often on the dining table in poor areas?

 A. Meat.        B. Fish.        C. Eggs.      D. Bean curd.

4．Why did Liu An travel all over the country?

 A．He had a dream.

 B．He wanted to find something that could make people live longer.

 C．He wanted to invent bean curd.

 D．He wanted to find gold.

5．How long has bean curd been invented?

 A. It's about 1,700 years.

 B. It's less than 2,000 years.

 C. It's 500 years.

 D. It's more than 2,000 years.

December 21, 2012 marks the completion of the 5,125 year Great Cycle of the Ancient Maya Long Count Calendar.

Rather than being an end－point, this cycle that is closing is naturally I followed by the start of a new cycle. What this new cycle has in store for humanity is a mystery that has yet to unfold...

The recent 2012 movie serves to alert a targeted 140 million people, in case they too haven't already heard the news. Unfortunately, however, the movie does a disservice because it distorts the message of this ancient prophecy (预言) by associating it with fear and destruction, as described by the movie's global disaster scenario (场景), rather than the themes of transformation and renewal the prophecy is actually based on.

In other words, the global scenario of the 2012 movie is not based on any facts. As Emmerich clarifies，“We only used the fact that the Mayan calendar ends. That gave us the year.” Emmerich said after checking out the range of 2012 books on Amazon, he realized, “...there are so many (theories) that, in a way, you can just create your own.” He shares that “2012” was tacked on as a title to his disaster movie because it is something “people believe” and it made the movie seem more “real.”

Interestingly, Emmerich's underlying motivation for the movie seems to be genuine concern about the course we are all on as modern society. As he states, “I hope we are not ruining our planet. I really believe that, if we keep going and doing what we are doing, we will not be leaving the planet how it should be, for our kids. That has been going on for generations. It just very sad to see and read the news, every day, and see what these people are fighting over. It's like they don't  understand that the clock is ticking.”

6. According to the Ancient Maya Long Count Calendar, December 21,2012 is the day on which ________.

A. the world will end with many disasters

B. the old age will end and a new one will begin

C. there will be a world flood

D. the world can survive many disasters

7. Which of the following is TRUE about the movie 2012?

A. It is intended to explore what is in store in the new cycle.

B. It tells us about the Ancient Maya Long Count Calendar as it is.

C. It is just based on the director's ideas.

D. It describes the ancient prophecy vividly.

8. What Emmerich says suggests that ________.

A. he is quite concerned about the present situation on the earth

B. he is regretful that people have misunderstood his movie

C. he himself believes what is described in the movie

D. he just wants to attract viewers by the disaster scenario

9. By this passage, the author intends to ________.

A. tell us about what the movie 2012 is all about

B. help the director to promote his film

C. tell us what we should learn from the movie 2012

D. explain whether we can trust the ancient prophecy

10. The underlined word “distort” in the third paragraph probably means ________.

A. change something in a wrong way

B. convey the original meaning

C. describe something clearly

D. give more proof to something

The city of Angkor was the capital of the Khmer Empire from the 9th to the 15th centuries. The Khmer Empire was one of the most prosperous kingdoms in the history of Southeast Asia, and its prosperity was expressed through a wide range of architecture.

The city of Angkor was founded on political and religious ideas adapted from India, and the temples of Angkor were intended as a place of worship for the king and a way for him to ensure his immortality through identification with the Hindu gods.

Angkor Wat was first built by King Suryavarman Ⅱ in the 12th century as a vast funerary temple that would hold his remains, symbolically(象征性地) confirming his permanent identity with Vishnu.

During its six centuries as imperial capital, Angkor went through many changes in architectural styles and in religion. The city of Angkor transferred itself from the Hindu god Shiva to the Hindu god Vishnu, and finally to the Mahayana Buddhist goddess Avalokitesvara.

By the late 13th century, the once frenzied(发狂的) pace of Angkor's architectural pursuits had begun to die down, and a more restrained type of religion was on the rise under the growing influence of Theravada Buddhism.

At the same time, Angkor and the Khmer Empire were increasingly threatened and attacked by invading armies. By the 16th century, the golden age of Angkor was over and many of the great temples began to move back into the jungle.

From the 15th to 19th centuries, Theravada Buddhist monks cared for Angkor Wat, and it is thanks to them that the temple remains mostly intact(完整的). Angkor Wat became one of the most important pilgrimage(朝拜) sites in Southeast Asia. Angkor Wat is the best preserved example of Khmer architecture in Cambodia and is so grand in design that some rank it among the seven wonders of the world. It appears on the Cambodian national flag, a very rare instance of a flag with an image of a building.

1. Angkor Wat was first built to________.

A. hold the remains of a king      B. serve as the royal palace

C. worship the gods             D. be the tomb for the king

2. Angkor Wat probably began to face real threat from________.

A. the 12th century               B. the late 13th century

C. the 16th century              D. the 15th  century

3. Vishnu was the name of________.

A. a king in ancient Cambodia

B. a temple in Cambodia

C. an Indian god

D. a monk in ancient Cambodia

4. We can infer from the last paragraph that________.

A. Angkor Wat is widely accepted as one of the seven wonders of the world

B. Theravada Buddhist monks had fought against the outside invaders

C. Angkor Wat is not so important as it used to be

D. Angkor Wat has become a symbol of Cambodia

5. The passage mainly tells us________.

A. the history of Angkor Wat

B. the protection of Angkor Wat

C. the importance of Angkor Wat

D. the position of Angkor in Cambodian history

The blockbuster film Titanic has brought millions of dollars and thousands of people to the theaters and continues to touch people today in their homes. Why is this film so successful? It is a combination of many different things. Among these are many different elements. Looking at some of these elements will show how the director and others involved were able to create an emotionally charged movie that appealed to millions.

The film uses one thematic(主题的) element called The Truth of Human Nature. The two main characters seem to represent noble people. Most of the other characters in the film are shown as non－tolerant, rude and cold－hearted people. The element of focusing on the two main characters' love and emotion seems symbolic of an ideal state.

There are also social problems addressed. This is done in a few different ways. The most noticeable way is that the lower class people remain locked in the basement as the ship goes down. Throughout Titanic, the lighting is very important. The poor, lower class people are always shown in very warm－colored light that gives them a sense of life and happiness. On the other hand, the rich, upper class are always shown in a flat light portraying the feeling of hardness and coldness. By using these techniques, they show the issue of class segregation(种族隔离), and they create stereotypes. The main characters are able to break free of these stereotypes and be together. This is the solution to the segregation problem.

As you can see, Titanic took a lot of thinking and preparation to film in a manner that would create emotion and bring to the surface the issues and story of the great ship.

6. The underlined word “blockbuster” in the first paragraph probably means “________”．

A. something very successful

B. a highly explosive bomb

C. something worth a lot of money

D. a touching story

7. In Titanic, the scene of the lower class people remaining locked in the basement as the ship goes down is used to ________.

A. criticize non－tolerant and cold－hearted rich people

B. enlarge the spectacle of the film

C. criticize the reality of the society

D. emphasize the condition of the poor at that time

8. Why were different colors of light used in the film Titanic?

A. They were used to show the difference between the rich and the poor.

B. The director was determined to achieve good visual effect.

C. The social status was represented by the color of light in the past.

D. The use of light was the main technique the director made use of.

9. What can we infer from the passage?

A. The segregation problem in the society can be solved by using the light.

B. Though love is the main theme of Titanic, it also reflects some social problems.

C. Because of the director's talents, the film Titanic achieved great success.

D. In the film Titanic there are two characters altogether.

10. The writer mainly talks about ________ in this passage.

A. the process of shooting Titanic

B. the leading actor and actress in Titanic

C. the main techniques used in Titanic

D. the outline of Titanic

       In ancient Egypt the pharaoh （法老） treated the poor message runner like a prince when he arrived at the palace if he brought good news．However if the exhausted runner had the misfortune to bring the pharaoh unhappy news, his head was cut off．

       Shades of that spirit spread over today's conversations．Once, a friend and I packed up some peanut butter and sandwiches for an outing．As we walked light-heartedly out of the door picnic basket in hand, a smiling neighbor looked up at the sky and said, "Oh boy, bad day for a picnic．The weatherman says it's going to rain．" I wanted to strike him on the face with the peanut butter and sandwiches．Not for his stupid weather report, but for his smile．

       Several months ago I was racing to catch a bus．As I breathlessly put my handful of cash across the Greyhound counter, the sales agent said with a broad smile, “Oh, that bus left five minutes ago．” Dreams of head-cutting!

       It's not the news that makes someone angry．It's the unsympathetic attitude with which it's delivered．Everyone must give bad news from time to time and winning professionals do it with the proper attitude．A doctor advising a patient that she needs an operation does it in a caring way．A boss informing an employee he didn't get the job takes on a sympathetic tone．Big winners know when delivering any bad news, they should share the feeling of the receiver．

       Unfortunately, many people are not aware of this．When you're tired from a long flight, has a hotel clerk cheerfully said that your room isn’t ready yet? When you had your heart set on the toast beef, has your waiter merrily told you that he just served the last piece? It makes you, as traveler or diner, want to land your fist right on their unsympathetic faces．

       Had my neighbor told me of the upcoming rainstorm with sympathy, I would have appreciated his warning．Had the Greyhound salesclerk sympathetically informed me that my bus had already left, I probably would have said “Oh that's all right．I'll catch the next one．” When they bear bad news, big winners deliver bombs with the emotion the bombarded （被轰炸的） person is sure to have

54．In Paragraph 1 the writer tells the story of the pharaoh to ________．

       A．make a comparison                       B．describe a scene

       C．introduce a topic                         D．offer an argument

55．From "Dreams of head-cutting!"（Paragraph 3） we learn that the writer ________．

       A．was mad at the sales agent．

       B．was reminded of the cruel pharaoh

     C．wished that the sales agent would have had dreams．

       D．dreamed of cutting the sales agent's head that night．

56．What is the main idea of the text?

     A．Learning ancient traditions can be useful．

       B．Receiving bad news requires great courage．

       C．Helping others sincerely is the key to business success．

       D．Delivering bad news properly is important in communication．