在古代，人们用它来记录事件，但现在主要用于装饰的目的。

历史上，小说作为一种文学形式经常被忽视和否定。尽管如此，对社会发展来说，小说起着不可磨灭的作用。

{{B}}Part III Reading Comprehension{{/B}}

科举制 (imperial examination system)是中国古代 朝廷 (imperial government)选拔官员的制度。它始于 隋朝 (the Sui Dynasty)，历时1300多年直到 清朝 (the Qing Dynasty)。科举考试在中国古代教育史上长期占有主导地位。在古代社会，因为阶级意识很强，下层民众很少有机会在朝廷谋职。“科举”评价体系让来自贫困家庭的孩子有机会参加政府考试，并为家庭带来荣誉。科举制被证明是比它之前的任何考试制度都更公平、影响更深远。

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed【C1】______for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the【C2】______for help, but none seemed approaching. Exhausted, he【C3】______managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few【C4】______. But then one day, after searching for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in【C5】______, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened; everything was lost. He was stunned with【C6】______and anger. "God, how could you do this to me! " he cried. Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. "How did you know I was here?" asked the【C7】______man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied. It is easy to get【C8】______when things are going bad. But we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering. Remember, next time your little hut is burning to the ground it just may be a smoke signal that【C9】______the grace of God. For all the negative things we have to say to ourselves, God has a【C10】______answer for it. A. possessions B. distinguished C. invites D. layout E. eventually F. horizon G. grief H. discouraged I. earnestly J. queer K. weary L. creatively M. positive N. flames O. means

泥塑 (clay figurine)是中国古老的民间艺术之一。它的历史可以追溯到 新石器时代 (the Neolithic Peri-od)。泥塑以粘土为原料，用手工塑制成人、花、鸟、虫、鱼等各种形象，其中以“ 泥人张 ”(Clay Figurine Zhang)的泥塑最为出名。“泥人张”制作的塑像精美而生动，富有浓郁的地域风情。随着中国旅游业的发展，泥塑已经成为广受欢迎的旅游纪念品，得到世界各地游客的青睐。

{{B}}Section C{{/B}}

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铜鼓(bronze drum)文化是中国南方地区典型的文化代表。在古代，铜鼓多用于祭拜、出征仪式(deploy-ing ritual)和庆祝活动。它是激动人心的打击乐器(percussion instrument)，给人们带来极大的精神鼓舞。在战场上，铜鼓还被用于传送信号、指挥作战。直至今日，许多少数民族依然保持着在传统节日、婚娶和丧葬等场合使用铜鼓的习俗。铜鼓文化极大地丰富了中华民族艺术的宝库。

他们的民歌优美动听，被广泛传唱。

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Directions：For this part，you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition entitled The Prevalence of Western Holidays．You should Write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words．Outlines are given below in Chinese：1．我国某些传统节日受到冷遇，而西方节日却日益升温；2．形成这种现象的原因；3．你对这种现象的看法。

Bathing Suits and Swimming Habits Have Changed a Lot Over the YearsA) Have you picked out your swimsuit for summer yet? Some kids spend hours shopping for the right look. Others go with whatever Mom or Dad chooses for them. Whatever you wear to the pool or the beach this summer, enjoy the sun and water. And be glad you weren't around 100 or 200 years ago, when swimsuits were made of itchy wool and looked like Hogwarts robes. (Or maybe you'd like to wear a Hogwarts robe to the beach!) Turn the page to take a peek at the history of the bathing suit.B) In ancient Greece and Rome, men swam for exercise and to train as warriors. They also went to the public baths. Usually, they wore nothing at all. But sometimes they would put on loose-fitting gowns called togas. Women had their own public baths. Some early Roman art shows girls playing sports in what we would call bikinis. But there is no hint that these outfits were used for swimming, which was not something women and girls did back then.C) Over time, bathing and swimming became less popular. Before the 1500s, in fact, people in Europe thought that public bathing helped spread the diseases that killed millions and wiped out entire towns during the Middle Ages. It wasn't until the 17th century that swimming and public bathing spas became popular again. In addition to men, women were able to enjoy these activities, though they had to do so in nightgown like dresses.D) A British fashion report from 1687 described ladies' "bathing costumes". The dresses were made of stiff canvas and had big sleeves. The sleeves filled with water and kept the gowns from clinging and revealing too much. Men wore canvas pants called drawers and vests called waistcoats.A big cover-upE) Back then, showing off one's body was considered improper. So people covered themselves as much as possible. Men's one-piece wool swimsuits, the style that replaced drawers and waistcoats, looked like long underwear, with full-length sleeves and legs. Women's bathing dresses often had high collars and went all the way down to their toes. They also wore bathing caps and long black stockings.F) Women were expected to be modest in other ways as well. Some, like Martha Washington, had lead weights sewn into the hems of their bathing gowns so the clothing would not float up. Others took to the water inside covered wooden frames called "bathing machines".G) This term also was used for small wooden cabins at Atlantic Ocean beaches in the early to mid-1800s. The cabins were set on tall wheels. While the bather was inside changing, a horse pulled the machine into the ocean. When the water was high enough, the horse was taken ashore. The bather could then step down from the cabin and into the sea. Few people ashore saw anything but a head bobbing in the surf.H) Many beaches had separate swim times for men and women. Colored flags were posted to let them know when it was their turn to be in the water.When bloomers bloomedI) Until 1860, men and boys in England often swam naked in lakes, rivers and seas. When the practice was banned, swimming in one's underwear became popular. Striped shirts and shorts were the rage for men in the 1870s. Flannel replaced wool and linen as the most popular material for bathing suits. It was thought to be warmer when swimming in the cold sea.J) Women, meanwhile, were shifting to bloomers—a long skirt worn over loose pants. The skirt's hem was about three inches above the ankle, which was pretty shocking back then. Gloves, a belt, a cap and rubber shoes completed the outfit.K) As swimming grew more popular among European women, they traded in their skirts for a less bulky trousers-and-blouse swim garment. American women found that look too manly and kept their skirts for decades more. They also wore toe-length cloaks over their wet suits when crossing the beach.Today: sleeker, baggierL) When they began sharing the beach with men at the turn of the 20th century, American women wanted more stylish swim attire. And with swimming now an acceptable activity, they wanted their suits to be more functional. So sleeves were shortened, then done away with. Necklines were lowered. Colored braid, ribbons and bows were added. A one-piece "princess" suit, with a separate skirt, was a big hit, as were matching mother-daughter suits.M) Men's suits were changing, too, but not always for the better. The first modern swim trunks actually made swimming more difficult because they weighed nine pounds when wet and could slip off! Form-fitting suits came along in the 1930s. Swimsuits got smaller. Men removed their tops in 1937. Bikinis followed nine years later. With the arrival of new fabrics such as spandex and lycra, women's and girls' suits got sleeker. Men's and boys' trunks, meanwhile, got baggier.Suits made for speedN) Timing is everything in competitive swimming. One one-hundredth of a second can decide who wins a medal at a meet. So swimmers are always looking for ways to cut a sliver off their racing times.O) In the 1990s, swimsuit makers had a bold new idea: high-tech bodysuits. U. S. space engineers even helped with the design and testing of some of these suits. They were made of lighter materials such as plastic and rubber, which soaked up less water than woven materials. Some bodysuits had no stitching, which also reduced the water's "drag". And their skintight fit kept muscles from tiring as quickly.P) As a result, swimmers went faster. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, more than 90 percent of all swim medals were won by athletes wearing Speedo's new LZR Racer bodysuit. Baltimore's Michael Phelps, who won eight gold medals at those Games, said his LZR suit made him " feel like a rocket" in the pool.Q) Not everyone was happy with the performance-enhancing suits. Many people felt they favored scientific advances over a swimmer's natural abilities. In 2010, the sport's top officials banned full-length suits from major swim events. They put limits on the thickness and type of materials used in suits, as well as their length. But that hasn't stopped researchers. They are now working on new types of goggles and swim caps.

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在中国，交通安全是一个难题。据 公安部 (the Ministry of Public Security)统计，去年有6．2万人死于交通事故。最近出台的 新交规 (new traffic regulations)正是改善交通安全的最新举措。新修订的交规大大加重了对违规司机的处罚力度。更为严厉的处罚必定会迫使司机遵守交规。专家表示，要想提升交通安全，就需要采取各种综合措施来配合，而交通法规只是解决我国交通安全问题的其中一个方面。

BSection A/B

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茅台酒 (Maotai liquor)独产于贵州省茅台镇，拥有2000多年的历史。茅台镇的气候、土壤和水质成就了茅台独特的口感。 清代 (the Qing Dynasty)时期，茅台成为第一个大规模生产、年产量达170吨的中国白酒。1951年茅台获得了一枚金牌，第一次赢得了国际声誉。同年，在中华人民共和国成立后两年，茅台被指定为国酒。自此茅台一直用于外国元首和贵宾来访中国时官方场合的宴会。

BSection B/B