牛津译林版必修二高中英语 Unit 3 Festivals andcustoms综合能力测评卷

People in Thailand are very (friend)．After all, Thailand means “a land of smiles”．But visitors still have to follow certain customs once in the land of smiles.

First of all, show respect to the Buddha(佛)．Thailand is a Buddhist country has a long and rich history. Therefore, it is very important for the (tourist) to treat the Buddha with respect.

Don't touch the head，(especial) the head of the grownups. In Thailand, head is regarded the most important part of the body. It (consider) extremely rude to touch an adult's head. Certainly, it is acceptable for close friends or family members to touch each other's heads.

Mind the feet and put them  they should be. Visitors are not allowed (point) their feet directly at another person or the Buddha. It is not proper to step over a person or the Buddha, . In other words, your feet should always be (low) than another person's head.

As Christmas is coming, there are presents to be bought, cards to be sent, and rooms to be cleaned. Parents are 1 with difficult jobs of hiding presents from 2 young children. If the gifts are large, this is sometimes a real problem. On Christmas Eve, young children find the 3 almost unbearable. They are torn by the wish to stay up late so that they will not miss the fun. The wish for gifts usually proves stronger. But though children go to bed early, they often lie 4 in bed for a long time, hoping to get a short 5 at Father Christmas. Last Christmas, my wife and I 6 hid a few large presents in the store room. I 7 the moment when my son, Jimmy, would ask me where the new bike had come from, but 8 he did not see it.

On Christmas Eve, it took the children hours to go to sleep. It must have been nearly midnight when my wife and I went quietly into their room and began 9 stockings. Then I pushed the bike for Jimmy and left it beside the Christmas tree. We knew that we would not get much 10 that night, for the children were sure to get up early. At about 5 o'clock the next morning, we were 11 by loud sounds coming from the children's room—they shouted excitedly！Before I had time to get out of bed, Jimmy came 12 into our bedroom on his new bike, and his sister, May, 13 close behind, pushing her new baby carriage. Even the baby arrived, he moved on his 14 and knees into the room bringing a large balloon behind him. Suddenly, it burst. That woke us up 15. The day had really begun with a bang.

Many leading AI researchers think that in a matter of decades, artificial intelligence will be able to do not merely some of our jobs, but all of our jobs, forever transforming life on Earth.

The reason why many regard this as science fiction is that we've traditionally thought of intelligence as something mysterious that can only exist in biological organisms, especially humans. But such an idea is unscientific.

From my point of view as a physicist and AI researcher, intelligence is simply a certain kind of information­processing performed by elementary particles (基本粒子) moving around, and there is no law of physics that says one can't build machines more intelligent than us in all ways. This suggests that we've only seen the tip of the intelligence iceberg and that there is an amazing potential to unlock the full intelligence that is potential in nature and use it to help humanity.

If we get it right, the upside is huge. Since everything we love about civilization is the product of intelligence, amplifying (扩大) our own intelligence with AI has the potential to solve tomorrow's toughest problems. For example, why risk our loved ones dying in traffic accidents that self­driving cars could prevent or dying of cancers that AI might help us find cures for? Why not increase productivity through automation (自动化) and use AI to accelerate our research and development of affordable sustainable (可持续的) energy?

I'm optimistic that we can develop rapidly with advanced AI as long as we win the race between the growing power of our technology and the knowledge with which we manage it. But this requires giving up our outdated concept of learning form mistakes. That helped us win the race with less powerful technology: We messed up with fire and then invented fire extinguishers (灭火器), and we messed up with cars and then invented seat belts. However, it's an awful idea for more powerful technologies, such as nuclear weapons or superintelligent AI—where even a single mistake is unacceptable and we need to get things right the first time.

My mother always told us there is no use crying over spilt milk. That means you should not get angry when something bad happens and cannot be changed. She also told us you have to break some eggs to make an omelet(煎蛋卷)．This means you have to do what is necessary to move forward.

My mother believed you are what you eat. A good diet is important for good health. She would always give us healthy food. She liked serving us meat and potatoes for dinner. The meat and potatoes can also mean the most important part of something.

People always said my father was the salt of the earth, because he would never pour salt on a wound, or make someone feel worse about something that was already a bad experience. However, sometimes he told us a story that seemed bigger than life. So we had to take it with a grain(粒) of salt. That is, we could not believe everything he told us.

My manager at work does not always know what is going on in our office. Yet she is right about one thing: there is no such thing as a free lunch. Something may appear to be free, but there may be a hidden cost. When we fail to see problems at work, the manager tells us to wake up and smell the coffee. We need to pay more attention and fix the problem. I once made a big mistake at the office and felt silly .I had egg on my face.

Over the weekend, my friend invited me to watch a football game on television. But I do not like football. It is not my cup of tea.

I hope I have given you food for thought, that is, something to think about.

Coffee is an important part of Italian culture and since arriving here over six months ago, I have drunk a lot of it!

Of course, coffee is also very popular in the UK but coffee culture in Italy is a completely different story. In Italy, when you order a coffee in a café or bar(酒吧), you are served with a tiny, bitter espresso. This is “normal(正常的) coffee” for Italians and they are not so interested in the huge coffees that we drink in the UK. If you want more than one sip(小口) of coffee in Italy, lungo is a good choice. It is espresso with a little more water added, but still served in a small cup. In addition, while takeaway coffee is quite popular among Brits, it is not very common at all in Italy, especially in non­touristy areas. Generally, Italians prefer to drink their tiny coffees while standing at the bar and, for many, this short break is an important part of their day.

Usually, breakfast in a bar in Italy includes a coffee and a pastry(酥皮糕点)．I have been spoiled for choice with lovely cafés in the Italian town I'm living in. These cafés sell different kinds of mouth－watering pastries—either plain(无馅料的) or filled with cream, chocolate, etc.—as well as delicious coffee. Cappuccinos are very popular at breakfast time and, for me, a creamy cappuccino and a pastry with chocolate is the perfect way to start the day.

Finally, I have found that coffee in Italy is so much cheaper than coffee in the UK. Normally, an espresso or a macchiato (an espresso with a drop of milk) costs around a euro and a cappuccino about  1.50！They are small, of course, but this means that in Italy it is possible to go out for coffee every day without breaking the bank.

Looking for something entertaining to do? Check out some awesome festivals around the world.

Koninginnedag-The Netherlands

Koninginnedag or Queen's Day is a national holiday in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Although the birthday of the current Queen, Beatrix, is actually during the winter, she has celebrated it on April 30th, the country's official "Queen's Day" since 1949.Orange is the national color, and the streets become a sea of feather boas(围巾) and body paint as crowds gather in the plazas and on boats in the rivers. Amsterdam is the center of this outdoor party, with many live music events, but nearly every town is alive with orange on this day.

Thai Elephant Day-Thailand

Thai Elephant Day is a national holiday in Thailand. Thai Elephant Day has been celebrated on March 13th of every year since 1998. Because the elephant is the national animal of Thailand, it is highly respected and treasured. During the festivals elephants are honored during a ceremony in which they are fed bananas, other fruit，and sugarcanes.

The Fire Festival-Shetland

On the last Tuesday in January the entire town of Lerwick, Shetland goes up in flames. At the festival, you'll find yourself sitting, dancing, or stumbling around the largest bonfire you've ever seen in your life. The festival lasts only one day but takes the entire year to plan. Be prepared for an evening of singing, dancing, and fastpaced activity, and don't worry about making it to work the next day－it's a national holiday!

Holi-India

Holi, the Festival of Colors, is a Hindu celebration full of joy and one of India's most important holidays. On the day of the last full moon of the lunar month, usually late February or early March, the air is full of brightcolored powder. The festival is celebrated differently throughout the country, with bonfires and music, but the cheerful spirit is common throughout Hindu communities around the world.

Celebrate!

Piñatas

In Mexico, children often get piñatas on their birthday. Their parents put chocolates and other sweets inside the piñata and hang it on a tree. Then the children hit the piñata with a stick.

Noodles

In China, people often celebrate birthdays by eating with family or friends, and the last dish of the meal is always noodles. The noodles are long and thin. You can't cut them. In Chinese culture, long noodles mean you will have a long life.

Business birthdays

A business birthday shows that a company is successful. Many businesses in the USA celebrate important birthdays, like 10, 50 or 150 years. Sometimes they make TV advertisements. It is a good chance to advertise the business.

Name days

As well as a birthday, many people in Southern Europe also celebrate their name day. People have big parties and open their houses to anybody who wants to come. People bring small gifts, often flowers or a box of sweets.

Islamic New Year

In Muslim countries across the world, people celebrate Eid. Eid means festival or celebration. During Eid, people visit family and friends, as well as people who are sick or in hospital. Children receive toys, too. Children often wear special traditional clothes during the Eid celebrations.

A. You have to eat them in one piece.

B. They go out for a meal to celebrate.

C. Companies hold parties and send cards.

D. They give presents, such as sweets and food.

E. It breaks and the sweets fall out on to the ground.

F. This is one of the two important festivals in this country.

G. In Greece, name days are more important than birthdays.

1）表达你诚挚的邀请；

2）对端午节作简单介绍；

3）介绍你将带他做什么。

注意：1）词数80左右；

2）可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

Last summer when my family was road tripping to Montana we arrived in Great Falls late one night. The kids had fallen asleep in the car, so my husband went and checked in the hotel while I stayed with the kids. When he returned with the room keys, we woke up our children and took them out of the car, through the hotel, up the elevators and into our guest room. We kept the room dark, leaving only the entry light on, and quickly put the kids into bed hoping they'd drift back to sleep.

My husband went to put our water in the mini­fridge only to notice some beers. "That's strange", he said and I agreed, but having discovered left­behind drinks in hotel fridges in the past I didn't think much about it. I figured the housekeepers had forgotten to check it. In the meantime, my husband ran to the store and I went into the bathroom to get ready for bed. As I washed my face I looked down to see cardboard beer containers in the trash. I felt my heart begin to pound. We were in someone else's room!

Now feeling panic, I checked the closet. Nothing. I then went to the dresser drawers. Nothing. My eyes scanned the door room's floor and there it was: A black bag that looked like one of ours. But it wasn't!

I immediately called the front desk and the waitress in charge responded with an "Oh, my God! This is not good!"

By now the kids were wide awake, jumping on the beds as I was trying to put all of our things back into our oversized suitcase. Just while we were packing our things, I heard someone was unlocking the door, which made my heart beat wildly.

Paragraph 1：

The door opened and in came a young man.

Paragraph 2：

I didn't know how to deal with the matter but luckily the waitress