Learning how to cope with death has always been a central part of human existence. Even the Pixar movie Coco bases its story on the Mexican traditions of Dia de los Muertos. In this article, you will find out why and how Mexicans celebrate the Day of the Dead.
I once visited the Museum of Mummies in the Mexican city of Guanajuato with a Swedish friend. The mummies were displayed among fake cobwebs ( 蜘 蛛 网 ), and other cheap adornments (装饰物). Confronted with this seeming lack of respect for the dead, I explained to my shocked companion that Mexicans have a peculiarly different relationship with death to other cultures. As the Nobel Prize-winning Mexican writer Octavio Paz explained in his work:
“The Mexican ... is familiar with death, jokes about it, caresses it, sleeps with it, and celebrates it. True, there is as much fear in his attitude as in that of others, but at least death is not hidden away: he looks at it face to face, with impatience, disdain (鄙视) or irony.”
The celebration of the Day of the Dead — a week of festivities from 28 October to 2 November — is an essential part of this embracement of death that is particular to Mexican national identity. The popular belief is that the dead have divine permission to visit friends and relatives on earth and enjoy once again the pleasures of life. Therefore, Mexicans visit the graves of families and friends and adorn them with colorful flowers and offerings of food. The period is a joyous celebration of life, rather than a sober mourning of its passing.
The origins of the festival lie in the 16th-century fusion of the Aztecs’ belief in death as merely one part in the wider cycle of existence, their ritual venerations (仪式崇拜) and offerings to the goddess Mictecacihuatl (“Lady of the Dead”) for the deceased, and the Spanish conquerors’ desire to accommodate these festivities within the Catholic celebrations of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.
In a country as socially and geographically diverse as Mexico, there is significant regional variation in the nature of festivities: the southern state of Chiapas is far more likely to focus its efforts on processions ( 队 伍 ) and public commemorations( 纪 念 ) of death than the valley of
Mexico, where the decoration of altars ( 供 坛 ) in homes and tombs of the deceased is more popular. Urbanization, too, plays a large role in regional variations. For the south and rural areas the period holds far greater social and cultural significance than in the north and large cities; families and communities in rural areas will often spend large parts of the year preparing for the occasion.
1.Why does the author say “Mexicans have a peculiarly different relationship with death to other cultures?”
A.Because Mexicans always show their respect for death in the form of mummies.
B.Because Mexicans do not fear death or respect it.
C.Because adornments like flowers can be seen everywhere during the Day of the Dead.
D.Mexicans face death bravely rather than hide it away.
2.Which statement is NOT true according to the origins of the Day of the Dead?
A.It was the Aztecs who determined how to celebrate the Day of the Dead.
B.The Aztecs believed death was part of the wider cycle of existence.
C.The Aztecs would give offerings to the goddess of death for their lost loved ones.
D.The Spanish conquerors wanted to fit the festivities into some of their Catholic celebrations.
3.Why do Mexicans visit the graves of families and friends and offer colorful flowers and food?
A.Because they can ask God to permit the dead to visit them in this way.
B.To celebrate the joy of new life in spring.
C.Because the dead will be permitted to visit their families and enjoy the pleasure of life again.
D.Because this is an essential part of embracement of death.
4.Which of the following explains the role that urbanization plays in the regional variations of celebrating the Day of the Dead?
A.People in the south and rural areas put more emphasis on the occasion.
B.People in the valleys usually decorate the alters in homes and the tombs of the dead.
C.People in the north and big cities spend large part of the year preparing for the celebration.
D.The southern states do not care about the decoration of alters at home.
A new phone app uses vibrations from smart phones to warn people about earthquakes.
The phone app _______ sudden shaking of the earth’s surface through sensors in smart phones. It is called MyShake. It is the work of four researchers at the University of California, Berkeley. They said they created a worldwide warning system that would _______ people and give them time to prepare. The MyShake app is _______ only for Android phones.
Smart phones are _______ accelerometers (加速度感应器). These instruments measure movement, like that of a car or airplane. MyShake uses phone accelerometers to measure seismic (地震的) activity. It has been _______ to know the difference between normal activity and earthquake movement. The software developers say their app is right 93 percent of the time.
A smart phone sends seismic information to the app developers. If the developers receive several notifications _______, it recognizes that an earthquake might be taking place or will take place soon.
Using information sent from the app, the network then _______ the location and strength of the quake in real time. MyShake can record magnitude 5.0 earthquakes at distances of 10 kilometers or less.
MyShake uses very _______ power, according to its developers. Only when seismic activity is _______ by the app does it become active and sends data to the network. The app works best when your phone is resting on a ________ surface, like a table.
The developers hope that MyShake can add to information collected by the U.S. Geological Survey. That U.S. agency has created the Earthquake Early Warning System, also ________ EEW. The EEW has deployed (部署) sensors for measuring quakes in many areas.
In places where no such equipment ________, MyShake may be the only method of early quake ________. The app also shows ways to stay safer during an earthquake. The developers say it will become more effective as more people use it.
“Our goal is to build a worldwide seismic network and use the data to________ the effects of earthquakes on us as individuals and on society as a whole,” say the researchers.
The developers say they hope to add a feature that would ________ people about a possible tsunami: a huge wave after an earthquake.
1.A.reports B.recognizes C.reveals D.reviews
2.A.infer B.include C.influence D.inform
3.A.acquired B.available C.affordable D.approachable
4.A.equipped with B.made up of C.filled with D.in need of
5.A.programmed B.protected C.prohibited D.promised
6.A.from different places B.from one area C.from the same phone D.from another developer
7.A.controls B.connects C.estimates D.receives
8.A.much B.little C.excessive D.green
9.A.activated B.sensed C.resisted D.issued
10.A.low B.wooden C.high D.flat
11.A.honored with B.called for C.known as D.defined as
12.A.exists B.forms C.counts D.exploits
13.A.protection B.diagnosis C.detection D.resistance
14.A.raise B.receive C.record D.reduce
15.A.confirm B.appoint C.alert D.acknowledge
Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.
Science fiction often presents us with planets that speak a single language. However,1. humans can express themselves in several thousand languages is a delight. Few would welcome the loss of this variety, and, along with it, a multiplicity of nations and cultures.
Unfortunately, the days 2. English shares the planet with thousands of other languages are numbered. A traveler to the future is likely to notice two things about the language landscape of Earth. One, there will be vastly fewer languages. Two, languages will be 3. (complicated) than they are today.
By 2115, it’s possible that only about 600 languages will be left on the planet as opposed to today’s 6,000. Too often, colonization has led to the disappearance of languages: Native speakers are punished 4. using their own languages. Urbanization has only furthered the destruction by bringing people away from their homelands to cities where a single language dominates.
In addition, it is easy for speakers to associate larger languages with opportunities and smaller ones with backwardness. Consequently, people stop passing on smaller languages to their children.
There are diligent efforts 5. (keep) endangered languages from dying. Sadly, few are likely to lead to communities’ 6. (raise) children in the languages, which is the only way the languages exist as their full selves.
Instead, many communities create new versions of the languages, with smaller vocabularies and simpler grammar. The Irish Gaelic (盖尔语) proudly spoken by today’s English-Gaelic bilinguals is an example, something that one might call a “New Gaelic.”
Linguists have no single term yet for these new speech varieties, 7. from Germany’s “Kiezdeutsch” to Singapore’s “Singlish,” the world is witnessing the birth of more optimized versions of old languages. This simplification should not be taken as a sign of decline. All of the “optimized” languages remain full languages in every sense of the term.
We 8. regret the eclipse of a world where 6,000 different languages 9. (speak), but fortunately, it seems a decent amount of linguistic diversity will be preserved. Besides, 10. languages become easier to pick up, the future may promise even more mutual comprehension.
Directions: Write an English composition in 120–150 words according to the instructions given below in Chinese.
假如你们学校近期将开设“学生理财入门”(Money Management ABC) 选修课，你会参加吗？请做出选择并简要说说你的理由。
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Directions: Translate the following sentences into English, using the words given in the brackets.
1.在通往成功的路上，勤奋是不可替代的。 (substitute n.)
2.所有投诉都来自同一群人，我想这就不是巧合了。(coincidence)
3.纵观人类历史，一个民族如果无法顺应时代的变化，就难以在全球激烈的竞争中存活下来。(survive)
4.直到他失业了，他才开始反思自己的过去，并且意识到比起社团活动，学业表现在大学生活中起着更为重要的作用。(It)
Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.
The Benefits of Being Bilingual
At one time being bilingual was thought to slow down brain development, although it is now known to have many benefits. Aside from professional and social benefits, studies show that the process of learning a second language actually strengthens some areas of the brain.
To start off with, a study done at the University of British Columbia shows that babies exposed to two languages before birth don’t confuse the languages. Moreover, it showed that the effort it takes to keep the languages separate improves perception.
The benefits aren’t only for people who grow up bilingual, however. Anyone who learns a second language during their lifetime will have certain advantages. For one, Swedish scientists found that the brain grows during language learning, particularly the area where memories are created.
Not only does the brain grow, but language learners also improve in many areas. They are good at multitasking while paying detailed attention to each task. Additionally they strengthen their math skills, listening skills, ability to focus, problem-solving skills, reading and vocabulary in their native language, and their memory increases. In the area of math, a study done at the University of Washington shows that bilinguals solve new math problems half a second faster than monolinguals.
Language learning also has huge benefits for old age. Brian Gold of the University of Kentucky did a study comparing the ability of bilingual seniors and monolingual seniors to do an attention-switching task. Usually this skill fails with age. However the bilingual seniors performed better than the monolinguals, and their brains worked less hard and more efficiently.
Neuroscientists (神经系统科学家) think that having more brainpower at an older age helps protect us from Alzheimer’s. Current medication for Alzheimer’s only delays it for 6-12 months, while learning a new language delays it for 4-5 years. Again, this is not only for people who learn a second language from birth. Even if you don’t learn another language until after middle age it helps. Language learning keeps your brain active and “fit”.
