2．　　Every country has a national sport and some popular sports are now played across the world. However, in most countries, people also play unusual sports, with strange or interesting rules. Here are our top five unusual sports.
　　Man vs. Horse Marathon
　　This race takes place in a small town in Wales(威尔士), about 200 miles(英里) from London. It's called a marathon (马拉松), but it's actually 35. 4km, not 42. 2km like a usual marathon. People race against horses across the hills and mountains. It started in 1981, but a human did not win until 2004.
　　Camel Wrestling(骆驼摔跤)
　　In Turkey, camel wrestling is a very old sport. The largest camel wrestling competition takes place every year and thousands of people come. In the sport, two camels fight against each other. Sometimes the camels do not want to fight and they run through the crowds, which can be dangerous.
　　Dragon Boat Racing
　　Every year in China, thousands of people watch dragon boat races. A dragon boat is a traditional Chinese boat with a painted dragon's head on one end. There can be up to 36 people or more racing in each boat in the water. Dragon boat racing is also popular in some other Asian countries.
　　Caber Toss
　　In this sport, players compete to throw a large piece of wood called a caber as far as they can. There is no rule about the size of the caber, but it's usually the size of a small tree. It's an ancient Scottish sport. Visitors to the UK can check it out.
　　Chess Boxing
　　A good chess boxer needs to be both strong and smart. Players play a round of chess, followed by a round of boxing. There are eleven rounds in total. Chess boxing was invented in 1992 by an English comic book writer. The sport is more popular in England and Germany.

3．　　Good clubs plays an important part in helping students develop good habits or interests. Our Power English club is one of the good clubs.
　　As we know, language learning needs a long time, and sometimes it is lonely. You need friends, teachers and helpers to encourage you. An English club is your support system. When you feel tired, the members energize you. When you want to give up, the members encourage you. When you have questions, the members give you suggestions. That's why an English club is so important.
　　When choosing an English club, however, it's very important to find one with positive members. Unluckily, some clubs are filled with nagative and unfriendly people. For example, my brother recently posted his introduction to a football club. After two days, a man responded to him. He told my brother that it was difficult for him to learn football well. My brother felt sad and he didn't want to learn it again.
　　Actually if you want to learn something well, you need to join a good club. What you want to talk with are positive, friendly people. If you want to join an English club, you need an English learning family that will always encourage you.
　　Our English club is exactly that. We are very lucky with many wonderful people. Our members are all fantastic. They are clever, warm, friendly and positive. Our members will always make you feel welcome. If you want to join us, we welcome you. Of course, whether you join our club or another is OK, be sure to find a club that is positive, friendly and warm. Hope you will enjoy your English learning!

4．　　The fast speed of modern travel makes the other countries be reached quickly and easily now. (1)      . It's important for us to learn more in order to get on well with the local people. The following are some basic rules that will make your trip more enjoyable.
　　Never raise your voice in order to make yourself understood. If you don't know the word for something in the local language, try to draw a picture or point to the thing. (2)      , such as words for "please", "thank you" and "may I" and so on.
　　(3)      . You can bring some clothes such as shirts or T-shirts that cover your shoulders, and long trousers.
　　Avoid topics that you think may be personal. (4)      . Please don't ask questions about why things are done in a certain way, because you may make the local people unhappy.
　　If you wish to take a gift, do some researches. The idea of the perfect gift is different greatly from country to country. (5)      .

A. One of the easiest ways to make someone angry is to give the wrong gift
B. Before you travel, you can also learn some basic greetings of the local language
C. Even though the countries in the world now seem closer, their cultures are different
D. Feel free to show interest in the history and customs of the place that you are visiting
E. If you are unsure about how to act in the street, you can watch and follow others' act
F. Learn the culture of the country you plan to visit and read about the rules related to clothing

5．　　China is known for its (1)      , crowded cities, tall buildings and busy streets. Heavy traffic, busy streets and noisy crowds in a city can often make people feel (2)      . China's population is so large that people don't feel comfortable from time to time. But the government provides people with a useful solution to solve this (3)      . Around the city, there are always many (4)      . From (5)       ones with gardens to large ones with lakes, people can (6)       themselves there. From early in the morning until late in the evening, you will (7)       see people go out to take a walk around the park. Some parks are often in the important parts of the (8)      , although the open space and green trees really make you think you are somewhere far away. Everyone (9)       so happily in the park. It's really a good place to stay away from the busy life for a while when we have a short (10)      . It may be a quick walk or a game of badminton. These beautiful city parks are the perfect places for people in China.

6．　　The Mona Lisa(蒙娜•丽莎), a picture of a woman, is one of the most famous (1)       (paint)around the world. Leonardo da Vinci began painting it in 1503. He was (2)       (work)on a special painting for a church(教堂)at that time, but it was not going well. The woman in the Mona Lisa is said to be the wife of an Italian businessman (3)       asked Leonardo da Vinci to paint a picture of her. He finished it in 1506. Then he was (4)       (invite) to visit France, and he took the painting with him.
　　Today the Mona Lisa is kept in the Louvire (卢浮宫), (5)       art museum in Paris, and every year, about six million (6)       (visit) go to enjoy the famous painting. The picture is only 77cm by 53cm and is painted (7)      oil(油)on wood. In 1911, a worker took it out of the museum by (8)       (hide) it under his coat. Two years later, police officers found the painting under the worker's bed after he decided (9)       (sell) it. In 1962, the Mona Lisa was taken to Washington and New York for a show. Today, the perfect painting (10)      (probable)cost over 700 million dollars.

17．　　Each part of China has its own special forms of traditional art. According to Chinese history, sky lanterns were first used by Zhuge Kongming. He sent them out A        (ask) for help when in trouble. Today, sky lanterns are used at festivals and other B        (celebrate). They are made of bamboo and covered with paper. When the lanterns are lit, they slowly rise into the air like small hot-air balloons for all to see. They are seen as bright symbols of happiness and good wishes. For me, I think this kind of art form is interesting and not difficult.
　　Chinese clay art is also famous because the clay pieces are so small but they look very real. The pieces are usually cute children or characters from a Chinese fairy tale or C        (history) story. The pieces are D        (careful) shaped by hand from a very special kind of clay and then allowed to air-dry. After drying, they are fired at a very high heat. They are then polished and painted. It takes several weeks to complete everything. These small pieces of clay show the love that all Chinese people have for life and beauty. It may be the difficult one to learn.
　　Please fill in the blanks with correct words.

18．为培养学生感恩及回馈社会之情，期末结束后，学校计划于7月25日组织一次“走进社区, 做一天志愿者”的活动。请根据以下信息，以A One-day volunteer Job为题写一篇短文，谈谈你们的活动安排及活动意义。
活动地点：阳光社区(Sunny Community)；
集合时间：上午8:30；
集合地点：学校门口。
具体安排：帮助打扫卫生……；送水给工作人员……；拜访老人……
活动意义：……

A One-day volunteer Job
　　As middle school students, we should be thankful to people who helped us. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________