In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually include Chinese art, history and philosophy(哲学). Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks of Western philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.

　　So the old thinker's ideas are still alive and well.

　　Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.

　　As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.

　　5．The opening paragraph is mainly intended to __________.

　　A．provide some key facts about Confucius

　　B．attract the readers' interest in the subject

　　C．show great respect for the ancient thinker

　　D．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations

　　6．We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students ___________.

　　A．have a great interest in studying Chinese

　　B．take an active part in Chinese competitions

　　C．try to get high scores in Chinese exams

　　D．fight for a chance to learn Chinese

　　7．What is the best title for the passage?

　　A．Forgotten Wisdom in America B．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language

　　C．Chinese Culture for Westerners D．Old Thinker with a Big Future

　　8．The passage is likely to appear in ___________.

　　A．a biography (传记) B．a history paper

　　C．a newspaper D．a philosophy textbook

　　 There were smiling children all the way. Clearly they knew at what time the train passed their homes and they made it their business to stand along the railway, wave to complete strangers and cheer them up as they rushed towards Penang. Often whole families stood outside their homes and waved and smiled as if those on the trains were their favorite relatives. This is the simple village people of Malaysia. I was moved.

　　I had always traveled to Malaysia by plane or car, so this was the first time I was on a train. I did not particularly relish the long train journey and had brought along a dozen magazines to read and reread. I looked about the train. There was not one familiar face. I sighed and sat down to read my Economics.

　　It was not long before the train was across the Causeway and in Malaysia. Johore Baru was just another city like Singapore, so I was tired of looking at the crowds of people as they hurried past. As we went beyond the city, I watched the straight rows of rubber trees and miles and miles of green. Then the first village came into sight. Immediately I came alive; I decided to wave back.

　　From then on my journey became interesting. I threw my magazines into the waste basket and decided to join in Malaysian life. Then everything came alive. The mountains seemed to speak to me. Even the trees were smiling. I stared at everything as if I was looking at it for the first time.

　　The day passed fast and I even forgot to have my lunch until I felt hungry. I looked at my watch and was surprised that it was 3:00 pm. Soon the train pulled up at Butterworth. I looked at the people all around me. They all looked beautiful. When my uncle arrived with a smile, I threw my arms around him to give him a warm hug (拥抱). I had never done this before. He seemed surprised and then his weather-beaten face warmed up with a huge smile. We walked arm in arm to his car.

　　I looked forward to the return journey.

　　9．The author expected the train trip to be _____.

　　A．adventurous B．pleasant

　　C．exciting D．boring

　　10．What did the author remember most fondly of her train trip?

　　A．The friendly country people. B．The mountains along the way.

　　C．The crowds of people in the streets. D．The simple lunch served on the train.

　　11．Which of the following words can best take the place of the word "relish" in the second paragraph?

　　A．choose B．enjoy

　　C．prepare for D．carry on

　　12．What can we learn from the story?

　　A．Comfort in traveling by train. B．Pleasure of living in the country.

　　C．Reading gives people delight. D．Smiles brighten people up.