Teahouses in Chengdu
There is a saying, “China has the best teahouses in the world and Chengdu has the best teahouses in China.”Chengdu has not only many teahouses but also the special ways of serving and drinking tea.
As soon as the visitors enter the teahouses, the waiters or waitresses will greet them with teapots and cups in their hands. The cups often have special covers and saucers(茶碟). The covers can keep the water warm.
People who go to the teahouses are not all thirsty. Retired(退休)people pay a little money to the teahouses and then sit there all day long to chat with others. Sometimes, people have parties in the teahouses. They eat fruit and sunflower seeds(瓜子)while they chat and return home when they are tired. Teahouses are also good places for people to talk about businesses. Some of the teahouses even have stages for performances, such as storytelling, cross talk and Sichuan Opera. Sometimes when people have a quarrel, a mediator(调解员)will bring them to the teahouse. After their problem is solved, the person who is wrong will pay for the tea. It is interesting that as soon as the quarrelers enter the teahouse and sit down to drink tea, they have almost calmed down. With the help of the mediator, their problems can be easily solved then. Maybe we can say the teahouses have some special social functions.Chengdu has the best teahouses in China because _____.
| A．the serving of the teahouses in Chengdu is very special |
| B．there are many people in Chengdu teahouses |
| C．there are many old men in Chengdu teahouses |
| D．the cups in Chengdu teahouses are old |
People in Chengdu’s teahouses may _____ while they are drinking according to the passage.
| A．enjoy interesting stories | B．watch movies |
| C．listen to Beijing Opera | D．quarrel in loud voice |
Who will pay for the tea after the mediator solve some problems?
| A．The mediator himself | B．The person who caused the problem |
| C．All the persons in the teahouse | D．The owner of the teahouse |
This passage is taken from some newspaper. Which part do you think it is from?
| A．The sports part. | B．The news part. |
| C．The culture part. | D．The education part. |
This passage mainly talks about _______.
| A．how to make tea | B．how to open a teahouse |
| C．the special functions of the teahouses | D．the special way of enjoying tea |
Dragons are not real animals, but look like a combination (结合体) of many animals such as snakes, fish and deer. They have two horns (角) and a long moustache (胡子). With fantastic powers, they fly in the sky or swim in the sea. They can make rain, too. The Chinese dragon is a symbol of strength and good luck. The emperors of ancient China loved dragons. Their clothes were covered with pictures of dragons.
We are proud to call ourselves the "descendants (传人) of the dragon" In Chinese, "excellent" people are often called "dragons". A number of Chinese sayings and idioms talk about dragons, for example, “Hoping one's child will become a dragon," which means hoping he or she will be successful.
It is said that people born in the Year of the Dragon have certain characteristics. They are creative, confident, brave and quick-tempered. There are some famous "dragons" who have done excellent things, for example, the great man Deng Xiaoping, the famous businessman Li Jiacheng and the movie star Zhao Wei. They are all very successful.
There are also some traditional festivals about dragons in China, such as Dragon Head – Raising Day and Dragon Boat Festival. We have different kinds of activities to celebrate them. These two festivals come every year, but the Year of the Dragon comes every twelve years.
The dragon is very important in Chinese culture. As the "descendants of the dragon", it is necessary for us to know the views on dragons in our culture. It can help us understand why our parents always want us to be "dragons".
This year is the Year of the Dragon. Good luck to you!
| A．A combination of many animals. |
| B．Chinese sayings and idioms. |
| C．Traditional festivals. |
| D．Strength and good luck. |
| A．龙马精神 | B．龙飞凤舞 |
| C．望子成龙 | D．龙腾虎跃 |
They may be _______.
| A．creative, confident, brave and powerful |
| B．creative, confident, brave and quick-tempered |
| C．lovely, confident, brave and quick-tempered |
| D．lucky, confident, creative and successful |
| A．1988. | B．1998. |
| C．2008. | D．2018. |
| A．Dragons are real animals. |
| B．There are many Chinese sayings and idioms about dragons. |
| C．People born in the Year of the Dragon must be successful |
| D．The "descendants of the dragon" are often called "dragons". |
Bognor Regis is a small beautiful town in the UK. From March 12 to 17 of each year, lots of clowns (小丑) get together in the town to celebrate the International Clown Festival. The first one was in 1987.
During the festival, people can see all kinds of clowns. They are together for the clown shows. They have big feet, red noses and look really funny. They sing and dance in a strange way to make people happy. Children like this interesting festival best. Now women can take part in the clown shows and they're very popular. But in the past, only men could be clowns.
| A．March 12 | B．March 14 |
| C．March 15 | D．March 17 |
| A．1978 | B．1987 | C．1879 | D．1798 |
| A．Old people | B．Women |
| C．Men | D．Children |
| A．It's a festival only for kids. |
| B．Clowns wear blue noses. |
| C．It has a history of 27 years. |
| D．Clowns have to dance to make people happy. |
| A．Wonderful clown shows |
| B．Bognor Regis' clown festival |
| C．A beautiful town, Bognor Regis |
| D．The first International Clown Festival |
Think "rock, paper, scissors (剪刀)" is a children's game? Think again.
Top players from around the world came together in Toronto to compete for a 10,000 – Canadian-dollar prize and the title of World Champion (世界冠军头衔). More than 500 players, including national champions from Australia, Norway and New Zealand, attended.
The simple game is often used to make decision and solve simple problems. Players hold their fists closed and count to three before making a fist (rock), a flat hand (paper) or two fingers (scissors). Paper covers rock, scissors cut paper and rock breaks scissors.
Players have different, opinions about the history of the game, but it is commonly believed to have been played for centuries in Japan. The Paper Scissors Stone Club opened in England in 1842 and players could play together there. In 1918, the name was changed to World RPS Club and its headquarters (总部) moved from London to Toronto.
The world championship started in 2002, and is held once every year.
根据短文内容，判断下列句子正误。正确为“T”，错误为“F”。
Jogging is basically running at a steady (稳定的) speed over short or long distances. It became popular some twenty years ago and has remained a favorite way of keeping fit for lots of people.
One of the main advantages of jogging over many other sports is that it can be done anywhere. People jog in parks, in the countryside and even in urban areas. No special equipment is required—no costly hats, or balls, and no expensive sports kit. Good quality running shoes are advisable. Special jogging suits are widely available these days and can be bought quite cheaply but are not necessary. In addition to being able to jog anywhere, you can also jog at any time, in any season! It’s not unusual to see joggers exercising in the height of summer or in the depth of winter!
The act of jogging doesn’t require any special training or skill. You do need to be basically healthy and then, after a few basic warm-up bends and stretches, you are ready to begin. You simply start running, gently, and then build up to a steady speed. Do not over-tire yourself by trying to go too fast. It is best for you to run at a steady and comfortable speed.
Jogging is an individual sport. You don’t need to wait until you have gathered a team or found a partner. You can jog alone. A few words of warning however: lone women joggers should be especially careful when choosing jogging routes, particularly at night time.
Jogging is excellent for keeping fit. It’s good for the lungs, the heart and the circulation. It’s easy and it’s convenient. Why don’t you try it? If you require more information, talk to one of the instructors at the sports centre. We are only too happy to help. Please remember: if you do decide to jog, talk to your doctor first if you have any health worries. Happy jogging!
Is jogging a good way of keeping fit?
Which are more necessary for joggers, good quality running shoes or special jogging suits?
What is best for us to jog?
What’s the writer’s special suggestion to lone women who decide to jog?
What does the writer want to tell us in the passage?
For hundreds of years, scientists have been trying to answer what things have an effect on people’s emotions. How you feel is controlled by many things. Your emotions can be affected by your personality, by the actions of others and by events around you. Perhaps you don’t know your emotions can be influenced by the weather as well.
People often say they feel good when the sun is shining and sad when it is cloudy. In fact, sunlight makes us feel good. When sunlight hits our skins, our bodies produce a vitamin. Vitamins are natural chemicals (化学物质) which we all need to stay healthy. Sunlight helps our bodies produce vitamin D. Vitamin D helps our bodies make a special chemical. This special chemical affects our brains and makes us feel happy. For example, there are long, dark winters of little sunlight in Sweden and Norway, so many people in these countries often feel sad. Without much sunlight, their bodies produce less vitamin D. Without enough vitamin D, their bodies make less of this special chemical which makes them feel good. To help the people in these countries feel better, special “sunrooms” with artificial (人造的) lights have been built. People can go there and get “sunlight” for an hour or two!
The weather can also affect people’s emotions in other ways. Hot weather can make people angry because people feel uncomfortable when they are hot. In the same way, rain can make people angry because being wet can be unpleasant. As you can see, the weather can have an effect on the chemicals which control our brains. Through these ways, the weather can influence our emotions. Sadly, while the weather can change us, we can hardly change the weather.Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a factor that can affect one’s emotions?
| A．Weather. | B．Actions of others. |
| C．Personality. | D．Age. |
Which of the following is true about vitamin D according to the passage?
| A．It is a kind of artificial chemical. |
| B．It makes us worried by affecting our brains. |
| C．It is needed by us all to keep fit. |
| D．It is in the sunlight. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．We feel good when we are in the bright cool weather. |
| B．We will be happy when we are caught in the rain. |
| C．All people in Norway and Sweden feel sad in winter. |
| D．The more vitamin D you have, the happier you’ll be. |
What may be the best title for this passage?
| A．Why Do We Feel Sad? |
| B．The Weather Influences People’s Emotions |
| C．People Need More Vitamin D |
| D．We Can Hardly Change the Weather |