In Britain, the first day of the month of May is known as May Day. May day marks the end of the harsh(严酷的) winter months, welcomes the beginning of Summer, and optimistically looks forward to the bright and productive months. 
For their ancestors, largely in rural areas, it was a major annual festival and was celebrated(庆祝) through out the country, especially on the first day of May with music, dancing and games.
How was May Day Celebrated in the past?
May Day began early in the morning. People went out before sunrise in order to gather flowers and plants to make their houses and villages beautiful in the belief that the vegetation spirits(神灵) would bring good luck.
A traditional May Day dance is Maypole Dancing，On May Day, people used to cut down young trees and stick them in the ground in the village to mark the arrival of summer.People danced around the tree poles in celebration of the end of winter and the start of the fine weather that would allow planting to begin. Maypoles are still a part of some
village life and on May Day the villagers dance around it.
May Day celebrations have their origins(起源) in the Roman festival of Flora, goddess(女神) of fruit and flowers, which marked the beginning of summer. So the highlight of the day was the crowning(为…加冕) of the May Queen(女皇), the human replica (模型) of Flora. By tradition she took no part in the games or dancing, but sat like a queen in a flower-decked chair to watch her 'subjects'.
Ever since 1978, for the convenience of the general public, many May Day activities have now been moved to the new May Day holiday on the first Monday of the month. This Monday is a bank holiday, a day off school and work. There are more intereting celebrations on this day.In the old days, most people in Britain made their living by .
A. fishing B. farming C. working in factoriesPeople in Britain celebrate May Day is to express their
A. pleasure and hope B. thanks and harvest C. freedom and new lifeBritain’s May Day holiday is on in 2010.
A. May 1st B. May 3rd C. May 5thWhat is not mentioned in this passage?
A. Special food. B. Special custom. C. Special activity.Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Only children can take part in the Maypole Dancing.
B. The queen of the UK came to watch her “subjects”.
C. Children needn’t go to school on May Day holiday now.
In a small village in England about 150 years ago, a mail coach ( 邮车 ) was standing on the street . It didn’t come to that village often . People had to pay a lot to get a letter . The person who sent the letter didn’t have to pay the postage (邮资 ) , while the receiver had to .
“Ｈere’s a letter for Miss Alice Brown , ” said the mailman .
“ Ｉ’m Alice Brown , ” a girl of about 18 said in a low voice .
Alice looked at the envelope（信封） for a minute , and then handed it back to the mailman .
“ Ｉ＇m sorry I can’t take it , I don’t have enough money to pay it＂, she said .
A gentleman standing around were very sorry for her . Then he came up and paid the postage for her .
When the gentleman gave the letter to her , she said with a smile , “ Thank you very much ,This letter is from Tom . I’m going to marry him . He went to London to look for work . I’ve waited a long time for this letter , but now I don’t need it , there is nothing in it .”
“ Really ? How do you know that ? ” the gentleman said in surprise .
“ He told me that he would put some signs on the envelope . Look ,sir ,this cross in the corner means that he is well and this circle means he has found work . That’s good news .”
The gentleman was Sir Rowland Hill . He didn’t forgot Alice and her letter .
“ The postage to be paid by the receiver has to be changed ,” he said to himself and had a good plan .
“ The postage has to be much lower , what about a penny (便士 ) ? And the person who sends the letter pays the postage . He has to buy a stamp and put it on the envelope .” he said .
The government accepted his plan . Then the first stamp was put out in 1840 . It was called the “ Penny Black “ . It had a picture of the Queen on it . The first postage stamp was made ___________ .
| A．in England | B．in America |
| C．by Alice | D．in 1910 |
The girl handed the letter back to the mailman because ______________ .
| A．she didn’t know whose letter it was |
| B．she had no money to pay the postage |
| C．she received the letter but she didn’t want to open it |
| D．she had already known what was written in the letter |
We can know from Alice’s words that _________________ .
| A．Tom had told her what the signs meant before leaving |
| B．Alice was clever and could guess the meaning of the signs |
| C．Alice had put the signs on the envelope herself |
| D．Tom had put the signs as Alice had told him to |
The idea of using stamps was thought of by __________________ .
| A．the government | B．Sir Rowland Hill |
| C．Alice Brown | D．Tom |
From the passage we know the high postage made _____________ .
| A．People never send each other letters |
| B．lovers almost lose every touch with each other |
| C．people try their best to avoid(避免) paying it |
| D．receivers refuse to pay the coming letters |
We can see _______ in the butterfly exhibition .
| A． some paintings . |
| B． some pictures of butterflies only . |
| C． some beautiful butterflies . |
| D． some pictures of the towns from all over the world . |
You are going to see the exhibition with your 14 –year –old daughter , you will have to pay __________ .
| A． 15 yuan | B． 20 yuan |
| C． 25 yuan | D． 35 yuan |
. We can book group tickets ____________ .
| A． by making a phone call |
| B． by sending an e –mail |
| C． by writing a letter |
| D． by filling in an application form |
There are 45 students in our class . How much will they pay if they visit the exhibition ?
| A．￥ 675 | B．￥ 450 | C．￥900 | D．￥400 |
If you go to the exhibition on 1 st , May , you can get ___________ .
| A． a book | B．a ticket |
| C． a butterfly | D．a present |
Although 19-year-old George Dennehy is armless, he isn’t letting that stop him from pursuing (追求)his dreams and sharing his passion(激情) with the world.
Born without arms, the young boy’s birth parents left him. Luckily, a warm-hearted couple adopted him and took good care of him. However, his new parents never allowed him to use his disability as an excuse to be lazy. When George turned eight, they asked him to sign up（报名） for cello（大提琴） lessons. The instrument (乐器)is tough even for people who have the use of both their hands, so it was even more challenging for George, who had to learn to play it with his feet.
Thanks to his music teacher, the young boy not only mastered the cello, but also realized that he had a passion and talent for music. During middle school years, he also mastered the piano and guitar.
His music talent caught the eye of an American rock band who invited him to perform alongside them at a ten-day-long music festival.
The experience has inspired（激励） this once shy boy to pursue a career（事业） in music. He has also become a motivational（励志的） speaker who encourages both able and disabled people to pursue their dreams, no matter how impossible these dreams may sound.
Geoge Dennehy is armless, he isn’t letting that stop him from pursuing his dreams and sharing his passion with the world.When did George Dennehy begin to learn play the cello?
| A．at the age of 19 | B．at the age of 8 |
| C．when he began to go to school. | D．We don’t know |
With whose help , George Dennehy realized that he had a passion and talent for music?
| A．His adoptive parents | B．His birth parents |
| C．His teacher | D．An American rock band |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word ?
| A．接受 | B．照顾 | C．发现 | D．收养 |
How many instruments did George Dennehy master according the passage?
| A．1 | B．2 . | C．3 | D．4 |
What’s the best title ?
| A．Follow your dreams | B．A poor boy |
| C．An armless boy | D．Challenge |
Different countries have different customs. When you travel to another country, please follow their customs, just as the saying goes, “.”
Very often people who travel to the United States forget to tip （付小费）. It is usual to tip porters who help carry your bags, taxi drivers and waiters. Waiters expect to get a 15% tip on the cost of your meal. Taxi drivers expect about the same amount.
In England, make sure to stand in line even if there are only two of you. It’s important to respect lines there. It’s a good idea to talk about the weather. It’s a favourite subject of conversation with the British.
In Spain, it’s a good idea to have a light meal in the afternoon if someone invites you for dinner. People have dinner very late, and restaurants do not generally open until after 9 pm.
In Arab countries, men kiss one another on the cheek（脸颊）. Your host may welcome you with a kiss on both cheeks. It is polite for you to do the same.
In Japan, people usually give personal or business cards to each other when they meet for the first time. When a person gives you a card, don’t put it into your pocket right away. The person expects you to read it.
Don’t forget to be careful of your body language to express something in a conversation. A kind of body language that is used in one culture may be impolite in another.
| A．Love me, love my dog. |
| B．He who laughs last laughs best. |
| C．When in Rome, do as the Romans do. |
| D．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
| A．porters | B．waiters |
| C．actors | D．taxi drivers |
| A．搬运工 | B．清洁工 |
| C．接线员 | D．售票员 |
| A．In Spain, people usually have dinner very early. |
| B．In England, it’s not polite to talk about the weather. |
| C．In Arab countries, men kiss one another on the cheek. |
| D．In Japan you should not read the business card as soon as you get it. |
| A．How to tip. |
| B．Body Language. |
| C．When to Have Dinner. |
| D．Advice to International Travellers. |
London used to be “foggy”（有雾的） for the same reason that cities like Beijing or Chongqing are “foggy” today. The “fog” was in fact smog（烟雾）, a mixture of smoke and fog．In other words, it was made by air pollution. In London, some of this pollution came from factories, but much of it came from the coal（煤）that people burnt in their houses to keep warm during the winter. By the 1950s, London’s smog problem had become so bad that the government decided to do something to clean the air. A new law was made and nobody could burn coal in any British city. Within a few years, the air became much cleaner. There were no more “pea-soupers”.
Many Chinese cities now face the same sort of problem with air pollution that London faced 40 or 50 years ago. However, this problem is more difficult for Chinese cities to solve. One reason is that more of the pollution comes from the factories, rather than from coal burnt in people’s houses. If these factories were closed, this would harm the economy and lots of people would lose their jobs. Another reason is that changing from coal to cleaner fuel（燃料）, like gas, is quite expensive.
However, the air in many Chinese cities is becoming cleaner and cleaner, as the government and people pay more and more attention to cutting down pollution. As a result, there are fewer “pea-soupers” in Beijing than there used to be.
A．There was too much smoke in the sky．
B．There were too many factories in the city．
C．People burnt too much coal in the houses．
A．There was not so much fog in the winter later．
B．A law was made to keep people from burning coal in their houses．
C．Many factories in the city were closed．
A．Smog. B．Smoke. C．Gas.
A．one B．two C．three
A．Using coal is much more expensive than using gas.
B．Factories made much more pollution in China.
C．The reasons of air pollution in London and Beijing are different.