Spring Festival is the most important festival in China.It lies on the first day of the first lunar month（农历）in the traditional Chinese lunar calendar .On the evening before the Spring Festival ,families get together and have a big meal .In many places people like to set off firecrackers .Dumplings are the most traditional food .Children like the festival very much ,because they can have delicious food and wear new clothes .They can also get some money from their parents. This money is given to children for good luck . People put New Year scrolls on the wall for good fortune .
Chinese people held the first New Year Festival more than 3,000 years ago. Farmers gave thanks for the harvest and prayed. They asked the gods for good crops in the coming year.
But there is a story behind all the celebration.According to legend, there was a man-eating wild monster（怪兽） "Nian" with an extremely large mouth, capable of swallowing several people in a single bite. The monster seemed too strong to be defeated. So all the villagers would take their old and young deep into the mountains to hide from Nian.One day, a wise old man passed through the village and told the villagers that "nian" was afraid of loud noises and the color red, The villagers came together and agreed that when it was time for Nian's annual visit towards the end of winter they would start a fire in front of every door and not go to sleep but rather make noise.Nian had not come down the mountain to cause any trouble thereafter. This eventually become a tradition of China and leads to the celebration for another year of safe life. Chinese people celebrate in remembrance of this legend and still continues till today! This custom has spread, became the most solemn of traditional Chinese folk festivals "have the spring festival".
Information Card
| What is the name of the festival? |
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| When is it? |
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| What do people do? |
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| How did the villagers feel about the monster”NIAN”? |
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| Why do young kids like it so much? |
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Black is the color of power. It has the meaning of submission（服从）. It is popular in fashion because it makes people look thinner.
White is the color for brides（新娘）. White is considered a summer color. White is popular in fashion because it is light and goes with everything.
Red is a hot and strong color. It can make the heart beat faster. It is also the color of love. Red clothes can make people look heavier. And red things get noticed more than things that are another color.
The color of the sky and the ocean, blue, is one of the most popular colors. It is often used in bedrooms. Blue can also be cold and make people feel sad.
Green means nature. It is the most comfortable color on the eyes and can improve vision（视力）. It is a calming color. Hospitals often use green because it can make patients relax.
Yellow is the most difficult color for the eyes to take in. Yellow is the color of sunshine. It is a warm color like red. On the one hand, it is the color of happiness and joy. On the other hand, it means fear and dishonest behavior.Black is a color often used in fashion because it can make people look ___.
| A．powerful | B．relaxed | C．thinner | D．heavier |
Red is the color of ____ according to the passage.
| A．fear | B．love | C．joy | D．sadness |
The best color to make an excited person calm down is ________.
| A．white | B．blue | C．green | D．yellow |
In the sentence “He is too yellow to stand up and fight”, “yellow”most probably means “____”.
| A．sad | B．happy | C．brave | D．afraid |
Many people like cooking but never have much time for it. Helen Fry's new book Quick Cooking has been specially written for busy people. It has over 1,000 ways to cook dishes. The book is well written and the photographs and the drawings are clear. The book has a strong plastic cover. It is easy to find your way around it, too. And busy people, notice this! Mrs. Fry tells you how much time you need in order to get each dish ready.
Quick Cooking has four parts, one for each season. This helps you to use fresh fruit and vegetables when they are cheaper and, of course, better. There are a lot of exciting ideas from foreign countries, and most of the ways are not complicated(复杂的). You take something simple like a chicken or some cheese, and make an unusual dish out of it. For example, there are no fewer than 40 ways for cooking eggs! The beginner will have to find out a lot of things for him to try many of the ways as soon as he reads them. For people with little spare time, Helen Fry's Quick Cooking is of excellent value.The writer writes this short passage in order to _________.
| A．make you like cooking |
| B．let you know the book Quick Cooking |
| C．help you to cook eggs |
| D．teach you cooking |
Helen Fry's book is called Quick Cooking because _________.
| A．none of the dishes are complicated |
| B．there are over l000 ways to cook dishes in it |
| C．it is written for people who don't have much time |
| D．it tells you how to cook all kinds of food quickly |
Busy people should pay more attention to the point that________.
| A．it is easy to find your way around the book |
| B．how long each dish takes to cook |
| C．there are photographs and drawings in this book |
| D．the book has a strong cover |
"It is easy to find your way around it too." means _________.
| A．it is easy to find things around the book |
| B．it is easy to find things in the supermarket to prepare the food in the book |
| C．it is easy to find the ways you want to cook dishes in the book |
| D．it is easy to find the cover of the book |
It was June 15, and in two days I would be turning 30. I was afraid that my best years were now behind me. So I asked my neighbor Nicholas, a 79-year-old man:“What was the best time of your life?”
Without hesitation（犹豫）, Nicholas said,“Well, Joe, this is my philosophical（哲学的） answer to your philosophical question:
“When I was a child in Austria and everything was taken care of for me by my parents, that was the best time of my life.
“When I was going to school and learning the things I know today, that was the best time of my life.
“When I got my first job and had responsibilities（责任） and got paid for my efforts, that was the best time of my life.
“When I met my wife and fell in love, that was the best time of my life.
“When World War II came, my wife and I had to flee Austria to save our lives. When we were together and safe on a ship to North America, that was the best time of my life.
“When we came to Canada and started a family, that was the best time of my life.
“When I was a young father, watching my children grow up, that was the best time of my life.
“And now, Joe, I am 79 years old. I have my health, I feel good and I am in love with my wife just as I was when we first met. This is the best time of my life.”How old was the writer?
| A．15 years old. | B．30 years old. |
| C．79 years old. | D．45 years old. |
Where was the old man brought up when he was a kid?
| A．In Austria. | B．In Canada. |
| C．In Australia. | D．In North America. |
From the passage, we can learn that ________.
| A．the writer didn’t know how to spend his time |
| B．the writer was worried about becoming old and sick |
| C．the old man was not in good condition |
| D．the old man had a very happy family |
What does the writer want to tell us?
| A．It’s never too old to learn. |
| B．Confidence is a key to success. |
| C．Be thankful for what you have today. |
| D．Time and tide wait for no man. |
The seasons in Australia are not like ours. When it is winter in China, it is summer there. Australia is in the south of the world. June, July and August are the winter months; September., October and November are spring; summer is in December, January and February; and March, April and May are the autumn months. The north of the country is hotter than the south.
A very large part of the country has no rain at all. The east coast (海岸）has rain all the year round. There are no dry months there. The southeast winds bring rain from the sea. There is not much rain on the west side. The southeast part of Australia has summer rain from the southeast winds. They only blow here in summer.
The southwest part of Australia also has winter rain. The west winds blow over the southwest in winter only. In summer, the southwest of the country has no rain. In the north of Australia there is no rain in winter. The rain comes in summer. The northwest winds bring it.What season is it in Australiawhen it is summer in China ? (No more than 1 word)
________________________________________________.Which months are autumn in Australia ? (No more than 4 words)
___________________________________________________.Which part of Australia has the most of rain? (No more than 3 words)
_____________________________________________.Is there summer rain in the southeast of Australia ? (No more than 3 words)
____________________________________________.What bring rain to the north of Australia in summer? (No more than 3 words)
_______________________________________________.
Now, it may be difficult to predict the future, but many people believe that we will live on Mars by the year 2100. Our own planet, Earth, is becoming more and more crowed and polluted. Well, what problems will we need to solve before we prepare to go to Mars?
First of all, transport should be much better. At present, humans need to spend months going to Mars by spaceship. However, by 2100, spaceship can travel at half the speed of light. It might take us two or three days to get there!
Secondly, humans need food, water and air to live. Scientists should develop plants that can be grown on Mars. These plants will produce the food, water and air that we need. However, there is no answer for all the problems now.
There is also a problem for us to live on Mars. Mars attracts us much less than the Earth does. This will be dangerous because we could easily jump too high and fly slowly away into space there. We will have to wear special shoes to make ourselves heavier.
In some ways, life on Mars may not be better than that on the earth today. Food will not be the same —meals will probably be in the form of pills and will not be as delicious as they are today. Also, space travel will probably make many people feel very uncomfortable.So far, how long will it take us from the earth to Mars by spaceship?
| A．Two or three days. | B．A few days. |
| C．A few months. | D．A few years. |
According to the passage, which of the following is wrong?
| A．A special plant which can produce water, air and food should be needed on Mars. |
| B．We may go to Mars when transport is much better and faster.. |
| C．We can jump higher than on the earth on Mars. |
| D．Food on Mars will be much better to eat. |
Which looks like life on Mars according to the passage?
| A．We can wear the shoes that we like to wear. |
| B．We can drink easily and conveniently. |
| C．We can walk faster than on the earth. |
| D．We can boil food to eat. |
Why do we want to live on Mars?
| A．Life on Mars is more interesting than that on the earth. |
| B．The earth is becoming dirty and crowded. |
| C．The journey to Mars is very interesting. |
| D．The scientists want us to do that. |