The most important holiday in spring， especially for Christians （基督徒）,is Easter. This Christian holiday is not on the same date every year， but it’s always on a Sunday. It can be any Sunday between March 22 and April 25. Many people celebrate Easter by buying new clothes. Children celebrate by hunting for colored eggs that their parents have hidden around the house. People also give Easter baskets filled with candy and other goodies to one another to celebrate the day.
But the holiday is more than new clothes and good things to eat. On Easter， many people go to church to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection （复活） from the dead.
Most people color them. Some people hide them. Others just eat them. But no matter what one does with Easter eggs， they are an important Easter tradition throughout the Western world.
People from many different cultures celebrate Easter. In both America and Belgium， children look for Easter eggs hidden on lawns and in bushes. In America，children believe the eggs are hidden by the Easter bunny （复活节兔子）。 But in Belgium， the hidden eggs are supposed to have fallen from church bells. In Bulgaria， red Easter eggs are lucky in churches； Bulgarian families also hit these Easter eggs together to see whose is the strongest. The winner looks forward to good fortune that year. Still dozens of other Easter traditions exist. In parts of Austria， for example， children sing from door to door and are rewarded with colorful eggs.Easter comes _______.
| A．on the same date every year. |
| B．on Sunday on March 22 |
| C．on Sunday on April 25 |
| D．on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25 |
To celebrate Easter，people ___________.
| A．go shopping， hide colored eggs and children hunt for them |
| B．give Easter baskets filled candy and goodies to one another |
| C．buy new clothes， hide colored eggs and children look for them around the house |
| D．both B and C |
For Christians the more important thing to do on Easter is________.
| A．buying new clothes |
| B．going to church to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection |
| C．eating delicious food and paint color eggs |
| D．exchange beautiful gifts each other |
People from different cultures have different ideas about Easter egg， _________.
| A．In both American and Belgium， children hunt for Easter eggs hidden in rooms and in bushes |
| B．In American, children believe the eggs are hidden by the Easter bunny |
| C．In Belgium, the hidden eggs are thought to have fallen from doorbells |
| D．In America, the hidden eggs are supposed to have fallen from doorbells |
In some places of Austria, children sing from door to door for_______.
| A．blesses | B．Easter eggs |
| C．candy and goodies | D．Easter bunny |
According to Beth Anaclerio, an Evaston mother of two, ages 4 and 18 months, a child’s birthday party doesn’t have to be a hassle; it can be a basket of fun, “Having a party at home usually requires a lot of running around on the part of the parents, and often the birthday boy or girl gets lost in wild excitement．But it really doesn’t have to be that way,” said Anaclerio．Last summer, Anaclerio and her friend Jill Carlisle, a Northbrook mother of a 2-year-old, founded a home party-planning business called “A Party in a Basket．” Their goal is to help parents and children share in the fun part of party planning, like choosing the subject or making a cake, while they take care of everything．
Drawing on their experiences as mothers, they have created 10 ready-to-use, home party packages．Everything a family needs to plan a party, except the cake and ice cream, is delivered to the home in a large basket．
“Our parties are aimed for children 2 to 10,” Anaclerio said, “and they’re very interactive（互动） and creative in that they build a sense of drama based on a subject．For example, at the Soda Shoppe party the guests become waiters and waitresses and build wonderful ice cream creations．”
The standard $200 package for eight children includes a basket filled with invitations, gifts, games and prizes, paper goods, a party planner and the like．For more information, call Anaclerio at 708-864-6584 or Carlisle at 708-205-9141．．The main purpose of writing this text is _____．
| A．to share information about party planning |
| B．to introduce the joys of a birthday party |
| C．to sell a service |
| D．to announce a business plan |
．The most important idea behind the kind of party planning described here is that _____．
| A．it brings parents and children closer together |
| B．guests play a part in the preparation of a party |
| C．parents are spared the trouble of sending invitations |
| D．it provides a subject of conversation |
．What does the underlined word “hassle” probably mean?
| A．a party designed by specialists． |
| B．a plan requiring careful thought． |
| C．a demand made by guests． |
| D．a situation causing difficulty or trouble． |
．Which of the following is most likely to be a party planner?
A． |
B． |
C． |
D． |
THEATRE
City Varieties
The Headrow, Leeds．Tel．430808．
Oct 10—11 only．A Night at the Varieties．All the fun of an old music hall with Barry Cryer, Duggle Brown, 6 dancers, Mystina, Jon Barker, Anne Dural and the Tony Harrison Trio; Laugh again at the old jokes and listen to your favorite songs．
Performances: 8 pm nightly．
Admission: ₤5; under 16 or over 60: ₤4．
York Theatre Royal
St Leonard’s Place, York．Tel．223568．
Sept 23—Oct 17 Groping for Words—a comedy by Sue Townsend．Best known for her Adrian Mole Diaries, Townsend now writes about an evening class, which two men and a woman attend．A gentle comedy．
Admission: First night, Mon: ₤2; Tues—Fri: ₤3．25—5．50; Sat: ₤3．50—5．75．
Halifax Playhouse
King’s Cross Street, Halifax．Tel．365998．
Oct 10—17 On Golden Pond by Ernest Thompson．This is a magical comedy about real people．A beautifully produced, well-acted play for everyone．Don’t miss it．
Performances: 7:30 pm．
Admission: ₤2．Mon: 2 seats for the price of one．
Grand Theatre
Oxford Street, Leeds．Tel．502116．
Restaurant and Café．
Oct—17 The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13．Sue Townsend’s musical play, based on her best-selling book．
Performances: Evenings 7:45．October 10—17, at 2:30 pm．No Monday performances．
Admission: Tues—Thurs: ₤2—5; Fri & Sat: ₤2—6．Which theatre offers the cheapest seat?
| A．City Varieties． | B．Halifax Playhouse． |
| C．Grand Theatre． | D．York Theatre Royal． |
If you want to see a play with old jokes and songs, which phone number will you ring to book a seat?
| A．502116． | B．223568． |
| C．430808． | D．365998． |
We may learn from the text that Sue Townsend is _____．
| A．a director | B．an actress |
| C．a musician | D．a writer |
LONDON（Reuters）—Organic fruit, delivered right to the doorstep．That is what Gabriel Gold prefers, and he is willing to pay for it．If this is not possible, the 26-year-old computer technician will spend the extra money at the supermarket to buy organic food．
“Organic produce is always better,” Gold said．“The food is free of pesticides（农药）, and you are generally supporting family farms instead of large farms．And more often than not it is locally grown and seasonal, so it is more tasty．” Gold is one of a growing number of shoppers buying into the organic trend, and supermarkets across Britain are counting on more like him as they grow their organic food business．But how many shoppers really know what they are getting, and why are they willing to pay a higher price for organic produce? Market research shows that Gold and others who buy organic food can generally give clear reasons for their preferences—but their knowledge of organic food is far from complete．For example, small amounts of pesticides can be used on organic products．And about three quarters of organic food in Britain is not local but imported to meet growing demand．“The demand for organic food is increasing by about one third every year, so it is a very fast-growing market,” said Sue Flock, a specialist in this line of business．More and more people in Britain are buying organic food because _____．
| A．they are getting richer |
| B．they can get the food anywhere |
| C．they like home-grown fruit |
| D．they consider the food free of pollution |
Which of the following statements is true to the facts about most organic produce sold in Britain?
| A．It grows indoors all year round． |
| B．It is grown on family farms |
| C．It is produced outside Britain． |
| D．It is produced on large farms． |
What is the meaning of “the organic trend” as the words are used in the text?
| A．better quality of organic food． |
| B．growing interest in organic food． |
| C．rising market for organic food． |
| D．higher prices of organic food． |
What is the best title for this news story?
| A．The making of organic food in Britain． |
| B．Organic food—to import or not? |
| C．Good qualities of organic food． |
| D．Organic food—healthy, or just for the wealthy? |
In 1901, H．G．Wells, an English writer, wrote a book describing a trip to the moon．When the explorers landed on the moon, they discovered that the moon was full of underground cities．They expressed their surprise to the “moon people” they met．In turn, the “moon people” expressed their surprise．“Why,” they asked, “are you traveling to outer space when you don’t even use your inner space?”
H．G．Wells could only imagine travel to the moon．In 1969, human beings really did land on the moon．People today know that there are no underground cities on the moon．However, the question that the “moon people” asked is still an interesting one．A growing number of scientists are seriously thinking about it．
Underground systems are already in place．Many cities have underground car parks．In some cities, such as Tokyo, Seoul and Montreal, there are large underground shopping areas．The “Chunnel”, a tunnel（隧道） connecting England and France, is now complete．
But what about underground cities? Japan’s Taisei Corporation is designing a network of underground systems, called “Alice Cities．” The designers imagine using surface space for public parks and using underground space for flats, offices, shopping, and so on．A solar dome（太阳能穹顶） would cover the whole city．
Supporters of underground development say that building down rather than building up is a good way to use the earth’s space．The surface, they say, can be used for farms, parks, gardens, and wilderness．H．G．Wells’ “moon people” would agree．Would you?The explorers in H．G．Wells’ story were surprised to find that the “moon people” _____．
| A．lived in so many underground cities |
| B．knew so much about the earth |
| C．understood their language |
| D．were ahead of them in space technology |
What does the underlined word “it” refer to?
| A．Discovering the moon’s inner space． |
| B．Traveling to outer space． |
| C．Meeting the “moon people” again． |
| D．Using the earth’s inner space． |
What sort of underground systems are already here with us?
| A．Tunnels, car parks, shopping areas． |
| B．Offices, shopping areas, power stations． |
| C．Gardens, car parks, power stations． |
| D．Tunnels, gardens, offices． |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Alice Cities—cities of the future． |
| B．Space travel with H．G．Wells． |
| C．Building down, not up． |
| D．Enjoy living underground． |
Autumn blues? Let the sunshine in falling leaves, flowers, and cold winds. For many people late autumn can be a season of depression.
Those who suffer from “the autumn blue” are often extremely tired, lack energy, need more sleep, feel increased appetite and gain weight. “The exact cause of this condition, often called seasonal depression or seasonal affective disorder（SAD）, is not known yet,” says Chen Jue, associate professor at Shanghai Mental Health Center. “But recent studies indicate that weather change is influential and strongly suggest that this condition is caused by changes in the availability（得到）of sunlight.”
One theory is that with decreased exposure to sunlight, the biological clock that regulates mood, sleep, and hormones is delayed, running more slowly in winter. Exposure to light may reset the biological clock. Another theory is that brain chemicals that transmit information between nerves, called neurotransmitters （for example, serotonin）, may be altered in individuals with SAD. It is believed that exposure to light can correct these imbalances. “It is a sad season, but you can try to make it happy. Remember, spring always lives in your heart ,” Chen says. “Going outdoors to get some sunlight may reduce the tension that brings you the low spirits. Relax at work. Stretch, breathe deeply. Take a tea break. Think of your next vacation. Color treatment also works in handling low mood. Music also plays a role in treating autumn blues.”Autumn blues is also called autumn _______.
| A．depression | B．sunshine |
| C．blue music | D．cold winds |
From the 3rd paragraph we know that there ________ that can help to deal with autumn blues.
| A．is no biological clock | B．is a real example |
| C．is no possibility | D．are some ways |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．Autumn blues can be feelings of happiness. |
| B．The real cause for autumn blues is still unknown. |
| C．People feel tired in autumn. |
| D．Weather doesn’t change people. |
Which of the following CAN’T you do in order to deal with autumn blues?
| A．Eat more food very low in calories and sugar. |
| B．Reset the biological clock regulating mood, sleep and hormones. |
| C．Keep the balance of nerves that transmit information. |
| D．Take outdoor activities or sports. |