If you thought the Lantern Festival of China is just a day for family reunions and eating some yuanxiao, then, you are wrong. It is actually the Chinese carnival.
The Chinese traditional Lantern Festival, Yuanxiao Festival in Chinese, which is on the 15th day of the Chinese Lunar Calendar and falls on Feb. 17 this year, is actually not just about getting together with family but also means a date that all people should cheer up and celebrate. It is an ancient Chinese carnival.
Cao Baoming, the vice president of Chinese Folk Literature and Art Society, said that the Yuanxiao Festival, also known as "Shangyuan Festival" and " Lantern Festival," had become a popular folk custom during the Han dynasty more than 2,000years ago.
The festival is usually considered as the last peak of Spring Festival because people will start their life in the new year officially after the day. People of the whole country will cheer up to celebrate it and also they will pray that Heaven will offer them seasonable weather for a healthy harvest in the new year. Therefore, the custom of joining for celebrations at Yuanxiao Festival is widely spread among ordinary people.
Every year, when the day comes, people will go out of their own houses to the streets to look at various lanterns, guess lantern riddles and watch performances of Dragon Dances, Lion Dances, stilt-walking, fireworks show and so on. Some of those traditional custom and activities are national intangible cultural heritages now.
Actually, the Lantern Festival is not a single festival, and it only could be understood in the context of the Spring Festival.
The Spring Festival eve is usually a night that people stay at home to wait for the coming of the new year. From then until the end of Lantern Festival, it is actually a whole process of people expanding their spaces of activities as well as interpersonal relation-ships. The Lantern Festival of China means __________.
A.family reunions and eating some yuanxiao |
B.a new starting of a year |
C.reunions and celebration |
D.saying good-bye between family members |
The Lantern Festival of China is considered as a new start of the year because __________.
A.people will start their life in the new year officially after the day |
B.people will separate each other to live after the day |
C.there is no opportunity to reunite together again |
D.there is no other festival to celebrate after the day |
On the Lantern Festival people all go out to __________.
A.visit their friends and relatives |
B.prepare for some lanterns |
C.clean the streets and other places |
D.guess Lantern riddles and watch various activities |
The activities on the Lantern Festival people do are the following except __________.
A.dancing | B.fireworks show |
C.stilt-walking | D.playing poker |
The China Daily newspaper group is looking for English-language senior business editors,senior copy editors,copy editors and graphic designers to strengthen its international team.We offer a competitive salary package,free accommodation with utilities paid for,90 per cent medical reimbursement,a seven-day paid leave,elevenday public holidays and a return ticket to the country of residence.
Senior Business Editor
You must:
assist the business editor in setting goals and working on achieving them;
be an excellent team person who can generate ideas and think creatively and be able to rewrite totally if needed and mentor junior staff;
ideally have been working or have worked in a position of responsibility and understand what leadership entails;
have had at least five years’ editing experience working on editing the Business Desk and be familiar with industry software.
Senior Copy Editor
You must:
work on shifts in the Business Desk and usually have the last word before the page is sent to print;
edit or rewrite copy and give snappy headlines and captions;
have had at least two years’ editing experience working on editing desks and be familiar with industry software.
Copy Editor
You must:
be good at editing or rewriting copy and writing snappy headlines and captions;
be able to work on shifts for different pages,and usually have the last word before the page is sent to print;
have two years of editing experience working on copy desks,and be familiar with industry software.
Graphic Designer
You must:
have excellent skills in information graphics;
be good at illustrations and freehand drawings;
be experienced in newspaper or magazine layouts;
have a good sense of typography;
have good news judgment;
be wellversed with Macintosh software,including InDesign,Illustrator and Photoshop;
be fluent in English.
For enquiries or to apply,write to job @ chinadaily.com.cn.
36.What is the purpose of this passage?
A.To describe the positions of the China Daily newspaper group.
B.To describe the working conditions of the China Daily newspaper group.
C.To advertise for recruiting some good employees.
D.To tell you how to become part of this group.
37.What is not required about Graphic Designer?
A.Be well-versed with Photoshop.
B.Have excellent skills in information graphics.
C.Having a good sense of typography.
D.Writing snappy headlines and captions.
38.How many positions need editing experience?
A.2. B.1. C.3. D.4.
39.Which can be the title of the advertisement?
A.China Daily:New Employees Wanted
B.China Daily:Newspaper
C.China Daily:An International Team
D.China Daily:The Best Working Condition
40.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Free accommodations are available to the workers.
B.The workers there can enjoy a seven-day leave without pay.
C.The employees have the right to enjoy elevenday public holidays.
D.The senior business editor’s only job is to help the business editor to set goals.
Kids will often ignore your requests for them to shut off the TV,start their chores(杂事),or do their homework as a way to avoid following your directions.Before you know it,you’ve started to sound like a broken record as you repeatedly ask them to do their assignments,clean their room,or take out the trash.Rather than saying “Do your chores now.” you’ll be more effective if you set a target time for when the chores have to be completed.So instead of arguing about starting chores,just say,“If chores aren’t done by 4 pm,here are the consequences.”Then it’s up to your child to complete the chores.Put the ball back in their court.Don’t argue or fight with them,just say,“That’s the way it’s going to be.”It shouldn’t be punitive(惩罚性的)as much as it should be persuasive.“If your chores aren’t done by 4 pm,then no video game time until chores are done.And if finishing those chores runs into homework time,that’s going to be your loss.”On the other hand,when dealing with homework,keep it very simple.Have a time when homework starts,and at that time,all electronics go off and do not go back on until you see that their homework is done.If your kids say they have no homework,then they should use that time to study or read.Either way,there should be a time set aside when the electronics are off.
When a kid wears his iPod or headphones when you’re trying to talk to him,make no bones about it;he is not ignoring you,he is disrespecting you.At that point,everything else should stop until he takes the earplugs out of his ears.Don’t try to communicate with him when he’s wearing headphones — even if he tells you he can hear you.Wearing them while you’re talking to him is a sign of disrespect.Parents should be very tough about this kind of thing.Remember,mutual respect becomes more important as children mature.
31.According to the passage,it seldom happens that ________.
A.kids turn a deaf ear to their parents’ requests
B.parents’ directions sound like a broken record
C.children are ready to follow their parents’ directions
D.parents are unaware of what they are repeating to their kids
32.Parents will be able to deal with their children more effectively if they ________.
A.avoid direct ways of punishment B.make them do things at their request
C.argue and fight with their children D.allow their children to behave in their own way
33.When the kid is doing his homework,parents ________.
A.should provide him with a good learning environment
B.can do whatever they like
C.can stay aside watching TV
D.must switch off the power
34.It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A.parents should take off his headphones when trying to have a talk with their child
B.it will make no difference that a kid is wearing his earplugs while talking to his parents
C.parents shouldn’t give in to their kid when he shows no sign of respect
D.kids’ purposely talking to their parents with iPod gives them a sense of power and
control
35.The main idea of the passage is ________.
A.that respecting each other is more important than anything else
B.how kids behave to ignore and disrespect their parents
C.that children should make choices and decisions on their own
D.how parents can deal with their kids’ behavior effectively
Ⅱ阅读(共两节,满分50分)
第一节:阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A couple of years ago,before a trip to China,Nicole Davis and her US women’s volleyball teammates were warned about the prominence (显著、突出) of coach “Jenny” Lang Ping in her native country.
“I was pushed over by Chinese journalists while I was just trying to put my luggage on the bus,”said Davis.
Known as the “Iron Hammer” for her punishing spikes(扣球),Lang made it possible for China to dominate in the sport in the early 1980s.She was a key player on China’s 1984 Olympic gold medal winning team.
When the US team arrived for the Olympics,Lang,48,who is from Beijing,had to take a different route to avoid a crowd of reporters and fans.
Then came the greatest moment to Lang:While the US team was playing in a packed gym,at least 8,000 Chinese fans unfurled an American flag.
“That really says it all,” Davis said.“They look at her as an icon(偶像).I’m sure it’s hard for them to see her coaching another country,but they love her so dearly that her success is their success.”
The loyalty of the Chinese fans was tested on Friday,when China lost a match to the US.
“It’s a pity that China lost the match,but I’m still glad that Lang Ping’s team won,since she is the pride of China’s volleyball,” said Liu Chengli,a spectator.“We also cheered for
Lang’s victory.”
Lang said she just tried to stay professional when the two teams meet.“It doesn’t matter if we play China or any other team.It’s the same.” Lang said.
Davis said she and her teammates could not have imagined the passion for volleyball among Chinese because the sport was lack of popularity in the US. The reception from Chinese fans has touched the US players,said US volleyball player Lindsey Berg.
“It’s such an honor to be here and play for our coach here in China,”she said.“The amount of support that the Chinese give to her and us has been tremendous.The whole event has been unbelievable.”
26.What’s the passage mainly about?
A.Staying professional. B.Cheering for the Iron Hammer.
C.A match between China and the US. D.Lang Ping’s career as a coach.
27.Lang Ping avoided meeting the reporters and fans probably because she ________.
A.was afraid to be questioned about her strategy
B.didn’t want to be paid much attention to
C.disliked to be with her fans
D.didn’t want to disturb public order
28.What does the underlined word “unfurled” exactly mean?
A.destroyed completely B.tore into pieces
C.spread out to the wind D.rolled up
29.What does Lang Ping mean by saying “It doesn’t matter if we play China or any other team.”?
A.American Volleyball Team will beat any team.
B.Chinese Volleyball Team is the same as other teams.
C.She just tried to stay professional.
D.The results of each match will be the same.
30.What impressed the US team players most?
A.The tolerance of Chinese people.
B.The popularity of volleyball in China.
C.Lang Ping’s coaching skills.
D.The loyalty for volleyball of the Chinese.
Self-employed private physicians who charge a fee for each patient visit are the foundation of medical practice in the United States. Most physicians have a contract relationship with one or more hospitals in the community. They send their patients to this hospital, which usually charges patients according to the number of days they stay and the facilities(operating room, tests, medicines that they use). Some hospitals belong to a city, a state or, in the case of veteran's hospitals, a federal government agency. Others are operated by religious orders(教会) or other non-profit groups.
Some medical doctors are on salary. Salaried physicians may work as hospital staff members, or residents, who are often still in training. They may teach in medical schools, be hired by corporations to care for their workers or work for the federal government's Public Health Service.
Physicians are among the best paid professionals in the United States. In the 1980s, it was not uncommon for medical doctors to earn incomes of more than $ 100 000 a year. Specialists, particularly surgeons, might earn several times that amount. Physicians list many reasons why they deserve to be so well rewarded for their work. One reason is the long and expensive preparation required to become a physician in the United States. Most would be physicians first attend college for four years, which can cost nearly $ 20 000 a year at one of the best private institutions. Prospective physicians then attend medical school for four years. Tuition alone can exceed $ 10 000 a year. By the time they have obtained their medical degrees, many young physicians are deeply in debt. They still face three to five years of residency(实习阶段) in a hospital, the first year as an apprentice physician. The hours are long and the pay is relatively low.
Setting up a medical practice is expensive, too. Sometimes several physicians will decide to establish a group practice, so they can share the expense of maintaining an office and buying equipment. These physicians also take care of each other's patients in emergencies.
Physicians work long hours and must accept a great deal of responsibility. Many medical procedures, even quite routine ones, involve risk. It is understandable that physicians want to be well rewarded for making decisions which can mean the difference between life and death.
41. According to the passage, it is very unlikely that an American hospital is owned by _______.
A. a church B. a corporation C. a city D. a state
42. The expenses for becoming a doctor are spent on _______.
A. schooling and retraining B. practice in a hospital
C. facilities he or she uses D. education he or she receives
43. According to the passage, how long does it take for a would-be physician to become an independent physician in the USA?
A. About seven years. B. Eight years.
C. Ten years. D. About twelve years.
44. Sometimes several physicians set up a group medical practice mainly because _______.
A. there are so many patients that it is difficult for one physician to take care all of them
B. they can take turns to work long hours
C. facilities may be too much of a burden for one physician to shoulder
D. no one wants to assume too much responsibility
45. Which of the following statements could fully express the author's view towards physicians’ payment in the USA?
A. For their expensive education and their responsibility, they deserve a handsome pay.
B. It is reasonable for physicians to have a large income because their work is very dangerous.
C. Physicians should be better paid because they work long hours under bad conditions.
D. Physicians have great responsibility, so it is understandable that they should be well rewarded.
Most Americans get what money they have from their work; that is, they earn an income from wages or salaries. The richest Americans, however, get most of their money from what they own — their stocks, bonds, real estate, and other forms of property, or wealth. Although there are few accurate statistics to go by, wealth in American society appears to be concentrated in very few hands. More than 20 percent of everything that can be privately owned is held by less than one percent of the adult population and more than 75 percent of all wealth is owned by 20 percent of American adults. The plain fact is that most Americans have no wealth at all aside from their homes, automobiles, and a small amount of savings.
Income in the United States is not as highly concentrated as wealth. In 1917 the richest 10 percent of American families received 26.1 percent of all income, while the poorest 10 percent received 17 percent, mainly from Social Security and other government payments. The most striking aspect of income distribution is that it has not changed significantly since the end of World War II. Although economic growth has roughly doubled real disposable (可自由使用的) family income (the money left after taxes and adjusted for inflation) over the last generation, the size of the shares given to the rich and the poor is about the same. By any measure economic inequality is great in the United States.
The reality behind these statistics is that a large number of Americans are poor. In 1918, 14 percent of the population was living below the federal government’s poverty line, which at that time was an annual income of $ 9 287 for a nonfarm family of two adults and two children. In other words, about one out of seven Americans over 31 million people was officially considered unable to buy the basic necessities of food, clothes, and shelter. The suggested poverty line in 1981 would have been an income of about $11 200 for a family of four. By this relative definition, about 20 percent of the population or more than 45 million Americans are poor.
36. What does the majority of the Americans have in terms of wealth?
A. Their income and savings.
B. Everything they own in their homes.
C. Actually, they have no wealth at all.
D. Their house, cars and small amounts of savings.
37. What is the percentage of wealth that is in the hands of most Americans?
A. More than 25%. B. Less than 25%.
C. More than 75%. D. Less than 20%.
38. Why is economic inequality still great in the US in spite of the economic growth?
A. Because the proportion of income received by the rich and the poor remains almost the same as in 1917.
B. Because the economic growth has widened the gap of the family income between the rich and the poor.
C. Because income in the US is still concentrated in the hands of the richest 10% of American families.
D. Because some Americans made great fortunes during the Second World War.
39. What can we learn from comparison of the two poverty lines in the last paragraph?
A. The poverty line of 1918 is more favorable to the poor than that of 1981.
B. The 1981 line didn’t leave much to the poor.
C. There were more Americans who were officially poor by the 1981 line.
D. There were more Americans who were officially poor by the 1918 line.
40. From the last two sentences we can see that 1981 government’s poverty line _______.
A. was of no good for the poor B. was not put into operation then
C. was officially approved D. was not helpful to the poor