The tradition of birthday parties started in Europe a long time ago. It was feared that evil spirits were particularly attracted to people on their birthdays. Giving gifts brought even more good cheer to keep away from the evil spirits. This is how birthday parties began.
The following are some countries’ birthday traditions:
Canada —Greasing the nose with butter. In Atlantic Canada, the birthday child’s nose is greased for good luck.
China — .The birthday child pays respect to his/her parents and receives a gift of money. Friends and relatives are invited to lunch and noodles are served to wish the birthday child a long life.
England —Fortune telling cakes. Certain symbolic objects are mixed into the birthday cake as it is being prepared.
Italy —Pulling ears. The child’s ears are pulled as many times as how old they are turning.
Japan —New clothes. The birthday child wears entirely new clothes mark the occasion.
New Zealand— .After the birthday cake is lit, the happy birthday song is sung loudly and often out of tune and then the birthday person receives a clap for each year they have been alive and then one for good luck．
The United States —Cake, candles and song.
| A．A cake is made, and candles are put on top based on how old the person is. |
| B．In China, on a child’s second birthday, family members put many things on the floor around the child. |
| C．If your piece of cake has a coin in it, then you will be rich. |
| D．To protect them from harm, friends and family would come to stay with the birthday person and bring good thoughts and wishes. |
E. Noodles for lunch.
F. The tradition of birthday parties started a long time ago.
G. Birthday claps.
Bored by the Chinese courses he was majoring in, Zuo Cheng, 18, couldn't imagine having to drag himself into class day after day, week after week, for four years．
The Beijing Language and Culture University student decided that enough was enough．
"It may seem like I've wasted a year and have to start college all over again, but now that I've settled on a field I'll be able to concentrate．" Zuo said．
Zuo is not alone．
At the China Three．Gorges University in Yicljang in Hubei Province 53 out of 59 students in the Physics Department took transfer exams last semester．
"Many students picked colleges before majors, only to discover their mistakes a few weeks after arrival on the campus．" said Jiang Xin, 20, who was able to switch to electrical engineering and automation from physics．He said that physics graduates had few other options besides going into teaching,
A new survey, of 2,500 students nationwide starting in September this year, suggests that as much as 35 percent of students are disappointed by their courses．
However, Shao Yangfang, who works at the admission office of University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, advised students to consider both short-term and long-term goals．
"After graduation do you want to find yourself in a job very specially related to your college major? Or, would you like to possess the knowledge and skills that will enable you to work in many areas?Above all, your choice of major should be based on your own interest, abilities and personality．" Shao said．
| A．These are the questions students need to consider． |
| B．After rounds of exams and interviews, he managed to transfer to the Department of International Accounting． |
| C．He added that a career in education just didn't suit him． |
| D．Unfortunately only 22 of them got a place on another major． |
E．Many college students don't care about their future career．
F．When we were at high schools very few of us understood how a major relates to a career．
G．When we were at high schools, we already knew what are hot majors and what are unexpected ones．
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项是多余选项。
Learning English online is an effective way to improve your English. But with any type of learning you need to be prepared. This passage will give you advice and tips on how to get the most out of your online lessons.
This is an obvious point but also the most important one. A computer, a good Internet connection and a headset are what you will need to take classes online. A web camera is also pretty important. Make sure that your computer is turned on, that everything is plugged in correctly and that you have tested the connection. Doing this before the class means that you will be ready when the lesson starts
Take the classes somewhere quiet.Trying to listen and participate(参与) in English classes is very difficult when there is noise around you. So find a quiet room and make sure that no one disturbs you while you are taking your lesson.
When grammar or anything else is being taught, make sure that you understand it. You won’t need to practice it at this time; just make sure that everything is clear. If you don’t understand what is being taught, ask your teacher to explain it again. Your teacher will be more than happy to deal with whatever puzzles you.
Practice speaking English.
Every class is an opportunity to practice your English speaking with a native and qualified teacher. Try to allow the conversation to flow by listening and talking in a natural way.The teacher should note the mistakes and correct them at a later time.
Relax.
Come to class feeling relaxed and excited.Come into the class excited about learning English. You will be able to get more out of the class this way.
| A．Review after the lesson |
| B．Make sure everything is ready. |
| C．Understand what is being taught. |
| D．Get away from everything that may be going on in your home |
E. Language learning should be enjoyable especially in online classes.
F. You will meet many problems when you are learning English online.
G. This is your chance to speak English without worrying about too many mistakes.
Kids' health: Four steps for fighting stress
Everybody gets stressed time to time.Some ways of dealing with stress 一like screaming or hitting someone一don't solve (解决) much. But other ways, like talking to someone you trust, can lead you to solving your problem or at least feeling better.
Try taking these four steps the next time you are stressed:
(1) Get support. When you need help, reach out to the people who care about you. Talk to a trusted adult, such as a parent or other relatives.They might have had similar problems, such as dealing with a test, or the death of a beloved pet.
(2) Don't take it out on yourself. Sometimes when kids are stressed and upset they take it out on themselves. Oh, dear, that's good idea. Remember that there are always people to help you. Don't take it out on yourself.
(3) Try to solve the problem. After you're calm and you have support from adults and friends, it's time to get down to business. Even if you can't solve it all, you can solve a piece of it.
(4) Be positive. Most stress is temporary(暂时的).Remember stress does go away,especially when you figure out the problem and start working on solving it.
These steps aren't magic, but they do work. And if you can stay positive as you make your way through a tough time, you'll help yourself feel better even faster.
| A．Ask for a helping hand to get you through the tough situation. |
| B．Notice your friends' feelings and find a way to help them. |
| C．Different people feel stress in different ways |
| D．Ah, it feels so good when the stress is gone. |
E. You need to figure out what the problem is.
F. And don't forget about your friends.
G. Then, find a way to calm down。
Bad temper
There once was a little boy who had a bad temper.His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper,he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence._____Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the munber of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled(缩小)down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.
______He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now
pulled out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.______And the boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.
_____ He said:”You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence.The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one.___
__ It won’t matter how many times you say I ‘m sorry the wound is still there.A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one”.
| A．The first day , the boy had driven 37miles into the fence. |
| B．The boy cried. |
| C．You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. |
| D．Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. |
E.The father took his son by the hand and led him to fence.
F.The days passed.
G.The father looked sad。
阅读下面短文并回答问题，然后将答案写到答案卡相应的位置上（请注意词数要求）。
For most Americans, a clean glass of water is just a faucet (水龙头) away. But for many of the world’s poorest people, it’s hard to get.
2 On Wednesday, the United Nations (UN) marked World Water Day by trying to cut the number of people without good drinking water — one billion human beings worldwide — in half. In the next ten years, the UN will work with governments around the world to reduce the shortage.
Without clean water nearby, many people use water that is not clean. In India, many people bathe and wash their clothes in rivers that are polluted by human waste.
According to the UN, not having enough clean water and sanitation (卫生设施) causes more than three million deaths a year.
“The links between water and human health are powerful,” said Dr Lee Jong Wook, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO). “We cannot live without clean water.”
In fact, the International Federation of the Red Cross said that quick reaction after last year’s Asian tsunami (海啸) had stopped disease. The agency provided clean water to nearly 500,000 people in Indonesia and Sri Lanka after the tsunami.
World Water Day was first celebrated in 1993. Since then, it is celebrated each year on March 22.What is the best title of the passage? (No more than 8 words)
______________________________________________________________________________Why can’t many people in the world get clean water? (No more than 10 words)
______________________________________________________________________________Please translate the underlined sentence in the fourth paragraph into Chinese.
______________________________________________________________________________What is the purpose of the writer to mention the tsunami in the sixth paragraph? (No more than 15 words)
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________ In your opinion, what can we do to save water? Please make two suggestions. (No more than 25 words)
______________________________________________________________________________
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