The Spring Festival Gala hosted by China Central Television each year has become an important part of the Chinese Lunar New Year celebration since 1983. As an important part of traditional Chinese culture, the celebration of Spring Festival is spreading around the world.
The Spring Festival Gala is combined with songs, dances, comic sketches, opera and folk arts. Harmony（和谐）and reunion（团聚）are the two themes of the gala. With a cheerful atmosphere, the gala is filled with laughter and applause from the beginning to the end. The gala usually starts at 8 on New Year’s Eve and lasts for about four hours. The program’s TV ratings have ranked first among China’s different shows over the past twenty years.
But it’s difficult to fit all audiences’ tastes. Each year the gala hopes to absorb(吸收) new ideas and surprise people. So it has become a big challenge for CCTV and its creative staff. In recent years, some people have thought the Spring Festival Gala should be canceled. But lots of people still support it. Some people local TV stations even have begun to host their own shows, which have met the growing cultural needs of audiences. One successful example is Hunan TV’s gala, which now ranks second. Another new type of show is the Shanzhai (copycat) Spring Festival Gala Show. Whether people watch CCTV’s gala or other similar shows, Chinese people will surely enjoy themselves on the Lunar New Year’s Eve.Why does the celebration of the Spring Festival spread around the world?
It spreads around the world because it is __________________________.What are the themes of CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala?
The themes of the gala are ______________________.How long does CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala usually last?
It uaually lasts for ____________.Why does the Spring Festival Gala become a big challenge for CCTV and its staff?
It becomes a big challenge because it is difficult _____________.What is the best title of this passage? ____________.
| Name |
Personal Information |
Name |
Personal Information |
Mo Yan |
Born in 1955. Worked hard and became the first Chinese national writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature(诺贝尔文学奖). His novel: Red Sorghum(红高粱) |
Yao Ming |
Born in 1980 in Shanghai. The son of two great basketball players. Joined the Houston Rockets in June, 2002. |
Liu Yang |
Born in 1978 in Henan Prov- ince, China. The first Chinese woman astronaut. Traveled in Shenzhou Ⅸ in outer space with Jing Haipeng and Liu Wang from June 16th, 2012 to June 29th, 2012. |
Jay Chou |
Born in 1979 in Taiwan, China. A popular singer Favorite music: Hip-Hop |
Yao Ming played basketball in _ after 2002.
| A．Germany | B．Canada | C．America | D．England |
Red Sorghum is the name of a __ .
| A．sport | B．song | C．magazine | D．novel |
Liu Yang, Jing Haipeng and Liu Wang traveled in outer space fordays.
| A．11 | B．12 | C．14 | D．15 |
According to the passage, thewas born in 1979.
| A．writer | B．astronaut | C．basketball player | D．singer |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Liu Yang is the first Chinese woman astronaut from Henan, China. |
| B．Jay Chou is from Taiwan, China. |
| C．Mo Yan is the second writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. |
| D．Yao Ming’s parents are both basketball players. |
An artist went to a beautiful place of the country for a holiday, and stayed with a farmer. Every day he went out and painted from morning to evening. When it got dark, he came back to the farm and had a good dinner before he went to bed.
At the end of his holiday he wanted to pay the farmer, but the farmer said, “No, I don’t want money but give me one of your pictures. What is money? In a week it will all be finished, but your painting will be here.”
The artist was very pleased and thanked the farmer for saying such kind words. The farmer smiled and said, “I have a son in London. He wants to become an artist. When he comes here next month, I will show him your picture, and then he will not want to be an artist any more, I believe.”The artist liked to ___________ near a nice place.
| A．sing songs | B．dance | C．paint pictures | D．write something |
He liked painting ____________.
| A．in a house |
| B．in the open air |
| C．because he would do well in painting |
| D．with the most important artist |
The farmer thought that the artist ____________.
| A．was not good at painting |
| B．was really a great man |
| C．did well in painting |
| D．was the most important artist |
The farmer’s son wanted to __________ some day.
| A．be an artist |
| B．become a popular singer |
| C．write twenty novels . |
| D．dance around the world |
The farmer ____________.
| A．was a foolish man |
| B．didn’t want his son to be a painter |
| C．liked the artist’s picture very much |
| D．couldn’t pay for his son about his paintings |
Angela Zou hardly writes text messages now. Sitting at her office desk, Zou asks her iPhone, where they should go to eat. When it buzzes seconds later, she lifts it to her ear for her friend's reply. The conversation goes back and forth through these pieces of words before they decide on the place for lunch. 
Like millions of others across Asia, Zou is using WeChat, a smartphone app（应用程序）developed in China, to send voice messages, snapshots（快照）and emoticons（表情符号）to her friends. Now that its walkietalkie-style（对讲机式）messages have become everywhere, she said typing feels like hard work.
WeChat's popularity has grown quickly since it came into use in 2011. Tencent, the company that developed the app, announced in September that its users had doubled in six months to 200 million. Most users are in China, though WeChat is being used across Asia and already has users in the US and the UK.
Historically, it has proved difficult for Chinese internet firms to develop in foreign countries. But WeChat is becoming the first Chinese social media application with the possibility to go to the whole world.
WeChat is similar to the popular US-based mobile messaging service WhatsApp, but it does more. It comes in eight languages including English, Arabic and Russian.
"I used WhatsApp before I came back to China from studying abroad and found all my friends were using WeChat," said Zou, who is 25. "Now when I want to contact someone I use WeChat first." The app's features include Look Around, which allows users to chat to strangers nearby, while Moments works like Instagram（图片分享）.Why does Angela Zou hardly write text messages now?
What is WeChat used to do?
Which company of China developed WeChat?
Where is WeChat used?
What do you think of WeChat?
Here is your best chance to travel around the UK in 2014: More than 200 B&Bs（bed & breakfast）across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are chosen to offer you amazing services for your stay at their lowest prices! Don’t miss it. Just collect the vouchers（活动券）in our B&B Daily printed from 01/04/2014 to 07/04/2014 and book the stays for your travel following the terms and conditions below:
● The offer includes a room for the night and a breakfast the next morning.
● The offer is of two kinds: ￡20 per room, valid（有效的）during stay period of 02/04/2014—31/05/2014 and then again 01/09/2014—31/10/2014；￡35 per room, per night, valid during stay period of 01/06/2014—31/08/2014.
● The offer is valid for a basic twin or double room only.
● The stay must be booked directly with the chosen B&Bs before 28/04/2014.
● Each voucher can only be used by the holder to book one room for one night.
● If voucher holders book either the ￡20 or ￡35 per room per night, any additional（附加的） services such as lunch, evening meal or activities may require an extra charge. But these are not required in order to take up the offer. Please check directly with your chosen B&Bs to see what extra services are available.
● Vouchers must be presented（提交）on arrival. If no vouchers are presented, the B&Bs may reserve（保留）the right（权利）to charge（收费）at full price for every night of stay.
● Vouchers may not be used together with any other offer.
● The voucher holders must pay for the stay in full at the time of booking. Additional ￡10 may be paid to confirm the booking and will be returned on arrival.
● The B&Bs reserve the right to refuse voucher holders’ bookings for people under the age of 18.The voucher can be used for a stay at the chosen B&B on ______.
| A．09/01/2014 | B．04/02/2014 | C．01/03/2014 | D．28/04/2014 |
How much should be paid for a two-night stay in October 2014 at a chosen B&B?
| A．￡70 | B．￡40 | C．￡35 | D．￡30 |
What right do the B&Bs reserve?
| A．To charge another ￡10 for bookings with no vouchers. |
| B．To refuse bookings for guest under the age of 18. |
| C．To charge at full price for stays which are not confirmed. |
| D．To request extra charges as tips. |
By taking up the offer, the voucher holders can choose to ______ .
| A．book either a basic twin or double room at the chosen B&Bs |
| B．have lunch or evening meal without paying extra money |
| C．use the B&B offer together with other offers |
| D．book the stays through B&B Daily |
Some people make you feel comfortable when they are around. You spend an hour with them and feel as if you have known them half your life. These people have something in common. And once we know what it is, we can try to do it ourselves.
How is it done? Here are several skills that good talkers have. If you follow the skills, they'll help people feel relaxed and make friends with them quickly.
First of all, good talkers ask questions. Almost anyone, no matter how shy he is, will answer a question. One well-known businesswoman says, "At business lunches, I always ask people what they did that morning. It's a common question, but it will get things going." From there you can move on to other matters—sometimes to really personal questions. And how he answers will let you know how far you can go.
Second, once good talkers have asked questions, they listen to the answers. This point seems clear, but it isn't. Your questions should have a point and help to tell what sort of person you are talking to. And to find out, you really have to listen carefully and attentively. Real listening at least means some things. First it means not to change the subject of conversation. If someone sticks to one topic, you can take it as a fact that he's really interested in it. Real listening also means not just listening to words, but to tones of voice. If the voice sounds dull, then, it's time for you to change the subject.
Finally, good talkers know well how to deal with the moment of parting. If you're saying good-bye, you may give him a firm handshake and say, "I've really enjoyed meeting you." If you want to see that person again, don't keep it a secret. Let people know what you feel, and they may walk away feeling as if they've known you half their life.Asking questions might be a quite good and suitable way _______.
| A．for you to make more and more new friends |
| B．to begin your business talks |
| C．to get the conversation going smoothly |
| D．for you to make a deep and lasting impression on others |
After having asked somebody a question, it'll be polite of you to _______.
| A．make clear what kind of person he is |
| B．listen to his reply attentively |
| C．wait quietly and patiently for his answer |
| D．go on asking him more questions |
Generally speaking, good talkers are persons who _______.
| A．are good at making any topic interesting |
| B．never talk too much or too little |
| C．always speak in a gentle way |
| D．know how and when they should change the topic of the talk |
If you really want to meet someone again, _______.
| A．you may take him as your lifelong true friend |
| B．it seems necessary for you to let him know it |
| C．it's proper for you to give him a second handshake |
| D．it'll be helpful for you to have further understanding of him |