Dragon Head Raising Day：time for a haircut
China is a country with many colorful days and festivals．The Dragon Head Raising Day （Longtaitou） is one of them．
This special day is on the second day of the second month in the Chinese lunar calendar （阴历）．It stands for （代表） the start of spring and farming．This year，the day fell on March 10．
The dragon is important in Chinese culture．We Chinese people call ourselves the"descendants （传人） of the dragon"．Therefore，people celebrate the Dragon Head Raising Day with many customs about dragons．
On the day in ancient times，people put ashes （灰） in the kitchen．This was to"lead the dragon into the house"．People believed that with the help of the dragon，they could have a good harvest （收成） in autumn．
Also，people eat special foods on that day．The foods are usually named after dragons．For example，people eat"dragon whisker （细须）"noodles and dumplings called"dragon teeth"．
Today，many customs have faded away （消退）．But one that has remained is the cutting of hair．It was said that a haircut during the first lunar month may bring bad luck to the mother's brothers．So many people have their hair cut on the Dragon Head Raising Day．
（1）The Dragon Head Raising Day is one of the festivals．
| A． |
English |
| B． |
French |
| C． |
Chinese |
| D． |
American |
（2） was the Dragon Head Raising Day this year．
| A． |
March 10 |
| B． |
February 2 |
| C． |
March 4 |
| D． |
March 8 |
（3）On the day in ancient times，why did people put ashes in the kitchen？
| A． |
Because the dragon liked the ashes． |
| B． |
Because the ashes stood for the harvest． |
| C． |
Because the ashes led the dragon into the house． |
| D． |
Because the ashes could bring good luck． |
（4）One custom that has remained is according to the passage．
| A． |
the cutting of hair |
| B． |
the dragon boating |
| C． |
to eat Zongzi |
| D． |
to eat mooncakes |
（5）Which of the following is not true？
| A． |
The Dragon Head Raising Day is on the second day of the second month in the Chinese lunar calendar． |
| B． |
The dragon is important in Chinese culture． |
| C． |
People eat"dragon whisker"noodles and dumplings called"dragon teeth"on the Dragon Head Raising Day． |
| D． |
The Dragon Head Raising Day stands for the start of spring and harvest． |
London used to be “foggy”（有雾的） for the same reason that cities like Beijing or Chongqing are “foggy” today. The “fog” was in fact smog（烟雾）, a mixture of smoke and fog．In other words, it was made by air pollution. In London, some of this pollution came from factories, but much of it came from the coal（煤）that people burnt in their houses to keep warm during the winter. By the 1950s, London’s smog problem had become so bad that the government decided to do something to clean the air. A new law was made and nobody could burn coal in any British city. Within a few years, the air became much cleaner. There were no more “pea-soupers”.
Many Chinese cities now face the same sort of problem with air pollution that London faced 40 or 50 years ago. However, this problem is more difficult for Chinese cities to solve. One reason is that more of the pollution comes from the factories, rather than from coal burnt in people’s houses. If these factories were closed, this would harm the economy and lots of people would lose their jobs. Another reason is that changing from coal to cleaner fuel（燃料）, like gas, is quite expensive.
However, the air in many Chinese cities is becoming cleaner and cleaner, as the government and people pay more and more attention to cutting down pollution. As a result, there are fewer “pea-soupers” in Beijing than there used to be.
A．There was too much smoke in the sky．
B．There were too many factories in the city．
C．People burnt too much coal in the houses．
A．There was not so much fog in the winter later．
B．A law was made to keep people from burning coal in their houses．
C．Many factories in the city were closed．
A．Smog. B．Smoke. C．Gas.
A．one B．two C．three
A．Using coal is much more expensive than using gas.
B．Factories made much more pollution in China.
C．The reasons of air pollution in London and Beijing are different.
No Car Day was first started by 34 cities in France on September 22, 1998．It was started to protect the environment. By now, more than 1,000 cities around the world have had a No Car Day.
The first No Car Day in China was in Chengdu in 2001．Other cities, including Taipai, Shanghai and Wuhan, also support the day.
In Beijing, more and more people are joining the campaign（运动）. It asks drivers to leave their cars at home for one day each month and walk or ride a bike to work. It also calls on Beijingers not to use cars on June 5 （World Environment Day）. The slogan for the day is, “If we drive for one less day, we can have one more nice day.”
So far, more than 200,000 drivers have shown their support. “We can’t control the weather, but we can choose not to drive,” said Wu Zonghua, a car club chairman. Beijing is trying to have 238 blue sky days this year. In the first quarter of 2012, Beijing only had 52 blue sky days. This was 11 days less than the number for the same period the year before. Much of the dust（灰尘） comes from the desert, but cars cause most of the air pollution. We must do more for No Car Day.
| A．three | B．four | C．five | D．six |
| A．not to work on No Car Day |
| B．to enjoy having a day off |
| C．to leave their cars at home for repair |
| D．to ride a bike or walk instead of driving to work |
| A．52 | B．63 | C．41 | D．238 |
| A．cars | B．dust | C．weather | D．rubbish |
| A．more and more people in Beijing are joining car clubs |
| B．people will have one more World Environment Day each month |
| C．more and more people won’t drive on No Car Day in Beijing |
| D．more people in the world won’t drive any more |
A．The cartoon pig is not smart, either.
B．That’s why both children and adults find McDull cute.
C．However, the slow, silly pig has won over Hong Kong people.
D．According to his headmaster, McDull isn’t that silly. He’s just too kind.
E．The story is more than its funny points. It is pleasant and sour at the same time.
The best-loved pig in Hong Kong is called McDull. His mum makes a wish that he will look like Chow Yun-fat or Tony Leung, but he is well-known only by a birthmark around his right eye.
Everything he tries, he fails. He wants to be an Olympic champion of qiangbaoshan （抢包山）, but the sport of catching the hottest baozi from a small mountain doesn’t really exist （存在）, of course. He dreams of going to the Maldives, but ends up on only a one-day tour of a Hong Kong landmark instead.McDull was at first a supporting character in a story about his cousin McMug, a smart baby pig and “what parents expect of their children.” But interestingly, the wooden-headed McDull gradually became more attractive when he told his classmates that if he became the class monitor, he would treat everyone with strawberry cakes. McDull tried to speak out one sentence in his speech, “If you choose me, you will be...painful.” For him, it looks only a little bit different from an “A” when he gets an “E”.
In one of the McDull movies, he talks to the audience （观众）, “I suddenly realize that there is something you cannot have. No noodles, no Maldives, no golden medal, no money... Actually, being silly is not funny---it could mean failure （失败）. Being fat is not funny. Being fat does not even mean you are stronger. Disappointment is not funny, either. When I grow up, and face the strict world that isn’t funny, what should I do?” He is still happy, however. He always starts again with a new dream when one fails him.
The popularity of McDull sometimes makes his creator Alice Mark confused, who has some simple thoughts, such as God creates humans, because he loves humans and he wants them to be happy. “Maybe people see themselves and their friends in McDull. McDull makes people realize that they used to be as simple and happy as him. If there is a theme in all the McDull movies, it is about how a simple person keeps his or her simplicity in a world full of problems.
” says Alice Mark.
Tea bag drinking is most westerners’ favorite way of drinking tea. Do you know how it came about?
The tea bag was invented in 1908 by Thomas Sullivan, an American tea seller. He was sending out free tea in silk bags for people to try. People put the bags together with the tea leaves into the cup and added hot water. The tea tasted good, and people thought it was easy to clean the cup. They were not happy when Sullivan started sending them loose （散的） tea again.
Sullivan realized that he had a hot new thing in his hands, and he built a machine to pack the bags. As tea bags became popular, they were changed from silk to gauze （薄纱） and later paper. In 1952, Lipton Tea made the tea bag even more popular with its invention of the four-sided tea bag. Tea bags were soon a hit in the UK, and today 85% of the tea in the UK is packed in paper bags.
However, many people still prefer loose-leaf tea. This is because some tea companies put not very good tea in their tea bags. But for most drinkers, tea bags are still the easy, tasty way to go.
| A．An English tea seller. | B．Chinese. |
| C．Lipton. | D．Thomas Sullivan. |
| A．Tea bags soon became popular |
| B．Tea bags surprised everyone very much |
| C．Tea bags kicked （踢） the loose-leaf tea out of the market |
| D．Tea bags weren’t allowed to be sold |
| A．Most drinkers in the UK prefer loose-leaf tea. |
| B．Most drinkers in the UK prefer tea bags. |
| C．A quarter of the drinkers in the UK prefer loose-leaf tea. |
| D．A quarter of the drinkers in the UK dislike tea bags. |
| A．clever | B．stupid | C．lazy | D．busy |
| A．The invention of tea |
| B．The way of drinking tea |
| C．The history of tea bags |
| D．People’s favorite tea in the world |
We have to accept the truth: Sometimes, we just want to shout out loud.
For example, we all have days like this: our dog has made a mess on the floor we just cleaned, or our friend called to tell us he or she couldn’t come at the last minute when we had cooked dinner for him or her. We may be really angry but we tried to bear things like those. According to ancient Chinese wisdom, we should shout in a loud voice instead of keeping silent. In fact, it’s good for our health.
“Chinese people have passed on the practice from ancient times to now as a part of traditional medicine,” said Mrs. Li, a 60-year-old woman from Hangzhou. “My parents taught me to do this. It’s a part of our folk（民间的）culture. ”
Mrs. Li is a member of a group of people who love shouting. Each morning, she and some of her friends climb to the top of a hill and let out loud shouts before starting their daily exercise. They believe that shouting is good exercise for their lungs（肺）and it brings them a lot of fun.
“Sometimes I shout out and other shout back,” said Mrs. Gu, another shouting lover. “It makes you happy. You laugh and then you feel very comfortable. ”
Dr. Peter Calafiura, an American doctor, agrees that shouting can have a positive influence on people’s health.
So, next time you start your morning run, why not try to shout out first? It will make you healthier.
| A．纠正 | B．忍受 | C．铭记 | D．杜绝 |
| A．her parents | B．her teacher |
| C．Mrs. Gu | D．Dr. Peter Calafiura |
| A．In a park. | B．At a square. |
| C．In her house. | D．On a hill. |
| A．It’s great furl. |
| B．It’s good for people’s health. |
| C．It’s easy to learn. |
| D．It’s good exercise especially for kids. |
| A．a shouting 1over |
| B．a shouting club |
| C．the advantages of shouting |
| D．the history of shouting |