Unlike western New Year, which always take place on January 1, Chinese New Year changes each year — here is a guide for learning something about Chinese New Year celebrations.
What date is Chinese New Year in 2018?
It begins this year on Friday, February 16 and usually runs for about two weeks. Chinese New Year takes place on a different date each year, because it is based on the lunar calendar.
How is Chinese New Year celebrated?
Chinese New Year is celebrated globally with an explosion of light and sound, involving bell ringing, lighting firecrackers and watching traditional lion dances. Chinese families gather together for a reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve, and clean their houses to sweep away bad luck on New Year’s Day. Traditionally, children would be given red envelopes stuffed with “lucky money” and positive wishes on New Year’s Day. Some teens now have red envelope apps, so their relatives can transfer cash digitally.
Which animal represents 2018?
2018 is the Year of the Dog. The Chinese zodiac moves in a 12-year cycle, and those born in 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, and 2018 are also known as Dogs.
1. How long does Chinese New Year celebration last according to the passage?| A．One day. | B．Seven days. | C．Fifteen days. | D．One month. |
| A．Great wealth | B．Good health | C．High grades | D．Best wishes |
| A．2019 | B．2028 | C．2030 | D．2042 |
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【推荐1】From baking pumpkin pie to celebrating the moon, here’s how autumn is celebrated across the globe.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the biggest and most widely celebrated harvest festivals in the world. It is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. In many Asian countries including China, the festival is celebrated as a public holiday, with families gathering and giving thanks for the harvest and full moon.
Oktoberfest is another major autumn celebration that, while originating in Germany, has inspired local versions around the globe. The world’s largest folk festival begins in September and runs for about two weeks, featuring traditional Bavarian food, music, clothing, and most importantly, lots of beer!
Thanksgiving is also an important celebration for Americans that takes place in late November every year, with seasonal dishes like yams smothered and pumpkin pies always having a place at the Thanksgiving dinner table. Walks, hikes and trips to see the changing foliage are also hugely popular, with locations like Asheville and North Carolina, boasting of some of the most beautiful autumn scenery around.
There are also several cultural and religious events that occur throughout October and November. Dia de Los Muertos, on the 1st and 2nd November, is a Mexican celebration that honours the lives of those who have passed away with food, drinks and activities that those loved ones enjoyed when they were alive. Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, is another spiritual celebration of the victory of light over darkness, and good over evil, which falls on 14th November. Lighting candles all around the house and hoping for health and wealth are the chief rituals of the festival.
1. Which festival features food and trips?| A．The Mid-Autumn Festival. | B．Oktoberfest. |
| C．Thanksgiving. | D．Dia de Los Muertos |
| A．They will enjoy full moon. |
| B．They will have traditional Bavarian food. |
| C．They will eat pumpkin pies. |
| D．They will light candles. |
| A．They are celebrated for harvest. |
| B．They are held all over the world. |
| C．They are cultural and religious celebrations. |
| D．They fall in autumn. |
【推荐2】There are many classical cultures in China. All of them have a very long history. Here we introduce four of them.
 | Chinese Handwriting Chinese handwriting is a special art to Asian cultures. Brush handwriting is much loved around the world. Wang Xizhi is very famous for his handwriting. He made a great difference to the development of Chinese handwriting. |
 | Chinese Folk Music Chinese folk music has a long history. It is connected with Chinese ancient stories. One of the classics, Shijing, includes some folk songs in 15 different areas from the West Zhou Dynasty to the Spring and Autumn Period. Traditional Chinese musical instruments include guqin, guzheng, pipa, erhu, xiao and so on. |
 | Chinese Painting Chinese painting is one of the oldest traditional painting forms in the world. Most of the Chinese paintings in ancient China were done on paper or silk. Traditional Chinese painting includes mountains and water, figures (人物), flowers and birds. The paintings show different features during the different historical periods. |
 | Weiqi Weiqi, called “yi” in ancient China, is a smart board game between two players with a history of over 3, 000 years. The game can be treated as the beginning of all ancient chess games. It was introduced to Korea about 2, 000 years ago and was popular among the higher classes. |
| A．piano | B．violin | C．pipa | D．guitar |
| A．mountains and water | B．figures |
| C．flowers and birds | D．dogs |
| A．It is a game between two people. |
| B．It is only popular in China. |
| C．It has a history of over 2, 000 years. |
| D．It was introduced to Korea about 3, 000 years ago. |
【推荐3】There are some Christmas traditions between the United Kingdom and the United States.
Letters to Santa Claus
In the United States, kids usually write letters to Santa and put them in the mailbox. However, in England we throw them directly into the fire. We don't plan to make kids cry because burning the letters can send them to the North Pole where Santa can read your Christmas wishes in the smoke. It may seem strange but it does save on postage.
Hanging stocking
Traditionally, American kids hang stockings around the fireplace for Santa to fill with presents. But in the UK. we hang stockings around the bed; being surrounded by presents is a fantastic way to wake up on Christmas morning.
Christmas pudding
Americans prefer to have pumpkin and pecan pies for the Christmas dessert; while we British are fond of Christmas pudding. which is a cake flavored with dried fruits and spices.
Dealing with Christmas tree
We British chose to take down the Christmas trees and the decorations within 12 days of Christmas, because we hold the belief that keeping then beyond that time can bring bad luck. This is probably a tradition that Americans should consider adopting. I have seen people keep their old, brown, dry and withered Christmas trees until almost July 4.
1. How do the British people deal with "Letters to Father Christmas"?| A．Emailing them to Santa. | B．Hiding them in the mailbox. |
| C．Putting them in the stockings. | D．Throwing them straight into the fire. |
| A．To stop it from drying | B．To expect good luck. |
| C．To save money. | D．To reuse it for the next year. |
| A．Writing letters to Santa. | B．Making pumpkin pudding. |
| C．Hanging stockings around the bed. | D．Keeping Christmas trees for months. |
【推荐1】Remember the TV show Green Acres? This story is a little like that, only with more animals and an even better ending.
“My wife of 24 years, AnnMarie Roberts, was raised in New York City, worked in the fashion industry, and never got her hands dirty,” wrote Keith Roberts in the magazine Country Woman. “Then, nine years ago, I wanted to move home to Florida and reconnect to my country roots, but how would I inspire the same feeling in, well, a city woman? I brought her a two-month-old potbellied pig.”
AnnMarie, then 46, was fascinated by it immediately. Soon she took in another potbellied pig that had been abandoned. And thus began Sugarloaf Mountain Ranch, her animal shelter in central Florida.
The ranch now has 300 rescues, each with its own story. “Once, we rescued two roosters that had been shot — one has brain injuries. Many vets tell me, ‘Euthanize them — it’s too much work.’ But I say if they can live, then I’m going to help them live.” said AnnMarie.
AnnMarie is not only saving animals; she’s giving their owners peace of mind. “A woman called from her hospital bed.” AnnMarie recalls. “Her pigs would be killed if she couldn’t find a suitable home. ‘I only have a few months, and I need to know that they’ll be safe,’ she said.” So AnnMarie drove three hours and got them.
Soon after, AnnMarie received a note from the woman’s daughter. “Dear AnnMarie,” she wrote. “My mom went peacefully, and I owe part of that to you. She agonized over Bailey and Smitten, but she went knowing that they are forever loved. Thank you for being Mom’s angel.”
“She is a ball of energy,” Keith wrote. “I often found her sitting in the coop with ten chicks nestled in her lap, which is exactly what you’d expect from a true mother hen.”
1. What kind of TV show may Green Acres be about?| A．Business women. | B．Modern city. | C．Fashion industry. | D．Country life. |
| A．To treat their injuries. | B．To put an end to their life. |
| C．To cut their feed cost. | D．To help them better live. |
| A．Because she knew her pigs would be in good hands. |
| B．Because her daughter called AnnMarie from hospital. |
| C．Because AnnMarie wrote a note to comfort her. |
| D．Because her pigs would be adopted by a vet. |
| A．Humorous and caring. | B．Energetic and helpful. |
| C．Ambitious and demanding. | D．Courageous and calm. |
【推荐2】People sometimes say, "It's raining cats and dogs!” when there is a heavy rain. Nobody has ever really seen cats and dogs falling from the sky, but there have been many reports of other strange things “raining” down. In 1956, the people of a town in the USA saw a small black cloud in the sky. It started to rain from the cloud normally, but only in a small area. The cloud then turned white, and fish started to fall to the ground. Most of them were still alive.
During a storm in July 1901, in Minneapolis, people heard something falling from the sky that did not sound like rain. When they went outside, they found all types of frogs covering four streets.
There are other reports of strange “rains” failing from the sky including worms, insects and snakes.
Can these strange “rains” be explained by science? Scientists usually say that a tornado （龙卷风）has picked up the animals from a river or ocean, carried them for miles, and then dropped them somewhere else. But this does not completely explain all of them. On May 15, 1890, in Italy, there was a rain of blood-birds' blood. Scientists said that flying birds must have been torn（撕碎）to pieces by strong winds. But if so, why did only their blood fall from the sky, and not other parts of their bodies? And anyway, there were no strong winds that day!
1. What does it mean when people say, “It's raining cats and dogs”?| A．Cats and dogs are falling from the sky. | B．It's raining heavily. |
| C．Animals started to fall to the ground. | D．There is a black cloud. |
| A．Cats and dogs. | B．Worms and insects. |
| C．Fish and blood. | D．Snakes and frogs. |
| A．Storms. | B．Rains. | C．Clouds. | D．Tornadoes. |
| A．the tornado picked up the birds' blood. |
| B．there were no strong winds that day. |
| C．flying birds were tom into pieces by strong winds. |
| D．other parts of birds’ bodies did not fall with the blood. |
| A．Strange “Winds”. | B．Strange “Clouds”. |
| C．Strange “Rains”. | D．Strange “Animals”. |
【推荐3】You go to school and learn. But when you finish high school or university, is learning done? The answer is “NO”. In fact, you are learning all the time. It's called lifelong learning.
Why will you be a lifelong learner? Lifelong learning is very important in the information age. To be a lifelong learner can help you get rich knowledge to face new challenges. It's helpful to improve yourself.
How can you be lifelong learner? Here are some tips for you:
☆Seek knowledge. Always search for much knowledge on a topic you are interested in. Make use of every chance to learn knowledge.
☆Think critically. Always use a lot of ways to select useful information for questions and give your own judgment. Think in other perspectives (角度). Don't simply trust what experts say.
☆Solve problems. Always see problems as challenges and new experiences. Put your knowledge into practice. Try to work out the problems with your knowledge and your judgment.
Remember: It's never too late to learn and it's never too old to learn. Learning is life. So, make lifelong learning one of your goals!
1. Why is lifelong learning important?| A．Because it helps improve yourself. | B．Because it's the best way. |
| C．Because it's fun and easy | D．Because it's important in school. |
| A．好奇地 | B．批判性地 |
| C．小心地 | D．方便地 |
| A．Seek knowledge. | B．Think critically. |
| C．Be social. | D．Solve problems. |
| A．Learning only happens in school | B．Always trust the experts |
| C．It's too old to learn. | D．See problems as challenges. |
| A．Learning can be fun | B．Learning is useless |
| C．Make sure to be a good learner | D．Learning is life |
