It is hard to calculate the number of festivals and holidays around the world because there are simply too many of them! People have all kinds of local festivals, and some international festivals are celebrated in different ways in various countries. Have you ever wondered why people need festivals?
Some of the festivals come from religious beliefs, such as Christmas. It originated among Christians but has now become a public holiday for everyone around the world. However, there are other reasons why we hold festivals. They break up the flow of the year and bind us together as families and communities.
Festivals and holidays are fun escape from our regular schedules. Without holidays our weeks would run together into years of boredom. What is October without children ringing our doorbells asking for candy? What is November without turkey on the table and family around it? The answer is: boring months.
We also celebrate festivals because they are reasons to be reconnected with family and long-lost friends. Many people do not have the freedom to meet families and close friends at any time. Festivals and holidays give us the chance. Furthermore, festivals bring us together as a community. Many people make holidays the times they reach out to other people. The bright hearts decorating department stores in February, the blinking lights hanging on lamp posts in December—these help us feel connected to something larger than ourselves.
In a world where get-togethers and barbecues do not happen as much as they used to in decades past, in a world where no one borrow sugar from his or her neighbor any longer or bakes a cake when someone moves on to the block, festivals tie us together.
Therefore, everyone should make the most of their festival times. Get out and decorate your home at Christmas time. Surprise your spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend with a Valentine’s Day gift And definitely have fun at Halloween. Even if you do not enjoy Halloween, I am sure the children in your neighborhood will appreciate your dressing up, putting a graveyard in your front yard and passing out candy!
1. What does the underlined word “originated” (paragraph 2) mean in this article?| A．congratulated | B．celebrated |
| C．came into being | D．invited |
| A．Because people have the chance to meet each other. |
| B．Because department stores and lamp posts are decorated. |
| C．Because we can’t escape from work and fixed schedules. |
| D．Because we feel we are a community. |
| A．People do not go to barbecues nowadays |
| B．We don’t have as strong as a sense of community as we used to. |
| C．Few people give food to neighbors. |
| D．There are fewer social activities we enjoy during festivals. |
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【推荐1】Music With A View
Summer may well be the favourite season of classical music lovers, with numerous festivals taking place worldwide. And what’s better than enjoying a live performance of your favourite piece? Enjoying it in the great outdoors, of course!
Edinburgh International Festival Scotland
Edinburgh International Festival is Edinburgh’s arts offering, and in 2023 welcomes violinist Nicola Benedetti in her first year as festival director. Picking up the baton (接力棒)from previous director Fergus Linehan, she is the first female Festival Director since the Festival began in 1947. Benedetti will invite some popular symphony orchestras.
August 4-August 27, eif.co.uk
Puccini Festival, Italy
Since 1930, the festival has been presenting Puccini’s masterpieces to crowds of thousands in beautiful Torre del Lago every summer. We’re picturing hot Italian summer days closing with a gentle warmth, together with fine opera and a cool glass of wine in hand and the waters of Lake Massaciuccoli.
July 14 -August 26, puccinifestival.it
Verbier Festival, Switzerland
One of the main reasons to visit the Verbier Festival in the summer is that it’s a magical two-week celebration of classical music at the top of the world. The festival has become known for attracting the biggest soloists (独唱者) in the world. The real magic of Verbier is its ideas of connecting great musicians at the height of their careers with ambitious young artists.
July 14 - July 30, verbierfestival.com
Granada International Festival, Spain
Since 1952, the International Festival of Music and Dance of Granada has been held in the palace to show opera, ballet, Spanish dance and more. In 2023, the festival will team up with University of Granada to invite talented students to take part in the Manuel de Falla Courses, which offer masterclasses in composition, musical analysis, performance and face-to-face talk with great musicians including Víkingur Ólafsson and Daniil Trifonov.
June 21 - July 19, granadafestival.org
1. Who is the first female Festival Director since the Festival began in 1947?| A．Fergus Linehan. | B．Nicola Benedetti. |
| C．Víkingur Ólafsson | D．Daniil Trifonov |
| A．They attract the biggest soloists. |
| B．They are themed classical music. |
| C．They present Puccini’s masterpieces to the public. |
| D．They give the youth a chance to contact with musicians. |
| A．Puccini Festival, Italy. |
| B．Verbier Festival, Switzerland. |
| C．Granada International Festival, Spain. |
| D．Edinburgh International Festival Scotland. |
【推荐2】There is nothing in the US quite like Black Friday. Before midnight on Thursday, in malls across the US, people start queuing up outside the locked entrances of stores, making longer and longer lines, holding coupons(优惠券), sipping coffee and hot chocolate, rubbing their hands and stamping(跺脚) their feet for warmth, excitedly chatting, and waiting for the clerks to open the door when the time arrives.
Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, “has become in recent decades a special American holiday”, said the International Business Times. Indeed, up to 147 million Black Friday shoppers were expected to put up with the dark of night and the elbows(手肘) of other shoppers so that they could bring home some bargains, according to the US National Retail Federation.
But why does the shopping festival have such a name?
The name was first used in Philadelphia in the 1970s. The streets and sidewalks of the city became so packed with traffic and crowds on the day after Thanksgiving Day that the local police did not look forward to it. Because of this, they called the day “Black Friday”, said The Huffington Post. However, others believe that Black Friday takes its name from the fact that because of the increase in sales on the day, shops are able for the first time in the year to move out of the “red” —that is, debt—and into the “black”, or profit. Businesses, of course, try to take advantage of this day. A decade ago, retailers(零售商) opened at 5 or 6 am. Now, many of the big stores open at midnight.
People really seem to like the whole experience of queuing up before midnight, “for it isn’t just about the bargains”, noted CNN. “For many shoppers, it’s just fun to be part of a large crowd. Those who go to the malls at midnight are driven by the same thing that makes a million people get together in Times Square each New Year’s Eve.”
1. Which of the following statements about Black Friday is TRUE?| A．It is a special day in the US on which government hands out coupons to customers. |
| B．It is a shopping festival in the US that falls on the second Friday after Thanksgiving. |
| C．It has been a traditional American holiday since the founding of the nation. |
| D．It is an opportunity for Americans to get things they want at a much lower price. |
| A．usually help each other to find good bargains |
| B．have a lot of complaints about the service of the retail clerks. |
| C．have great fun as part of the waiting crowd |
| D．have to wait until 5 am to 6 am to start shopping. |
| A．The shopping habits of Americans. |
| B．The origin and influences of Black Friday. |
| C．Tips on how to get good bargains on Black Friday. |
| D．People’s mixed feeling towards Black Friday. |
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day people wear carnations. A red one symbolizes a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery(墓地).On these days families get together at home, as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.
Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are valued more than the ones bought in stores. It is not the value of the gift that is important, but it is “the thought that counts”. Greeting card stores, florists, candy makers, bakeries, telephone companies, and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays.
1. Which of the following is NOT a reason for children to show love and respect for parents?
| A．Parents bring up children. |
| B．Parents give love and care to children. |
| C．Parents educate children to be good persons. |
| D．Parents pass away before children grow up. |
| A．It has only two kinds of colors. |
| B．It refers to the special clothes people wear on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day. |
| C．It’s a kind of flower showing love and best wishes. |
| D．People can wear carnations only on the second Sunday in May. |
| A．Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are both in May. |
| B．Fewer women worked outside the home in the past. |
| C．Not all the children respect their parents |
| D．Fathers are not as important as mothers at home. |
| A．people usually have family parties |
| B．everyone goes to visit the cemetery |
| C．children always go to parents’ home |
| D．hand-made cards are the most valuable gifts |
【推荐1】In the world of art and creativity, there are countless materials that artists use to express their ideas and emotions. One of the materials that have gained popularity in recent years is woven paper (编纸). It is a classic art form that involves the weaving of paper to create various objects and products.
The origin of woven paper can date back to ancient civilizations and at first it was mainly used for practical purposes such as making baskets.
Creating a woven paper artwork requires time, accuracy, and a deep understanding of the textures (质地). Artists start by outlining their design, thinking about how the weaving pattern forms the final piece.
Woven paper art not only shows the artistic skills of the creator but also carries deeper meanings and messages.
| A．It does take a lot of effort to make woven artworks. |
| B．Gradually, artists began to include it in their artworks. |
| C．Woven paper products offer several advantages. |
| D．Weaving also encourages creative thinking and problem-solving. |
| E．They carefully select colors and textures of paper to enhance a good artwork. |
| F．And it’s worth exploring whether you are a professional or simply curious about it. |
| G．Through colors and patterns, artists express emotions and explore cultural themes. |
Most cultures have a festival of light. Each culture celebrates this festival in a different way. There is one thing that is the same, however, and this is the wish for peace and happiness in the world.
The Jewish Festival of Light is called Hanukkah. Hanukkah usually takes place in December. The story of why Hanukkah is celebrated is very old. It is told that a very long time ago, Jewish people called the Macabees were at war with a country called Syria. On the day that the Macabees won the war, they cleaned up their holy place, which is called a temple, because the Syrian people had been living there. They wanted to light their holy lamps to say thank you for the end of the war, but found only a very small amount of oil left over to do that. The Macabees lit the lamps anyway, thinking that they would soon go out. The lamps kept burning for eight days! The Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah every year by lighting a candlestick that has eight candleholders. Every night a new candle is lit so that on the eighth night, all eight candles stand together. Presents are given at this time and money is given to the poor.
Lanterns are another form of light. In China, lanterns are famous works of art. The Lantern Festival goes back more than 2,000 years to the Qin Dynasty. It takes place on the 15th day of the Chinese New Year, bringing the New Year season to a close. During the festival, parks become a sea of lanterns. Sometimes streets are blocked off and lanterns are put down on each side to make a hallway of lanterns. People also hang lanterns in their gardens, outside their houses or on boats. The lanterns are made in many shapes, sizes and colours. They are usually made from silk, paper and plastic. Some are even made from ice. It is believed that these lanterns will guide visitors and the spirits of ancestors to the celebrations. The Lantern Festival is a time for families, young and old to spend together. Every New Year the wish is the same—peace and happiness to all.
1. What’s the same with the festivals of light in different cultures? (不超过11个单词)2. Why do the Jewish light a new candle every night during the festival? (不超过12个单词)
3. What festival brings an end to the new year season? (不超过5个单词)
4. What is the purpose of this article? (不超过8个单词)
Paper cutting can be seen in many parts of China during the Spring Festival. People paste patterns on the window, door lintel or desks for the festival atmosphere.
It’s difficult to tell when it originated. One saying is that it originated from the religious ceremony or offering sacrifices. The ancient people cut papers into animals or people. They either buried them with the dead or burned them on the funerals, wishing that things that paper stand for could be with the dead. A thousand years ago, paper cutting was used for decoration. According to historic books, women in the Tang Dynasty used paper cut as headdress. In the Song Dynasty, it was the decoration of the gifts. People pasted on windows or doors or used it as decorations on walls, mirrors or lanterns. Some people made a living by it.
Paper cutting is all made by hand. It is easy to learn at the entry level. Non-craftsmen need only a knife and paper. For craftsman, they need knives and gravers of various types to make complicated patterns. It can be one piece of paper or many pieces. Simple patterns can be cut with a knife. For complicated patterns, people first pasted the pattern on the paper and then used various kinds of knives to make it. No mistake can be made during the process otherwise the work would fail.
Today, paper cuttings are mainly used as decorations. They adorn walls, windows, doors, columns, mirrors, lamps and lanterns in homes and are also used for decoration on presents or are given as presents themselves. My mom is a fan of paper cutting.
“I like paper cutting very much. During various festivals, we often buy some paper cuts to decorate the home. I think paper cuts are very beautiful and display strong Chinese characteristics.”
During the Spring Festival, people cut animals, flowers and figures in the paper to decorate their windows and doors.
These paper cuttings are therefore sometimes called “window flowers” or “picture cuts”. The “window flowers” are commonly used by families during festivals or on celebratory days.
The custom of pasting window flowers initially appeared in North China. During festivals such as the New Year, weddings, and celebrations for the birth of a baby, people used paper cuttings to show their pleasure, reflect the prosperous atmosphere or bring good luck.
Paper cuttings are mostly red, as red represents auspiciousness in China. There are also some more varied and colorful paper cuttings, such as those in Henan and Guangdong eprovinces.
Paper cuttings typically demonstrate the preferred aesthetics of shape and the artistic concepts behind Chinese folk handicrafts.
1. What is cutting paper used for on the funerals?
2. What is paper cutting mainly used to decorate today?
3. Why did the people in North China paste window flowers during weddings, and celebrations for the birth of a baby?
4. Why do craftsmen need more tools than non-craftsmen when cutting paper?
【推荐1】Several years ago, when someone used camera covers to protect against possible monitoring, it was not popular to talk about it. Today, people use various types of tapes to cover the web cameras and microphones.
There are many types of spyware that can dive into our devices and secretly spy on them, recording everything they do. Such programs may infect not only computers but also smartphones. Your data may be used by hackers who will try to request money for not exposing your private information or by companies like NSO Group who created the Pegasus spyware to “provide authorized governments with technology that helps struggle against terror and crime”.
In my opinion, the described protection technique is highly overestimated. Users tape cameras and microphones due to the lack of understanding of how their devices work and how malware (恶意软件) works. Hackers and even secret services do not have enough resources to monitor all victims using cameras or microphones. If they need to get any information, they get it by sending a targeted malware to your device, which will not be stopped by the tapes. Such a virus will find what to steal from personal photos and videos to passwords from social networks, browser history, bank accounts and much more.
It is unwise to believe that attackers will not be able to find a way to spy on you, even if the device, discharged to zero, can still deliver data about your location, using the smartphones of the surrounding people as signal repeaters. Let us face it, we live in an era when it is extremely difficult to hide something, and a piece of tape is clearly not the most useful tool in the struggle for your privacy.
Again, to be able to spy on you, attackers need to plant malware in your device. To prevent malware from entering your device, do not click suspected links and email attachments. Use strong passwords for email, social media and online banking accounts.
1. What is NSO Group?| A．A group of hackers. | B．A company developing spyware. |
| C．A group of terrorists and criminals. | D．A company fighting against crime. |
| A．People know little about their devices. |
| B．Hackers have no access to others. |
| C．It hardly prevents malware from getting privacy. |
| D．It can't cover the cameras completely. |
| A．Privacy protection on devices. | B．Rising trend of using tapes. |
| C．Device monitoring via cameras. | D．Suspected links and attachments. |
I was even more surprised to learn that my son is normal. "Teenagers with cellphones each send and receive 2,272 text messages a month on average, " Nielsen Mobile said.
Some experts regret that all that keyboard jabber(键盘闲聊) is making our kids stupid, unable to read non-verbal cues such as facial expressions, gestures, posture and other silent signals of mood and attitude. Unlike phones, text messaging doesn't even allow transmission of tone of voice or pauses, says Mark Bauerlein, author called The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future.
Beyond that, though, I'm not sure I see as much harm as critics of this trend. I' ve posted before on how I initially tried to control my kids' texting. But over time, I have seen my son suffer no apparent ill effects, and he gains a big benefit, continuing contact with others.
I don't think texting make kids stupid. It may make them annoying, when they try to text and talk to you at the same time. And it may make them
But I don't see texting harming teens' ability to communicate. My son is as accustomed to nonverbal cues as any older members of our family. I have found him more engaged and easier to communicate with from a great distance. because he is constantly available by means of text message and responds with faithfulness and speed.
1. What is Mark Bauerlein's attitude to texting?
| A．It is convenient for teens to communicate with others. |
| B．It is likely to cause trouble in understanding each other. |
| C．It is convenient for teens to text and call at the same time. |
| D．It will cause damage to the development of teens' intelligence. |
| A．For Teens, Texting Instead of Talking |
| B．For Parents, Caring Much for Their Kids |
| C．Disadvantages of Texting |
| D．The Effect of Communication |
| A．Confused. | B．Absent-minded. |
| C．Comfortable. | D．Bad-tempered. |
| A．objective | B．opposed | C．supportive | D．doubtful |
| A．It is normal for a teen to send or receive 60 text messages per day. |
| B．Texting is a very popular way of communication among teens. |
| C．The writer limited his son to send or receive messages at first. |
| D．When texting, teens don't mind talking with you. |
【推荐3】When you want to go shopping, decide how much money you can spend on new clothes. Think about the kind of clothes you really need. Then look for those clothes you really need. Then look for those clothes on sale．
There are labels(标签) inside all new clothes. The labels tell you how to take care of your clothes．The label for a shirt may tell you to wash it in warm water．A sweater label may tell you to wash in cold water．The label on a coat may say“dry clean only”, for washing may ruin this coat．If you do as the directions (说明)on the label, you can keep your clothes looking their best for a long time．
Many clothes today must be dry cleaned. Dry cleaning is expensive. When buying new clothes, check to see if they will need to be dry cleaned．You will save money if you buy clothes that can be washed．
You can save money if you buy clothes that are well made. Well-made clothes last longer. They look good even after they have been washed many times．Clothes that cost more money are not necessarily(不一定) better made. They do not always fit better. Sometimes less expensive clothes look and fit better than more expensive clothes．
1. If you want to save money, you had better buy clothes that __ ．| A．Don’t fit you | B．Don’t last long |
| C．need to be dry cleaned | D．can be washed |
| A．how to keep them looking their best | B．how to save money |
| C．whether they fit you or not | D．where to get them dry cleaned |
| A．to look for well-made clothes | B．to see how much money you can spend on it |
| C．to know how to wash them | D．to read the labels inside them |
| A．are always worse made | B．must be dry cleaned |
| C．can not be washed | D．can sometimes fit you better |
| A．Buy Less Expensive Clothes | B．Taking Enough Money When Shopping |
| C．Being a Clever Clothes Shopper | D．Choosing the Labels inside New Clothes |
