The traditional Chinese lunar calendar (农历) divides the year into 24 solar terms (节气), which reflect the Chinese people’s understanding of time. Here several special solar terms are listed.
Rain Water
Rain Water signals the increase in rainfall and rise in temperature. With its arrival, the river water defreezes (解冻), wild geese move from south to north, and trees and grass turn green again. Extra care is needed to cope with a returning cold spell in this period. The wet and damp weather during Rain Water period is considered harmful for people’s spleen (脾) and stomach according to Chinese medical practice. Therefore, a bowl of nutritious porridge is the best choice to nourish the body.
Awakening of Insects
As the third solar term in the lunar year, its name implies that animals sleeping in winter are awakened by spring thunder and that the earth begins to come back to life. It is the key time for spring agricultural activities. Modern meteorological (气象) science shows that around this period, the earth becomes wet, the hot humid air from the north is strong and creates frequent winds. For this reason, thunder often occurs.
Spring Equinox
Spring Equinox signals the equal length of the day and night time. On the day of the Spring Equinox, the sun is directly above the equator. After the equinox, the sun moves northwards, resulting in gradually longer day time in the Northern Hemisphere. Standing an egg upright is a popular game during this period. It is believed that if someone can make the egg stand, he will have good luck in the future.
Grain Rain
Grain Rain originates from the old saying, “Rain brings up the growth of hundreds of grains”, which shows that this period of rainfall is extremely important for the growth of crops and people are busy working on the land. Grain Rain falls between the end of spring and the beginning of summer, with infrequent cold air moving to the south and lingering cold air in the north. With dry soil, an unsteady atmosphere and heavy winds and sandstorms become more frequent.
1. What can we know about Rain Water?| A．River water starts to freeze. |
| B．Taking off the thick coats is advisable. |
| C．Lively spring-like scenery can be seen. |
| D．It falls between the end of spring and the start of summer. |
| A．Farming season. | B．Animal activities. |
| C．Air temperature. | D．Frequent thundering. |
| A．the sun moves southwards. | B．the sun is directly above the equator. |
| C．days are short and nights long. | D．it will bring good luck. |
| A．Rain Water. | B．Grain Rain. |
| C．Spring Equinox. | D．Awakening of Insects. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】If you are a party animal in Guangxi, join us to explore some of the popular festivals in Liuzhou.
Temple Fair Day
It is believed to be the oldest and the largest temple fair day celebrated in Fengshan, Liuzhou. It is an event known to easily attract more than 30,000 people to take part in the parades. It is a day for enjoying temple wishes, dancing to non-stop ethnic songs, and tasting lots of local dishes.
Time: February Price: Free
March 3rd Festival
This is an annual event that takes place every March in Sanjiang county. The festival features a lot of ethnic minority homemade food. You can also expect to enjoy live ethnic music and dances performed by famous local dancers.
Time: March 3rd Price: 3 RMB
Liuzhou Marathon Festival
This event started more than 10 years ago. Currently, it is an attractive weekend that sees attendance go way past 12,000 people. During the festival, participants take part in exciting activities, with the major ones like funny marathon, and food sales.
Time: April Price: 12 RMB
Dragon Boat Show
Longtan park is usually the place of Dragon Boat Show—a festival for boating lovers that occurs in May. It is the largest dragon boat show in Liuzhou. A great deal of people will be there at that time. Welcome to join the show.
Time: May Price: 5 RMB
1. What is special about Temple Fair Day?| A．It features famous dance. | B．It lasts two months. |
| C．It started 10 years ago. | D．It’s free of charge. |
| A．Buy some books. | B．Watch boat show. |
| C．Taste nice food. | D．Join a parade. |
| A．Liuzhou Marathon Festival. | B．March 3rd Festival. |
| C．Dragon Boat Show. | D．Temple Fair Day. |
| A．over 2,000. | B．over 12,000. |
| C．2,000. | D．12,000. |
| A．Longtan park. | B．Sanjiang park. |
| C．Liuzhou park. | D．Fengshan park. |
【推荐2】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. To protect them from harm, friends and family would come to stay with the birthday person and bring good thoughts and wishes. 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(涂) the nose with butter. In Atlantic Canada, the birthday child's nose is greased for good luck.
China —Noodles for lunch. 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（象征性的）objects are mixed into the birthday cake as it is being prepared. If your piece of cake has a coin in it, then you will be rich.
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 to mark the occasion.
New Zealand—Birthday claps. 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 cake is made, and candles are put on top based on how old the person is.
1. The first paragraph mainly talks about _________| A．where the tradition of birthday parties started |
| B．how to keep away from evil spirits |
| C．why gifts must be given to the birthday person |
| D．how birthday parties started. |
| A．England | B．China |
| C．Ireland | D．Japan |
| A．In New Zealand, an eight-year-old birthday child receives eight claps in all. |
| B．In Italy, people will pull the birthday children’s ears. |
| C．In England, objects mixed into the birthday cake are meaningful. |
| D．In the US, the number of candles means the age of the birthday person. |
a. China-eating noodles
b. Canada-bumping on the floor
c. England-coin in the birthday cake
d. Japan-- butter-greased nose
e. Italy--- pulling ears
f. America--- cake with candles on top
| A．a, b, c, f | B．b, c, d, e |
| C．c, d , e ,f | D．a, c , e , f |
【推荐3】The Lantern Festival falls on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. This is the first full moon of the new year, symbolizing unity and perfection. Lantern festival is an important part of spring festival, and marks the official end of the long holiday.
There are two legends(传说) about the origins of Lantern Festival.According to one legend, once in ancient times, a swan was shot down by a hunter. The emperor decided to avenge(替...报仇) the swan. He started to send the soldiers with orders to burn all humans and animals. But the other swans disagreed with this action, and risked their lives to save people on earth. As a result, before and after the fifteenth day of the first month, every family hung red lanterns outside, giving the impression that their homes were already burning. By successfully tricking, human was saved from extinction.
According to the second legend, during the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, a palace woman named Yuanxiao was prevented from visiting her parents on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Sadly, she said she would kill herself. In order to help Yuanxiao, the scholar Dongfang Shuo told Emperor Wu that the jade emperor had ordered the fire god to burn down the capital city on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month. Anxiously, the emperor asked Dongfang Shuo what he should do. Dongfang Shuo advised that the streets be hung with red lanterns. And everyone would go to view the lanterns. In this way, the fire god would be distracted and disaster would end. The emperor followed Dongfang Shuo’s advice, and while everyone was out viewing the lanterns, Yuanxiao left the palace in secret and reunited with her parents.
Although the above stories are quite fantastical, it is sure that the origins of the Lantern Festival are related to ancient humanity’s use of fire to celebrate festivals and avoid disaster.Over time, the Lantern Festival gradually turned into its present form.
1. The structure of the passage could be outlined as:____________.| A．①-②③④ | B．①-②③-④ | C．①②-③④ | D．①②-③-④ |
| A．The other swans agreed on the emperor to kill the people on earth. |
| B．Yuanxiao was a palace woman who wanted to escape from the palace. |
| C．Dongfang Shuo was a wise scholar to help solve the problems. |
| D．Every family hung red lanterns outside to burn the soldiers. |
| A．The Lantern Festival’s present form. | B．The Lantern Festival’s original form. |
| C．The Lantern Festival’s food varieties. | D．The Lantern Festival’s celebrations. |
| A．Some activities related to the Lantern Festival |
| B．The long holiday of the Lantern Festival |
| C．Some respectful person about the Lantern Festival |
| D．The origins of the Lantern Festival |
【推荐1】Where in the classroom do you prefer to sit,and why? Scientists have discovered that seating preference not only shows students’ personalities,but has a great influence on their school performance.Generally speaking,students show different attitudes depending on where they sit.Based on the research,scientists have developed a funnel-like(像漏斗的) model of “learning zones(区域)” to see the relationship between seating and active learning.
In this model,the mouth of the funnel(A) is the best position for learning.Students in this front area prove to be the most active learners.They show a greater desire(渴求) for learning,which leads them to focus(集中注意力) better and take a more active part than the rest of the class.Those in the neck of the funnel(B) don’t pay the same close attention,but they ask a lot of questions,partly because of the added confidence they feel from being in a safe zone,with others around them.Less desirable is the area “outside the funnel(C,D),” which refers to the side and the back rows,where students take a less active part in classroom activities and find it hard to focus their attention,falling asleep at times.
Studies about learning zones suggest that a change in traditional seating plans can benefit students.In fact,a growing number of teachers have begun less traditional seating plans,such as “U-Type”.There are no side and back areas,so teachers can expect their students to take part in activities more actively and increase student-teacher interaction(互动).
1. According to scientists, students’ learning is greatly influenced by________.| A．the number of students | B．the time of class |
| C．seating positions | D．the size of the classroom |
| A．sometimes fall asleep | B．feel safe and confident |
| C．seldom ask their teachers questions | D．try to avoid looking directly at the teacher |
| A．An increasing number of teachers have started to use traditional seating plans. |
| B．Changing the traditional seating plans can be beneficial to students. |
| C．U-type is better than funnel-like model of “learning zones” . |
| D．If there are no side and back areas, students must be more active in learning. |
| A．An education magazine | B．An advertisement |
| C．A life newspaper | D．A science textbook |
In California, another interesting kitchen robot has been developed, called Readybot. It can pick up objects and either store them in cabinets (橱柜) or put them in the trash. It also carries a separate floor-cleaning robot that can operate by itself. Unlike the Japanese robot, Readybot just looks more like a large box with arms and wheels.
Readybot was created by engineers and designers who established a club called the Readybot Challenge. They believe that in the future millions of robots will be needed in homes to perform ordinary household tasks. Readybot is just the first step in their plan to create a robot that can do jobs not only in kitchens but in other rooms of homes and in offices as well.
Clearly there are technological difficulties to solve before robots can cook a complete dinner, and there are also many safety concerns (忧虑). Not everyone (especially parents) would be comfortable with the idea of robots in their house, manipulating hot pans and sharp knives. The European Commission recently funded(资助) a project to study these concerns. According to lead researcher Professor Chris Melhuish, “Enabling robots to work safely with humans is a key need for the future development of robotics.”
1. Compared with Readybot, the Japanese robot ________.
| A．is more popular | B．performs more jobs |
| C．moves more quickly | D．looks more like a person |
| A．drive you around | B．clean your kitchen |
| C．prepare food for you | D．work for office workers |
| A．inventing | B．avoiding | C．controlling | D．making |
| A．have shown great interest in kitchen robots |
| B．can’t wait to use kitchen robots in their homes |
| C．might think that kitchen robots could be dangerous |
| D．found out how to operate robots safely |
【推荐3】Ernest Hemingway famously said that writers should “write hard and clear about what hurts”. Although Hemingway may not have known it at the time, research has now shown that writing about “what hurts” can help improve our psychological (心理的) health.
There are more than 200 studies that show the positive effect of writing on mental health. But while the psychological benefits are true for many people, researchers don’t completely agree on why or how writing helps. One opinion suggests that hiding feelings can lead to psychological pain. It stands to reason that writing might improve psychological health because it offers a safe and free way to express feelings that were once hidden. However, recent studies have begun to show how an increase in self-awareness (自我意识), rather than simply expressing feelings, could be the key to these improvements in mental health.
In fact, self-awareness is being able to turn your attention inward. By turning our attention inward, we can become more aware of our behavior, feelings, beliefs, and values. Research suggests that becoming more self-aware can increase our confidence and encourage us to be more willing to accept others. It can also help us to exercise more self-control and make better decisions.
Writing might be really helpful in increasing self-awareness because it can be practiced often. There are three types of writing which can improve your self-awareness and, in turn, your psychological health: expressive writing, reflective writing, and creative writing. Expressive writing is often used in therapeutic( 治 疗 ) settings where people are asked to write about their thoughts and feelings related to a stressful life event. Reflective writing is regularly used in professional settings, often as a way to help nurses, doctors, teachers, psychologists and social workers become better at their jobs. Poems, short stories, and novels are all considered forms of creative writing. Writing creatively offers a special way to explore thoughts, feelings, ideas, and beliefs. Writing creatively about challenging experiences, like sadness, can also offer a way to communicate to others something that you feel is too difficult to say directly.
1. What did recent studies show according to the text ?| A．Writing leads to good psychological health. |
| B．Expressing feelings by writing helps our mental health. |
| C．Raising self-awareness gives people psychological benefits. |
| D．What Hemingway said is true. |
| A．Benefits of self-awareness. |
| B．Types of self-awareness. |
| C．Ways to raise self-awareness. |
| D．Research about self-awareness. |
| A．A novel that shows your concerns about climate change. |
| B．A difficult work situation and consider what you have learned from it. |
| C．A children’s story that speaks about your beliefs about friendship. |
| D．Your feelings about a stressful event that has happened during the pandemic. |
| A．Examples of each type of writing. |
| B．Other researches on the topic. |
| C．Words of encouragement to become more self-aware. |
| D．A call to practice writing often. |
