【推荐1】Imagine a world 400 years ago where children were used as chimney sweeps. The pay was low; it was a dirty trade and there was little reward for the men who did the job and even less for children.

Medway’s annual Sweeps Festival recreates the joy and laughter enjoyed by the chimney sweeps at their traditional holiday: the one time of the year the sweeps could leave the soot(烟灰) behind and have some fun. The sweeps’ holiday was traditionally held on 1 May each year. Locally, they used to mark the occasion by staging a procession through the streets of Rochester.

Their fun continued with the Jack­in­the­Green ceremony, a seven­foot character that they used to waken at dawn on Blue Bell Hill, Chatham. The Jack­in­the­Green would walk with the chimney sweeps in their parade. When the Climbing Boys’ Act 1868 made it illegal to employ young boys to carry out the trade, the traditional procession gradually began to fade. The final May celebration was held in the early 1900s.

The modern day Rochester Sweeps Festival is a colourful mix of music, dancing and entertainment with more than 60 Morris sides and entertainers celebrating throughout the three­day festival. The festival was revived in 1981 by local businessman Gordon Newton, a keen historian. He decided it was time to bring it back and over the years he has helped develop the festival into what it is today — an excellent performance of traditional Britain.

Gordon researched the Sweeps’ tradition and organized a small parade, involving local Morris teams. In time, Medway Council took over organization of the festival but Gordon remained actively involved.

Today he is festival producer and plays melodeon(簧风琴) for several Morris teams. Doug Hudson is the festival’s music director, a role he has held for many years. Through Gordon’s vision and hard work, Doug’s musical ability and the council’s help, the Rochester Sweeps Festival has become the largest May Day celebration of its kind in the country.

1. Medway’s Sweeps Festival ___________.

A．has been organized by the Jack­in­the­Green

B．dated back to the May celebration in the early 1900s

C．is held to honor those chimney sweeps every other year

D．has become a time for chimney sweeps to enjoy themselves

2. The underlined word ＂revived＂ in the 4th paragraph most probably means ＂___________＂.

A．realized	B．reviewed
C．recreated	D．recognized

3. It can be inferred from the passage that ___________.

A．the festival has never been supported by the local government

B．The festival is a good way to see British folk customs in action

C．youngsters have been forbidden to be chimney sweeps since 1981

D．the modern festival lasts five days celebrating the coming of spring

4. What is the passage mainly concerned about?

A．Sweeps Festival’s history.

B．Medway’s traditional holidays.

C．Climbing Boys’ Act 1868.

D．A procession in Rochester.

【推荐2】Buy Nothing Day
Most people buy a lot of gifts just before Christmas. But some people think we buy too much. They have started a special day called Buy Nothing Day. They don’t want anyone to go shopping that day.
Buy Nothing Day is November 29. It’s 25 days before Christmas. It’s after Thanksgiving and often the first day of Christmas shopping. At this time, we see ads in newspapers and on TV telling us to “buy, buy, buy!”
The idea for Buy Nothing Day started in Vancouver, British Columbia. Now people all over the world celebrate Buy Nothing Day. In California, parents and children get together to read stories, sing songs, and paint pictures. The children talk about why they don’t need a lot of toys. This year, in Manchester, England, people dressed up to tell people that we buy too much.
In Albuquerque, New Mexico, high school students wanted to tell other students about Buy Nothing Day. They organized a spaghetti dinner to give people information about Buy Nothing Day. They asked restaurants in the neighborhood to donate the food. They made posters and talked to other students about it. The dinner was a big success, and many students agreed not to buy anything on November 29. The students at high school liked the idea of this new tradition. Next year, they want to have another dinner to tell more people about Buy Nothing Day!
1. Why do people all over the world celebrate Buy Nothing Day?

A．People need more time to do other things.

B．People buy too many gifts for Christmas.

C．People can hardly afford to buy a lot of gifts.

D．People waste too much time going shopping.

2. How do people celebrate Buy Nothing Day?

A．In California, parents and children get together to play games.

B．In Mexico, high school students dressed up.

C．In England, people celebrated by performing plays.

D．They bought nothing and made the others decide not to.

3. What did the students do in New Mexico for the day?

A．They talked to others about Buy Nothing Day.

B．They dressed up to tell people that we buy too much.

C．They organized a spaghetti dinner to donate the food.

D．They got together to read stories, sing songs, and paint pictures.