Known locally as sakura, the cherry blossoms in Japan are popular with both locals and tourists alike. For the Japanese, sakura hold much cultural and historical significance that goes deeper than their obvious beauty.
Sakura are usually only in full bloom (盛开) for about one week.
While the cherry blossom season occurs between March and May each year, the specific time varies from region to region. Luckily, the Japanese Meteorological Corporation (JMC,日本气象厅) has done all the work.
| A．Many people hold flower-watching parties known as hanami. |
| B．The pink flowers have inspired poets, artists and soldiers for centuries. |
| C．Each year it posts forecasts of when the blooming will begin in each region. |
| D．It’s pretty easy to plan your trip around the blooming sakura. |
| E．Most people bring beer or other drinks to mark the occasion. |
| F．Cherry blossom season is one of the high seasons in Japan. |
| G．If you manage to catch the end of the blooming, you’ll see the beautiful flowers. |
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【推荐1】It’s a Christmas tradition that’s more than half a century old. And it happened completely by accident.
It started in 1955, when a local Sears store in Colorado Springs, Colorado printed an ad, which included a spedial phone number kids could call to know where Santa’s sleigh was at any given moment. Unfortunately, someone made a mistake in printing the phone number and kids were calling the wrong line.
A Colonel(上校) named Henry Shoup began answering his phone at what would become NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defence Command. At first, he thought it was a simple error of one caller.
But as the phone kept ringing and tiny voices kept asking about Santa, Shoup realized he couldn’t disappoint them. So he told the staff to issue updates to any one asking about the location of Santa.
The wrong turned into a custom of the holiday and kept growing in popularity, and NORAD finally decided to make it permanent.
It’s become a holiday favourite ever since, adapting to whatever new technology has come along since. In the early days, it was a phone line. Then in the 60s, NORAD put out a special series of “reports” that was played on hundreds of radio stations across North America, broadcasting the Jolly Old Elf’s exact position on Christmas Eve.
Think of it as kind of an early GPS without the computer gear.
Finally, came the Internet and NORAD has now transferred its annual watch onto the Web, with a site devoted to keeping tabs on the most famous journey in the world—what you might call the real amazing race, an around-the-world mission that has to be finished within 24 hours.
This year’s entry allows kids to track Santa in 3Dusing Google Earth and play games at the North Pole using the Kids Countdown Section, and it even offers Santa Cams which are only operational on the night before Christmas.
1. Why did children keep calling Henry Shoup?| A．Because they wanted to play a joke on him. |
| B．Because they wanted to amuse him. |
| C．Because he knew where Santa exactly was. |
| D．Because they wanted to know where Santa’s sleigh was. |
| A．He became annoyed and decided to tell them the truth. |
| B．He became excited and jioned them in searching Santa. |
| C．He thought quickly and took it seriously to satisfy their needs. |
| D．He laughed at them and took no notice of their calls. |
| A．Santa Claus. |
| B．Colonel Henry Shoup. |
| C．NOARD. |
| D．The staff in Henry Shoup’s charge. |
| A．By calling a special phone number. |
| B．By listening to a special series of reports over the radio. |
| C．With the help of a kind of early GPS. |
| D．By scanning the spedial column in the newspaper. |
| A．an old favorite holiday that develops along with new technology |
| B．50-year-old tracking Santa tradition that started by accident |
| C．a real amazing race, an around-the-world mission within 24 hours |
| D．a Colonel and the North American Aerospace Defence Command |
【推荐2】There are four fun festivals throughout the year in Brazil.
Festa Junina
Festa Junina is celebrated all over Brazil for the entire month of June as a yearly celebration of Saint John. It celebrates country life with typical clothes, food and dances inside a large tent, with decorations such as colored flags, beautiful table cloths and balloons.
Oktoberfest
The Germanic roots of the south of Brazil brought this traditional German festival to Brazil, where it has become one of the most popular beer festivals. Held in the middle of October every year in Blumenau, it celebrates typical German cuisine and plenty of beer. There’re all kinds of German foods at the festival.
Festival de Cachaça
Every year in the town of Paraty, Festival de Cachaça is held for cachaça, the national alcohol (酒) made from sugarcane (甘蔗). This festival is held over a long weekend in August and it gives you a chance to try cachaça. There are also shows of samba (桑巴舞) and food trucks. It’s also a great opportunity to get to know the beautiful town of Paraty.
Parintins Folklore Festival
The festival held every year in Parintins is the second largest in Brazil after the carnival. It goes over a period of three days at the end of June and celebrates the Amazonian legend of a resurrected ox (复活的牛). The main attraction of the festival is the competition between the two teams Garantido and Caprichoso that compete to retell the story of the ox through a mix of dancing and singing.
1. Which festival lasts the longest time?| A．Oktoberfest. | B．Festa Junina. |
| C．Festival de Cachaça. | D．Parintins Folklore Festival. |
| A．Taste German food. | B．Watch shows of samba. |
| C．Drink the national alcohol. | D．Listen to the story of the ox. |
| A．They are yearly activities. |
| B．They enjoy global popularity. |
| C．They focus on food and dancing. |
| D．They are celebrated all over Brazil. |
【推荐3】Whether it is for a special festival, to express thanks or to just let someone know that you care about them, giving gifts is a common custom. The purpose of giving gifts may be similar, but the tradition varies from country to country. A gift of respect in one place may be considered rude in another. Take a look at three unique gift-giving traditions.
India
If you’re invited to someone’s home in India, you should bring a small gift, whether it’s a box of chocolates or some flowers. Gifts shouldn’t be wrapped in black or white colors, because they are considered unlucky. Instead, use bright colors such as green, red or yellow. When giving money, it should have an odd number (奇数) value, which is believed to bring good luck. Instead of receiving a gift with-both hands, Indians generally only use their right hand because left hands are considered unclean.
Japan
For most Japanese, the ritual (礼节) of giving presents is more important than the gifts themselves. The correct way is to present or receive gifts with both hands. Every gift should be wrapped. That’s because un-covered gifts are considered disrespectful. To show politeness and thanks, people may turn it down once or twice before finally accepting it. Gifts should be given in pairs, but four should be avoided just like in China. Lucky numbers also include eight, for eight is said to bring prosperity (兴旺).
Native America
While it may be common for guests to prepare gifts for hosts, this is different in Native American communities. From weddings to birthday celebrations, guests are the ones who receive gifts. Gifts are usually homemade arts and crafts (手工艺品)-made by hand to show love, respect and appreciation.
1. What color should be avoided when you wrap a gift in India?| A．Green. | B．Red. | C．Yellow. | D．White. |
| A．Wrapped gifts. | B．Receiving with both hands. |
| C．Similar lucky numbers. | D．Rejecting once or twice. |
| A．India. | B．Japan. | C．Native America. | D．China. |
【推荐1】Kunta is a small attractive stone-built town in England. Water is a natural gateway to the Cheviot Hills and the Northumberland National Park. From its main street formed by the Market Place and High Street three roads lead off through the foothills into the National Park. The main street has hotels, specialist shops, pottery(陶器) factories and grocery stores. The shopping centre in the area has a reputation for friendly, helpful service.
The beauty of the surrounding scenery is eye-opening: on the one side the fallen sandstone goes across the valley below and on the other the wonderful Cheviot Hills rising behind the town to form a splendid background. Alnwick is a town with a historic castle and the famous Alnwick Gardens lie a few miles south while the Scottish Borders are within easy travelling distance from Kunta on clean country roads. Therefore, the town is an excellent place for a holiday. It offers a wide range of accommodation, ranging from youth hostels(招待所), campsites to local hotels. The summer months see the town’s High Streets become a busy scene of local people and visitors. Each July the town holds its Glendale festival with a program of events spread over the weekend.
Activities to do in Kunta include bowling, skiing, junior football clubs, fitness clubs, running, tennis, and walking. The industries are sheep farming and tourism.
There is much evidence of settlements throughout the area dating back to pre Bronze(青铜器) Age times. The Roman period seems to have had little impact on the area. In the twelfth century, it was ruled by Anglo Saxons, then Danish and eventually the Normans. In the twelfth century, the population was little more than eighteen hundred.
1. What do you know about Kunta?| A．It is a small attractive town built on the top of a mountain. |
| B．It is a small beautiful English town built of stones. |
| C．It is near the most beautiful national park in England. |
| D．The largest shopping centre in England lies in Kunta. |
| A．beauty of the surrounding scenery | B．friendly and helpful service |
| C．wide range of accommodation | D．historic castles and famous gardens |
| A．people | B．location |
| C．environment | D．history |
【推荐2】A bridge is a structure constructed to connect two places without blocking the way beneath it. Below are four famous bridges in the world.
Bridge of Sighs
The Bridge of Sighs is in Venice, Italy, which was designed by Antonio Contino. The bridge’s construction was begun in 1600 and completed in 1603. The bridge was supposed to be the last view for prisoners, who would sigh at the beauty of Venice, before being taken to prison. That is why it is called the Bridge of Sighs.
Tsing Ma Bridge
The bridge is named after the two islands it connects-Ma Wan and Tsing Yi in Hong Kong. It has both a roadway and a railway and is the longest suspension bridge (悬索桥) with two decks. The bridge is 4518 feet long and 676 feet tall, which was designed by Mott MacDonald. The construction was begun in 1992 and completed in 1997.
Tower Bridge
The Tower Bridge is situated in London, which is a combination of the drawbridge (开合桥) and suspension bridge. Designed by Horace Jones and John Wolfe Barry, it was built between 1886 and 1894. The bridge stretches across the River Thames near the Tower of London. The drawbridge is drawn about 1,000 times a year.
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge joins the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, whose chief designer was Jbseph Strauss. The bridge has been named the most beautiful and most photographed bridge in the world. It is 8,981 feet long, 746 feet tall and 90 feet wide. Construction of the bridge was begun in 1933 and completed in 1937. In 1987, the bridge was named a California historic landmark.
1. Which bridge has the longest history?| A．The Bridge of Sighs. | B．The Tsing Ma Bridge. |
| C．The Tower Bridge. | D．The Golden Gate Bridge. |
| A．It was named by its designer. | B．It was named by the government. |
| C．It got its name because of its length. | D．It got its name from the two islands it connected. |
| A．It links two oceans. |
| B．It is the longest bridge in the world. |
| C．It is a historic landmark in California. |
| D．It is a combination of the drawbridge and suspension bridge. |
【推荐3】I often dreamed about Pisa when I was a boy. I read about the famous building called the Leaning Towers of Pisa(比萨斜塔）. But when I read the word Pisa, I was thinking of pizza. I thought this tower must be the best place to buy pizza in the world.
Many years later, I finally saw the Leaning Tower. I knew then that it was Pisa and no pizza and that the tower got its name because it really did lean to one side. Some people want to try to fix it. They are afraid that it may fall over and they don’t want it to lean over the city.
I don’t think it a good idea to try to fix it. The tower probably will not fall down. It’s 600 years old. Why should anything happen to it now? And, if you ask me, I like what it looks like. It seems to say nothing is perfect. Imperfect things may be more interesting. Why is it so famous? There are many other older, more beautiful towers in Italy but Pisa tower is the most famous.
1. The writer used to think the Tower of Pizza ______.| A．wasn’t famous | B．needed fixing |
| C．had nothing to do with pizza | D．was a place to buy pizza |
| A．“Pisa” sounded like “Pizza” | B．it leaned to one side |
| C．it leaned to both sides | D．it didn’t lean to any side |
| A．The tower has fallen over the city of Pisa. |
| B．It’s a good idea to try to fix the Leaning Tower. |
| C．Pisa Tower is the oldest tower of all in Italy. |
| D．The writer likes it because of its being imperfect. |
