【推荐2】Bank holidays! We all love them!

A bank holiday is an English term for a public holiday. During the day banks and offices are closed and a lot of people have a day off work. In the UK, people only get eight bank holidays in one year.     1    

People in Colombia are much luckier. There are twenty bank holidays for the whole country in one year! And there can be even more, depending on which region(地区) you live in.     2     As in the UK, most of the bank holidays in Colombia exist for religious reasons.

    3     One such example is Independence Day on 20 July every year. This is just like Bastille Day in France on 14 July.     4     It is in memory of the day that Christopher Columbus, first reached America in the year 1492.

Bank holidays are very important for western people.     5     They may also choose to stay at home to relax and forget about work.

A．Bank holidays are different in Colombia.

B．During the holidays, they often travel with their families.

C．This is because different regions have their own holidays.

D．And at least five of those are around Christmas time and Easter.

E．Every country on the continent of America celebrates Columbus Day.

F．Another historical bank holiday in Colombia is Columbus Day on 12 October.

G．However, some bank holidays in Colombia came into being for historical reasons.

【推荐3】FETIVALS AND CELEBRATIONS

Festivals and celebrations of all kinds have been held everywhere since ancient times. Most ancient festivals would celebrate the end of cold weather, planting in spring and harvest in autumn. Today’s festivals have many origins. Some are religious. Some are seasonal.     1    .

Festivals of the Dead

Some festivals are held to honour the dead or to satisfy the ancestors, who might return either to help or to do harm For the Japanese festival Obon, people should go to clean graves and light incense in memory of their ancestors. The Western holiday Halloween is now a children’s festival, when they can dress up and go to their neighbors’ homes to ask for sweets.     2    , the children might play a trick on them

Festivals to Honour People

    3    . The Dragon Boat Festival in China honors the famous ancient poet, Qu Yuan. India has a national festival to honour Mohandas Gandhi, he leader who helped gin India’s independence from Britain.

    4    

Harvest and Thanksgiving festivals can be very happy events. People are grateful because their food is gathered for the winter. China and Japan have mid-autumn festivals, when people admire the moon and in China, enjoy moon-cakes.

Spring Festivals

The most energetic and important festivals are the ones that look forward to the end of winter and the coming of spring.     5    , people eat dumplings and may give children lucky money in red paper. In some Western counties，Easter is an important religious and social festival for Christians around the world. It celebrates the return of Jesus from the dead and the coming of spring and new life.

A．Harvest Festivals

B．Traditional Festivals

C．They offer food, flowers and gifts to the dead

D．Festivals can also be held to honour famous people

E．If the neighbors do not give any sweets

F．During the Spring Festival in China

G．And some are for special people or events

【推荐2】It’s not easy feeling like you’re always under the spotlight being judged for each little mistake you make.Your mind is in an endless circle playing what you said and did over and over again.You wish you had a time capsule to go back and make things fight if you find mistakes.You fear what others will think about you and that they will reject and dislike you.You seek to be socially perfect.

Academically，you work long endless hours just to make those excellent marks.Although most would say“it's good to have high standards，”they have no idea about the internal hell you put yourself through to achieve perfection.If you come up less than your desired goal you feel as though you have failed，but you’re far from failing，you just don’t see it that way.So instead you are telling yourself that you’re stupid，and not smart.The pressure you place on yourself weighs you down and you wear the“not good enough”label each and every day.

You not only have high standards for yourself but you also have them for others.If people don’t perform up to your expectations，then you think them incompetent.This causes a lot of frustration because you can’t trust anyone to get things right.So instead of being a team player you fly solo(单飞)and try to do two or three jobs at once.Your unrealistic expectations cause you to criticize and judge others and that leads to problems in other areas of your life.

The attempt to be perfect is called perfectionism and it's the unachievable American dream that’s damaging our emotional and mental health.We strive for perfection with our body，in our performance，and in our relationships.In a society that overstates mistakes，is it any wonder that so many young people attempt the impossible task of being perfect?

We all have flaws，fears，and make mistakes，and that’s perfectly OK.It’s our imperfections that make life interesting and they help us grow into a stronger more adaptable person.We don’t have to strive to achieve the impossible.We are designed to be perfectly imperfect.

1. What might be the most suitable title of the text?

A．Far from failing	B．Perfectly Imperfect
C．Perfectionism Phenomenon	D．Unachievable American Dream

2. Which of the following is a perfectionist most likely to agree?

A．Nobody is perfect.	B．Be generous with praise.
C．There is no best，only better.	D．A contented mind is an everlasting feast.

3. What can we infer from the underlined sentence in paragraph 4?

A．More and more people are tolerating mistakes.

B．The society is partly to blame for perfectionism.

C．Many young people find it impossible to be perfect.

D．It’s unusual for a society to seek perfectionism nowadays.

4. What does the author think of imperfection?

A．It’s part of our life.	B．It’s unbearable.
C．It deserves to be overcome.	D．It does harm to our mental health.

【推荐3】Crosstalk, a traditional form of comic storytelling, is making a comeback in China’s tea houses and theaters.

Audiences can laugh the night away every Saturday at the Qianxiangyi Teahouse in Tianjin, entertained by the apprentices(徒弟) of Hou Baolin, Ma Sanli or Yin Shoushan—all leading crosstalk artists of years past—for only 20 yuan.

The success in Tianjin has also caused the rejuvenation（复活）of crosstalk in Beijing and other places.

Although the art form originated in Beijing in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Tianjin became a place where rising stars formed their styles and new pieces were tried out. The city was well-known nationwide for the quality of its crosstalk performances.

Known in Chinese as xiangsheng (literally, “face and voice”), crosstalk was the chief form of comedy throughout most of the 20^th century. In the old days in Tianjin and elsewhere, temple fairs and market were the main places for crosstalkers to perform, although they occasionally also appeared in teahouses or theaters.

Crosstalk pieces draw on every aspect of Chinese culture, from history and folk tales to social issues of the time. Although there’re hundreds of traditional pieces, they’re constantly rewritten to suit the times and the audience, while new works are written as well. It’s one of the features that have made crosstalk a public art form throughout its history.

“Crosstalk was in the doldrums（萎靡不振）with competition from other art forms, especially TV,” said Wang Xiaochun, headmaster of the Northern Storytelling Arts School of China (NSAS). “But it has regained its status with crosstalk fans, especially young people, growing aware of its rare qualities.”

“More and more students are coming to NSAS to study crosstalk, including some girl students,” said Wang. “We’re sure that crosstalk will have a strong market.”

1. What does crosstalk mean in Chinese?

A．Storytelling.

B．Face and voice.

C．Folk tale.

D．Dialogue.

2. What can we learn from the text?

A．Crosstalk first arose in Tianjin.

B．Crosstalk was mainly performed at teahouses in the past.

C．Crosstalk was the most popular art form in the 20th century.

D．Crosstalk didn’t appear until the Qing Dynasty.

3. Crosstalk has been a public art form partly because_________.

A．it is a popular traditional art after all

B．the pieces contain some famous folk tales

C．the crosstalkers make it return to teahouses

D．the pieces are made to suit the times and the audience

4. What is Wang Xiaochun’s attitude towards the future of crosstalk?

A．Negative.

B．Doubtful.

C．Optimistic.

D．Cautious.

【推荐1】What’s the biggest online shopping day in the world? Not Valentine’s Day. Not Cyber Monday or Black Friday. The winner is China’s Singles’ Day, celebrated on November11, or 11.11.

Singles’ Day began as a day for unmarried or uncoupled people to celebrate their lives. Single students, looking for an excuse to buy themselves presents, started it on November11, 1993, reported The Guardian. Later it quickly became a cultural phenomenon which widespread in China. It is symbolized by the four number ones in the date of November11 and is also called Double Eleven, in reference to the day it was started, said the BBC. When it first began, “Singles’ Day was very much an offline comfort to actual single people,” noted the website Atlas Obscura.” Then it became a major shopping day in 2009. The CEO of an online shopping site—Alibaba—tried to increase sales and started the yearly online sale on that day.

Last year, Alibaba sold more than $1 billion worth of products in the first three minutes of the sales. Total sales on Singles’ Day soared to $9 billion within 24 hours. That’s four times bigger than Cyber Monday in the U.S., which is on the Monday after Thanksgiving and traditionally a big shopping day. By comparison, online sales in the U.S. last year on Black Friday were just $1.5 billion, reported TechCrunch.

Today, Singles’ Day is very successful. It’s estimated that this year sales on China’s Singles’ Day will increase to a new high. In the U.S., Jennifer Wang, a co-founder of a company targeting Chinese-Americans, said, “Over 3 million people are expected to click our website for the Singles’ Day.” The influence of Singles’ Day is growing.

1. How did the author introduce the topic of the passage in the first paragraph?

A．By describing a holiday.	B．By making a list.
C．By asking a question	D．By listing data

2. What’s the second paragraph mainly about?

A．How Singles’ Day came into being.

B．When Singles’ Day was started.

C．Who first celebrated Singles’ Day.

D．When Singles’ Day became popular.

3. Which of the following can best replace the underlined word “soared” in Paragraph3?

A．Increased sharply.

B．Decreased quickly.

C．Returned gradually.

D．Appeared suddenly.

4. Which of the following statement is true ?

A．Singles’ Day is celebrated as a day for married couples.

B．The CEO of Alibaba firstly set up the special day.

C．Singles’ Day has already spread to America. .

D．Online sales last year on Black Friday was bigger than Singles’ Day.

【推荐2】How to Become a Better Student

Maybe you are not a good student. You probably think you will never be a top student. This is not necessarily so, however. Anyone can become a better student if he or she wants to.

Here is how.

Plan your time carefully.

When planning your week, you should make a list of things that you have to do. After making the list，you should make a schedule(计划表) of your time. First arrange your time for eating，sleeping，dressing, etc. Then decide a good，regular time for studying. Don't forget to set aside enough time for entertainment. A weekly schedule may not solve all the problems，but it will force you to realize what is happening to your time.

Find a good place to study.

Look around the house for a good study .Keep this place，which may be a desk or simply a corner of your room，free of everything but study materials. No games，radios or TV！When you sit down to study，concentrate on the subject.

Make good use of your time in class.

Take advantage of class time to listen to everything the teacher says. Really listening in class means less work later. Taking class notes will help you remember what the teacher says.

Study regularly.

When you get home from school，go over your notes. Review the important points that your teacher has mentioned in class. If you know what your teacher is going to discuss the next day，read the material. This will help you understand the next class. If you do these things regularly，the material will become more meaningful，and you will remember it longer.

Develop a good attitude about the tests.

The purpose of a test is to show what you have learned about a subject. They help you to remember your new knowledge. The world won't end if you don't pass a test，so don't be overly worried．

There are other methods that might help you with your studying. You will probably discover many others after you have tried these.

1. According to the text，a schedule may NOT include ________.

A．a list of things you have to do	B．what you have to do every day
C．enough time for entertainment	D．something will happen unexpectedly

2. A good place for study should be a place where ________.

A．everything needed is available	B．a writing desk is in the corner of a room only
C．nothing is there except your study materials	D．it is comfortable to stay

3. The underlined sentence in Tip 5 suggests “________”．

A．Tests are the most necessary art in your study

B．Take a test as a friend in need in your study

C．The world will come to an end unless you pass all tests

D．Never let tests trouble you in your study

4. Which of the following is NOT true?

A．Reading materials in your textbook before class will help.

B．In the writer's opinion，there are five methods for your study.

C．It is necessary to go over your notes at home.

D．There are many other methods besides those mentioned．

【推荐3】A person, like a commodity （商品）, needs packaging. But going too far is absolutely undesirable. A little exaggeration, however, does no harm when it shows the person’s unique qualities to their advantages. To show personal attractiveness in a casual and natural way, it is important for one to have a clear knowledge of oneself. A skilled packager knows how to add art to nature without any signs of embellishment（装饰）, so that the person so packaged is not a commodity but a human being, lively and lovely.
A young person, especially a female, shining with beauty and full of life, has all the favor granted by God. Any attempt to make up would be self - defeating. Youth, however, comes and goes in a flash. Packaging for the middle - aged is primarily to hide the marks made by years. If you still enjoy life enough to keep self - confidence and work at pioneering work, you are unique in your natural qualities, and your attractiveness and grace will remain. Elderly people are beautiful if their river of life has been through plains, mountains and jungles, running its course as it should. You have really lived your life, which now arrives at a self - satisfied stage of quietness and calmness with no interest in fame or wealth. There is no need to make use of hair dyeing. The snow - capped mountain is itself a beautiful scene of fairyland. Let your looks change from young to old in step with the natural ageing process so as to keep in harmony （和谐）with nature, for harmony itself is beauty, while the other way round will only end in unpleasantness____________________________________________________________________________.
As long as one find where one stands, one knows how to package oneself, just as a commodity sets up its brand by the right packaging.
1. It can be concluded from the text that ________.

A．people should be packed at all ages

B．people should be packed in a special way

C．elderly people also care about packing

D．proper packing makes people attractive

2. For the middle - aged, attractiveness________ .

A．hardly exists	B．is the strongest
C．comes from the inside	D．comes from the appearance

3. The underlined sentence means that elderly people ________.

A．are usually packed like a finely - made book

B．experience a lot and have rich knowledge of life

C．do a lot of traveling and can give you much information

D．enjoy reading thick books of beautiful nature and fairylands