Birthdays are especially important to the very young and the very old. On their birthdays, people receive birthday cards and birthday presents from their family and friends. Children’s cards often have a large number on them showing how old they are. Cards for adults have pictures of flowers or scenery, or humorous or rude cartoons. Inside there is usually a simple greeting, such as “Happy Birthday” or “Many Happy Returns of the Day.”
In the US, children who have their birthdays during the school year take a cake to school and have a small party with their classmates. In Britain, children sometimes get Bumped (lifted off the ground horizontally and put down again sharply) by their friends.
In the US, the 16th birthday is called sweet 16. It is the age at which a person can get a US driver’s license, and some wealthier parents give their children a car as a present. At 18, in Britain and in the US, young people become adults and many have a big party. In most parts of the US, 21 is the age at which people can drink alcohol legally.
In Britain, people celebrate 21st birthday less. Many adults dislike getting older and a few lie about their age. But in general older people are now much more willing to tell others their age. You may see a sign by the side of a road saying: “Dave Ell is 40 today!”, put there by Dave’s friends. At about 65, people retire, and those who have reached this age are called senior citizens. Few people live to be 100, so a 100th birthday is very special. In Britain, people reaching this age may receive card containing a printed message from the Queen.
1. What’s the main characteristic of children’s birthday cards?| A．They are full of pictures of scenery. |
| B．There are some flowers on them. |
| C．There is a large number on them. |
| D．They have greetings written on them. |
| A．The 40th birthday is very special |
| B．Many adults like lying about their age |
| C．Dave’s friends like playing jokes on him. |
| D．Older people don’ t mind telling others their age now |
| A．be called a senior citizen | B．refuse to talk about his age |
| C．receive a card from the queen | D．be invited to dinner with the Queen |
| A．Bars in the US are forbidden to sell alcohol to young people under 21. |
| B．In Britain, 18 means young people become adults. |
| C．Young people will get a car as the 16th birthday present in the US. |
| D．British young men love to celebrate the 21st birthday. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】On May 17, the “Touching China” 2019 Award Ceremony went on the air on CCTV-1, and Professor William N. Brown from the School of Management of Xiamen University was awarded the honorary title “person of the year”.
The CCTV award speech says, “Open our hearts, for embracing enhances understanding; drop our biases, for nothing can separate us, even if it is the Pacific Ocean. Between the lines of your letters home, we can read your tales of China and your deep love for this country. Our dear friend from a far, China is forever a home away from home for you, and we all love you ‘cause you always feel at home in China.”
William Brown has served as a professor at the School of Management in Xiamen University since 1988. In 2002, he applied for permanent residence in China and became the first foreigner to be granted “Chinese Green Card” in Fujian Province. Having been working in China for 32 years, he knows and loves China, and has witnessed the rapid growth of China’s economy. Thanks to his introduction, cities like Xiamen and Quanzhou have earned their places on the honor roll of “International Garden Cities”. In addition, he has also been awarded the Chinese Government Friendship Award and Honorary Citizen of Xiamen.
By the end of 2018, he published a new book Off the Wall: How We Fell for China, recording and describing, from a unique global perspective, how China has changed and developed over the course of reform and opening up. In his acceptance speech at the ceremony, Brown said, “I don’t think I’ve done anything to touch China. On the contrary, China has touched me.” A bosom friend a far brings distant lands near. Charming Brown has been so charmed by China and its development. His stories of China are filed with such a deep love which has touched each and every one of us.
“Touching China” Award is a mind-nourishing brand program created by CCTV, and the year 2019 marksthe70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, and this annual event is a special honor to the extraordinary builders of a new China.
1. What can we learn about William Brown?| A．He applied for permanent residence in China in 1988. |
| B．He has deep love for his home so he wrote the book. |
| C．He contributed to some cities earning international places. |
| D．He was the first foreigner to be granted “Chinese Green Card” in China. |
| A．Prejudice. | B．Favor. | C．Objection. | D．Feelings. |
| A．By recording and counting. | B．By arguing and recounting. |
| C．By describing and relating. | D．By writing lyrics and commenting. |
| A．A common activity to a new China. |
| B．A usual honor to the defenders of China. |
| C．A special honor to a new builder of China. |
| D．A specific award to the unusual constructors of China. |
【推荐2】New Year’s Day in China
National holidays in China are those festivals decided by the government that everyone gets to enjoy.
Because of the different longitudes (经度) upon which countries lie in the world, the time of the celebration changes. China is the twelfth country to celebrate the event and the people are rewarded with one day’s vacation.
| A．“Yuan” means “at the beginning”. |
| B．Many colorful programs are shown on TV. |
| C．It’s a day for the working people worldwide. |
| D．New Year’s Day is a big holiday for the Chinese people. |
| E．Everyone has the right to get off work during these holidays. |
| F．You can read about how, where，and when to watch the program. |
| G．Great hopes for an excellent year are planted in everyone’s mind. |
【推荐3】Top 4 Chinese Music Festivals
Snow Mountain Music Festival
Snow Mountain Music Festival is the earliest large-scale outdoor music festival in China. It was initially started in 2002, and then held in 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2012 in Lijiang, southwest China’s Yunnan Province. Set against the beautiful natural landscape of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the festival has long been a favorite among folk music fans. It also organizes exhibitions showcasing art installations(装置), photography, visual arts and modern dance.
Zebra Music Festival
The Zebra Music Festival has been held many times since 2009, always taking place around the May holiday, in southwest China’s Chengdu City. The first edition attracted over 150,000 musical fans from across the world. The festival harbors a broad range of musical genres(类型), including pop, rock, rap and metal.
Zhangbei Grassland Music Festival
The Zhangbei Grassland Music Festival was first initiated in 2009, with over 100, 000 audiences attending over the course of three days, As it proved successful, festival sponsors decided to carry on with the event and have done so in northern China’s Hebei Province for many years running now. The festival takes “Go Wild” as its slogan(口号)and mixes natural grassland ecology with a low-carbon lifestyle.
Midi Modern Music Festival
Midi Modern Music Festival is China’s largest rock music festival. It was launched by the Beijing Midi School of Music and has become one of the best-received modern music festivals in China. The first one was held in May of 2000, and since then it has been held each year around the May or October holidays. As of May 2013, a total of 20 festival editions have taken place. The event regularly features environmental themes such as raising awareness for animals threatened by extinction or the nation’s air pollution.
1. Which music festival has the longest history?| A．Zebra Music Festival. | B．Midi Modern Music Festival. |
| C．Snow Mountain Music Festival. | D．Zhangbei Grassland Music Festival. |
| A．It’s set against the beautiful natural landscape. |
| B．It features a rich diversity of musical varieties. |
| C．It is the most popular one among folk music fans. |
| D．It attracts the most musical fans around the world. |
| A．They are both held in May. | B．They share the same sponsor. |
| C．They share the same theme. | D．They both hold exhibitions. |
【推荐1】Customs and traditions in China have been formed over thousands of years, and today, there exists a traditional system of values, with the etiquette as its major aspect.
The formation process of Chinese culture began in the Ⅲ millennium BC. Over time, many of the traditions were lost, but most of them have survived and come to our days. In addition, the Chinese traditions are very diverse, since the country consists of different nations and nationalities.
However, the Chinese have a lot of specific customs and traditions observed by everybody. In particular, it concerns the greetings. Chinese welcoming traditions extend back over 2,000 years.
| A．In times of old, when saying hello, the Chinese bowed, folding their hands on chest, so they believed that the lower the bow, the more the respect. |
| B．Despite the technological progress, a large part of the population observes old-fashioned traditions and customs, which extend back over three thousand years. |
| C．That is why China attracts millions of tourists from all over the world to China. |
| D．Like other aspects of Chinese life, culture is heavily influenced by geography and ethnic diversity. |
| E．The traditions and customs of China are closely related not only to its history, but also to the religions professed(公开表明) in the country. |
| F．In China, there is another common tradition-giving of presents. |
【推荐2】Do you think studying in a different country is something that sounds very exciting? Certainly, it is a new experience, which brings the opportunity of discovering fascinating things and a feeling of freedom.
The first stage is called "the honeymoon". In this stage, you feel excitement about living in a different place, and everything seems to be marvelous.
Eventually, however, the second stage of culture shock appears. This is the "hostility stage".
Then you come to the third stage called "recovery". You start feeling more positive, and you try to develop comprehension of everything you don't understand. The whole situation starts to become more favorable.
The last stage of culture shock is called "adjustment".
| A．Actually, culture shock is something you cannot avoid when studying in a foreign country. |
| B．You have reached a point where you feel good because you have learned enough to understand the new culture. |
| C．You like everything, and everybody seems to be so nice to you. |
| D．You recover from the symptoms of the first two stages. |
| E．In spite of these advantages, however, there are also some challenges you will encounter. |
| F．However, when you have completely adjusted to a new culture you can more fully enjoy it. |
| G．You begin to notice that not everything is as good as you had originally thought it was. |
【推荐3】With one’s eyes closed, Beijing’s main roads sound like any Chinese city. All around is the noise of traffic, accompanied by honks(喇叭声) from delivery motorbikes, recorded safety warnings from buses and the occasional bell of a rental-bicycle. But in the capital’s last hutongs, pieces of an older soundscape can be heard.
The sound of caged crickets (蛐蛐) is one. Hung in the doorways of courtyard homes or small shops, the insects bring a rural note into the city. A quarter-century ago their song was common. Today, cricket-sellers still exist. A big cricket sells for 20 yuan. They are heirs (继承人) to a grand tradition．
Another is the music of steel plates, announcing a knife sharpener’s arrival. Several such specialists still work in Beijing’s streets. Their sounding-plates, together with a distinctive cry, call customers from hutong homes and high-rise flats. But numbers are falling.
An almost-gone Beijing sound is one of the strangest. It is made by homing pigeons, or more precisely by pigeon whistles. Even 20 years ago, it was possible to hear this sound in the hutongs. It was particularly associated with cold winter skies. Alas, modern Beijing is a city in a hurry. Many hutongs have been torn down to make way for wide roads and tall buildings, leaving no room for pigeon houses.
Zhang Baotong is one of Beijing’s last master pigeon-whistle makers. He learned to make whistles in boyhood. Today Mr. Zhang has a workshop lined with certificates calling him a living treasure. But many of his whistles are sold to collectors and never see the sky. Mr. Zhang is advising a museum of sound that will open soon in Songzhuang, a suburb of Beijing that is popular with artists. A rooftop pigeon house is planned, with more than 100 pigeons that will take to the skies for visitors. It is hoped that pigeon whistles will be heard each day over Songzhuang, at least in cooler months.
The co-founder of Fen Sonic HQ, a cultural institute that will run the museum, is Colin Siyuan Chinnery, a British-Chinese artist and collector of Beijing’s sounds. He lists the sounds and cries used by medicine sellers, doctors and knife sharpeners. Many of these will feature in an exhibit about old Beijing.
1. Why the noise of Beijing’s main roads is mentioned in the first paragraph?| A．To introduce the topic of the passage. | B．To introduce the liveliness of Beijing. |
| C．To show Beijing is a large city. | D．To show Beijing’s traffic is crowded. |
| A．The sound of crickets is still common today. |
| B．The sound of steel plates is for snack selling. |
| C．There’s no space for pigeon houses because of transformation. |
| D．Colin Siyuan Chinnery is an American artist. |
| A．He makes excellent pigeon whistles. |
| B．He has recorded the sounds of many pigeons. |
| C．He raises many pigeons. |
| D．He is going to set up a museum of sound. |
| A．To help people learn to listen. |
| B．To attract people’s attention. |
| C．To promote artists’ works. |
| D．To present the characteristics of old Beijing. |
【推荐1】Korean Americans at GBS High .School
Glenbrook South (GBS) High School is in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is an award-winning school with a highly competent teaching staff. It has over 400 Asian Pacific. American students-over 17 percent of die students in the school. Of these, the majority are Korean American. This is very unusual in a state where Korean Americans are less than 1 percent of the population. The interactions of the Korean American students at GBS were the subject of an article in Asian Week magazine.
Different Korean American students react differently to being in a high school were most students are white. Professor Pyong Gap Min, an expert on Korean life in America, believes that Korean Americans in this situation can sometimes feel inhibited or ashamed of their Korean identity. Asian Week interviewed a number of GBS students, and each had a different attitude.
Alice 18 years old
I used to spend time only with Korean American friends. Although I felt secure with those friends, I found myself motivated to form closer relationship with non-Koreans, too. I felt I was missing out on new experiences and challenges.
Paul 16 years old
I have some Korean American friends, but I spend most of my time with white friends. I’m often the only Asian American in the group, but I don’t mind. What I like about the white culture is that I can be more radical. I can be as loud and funny as I want to be. I don’t see as much of that among the Asian students.
John 17 years old
In junior high school, most of my friends were white. After coming to GBS, my sense of my Korean American identity was restored, and I decided to have mainly Korean American friends. I feel that my Korean American friends and I mainly understand each other better. For example, we understand about severe parental pressures to succeed at school; I felt my white friends couldn’t really understand.
Without belittle(轻视）the importance of what these students had to say, it’s important to remember that their opinions at this phase of their lives ate bound to change as they grow into adulthood. But these honest opinions can help us better understand issues of culture relations, and their honesty might help Americans from different cultural groups to get along better in the future.
1. The passage mainly discusses .| A．how Korean American students interact among themselves and with others |
| B．why Illinois is a very special state |
| C．how an Illinois high school welcomes Korean American students |
| D．different opinions of the friends of Korean American students |
| A．She feels that her white friends don’t really understand her |
| B．She likes her Korean American friends but wants to have non-Korean friends too. |
| C．She feels she is missing out on experiences with her Korean American fiends. |
| D．She doesn’t feel secure in her relationships with non-Koreans. |
| A．timid | B．expressive |
| C．considerate | D．sensitive |
【推荐2】Schools need to give students all the tools they need when they graduate. Besides teaching the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic, teaching about mindfulness, and mental health are important life skills for young people to have. The state of Florida agrees.
Now, public schools in Florida have been required to teach five or more hours about mental health for students in grades 6-12. This new idea was welcomed by the Florida Board of Education in July and is being carried out as a potential lifesaver.
The new curriculum requires-students to learn about the symptoms (症状) of mental illness and where to find help if they are feeling sad or have other problems and even teaches the teenagers how to help their friends and classmates if they see them struggling.
“We know that 50 percent of all mental illness cases begin by age 14, so we are being active in our commitment to provide our kids with the necessary tools to see them through their successes and challenges. Providing mental health instruction is another important step forward in supporting our families,” Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran said.
Florida is the third state, following New York and Virginia in 2020, to pass laws that require mental health education in schools. According. to CNN, the New York law updated the health curriculum to include mental health for elementary, middle and high school students. The Virginia law required that mental health education be provided for 9th and 10th graders.
These three states in the US are taking bold steps to help youth deal with the intricacy of life as they grow from teenagers into adults. It is a confusing world they face and giving them the tools they need is essential. Mental health is something that should be taught in schools in all the US and across the globe.
1. What can the new curriculum-bring students?| A．Basic professional skills. | B．The ability to use language. |
| C．Emotional handling skills. | D．Skills that cure physical diseases. |
| A．The steps of mental health instruction. | B．The consequences of mental illness cases. |
| C．The importance of mental health education. | D．The content of the mental health curriculum. |
| A．Complexity. | B．Process. | C．Trick. | D．Balance. |
| A．A technology report. | B．An educational website. |
| C．A government document. | D．A natural science magazine. |
【推荐3】It is common for most Chinese to carry their smartphones with them when they go out. But the more powerful they become, the less their batteries can last. Charging has become a problem outside home. Can shared power bank (共享充电宝) help people out?
Anker, a brand of sharable chargers, offers six to twelve portable power banks at some restaurants, hotels and shopping malls. Once mobile phones have to be charged, users only need to make a deposit (押金) of 100 yuan to use it. If their Alipay-based Sesame Credit score (芝麻信用积分) is over 600, they can also use it without a deposit. It is free for the first hour and will cost l yuan per hour after that. Users must return their power banks to machines of the same brand to get their deposits back.
According to the latest report by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China, there were 1. 35 billion mobile phone users in China by the end of April of 2021. Most businesses in China are conducted through online payment platforms such as WeChat and Alipay. Travel routes and information are mostly checked through online maps. Families and friends are linked by online social networks. In short, Chinese need their mobile phones to function, especially during the period when they aren’t at home.
But there exist some problems: using shared power bank isn’t a rigid demand for all phone users; mobile power banks have been getting lighter and smaller and phone batteries are getting better; there are still technical defects such as potential security problems and privacy issues.
So far, the business of shared power bank is still at its beginning stage, but there is no denying that the sharing economy is spreading to make life easier for Chinese.
1. What can we learn about sharable chargers in Paragraph 2?| A．Users must return the power banks where they get them. |
| B．Anker offers six to twelve portable power banks in some public places. |
| C．A portable power bank is usually charged 10 yuan hourly. |
| D．Phone users must make a deposit of 100 yuan before using a portable power. |
| A．To show the number of mobile phone users in China. |
| B．To prove online payment platforms are widely used in business. |
| C．To show mobile phones are very important for Chinese in their daily life. |
| D．To describe how online social networks are used among families and friends. |
| A．Important. | B．Major. | C．Strong. | D．Necessary |
| A．Shared power bank makes charging easier for phone users. |
| B．Mobile phone users are facing charging problems. |
| C．Shared power bank meets challenges. |
| D．Sharing economy is spreading in China. |
【推荐1】Once you find water, a major issue remains: Is it pure? Is it drinkable? And if not, how to make it drinkable?
You can make a water filler（过滤器）from a cone of birch bark（桦树皮）. This cone is then filled with layers of sand, charcoal（木炭）, grasses, and other materials. Grasses and sand help to trap suspended particles（悬浮颗粒）. Charcoal helps to remove chemical impurities, but not bacteria. You may have to pass the water through the filter more than once, depending on the site of the filter and what it's made of. Generally speaking, the bigger the filler, and the more layers you have in it, the better.
The birch bark cone will need to have a fairy small hole in the bottom. The cone will have to be tied with cordage to keep it from opening up. Put a few stones in the very bottom, to help hold your filtering materials in place. Then pour in lavers of charcoal, grasses, sand, and possibly other materials that you feel will help to filter out suspended particles and perhaps even bacteria.
Once you have constructed the filter, simply pour impure water through the filer, catching it in another container at the bottom.
This is basically the "well" method of obtaining water. Dig a hole about 2 4 feet from a water source, such as a river. Allow the hole to fill with water. The water in the hole will likely be reasonably pure.
1. How do we get purer water?| A．Bigger filter and less layers. | B．Smaller filler and more layers. |
| C．Larger filter and more layers. | D．Smaller filter and less lavers. |
| A．Killing bacteria. | B．Removing chemicals. |
| C．Blocking water. | D．Keeping the materials balanced. |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．absorbing water | B．cleaning water | C．finding water | D．boiling water |
【推荐2】Time Travel
If you could travel in time,where would you go?Perhaps you would watch a performance of a Shakespeare's play in Elizabethan England?What about hanging out with Laozi in the Spring and Autumn Period?Or maybe you'd voyage far ahead of the present day to see what the future holds.
The possibility of time travel is indeed appealing.Stories exploring the subject have been around for hundreds of years.Perhaps the best known example is science fiction novel The Time Machine,which was written by H.G.Wells and published in 1895 for the first time.It was adapted into at least two feature films of the same name,as well as two television versions, and a large number of comic book adaptations.It is generally credited with the popularization of the concept of time travel using a vehicle that allows an operator to travel purposefully and selectively.The term"time machine",coined by Wells,is now universally used to refer to a vehicle transporting people into the far future.
But could time travel actually be possible?Some scientists say yes,in theory.They propose using cracks in time and space called"wormholes",which could be used as shortcuts to other periods.Einstein's theory of relativity allows time travel in extreme circumstances. And British physicist Stephen Hawking says you could travel into the future with a really fast spaceship-going at nearly the speed of light.Though building such a spaceship would of course be no simple task.
Even if you could travel into the past,there is something called the"grandfather paradox".It asks what would happen if a time traveler were to go back in time and have his own grandfather killed for some reason,and therefore prevent himself from being born.If the time traveler wasn't born,how would he travel back in time?
And would you really like to visit the future?In H.G.Wells' book,the main character travels into distant time where he arrives at a beach and is attacked by giant crabs.He then voyages 30 million years into the future where the only living thing is a black object with tentacles(触角）。
If that's what's in store,maybe we are better just living in the present day after all.
1. The novel The Time Machine mentioned in Paragraph 2 aims to show______.| A．the long history of time travel |
| B．the contribution of H.G.Wells |
| C．people's interest in time travel |
| D．the story's different features |
| A．The Time Machine is one of the bestselling science fiction novels. |
| B．It was H.G.Wells who invented the term “time machine”. |
| C．Works of Literature about time travel first appeared one hundred years ago. |
| D．There are films,comic books and dramas adapted from the novel The Time Machine. |
| A．have similarities because both are based on experiments |
| B．suggest the possibility of time travel |
| C．have been proved wrong by some time travelers |
| D．have pushed the invention of the first spaceship |
| A．the reunion of the traveler and his grandfather brings happiness |
| B．the traveler is prevented from meeting his grandfather |
| C．the traveler goes back in time to seek for his grandfather |
| D．the grandfather's death makes the traveler's birth impossible |
【推荐3】Jamestown Hiking Center
We offer hiking trips led by experienced guides out into the mountains. The hikes can vary from an afternoon’s hike up to the Josef Waterfall to a fortnight’s walk through the Jamestown Forest and up into the Williams Mountains and the rocky coastline. Below is an example of the itinerary (旅行日程) for our 10-day hiking trip.
Start Drake Visitors Centre, Jamestown ( 8:00 a. m.)
Finish Kingstown (7:00 p. m.)
Length 10 days
Grade Medium
Price $ 1,000 + $15 each day in the kitty(共同的资金)
Itinerary
Day 1 Drive from Jamestown to Longley. Hike through a beech forest, and camp under a natural rock shelter.
Day 2 Hike up above the bush-line on Mt Arthur. Drive to camp by the Bull River.
Day 3 Drive to Havely and hike while learning how to cross a river safely.
Day 4 Explore limestone (石灰岩) caves and hike down a river canyon. Visit the caves at the Lemon Cliffs.
Day 5 Drive to Franz Josef town and walk to the glacier (冰川)area,or do the guided walk on the glacier.
Day 6 Kayak (乘皮艇) across Okaro Lake and up forested river channels or hike along the beach.
Day 7 Hike up the Knight’s Valley to Welley Flats cabin and relax tired muscles in natural hot pools.
Day 8 Hike up to a waterfall with wonderful mountain views or have a rest day.
Day 9 Come back down the Knight’s Valley, visit a penguin area and camp on a lonely beach.
Day 10 Hike along the beach frequented by dolphins, drive over the Haast Pass and continue to Kingstown.
1. How much does a hiker have to pay in total for the 10-day hike?| A．$1,000. | B．$1,150. | C．$1,015. | D．$1,500. |
| A．Day 3. | B．Day 5. | C．Day 7. | D．Day 8. |
| A．Longley. | B．The Lemon Cliffs. |
| C．The Knight’s Valley. | D．Havely. |
