Although we have a birthday every year and enjoy a birthday cake with family or friends on that day, do you still remember your first birthday?
On that day, there is an interesting custom（习俗）called “zhua-zhou”. Zhuazhou is one of the most important customs on a child’s first birthday. The earliest record（记录）of this custom is in the Song Dynasty（朝代）. The one-year-old child’s parents don’t even send out invitations, their aunts and uncles will come to celebrate his or her first birthday. Gifts from them on this day are something to eat or play with for the child.
Parents will put the baby in the middle of some things and see which thing they will pick up. If the baby picks up a coin（硬币）, then he or she might be rich when they grow up. Or if the baby picks up adoll, maybe he or she will have many children. If the baby picks up a soccer ball, then he or she may be a soccer player in the future. In the great Chinese book,Hong Lou Meng, Jia Baoyu picked up some girls’ things when he was a child. As a result, he likes playing with girls very much. Qian Zhongshu, a very famous writer in China, took a book during his zhuazhou. His father gladly named him Zhongshu, it means “book lover”, and he showed his talent in writing later in his life.
The custom of zhuazhou predicts baby’s future, and make parents think about how to educate the child, so even though some parents may not be so interested in Chinese tradition, they will not refuse the custom.
1. The interesting custom “zhuazhou” is on child’s ________ birthday.| A．first | B．second | C．third |
| A．The earliest record of zhuazhou is in the Tang Dynasty. |
| B．If parents don’t send out invitation, the baby’s aunts and uncles won’t come. |
| C．Young Parents in China still have the custom of zhuazhou. |
| A．算盘 | B．娃娃 | C．弓箭 |
| A．Because he picked up a coin. | B．Because he picked up a soccer ball. | C．Because he picked up a book. |
| A．how Chinese celebrate child’s first birthday. | B．why Chinese celebrate child’s first birthday. | C．when Chinese have the custom of zhuazhou. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】There is something different in this week’s blog. Let’s look at some birthday customs around the world.
Harry Baker, Perth, Australia
It’s my birthday next Wednesday. I’m going to be 10 years old.
Jim Dixon, Montego Bay, Jamaica
I love birthdays! They are a lot of fun. Here in Jamaica, we have an old custom.
Victoria Smith, London, the UK
My grandmother is going to be 100 years old in June. She’s very excited because she’s going to get a special letter from the Queen. The Queen sends a letter to every person who reaches 100.
Jiang Li, Beijing, China
In my country. we celebrate birthdays with a special type of food. Noodles are a sign of long life for us. This year, I’m going to make some “long life noodles” for all my friends.
| A．I’m going to the store soon. |
| B．I’m going to make a big cake. |
| C．It’s a tradition that makes people very happy. |
| D．We like to surprise people on their birthdays. |
| E．We’re going to eat them together and have a great evening! |
| F．We always eat fairy bread on our birthdays in my country. |
| G．There are different ways to celebrate birthdays all over the world. |
Sixteen is the age in the United States when teenagers can begin driving. It’s a special age.
There’s often a special celebration for a girl’s 16th birthday—a big party called her “sweet 16”. It is like a wedding reception(结婚晚宴).
The party itself is not held at someone’s house. The hostess rents(租) a reception hall for the event. Food, cake and a DJ are provided. Around 6 o’clock, guests arrive and greet the birthday girl. Then the girl and her father have a special father-daughter dance.
This school year, I have been to two “Sweet-16”.
| A．I am one of the youngest students in my grade. |
| B．A lot of crying and hugging goes on at this time. |
| C．After that, guests dance for about 30 to 45 minutes. |
| D．I am going to have my “sweet 16” and invite guests to my party. |
| E．About a month before the party, the girl’s family sends out invitations to the guests. |
| Saturday | |
| Morning | Dad-clean the car in the garden Mom-clean the kitchen and bedrooms Amy-have dance lessons in the gym Rose-workon science projects in the li-brary |
| Afternoon | Mom and Dad-buy some food at the su-permarket Amy and Rose-pick up gifts and cards for Grandp |
| Evening | watch TV together |
| Sunday | |
| Morning | Mom-make a big birthday cake Amy and Rose -wrap Grandpa's gifts |
| Afternoon | Amy-help Mom cook delicious food Rose-hep Dad decorate the sitting room |
| Evening | Amy and Rose-give gifts to Grandpa The whole family- have a party |
1. The Smart family will be busy this weekend because they plan to___.
| A．work on science projects | B．do some cleaning |
| C．celebrate Grandpa's birthday | D．watch TV togther |
| A．Dad | B．Mom | C．Amy | D．Rose |
| A．Saturday afternoon | B．Saturday evening |
| C．Sunday morning | D．Sunday evening |
| A．in the library | B．in the gym |
| C．at the supermarket | D．in the sitting room |
| A．wrap Grandpa's gifts | B．cook the food |
| C．have dance lessons | D．decorate the sitting room |
【推荐1】Since its birth in 1953, the Xinhua Dictionary has been used as an encyclopedia (百科全书) by people across China. More than 600 million copies have been sold.
When the dictionary was first published, the name Xinhua meant the hope of a country reborn. In 1949, about 80 percent of China’s population was illiterate (文盲). However, Xinhua Dictionary succeeded in opening up knowledge to millions of Chinese people. “I had no education when I was little. The dictionary helped me get into high school,” said a woman in her 50s.
Over the past 50 years, the dictionary has been corrected many times. “鲟” was once explained as “suitable to be eaten”. Later dictionaries made it clear that it was “an animal in danger”. Recent dictionaries have included many new words. Popular expressions like “初心” and “点赞” have also been added to the dictionary.
In a way, Xinhua Dictionary has not only explained words, but also shaped the way Chinese people think. “When children write about a spring trip, they describe the sky as ‘cloudless for ten thousand miles’and they ‘sing and dance’on the way,” read a 2010 report. “Both sentences are based on examples in the Xinhua Dictionary.”
1. How long is the history of Xinhua Dictionary?| A．50 years. | B．53 years. | C．71 years. | D．83 years. |
| A．What is in new Xinhua Dictionary. |
| B．How Xinhua Dictionary keeps up with the times. |
| C．Why Xinhua Dictionary has been corrected many times. |
| D．When some new expressions were put into Xinhua Dictionary. |
| A．To show the effect of Xinhua Dictionary on Chinese people’s thinking. |
| B．To tell us Xinhua Dictionary controls primary school articles. |
| C．To explain the two sentences that are used most in China. |
| D．To prove Chinese people prefer to copy each other’s articles. |
【推荐2】Hotpot is popular in China today. Did ancient Chinese people have hotpot? Ancient Chinese people had hotpot as early as the Shang Dynasty (16th—11th century BC). At that time, people boiled food and soups in bronze cauldrons（青铜鼎）. The cauldron had two parts—one was the pot to cook food in soup, the other part was a layer（层）or a space inside the cauldron to hold firewood. But at that time, the cauldron was only for a single person to eat from.
During the Han Dynasty (206 BC—AD 220), people divided a pot into several parts to enjoy different flavors（口味）.
During the Tang Dynasty (618—907), having hotpot was a popular thing. When people held family feasts（宴席）, they would prepare hotpot. People of the Song Dynasty (960—1279) had hotpot to welcome winter.
Huoguo, the Chinese name for hotpot, was mentioned by Yuan Mei, poet and foodie in the Qing Dynasty (1644—1911), in a book about all kinds of food. At that time, hotpot was very popular. People put all kinds of meats and vegetables into pots made of different materials, such as copper（铜）and iron. Hotpot also became a famous royal（宫廷的）dish, called reguo（热锅）. It’s said that Emperor Qian Long of the Qing Dynasty loved hotpot so much that he had it for almost every meal. He once held a big hotpot feast, inviting more than 5, 000 people to enjoy about 1, 550 hotpots.
1. Why does the cauldron have a layer or a space inside?
| A．Because we can eat different flavors. |
| B．Because it was a trendy. |
| C．Because it can hold firewood. |
| A．Shang Dynasty. | B．Tang Dynasty. | C．Song Dynasty. |
| A．He used different materials to make pots. |
| B．He mentioned the Chinese name for hotpot in a book. |
| C．He taught people to cook meat and vegetables together. |
| A．Only the royal family can eat hotpot. |
| B．Emperor Qian Long had hotpot for every meal. |
| C．The popularity of hot pot has increased in Qing Dynasty. |
| A．Today’s hotpot. | B．The history of hotpot. | C．Different kinds of hotpot. |
A. On this day, people play games such as trying to make eggs stand on their ends. B. People post paintings on the door to pray for good luck. People eat some special food to welcome spring. C. In ancient China, it was very important. People would eat dumplings and have some celebratory activities. D. Animals sleeping in winter wake up in this day. Fish swim to shallow water to search for food. E. The weather is hot. Many people believe that eating watermelons or corns can bring a healthy year. F. Chrysanthemum flowers are blooming (开花). People like drinking lamb soup as the weather gets colder. |
【推荐1】Many of you have watched a Superman cartoon or movie. But did you know he first appeared in comics（连环漫画）? Do you want to learn more about popular comic books around the world? Take a look!
Do you find reading boring? Have a read of some comic books. You will learn to love their colorful pictures and simple language.
Comic books usually tell stories through cartoons. The US and Japan have some great comic books. But they are not the same.
Their names are different. People say “comic books” in the US but “manga” in Japan.
American comics are often about superheroes—characters like Superman and Spider Man. So action is a major part of American comics. But Japanese manga like to tell stories of ordinary people. Luffy in One Piece（《海贼王》）is such an example.
American comics make people excited with super powers, while Japanese manga comfort（安慰）people with moving stories. Natsume’s Book of Friends is about a teenage boy. He can see spirits（精灵）. He is confused （困惑的）at first but later he makes friends with spirits.
If you are not interested in these two kinds, why not try some from China? Xia Da, 32, is a great comic book artist from China. Some of her comics are about school life. Others show the beauty of Chinese culture.
1. What does the writer think of the comic books?| A．Boring. | B．Colorful and simple. | C．difficult | D．difficult but exciting |
| A．They are usually about ordinary people. |
| B．Action is a major part of American comics. |
| C．They often tell of normal people’s moving stories. |
| D．They want to show more of Japanese culture. |
| A．Superman. | B．Spider Man | C．Luffy | D．Natsume |
【推荐2】As a learner of English from China, I try to learn English well by reading. I think reading is the best way to study all languages. It can improve our vocabulary, reading and writing. Vocabulary is the most difficult in learning English for me. Remembering new words is very boring but I have to do so. I like reading English novels like Harry Potter and pick up the new words and write them down in a notebook. After reading I will look up the words in the dictionary and try to remember them. This is my favourite way of learning vocabulary because I can learn it through my interest.
I am good at listening and speaking. I try my best to talk to others in English and join different English clubs. Now I still try to improve my speaking and listening by talking to English speakers, watching English programs on TV and seeing English movies.
Of course, there is still a long way for me to learn English well, but I’ll try my best.
1. What does the writer think is the best way to learn English?| A．Reading. | B．Listening to the radio. |
| C．Talking to others in English every day. | D．Singing English songs. |
| A．Writing. | B．Speaking. | C．Vocabulary. | D．Grammar. |
| A．why the writer learns English | B．what the writer is good at in English |
| C．what clubs the writer likes most | D．how the writer learns English speaking |
| A．抬头看 | B．访问 | C．检查 | D．查询 |
| A．Improve your English writing and reading | B．How I learn English |
| C．English teaching in China | D．Use a notebook to learn vocabulary |
【推荐3】阅读判断
The THIRD month of the school year has now arrived. Have you noticed that when we talk about numbers, we naturally think of the number three? In some ways, “three” is a number that has magical powers.
You might have found that this number is all around us. Everything has a beginning, a middle, and an end. We eat three meals a day. Traffic lights all over the world use three colors: red, yellow and green. And there is the rule of three. It is an age-old writing skill. According to this rule, things can always become more satisfying to readers if they come in threes. The Three Character Classic or Sanzijing, for example, is one of the most popular Chinese Meng Xue (elementary study) texts. Have you ever noticed how powerfully ads use the rule of three to improve their marketing? Just do it. I’m loving it. Coke is it. Everything is possible. These famous slogans (口号) are all three words long.
But what is it about the number three that makes it so magical? Well, it is because our brains enjoy thinking in patterns (模型). If there are no patterns, our brains will create them. And three is the smallest number needed to form a pattern. An audience member will usually only remember three things from a speech. Do you want something in your speech to keep in your audience’s minds? Put it forward to them in groups of three.
If we properly use the rule of three in our daily lives, we can make many things easier. For example, the start of the year is often a time for making resolutions. However, people hardly ever keep them! Many people like to add lots of tasks (任务) to their to-do lists. Sometimes they may be too difficult to achieve. Sometimes people just forget about them. For this reason, the best resolution is to just make three tasks. These top three tasks should be hard enough to be challenging while still being achievable. And next time you are making New Year’s resolutions, consider listing only three things to work on. The longer your list is, the less likely you are to keep it!
1. In Paragraph 2, the writer gives the examples about “three” to show that ________.| A．there are strict rules for three-word-long ads |
| B．the number three is everywhere in our lives |
| C．everything is possible thanks to the rule of three |
| D．Sanzijing is one of the most famous classic texts |
| A．why the number three has magical powers | B．how to help people remember things easily |
| C．what causes brains to think in a creative way | D．whether it’s possible to keep everything in mind |
| A．Listing only three things that we can achieve. |
| B．Making three tasks that are as simple as possible. |
| C．Forgetting about the resolutions we’ve ever made. |
| D．Adding as many things to our to-do lists as possible. |
| A．Famous Slogans | B．Magical Threes | C．Small Challenges | D．Achievable Tasks |
