 | The year 2023 is filled with unusual holidays. Share them with your parents, teachers and friends. |
 | Fry An Egg On The Sidewalk Day (July 4) Have you heard the expression “It’s so hot you could fry an egg on the sidewalk”? It has been around for a long time, perhaps since a newspaper on June 11, 1899, according to the Library of Congress. No one knows who asked people to try this on July 4 (it is often very hot on that day). But Oatman, Arizona, takes it seriously. Each July Fourth, the Solar Egg Frying Competition in Oatman, Arizona, offers a prize for the best sun-cooked egg. |
 | Wonderful Weirdos Day (September 9) Austin, Texas, takes pride in being weird — doing things differently. A group of local people suggested an unofficial holiday encouraging everyone to do the same. To celebrate, be a little weird. Wear strange clothes or try an unusual hairstyle. And do it, as Austinites do, with pride. |
 | National Cocoa Day (December 13) People in South America started making chocolate from cocoa thousands of years ago. The drink they made was not very sweet, though. Spanish explorers later added sugar to it and brought it back to Europe. On December 13, have a cup of cocoa, and don’t forget the marshmallows. |
| A．Texas. | B．Austin. | C．Arizona. | D．South America. |
| A．June 4. | B．June 11. | C．September 9. | D．December 13. |
| A．Dates of some surprising holidays. | B．Important holidays in the US. |
| C．Places for celebrating different holidays. | D．Reasons to celebrate a few holidays. |
相似题推荐
The Soderburg sisters come from Sweden. Their music sounds like music from the 1960s. They both play several instruments. And, since they are sisters, their voices fit together perfectly!
Like many other teen stars before them, the two girls got their start on the website, YouTube. Their singing caught the attention of a Swedish musician. It wasn’t long before people all over the world discovered their music!
The sisters don’t just sing or play instruments; they also write their own music and design all of their album art！They have worked very hard, and they
1. Johanna and Klara Soderburg are famous for .
| A．touring the world | B．their musical group |
| C．a perfect mix of music | D．cleaning the world |
| A．Their voices fit together perfectly. |
| B．They look more beautiful than other stars. |
| C．They both play several instruments. |
| D．They have more time to train together. |
| A．in the magazine | B．on the radio |
| C．on TV | D．on the Internet |
| A．放弃 | B．发行 | C．构思 | D．错过 |
| A．They are a famous musical group now. |
| B．They often fought with each other in the past. |
| C．They are learning different instrument. |
| D．They want to come China some day. |
【推荐2】Nowadays more and more children seem to get lost in a “sea of digital (数字) technology”. As they use digital technology too much, they are losing their ability to do simple things. They can’t make toys themselves with hands or help Mum cook dinner. And worst of all, they seem to be losing interest in communicating with others.
“I have talked with a number of teachers. They care about the increasing numbers of young pupils who can play with computers or smart phones, but have few or no skills to make things,” said a teacher, Colin Kinney. “Many pupils can’t communicate with other pupils but their parents talk proudly of their ability to use a computer or a smart phone.”
Instead of playing with other children, more and more children are choosing to stay indoors and quietly play on a tablet (平板电脑) on weekends and after school. How can a child grow up to be a very good artist if he doesn’t learn how to use a paintbrush and develop his painting skill? How can a child learn to make friends as he gets older if he doesn’t learn to communicate with others at a young age?
Digital technology can be used for good or bad. We can use a stone to either break a window or build a house. We shouldn’t blame the children. We should help them make right choices. It is certainly necessary for children to know how to use digital technology in today’s world, but what is more important, we should encourage them to develop social abilities which will do them good when they grow up.
1. What’s the worst problem that is mentioned in the first paragraph?| A．Children can’t make things themselves. |
| B．Children make too many friends online. |
| C．Children don’t want to communicate with others. |
| D．Children don’t like helping Mum cook meals at home. |
| A．Teachers don’t notice that young pupils have few skills to make things. |
| B．Many parents are very happy that their kids can use digital technology. |
| C．Many teachers don’t care if young pupils can play computers or tablets. |
| D．Some parents are worried that their kids use digital technology too much. |
| A．To play on a tablet indoors. | B．To paint with their paintbrushes. |
| C．To play with other children. | D．To make friends with other children. |
| A．It’s very important for children to have social skills. |
| B．It’s very helpful for children to do some housework. |
| C．It’s necessary for parents to learn to use digital technology. |
| D．It’s difficult for teachers to make right choices for their pupils. |
【推荐3】Mountains are more than 500 meters tall and it’s not easy for plants to live on them. The wind is strong. The soil is thin and rocky. Which plants can live there? Come and see some of them.
 | Firs are evergreen trees. They always have green leaves. Their leaves look like needles. Firs are large trees. They can be 20 to 80 meters tall. Their trunk can be 0.5 to 4 meters wide. In many countries in Europe, people use firs as Christmas trees. |
 | Cushion plants look like a small cushion(垫子). They grow together and they are less than 30 cm tall. But they can be 3 meters wide. Many other plants live under them. Cushion plants keep the cold away. They make the soil inside soft and wet. In this way, cushion plants help other plants survive. |
 | Snow lotuses live at elevations ranging from 2,400 to 4,000 meters. The climate there is cold. It always snows and the air is thin. Most plants will die. But the snow lotuses grow well. They can be 15 to 35 cm tall. People use them in medicine. |
 | Saxifrages are evergreen. They have star-shaped flowers. Most saxifrages are very small—less than 12 cm tall. They grow very slowly in cold environments. Saxifrages can live both in the mountains and in your garden, yet they are not resistant(耐受的) to high temperatures. |
1. _______ can be used in medicine.
| A．Firs | B．Cushion plants | C．Snow lotuses | D．Saxifrages |
| A．20 to 80 cm tall | B．more than 30 cm tall |
| C．15 to 35 cm tall | D．less than 12 cm tall |
| A．People plant them in soft and wet soil. |
| B．People use them as Christmas decoration. |
| C．They can protect the plants under them from the cold. |
| D．They can live both in the mountains and in your garden. |
【推荐1】As the saying goes, “A smile is the best medicine.” Nothing can heal a sick heart than a warm smile. When you smile, your brain releases some special chemicals (化学物质). Together, they work to make you feel calm and relaxed. Smiling more often can even make your immune system (免疫系统) stronger. The importance of smiling can never be too much stressed (强调).
World Smile Day is celebrated on the first Friday of October every year. This year, it falls on October 7. The holiday was set up by American artist Harvey Ball. Ball created his famous yellow smiley face symbol in 1963. People loved it and more and more businesses began to use it. Ball became worried that the symbol was losing its original meaning. To remind people to spread the “real” smile, he came up with the idea for World Smile Day.
The theme of the day is, “Do an act of kind. Help one person smile.” This can be as simple as smiling at everyone you meet. You can also cook a dish for your parents or give a small gift to your friend. It would be even better if you could do some volunteer work, such as cleaning up the environment and helping the elderly. Let’s spread laughter and hope on this World Smile Day.
1. Which of the following has the similar meaning of the underlined sentence?| A．We can’t stress the importance of smiling. |
| B．Smiling is no longer important as before. |
| C．It’s important to smile, but not too much. |
| D．We should stress the importance of smiling, the more, the better. |
| A．Because he wanted to remind people to spread the “real” smile. |
| B．Because he wanted to make people feel calm and relaxed. |
| C．Because he wanted to encourage more people to do volunteer work. |
| D．Because he found more and more businesses began to use the yellow smiley face symbol. |
| A．cleaning up the environment |
| B．smiling at everyone you meet |
| C．cooking a dish for your parents |
| D．helping your friend to copy your homework |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
【推荐2】①June 14 is World Blood Donor (献血者) Day! Governments and organizations all around the world will hold events to honor blood donors and encourage more people to donate (捐赠). Here are some answers to the questions about donating blood.
②Question 1: What’s the big deal?
Donated blood does so much good! It’s used in surgeries (外科手术) and medical research and emergencies like car accidents. It’s also used in the treatment of cancer, blood disorders and many other medical situations. It helps those who lose blood during operations or in accidents. A single blood donation can save up to three lives!
③Question 2: Does it hurt?
Not really. While donating blood, take a deep breath and try to calm yourself. When you are ready, a special kind of needle is put into the arm. You might feel a little hurt, but it’s over in a second.
④Question 3: What will happen when I donate blood?
First, you’ll answer some questions about your medical history, health, medicine, recent travel and lifestyle and have a brief medical exam. Then, if you’re OK, you’ll sit in a special chair to donate. It takes about 10 minutes to complete the process. Finally, you’ll rest for 15 minutes while enjoying the snacks provided.
⑤Question 4: How should I get ready to donate?
Find a friend-donating together is more fun! Then search online and book appointments. You’ll also want to get a good night’s sleep, and drink much water.
⑥Everyone should know how important blood donation is. We can make others interest and encourage them to donate by talking about your experience and by sharing information about local donation events on social media. Everyone can have a heart and give blood.
1. From the answer to Question 1, we can know that ________.| A．donating blood is good for our health | B．donated blood is in great need |
| C．it’s unsafe to donate the blood | D．World Blood Donor Day is on June 14 |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．A single blood donation can only save one life! |
| B．It takes about ten minutes to finish donating blood. |
| C．You won’t feel hurt at all when donating blood. |
| D．People can stay up late the night before donating. |
| A．Health. | B．Sports. | C．History. | D．People. |
【推荐3】Everyone knows about New Year and Christmas. But do you know that there are enough holiday to fill every day of the year? Here are just a few we found interesting
World Hello Day
To celebrate this day, say hello to at least ten different people World Hello Day began in the autumn of 1973. Brian and Michael McCormack from Nebraska, the US wondered what they could do to encourage world peace. They felt the best way was getting people to talk with one another. The holiday has been held on the third Sunday of November every year since then.
International Day of the Seal (海豹)
March 22 is the International Day of the Seal. But the National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C: and many other zoos and research centers around the world celebrate this holiday on the third weekend of March. The holiday was created to tell people about the dangers seals face from pollution and being caught.
Do It! Day
Are you a procrastinator (拖延者)? Here’s a day to finish all those things you’ve planned to do. Do It! Day is celebrated on the first Wednesday in September. “The whole idea is to feel good about getting things done,” says the founder of Do It! Day, Ethel Cook. Cook hopes everyone will turn their Do It into Did It.
1. Brian and Michael McCormack expected to have.| A．ten friends | B．an interesting holiday |
| C．world peace | D．a new way of talking |
| A．only in some research centers | B．to protect seals from dangers |
| C．on May 22 all over the world | D．to help people know more animals |
| A．peace lovers | B．Ethel Cook |
| C．procrastinators | D．Zoo keepers |
| A．Sports. | B．Culture. | C．Travel. | D．Education. |
