The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th of the first month of the lunar calendar. This day is always the first full moon in the new year, Ancient people also called it Shangyuan Festival. Celebrations and traditions on this day began from the Han Dynasty and became popular in the Tang Dynasty.
Watching the red lanterns is one of the main traditions. Lanterns of different shapes and sizes are usually put in trees, or along river banks on show. It is said that sky lanterns were first used by Zhuge Kongming to ask for help when he was in trouble. Today, when the lanterns slowly rise into the air, people make wishes.
Another tradition is guessing lantern riddles. The riddles are usually short, wise and sometimes humorous. The answer to a riddle can be a Chinese character , a famous person’s name or a place name.
The most important thing is to eat sweet dumplings with different tastes. In northern China, they are called yuanxiao while in southern parts they’re named tangyuan. Because making sweet dumplings is like a game or an activity, they are usually done happily by a group of friends or family members.
In old times, the Lantern Festival was also romantic. Watching lanterns gave young people a chance to meet each other. A line from Xin Qiji, a poet during the Song Dynasty, shows this: Hundreds and thousands of times I searched for her in the crowd. Suddenly I turned, and there she stood, in the dim (暗淡的) light.
1. When did celebrations and traditions of the Lantern Festival start from?| A．The Han Dynasty. | B．The Tang Dynasty. |
| C．The Song Dynasty. | D．The Ming Dynasty. |
| A．making wishes | B．celebrating birthdays |
| C．asking for help | D．guessing lantern riddles |
| A．They have different tastes. |
| B．They are named “yuanxiao” all over the country. |
| C．People enjoy the process of making them. |
| D．People usually make them with family and friends. |
| A．boring | B．humorous | C．romantic | D．important |
(①=Para. 1 ②=Para. 2 ③=Para. 3 ④=Para. 4 ⑤=Para. 5)
A． | B． | C． | D． |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】An exhibition about the Grand Canal (大运河)-Paddling for a Thousand Miles-ended at the National Museum of China in Beijing on March 1.
The Grand Canal is more than 2, 500 years old. It is made up of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, the Sui and Tang Grand Canal, and the Zhedong Canal. At nearly 3, 200 kilometers long, it is the world’s longest man-made waterway. It has influenced (影响) the development of Chinese economics and culture for hundreds of years.
Before it was built, people in ancient China used horses or simply travelled by foot to trade goods(货物). It was out of the question to send large-sized goods. After the Grand Canal connected the north and the south, business and cultural exchanges were able to develop further.
In fact, the Grand Canal played an important role in the building of the Forbidden City. Materials from different parts of the country were sent to Beijing via (通过) the canal, including bricks from Shandong and wood from Hunan. Peking roast duck even owes (把……归功于) its beginnings to the canal. People shipped white lake ducks in the south to Beijing and then fed these ducks to make Peking roast duck.
Today, people from all walks of life-businessmen, workers and drivers-often gather along the canal. They share their experiences, traditions, and culture with others. The hustle and bustle (熙熙攘攘) of the area is just something from the past, but the spirit of openness has become part of the local culture.
1. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in Paragraph 2?| A．How the Grand Canal was built. |
| B．How old the Grand Canal is. |
| C．How long the Grand Canal is. |
| D．What the Grand Canal is made up of. |
| A．impossible | B．easy | C．strange | D．useless |
| A．To introduce the importance and the history of the Forbidden City. |
| B．To show the influence of the Grand Canal on business exchange. |
| C．To present the steps of making Peking roast duck in ancient China. |
| D．To list the materials used in building the Forbidden City |
| A．People couldn’t carry large-sized goods via the canal in the past. |
| B．The canal has little influence on the local culture today. |
| C．The canal is the world’s longest waterway. |
| D．People living along the canal share the spirit of openness. |
The year of 2014 is the Year of the Horse in the Chinese lunar calendar(农历). It begins on January 31, 2014, and ends on February 18, 2015. People say 2014 is the Year of Wood Horse. Wood is something about trees or green, so it is also called Year of Green Horse. 2014 is the jiăwŭ (甲午) year.
Horses are our good friends for a long time. In the past, horses helped people carry heavy things and travel far. Today many people ride horses for fun.
Horses are hard-working and loyal animals. So are the people born in the Year of Horse. They are true to others. If you have some friends like that, be nice to them. They could be your friends forever.
1. The year of 2014 is the Year of the ____________.
| A．Snake | B．Dragon | C．Monkey | D．Horse |
| A．令人畏惧的 | B．自信的 | C．忠诚的 | D．固执的 |
【推荐3】
As a kind of traditional Chinese dress, the horse face skirt, “mamianqun” in Chinese, first appeared in the Song Dynasty and grew popular during the Ming Dynasty. The two sides of the skirt are pleated (有褶的), and there is a smooth part in the middle, commonly known as “manian”.
Mamianqun is colorful, mostly red and blue. Red means good luck and joy. According to the Han custom, women usually wore red skirts during festivals. In the Qing Dynasty, blue was also common and popular, paired with black and yellow.
Mamianqun has different kinds of patterns (图案) with different meanings. For example, loong and phoenix patterns show the love between a man and a woman or a happy marriage. And the peony (牡丹) is a symbol of wealth and honor.
Recently, mamianqun has become a popular form of skirt for hanfu fans. More and more modern fashion designers get ideas from mamianqun. For example, some get ideas from the patterns. Some mix the styles of manianqun with T-shirts, which are more suitable for everyday wear. Even Western fashion has been influenced by mamianqun.
1. According to the text, “manian” refers to (指的是) the ________ of the skirt.| A．two sides | B．smooth material | C．colorful patterns | D．middle part |
| A．The history of mamianqun. | B．The influence of mamianqun. |
| C．The ways of wearing mamianqun. | D．The steps to make mamianqun. |
| A．Luck and joy. | B．Love or marriage. | C．Wealth and honor. | D．Health or beauty. |
| A．Mamianqun has also influenced Western fashion. |
| B．Mamianqun was first worn in the Ming Dynasty. |
| C．In the Han Dynasty, women always wore blue skirts during festivals. |
| D．Modern fashion designers get ideas from the sizes of mamianqun. |
【推荐1】“Early to bed and early to rise make a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” This is an old English saying. It means that when we go to bed early, we can get up early the next morning. Then we will become healthy. We will also become rich and clever.
This is true. To be healthy, we must have enough sleep. Experts(专家) say that adults should get seven to eight hours of sleep a night. Teenagers need nine to ten hours. And school-aged children may need more than ten hours of sleep. Children who do not have enough sleep can’t do their work very well. They won’t be wise and they may not become wealthy!
We also need exercise. Walking, running, swimming and playing games are all exercise. Exercise keeps us strong. It also helps the blood to move around the body. This is very important. Our blood takes the nutrition(营养) from food to all parts of our body.
The head also needs blood. So exercise that moves the blood to our head helps us think better!
1. If we get up early and go to bed early, we’ll ________.| A．become weak | B．have more time | C．be healthy | D．have more work to do |
| A．Adults | B．Teenagers | C．Experts | D．School-aged children |
| A．can’t study well | B．will be wise | C．will be wealthy | D．will be active in class |
| A．he is strong enough | B．it helps make him healthy |
| C．he has a lot of homework to do | D．it can bring him much blood |
| A．Exercise helps the blood to move. | B．Exercise is good for a person’s head. |
| C．If we have enough blood, we’ll be wise. | D．It’s good for us to get up early and go to bed early. |
I just moved into a new house last month. The thing I like best about it is that it’s mine! But because it’s on the first floor, days ago I saw a mouse in my house. What should I do? I don’t want to live with a mouse.
I don’t like my house at all. It’s too small for my family. What’s worse, my neighbors often make a loud noise in the neighborhood (四邻). There are lots of kids here but they aren’t at my age.
My house is clean and bright. My family live in it comfortably. There are three bedrooms in my house. What I don’t like is that all the houses in the neighborhood look the same.
I love my house because I designed(设计) it myself. I planned everything to fit my needs. For example, my kitchen is big enough to cook a big dinner. What’s the worst thing? Well, the house is not a new one.
1. There’s a _________ in Amy’s new house.| A．bird | B．cat | C．mouse |
| A．it’s too old | B．his neighbors are noisy | C．there are no kids |
| A．comfortable | B．common | C．expensive |
| A．cooking | B．reading | C．running |
| A．when they moved to the houses |
| B．how much they spent on the houses |
| C．what they don’t like about their houses |
【推荐3】Different weather makes people feel different. It influences (影响) health, intelligence (智力) and feelings.
In August, it is very hot and wet in the southern part of the United States. People there have heart trouble and other kinds of health problems during this month. In the Northeast and the Middle West, it is very hot at some times and very cold at other times. People in these states have more heart trouble after the weather changes in February or March.
The weather can also influence intelligence. For example, in a 1983 report by scientists, IQ (智商) of a group of students was very high when a very strong wind came, but after the strong wind, their IQ was 10% lower. The wind can help people have more intelligence. Very hot weather, on the other hand, can make it lower. Students in many schools of the United States often get worse on exams in the hot months of the year (July and August).
Weather also has a strong influence on people’s feelings. Winter may be a bad time for thin people. They usually feel cold during these months. They might feel unhappy during cold weather. But fat people may have a hard time in hot summer. At about 18℃, people become stronger.
Low air press (气压) may make people forgetful. People leave more bags on buses and in shops on low-pressure days. People feel best at a temperature of 18℃.
Are you feeling sad, tired, forgetful, or unhappy today? It may be the weather’s problem.
1. ________ can cause problems on health.| A．Low air | B．A strong wind |
| C．Hot and wet weather | D．Warm weather |
| A．rain | B．a strong wind | C．very hot weather | D．low air pressure |
| A．hot and cold weather influences all people in the same way |
| B．weather influences people’s behavior |
| C．IQ changes when weather changes |
| D．people feel good on low pressure days |
| A．Hot Weather Causes Health Problems |
| B．Different Weather Makes People Feel Bad |
| C．Weather influences Health, Behaviors and Feelings |
| D．Weather influences Health, intelligence and Feelings |
I want to tell you some things about the Spring Festival (春节). It is always in January or February. It is the most important (最重要的) festival for all of us. So when it comes, we buy chicken, vegetables and some fruit. On the last day of the year, all the families come back home. In the evening, we have a big dinner and eat a kind of food—jiaozi. After dinner, we watch TV and play games. Then on the first day of the new year, people say “Happy New Year” when they meet.
We like the festival because we can have a long free time to meet our families and have parties with our friends. Children like the festival because they can eat good food and buy nice clothes. All the people have a good time in these days. Do you like the festival? Welcome to China in the Spring Festival!
Your friend,
Yu Mei
1. The letter (信) is from ________.| A．Lily | B．Yu Mei | C．Lucy | D．Han Mei |
| A．January or February | B．February or March |
| C．March or April | D．April or May |
| A．eating jiaozi | B．watching TV | C．having parties | D．having a school trip |
①they can eat good food ②they can buy nice clothes ③they can say “Happy New Year”
| A．①② | B．②③ | C．①③ | D．①②③ |
| A．ask Lily to come to China |
| B．let us know why people like the Spring Festival |
| C．say some things about the Spring Festival |
| D．let us know what people do in the Spring Festival |
【推荐2】You may have known about many traditional Chinese festivals such as the Spring Festival or the Lantern Festival, but have you ever heard of the Dragon Heads-raising Day?
The Dragon Heads-raising Day is also called the Spring Dragon Festival. It is on the second day of the second lunar （农历）month. It’s on February 21st this year. It came from an old story. After that day, the Dragon King will wake up from his winter sleep and bring more rain. So that day is the start of spring and farming season.
One of the most interesting things related to the day is about haircut. People believe that a haircut during the first lunar month is not a good idea. It may bring bad things to your uncles. So people can only cut it on or after the Dragon Heads-raising Day. Although it’s not true, many people still do it.
There are also other ways to celebrate this festival. For example, people eat food with dragon names. People call noodles dragon’s beard（胡须）. Dumplings are dragon’s ears and spring rolls（春卷）are dragon’s scales（鳞）.
People also do dragon dances and make dragon lanterns. The lanterns stand for people’s best wishes and good luck.
根据短文内容，判断下列各句正(T)、误(F)。
1. The Dragon Heads-raising Day is on the second day in February every year.
2. After the Dragon Heads-raising Day, rainfall usually increases, which is good for farming.
3. It’s believed that having your haircut on the Dragon Heads-raising Day might cause bad luck to your uncles.
4. The article mainly talks about why people eat food with dragon names to celebrate the festival.
5. The writer probably wants more students to know about the Dragon Heads-raising Day.
【推荐3】 
The dragon (龙) is a great animal in Chinese culture. It brings the wind and rain. It is said that every year on the second day of the second lunar (阴历的) month the dragon wakes up from its winter sleep and raises (举起) its head. Because of this, the day is called “Dragon Head-raising Day” (Longtaitou). This year, it falls on March 4. Old people believed that after Longtaitou, there would be more rain. And rain is very important to farming. So Longtaitou was the start of spring and farming.
People have many ways to celebrate the Longtaitou festival. The most popular one is to have a haircut. Many believe that a haircut during the first lunar month may bring bad luck to your uncles—mainly your mother’s brothers. They hope getting a haircut on Longtaitou gets rid of bad luck.
Among Chinese people’s festival traditions, there is always a place for food. During the Longtaitou festival, people eat food named after dragons. Noodles are called dragon’s beard (longxu). Dumplings are dragon’s ears (long’er). And spring rolls are dragon’s scales (鳞片) (longlin).
People also hold activities like dragon dancing on the day. In some places in Shandong province, people make dragon lanterns (灯笼) too. Small reed (芦苇) boats go down the rivers and carry the lanterns, which stand for people’s best wishes and good luck.
1. What did old people think of Longtaitou?| A．It was a good time for sleeping. | B．It was the end of Spring Festival. |
| C．It was the start of spring and farming. | D．It meant the weather would become colder. |
| A．It’s believed it will bring good luck to their uncles. |
| B．It’s believed that it will get rid of bad luck. |
| C．It may help their hair grow. |
| D．It may bring more rain. |
| A．Noodles. | B．Dumplings. | C．Spring rolls. | D．A, B and C. |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．To introduce a traditional festival—Longtaitou. | B．To tell people how to avoid bad luck. |
| C．To make a traditional festival popular again. | D．To introduce some tasty foods and fun activities. |
