Dragon Head-raising Day is celebrated on the second day of the second Chinese lunar month to show respect to Dragon King and wish good weather for a big harvest. It is considered the start of spring and farming.
After the cold winter, spring comes and animals are awake, but because of the winter, the weather is dry and farming needs water. The story goes that after this day, the Dragon King who controls clouds and rains would wake from his winter sleep and bring rainfall for the crops.
On that day, there are lots of traditional celebration activities. First, in the early morning when it’s still dark, families go to a river or a well with lanterns to get water and then carry it back home. Then they light candles, burn incense sticks (香柱) and offer a sacrifice (祭品). This ritual is named Yintianlong (lead the field dragon). People believe the actions can bring wealth and health to their homes.
The most well-known tradition on the day is having a haircut. It’s a sign of good luck and energy in the whole year. However, it is very bad luck to get a haircut during the first lunar month.
Eating “dragon” food is another important part of celebrations. Chinese are best at connecting certain food with luck so food eaten on this day also gets special names. Noodles which are long and thin are called “dragon beard (long xu).” Dumplings are called “dragon ears (long er).” Spring rolls are “dragon scales (long lin)”, and people call popcorn “dragon seeds (long zi)”.
Those celebration activities may be different in the south and the north, and some activities are remained to nowadays, while some are just kept in the past. But the wish for a good year ahead is the same despite the change of time or space.
1. What do Chinese people think of the Dragon King?| A．It creates spring winds. | B．It controls the animals for farming. |
| C．It brings rains for lands. | D．It wakes after the first rain in spring. |
| A．A set of actions. | B．A kind of sacrifices. |
| C．The name of a dragon. | D．The word of greetings. |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．To introduce the traditions of Dragon Head-raising Day. |
| B．To compare different traditions of the south and the north. |
| C．To explain the importance of “dragon” in Chinese culture. |
| D．To share experiences of celebrating Dragon Head-raising Day. |
相似题推荐
1. Jim is a school boy. He likes playing soccer very much. He plays it every day after school. He wants to be a good soccer player like Ronaldo.
2. Mr. Wang is in America visiting his daughter. He has nothing to do every day. He wants to do some reading.
3. The Greens are looking for a new house with three bedrooms to live in. They also want to have a big garden.
4. I have a good friend. His name is Peter. But we haven't met（见面）each other for a long time.
5. Mr. Black is a business man. He wants to rent（租）a room near the station.
| A．We have moved（搬家了）. Please come to the party in our new home 8:00 pm, on May 30. Betty and Peter. Add: 44 North Street. |
| B．Smith's Book Club New and old books over 1.000 kinds. Good coffee and tea. Open every day from 10:00 to 22:00. |
| C．House for sale Comfortable family home with a large garden on the north side of town. Three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, a dining room, two bathrooms. For $335,000. |
| D．Room for rent The rooms are near railway station. Phone:555-2108. |
| E．Join Our Soccer Club. Boys and girls want to play in soccer club. Age 9-16. Meet in Great Park on Friday at 3:00 pm. |
【推荐2】Look around your room. Do you have anything you’ve never used or anything you’ve only used a few times?
Sometimes we need a helping hand in life, and sometimes we can lend a hand. National Give Something Away Day helps us think about the needs of others.
How can we celebrate National Give Something Away Day?
There are so many amazing days you can choose to celebrate. National Give Something Away Day should be one of them. Making someone else’ s day happy can make you happy as well.
Choose five sentences out of the six in the box to complete the passage. Each choice should be used only once.
| A．It is on July 15th every year. |
| B．There are many things we can do. |
| C．Maybe many of you will answer “Yes”. |
| D．Why do we love National Give Something Away Day? |
| E．This day also helps us think about what we really need. |
| F．You can also check with your neighbors to see if you can help in any way. |
【推荐3】On Mother’s Day, the children from different countries celebrate (庆祝) it in different ways.
It’s 8:00 a.m. in Chiengmai, Thailand. The thirteen-year-old girl Nadech is in a flower shop with her friend Mary. There are many flowers of different colors in it. Nadech wants to buy some yellow roses. Her mother loves yellow best. Mary wants to buy some red roses for her mother too. |
It’s 9:00 a.m in Chengdu, China. Li Hua, a middle school student, is in the supermarket now. He is buying some mutton and carrots. He wants to make noodles with them for his mother, because they are his mother’s favorite food. |
It’s 8:00 p.m in New York, America. Peter is in the kitchen with his little sister Helen. Their mother is watching TV in the living room. Today is their mother’s birthday, too. The two children are making a cake for their mother. It’s a pink ice-cream cake. |
| A．She is washing fruit and vegetables. |
| B．She is making noodles. |
| C．She is doing some shopping. |
| A．Nadech’s mother. | B．Mary’s mother. | C．Peter’s mother. |
| A．Making ice-cream. |
| B．Making a cake. |
| C．Watching TV with their mother. |
| A．Nadech and Mary are in the supermarket now. |
| B．Mary wants to buy yellow roses for her mother. |
| C．Li Hua’s mother likes mutton and carrot noodles best. |
| A．What to Buy on Mother’s Day |
| B．How to Celebrate Mother’s Day |
| C．Where to Go on Mother’s Day |
The Netherlands is low-lying and influenced by the north sea wind, which caused floods to happen easily in the past. In order to deal with the problem, the Dutch (荷兰人) used thousands of windmills. So the Netherlands became the famous land of windmills. With this invention, the Dutch set a special date and held some activities. It’s held on the second Saturday of May each year. Gradually, Windmill Day becomes a traditional folk festival in the Netherlands.
On this day, pictures shaped of windmills are everywhere. Many shops are filled with colorful windmill art pieces. Children also like to draw windmills on the doors and windows.
Windmills have different purposes in different states. They bring good luck to people in most situations. When the flag is hung on the windmill, it may mean that a baby is born, or a couple are holding a wedding. When the fan of windmill is like a cross, it means that some important guests are coming and they are warmly welcomed. However, when the windmill is at rest and backward, it mainly tells us that something bad has happened.
Nowadays, during your visit in the Netherlands, you can choose the windmill museums. Also, you can go to the local windmill villages. There are still more than 1000 windmills around the country, with many still in use. Every windmill is covered in red and green and is slowly running to greet you.
1. People in Netherlands mainly use windmills to ________.| A．produce electricity | B．do with floods | C．celebrate festivals | D．welcome visitors |
①They decorate every place with pictures shaped of windmills.
②Shop owners prepare lots of colorful windmill art pieces.
③They fix the fan of windmill as the shape of a cross.
④Young kids draw windmills on the doors and windows.
| A．①②③ | B．②③④ | C．①③④ | D．①②④ |
| A．Visitors can only enjoy windmills in museums. |
| B．Windmills bring good luck to people in all situations. |
| C．There are fewer than 1000 windmills across the country. |
| D．A resting windmill means something bad has happened. |
Chores were not popular at my house. My children didn’t like to do chores. They always saw me do chores, but they hardly ever helped me do them.
A year ago, I made a game called “The Endless Chore Game”. It is really great. Here’s how the game works.
I make a card with forty squares (方框), and I write a different chore on each square. These chores can be easy and interesting like making dessert. Then my family rolls the dice (骰子) to decide what chores we have to do. The card also has a few squares with fun things, like watching TV and singing. If you are lucky, you can watch TV when the others are doing the chores.
My son likes the game very much. He goes to the kitchen happily every morning to do the game. It is really a good way to make my children do chores. You can have a try if you have the same problem as me.
1. The writer’s family began to do the game ________ ago.| A．one year | B．one month | C．two years | D．two months |
| A．A card. | B．A dice. |
| C．A card and a dice. | D．A card and forty dice. |
| A．In the morning. | B．In the afternoon. |
| C．In the evening. | D．We don’t know. |
| A．the writer only has one child |
| B．everyone in the writer’s family likes playing the game |
| C．the writer wrote this passage to parents |
| D．everyone in the writer’s family has to do the chores every day |
| A．do fewer chores | B．tell us an interesting game |
| C．make her children happy | D．make her children do chores |
【推荐3】Do you know that you are not outgoing enough? Do you want to make more friends? Read the following rules. They will help you.
★Feel comfortable. Always be clean. Shower, brush your teeth, and try to look nice. Dress in clothes that make you feel good and comfortable. It can make you feel more confident (自信).
★ Smile more often. Try to smile more often at people. It will make them think that you are friendly. Then they’ll talk to you more even if they don’t know you.
★Just talk. Some people worry about talking because they think, “What am I going to talk about with that person?” Outgoing people don’t even think about it. They just go up to people and say what they think.
★Listen to people. You can’t just talk. People will think that you’re self-centered (以自我为中心的). You have to listen to others and give your ideas. Let them know what you think.
★Read the news. Don’t just stay at home and do nothing. Surf the Internet for news and information, and talk about the news when you’re with friends.
1. Being clean can make you feel more ________.| A．confident | B．beautiful | C．popular | D．wonderful |
| A．it’s easier to meet them | B．they’ll think you’re friendly |
| C．it shows that you are too shy | D．they’ll think you’re serious |
| A．you should be friendly | B．you should think more |
| C．you should talk much and never think | D．you should say what you think |
| A．How to Listen to People | B．How to Look Nice |
| C．How to Feel Confident | D．How to Make More Friends |
【推荐1】Every English learner needs to know how to ask for something in English. There are a number of ways to do this. If you know someone has something, you can ask for it with a polite question. If you don’t know, it’s possible to ask for something with a yes or no question. Be careful not to use the direct expressions. In other words, don’t say “Give me that”, but ask kindly as the following examples, “Do you have a pen I could borrow?” “Is there any wine?” “Did you buy any bread?”
If you know or see someone has something, ask a polite question with “could”, “may” or “might”. It’s also possible to use “can” in some special situations. In the past, “can” was not used when people asked for something, but meant ability. In the UK, people mainly use “Can you lend me…?” or “Can I have…?” In the US, this is still considered to be wrong and “May I have…?” is preferred.
It’s common to use “Could you lend/hand/give…?” You can also use: “May/Can I borrow…?” “Could/Can you lend me…?” “May I have…?” “Could you hand/give me…?” Do not begin a sentence with “please”, but you can add “please” at the end of the sentence to be polite.
1. What can we ask if we know someone has something?| A．A direct question. | B．A no question. | C．A yes question. | D．A polite question. |
| A．Pass me some coffee. | B．Is there any coffee? |
| C．Give me some coffee. | D．Take some coffee to me. |
| A．Can I use your dictionary? | B．Could you lend me your bike? |
| C．May I try your computer now? | D．Might I take your car today? |
| A．How to express or ask politely. | B．What to do when we are polite. |
| C．How to describe our ideas. | D．What to do with our language problems. |
【推荐2】Monica is an American living in China. She is talking about the Chinese Spring Festival.
Chinese people have celebrated the Spring Festival (or Chinese New Year) for thousands of years!
For every Chinese family, it is important to prepare for the holiday before it begins. For good luck, people clean their homes, and they buy themselves new clothes. And, of course, they buy lots of food to eat during the festival, including fish, meat, fruit, and candy.
Several days before the festival, people who live far away from their families travel home to see their family members.
Even if you can’t come to China to experience this fun holiday, there are Chinese New Year celebrations all over the world. If you visit neighborhoods where Chinese people live in your country, you can enjoy the celebrations, too!
阅读短文，把A—E五个句子填入文中空缺处，使短文内容完整。
| A．Red is an important color on this holiday. |
| B．This holiday usually takes place in February. |
| C．It gets really loud, and it’s impossible to sleep! |
| D．During the holiday, people are very careful not to break anything. |
| E．In fact, it’s the largest number of people traveling at the same time in the whole world! |
【推荐3】You may have already forgotten the days when you had to learn how to use chopsticks. Every Chinese kid manages to use them for some time. But chopsticks are not just simple tools to pick up food. They come with their own special rules and traditions.
Generally, people should not make noise with chopsticks. Playing with chopsticks is seen as bad manners, just as playing with forks and knives in a Western country would be rude.
There are also some superstitions (迷信) related to chopsticks. For example, some people believe that chopsticks should not be left standing upright in a bowl. It looks like the incense (香) that Chinese use to honor the dead. Doing it at the dinner table is believed to bring bad luck.
You should not use chopsticks to hit on the edge of the bowl either, as beggars do this to ask for food. Parents might get angry if children do this as they don’t want their children to be as poor as beggars in the future.
Besides, chopsticks can also be a great gift. In Chinese, “chopsticks” are known as “kuaizi”, so newlyweds (新婚夫妇) feel happy to receive chopsticks as a wedding gift. Skilled craftsmen paint beautiful pictures on chopsticks to make them look like fine artwork. Today, even people from western countries are learning to use chopsticks and like to collect them as souvenirs.
1. The passage is about rules and traditions of using chopsticks.2. It is funny to play with chopsticks.
3. It is believed that sticking the chopsticks into the bowl can bring good luck.
4. Giving newlyweds chopsticks is welcome because it means having a baby soon.
5. The underline this means you aren’t supposed to use chopsticks to hit on the edge of the bow
【推荐1】Spring Festival (春节) is a big festival in China. Chinese like Spring Festival not because of the new clothes or nice food, but being with their family.
Amy  | I’m 13. I’m from Guangdong. I get “oranges” from my grandparents because “orange” in Chinese pinyin sounds “Cheng”. “心想事成” in Chinese is the same as “good luck (好运)” in English. It is so fun. |
Tom  | I’m 12. I am from Shanxi. Our family always eat nice dumplings (饺子). And I always get a big red bag from my grandparents. This year, my mom buys red socks for me. She says it’s for good luck, I’m so happy. |
Lucy  | I am 12, too. I’m from Sichuan. My family buy new red clothes on Spring Festival. We eat tangyuan on Spring Festival. It is very nice. I like Spring Festival very much. |
1. What’s Chinese favorite thing on Spring Festival?
| A．It’s eating nice food. | B．It’s buying new clothes. | C．It’s being with their family. |
| A．oranges | B．a red bag | C．a pair of red socks |
| A．fruits | B．tangyuan | C．dumplings |
| A．boring | B．happy | C．easy |
| A．Amy, Tom and Lucy are all students. |
| B．Amy, Tom and Lucy are all from China. |
| C．Chinese love Spring Festival and do different (不同的) things with their family. |
【推荐2】The Mid-Autumn Festival in China and Thanksgiving in America are different but share some similarities. Let’s take a look.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. At first, people regarded this day as a harvest (收获) festival, since fruits and vegetables had been collected from the fields. Now it is a time for family reunion (团圆). To celebrate the festival, Chinese people place all kinds of food at tables in their yards. When it gets dark, all the family members sit around the table, admire the full moon and eat mooncakes to remember friends and relatives. Song Dynasty poet Su Shi once wrote, “So let us wish that man will live long as he can! Though miles apart, we’ll share the beauty she displays.” | Thanksgiving is on the fourth Thursday of November. But the first Thanksgiving was in December, 1621. The first English people, who took a ship to America, invited the American Indians to have a big meal to thank them for their help. The festival began then. Today, people usually have a family meal on Thanksgiving. They eat delicious food such as pumpkins, corn and a big turkey. There’s a tradition about turkeys. Each turkey has a V-shaped bone. People call it a wishbone. After cooking, two people each take one end of the bone. They make a wish and pull (拉) outwards. The one who gets the larger part will get good luck. |
1. At first, the Mid-Autumn Festival was a day to ________.
| A．celebrate good harvest | B．celebrate family reunion | C．collect fruits and vegetables |
| A．举头望明月，低头思故乡。 |
| B．但愿人长久，千里共婵娟。 |
| C．举杯邀明月，对影成三人。 |
A． | B． | C． |
①The time ②Traditions ③Popularity ④Food
| A．①②④ | B．②③④ | C．①②③ |
| A．Care for families. | B．Love for the country. | C．Thanks for others’ help. |
【推荐3】Mid-Autumn Day is one of the most important traditional Chinese festivals, falls on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month. On that night the moon is brighter and fuller than any other night. In China, Mid-Autumn Day is a time for familyreunions.
In ancient China, poets (诗人) considered the moon as a symbol of brightness, purity (纯洁), and goodness. They wrote many beautiful poems about the moon. The most popular one was a story about a lady named Chang’e on the moon. She flew to the moon and lived in the Moon Palace.
On Mid-Autumn Day, almost everyone gets together with his or her family, eating mooncakes, chatting and watching the moon. Mooncakes, with the round shape of the moon, symbolize (象征) both the fullness of the moon and family togetherness. There are many kinds of mooncakes. They are small round cakes with meat, nuts or something sweet inside. Eating mooncakes has been our custom.
1. Mid-Autumn Day usually falls on the fifteenth day of ________.| A．October | B．August | C．September | D．the eighth lunar month |
| A．eat together | B．get together | C．play together | D．chat together |
| A．chat | B．eat mooncakes | C．watch the moon | D．all above |
| A．meat | B．milk | C．fruit | D．vegetables |
| A．Eating mooncakes is Chinese custom. |
| B．Poets wrote poems about the moon on Mid-Autumn Day. |
| C．Mid-Autumn Day is a worldwide holiday. |
| D．People tell stories about Chang’e on Mid-Autumn Day. |
