You see people in movies celebrating a white Christmas in England or the United States. But Christmas in Australia is different.
The holiday, celebrated on Dec 25th, comes at the hottest time of the year in Australia. The temperature is usually about 30°C in most cities and can even be over 40°C. There is certainly no white Christmas in Australia.
When I first came to Australia on December 24th last year, I was so curious (好奇的 ) about how people here would celebrate this festival. It was so hot, so many Australians would swim together in the pool or beach. Most people had a one-week holiday during this time, so my friends told me that they would travel to meet their family for Christmas lunch at home. I was also invited to their big Christmas party. The Christmas lunch was usually a big meal of ham, turkey, salad and fresh seafood. Family members all cooked something different to bring to the big meal. I prepared some delicious cookies there to enjoy together. My friend’s aunt even made a delicious gingerbread house (姜饼屋) that we ate for dessert.
On Christmas in Australia, children get presents from Santa Claus and are always excited to play with them. Of course, Santa Claus doesn’t choose the sleigh (雪橇) to send gifts because of the hot weather. It is also a fun time to play or swim in the pool with the other members. I enjoyed playing cricket with my friends in the backyard, which is another tradition for Christmas. The Christmas in Australia is really so different and exciting!
1. In which season do people in Australia celebrate Christmas ?| A．Spring. | B．Summer. | C．Autumn. | D．Winter. |
| A．Making a snowman. | B．Having a lunch together. |
| C．Swimming in the pool. | D．Playing cricket with friends. |
| A．Australians would go to restaurants to have Christmas dinner. |
| B．Santa Claus usually takes the sleigh to send gifts to children. |
| C．People in Australia don’t get together during Christmas. |
| D．Special weather makes Christmas in Australia different. |
相似题推荐
Living far away from home makes it interesting to celebrate the holidays.
Take Christmas, for example. In the US, families will get together and decorate (装饰) their homes with colorful lights and a tree.
Another thing we enjoy is playing a game called “white elephant”.
| A．This is a group dinner where each guest brings a dish they made at home. |
| B．There is also an event called Santa Claus convention. |
| C．We’ll have a big fancy dinner with turkey and pie. |
| D．This is a gift-giving game where each person brings a “mystery gift”. |
| E．But here in Beijing, my foreign friends in China and I celebrate Christmas a bit differently. |
【推荐2】Be New Year of the Yi ethnic group (彝族) usually starts on November 20 and lasts for three days. How do Yi people celebrate the New Year?
Yi people celebrate the New Year with special food. Children of a big family get together and bring pigs’ feet. An old man cuts the food into pieces and gives it out to everyone. Yi people also share hot Ciba and special cooked pork. They believe that all these food can bring them good luck. This is a big part of the New Year of the Yi ethnic group.
There are many interesting activities during Yi people’s New Year. Usually, there is a small pigs’ feet competition. Yi parents cook pigs’ feet for their children. They tie (捆) ropes onto the pigs’ feet. This way, the children can carry the feet on their backs. A good pig’s foot always looks big and strange. The stranger it is, the more luck the family has.
Trees are also important to Yi children. Yi children share the “lucky” pigs’ feet with trees during the New Year. Most Yi people live in the mountains of Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi. They grow up with lots of trees. Yi people hope to grow as tall and strong as them!
There is another activity during the New Year. Young men and women of the Yi ethnic group often get up early. They bring some water and vegetables back home. They do it secretly. They believe it brings good luck to their families.
1. How long does Yi peopled New Year last?| A．For 3 days. | B．For 20 days. | C．For a week. | D．For a month. |
| A．Their special food. | B．Their special clothes. |
| C．Their special shows. | D．Their special activities. |
| A．Parents. | B．Children. | C．Trees. | D．Mountains. |
| A．Yi people get up much later than usual. | B．Yi people bring some flowers back home. |
| C．Yi children share cooked beef with friends. | D．Yi parents cook pigs’ feet for their children. |
【推荐3】Today is Father’s Day. The students from different countries celebrate (庆祝) it in different ways.
| It’s 11: 00 a. m. in Sydney, Australia. Amy is only eight years old. She is buying fruit and vegetables in the supermarket now. She wants to buy two kilos of bananas, because bananas are her father’s favorite. She wants to make salad for her father. |
| It’s 10: 00 a. m. in Tokyo, Japan (日本). The thirteen-year old girl Yuki is in a flower shop with her friend Mary. There are many flowers of different colors in it. She wants to buy some yellow roses (玫瑰). Her father loves yellow best. Mary wants to buy some roses for her father, too. |
| It’s 9: 00 a. m. in Beijing, China. Peter is in the kitchen with his little sister Helen. Their father is reading a newspaper in the living room. Today is their father’s birthday, too. The two children are making a cake for their father. It’s a pink ice-cream cake. |
1. What’s Amy doing now?
| A．She is washing fruit and vegetables. | B．She is making salad. |
| C．She is eating bananas. | D．She is doing some shopping. |
| A．Red. | B．White. | C．Yellow. | D．Purple. |
| A．8: 00 a. m. | B．9: 00 a. m. | C．10: 00 a. m. | D．11: 00 a. m. |
| A．Amy is five years older than (比……年长) Yuki. |
| B．Yuki and Mary are in the supermarket now. |
| C．Mary wants to buy a yellow hat for her father. |
| D．Peter and Helen are making a pink ice-cream cake. |
| A．What to Buy on Father’s Day |
| B．Where to Go on Father’s Day |
| C．How to Celebrate Father’s Day |
| D．When to Celebrate Father’s Day |
【推荐1】There are many charities (慈善) in the UK. People in London give £2 billion a year to charity. Most people in the UK give money once a month. People usually give money to children and young people, to make new medicines, and to schools, animals and hospitals. Most people still give money in cash (现金).
Charity shops pay managers to work in the shops, but other people, called volunteers, work there and are not paid. People can give their old clothes, toys, books and other things that they don’t use any more to charity shops. The volunteers then wash the things to make sure they are clean before selling them. The money that they get from selling things always goes to a charity. Many people believe that you can find some special things cheaply in charity shops; you just have to know where to look!
Another way to give money to charity is by running or riding a bike in a charity race. You can ask your friends and family to give money to help you and the charity. Sometimes they give you money for every kilometer that you finish.
1. People in the UK give £2 billion a year to charity.2. Charity shops in the UK pay both the managers and the volunteers to work there.
3. Things in charity shops are usually old and cheap.
4. Charity shops sell things to raise money for charities.
5. People can’t run or ride their bicycles in charity races to collect money.
Several festivals throughout Asia celebrate the elephant, but none are quite as colorful as the Painted Elephant Parade in Jaipur, India.
Every year in March, the air is filled with excitement and delicious smells of food are flowing around. The parade is the first event of Holi, an ancient Hindu celebration which marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring.
The parade’s four main colors are red, blue, yellow, and green. With all this joyful color, the painted elephants play an important role in it. While it’s not that easy to paint the elephants. Work clothes, paintbrushes, and water are needed for sure. Painters must be extra careful because their canvas tends to move and has extremely heavy feet. Thus, a soft voice, gentle hands, another person to help, and some tasty snacks for the elephants are also important.
The painters often plan the theme, or designs, for days before they even touch their canvas. Designs are drawn on paper or computers, and then enlarged. Once the artist is ready to paint the elephant, it will be cleaned. The designs are usually outlined in white paint across the elephant before they are filled in with the fancy colors. Hours later, the moving models are dressed with special jewelry. Their noses are painted with gold and decorated with rings. It’s an eye-catching line of color as these huge moving canvases walk down the street.
Gathering alongside the streets, people sing and dance to welcome the colorful elephants, praying for luck and blessing. Hand-made silk umbrellas and the white vencamaran can be seen everywhere, which also express their deepest sincerity. Many tourists come to the parade for the wildest part, that is, sprinkling colorful powder on others no matter if you are strangers. It’s said that the more colorful you are, the luckier you will be. So why not come and try your luck?
1. According to the passage, the Painted Elephant Parade ________.| A．is followed by Holi | B．is held in most Asian countries |
| C．is a symbol of spring | D．is a newly developed celebration |
a. Get the elephants completely cleaned.
b. Plan and decide the theme or designs.
c. Color the designs with different colors.
d. Draw on the elephants with white paint.
| A．badc | B．bcbd | C．dabc | D．dcbd |
| A．painting the elephants is individual work | B．it usually takes weeks to paint an elephant |
| C．tourists come to the parade for colorful powder | D．local people and tourists join the parade together |
| A．tell us the ways to celebrate spring | B．show us how to paint the elephants |
| C．introduce us the history of the parade | D．invite us to enjoy the elephant parade |
Different countries have different customs. There are also some special customs in India. Piplantri is a village in Rajasthan, India. People there plant 111 trees to celebrate the birth of a girl. In Indian culture, the number 111 is a lucky number which can bring success.
Historically, the birth of a girl was considered a symbol of bad luck in lots of Indian villages. As a result, people in the country usually value boys more than girls. That’s why the project of the village is regarded as a great achievement.
According to the record, the custom was first started by the village’s former leader, Shyam Sundar Paliwal. He started the event to commemorate the death of his daughter, Kiran.
While a girl’s parents plant the trees, the village will open a fixed deposit account(定期存款账户) for the girl. But that’s not all. The parents have to take good care of those trees. They also need to promise that their daughter will receive a proper education and won’t get married until she reaches the age of 18.
By practicing this tradition, the villagers have planted more than 300,000 trees during the past years.
1. Why is the number 111 a lucky number in Indian culture?| A．Because it can bring success to people. |
| B．Because it can give people lots of jobs. |
| C．Because it can bring people much money. |
| D．Because it can give people many treasures. |
| A．忘记 | B．纪念 | C．避免 | D．后悔 |
①They must take good care of those trees.
②Their daughter can get married before 18.
③Their daughter will receive a proper education.
④They can get a big house.
| A．①④ | B．①③ | C．②③ | D．③④ |
| A．The tradition will be good for protecting the environment. |
| B．The tradition will improve the Indian countryside culture. |
| C．Now people in India usually value girls more than boys. |
| D．The leader will forget the death of his daughter by this tradition. |
—About 50% of all car journeys are just for fun.
—Over 80% people go to work by car.
—25% car journeys are under two miles.
—70% car journeys are under five miles.
WALKING & CYCLING
Instead of using the car for short journeys, why not walk or ride a bicycle? Walking is the most popular form of exercise—it’s healthy and it can save money. If you work nearby, try walking or cycling instead of driving. Walking your children to school gives them valuable road experience.
BUSES
Bus companies are using new buses: some run on new fuels which produce less pollution; some have easier access（通路）for disabled and old people. There are special traffic lanes (行车道)to make bus journeys easier. So do something to help solve the pollution problem—let the bus take you to work and your children to school.
TRAINS
All car journeys, long or short, can be hard work. For some trips, it is wiser to take the train. Leave your car at home and walk, cycle or take a bus to and from the station. Train travel is fast, safe and comfortable. Train tickets are not always expensive.
1. How many of car journeys are just for fun in the UK?| A．25%. | B．About 50%. |
| C．70%. | D．Over 80%. |
| A．walking to school | B．traveling by train |
| C．taking new fuel buses | D．having car journeys for fun |
| A．Tiring. | B．Exciting. |
| C．Terrible. | D．Comfortable. |
【推荐2】There’s nothing quite like falling sound asleep after a full day of work. Like people, animals need to rest after working hard. Some animals sleep in water. Others dig holes under the ground. Some even sleep high in trees or under leaves. But they all find a way to rest.
Some animals in the sea sleep in strange ways. Fish sleep with their eyes open. They seem to look ahead far into the sea while they rest. Sea otters sometimes sleep in beds of the plants that grow in the sea. This keeps them from moving away. Parrotfish blow something from their mouths when they are ready to sleep. Then a bubble (气泡) will be formed around them. The bubble protects them from harm while they sleep.
Some animals sleep under the ground. Chipmunks (花粟鼠) sleep curled up (蜷缩) in a ball. Their beds are made of leaves and grass. In winter, they sleep for two weeks and wake up to eat the stored food. Then they go back to sleep for another two weeks before waking up again. Some desert frogs dig underground holes during the hot, dry season. A frog may stay in its hole for months.
High above the ground, monkeys find leafy places in trees each evening before they sleep. The tall trees help to keep monkeys safe during the night. Some insects even sleep under the leaf that will be their next meal. A bee may climb down into a flower to rest. When it climbs out the next morning, it is rested and ready for work.
1. What animals blow bubbles when they sleep?| A．Sea otters. | B．Monkeys. | C．Desert frogs. | D．Parrotfish. |
| A．sleep with their eyes open | B．never sleep curled up in a ball |
| C．wake up now and then in winter | D．don’t eat any food during the winter |
| A．The forest where monkeys sleep safely. |
| B．The animals that sleep above the ground. |
| C．The reason why bees climb down into flowers. |
| D．The ways that keep animals away from danger. |
（①＝Paragraph 1, ②＝Paragraph 2,… ）
A． | B． | C． | D． |
【推荐3】Bright red in color, with wonderful sweet-and-sour taste, Tanghulu is a popular traditional snack in most parts of China. In the past, people mainly used the hawthorn (山楂) to make Tanghulu. But now, people like to use other fruits like oranges, bananas, grapes and strawberries. To make Tanghulu, you can follow these steps:
STEP ONE: Start off by washing the hawthorns or any other fruit you choose. Once done, dry the fruit. Put the fruit on bamboo sticks (竹签).
STEP TWO: Add water and white sugar in a pan and then mix them well. Heat the pan until bubbles (气泡) appear and color changes. When doing this, you can test the temperature of the mixture by putting a spoon of the mixture in cold water. It is the key to making wonderful Tanghulu.
STEP THREE: Now, put each fruit stick into the sugar mixture to easily coat the fruit. Remember to turn it to coat all of the sides. Once done, place each stick on a plate. Remember to leave enough space between each other to stop them from sticking. After a few minutes, you can taste them.
Now, try with different kinds of fruits to see which taste you like best!
正确的涂“A”，错误的涂“B”。
1. The passage mainly talks about Tanghulu’s taste and color.
2. After putting the fruit on bamboo sticks, we need to add water and make it dry.
3. To make wonderful Tanghulu, testing the temperature of the sugar mixture is the most important.
4. STEP THREE mainly tells us how soon we can taste Tanghulu.
5. Readers can enjoy the passage in Food and Life.
