【推荐1】The Dragon Head-raising Festival

China is a country with a long and rich history.     1     The Double Second Festival（the Dragon Head-raising Festival or Longtaitou Festival）is one of them. This special day is on the second day of the second month in the Chinese lunar calendar. It stands for the start of spring and farming.

The dragon plays an important role in Chinese culture. Dragon culture is one of the most popular cultures in China.     2     People celebrated the Dragon Head-raising Festival with many customs（习俗）about the dragon in ancient times.

On this special day, people put ashes（灰）in the kitchen.     3     People believed that if the dragon went into their houses, they could have a good luck all year round. People also ate special food.     4     For example, people ate noodles called “dragon whiskers noodles” and dumplings called “dragon ears”. Besides, people sent gifts to each other, picked vegetables and went on a spring outing.

    5     Today people hurry to have their hair cut, especially have their children’s hair cut on the Dragon Head-raising Festival. They want to make themselves have new looks and have a good year.

A．The food was usually named after the dragon.

B．Why is it called “dragon lifting（举起）its head”?

C．It has many colorful holidays and festivals.

D．Chinese people call themselves “the descendants（后代）of the dragon”.

E．They thought the dragon could be led into their houses with the help of the ashes.

F．Many activities on the Dragon Head-raising Festival are to do with the dragon.

G．Even though many of the customs have disappeared, the tradition of cutting hair is reaching new heights.

【推荐1】Father’s Day has a very short history. It was started because there was a Mother’s Day. And just because some Americans thought that if we had a Mother’s Day, we should also have a Father’s Day. Father’s Day has become important in North America. And shopkeepers found it was a good way to get people to buy presents for their fathers, presents from their shops.   

By the way, very few countries have a Father’s Day, though some have Children’s Day, or a special day for boys and another for girls. More and more countries are having Mother’s Day, so maybe Father‘s Day will also become popular before too long. Now, what do people in North America do on Father’s Day? The newspapers, radios, and TV tell children what they should do－buy a Father’s Day present for your father. They even tell a wife to buy a Father’s Day present－not for her father but for her husband, even if he is not yet a father. And they tell grandchildren to buy a Father’s Day present for their grandfathers.   

The important thing to remember about Father’s Day is that American children can show their love to their fathers in a more open way.

1. Father’s Day was started just because ________.

A．there was a Mother’s Day	B．there was a Children’s Day
C．people liked their fathers a lot	D．fathers were more important

2. Which of the following is NOT true?

A．Many countries have a Father‘s Day.

B．Father’s Day has a long history.

C．Father’s Day has become important in North America.

D．Maybe Father’s Day will become popular before too long.

3. In America, people have a Father’s Day to ________.

A．go shopping with their fathers	B．help their fathers do something
C．show their love to their fathers	D．get money from their fathers

4. On Father’s Day, shopkeepers always want ________.

A．people to buy as many presents as possible

B．children to buy presents only for their fathers

C．women to buy presents only for their husbands

D．grandchildren to buy a Father’s Day present only for their grandfathers

5. It can be learned from the article that ________.

A．the writer is against Father’s Day

B．many countries have a Father’s Day

C．shopkeepers can get more money on Father’s Day than usual

D．We don‘t need to have a Father’s Day

【推荐2】

18thMarch
HeyJane,
Greetings from Valencia.It's a bit cold today but il isn't raining.We're staying at my friend's house.It's very beautiful because it's fiesta time. We're watching a street parade
now. People are wearing costurnes and they are dancing in the streets.There's a human tower competition,too.People are climbing on top ol each other to make the highest tower to win.It's very exciting.

See you soon,
Emma

2nd February
HiSuzie,
Greetings from the world ssnow capital, Quebec. It's very cold and it's snowing to day but I'm having wonderful time.It's the Quebec Winter Carnival so everyone's excited.My aunt is showing me around.Some people are carving sculptures from snow.Others are iceskating. I can't wait to watch the night parade.
Take care,
Bill

1. Look at the pictures above and expressions below, which one matches most?

A．Picture A matches with “fiesta time”.

B．Picture A matches with “people climbing on top of each other”.

C．Picture B matches with “people wearing costurnes”.

D．Picture B matches with “people are making a human tower”.

2. Where can we see the passages besides the pictures?

A．From cartoon movies.	B．From advertisements.
C．From postcards.	D．From adventure stories.

3. What’s the weather like in Quebec?

A．It’s cold and raining.	B．It’s cool and raining.
C．It’s cold and snowing.	D．It’s cool and snowing.

4. Who is staying with a friend?

A．Jane

B．Emma

C．Suzie

D．Bill

5. Why is Quebec called the world’s snow capital?

A．Because people celebrate Winter Carnival every year.

B．Because people are making the highest human tower.

C．Because people are watching a street parade.

D．Because people are dancing in the streets.

【推荐3】National Smile Month is the largest and longest mouth health activity in the UK. Starting in 1977,it is celebrating its 42nd   birthday from May 14 to June 14 this year.
The British are known for their bad teeth because they have too many sugary( 甜的) foods and drinks. It seems that most of them don’t often show their feelings. They neither smile nor cry.But this is NOT true. The British like to smile as much as anyone else. They just don’t want to show their bad teeth.

Brush your teeth at least twice a day, cut down sugary foods and drinks, and visit the dentist often. With the three messages, the organizers(组织者)hope that a month of smiling will make people all around the UK realize the importance of good teeth and be confident enough to open their mouths   to smile.
One interesting activity is for the British to enjoy the fun photos with short stories behind. Seeing the smiling faces and reading the interesting stories, everyone can’t help smiling! You’re welcome to send yours with big smiles online.
Smiling is not only good for you but also good for those around you, even if you do have a few bad teeth. This makes National Smile Month a great idea!
1. National Smile Month in the UK has had a history of______years so far.

A．5

B．l4

C．42

D．77

2. According to Paragraph 2, we learn that most of the British

A．don’t like sugary foods	B．have very good teeth
C．don’t show their feelings	D．like to smile in fact

3. The three messages in Paragraph 3 tell the British how to take care of their________.

A．teeth

B．food

C．drinks

D．hands

4. National Smile Month in the UK suggests that__________.

A．the British should improve their health only this month

B．the British should show more smiles with better teeth

C．the British shouldn’t smile if they have a few bad teeth

D．the British shouldn’t have many interesting activities

【推荐1】

album BrE/'ælbəm/; AmE/'ælbəm/(noun) 1. a collection of several pieces of music, made available as a single one on a CD, the internet, etc. Have you heard their new album? 2. a book with plain pages, used for collecting together and protecting photos, stamps, etc.) We’ve put our best party photos in the album? arrange BrE/ə'reɪndɜ/; AmE/ə'reɪndɜ /(verb) 1. to plan, prepare for, or organize something They arranged to have dinner the following month. 2. (put something somewhere) to put a group of objects in a certain order She arranged her birthday cards along the shelf.

carpenter BrE/'ka:pɪntər/; AmE/'ka: rpɪntə/(noun) a person whose job is making and repairing wooden objects and structures conclusion BrE/kən'klu:ɜən/; AmE/kən'klu:ɜən /(noun) The opinion you have after considering all the information about something Did you come to any conclusions at the meeting this morning? groan BrE/grəʊn/; AmE/'groʊn/(verb) 1. to make deep, long sound showing great pain or unhappiness 2. to complain or speak unhappily “Not again” he groaned(=said in a low, unhappy voice).

阅读以上字典词条，根据其内容判断下列各小题的正误。正确的填(涂)A，错误的(涂)B。
1. The word “album” is a noun.
2. The word “arrange” is pronounced differently in British English and American English.
3. A carpenter may build things out of wood.
4. When someone groans, he is usually very happy.
5. We can get the word spelling, parts of speech, pronunciation, meaning and some sentences in the dictionary.

【推荐2】Six Chinese Characters
Dear students,   our country has a long history.   Chinese characters usually have more than one meaning and some of them are particularly loved by Chinese people.   Here are the top six lucky ones.   Please note we use "pinyin" here because "pinyin" is the Chinese spelling system for the characters. For example, "fu" is the "pinyin" for good luck in Chinese.   "pinyin" "fu" is only the phonic     (语音的 )   part of the character and if you want to know the meaning of good luck "fu",   you must read the Chinese character福 because "fu" also represents   (代表)   other Chinese characters that sound the same.
1.福   "fu" means blessing,   good fortune,   good luck. Chinese character福 "fu" is one of the most popular ones used during Chinese New Year. It is often displayed upside down on the front door of a house or an apartment.   The upside down福"fu" means good luck comes since the character for upside down in Chinese sounds the same as the character for "come".
2.禄 "Iu" means prosperity.
It is used to mean official's salary(薪水 ) in feudal (封建的 ) China.
3. 寿 "shou" means longevity.
Chinese character寿   "shou" also means life,   age or birthday.
4.喜 "xi" is happiness.
The doubled character喜 "xi" means double happiness. It is usually displayed everywhere at Chinese weddings.
5.财   "cai" is wealth or money.
Chinese often say "money can make a ghost turn a millstone". It is to say money really can do a lot of things. But, still-money can’t buy everything.
6.和   "he" means harmomous.
People's harmony is an important part of Chinese culture. When you have harmomous
relations with others,     things will be a lot easier for you.
1. What does the word "character" mean in this passage?

A．性格

B．汉字

C．角色

D．特征

2. We use            to show how to read the Chinese characters.

A．"pinyin"	B．spelling
C．Chinese	D．letters

3. What does the upside down福 "fu" mean?

A．It means coming .

B．It means that good luck comes .

C．It means good fortune.

D．It means that "fu" is upside down.

4. Which sentence is right according to the passage?

A．Money is a ghost.

B．Money can buy everything.

C．Money is everything.

D．Money isn’t everything.

5. After reading the passage, can we say that sound "he" only means harmony?

A．No, we can't.	B．Yes, we can.
C．I know several words read as "he".	D．Yes, you can.

【推荐1】Do you know we are living in the world of mass media? Mass media are tools of communication and allow us to record and pass information rapidly to a large, scattered（分散的）audience. However, have you imagined what life would be without the media? Are you a media user who would go mad after two hours without TV, friend requests, exciting online games and your mobile — or would you easily survive?

Recently, university students around the world were asked to volunteer in a global experiment called Unplugged. It was designed to see how young people would react if they were asked to observe a total media ban（禁止）by unplugging (拔插头) all forms of media devices (设备) for 24 hours.

Unplugged is being run by Dr. Roman Gerodimos, a lecturer in Communication and Journalism at Bournemouth University. The experiment is now over but he doesn’t yet know the full findings. However, during the experiment, Dr. Gerodimos said there were already signs of how much the exercise affected volunteers. He said: “They’re reporting withdrawal（孤僻）signs, overeating, feeling nervous, isolated and disconnected. ”

During their 24-hour unpleasant experience, three volunteers had to put up with one interruption from the media: a BBC reporter plus cameraman who followed them around for the day. They were asked to write down 100 lines about their day offline, but of course, they all waited until the next day when they had access to their laptops. Elliot Day wrote: “Today, my whole morning routine was thrown up into the air. Despite being aware of the social importance of the media, I was surprised by how empty my life felt without the radio or newspapers.”

From Caroline Scott, we read: “I didn’t expect it, but being taken away from the media for 24 hours resulted in my day-to-day activities becoming so much harder to carry out than usual… I didn’t break out in a cold sweat like Dr. Roman Gerodimos expected us all to, but it’s not something I would like to do again!”

And Charlotte Gay wrote: “I have to say the most difficult item for me to be has been without my mobile; not only is it a social thing, it’s my main point of communication.”

Earlier in the year, a UK government study found that in the UK we spend about half our waking hours using the media, often plugged into several things at once. And a recent study by Nielson found that on average, US teenagers send and receive over 3,000 texts per month—that’s about six texts per waking hour.

So, with technology continuing to develop at an alarming rate, how much time will you set aside for sleep in the future?

1. According to the passage, what do you learn about the global experiment called Unplugged?

A．The experiment was carried out by US and UK governments.

B．The volunteers of the experiment are all university students.

C．It has been carried out among all the students in the world.

D．Its findings proved that Dr. Gerodimos’ expectations were true.

2. According to what the three volunteers wrote during the experiment, we can learn that ________.

A．they all feel very surprised and worried

B．all of them feel their life is peaceful without a mobile

C．it is hard for them to spend the 24 hours without the media

D．it makes them realize the social importance of the mobile

3. What does the writer think about the mass media?

A．He prefers not to live with it.	B．He thinks highly of it.
C．He worries about its influence.	D．He is not sure about its future.

4. What can be the best title of the passage?

A．Hello, technology!	B．The young’s lives, a mess?
C．Welcome, information age!	D．Mass media, a lifelong partner?

【推荐2】

Look at the center circles(中心圆) of picture A and picture B. Which of the center circles looks larger? Take a first look and you probably think that the center circle in picture A is smaller than that in picture B. In fact, they are exactly the same size.

Then look at the picture on the right. What do you see? A vase? Or two faces? Does the picture change quickly from one to the other again and again? Maybe or maybe not, but you can never see them at the same time.

“What's happening? Is something wrong with my eyes?” You may ask yourself. Don't worry. Here is how it goes: When we look at things, our eyes send messages to our brains and then our brains interpret(解读) the information. However, sometimes our brains interpret the received information in a wrong way. It seems that our eyes are playing a joke on us. This often happens and we call it visual illusion(视觉错误).

Movie makers often make use of illusions. They make the things around actors much smaller or bigger than usual. This makes us believe that the actors are much larger or smaller than they usually are. The movies Jurassic Park(《侏罗纪公园》)and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids(《亲爱的，我把孩子变小了》) just make use of illusions.

1. The center circle in picture A looks smaller than that in picture B. That's because ________.

A．something is wrong with our eyes

B．the two circles are not the same size

C．the two pictures change quickly from one to the other

D．our brains interpret the information in a wrong way

2. What's the right order according to the passage?
a. We look at things with our eyes.          b. Our brains interpret the messages.
c. Our brains tell us what we have seen.        d. Our eyes send messages to our brains.

A．adbc

B．cabd

C．bcad

D．cabd

3. In the picture on the right, it seems that Line AB is shorter than Line CD, but in fact Line AB is as long as Line CD. Which paragraph can explain what has happened to our eyes?

A．Paragraph 1

B．Paragraph 2

C．Paragraph 3

D．Paragraph 4

4. Why does the writer mention Jurassic Park and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids?

A．Because he loves movies.

B．Because readers love movies.

C．Because he wants to make the text funny.

D．Because he wants to give readers some examples.

5. The text is probably taken from ________.

A．an ICT book	B．a science book
C．a movie magazine	D．a story book

【推荐3】Everyone has got two personalities(性格)—the one that is shown to the world and the other that is secret and real. You don't show your secret personality when you're awake because you can control yourself, but when you're asleep, your sleeping position shows the real you. In a normal night, of course, you often change your sleeping positions. The important position that best shows your secret personality is the one that you go to sleep.

If you go to sleep on your back, you're a very open person. You normally trust people and you are easily influenced by new ideas. You don't like to make people unhappy, so you never express your real feelings. You're quite shy and you aren't very confident.

If you sleep on your stomach, you are a person who likes to keep secrets. You worry a lot and you're always easily becoming sad. You never want to change your ideas, but you are satisfied with your life. You usually live for today not for tomorrow.

If you sleep on curled up(蜷缩),you are probably a very nervous person. You have a low opinion of yourself and often protect yourself from being hurt, so you are very defensive. You're shy and you don't usually like meeting people. You like to be on your own.

If you sleep on your side, you have usually got a well-balanced(平衡的)personality. You know your strengths and weaknesses. You're usually careful. You have a confident personality. You sometimes feel worried, but you don't often get unhappy. You always say what you think, even if it makes people angry.

1. You may find the passage in ________.

A．a science magazine

B．a guide book

C．a sports newspaper

2. How many sleeping positions are mentioned in the passage?

A．two.

B．five.

C．four

3. Tina hardly tells her secrets to her friends. She probably goes to sleep ________.

A．on curled up

B．on her stomach

C．on her back

4. What does the underlined word "defensive" mean in the passage?

A．有戒备心的

B．攻击性的

C．易怒的

5. What does the passage tell us?

A．Sleeping on your side is the best way of sleeping.

B．Changing positions will cause sleeping problems.

C．Sleeping positions show people's secret personalities.