1 . In England, people often talk about the weather because they can experience (经历) four seasons in one day. In the morning, the weather is warm just like in spring. An hour later, black clouds come, and then it rains hard. The weather gets a little cold. In the late afternoon, the sky will be sunny, the sun will begin to shine, and it will be summer at this time of a day.

In England, people can also have summer in winter, or have winter in summer. So in winter, they can swim sometimes, and in summer sometimes they should take warm clothes.

When you go to England, you will see that some English people usually take an umbrella or a raincoat with them in the sunny morning, but you should not laugh at them.

If you don’t take an umbrella or a raincoat, you will regret (后悔) later in the day.

1. Why do people in England often talk about the weather?

A．Because they may have four seasons in one day.

B．Because they often have very good weather.

C．Because the weather is warm just like in spring.

D．Because the sky is sunny all day.

2. From the story we know that when ______ come, there is a heavy rain.

A．sunshine and snow	B．black clouds
C．summer and winter	D．spring and autumn

3. “People can also have summer in winter.” means “it is sometimes too ______ in winter.”

A．warm

B．cool

C．cold

D．rainy

4. In the sunny morning, some English people usually take an umbrella or a raincoat with them because ______.

A．their friends ask them to do so	B．it often rains in England
C．they are going to sell them	D．they are their favorite things

5. The best title (标题) for this passage is ______.

A．Bad Seasons	B．Summer or Winter
C．The Weather in England	D．Strange English People

2 . The Chongyang Festival is a traditional Chinese festival. It is celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth lunar(阴历) month. It's also called the Double Ninth Festival.

The festival started as early as the Warring States Period (475-221BC). It has a history of more than 1, 700 years. Among the numbers from zero to nine, nine is the highest odd number(奇数). People believe that two "ninths" meeting together stand for a long life. So it is a special   holiday for Chinese people to show love and respect for their elders. They hold many kinds of   activities in honor of old people to wish them good health and a long life.

The festival comes during the golden time of fall. On the day, people traditionally drink Chrysanthemum(菊花)wine, eat Double-Ninth Cakes and climb mountains. They also carry a kind of plant, its name is dogwood, People in ancient times believed that the plant could drive away evil(邪恶的) spirits and prevent them from catching an illness in winter.

Answer the questions according to the passage.
1. When is the Double Ninth Festival?
_____________________________________________________
2. Does the Double Ninth Festival have a history of 1, 700 years?
_____________________________________________________
3. What do two "ninths" meeting together stand for?
____________________________________________________
4. Who do people celebrate the Double Ninth Festival for?
____________________________________________________
5. What do people traditionally drink and eat on the festival?
____________________________________________________

3 . Black Friday
Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday. The day after it has been known as Black Friday. It is the start of the holiday shopping season, and it has been the busiest shopping day of the year in the US since 2005.
Most stores offer big sales on Black Friday. They open their doors quite early in the morning. They try to attract shoppers with big discounts (打折). Some items (商品)like TVs and cloths are much cheaper than usual. Stores may even lose money on these items. They hope that shoppers will buy gifts for other people while they are in the store.
Black Friday is a great time to go shopping. However, there are problem. The biggest one is that there are not enough low-priced items. Each store may only have a few. These items are in great need, so people stand in long lines to get them. They may wait three to four hours before a store opens. They may be hoping to get a low price on a TV or computer, but not everybody can get one. Some people leave, disappointed.
The situation makes people worried. Some Black Friday events have been crazy. There have been fights over toys among shoppers. Some workers have even been hurt by large crowds. But most Black Friday events are safe and fun. Still, if you plan to go, you will expect large crowds and a bit of pushing.
So where does the name “Black Friday” come from? It was first used in Philadelphia in the 1950s. The police called this day Black Friday because of the heavy traffic it caused. In the 1960s, stores tried to rename the day “Big Friday”. It did not stick. The name “Black Friday” continued to spread across the country. It seems that it is here to stay.
Now people all over the country take part in Black Friday events. It is even spreading to other parts of the world. Stores have held Black Friday events in the UK, Australia, and Brazil since 2012. In Mexico, stores offer a weekend of discounts every year. They call it “El Buen Fin”, which means “the good weekend” in Spanish. I guess people everywhere like to buy things on sale.

1. Is Black Friday the start of the holiday shopping season?
_______________________________________________________
2. What is the biggest problem with Black Friday?
_______________________________________________________
3. How long may people have to wait before a store opens?
_______________________________________________________
4. Where was the name “Black Friday” first used in the 1950s?
______________________________________________________
5. Why do people like going shopping on Black Friday?
______________________________________________________