1 . The Spring Festival falls on the first day of the first lunar month. Here are some traditional customs (习俗) of the Spring Festival.
Spring Cleaning
“Sweeping the dust” before the Spring Festival means a cleaning of houses to sweep away bad luck in the past year. Cleaning has to be finished before the first day of the Spring Festival, that’s what Chinese people always called “Ci Jiu Ying Xin”: saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new.
Paper Cuttings
After cleaning up, people will put up paper cuttings on the windows and doors before the Spring Festival. Chinese put up the character (汉字) “Fu” and different kinds of paper cuttings to wish for a better life. Some people put the character “Fu” upside down to show that blessing (祝福) has arrived.
Eating Dumplings
On Chinese New Year’s Eve, the whole family sit at the table to eat together. In the north of China, people eat lots of dumplings. It is said that the more dumplings you eat, the more money you can make in the New Year. People put coins (硬币) in some dumplings. The lucky ones who eat coins mean that they will have special luck in the coming year.
Hongbao
Children love Spring Festival because they can receive Hongbao! Hongbao is some lucky money wrapped (裹) with red paper. Red is a symbol of good luck for Chinese people, lucky money is believed to bring good luck to the receivers. Traditionally, the older give the lucky money to the younger.
Task Ⅰ: Finish the chart according to the article. Fill in each blank with no more than 3 words.
根据以上短文内容填空，每空不超过3个单词。
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Task Ⅱ: Answer the following questions.
6. When is the Spring Festival?
7. How many traditional customs of the Spring Festival are mentioned?
8. Do you like Spring Festivals? Why or why not? Explain your reason(s) in about 20 words.
2 . Travelling is interesting. There are many ways to travel: by plane, by train, by ship or by car. Let’s see what people think of these ways.
My favourite way of travelling is by car. I can bring my pet dog together. I can travel three hundred miles or only fifty miles a day. I can stop at a good restaurant to enjoy a good meal or at a hotel to spend the night. —Greg |
I love travelling by train best! It’s very exciting. I travelled to most of the countries in Europe in 5 months by train. It’s the best way to talk with local people and make new friends on the way. Trains even make the longest trip enjoyable. Travelling by train is just like a big moving party. —Grace |
I like travelling by ship. It is a very great way to spend a holiday. I can go to parties and watch movies on the ship, and enjoy the blue sky and clear water. —Eliza |
Planes are my favourite. It’s the fastest way of travelling. I can quickly get to another country. The seats on the planes are very comfortable. I can have something to drink and eat. I can also read some free magazines and newspapers. —Danny |
1. How many ways of travelling are talked about in the passage?
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. |
| A．Greg. | B．Grace. | C．Eliza. |
| A．Enjoyable. | B．Slow. | C．Boring. |
| A．Because he can make new friends. |
| B．Because the food is delicious. |
| C．Because it’s the fastest way. |
| A．A science report. | B．A story book. | C．A travel magazine. |
Spring Festival is coming. You will buy new clothes and a lot of food. There are always some old clothes you don’t want. And there is always some food you can’t eat. What can you do? Send them to the two places.
Wall of Kindness (友善之墙)
You can see Wall of Kindness in many cities now, like Shanghai, Beijing, Xiamen and Qingdao. People hang (悬挂) their old clothes on the wall. Poor people can take them away. You can always see jackets, sweaters, trousers and coats on the wall.
Share Fridge (共享冰箱)
China has its first Share Fridge. It’s in Shanghai. There is a lot of food in it, like cakes. The food is from some restaurants and stores. People don’t need to buy the food because it’s free. They can take it home.
1. The underlined word “them” refers to (指的是) ________.| A．clothes | B．cakes | C．fridges |
| A．some birthday cakes | B．an English book | C．a pair of old trousers |
| A．China has its first Share Fridge in Xiamen. |
| B．People who need the clothes on the wall can take them away. |
| C．People have to pay for (为……付款) the food in Share Fridge. |
| A．helpful | B．tidy | C．healthy |
| A．Wall of Kindness | B．Share Fridge | C．Do something for others |
4 . The Dragon Boat Festival is a folk festival which has a history of more than two thousand years. It is also named Duanwu Festival. There are many activities on the day.
The dragon boat race is an important competition during the festival. People hold dragon boat races in the river to remember the poet, Qu Yuan. Now, the dragon boat race is a traditional activity for Chinese people.
During the Dragon Boat Festival, children usually wear sweet-smelling bags to avoid bad things. In some areas of China, a sweet-smelling bag is also used as a symbol of love between lovers.
A long time ago, a married daughter would return to her parents’ home during the Dragon Boat Festival. So the Dragon Boat Festival is also called Girl’s Day.
Eating rice dumplings is also a custom for Chinese people. The rice dumpling is a kind of food with different designs and styles. For thousands of years, the custom of eating rice dumplings has been popular in China and has spread to Korea, Japan and countries in Southeast Asia.
1. The Dragon Boat Festival is called ________.| A．Shangyuan Festival | B．Duanwu Festival | C．Zhongzi Festival |
| A．Watching dragon boat races. | B．Wearing red bags. | C．Eating rice dumplings. |
| A．girls like eating sweet rice dumplings |
| B．a married daughter would return to her parents’ home |
| C．sweet-smelling bags are girls’ favorite |
| A．pick flowers | B．wear sweet-smelling bags | C．eat rice dumplings |
| A．I like Dragon Boat Festival best |
| B．Dragon Boat Festival in China |
| C．The history of Dragon Boat Festival |
5 . Tibet (西藏) is among the most popular places for Chinese tourists. The number of travellers of Tibet has grown by 10% every year for a few years. Since July 1st, 2006, when the first train ran1.956 kilometres from Xining to Lhasa, more and more people have been to Tibet.
The train stops at several famous places along the way, such as Qinghai Lake, Kunlun Mountain, and the Potala Palace. Passengers can also enjoy many activities during the journey, like Tibetan dancing and Karaoke.
On the train, passengers can have tea, eggs and noodles for breakfast, and fried chicken and green vegetables for lunch and dinner. Unlike most other Chinese trains which have open-hole toilets, this one has special toilets which can collect the waste. There is also a special rubbish system (系统) in the train that keeps the environment clean. All the windows on the train can protect people from the bright sunlight. TV and electrical sockets (插座) for computers and mobile phones can be found on the train.
Because there isn’t much oxygen there, trains will have oxygen masks for those who need them. It makes passengers feel more comfortable when they have enough oxygen on the famous “roof of the world”. There are also doctors on the train to make sure that all of the travellers are safe.
根据短文内容，选择最佳选项。
1. On July 1st, 2006, the first train ran from ________ to Lhasa.
| A．Qinghai Lake | B．Xining | C．Kunlun Mountain |
| A．windows | B．toilets | C．sockets |
| A．氧气面罩 | B．饮水机 | C．果皮箱 |
| A．flying to Tibet is impossible |
| B．taking a train to Lhasa causes a lot of trouble |
| C．the train trip to Tibet is popular with travellers |
| A．Tibet-Roof of the World | B．Beautiful Views in Tibet | C．Magic Train to Magic Tibet |
6 . A Chinese knot (中国结) is woven (编织) with a single rope (绳). It has different shapes. Each shape has its own meaning. People can use ropes of different colors to weave a Chinese knot, but they usually use red because it means good luck.
The Chinese knot, a folk art, has a long history. People first made them to record information and send messages before they started to use words. The knots were used for decoration (装饰) and to express thoughts and feelings in the Tang Dynasty (朝代). They were later popular in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. But this art wasn’t really accepted (接受) by the common people until the Qing Dynasty.
Even today, Chinese knots still hold the value of feelings when they are sent as gifts. For example, lovers may give a knot to show their love. The “double happiness knot” is given and used at weddings (婚礼) to express each other’s love and wishes for growing old together.
Knots are also used when people make traditional clothes in China. They can play the role of buttons (纽扣) and now silk is widely used to make these clothing knots.
Many tourists including foreigners like to buy Chinese knots as gifts during their trips. There are many shopping streets for people to buy Chinese knots. Yiwu Commodity Market in Zhejiang Province is a good place for that. There are many different kinds of beautiful Chinese knots there. They are popular with customers.
1. ________ of a Chinese knot can show its own meaning.| A．The size. | B．The shape. | C．The color. |
| A．Because they look nice. |
| B．Because they mean good luck. |
| C．Because they show love. |
| A．In the Qing Dynasty. | B．In the Song Dynasty. | C．In the Ming Dynasty |
| A．Wood. | B．Steel. | C．Silk. |
| A．Only Chinese people like to buy the Chinese knots. |
| B．Today people use a “double happiness knot” to express love to their lovers. |
| C．People used Chinese knots to record information and send messages before using words. |
7 . This is the twins’ room. It’s a nice room. The two beds are in the room. One is Lucy’s and the other（另一个）is Lily’s. They look the same. Their coats are on the desk. We can’t see their shoes. They are under the beds. The twins have desks and chairs. Their clocks, books and pencil cases are on the desks. Their school bags are behind the chairs.
1. What kind of room is it?| A．A classroom. | B．A big room. | C．A bedroom. |
| A．On the wall. | B．Behind the chair. | C．Under their beds. |
| A．old | B．new | C．under the beds |
| A．their shoes under the chairs | B．their schoolbags are under the beds | C．their clocks and books on the desk |
| A．Lily’s coat is on the bed. | B．Two beds are in the room. | C．Lucy’s shoes are under the chair. |
8 . Do you know about The Colour Run? Some people say it’s the happiest running experience in the world. The sport is a 5-km run where everyone throws coloured dust (粉末) at each other. The sport is very popular in the US and it’s getting more popular in China too.
The sport is similar to an Indian holiday called Holi. The holiday came from stories about good beating evil, but today it’s about having fun. Everyone throws coloured dust at each other and shouts “Happy Holi”.
The Colour Run doesn’t have a time limit, and there are no winners or prizes. The only rule is that runners have to start the race wearing all white. They want everyone to forget about competition and just enjoy the experience.
During the race, after every kilometer, there are people holding coloured dust who will splash (泼洒) you with it. By the end of the race, the runners will be covered with all the colours.
1. How far do the players need to run in The Colour Run?| A．500 m. | B．1 km. | C．5 km. |
| A．Holi. | B．The Water-sprinkling Festival. | C．Halloween. |
| A．Black. | B．White. | C．Red. |
| A．Everyone throws coloured dust at each other and shouts “Happy Holi” in Holi. |
| B．The Colour Run isn’t very popular in the US and China. |
| C．There are no winners or prizes in The Colour Run. |
| A．The Colour Run | B．Holi | C．The meaning of the Colour Run |
9 . Welcome to my hometown (家乡). It’s a newest city near a river. But it is smaller than the other cities. It is very quiet, clean and nice. So most people think it is a good place. When you come to my hometown, I will show you around a big and beautiful park. It is in the center of the city. It is my favorite place. I usually go to the park on Sundays with my family or friends. Many people exercise in it every day. Kids can play sports or play games in it, too. There are pay phones, a supermarket, a market and restaurant near it. The library is open from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm every day. People can read books, watch video (录像带) and learn new things in it. People can buy things in the supermarket and market. If people are hungry, they can go to the restaurants for a meal. Do you like my hometown?
根据短文内容,按要求完成下列各题。
1. Is the writer’s hometown bigger than any other city?（根据短文内容回答问题）
2. Why do most people think the city is a good place?（根据短文内容回答问题）
3. The library is open from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm every day.（对划线部分提问，每空一词。）
4. According to the passage, the big and beautiful park is in
5. In the passage, the underlined word “it” refers to (指代)
10 . Being outgoing is good for your life. Those who are more outgoing like to meet lots of people and have more fun in life. In fact, being outgoing is not as hard as you think. Even shy people can be outgoing.
You can start outgoing with your best friend or a group of friends. But the real challenge (挑战) comes when you meet new friends. Smile (笑) more, and usually they will return (回报) your smile. In this way, you may have some talks.
Start a talk. Just a simple “Hello” or “How is it going” is a good start. If you make interesting talks, you should read news in newspaper and prepare (准备) your ideas, or surf the Internet for information (信息) and then keep that in mind.
The easiest way to be more outgoing is to go out. This is also the most important step (步). Go to a park, beach, club, party or any other place that you think can be fun, and you can make new friends there and then you can get more outgoing.
1. You should start to be outgoing with your ________.| A．parents | B．teachers | C．best friends |
| A．How old are you? | B．What’s your name? | C．How is it going? |
| A．talking | B．going out | C．playing |
| A．more outgoing | B．healthier | C．more serious |
| A．Being outgoing is really difficult. |
| B．Being outgoing is good for our lives. |
| C．Being outgoing helps people have more fun. |
