1 . Heilongjiang Province(省) has a great number of tourists(游客)from China and other countries. The province is next to Russia and they have more than 3,000 kilometers of border(边界).
The province has a large forest. Its forest covers(覆盖)nearly 42% of the ground. The forest is the largest in China. In the province,there are also a lot of lakes and rivers,like the Heilong River and the Songhua River,the Xingkai Lake and the Jingpo Lake.
The province is covered by snow and ice for about 120 days a year. This makes it a very nice place to visit in winter. Skiing ,skating,winter swimming and ice fishing all make the Heilongjiang Province a good place during the coldest time of the year.
Fill in the blanks according to the passage. Only one word for each blank.
People at home and abroad (国内外)visit Heilongjiang Province. The province has
2 . What would the world be like if cars could drive themselves? Imagine seeing an empty car passing by on its way to pick up its owner, or a car full of passengers who are reading, listening to music or even sleeping. But none of them are worried about the road ahead.
Well, all of this could be the future of driving. There are several companies, including Google, working on driverless cars. So far, no Google self-driven cars have gotten a traffic ticket (罚单), but some of them have been in accidents when other cars hit them.
These cars are now still in the testing stages (阶段). But, if the tests are successful, these electric self-driven cars could be put into use very soon.
The cars are so special that they can take the place of drivers during certain situations. They are able to park themselves, or slow down when they notice objects close by. They can also control the speed if there is danger.
Scientists and engineers believe, with the help of wireless signals (无线信号) , cameras and GPS, creating a safe self-driven car might be possible. The cause of deadly (致死的) road accidents is usually careless drivers or bad conditions. The self-driven car may be able to prevent these. However, some people don’t like the idea. American lawyer Whit Drake does not believe these cars are safe. He thinks that technologies can also be mistakes.
Complete the chart according to the passage with only one word for each blank.
Self-driven cars | |
| The future of driving | An empty car can drive |
| The situation | They are in the |
| The | They can park themselves, slow down and control the speed. |
| Different ideas about them | Scientists think they can prevent road |
3 . 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?
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2. Does the Double Ninth Festival have a history of 1, 700 years?
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3. What do two "ninths" meeting together stand for?
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4. Who do people celebrate the Double Ninth Festival for?
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5. What do people traditionally drink and eat on the festival?
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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?
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2. What is the biggest problem with Black Friday?
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3. How long may people have to wait before a store opens?
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4. Where was the name “Black Friday” first used in the 1950s?
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5. Why do people like going shopping on Black Friday?
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