1 . Every festival has its own meaning. Labor Day, for example, celebrates the value of hard work. Thanksgiving is about showing thanks to people around you. And Valentines’ Day is a time when you express love to your loved ones. But somehow it now seems that all festivals we just care about one thing — shopping. And that can be a big problem.
“In a way, over-consumption (过度消费) is the mother of all our environmental problems,” Kalle Lasn once told CNN. Lasn is the organizer of Buy Nothing Day, a day set up in Canada in 1992 to fight against unhealthy spending habits, and has now become an international event. It’s held on the day, which is known as Black Friday — a famous shopping day in the US and Canada.
You can see the irony (讽刺) here.
Even though the idea of Buy Nothing Day was brought up 26 years ago, we seem to need it now more than ever. It’s just as Lasn said, all the different kinds of pollution in our lives today — bad air quality, the reduction of forest area, endangered animal species, and plastic bags found in the ocean — seem to be the same cause: over-consumption.
The latest example is the Singles’ Day shopping craze of Nov 11, which saw a new sales record. But as Nie Li, a campaigner at Greenpeace, told Reuters, “Record-setting over-consumption means record-setting waste.” And it was reported that last year the Singles’ Day packages left more than 160,000 tons of waste, including plastic and cardboard. The Collins Dictionary has also just named “single-use” its Word of the Year, pointing out the problem that there’re too many things we tow out after only using them once.
So, Buy Nothing Day might only be here for one day a year, but it’s not just to remind us to the a break from shopping on that day, but to change our lifestyle completely, focusing on fun “with people we care about” rather than wasting money on useless things.
1. What’s the authors purpose of writing the first paragraph?| A．To express the people’s love for all festivals. |
| B．To talk about the meaning of the festivals. |
| C．To appreciate the value of the festivals. |
| D．To bring out the topic of the passage. |
| A．To help people save money. | B．To cut the cost for daily life. |
| C．To prevent over-consumption. | D．To set up a new sales record. |
| A．Opposed (反对的). | B．Supportive. |
| C．Unknown. | D．Neutral (中立的). |
| A．Creating a New Lifestyle | B．Buy Nothing Day |
| C．Festivals Around the World | D．A Change in People’s Life |
If you’ve ever spent time in the UK, you must have had a nice cup of tea. There’s tea for
breakfast, tea during break time, tea when you visit a friend’s house and tea for
While drinking tea is
Despite the fact that tea has been popular in the UK for hundreds of years, the question of when to add the milk is one that still
This means people
Cold Food Festival is a
Legend has it that Chong’er, a prince of Jin in the Spring and Autumn Period, experienced many hardships while he moved around the warring states. Once, when the prince suffered from
Mianshan Mountain,
4 . A Letter to Mom and Her Mince (肉末)Pies
When I was a little girl, on Christmas Eve, you and I would bake cakes. “Make enough mince pies, because Santa likes them, ” you would tell me.
On Christmas morning, I’d wake up and thrill at the
Many years later, the
Christmas changed in 1986, when you suffered a
Only now am I starting to enjoy Christmas again. And while I don’t do the
| A．pie | B．mess | C．tree | D．sight |
| A．violently | B．deliberately | C．excitedly | D．casually |
| A．discover | B．witness | C．describe | D．imagine |
| A．apartment | B．lounge | C．bedroom | D．kitchen |
| A．people | B．cakes | C．leaves | D．presents |
| A．tradition | B．holiday | C．celebration | D．situation |
| A．while | B．though | C．directly | D．before |
| A．heavily | B．certainly | C．suddenly | D．frequently |
| A．Mom | B．Santa | C．Christmas | D．guests |
| A．for | B．to | C．like | D．beside |
| A．explanation | B．opinion | C．expression | D．reply |
| A．mild | B．curable | C．severe | D．common |
| A．suffering | B．preparing | C．working | D．resting |
| A．laundry | B．cleaning | C．operation | D．baking |
| A．still | B．also | C．even | D．just |
5 . Christmas Activities for Adults
·Organise a Charity Show
Christmas is about spreading joy and love, and it’s also about giving. We give our family presents on this day to show them happiness and love, don’t we? But have you ever wondered how the poor celebrate their Christmas? Does Santa leave gifts for them too?
·Visit Orphanages(孤儿院)and Old Age Homes
Christmas is an occasion for the entire family to come together and celebrate. More than the celebration, we look forward to being near our close ones.
·Start a Donation Drive
If you have the time, organise a donation drive in your locality. A lot of people will want to donate clothes , accessories (衣服的配饰)and other necessary items.
| A．Shopping is an entirely different experience during Christmas. |
| B．With Christmas just around the corner, it is time for us to plan our holidays. |
| C．Along with gifts, if you donate these to people as well, it will really make a difference. |
| D．Now that you know these activities, you can select a few of them to keep yourself busy. |
| E．As for charity, you can arrange for a show in your circle of friends or in your neighbourhood. |
| F．Gifting something to your family members, friends and colleagues is important during Christmas. |
| G．The same joy can be shared with people who don’t have the company of their family on this happy occasion. |
6 . What would you like to drink? It’s likely the first thing your server will ask when you sit down for a restaurant meal. Whether you ask for it or not, a glass of water usually comes with lemon slices. But be warned: despite all the health benefits of lemon water, you might want to tell your server to leave a lemon slices out.
A 2007 study in the Journal of Environmental Health tested 76 lemons from 21 restaurants for germs(细菌)and had some pretty frightening findings. Nearly 70 percent of the lemon slices had germs. Even though lemon is a natural germ-killer, it can still be polluted by germs. Another ABC research testing one lemon at 10 different restaurants found that half the lemon slices had human waste.
Lemon slices are more likely to have germs than the food you order on a plate because restaurant health standards are likely to be less strict for garnishes(装饰菜). The ABC research noticed that restaurant workers often cut lemons without gloves. If they didn’t scrub their hands completely after using the bathroom, there was a good chance that they could leave the germs on the lemon slices in your drink.
But before you start giving servers an angry look when you see them carrying lemon water, you should know that the garnish won’t necessarily make you sick. The authors of the 2007 study admitted there haven’t been any diseases linked to lemons. And expert Philip Tierno, leader of the ABC research, said, “Your immune system(免疫系统)will usually protect you from getting sick from lemon water.” “The usual course will probably result in no disease, but there is a possibility,” DrTierno said. “You can’t live in a bubble. Your immune system is usually pretty good.”
Still, if you’re concerned, just request your server to bring your water with no lemon slices. Don’t skip the lemon water at home though, because drinking lemon water has huge health benefits. Just make sure to wash the lemon before putting it in your glass.
1. How does the author introduce the topic of the text?| A．By telling a story. |
| B．By raising a question. |
| C．By giving an example. |
| D．By listing scientific facts. |
| A．Germs grew faster in lemons. |
| B．The lemon was a natural germ-killer. |
| C．Most tested lemons had germs. |
| D．Few people noticed unsafe restaurant food. |
| A．Dry. | B．Clean. |
| C．Move. | D．Examine. |
| A．People can drink lemon water in restaurants. |
| B．Lemon water in restaurants will become less popular. |
| C．Cooks should wear gloves while preparing garnishes. |
| D．Homemade lemon water is healthier than that in restaurants. |
7 . While tea may have originated in Asia, now there are many countries all around the world that have tea woven into their food cultures and traditions. This is one of the very special parts of tea as it has a way of connecting people all over the world in different ways and ceremonies that finally all result in a group of people sitting together and enjoying a cup of tea.
Chinese tea culture
Since China is viewed as the birthplace of tea, it is no wonder that Chinese tea culture is rich with history and tradition. Today, Chinese tea continues to be used in Chinese medicine and is commonly consumed on both casual and formal occasions both for personal enjoyment and to represent Chinese cultural traditions.
Japanese tea culture
Japan also has a long history with tea, especially Japanese Matcha, which is a kind of ground green tea that is commonly used in Japanese tea ceremonies and only in recent years has become popular in Western culture.
British tea culture
When many people think about tea, British tea culture is what comes to mind. A hot cup of English Breakfast or EarlGrey tea serves with a little milk and a biscuit in the morning as a pick-me-up for the day. Even though tea may not be native to England, this British tea tradition is still going strong today.
Moroccan tea culture
When you visit Morocco, it is hard to miss the outstanding tea culture that is such a large part of Moroccan hospitality. Before any gathering, negotiation, or sale of a product, a pot of mint tea is always prepared and served among the host and guests. This is an expression of Moroccan tradition and hospitality, which should always be accepted by guests as a sign of appreciation and respect to the host.
1. Why can tea find its way into various food cultures?| A．It originates in Asia. |
| B．It forms different ceremonies. |
| C．It gets people connected easily. |
| D．It allows people to sit together. |
| A．They have a long history. |
| B．They are used in medicine. |
| C．They are famous for ground green tea. |
| D．They’ve long gained worldwide recognition. |
| A．To get energy. |
| B．To bring out respect. |
| C．To show hospitality. |
| D．To observe a tradition. |
| A．Healthy You. | B．Social Insight. |
| C．Cultural Corner. | D．Itchy Feet Travel. |
8 . Walter Peak High Country Farm on the western shores of Lake Wakatipu is famous in history. Its sheltered bays were used as camping sites by Maori travelling to the Mararoa and Oreti Rivers on Moa hunting and gathering expeditions.
Things to Do
Situated on picturesque Lake Wakatipu’s western shores, the farm is the perfect place to spend a few relaxing hours. The Farm Tour itself is a wonderful experience for the whole family, with something to keep everyone entertained and happy. Our rural host will meet you after you leave the steamboat and take you for a walking tour of the farmyard. The first stop is the holding to help feed the sheep and deer, and even get up close to the Scottish highland cattle. Then walk slowly through the lakeside gardens to the charming Colonel’s Homestead for morning or afternoon tea. Afterwards the farmer will lead you over to the shearing shed (剪羊毛棚) where you can watch the farm dogs rounding up sheep on the hills, and see the farmer cut the wool off a sheep. You will then board the steamboat for your cruise back to Queenstown.
Ticket Information
Child Ticket $22.00
Adult Ticket $77.00
Visitor Information
Opening Time:10 a.m.
Closing Time:4 p.m.
Additional Information
All tickets purchased at MyFun must make a booking at +64-3441-8166. Please mention your MyFun barcode (条形码) number when making your booking. Please print out your voucher (收据) and take along with you to the attraction. Tickets are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase.
1. What can tourists do during the Farm Tour?| A．Have morning tea. |
| B．Cut the wool off a sheep. |
| C．Hunt on the rivers with your family. |
| D．Run a steamboat by yourself. |
| A．$99. | B．$176. | C．$231. | D．$253. |
| A．Use the tickets after a year. |
| B．Tell your rural host your MyFun barcode number. |
| C．Call+64-3441-8166 to print out your ticket. |
| D．They can’t use the tickets unless they have made a booking. |
9 . Paper cutting is a special form of folk art in China, with a history of nearly 1,500 years. The first paper cutting
In rural areas, paper cutting is
The main cutting
Wishes for wealth, health and longevity (长寿) are mostly
| A．puts back to | B．looks back to | C．dates back to | D．brings back to |
| A．creation | B．solution | C．revolution | D．impression |
| A．initial | B．visual | C．racial | D．rural |
| A．eventually | B．traditionally | C．possibly | D．fortunately |
| A．supposed | B．surprised | C．determined | D．disappointed |
| A．Moreover | B．However | C．Thus | D．Otherwise |
| A．ways | B．things | C．tools | D．books |
| A．requests | B．requires | C．increases | D．introduces |
| A．carelessness | B．instruction | C．comparison | D．separation |
| A．ever | B．still | C．always | D．even |
| A．received | B．expressed | C．improved | D．increased |
| A．comments | B．friends | C．influence | D．fortune |
| A．decoration | B．entertainment | C．invitation | D．preparation |
| A．put | B．attach | C．move | D．add |
| A．health | B．longevity | C．wealth | D．strength |
A cactus (仙人掌) stood all alone in the desert, wondering why it was stuck in the middle of the desert. “I do nothing but stand here all day,” it sighed. “What use do I have? I am the ugliest plant in the desert. My spines (刺) are thick, my leaves are tough, and my skin is uneven. I can’t offer shade or juice to the passing travellers. I don’t see that I am of any use at all.” All it did was stand in the sun day after day, growing taller and fatter. Its spines grew longer and its leaves grew tougher. It truly was strange-looking.
“I wish I could do something useful,” it signed. By day, hawks (鹰) circled high overhead, and the cactus called, “What can I do with my life?” Whether they heard or not, the hawks flew away. At night the moon floated into the sky and cast its pale light on the desert floor. “What can I do with my life?” the cactus called. The moon only stared coldly as it continued its course.
A lizard (蜥蜴) passed by, leaving a little trail in the sand with its tail. “What worthy deed can I do?” the cactus called. “You?” the lizard smiled, pausing a moment. “You can do something. Just wait for the right moment. The hawks circle their ways overhead, making beautiful patterns for us all to admire. The moon hangs high like a lantern at night, so we can see our ways home to our loved ones. Even I, the lowly lizard, have something to do. I decorate the sands with these beautiful trails as I pull my tail along. And you, you will show us your beauty some day.”
Paragraph 1:
It went on year after year, and the cactus grew old.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
The desert hadn’t known such a flower of it.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
