2 . While some customs like setting off fireworks and counting down the last few seconds seem universal, many countries have their own unique New Year’s Eve traditions.

Denmark: Break plates

A Danish tradition is to throw plates and dishes against friend’s and neighbor’s front doors. It’s a bit of a popularity contest as the bigger the pile of broken china is the next morning, the more friends and good luck you’ll have in the coming year.

Germany: Pouring lead

In Germany, people melt small pieces of lead in a spoon over a candle, then pour the liquid into cold water. The shapes from the lead pouring are supposed to reveal what the year ahead will bring. If the lead forms a ball, luck will roll one’s way, while the shape of a crown means wealth; a cross means death and a star will bring happiness.

Spain: Twelve grapes of luck

In Spain, one New Year’s tradition is to eat 12 grapes, one for each month of the coming year, to secure prosperity (繁荣). You need to eat one grape with each bell strike at midnight. The tradition dates from 1909 when farmers in Alicante came up with this idea to sell more grapes after an exceptional harvest.

Philippines: Round food, round clothes, round everything

In the Philippines, the start of the new year is all about the money. The locals believe that surrounding themselves with round things (to represent coins) will bring money or fortune. As a result, clothes with dots are worn and round food is eaten.

1. What is believed to bring good luck for the coming new year in Denmark?

A．A red candle.

B．Round food.

C．Broken china.

D．A lead cross.

2. What inspired the New Year’s tradition of eating grapes?

A．A way to make coins.	B．An act to keep power.
C．A desire to be popular.	D．An idea to gain profit.

3. Which section of a magazine is the text probably taken from?

A．Fashion.

B．Travel.

C．Culture.

D．Entertainment.

3 . I was born and raised in England in a culture where privacy and “keeping yourself to yourself” were valued traditions. Speaking to strangers was not encouraged. People were most hospitable and friendly.

However, I have been lucky enough to spend some time in both Italy and the US, where I found traditions of hospitality and politeness to be very different.

I experienced Italian hospitality firsthand. On a crowded railway carriage travelling, one afternoon, from Genoa to Florence, sinking gratefully into an empty seat, I was scolded in rapid Italian by a gentleman who was returning to this seat ---- it had not been “spare” after all. I apologized in English, and got up to allow him back into the seat. The gentleman obviously had no understanding of the English language, but he, too, realized my genuine (真诚的) mistake. He smiled and gestured for me to remain in the seat, and he himself remained standing in the corridor for the remainder of the journey. The other occupants of the carriage smiled and nodded at me and made me feel quite welcome amongst them. I feel that if this had been in England, a foreigner who made a mistake would not always be so kindly treated.

Transport also featured in the differences I noticed between English and American culture. I flew to New York on a plane with mainly English passengers. We sat together in near silence. Nobody spoke to me nor, as I expected, to anyone else they did not know. They felt it was not polite to interrupt someone else’s privacy. However, when I travelled across the United States, whether by plane or bus, I was never short of conversation. Conversation was going on all around me and whoever sat next to me was happy to introduce themselves and ask me about myself. They obviously felt it would have been rude not to speak to another person, whether they were strangers or not.

1. What do we know about the occupants when the author was travelling in Italy?

A．They were all on the side of the gentleman.

B．They all laughed at the author for his mistake.

C．They would not bear a mistake like the author’s in public

D．They all showed their understanding of the author’s mistake.

2. How does the author finally believe the Italian people are?

A．Cold.

B．Rude

C．Helpful.

D．Hospitable.

3. Why did English passengers sit in near silence according to the last paragraph?

A．They were too tired to speak to anyone.

B．They were all strangers to each other.

C．Privacy was a valued tradition in England.

D．Everybody was deeply lost in though.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Different Ways of Hospitality and Politeness

B．Co-understanding Each Other

C．My Unforgettable Travelling Experience Abroad

D．The Importance of Privacy

4 . For those who travel to China, the scenic spots and ancient civilization are     1     (attract) things, and so is Chinese food and drink. Like music, dance and painting, eating is also an art in China and Chinese cuisine     2     (list) as one of the top in the field of world cuisines.

Nobody could tell exactly how many restaurants a specific city has, let alone the roadside eateries (饭馆)     3     (distribute) in streets and back lanes. Wherever you would like to eat, in the restaurants     4    the roadside eateries, make sure that the restaurant is clean and the food has been     5     (fresh) prepared and is hot.

Chinese regard eating as an art,     6    is a comprehensive combination of sight, smell, touch, taste and even sound. Chinese cuisine is an important branch from the Chinese culture and the core is taste while the purpose is     7     (preserve) health.

It is a perfect combination of color, shape,     8     (appear )and flavor. Delicious and nutritious food has been regarded the basics of ordinary life.

Chinese cuisine has a long history and is famous worldwide     9    its rich tastes and delightful colors. The difference in local climate, history and eating customs in each region has produced local dishes and snacks with their own     10     (characteristic).