1 . Fathers Day is a day to thank fathers for all the love and support they give to their children. It is celebrated on different dates in different countries. Some countries like the US, the UK, Canada and India celebrate this festival on the third Sunday of June.
Many men didn't like the creation of Father's Day though. They laughed at the holiday's sentimental attempts to celebrate Father's Day with flowers and gift-giving, and they laughed at the creation of such holidays as a commercial trick to sell more products - often paid for by the father himself.
During the 1920s and 1930s, in the US there was a movement to promote the combination of Mother's Day with Father's Day to be a new holiday, Parents' Day. Every year on Mother's Day, Parents' Day supporters would gather in New York City's Central Park to remind the public that both parents should be loved and respected.
However, this attempt failed due to the Great Depression. Struggling retailers(零售商)and advertisers made more efforts to make Father's Day a"second Christmas" for men, promoting goods such as neckties, hats, socks, pipes and tobacco, golf clubs and other sporting goods, and greeting cards.
When World War II started, advertisers began to argue that celebrating Father's Day was a way to honor American troops and support the war. By the end of the war, Father's Day may not have been a federal holiday, but it was a national event.In 1972, in the middle of a hard-fought presidential re-election campaign, Richard Nixon signed an announcement making Father's Day a federal holiday at last. Today, economists estimate that Americans spend more than SI billion each year on Father's Day gifts.
1. Why didn't some men like the idea of Father's Day?A.They thought it was a"second Christmas"for men. |
B.They hated flowers and gift-giving. |
C.They had to pay for the gifts. |
D.They thought it was too sentimental for men and it was a commercial trick. |
A.Because of the Great Depression. |
B.Some men were not in favor of it. |
C.Some women were not in favor of it. |
D.Businessmen made their efforts to prevent it. |
A.Parents' Day supporters movement. |
B.The Great Depression. |
C.The presidential re-election campaign. |
D.Advertisers promotion during World WarⅡ. |
A.Father's Day: Its Orign and Development. |
B.Father's Day: the Same as Christmas. |
C.Father's Day: the Great Man. |
D.Father's Day and Mother's Day |
2 . Thanksgiving Day is a public vacation. It is a day off for the general population in the US, and schools and most businesses are closed。
What Do People Do
Thanksgiving Day is traditionally a day for families and friends to get together for a special meal.The meal often includes a turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy, pumpkin pie and vegetables. Thanksgiving Day is a time for many people to give thanks for what they have.
Thanksgiving Day parades are held in some cities and towns on or around Thanksgiving Day. Some parades or festivities also mark the opening of the Christmas shopping season. Some people have a four-day weekend so it is a popular time for trips and to visit family and friends.
Public Life
Most government offices, businesses, schools and other organizations are closed on Thanksgiving Day. Many offices and businesses allow staff to have a four-day weekend so these offices and businesses are also closed on the Friday after Thanksgiving Day. Public transit systems do not usually operate on their regular timetables.
Thanksgiving Day is one of the busiest periods for travel in the US. This can causecongestionand overcrowding. Seasonal parades and busy football games can cause disruption to local traffic
1. What do people usually do on Thanksgiving Day?A.All people will have a four-day weekend. |
B.People usually get together with their family without travelling. |
C.People in government officials still work on this day. |
D.People usually go out to parade on this day. |
A.Air pollution. | B.Environment damage. |
C.Too much traffic and too many people. | D.Destruction to the road. |
A.Students usually go to school to celebrate. |
B.Buses usually serve on the regular timetable. |
C.You'd better not go shopping because shops are all closed. |
D.You and your family can get together for a special meal. |
The Lantern Festival is a Chinese festival c
4 . It's Christmas once again. And you are right there, bothered by a serious question. What do men want for Christmas?
It's the time of year when men are wondering what Christmas gifts they will receive this season. It's difficult to find the right Christmas gift for a man, and definitely a lot more difficult than finding one for a woman. Every man has his own taste in things. And just like women, men have a variety of interests-sports, music, cars, games, gadgets(小器具), etc. The possibilities are endless. You should think of something that caters to his interests and not just something that you see in a hardware store or a sports outlet.
If you are not really familiar with the man you are giving the gift to, that's okay. You can simply choose anything from this list of top Christmas gift ideas we are about to give you to make the receiver feel special.To help you find the best Christmas gift for your father, brother, a guy friend or the friend of a friend, here is our top 10 Christmas gift ideas for him.
Top 1 Leather wallet | Top 6 Shaving cream |
Top2 Screwdriver(螺丝刀)set | Top 7 Sports equipment |
Top 3 Personal travel case | Top 8 T-shits |
Top 4 Towel or bath robe | Top 9 Digital music player |
Top 5 Bottle opener with key chain | Top 10 Electronic gadgets |
1. When you buy Christmas gifts for your father, brother, etc, what should you take into consideration?
A.His own taste and interests | B.What he got last year |
C.Your interests | D.His age |
A.Leather wallet | B.Screwdriver set |
C.Electronic gadgets | D.Personal travel case |
A.Male shoppers | B.Female shoppers |
C.Men who are considering buying Christmas gifts | D.Married women |
A.Christmas Gifts Make People Happy | B.Men's View on Christmas Gifts |
C.How to Choose Christmas Gifts for Men | D.How to Buy Practical Christmas Gifts |
5 . The Dragon Boat Festival is the holiday the honours the tragic death of Qu Yuan, who died in 278 BC. In the Warring States period, Qu Yuan was a poet and statesman. He was the number one advisor of the Chu State. But people were jealous of his position and said lots of bad words behind his back. The king wouldn't take his advice in the end and was captured by the enemy of the neighbouring kingdom and finally died there. However, the new king continued to enjoy the luxury life and didn't like Qu Yuan, either. He ordered Qu Yuan to leave his homeland. Later, when Qu Yuan heard the news that Qin had defeated the Chu State, he was very sad and threw himself into the Miluo River at last.
The legend goes that many people tried to rescue their honoured statesman by chasing him down the river, beating drums to scare away the fish and throwing rice dumplings into the river so that the fish would not eat his body. The dragon boat race is one of the customs, which symbolises citizens of the Chu State who raced down the river to save Qu Yuan then.
Also,there are many other customs like eating rice dumplings(zongzi), hanging icons of Zhong Kui (amythic guardian figure), hanging mugworts (艾草)and calamus (菖蒲) and wearing perfumed medicine bags.
All of these customs were regarded by the ancient people as an effective way of preventing diseases and evils, promoting good health and well-being.
The Dragon Boat Festival is a public holiday observed widely in China, And now this festival has gone global. The international dragon boat races are held all over Asia and the United States. In the US,they can be found in Boston, New York, etc.
1. Why did Qu Yuan throw himself into the Miluo River?A.He fell into the river accidentally. |
B.The old king wouldn't take his advice. |
C.The old king was caught during fighting. |
D.He was not favoured by the new king and his country was defeated later. |
A.The dragon boat race represents people who tried to save Qu Yuan. |
B.The dragon boat race was an act of opposing the new king. |
C.The dragon boat race is really dangerous. |
D.The dragon boat race is only held in China. |
A.To share his experience in the Dragon Boat Festival. |
B.To tell us the story of Qu Yuan. |
C.To introduce dragon boat races to us. |
D.To introduce the Dragon Boat Festival to us. |
6 . In 1948, the creation of a World Health Day called for by the First World Health Assembly(议会)marked the founding of WHO. Since 1950, people around the world have celebrated World Health Day on 7 April with a different theme each year. Each theme reflects a priority(优先 )area of current concern to WHO.
World Health Day offers a worldwide opportunity for every member country to focus on key public health issues. WHO contributes by highlighting activities and analyses on the chosen theme from and out the member states of the WHO European Region, and WHO country offices hold special events to draw attention to the theme and encourage discussions among policymakers and other stake holders.
World Health Day 2018- Universal Health Coverage
For World Health Day 2018, WHO calls on world leaders to take concrete steps to move towards universal health coverage(UHC). This means making sure that everyone, everywhere can have access to quality health services without facing financial hardship, as set out in the Sustainable Development Goals all countries agreed in 2015.
World Health Day 2017-Depression: Let's Talk
Depression is a major challenge to health in the WHO European Region and is the focus of World Health Day 2017. The theme "Depression: Let's talk""recognizes that depression is a treatable condition and seeks to deal with the fact that, despite this, about 50% of cases of major depression still go untreated.
World Health Day 2016-Beat Diabetes
World Health Day 2016 focuses on efforts to prevent and treat diabetes. There are about 60 million people with diabetes in the European Region. Although a large percentage of cases are preventable,the number of cases is increasing, mostly due to increases in overweight and obesity, unhealthy diet,physical inactivity and economic disadvantage.
1. What is the theme of World Health Day 2018?A.Depression. | B.Universal health coverage. |
C.Health for us. | D.Beat diabetes. |
A.To mark the founding of WHO. |
B.To be celebrated every year. |
C.To take steps to move towards universal health coverage. |
D.To focus on key public health issues. |
A.Depression is a major challenge to health worldwide. |
B.Countries hold special events to draw attention to the theme every year. |
C.There are about 60 million people with diabetes in the US. |
D.Most diabetes cases are preventable. |
7 . If you are planning a New Year’s Eve party, make sure you have more planned than just the champagne toast at midnight and the finger foods. Your guests will have a much better time if you set up some games for them to play and enjoy.
Guess the Resolution(新年计划)—Give each member of the party five pieces of paper and a pencil. Ask them to write down five resolutions without writing down their names. Place all of the resolutions in a hat and mix them up. Pull pieces of paper out of the hat one at a time and see if your guests can guess which person came up with the resolution. There will be some fun surprises as strange or entertaining resolutions are read out loud.
New Year’s Rock Band—This game requires a collection of noisemakers, pots, pans and wooden spoons. These items will be your guests’ instruments as they play a song on the popular Guess That Tune game. Split the group into two teams. Have one team select four members to be their rock band for the turn and whisper the name of a song to the band members. The band must then play the song using their instruments while the rest of their teammates try to guess. The team gets a point if they get the song correct. Repeat the same step with the other team. This game will yield ridiculous performances of popular and entertaining songs.
Around the World-Most—New Year’s Eve parties don’t start until late evening. An around the world theme allows the party to start earlier in the day, with a celebration each time a new time zone reaches midnight. A world map displayed in the party room allows guests to track the current celebration. Adding a pin in each time zone as it reaches midnight adds an interactive element to the party. A menu with food from around the world emphasizes the theme of the party. Decorations may include globes and items from different parts of the world.
1. Which is necessary in “Guess the Resolution”?A.Writing down resolutions with one’s name. |
B.Reading out the resolutions one by one. |
C.Putting some of the resolutions in the hat. |
D.Writing down five resolutions on a piece of paper. |
A.The host. | B.The band. |
C.The teammates of the band. | D.The other team. |
A.The party takes place in the evening. |
B.There are guests from around the world. |
C.There are various New Year’s Eves. |
D.The celebrations last for several days. |
8 . Statistics show that most toddlers (刚学走路的小孩) learn how to say about 20 words by 18 months. Talking is easy. If you ask anyone, none will remember how they started doing it, it just comes naturally.
But what might not flow as smoothly as words, is body language. It's a whole different deal when you're using your hands, eyes or head instead of your tongue. And what makes it even more complicated is the fact that body language differs all around the world.
I find it shockingly amazing how just a small finger gesture could mean one thing in the east and the completely opposite in the west. For instance, in Japan bowing is the most common greeting. It shows respect and Japanese pay a lot of attention to the details like the timing, posture and movement. A bow in Japan represents sincerity, respect and graciousness. While in New Zealand Maori, the pressing of noses and foreheads is the traditional greeting. They call it "hongi”; which is regarded as the breath of life.
For most of us, nodding our head up and down often means agreement, but not for the Bulgarians or Greeks. In both cultures, nodding one's head up and down actually means“no”. The American goodbye wave could actually be interpreted (领会) as a“no”in many parts of Europe and Latin America. And the Italian goodbye wave would be understood in America as a “come here” and the American “come here” gesture would actually be seen as an insult (侮辱) in most of Asia.
So before you travel to explore a different culture, make sure you're aware of alternate meanings for body language. We live in a world with many different cultures, so don't forget how differently one hand gesture can be interpreted!
1. What makes body language misunderstood often?A.Its wide uses. | B.Its smooth flowing. |
C.Its difficulties in understanding. | D.The background of different cultures. |
A.Breath. | B.Respect. | C.Tradition. | D.Greeting. |
A.America. | B.Greece. | C.New Zealand. | D.Japan. |
A.The Origin of Body Language | B.The Limitation of Culture |
C.Body Language Around the World | D.The Difference of Culture Around the World |
9 . The word”Kuitou”in Peking Opera is the technical term for various kinds of hats and headpieces worn by various characters in traditional Chinese opera.More than just meeting the requirements of acting,it also reveals an aspect of traditional Chinese culture.
In traditional Han Chinese culture,people believed that since,one’s whole body was a gift from one’s parents,it was important to avoid anything that might injure it,a principle that showed filial piety(孝道)。Based on this ideology,males were required to let their hair grow long, and wearing hats became a rule of social etiquette(礼仪)in ancient times.
Since ancient Chinese society was divided into various social classes,people in each class wore different styles of clothes,but only the nobility were permitted to wear formal hats for adornment(装饰)。People of lower classes could only wrap their head with a piece of cloth. Anyone under the age of 20 was also not allowed to wear formal hats and could only wear one after the performance of an official capping ceremony to mark their reaching of adulthood.As a result,various types of formal hats in ancient times,in addition to having value as a piece of personal adornment and social etiquette,also revealed the social classes of people and strict social divisions that existed between the nobility and common people.
In ancient times,people attached much importance to the kind of hat they wore.An old saying says,”A man of noble character would rather die than take off his hat.”The saying was based on the story of one of Confucius’s favorite students,Zi Lu,a man who was a brave warrior. Once while fighting in close hand-to-hand combat,his enemy opponent knocked off his hat. When he realized that his hat had been knocked off,Zi Lu placed down his weapon and said to the enemy soldier,”A nobleman can die,but my attire(服装)must be kept orderly.”But the. moment he bent down to pick up his hat,the enemy soldier seized the opportunity and killed him. According to Zi Lu,his proper appearance,which included his hat,represented his dignity(尊严), and he would rather die than abandon his dignity.
The formal hat culture of the Han Chinese continued up until the Ming Dynasty.Later after the Manchurians entered the Central Plains(满人入关),common people in society began to wear hats.
1. For Chinese males in the Han Dynasty,wearing headpieces or hats was.A.a requirement of acting |
B.a rule of social etiquette |
C.a way to show filial piety |
D.a representation of culture |
A.the formal hat was a symbol of adulthood |
B.headwear was nothing but a decoration |
C.only noble people could afford to wear formal hats |
D.there existed little distinction between social classes |
A.how brave a person he was |
B.how people valued their hats |
C.how fierce an ancient war was |
D.how people dealt with etiquette |
A.society |
B.technology |
C.opera |
D.culture |
Hanfu is one of the traditional types of Chinese clothing. The term “Hanfu”,
When people talk about Hanfu, it usually means a long robe (长袍)
Hanfu
Many universities in China have a Hanfu Society