1．历史：大约1500年
2．文化习俗：新年食物，家庭团聚，好运象征
3．做法：蒸、煎、煮等
注意：1．词数100左右
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯
3．象征 symbolize vt. 蒸 steam 煎 fry
Dear Joan，
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Yours，
Li Hua
2 . The British—-and especially the English—-are bad at complaining. Because of British politeness rules, according to which conflict should be avoided, people either just do not complain, or sometimes bottle it up and then outpour it in another way in other unimportant situations. In fact, there is a TV programme which shows the British in typical situations where they would be perfectly reasonable in complaining, but they don’t. In one scene, a woman reads a newspaper over people’s shoulders and the people say nothing or look embarrassed.
The British are also well-known for putting up with bad service everywhere from restaurants to airports and railway stations because the standard rules of behaviour say that it is bad to draw attention to yourself. This is why, when you travel on the tube in London and there is yet another delay, the passengers will look at each other, sigh, smile wearily and raise their eyes to heaven. They might even say, “Huh! Typical!” in a resigned (顺从的) tone of voice that says that there’s nothing that can be done about it. When complaints are made, they are made in an apologetic or a humorous tone of voice. In France, on the other hand, angry passengers might riot (闹事) and burn down the subway station if they had to put up with the poor service that the London underground provides.
Americans and other Europeans who are much more direct and in-your-face than the British, often wonder why British people always say “sorry” or “excuse me” when they complain. It’s like they’re apologizing for something that isn’t their fault, they say. They are missing the point. British people are not really sorry—it is because the word “sorry” actually works as a distancing skill. This is important in terms of negative politeness and not drawing attention to yourself. If you do not say “sorry” or use other distancing words like “could”, “would”, “might”, “possibly”' and so on, you will be seen as rude.
1. What does the underlined part “bottle it up” in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．Put something into bottles. | B．Not do anything dangerous. |
| C．Not allow emotions to be seen. | D．Cause problems by hesitating. |
| A．tolerate bad service | B．enjoy taking the subway |
| C．make a complaint humorously | D．express their dissatisfaction directly |
| A．How to Complain | B．Complaining Politely |
| C．Poor Service in Britain | D．Politeness Rules across the World |
3 . A holiday is any day when people lay aside their ordinary duties and cares. The word came from Old English. At first, holidays honored some holy events or persons. People in Great Britain and other countries speak of holidays as Americans speak of vacations.
Every nation has its special holidays. China observes New Year’s Day (January 1), May Day and National Day as legal holidays, as it was on Oct.1,1949 that the People’s Republic of China was founded. The Chinese have long celebrated the Chinese lunar year. In the United States, congress has declared several days as legal holidays such as New Year’s Day (January 1), Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday, Washington’s birthday, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day and so on. Some holidays celebrate special events in the development of a country, such as Greece’s Independence Day, Italy’s Liberation Day and India’s Independence Day.
In the United States, banks and schools usually close on a legal holiday. When such a holiday falls on Sunday, the following Monday is usually observed. Schools and organizations often observe days known as traditional holidays, although schools and business do not close then. Those holidays include Valentine’s Day and Halloween.
1. From the passage we know that China’s National Day is ___________.| A．January 1 | B．May 1 | C．October 1 | D．December 25 |
| A．praises | B．spends | C．celebrates | D．cares |
| A．Chinese will no longer observe the Spring Festival |
| B．students don’t have to go to school on any holiday |
| C．Chinese and Americans share at least one holiday |
| D．Americans can easily draw money from banks on legal days. |
| A．China’s National Day | B．Valentine’s Day |
| C．Italy’s liberation Day | D．Independence Day |
4 . There are many famous festivals around the world like the Carnivals in Rio and Venice Munich's Oktoberfest.Here are some unusual and crazy festivals in the world.
Mighty Mud Mania,USA
Children's dreams really do come true in the City of Scottsdale.Children aged 1 to 13,get to participate in a mud race.During the running of the Mighty Mud Obstacle(障碍物)course,several mud holes in the ground are intentionally placed as kids compete for the fastest time in each race.There are also mud puddle pools for small kids,and a mini mud course for those six and younger.
The New Straits Times Million Ringgit Charity Duck Race,Malaysia
Thirteen years ago,Eric Schechter and his friends were brainstorming to find new ways raising money for local charities when they came up with the idea of rubber duck races.The event,crazy as it may sound,involves racing“cool”rubber ducks down a local waterway and having members of the community"adopt"the ducks for a chance to win valuable donated prizes,possibly even＄1 million bucks.
Songkran Festival,Thailand
What better way to celebrate the"start of the return of rains"than with a country—wide water fight?Thais celebrate their festival officially from April 13th until April 15th.These three days represent the last day of the old year,the day of transition,and the first day of the New Year.These are days of cleaning the houses and the body,days of merry making,and renewal.Nothing evil has to be taken into the New Year.
Canberra Sled Dog Classic,Australia
Dog sledding is one of the fastest growing sports on the east coast of Australia.As there's no snow(the trail is earth and sand and is smooth and wide with a few hills and turns),the sleds have wheels instead of runners,but the excitement is the same.
1. What is special about Mighty Mud Mania?| A．Water and mud games. | B．Fastest growing sports. |
| C．Snow and sand tracks. | D．Longest local history. |
| A．To raise ducks. | B．To collect money. |
| C．To found charities. | D．To make waterway. |
| A．USA. | B．Malaysia. |
| C．Thailand. | D．Australia. |
5 . The latest additions to its World Heritage （遗产）list. The following are some of the recent additions.
Churches of the Pskov School of Architecture（(Russia）)
The structures, many of which are churches, were all designed by the Pskov School of Architecture. It was a leading school of building design in the country, especially in the 15th and 16th centuries. Some elements common to Pskov architecture date back to the 11th century.
Babylon（(Iraq）)
The ancient city of Babylon is gaining World Heritage Site status. The city was once a main tourist site before Iraq suffered several wars. The 4, 300-year-old city is where dynasties have risen and fallen since the earliest days of settled human civilization. UNESCO Says the site "offers a look into one of the most influential empires of the ancient world".
Writing-on-stone（Canada）
Canada^ Writing-on-stone monument has a large number of protected rock paintings and rock carvings. Some of them are 2, 000 years old. The markings were left by Blackfoot Native Americans, who lived in parts of Western Canada and the far northern United States. The land that makes up Writing-on-Stone is filled with rock posts that have been formed into "spectacular shapes" by erosion （侵蚀）.
Party and Ilha Grande（Brazil）
The historic coastal town of Party and the island Ilha Grande are already popular places for visitors to Brazils Rio de Janeiro state. Party was the final stop along the Gold Route, along which gold was shipped to Europe in the 1600s. The area is also home to a huge number of animals, some of which are in danger now.
1. What do we know about the buildings in Pskov?| A．Their designs came from the same school. |
| B．They are merely churches. |
| C．They are a group of ancient schools. |
| D．Their paintings are about 2,000 years old. |
| A．It is the best-preserved monument in Canada. |
| B．It enjoys great popularity with visitors. |
| C．It reflects the culture of the natives. |
| D．It was formed by nature. |
| A．Shipping activities. |
| B．Coastal scenery. |
| C．Gold mining equipment. |
1. 现今, 几乎每个国家都重视文化多样(diverse)性, 保护文化多样性(diversity)也是我们的使命(mission)。
2. 如果我们都这样做, 除了(apart from)对文化自身有益, 我们可能(it’s likely that)也能从中受益。
3. 我们必须承认(admit), 许多外国人来市中心(downtown)的目的是希望目睹各种各样的(a series of)建筑物。
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1.我们中华民族以自己传统的美德(virtues)而著称, 我们应该继承并且实践道德原则(moral principles)。
2. 我们应该多了解一下我们民族的历史和文化。
3. 在日常生活中, 我们应该乐于助人, 有一颗善良的心; 在学习中, 我们应该充满活力(energetic), 刻苦努力。
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8 . Below are the international days currently playing a more and more important role across the world.
World Earth Day.
Every year on April 22, People all over the world celebrate Earth Day. It is a time to work to keep our earth clean. U.S. Senator (参议员) Gaylord Nelson first thought of the idea for Earth Day in 1962 when he saw polluted rivers and cities with smoke. He needed to get support from Americans to clean up the earth. Finally, on April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans celebrated the first Earth Day! It is a day that is meant to raise awareness (意识) and appreciation about the Earth’s natural environment.
World Book Day.
World Book Day is a celebration to improve the enjoyment of books and reading. Each year, on April 23, celebrations take place all over the world. April 23 marks the anniversary (周年纪念日) of the birth or death of a number of well-known writers, including William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes and Manuel Mejía Vallejo. World Book Day is an occasion to pay a worldwide respect to books and authors and to encourage people to discover the pleasure of reading.
World Autism Awareness Day (世界自闭症关注日)
World Autism Awareness Day aims to increase people’s awareness about people, especially children, with autism. This condition affects the brain’s functions and remains with a person for his or her whole life. The first signs usually appear before a child is three years old. On December 18, 2007, the UN General Assembly (联合国大会) determined April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day. It was first observed in 2008.
1. What made Gaylord come up with the idea for Earth Day at first?| A．Polluted water and cities with smoke. |
| B．Support from Americans. |
| C．Serving as a Senator. |
| D．The Earth’s natural environment. |
| A．To help children with autism. |
| B．To discover the pleasure of reading. |
| C．To honor some well-known writers. |
| D．To sell more books. |
| A．The Days raise the awareness of protecting the earth. |
| B．The Days took place in the same month. |
| C．The Days are only celebrated in America. |
| D．The Days were all first celebrated in 2008. |
9 . Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill once said, “The British are the only people who like to be told how bad things are.” This is definitely (绝对地) true of British comedy. Most people think humor is about happy things, but for the British, the opposite is true. We love to use our cruel sense of humor to complain and be negative (消极的).
British comedy, for example, draws a fine line between comedy and tragedy (悲剧). BBC’s The Office is a TV show, famous for its dry humor. The main character, David Brent, is a foolish man, and the show’s comedy comes from his delusions. For example, he often tells himself that he is loved by everyone but the viewer can see that everyone hates him.
Stupid characters for the audience to laugh at are an old tradition in Britain. In Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night, the character Malvolio is an old man whom people play tricks on. The audience will laugh away, although the reality is that this man is a truly tragic individual (个体).
This side of British humor is reflected (反映) in friendships as well. At university, my friends and I would always laugh at one another. I had an American friend who actually found this sarcasm (挖苦) quite upsetting. She didn’t realize that in Britain, the better friends you are with someone, the more you laugh at them.
This approach – laughing at everything – may sound rather depressing (让人郁闷的), but our strange humor played a big part in British history. In World War II, along with a stiff upper lip (坚定沉着), the British got through it by laughing. What else was there to do?
There is a saying in English: “Laugh and the world laughs with you; cry and you cry alone.” If you are ever on the receiving end of British sarcasm, you may feel like crying, but it’s best to just laugh it off!
1. How is British comedy different from other types?| A．It is often surprising and boring. |
| B．It often laughs at human nature. |
| C．It is often about negative things. |
| D．It often makes people feel depressed. |
| A．strong abilities |
| B．fun characters |
| C．incorrect beliefs |
| D．deep confidence |
| A．To show one of the best examples of British comedy. |
| B．To explain how Shakespeare’s comedy is different. |
| C．To show how difficult it is to make people accept British comedy. |
| D．To prove Britain has a long tradition of laughing at stupid characters. |
| A．Learn from it. |
| B．Don’t take it seriously. |
| C．Reply sarcastically. |
| D．Be careful not to make stupid mistakes. |
10 . We spoke to three students from around the world about different national holidays. There are different customs for each festival.
Tan Xiaodong, 15, Hong Kong, China
“It’ll soon be the Chinese New Year. Before it, we’ll clean the house and decorate (装饰) it for good luck. Every shop is going to close for a few days and we’ll go out a lot to celebrate on the streets. We might go and see the lion and dragon dances in the city center. I love this festival.”
Wendy, 16, Sydney, Australia
“Australia Day is on 26th January and it’s an important holiday here. We always have a Monday off, so we celebrate for three days. My parents and I go to the countryside for a picnic and friends always come over. Many people go to beach parties or street parties and there’s lots of music and dancing. What fun!”
Amy, 14, New York, the USA
“The first Thanksgiving was celebrated hundreds of years ago when Europeans who came to America thanked God for his help. It’s still a very important day for family members to be together. This year we’re going to visit my grandparents and we’ll eat a delicious meal of turkey. Thanksgiving Day is on the fourth Thursday in November every year.”
1. How many festivals are mentioned in the passage?| A．Two. | B．Three. |
| C．Four. | D．Five. |
| A．do a lot of shopping | B．eat turkey |
| C．go to beach parties | D．see lion and dragon dances |
| A．have a picnic in the countryside |
| B．go to a swimming pool |
| C．have a party at school |
| D．clean the house and dance |
| A．A country. | B．A festival. |
| C．A kind of food. | D．A kind of drink. |
| A．Amy is from Sydney, Australia |
| B．different festivals have different customs |
| C．many people go out for a picnic with friends before the Chinese New Year |
| D．Thanksgiving Day is on 26th January in the USA |
