2 . Food festivals are a common occurrence in the UK and take place in all sorts of places and at all sorts of times. Whatever your taste, there’s a food festival to match — no matter how specialized.

1. Meatopia

This three-day, London-based festival takes place at the end of August and is a meat lover’s paradise. In addition to a range of legally sourced meat products, from juicy burgers to tender steaks, attendees can listen to live music, watch butchery demonstrations, and attend informal meat-based workshops.

2. The National Honey Show

If you have a sweet tooth, then it could be that the National Honey Show, which started in 1921 and is the largest event of its kind, is the place for you to be. This three-day event attracts many local entries who showcase their sweet golden honey, some of which is sold globally.

3. The Orange Sauce Festival

Have you heard about a festival that is devoted only to orange sauce? Held in Cumbria, this sweet, fragrant festival has been running for 3 years. What attracts people most is a competition to find the best homemade orange sauce. There are thousands of participants from over 30 different countries across the globe, bringing their local snacks to share here.

4. The Ginger and Spice Festival

If you’d prefer something with a little more kick to it, then you could attend The Ginger (姜) and Spice Festival held in Market Drayton. Unlike other food festivals, it celebrates its town’s historic connection to Robert Clive, who returned from India with ginger. Because of this, they specialize in baking gingerbread, but also sell a range of traditional spices from mild to hot.

1. What do Meatopia and the National Honey Show have in common?

A．Both of them last for three days.	B．Both of them hold workshops.
C．Both of them originated from London.	D．Both of them have a long history.

2. If you are interested in foreign food, which festival do you like best?

A．The Meatopia.	B．The Ginger and Spice Festival.
C．The National Honey Show.	D．The Orange Sauce Festival.

3. What is special about the Ginger and Spice Festival ?

A．It has something to do with a historic figure.

B．The ginger used in the festival is from India.

C．It sells spicy food.

D．The food is cooked by Robert Clive.

3 . The Sister Rice Festival is held every year in Guizhou’s Taijiang County, where 97 percent of the 168,000 people are from the Miao ethnic (民族的) group. It is an ancient tradition, which brings men and women together through food, gifts and music.

In the days before the festival, young women gather leaves and wild flowers, which they use to dye (给……染色) sticky rice with bright colors. This brightly colored rice, known as Sister Rice, gives the festival its name. During the festival, the young women dress in beautiful traditional clothes with large amounts of silver jewelry (首饰).

The festival includes parades, horse races and musical performances. But the real focus is the interaction between the young women and the young men who visit from surrounding villages and sing songs. In one traditional type of song, a man and a woman take turns to sing to each other, and the first one to make a mistake loses the game. The loser must give the winner a gift, but the winner is expected to give a gift in return, too.

After meeting the men, the women send them home with a bamboo basket containing dyed rice and hidden objects with special meanings. For example, a pair of chopsticks indicates that she wants to marry the man, while garlic shows that she is not interested.

One of several stories about the festival’s origin is about a girl and a boy who fell in love. The girl’s parents wanted her to marry her uncle’s son. She refused, and the boy likewise refused to marry anyone else. For a time, they could only meet in a field and pass hidden messages to each other through rice in a bamboo basket. Finally, the pair overcame their parents’ opposition and were allowed to marry.

The Sister Rice Festival is perhaps the oldest festival in Asia that encourages love.

1. What is the purpose of young women collecting leaves and wild flowers?

A．To decorate their rooms.

B．To sell them and make money.

C．To give sticky rice different colors.

D．To cover some objects in a basket.

2. Which of the following is the activity taking place in the festival?

A．Water skiing.

B．Kicking balls.

C．Making food.

D．Singing songs.

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．A woman often loses the game.

B．A hidden pair of chopsticks suggests good things.

C．The winner need not send a gift.

D．Often a man needs to sing songs to a young woman.

4. What does the story in Paragraph 5 tell us?

A．The boy’s parents didn’t like the girl.

B．They were not married in the end.

C．The boy refused to marry the girl at first.

D．The rice in the bamboo basket carried their love.

5 . 课文语法填空
　　When I think about what makes Christmas so magical, it’s my memory of Granny as well as gifts and Father Christmas     1     comes to mind.  

I can well remember the last Christmas Granny     2     (spend) with us. On a cold, windy day, Granny moved in. She was sick,but I failed to notice it. Granny made     3    effort to help me with my letter to Father Christmas. With her hand shaking     4     (slight), she wrote “Father Christmas, the North Pole” on the envelope. 

In December, we made sugar biscuits, stuffed the turkey and sang Christmas songs. Granny had the patience     5     (sing) my favorite part over and over again. On Christmas Eve, Granny watched as we put     6     the Christmas tree. I hung most of the decorations on the branches. 

On Christmas morning, I was on my best     7     (behave) as we opened the presents. Later, Granny gave me a special gift—a music box with a ballet dancer inside. After breakfast, as I played outside, Granny stayed inside by the fire. I remember     8     (catch) her eye through the window. I called and asked her to join us, but she just waved. Lunch was late, but it was a loud and     9     (excite) affair. There was a lot of laughter. 

A few weeks after that Christmas, Granny passed away. I think of her often. Each Christmas, I make a G-shape sugar biscuit and take out the music box,     10     memory of Granny.

6 . The Spring Festival is the biggest festival for Chinese people all around the world.The celebration usually lasts for 15 days.There is a lot to do.

On the eve of the Spring Festival, family members get together and have a big meal. Their favourite dish on this day is dumplings.

Days before the Spring Festival, families will clean their houses. People think cleaning sweeps away bad luck. It makes the house ready for good luck.

The colour red is everywhere during the Spring Festival. People think red is a happy colour and will bring them a bright future. People wear red, too. They decorate their homes with pieces of red paper. Kids get a lot of “hongbao”. It is a red paper bag with money in it. Usually, older people give younger ones “hongbao”. They think it brings good luck.

The Spring Festival is the time to make everybody happy. So don’t say any bad words or do anything that will bring unhappiness to other people. For instance, you’d better not say any bad words like “death”. Don’t break anything. People think that means your luck is running out.

Also, don’t borrow or lend money on these days. If you have borrowed money, return it before the Spring Festival.

1. What do most people do on the eve of the Spring Festival?

A．Family members gather for a big meal.

B．Friends eat dumplings together.

C．They borrow money from friends.

D．They give each other “hongbao”.

2. Why do people clean their houses days before the Spring Festival?

A．Because they enjoy cleaning.

B．Because it is believed that cleaning will sweep away bad luck.

C．Because they think it will bring happiness to others.

D．Because it is thought that cleaning brings in money.

3. Which of the following things is NOT supposed to happen during the Spring Festival?

A．Returning money before the Spring Festival.

B．Saying bad words like “death”.

C．Wearing red clothes.

D．Decorating houses with red paper.

4. We can tell from the story that the Spring Festival is         .

A．a time of harvest and fun

B．celebrated for one whole month

C．only celebrated in China

D．a time for families to get together

10 . 【课文原文】

FROM PROBLEMS TO SOLUTIONS

Economic development is necessary if we want to improve society. There comes a time when the old must give way to the new, and it is not possible to preserve everything from our past as we move towards the future. Finding and keeping the right balance between progress and the protection of cultural sites can be a big challenge.

Big challenges, however, can sometimes lead to great solutions. In the 1950s, the Egyptian government wanted to build a new dam across the Nile in order to control floods, produce electricity, and supply water to more farmers in the area. But the proposal led to protests. Water from the dam would likely damage a number of temples and destroy cultural relics that were an important part of Egypt’s cultural heritage. After listening to the scientists who had studied the problem, and citizens who lived near the dam, the government turned to the United Nations for help in 1959.

A committee was established to limit damage to the Egyptian buildings and prevent the loss of cultural relics. The group asked for contributions from different departments and raised funds within the international community. Experts investigated the issue, conducted several tests, and then made a proposal for how the buildings could be saved. Finally, a document was signed, and the work began in 1960.

The project brought together governments and environmentalists from around the world Temples and other cultural sites were taken down piece by piece, and then moved and put back together again in a place where they were safe from the water. In 1961, German engineers moved the first temple. Over the next 20 years, thousands of engineers and workers rescued 22 temples and countless cultural relics. Fifty countries donated nearly $80 million to the project.

When the project ended in 1980, it was considered a great success. Not only had the countries found a path to the future that did not run over the relics of the past, but they had also learnt that it was possible for countries to work together to build a better tomorrow.

The spirit of the Aswan Dam project is still alive today. Perhaps the best example is shown by UNESCO, which runs a programme that prevents world cultural heritage sites around the world from disappearing. If a problem seems too difficult for a single nation, the global community can sometimes provide a solution.

1. Match the main idea of each paragraph.

A. People can learn a lot from Aswan Dam project. B. The project was successful. C. The Egyptian government met a problem. D. Keeping a balance between progress and the protection of cultural sites is a challenge. E. The project united the global community. F. A committee was established to solve the problem.

Para. 1_______
Para. 2_______
Para. 3_______
Para. 4_______
Para. 5_______
Para. 6_______
2. What’s the challenge we are facing now?

A．How to improve society rapidly.

B．How to preserve everything from the past.

C．How to keep balance between the past and the progress.

D．How to find great solutions to the progress of society.

3. Why was the proposal of building a new dam protested in Egypt?

A．Because the Egyptian government wanted to control floods.

B．Because it would probably destroy cultural relics.

C．Because it would do great damage to the Nile.

D．Because it would affect citizens near the dam greatly.

4. How were the temples and other cultural sites saved?

A．By moving them to safety.

B．By taking them down.

C．By asking for contributions.

D．By investigating the issue.

5. How long did it take to complete the new dam?

A．Over 20 years.	B．More than 30 years.
C．Less than 20 years.	D．Exactly 20 years.

6. Where can we find such an article?

A．In a guidebook.	B．In an encyclopedia.
C．In a history novel.	D．In a theme park advertisement.

7. Complete the form according to the text.

FROM PROBLEMS TO SOLUTIONS	a big ____	the new→economic ____→progress
		the old→everything from the past→protection
		the key→how to keep the right balance
	challenges lead to ____	a challenge: building a new dam	____ the local people
			likely damage temples and destroy cultural relics
		preparation	turn to the UN
			establish a ____
			ask for contributions
			sign a document
		procedure	take down piece by piece
			move and put back together
		solution	find a path a combine progress and ____
			work together to build a better tomorrow
	the ___ of the Aswan Dam	preventing world cultural heritage sites from ____
		the global community

8. There comes a time when the old must give way to the new, and it is not possible to preserve everything from our past as we move towards the future. (标出句中含有人物的行为动作的词汇)
________________________________________________
9. After listening to the scientists who had studied the problem, and citizens who lived near the dam, the government turned to the United Nations for help in 1959. (标出句中含有人物的行为动作的词汇)
________________________________________________
10. The group asked for contributions from different departments and raised funds within the international community. (标出句中含有人物的行为动作的词汇)
________________________________________________
11. Experts investigated the issue, conducted several tests, and then made a proposal for how the buildings could be saved. (标出句中含有人物的行为动作的词汇)
________________________________________________
12. 在课文中找出表示人物的行为动作的句子。
________________________________________________