2 . The Chinese words for “fish” and “plenty” are homonyms (同音异义词). A whole fish, eaten on the eve of the lunar new year — represents a wish for plenty to come. It can be deep-fried or roasted in a pan, but if you live on a coast, or have access to first-rate fish, steaming is the way to go.     1    , which symbolizes hopes for a surplus (盈余) in the year ahead. Spring rolls, with their fanciful appearance of gold bars, represent hopes for wealth. Uncut noodles symbolize a long life.

    2    . On the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah, Jews make their challah, a traditional enriched bread, in a round shape to represent the cycle of life and creation. The bread, and often apples too, are covered with honey, symbolizing the wish for a sweet year.

On New Year’s Day in America, black southerners have long eaten green vegetables together with Hoppin’ John, a delicious dish of rice and black-eyed peas (豌豆), cooked with salt pork.     3    . Some people put a clean coin in the pot. Whoever gets it on their plate will enjoy a lot of good luck.

Whether anyone actually believes in a causal relationship between eating these foods and receiving the promised benefits is unclear. Mainly, these traditions continue for the same reason that other traditions do.     4    .

Fish and noodles, bread and apples, beans and greens appear regularly on Chinese, Jewish and American tables.     5    . Rather these foods are ordinary, yet with good meaning when eaten at the right time and in the right frame of mind. Good fortune, they suggest, lies all around, and is always within reach.

A．Sweet rice cakes mean a better future

B．Enough fish should be cooked to ensure leftovers

C．Such customs are not unique to the Chinese culture

D．Diverse as these dishes are, they all imply good fortune

E．The peas symbolize coins, and the greens stand for dollar bills

F．People have fond memories of observing them and want to pass them down

G．They are neither costly nor exotic (异国情调的), suggesting that luck is not something bought expensively or sought with difficulty

3 . These days we can often see students doing morning group exercises at school to stay healthy. Most of you probably do the same kind of exercises. But some school exercises have grown popular online due to their local and special designs. Let’s check them out

Students at a middle school in Mianyang, Sichuan Province, combine Sichuan Opera with their exercise. Shen Junhua is in charge of organising the school’s exercises between classes. “Sichuan Opera is a local opera, but now it is facing a problem because few young people want to learn it. So we invited some local artists to create a simple and easy-to-learn Sichuan Opera exercise,” Shen Junhua said.

According to Shen, this new type of exercise has been practiced since 2017 and is popular among students. When new students enter the school, they spend several weeks practicing it. At present, almost all of the students and teachers do it well.

Some students have also joined the school’s Sichuan Opera club because of their own interest, although they had hardly heard of Sichuan Opera before teachers taught them how to do the Sichuan Opera exercise. They found it very different from normal exercises. After practicing it, they found it very beautiful and became interested in it. Now, most students look forward to their daily exercise and are excited to do the Sichuan Opera exercise.

By combining opera with daily exercise, the activity allows students to take part in the development of Sichuan Opera’s culture. After years of continuous effort to spread the seeds of traditional culture, the younger generation is finally catching on.

1. The Sichuan Opera exercise can be described as ________.

A．creative

B．challenging

C．common

D．strange

2. Why does the school organize the Sichuan Opera exercise?

A．To attract local artists.

B．To enrich teachers’ spare time.

C．To help students value the local opera.

D．To let new students get to know others well.

3. What do most students think of the Sichuan Opera exercise?

A．They don’t care about it.

B．They think it’s too difficult.

C．They show great interest in it.

D．They think it improves their study.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．The school has to organize more class activities.

B．It takes time and effort to spread traditional culture.

C．It’s young people’s duty to relive their own traditions.

D．The Sichuan Opera exercise is popular across the country.

4 . Top Music Festivals in 2021

Coachella

Selling out fast every year, the Indio desert becomes a fashionable place where the coolest bands are watched by trendy people and celebrities. Near the top of everyone's bucket list of festivals, Coachella is a constant source of annual expectation and a hotbed for musical discussion.

When &. where: April 9-11 &. 16-18, 2021; Indio

Ultra Music Festival

Seen as the ultimate gathering for electronic music fans across the nation and globe, the streets of Miami turn into a bold and bumping party with popular DJs playing what will be the sounds of summer.

When & where: March 26-28, 2021; Miami

South By South West

Regarded as the ultimate trend-setter and launcher of careers, SXSW is an annual showcase of music, films and interactive highlights enjoyed through performances, showcases, talks, screenings and more. Virtually taking over the city of Austin, everyone in the world of music from fans to media flock here to discover the next big thing.

When &, where: March 16-20, 2021; Austin

The Governors Ball Music Festival

Another event which proves the music loving potential of Randall's Island Park is Governors Ball, an exciting and infectious mix of rock, hip-hop, electronic, pop and folk.   Providing a variety of music and food tastes, whether you look to kick back and relax or dance to the beats, Governors Ball has what you want.

When & where: June 11-14, 2021; New York

1. Which music festival lasts the most days?

A．Coachella	B．Ultra Music Festival.
C．South By South West	D．The Governors Ball Music Festival.

2. What is special about Ultra Music Festival?

A．It's held in a park.

B．It features electronic music

C．It's a gathering of popular DJs.

D．It's the most popular in the country.

3. Which city could you go if you love both music and movies?

A．Indio.

B．Miami.

C．Austin

D．New York.

5 . I have been in England for three months now. I hope you don’t think I’ve forgotten you. There have been so many places to see and so many things to do that I’ve not had much time for writing letters.

I shall soon be starting my studies at King’s College in London. So far I’ve been learning about England and British ways of living. There are lots of books you can read and lots of pictures you can look at about this famous city. I’m sure you’ll be more interested to know what I think about life here.

I find some of the customs interesting. People here do not shake hands as much as we do in the mainland of Europe. During the first few weeks I was often surprised because people did not put out their hands when I met them. Men raise their hats to women but not to each other.

1. The writer came to London from ______.

A．Asia.	B．the mainland of Europe.
C．America.	D．Africa.

2. The writer did not write the letter earlier because ______.

A．she had forgotten her friend.

B．she was lonely and sad in this strange land.

C．she was too busy to write.

D．she was too busy studying at King’s College.

3. The writer came to London ______.

A．to study.	B．to make a living.
C．to learn British ways of living.	D．for sightseeing (观光) only.

6 . Craziest Food Festivals sounds like a joke topic, but once you start looking into it, you’ll realize they’re everywhere — the crazier, the better.

1. Bibimbap Festival

In the South Korean town of Jeonjuloves, their “mixed rice” dish is a hearty serve of rice topped with raw beef, a rainbow of vegetables, a raw egg and gochujang sauce so much. They take four days out of October to celebrate it.

Like any festival there’s music, entertainment and magic, but making it that little bit different is the bibimbap that’s whipped (搅拌) up in a big bowl by dozens of chefs and served to over 400 people.

2. Waikiki Spam Jam

Who knew this canned meat had so much love? Well, it turns out that a can of Spam is the go-to item in Hawaii, along with a grass skirt and garland (花环). The people of Hawaii love Spam so much that they even spend a day in May giving out the best Spam, a type of cheap canned meat made mainly from pork.

3. Bessieres Easter Egg Festival

At Easter time, for those in the French town of Bessieres it’s all about an egg far less sweet.

Here they celebrate the holiday by getting dozens of chefs to make one large omelette (煎蛋卷) — 15,000 eggs strong — for the townsfolk (市民).

4. Potato Days Festival

This festival actually takes place in Barnesville, Minnesota, the US. Over the last Friday and Saturday in August the town celebrates its potato-growing skills by hosting potato picking and peeling contests, as well as a Miss Tater Tot pageant (盛典) for five- and six-year-old girls.

1. What makes Bibimbap festival special?

A．They take four days to celebrate it.

B．The mixed rice is rich in many vegetables.

C．There’s music, entertainment and magic during the festival.

D．The rice dish needs to be mixed in one big bowl by dozens of chefs together.

2. What do we know about Waikiki Spam Jam ?

A．The spam is the most favorite for Hawii people.

B．People spend one day to prepare the Jam.

C．The Jam isn’t affordable for the plain townsfolk.

D．The Jam is mainly made from raw beef.

3. If you have time in August, you can go to ______.

A．Bibimbap Festival	B．Waikiki Spam Jam
C．Bessieres Easter Egg Festival	D．Potato Days Festival

7 . As an old saying in China goes, “The days of the Sanjiu period are the coldest days.” “Sanjiu period” , which is in Minor Cold, refers to the third nine-day period (the l9th to the 27th day) after the day of the Winter Solstice(冬至). There are many different customs related to Minor Cold in China.

Eating hotpot

During Minor Cold people should eat some hot food to benefit the body and defend against the cold weather. Winter is the best time to have hotpot and braised mutton with soy sauce. But it is important to notice that too much spicy food may cause health problems.

Eating huangyacai

In Tianjin, there is a custom to have huangyacai, a kind of Chinese cabbage, during Minor Cold. There are large amounts of vitamins A and B in huangyacai. As huangyacai is fresh and tender, it is fit for frying, roasting and braising.

Eating glutinous rice (糯米饭)

According to tradition, the Cantonese eat glutinous rice in the morning during Minor Cold. Cantonese people add some fried preserved pork, sausages and peanuts and mix them into the rice.

Eating vegetable rice

In ancient times, people in Nanjing took Minor Cold quite seriously, but as time went by, the celebration of Minor Cold gradually disappeared. However, the custom of eating vegetable rice is still followed today. The rice is steamed and is unspeakably delicious. Among the ingredients (原料), aijiaohuang (a kind of green vegetable), sausages and salted duck are the specialties in Nanjing.

1. What do we know about Minor Cold?

A．It refers to the Winter Solstice.

B．The Sanjiu period is in this period.

C．It lasts twenty-seven days.

D．It marks the first day of winter.

2. What is a special custom in Tianjin in Minor Cold？

A．Eating hotpot.	B．Having vitamin A and B pills.
C．Having huangyacai.	D．Buying cabbage.

3. How do the Cantonese eat glutinous rice?

A．They fry and toast it.

B．They eat it for dinner.

C．They mix it with many other things.

D．They steam it with soy sauce.

4. This text may be taken from the ________ column (栏目) of a newspaper.

A．travel

B．culture

C．fashion

D．science

8 . Not every parent looks forward to the day when their child goes off to school .In fact, some parents are not sending their children to school at all. Instead, they are choosing to teach their children at home.    1    In the U. S. only about three percent of children are homeschooled.

    2    One reason is that some parents do not feel their children are safe in school because of bullying and a growing trend of police in school. Other parents want their children's education to be based on their religion or moral belief.     3    Homeschooling is also seen as a choice for families that live in rural areas, and families that travel, like actors.

    4    And homeschooling allows parents to customized (定制) lessons based on their children's needs. Families can purchase textbooks to use or create their own materials. Some worry that homeschooling means students will not have opportunities to socialize, so some families have created the activities that would normally happen in school like field trips and proms（高中舞会）.

Being homeschooled does not mean a student cannot go to college.     5     It is important, however, for parents and students to create a portfolio (作品集)to show what they have learned.

A．They will go to college.

B．This is called homeschooling.

C．there are various homeschool regulations.

D．Most colleges accept homeschooled stadents.

E．There are many different ways to homeschool.

F．Yet other parents don't think school teaching is good enough.

G．There are many reasons why some parents choose to homeschool.

9 . Thanksgiving is an important festival in North America. We interviewed several students from the US and Canada. Here is what they have told us about their Thanksgiving experiences.

Josie from New York, USA

“In America, Thanksgiving is celebrated every year at the end of November. It is to remember the first group of people from Europe to live in America. When they first arrived, they found the environment strange. But they learned to survive after some native American friends showed them how to grow and find food. Thanksgiving is meant to be a traditional celebration.”

Todd from California, USA

“Thanksgiving is the first day of Christmas shopping. That means we have four weeks to buy Christmas presents for our families and friends. For me and my friends, the most important part of the festival is the big football game on TV. The match is watched by millions of people all over America. Thanksgiving is seen as an exciting day for football!”

Ian from Saskatoon, Canada

“In Canada, Thanksgiving is held on the second Monday in October. On the Sunday before Thanksgiving Day, many people go to church. Thanks is given for all the good things that happened to them during the year. I always give thanks for the nice big turkey I’m going to have at the family dinner! Like all festivals, Thanksgiving is about food!”

Katie from Maritimes, Canada

“On Thanksgiving Day, we have dinner with all our cousins, aunts and uncles. It is always very busy. Sometimes we have two Thanksgiving dinners because we go to both our grandparents’ houses. The dinner is usually attended by more than twenty people at each house! My mother and my aunts do all the cooking but the washing-up is done by me and my cousins. And that’s not an easy job! But I don’t mind because Thanksgiving is meant to be a time to give thanks.”

1. People in the USA and Canada       .

A．all have the same opinion of Thanksgiving

B．have different opinions of Thanksgiving

C．feel that Thanksgiving is about food

D．have no interest in Thanksgiving

2. When is Thanksgiving celebrated every year in Canada?

A．On the second Monday in October.

B．On the second Monday in November.

C．At the end of October.

D．At the end of November.

3. Who thinks Thanksgiving is a traditional celebration?

A．Josie.

B．Todd.

C．Ian.

D．Katie.

4. What is the main idea of this passage?

A．Students learn to give thanks on Thanksgiving.

B．Many students like spending Thanksgiving at home.

C．Students have different experiences on Thanksgiving.

D．Thanksgiving is an important festival in North America.