2 . The 24 solar terms (节气) originated and was firstly used in China. It was created thousands of years ago on the basis of practical needs of agriculture. Ancient Chinese people used it to guide agriculture production, special climate signs and even healthy living tips. The 24 solar terms was added to UNESCO’s world cultural heritage list in 2016.Now, it has been brought to life thanks to a creative designer from Southwest China’s Guizhou Province.

On the eve of the Qingming Festival, Shi Changhong released (发布) his version of reproduced and packaged characters for each solar term in the form of   “moving art” of Gifs. Since their first release on Zcool on March 29, the Gifs have won great praise among the general public and quickly flooded social media with millions of hits during the festival period.

To maximize publicity, Shi released his work in three forms: video, animation and picture. The background sounds add to the brilliance.

“When I watch the short video, I can strongly feel the Chinese ­style elements hidden in them. And it is really cool to liven up Chinese traditional culture in such a unique way,” WeChat user Xiao Feifei said.

“It is really a comfort to me to see so many people like my latest work. To be honest, it would really surprise me if the work does not arouse great interest among Chinese people. The 24 solar terms is a deeply rooted concept that covers the essence of Chinese wisdom. However, only a small portion of people know all the names or the correct order of those terms. My intention is to increase Chinese people’s self-­awareness to learn more about our traditional fine culture. Actually, the 24 solar terms work is only a part of my whole design program ‘Charm China’, which I started over a year ago，” Shi told China Daily.

1. What do you think the underlined word “Zcool” in Paragraph 2 refers to?

A．A newspaper.	B．A magazine.
C．A radio Broadcast.	D．A website.

2. What can be inferred according to the text?

A．The background sounds make the work more attractive.

B．It really surprised Shi Changhong to see so many people like his latest work.

C．Most people know all the names or the correct order of the 24 solar terms.

D．The 24 solar terms work designed by Shi Changhong was added to UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list.

3. What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To introduce a creative designer.

B．To introduce the 24 solar terms work.

C．To introduce the origin of the 24 solar terms.

D．To introduce a design program “Charm China”.

4. Which part of the newspaper does the text probably belong to?

A．Travel.

B．Culture.

C．Agriculture.

D．Education.

3 . 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.

4 . 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

5 . The Sanxingdui Museum in southwest China’s Sichuan Province enjoyed huge popularity during the three­day Qingming Festival holidays by receiving nearly 20, 000 visitors on the peak day, after the new archaeological discoveries brought international attention.

According to media reports, the museum saw over 15, 000 visitors on Saturday, the first day of the Qingming Festival, breaking its record for daily visitors. And on the next day, more visitors swarmed into the museum to exceed (超过) 19, 800. To cope with the large flow of people, on Sunday afternoon, the official Weibo account of the Sanxingdui Museum released the message to remind visitors of avoiding rush hours or rescheduling their visiting time.

The Sanxingdui Museum showcases various kinds of precious cultural relics unearthed at the site, such as the 2. 62­meter­tall standing statue, 1. 38­meter­wide bronze mask, 3. 95­meter­high bronze tree. Earlier on March 20, Chinese archaeologists announced some new major discoveries made during the 37th excavation (挖掘) since its last excavation 35 years ago. The ruins were first discovered in the late 1920s and first excavated in 1934. More than 500 important cultural relics have been unearthed in the six newly­found pits. Since the new discoveries were known to the public, the number of people visiting the Sanxingdui Museum has increased sharply.

The museum said although they are open as usual, the newly­found pits have not opened to the public yet and the newly­excavated cultural relics are still under restoration and cannot meet the public currently. But a hall for cultural relic conservation and restoration will be in pilot operation in April and officially open on May 18. Visitors to it can see how the relics are restored, according to Zhu Yarong, vice director of the Sanxingdui Museum.

Dating back about 3, 000 years, the Sanxingdui Ruins have shed light on the ancient Shu civilization and cultural origins of the Chinese nation, and have been regarded as one of the most important archaeological discoveries in the 20th century.

1. What mainly brought about a surge in tourists visiting the Sanxingdui Museum?

A．Tourists’ enthusiasm.

B．Sichuan Province’s policy.

C．Qingming Festival holidays.

D．New archaeological discoveries.

2. What can we infer from the text?

A．The official Weibo account linked the museum with the public.

B．Newly­excavated cultural relics on display attracted tourists very much.

C．The Sanxingdui Museum reacted immediately to the large flow of tourists.

D．Tourist numbers reached the peak on the first day of the Qingming Festival.

3. What does the underlined word “pilot” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．Trial.

B．Private.

C．Official.

D．Personal.

6 . Why did Chinese people have more than one name in ancient times?

In ancient China, people’s names had three parts, their family name, given name and courtesy name. Take famous poet Li Bai for example. His family name, which came from his father’s name, was Li. His given name was Bai, and his courtesy name was Taibai.

People used their given names when they were among family members. But in social life, they called each other by their courtesy names to show respect. This was mostly done among people of similar ages. If you were talking about yourself, or if your elders were talking about you, the given name would be used instead of the courtesy name.

Men would get their courtesy names when they turned 20. It was a symbol of adulthood (成年礼). Women would get their courtesy names after getting married.

One’s courtesy name often had something to do with one’s given name. For example, the name of Mencius was Meng Ke. His courtesy name was Ziyu. Both Ke and Ziyu mean “carriage (马车)”. Zhuge Liang’s given name was Liang, which means “bright”. His courtesy name was Kongming, which means “very bright”.

1. How many parts are there in people’s names in ancient China?

A．3.

B．4.

C．5.

D．6.

2. Why did people call each other by their courtesy names in social life?

A．To show their love.	B．To show their good relationship.
C．To show their kindness.	D．To show their respect.

3. According to the passage, what name would be used if your elders were talking about you ?

A．Family name.	B．Nickname.
C．Given name.	D．Courtesy name.

4. How does the writer develop his idea in the last paragraph?

A．By telling stories.	B．By giving examples.
C．By comparing differences.	D．By listing numbers.

7 . The Qingming Festival is usually celebrated with a three-day national holiday, whose name originates (起源) from the saying “Plants start to revive (复活) and prosper at Qingming in a clean and bright way.” Thus, the festival is called Qingming, which means “clean and bright”.     1    Tomb sweeping is aimed at commemorating family ancestors, while going on a spring outing allows everyone the chance to enjoy the beautiful scenery and enjoy the season.

Traditional customs

Tomb sweeping.     2     On this day, the whole family gathers in front of their ancestral tombs. They offer fruit and wine to their ancestors and clear the weeds from around the tomb. Finally, they kowtow and pray, hoping for their ancestors’ blessing for the rest of the year.

Spring outings. The time around the Qingming Festival is one of the most suitable seasons for a spring outing, as plants are thriving and flowers are blooming. People can have a great time outdoors with their friends and family.     3    

Traditional food

Qingtuan is a green rice ball tiny enough to fit into your hand.     4     It is a mixture of sticky rice powder and green vegetable juice. Stuffed (装满) with sweetened bean paste, Qingtuan tastes sweet with the fresh fragrance of Aicao, a green spring vegetable. In celebration of Qingming, people from Shaanxi make steamed buns known as Huamo, which are made into different shapes.     5     Some are for peaceful family life, while others represent (象征) the wish for health.

A．Each different look brings a good blessing.

B．The tradition of tomb sweeping originates from the Qin Dynasty.

C．The two main activities over the festival include tomb sweeping and going on a spring outing.

D．Family members gather together to celebrate and taste the food.

E．Playing football and flying kites are popular activities.

F．Many traditional customs are practiced to show respect for our ancestors.

G．It is popular in Jiangnan.

8 . 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.

Bibimbap Festival

In a Korean town in Jeonju, their “mixed rice” dish is a hearty serve of rice topped with raw beef, a rainbow of vegetables, a raw egg and gochujang sauce (韩国的辣椒酱) 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.

Waikiki Spam Jam (怀基基午餐肉节)

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 serving out the best Spam, a type of cheap canned meat made mainly from pork.

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).

Potato Days Festival

This festival actually takes place in Barnesville, Minnesota (明尼苏达州), 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. Bibimbap is 　　　.

A．a kind of egg cake far less sweet

B．a can of meat made mainly from pork

C．a fried potato ball covered with sauce

D．a rice dish mixed up with vegetables, etc

2. Waikiki Spam Jam takes place 　　　.

A．from 22 to 25 October

B．in May in Hawaii

C．in Barnesville, Minnesota

D．in a French town

3. If Jim wants to learn Asian food culture, he’d better go to 　　　.

A．Bibimbap Festival

B．Waikiki Spam Jam

C．Bessieres Easter Egg Festival

D．Potato Days Festival

9 . What is your favorite holiday? Here are some students’ opinions.

Sandy from Taiwan says:

My favorite holiday is the Mid-Autumn Festival. I always visit my grandfather and grandmother, and we always go to the same restaurant on the mountain to hold jubilation. At night, we always have a barbecue, and watch the moon together. I enjoy it a lot.

Zhenia from Ukraine says:

My favorite day is New Year’s Day. We celebrate the new year on the 31st of December. Father Frost comes with his granddaughter on that night. He puts his presents under the New Year Tree. We have a party and stay up until midnight to see the New Year in and the Old Year off. We cook delicious food for the party. People also celebrate Old New Year in our country. It is on the 14th of January.

Yagna from India says:

My favorite day is Deepavali (屠妖节), which is also called Festival of Lights. People do some cleaning at home and light their oil lamps to thank for the defeat of the bad king. To celebrate it, we also eat sweets and delicious food, wear new clothes, and give presents to our friends and relatives.

Pat from Thailand says:

My name is Pat. My favorite holiday is Songkran. It takes place from the 13th to 15th of April. On the holiday people pour water on each other. It is a lot of fun. People also buy new clothes and they have big parties.

1. What is Sandy’s favorite holiday?

A．The Mid-Autumn Festival.	B．New Year’s Day.
C．Deepavali.	D．Songkran.

2. The underlined word “jubilation” is closest in meaning to “        ”.

A．hope

B．celebration

C．present

D．exercise

3. Why do people celebrate Deepavali?

A．To eat sweets and delicious food.	B．To wear new clothes.
C．To give presents to others.	D．To thank for the defeat of the bad king.