1 . Diwali（Deepavali）is a festival of lights observed in October or November each year in Canada. During the festival, various community groups, businesses, schools and associations celebrate it in different ways. Some companies have Diwali dinners and some communities organize gatherings that feature firework displays, dances, street lighting, and plays.
Many women wear fine jewelry and silk outfits to celebrate Diwali. Some women and girls use Mehendi, a dye decoration which can last a limited time, on their palms, and then they will finally get colorful hand paintings. Many homes that celebrate Diwali have various types of sweets, salty and spiced food as well as Diwali herbs （香料）. Various lights, candles and sparklers are lit inside and outside homes, particularly in courtyards, on Diwali. Diwali is not a nationwide public holiday in Canada but it is a prevalent festival celebrated in many towns and cities. There may be traffic jams and parking places may be full in areas where events are held to celebrate Diwali. Some Indian businesses may close early on Diwali.
Diwali is called the "Festival of Lights" and is celebrated to honor Rama, a hero who once fought and won a battle against the demons（恶魔）. In the past, people lit their houses to celebrate his victory over demons（light over darkness）. At the same time, every household did careful and complete cleaning at home in advance. It is believed that the goddess of happiness and good fortune, Lakshmi travels around the Earth on this day and enters the house that is pure, clean, and bright.
Diwali celebrations may vary in different communities but its spiritual meaning is generally "the awareness of the inner light". As the word “Deepavali” means “a row or cluster of light”, the festival symbolizes the victory of righteousness and the lifting of spiritual darkness.
1. What can we learn about Diwali from the first two paragraphs?| A．It is celebrated on a fixed day. |
| B．It centers on various local food. |
| C．People stay up late to prepare for It. |
| D．People from all walks of life enjoy celebrating it. |
| A．Popular. | B．Free. |
| C．Serious. | D．Funny. |
| A．To pray for good journey. |
| B．To expect joy and good luck. |
| C．To create a romantic atmosphere. |
| D．To welcome their friends to visit. |
| A．Showing respect for others. |
| B．Staying straight and positive. |
| C．Valuing your family members. |
| D．Improving your living environment. |
| A．To stress the importance of a public holiday. |
| B．To tell an interesting story about a Canadian festival. |
| C．To briefly introduce a traditional festival in Canada. |
| D．To show different holiday celebrations in Western cultures. |
2 . Children’s Games in Ancient China
Unlike the children nowadays, the children during ancient times didn’t have smartphones or computers to entertain themselves.
Kicking stone balls
During the Qing Dynasty, kicking a stone ball around was a popular sport in the northern part of China, and it was often played in the winter to keep warm. Stones were carved into small balls and kicked along with feet.
Flying kites
Kites have quite a long history. The earliest kites were made of wood, instead of paper. Nowadays, the three most famous kites are the Beijing kite, Tianjin kite and Weifang kite.
Playing hide-and-seek
Hide-and-seek is a traditional game for children, popular around the nation. Even nowadays, many children like playing it. There are two ways to play. One way is covering a child’s eyes while other kids run around to tease him.
The closest thing to watching a film or television for entertainment during ancient times was going to see a shadow play. Folk artists manipulate puppets behind the screen, narrating stories and accompanied by music.
Setting off firecrackers
Firecrackers have a history of more than 2, 000 years. It is said that there was a beast named “Nian” in ancient China.
| A．Watching shadow plays |
| B．Making a film |
| C．Each of them has distinctive features |
| D．Different materials are used to make the kite |
| E．And to scare off the beast, people burnt bamboo joints to make them blast |
| F．More commonly, participants hide and one child must try to find them |
| G．Instead, they came up with interesting games to play in their childhood |
3 . I have always found the Chinese to be a very polite people. In particular, Chinese frequently compliment (称赞) foreign friends on their language skills, knowledge of Chinese culture, professional accomplishments, and personal health. Curiously, however, Chinese are as loath to accept a compliment as they are eager to give one. As many of my Chinese friends have explained, this is a sign of the Chinese virtue of modesty.
I have noticed a difference, though, in the degree to which modesty is emphasized in the United States and China. In the US, we tend to place more emphasis on “seeking the truth from fact”, thus, Americans tend to accept a compliment with gratitude.
Chinese, on the other hand, tend to reject the compliment, even when they know they deserve the credit or recognition which has been awarded them. I can imagine a Chinese basketball fan meeting Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls. He might say, “Mr. Jordan, I am so happy to meet you. I just want to tell you, you are the best basketball player in the world; you’re the greatest!” to which Jordan would probably respond, “Thank you very much. I really appreciate it! I just to try to do my best every time I step on the court.” If an American met Deng Yaping, China’s premier pingpong player, he might say much the same thing: “Ms. Deng, you’re the best!” but as a Chinese, Deng would probably say, “No, I really don’t play all that well. You’re too much kind.”
Plainly, Americans and Chinese have different ways of responding to praise. Ironically, many Americans might consider Ms. Deng’s response the less modest, because it is less truthful—and therefore less sincere. Americans generally place sincerity above manners; genuine gratitude for the praise serves as a substitute for protestations of modesty. After all, in the words of one of my closest Chinese friends, modesty taken to the extreme is pride.
1. What does the underlined word “loath” in paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Polite. | B．Uncertain. | C．Curious. | D．Unwilling. |
| A．To note they do as much as they can each time they play against others. |
| B．To remind readers they are the best players in basketball and table tennis. |
| C．To explain they deserve the credit or recognition for their great contributions. |
| D．To show they as Chinese and Americans are different in accepting praise. |
| A．They think sincerity matters the most. | B．They think her reply is against the fact. |
| C．They think she is too modest to believe. | D．They think manners is more important. |
| A．Education. | B．Sports. | C．Culture. | D．People. |
4 . HEY boys, attention please! If you want to go to the US, you’d better be fully prepared, because, well, you and the boys in the US are a bit different.
Firstly, know how to knot a tie. In the US, every boy above school age wears suits when they go to weddings.
Secondly, be a gentleman. I know in China some boys are still proud of being strong. But in the US, a good man should also be polite.
The last is to learn something about football and baseball. Chinese boys like ping-pong, basketball and soccer, but American boys love football and baseball. They get very happy when they play and watch these sports.
| A．Many boys are fans of football or baseball in America. |
| B．In my opinion, you’d better try to do the following things. |
| C．The stronger you are, the more highly people will think of you. |
| D．My friend Madison from Virginia said it shows respect to others. |
| E．However, all this doesn’t mean that the American way is always the right way. |
| F．It’s not necessary to be a fan of football or fix your TV channel to baseball games. |
| G．Here are two examples: holding the door for people behind you and giving the seat on a bus to old people. |
5 . What is classed as normal behaviour in one culture can sometimes be unsuitable, unacceptable, or even offensive in another. We ’re all different and we all have different beliefs and ways of doing things. Understanding this is what cultural awareness(意识) is all about.
It’s easy to understand why we start off believing that our culture is better than any other. In fact, some argue that it’s necessary in order to survive. As children, we typically build our view of the world from our family and the place we grow up.
In the past, many people never left the comfort of their own town or district. They could all spend their days happily believing that the life they knew was the best, that their way of doing things was the right way, and not imagining or caring what others might think.
| A．Not better, but different. |
| B．We listen to each other’s music. |
| C．Today’s world isn’t like that though. |
| D．Culture influences many parts of people’s lives. |
| E．Cultural awareness can begin by holding up a mirror. |
| F．Our differences make the world endlessly interesting. |
| G．However, as we get older our understanding of the world grows with us. |
6 . One morning I looked out of my study window and saw it was a fine day: not even a single cloud. But later on, hard at work at my desk, I heard a loud drumming noise. Turning to the window, I saw the sky was now the color of charcoal (木炭). Rain began to fall; two minutes later the rain became hail (冰雹); at some point, the hail became snow.
The weather in Britain is by no means always bad. It can just seem a lot like a person who has a lot of mood swings.
This is one of the biggest reasons why the British talk so often about the weather: it’s handy. Wherever there are strangers standing or sitting close together, and talk cannot be avoided, the conversation focuses on the weather: “
Thus, the weather’s unpredictability is actually a plus for the British. Even those with different opinions on everything else in the world, such as the current argument in the UK about membership of the European Union, can talk about the weather without it leading to a shouting match.
| A．Long live rainstorms in mid-July! |
| B．The English often talks about weather. |
| C．Yes, the weather has been good, hasn’t it? |
| D．That makes it a safe topic of conversation. |
| E．You’d better take an umbrella, just in case. |
| F．This story will give you some idea about weather in Britain. |
| G．Strangers will choose to talk about the weather to break the ice. |
7 . Everyone knows about New Year’s Eve and Independence Day. But did you know that there are enough holidays to fill every day of the year? Here are just a few we found interesting.
World Hello Day
To celebrate this day, say hello to at least ten different people. World Hello Day began in the autumn of 1973, shortly after the end of a war in the Middle East. Brian and Michael McCormack of Omaha, Nebraska, wondered what they could do to encourage world peace. They felt the best way was by getting people to talk with one another.
The McCormacks sent letters to the leaders of every country in the world about the first World Hello Day. They wrote the letters in as many different languages as they could. Officials wrote back from sixteen countries and encouraged Brian and Michael to make World Hello Day a yearly event. The holiday has been held on the third Sunday of November every year since. The McCormacks have received letters from many famous people congratulating them for their efforts.
International Day of the Seal (海豹)
March 22 is the official International Day of the Seal. But the National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C., and many other zoos and research centers around the world celebrate this holiday on the third weekend of March. The holiday was created to tell people about the dangers seals face from pollution and fishing nets.
At the National Zoological Park, you can find out how seals live and ways to help protect their habitats (栖息地).
Do it! Day
Are you a procrastinator? Here’s a day to finish all those things you’ve been meaning to do. Do It! Day is celebrated on the first Wednesday in September. “The whole idea is to feel good about getting things done,” says the founder of Do It! Day, Ethel Cook. She came up with the idea as part of her work helping businesses get organized. Cook hopes everyone will turn their Do Its into Did Its.
1. World Hello Day was set to .| A．create peace worldwide |
| B．stop the war in the Middle East |
| C．encourage foreign language learning |
| D．spread knowledge about different countries |
| A．By reporting it on TV. |
| B．By meeting famous people. |
| C．By publishing it in the newspapers. |
| D．By writing letters to world leaders. |
| A．On March 22. |
| B．On the third weekend of March. |
| C．On the third Sunday of November. |
| D．On the first Wednesday in September. |
| A．cleans up things quickly | B．puts off things until later |
| C．always comes up with good ideas | D．feels good about getting things done |
8 . Ancient China produced many types of beautiful works of art. Among them, calligraphy (书法), poetry (诗歌) and painting are the most famous. Often they would be put together in art.These became important starting with the Song dynasty.
Calligraphy is the art of handwriting. In the old times the Chinese considered writing as an important form of art. Calligraphers would practice for years to learn to write perfectly, but with style. Each of the over 40,000 characters (汉字) needed to be written correctly. And each stroke (笔画) in a character had to be written in a certain order.
Poetry is also an important form of art. Great poets were famous all over the country, and all educated people were expected to write poetry. During the Tang dynasty poetry was so important that writing poetry was part of the examinations to become a civil servant (文官)and work for the government.
Chinese painting is often connected with calligraphy. It is one of the oldest artistic traditions in the world. The most traditional way of Chinese painting is known as “national painting” or “native painting” which is quite different from Western painting. People can draw mountains, buildings, birds, trees and water.
1. Calligraphers needed to write over _____ characters correctly in the old times.| A．10,000 | B．20,000 | C．30,000 | D．40,000 |
| A．Painting. | B．Calligraphy. | C．Writing poetry. | D．Playing music. |
| A．Calligraphy, poetry, and painting are the most famous works of art in ancient China. |
| B．The strokes of each character can be written in any order. |
| C．Poetry is an important form of art like calligraphy. |
| D．Chinese painting is often connected with calligraphy. |
| A．Chinese art. | B．Chinese examinations. |
| C．Chinese history. | D．Chinese dynasties. |
9 . Carving pumpkins is a classic Halloween activity. Families and friends can come together to create amazing scenes and faces out of pumpkins while enjoying each others' company in a family friendly environment.
First, use a saw to cut out the top, around the stem of the pumpkin, so you can reach inside. You can cut the top of the pumpkin round. Of course, you can cut a notch in it.
When all of the insides are taken out and the inside of your pumpkin looks clean, you are ready to start carving. You can use a pen to draw your pattern onto the pumpkin so it's easier to carve or you can draw your design.
After your pumpkin is carved, it is time to put it outside of the house and light it.
On Halloween night, your fantastic pumpkin creations will surely amaze all of the trick-or-treaters.
| A．The top should be big and beautiful. |
| B．Ensure that all necessary items are available. |
| C．The naughty children will stop by your house. |
| D．You can use an actual candle inside your pumpkin. |
| E．Children will pay a visit to every family in their community. |
| F．The most important part of pumpkin carving design is to be creative. |
| G．Because it's simpler to remember how the top and the pumpkin fit together. |
10 . World Environment Day is celebrated annually on June 5th and was created to inspire people around the globe to take an active part in environmental protection and learn more about ways we can help to guarantee the future of our planet is safe.
The very first World Environment Day took place in 1974, established by the United Nations General Assembly on the first day of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment that took place in 1972.
Each year the United Nations pick a theme and a host city where anyone who is concerned about the environment can talk about environmental topics with others, followed by different kinds of exhibits to promote environmental awareness. Environmentalists, academics and scientists come together to bring new ideas on the table concerning the environment.
The 2018 World Environment Day is hosted by India, and the theme is Beat Plastic Pollution. It urges people to explore and choose supportable alternatives like paper or cloth bags to reduce the production and use of disposable plastic, which makes up 10% of all of the waste. Even though the United Nations pick a specific host city every year, people around the world still celebrate World Environment Day in their hometowns with parades(游行), concerts, cleaning up and tree planting and all kinds of green actions to work towards having a beautiful planet and battling pollution.
World Environment Day is not a public holiday, so you won't be getting the day off work or school, but if you want to celebrate, why not bring it to the attention of your parents, friends, colleagues or classmates? World Environment Day is all about working together to take action for the planet, so try to get everyone you know interested in helping do something. Things as small as making sure people have a way to recycle can make a difference. You could also try beautifying your neighborhood by planting gardens, learn about green foods, raise money for a local wildlife conservation group of simply learn about the effects of different products on the earth.
1. Why is World Environment Day set up?| A．To make people know more about nature. | B．To ask people to help to protect the globe. |
| C．To warn people of the danger of air pollution. | D．To encourage people to plan the earth's future. |
| A．Decide a host city. | B．Hold a theme party. |
| C．Discuss environmental ideas. | D．Show some plastic products. |
| A．High cost. | B．Poor- quality. | C．Secondhand. | D．Single use. |
| A．Every bit of effort counts/ matters Count | B．Doing is better than saying. |
| C．Many hands make light work. | D．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart. |
