1 . If you surf the Internet, you will see that almost every day of the year celebrates some kind of food. Those "holidays", like National Onion Ring Day, have become very popular across the United States. They give people a chance to enjoy something they might not eat normally. Traditional food holidays also give restaurants and other businesses a chance to advertise their things.
But where did these American "holidays" come from? Many are the invention of an Alabama man, John-Bryan Hopkins. He writes about food for his website Foodimentary. com. Hopkins told Times magazine that when he began his site in 2006, there were only 175 "holidays." "I filled in the rest," he said.
The National Day Calendar has a list of all the different food and non-food related "holidays". In the past the website used to let anyone pay to create their own day—for a price. But now, the site only accepts requests from businesses in order to make more money.
While some food "holidays" are indeed made-up, many have their history. For example, National Beer Day on April 7marks the end of a US ban on the sale of beer drinks. The ban lasted from 1920 until 1933.
The Salvation Army, a Christian group, began to celebrate US National Doughnut Day on June l, 1938. It was meant to honor women who served soldiers doughnuts during World War I.
But not everyone likes food holidays. Bethany Jean Clement is a food writer for the Seattle Times newspaper. She wrote, "I get that some people might like celebrating National Doughnut Day. However, you really can have a doughnut any day you want, so there's no need to celebrate it!"
1. The function of the celebrations of some kind of food is to ________.| A．inspire people to expand their range of choices for food |
| B．let the inventor appear on the Time magazine cover |
| C．force people to eat what they might not eat in daily life |
| D．let the owners of the restaurants to earn more money |
| A．To sell many more products. | B．To create a new magazine. |
| C．To gain more economic benefit. | D．To attract more food writers. |
| A．Creative. | B．Unnecessary. | C．Unique. | D．Meaningful. |
| A．Good Chances to Enjoy American Food | B．American Food Online: A New Fashion |
| C．Traditional American Food on the Internet | D．National Food Days: An American Tradition |
2 . Statistics show that most toddlers (刚学走路的小孩) learn how to say about 20 words by 18 months. Talking is easy. If you ask anyone, none will remember how they started doing it, it just comes naturally.
But what might not flow as smoothly as words, is body language. It's a whole different deal when you're using your hands, eyes or head instead of your tongue. And what makes it even more complicated is the fact that body language differs all around the world.
I find it shockingly amazing how just a small finger gesture could mean one thing in the east and the completely opposite in the west. For instance, in Japan bowing is the most common greeting. It shows respect and Japanese pay a lot of attention to the details like the timing, posture and movement. A bow in Japan represents sincerity, respect and graciousness. While in New Zealand Maori, the pressing of noses and foreheads is the traditional greeting. They call it "hongi”; which is regarded as the breath of life.
For most of us, nodding our head up and down often means agreement, but not for the Bulgarians or Greeks. In both cultures, nodding one's head up and down actually means“no”. The American goodbye wave could actually be interpreted (领会) as a“no”in many parts of Europe and Latin America. And the Italian goodbye wave would be understood in America as a “come here” and the American “come here” gesture would actually be seen as an insult (侮辱) in most of Asia.
So before you travel to explore a different culture, make sure you're aware of alternate meanings for body language. We live in a world with many different cultures, so don't forget how differently one hand gesture can be interpreted!
1. What makes body language misunderstood often?| A．Its wide uses. | B．Its smooth flowing. |
| C．Its difficulties in understanding. | D．The background of different cultures. |
| A．Breath. | B．Respect. | C．Tradition. | D．Greeting. |
| A．America. | B．Greece. | C．New Zealand. | D．Japan. |
| A．The Origin of Body Language | B．The Limitation of Culture |
| C．Body Language Around the World | D．The Difference of Culture Around the World |
3 . The first World Friendship Day was proposed for July 30, 1958 by the World Friendship Crusade, an international civil organization to foster a culture of peace through friendship.
Days before the festival, card and gift companies launch a large campaign(活动) to attract people into buying cards and gifts for their friends. Streets and stores are filled with advertising programs aimed at young people.
Since its beginning in 1935, Friendship Day celebrations have come a long way.
| A．The popular customs of Friendship Day include handing over roses, |
| B．The idea of honoring friendship was adopted by a few countries in Asia. |
| C．Restaurants offer special discounts to make the most of the time as well. |
| D．These days, however, it is celebrated with a lot of showing off and expenses. |
| E．These are new ways of celebration of this day that have grown in popularity. |
| F．The original idea for a day of friendship came from Hallmark cards in the 1930s. |
| G．But however much the ways of celebration have changed, the basic idea behind the occasion remains the same. |
4 . Taking a vacation is a perfect way to help family members connected with one another, which is especially important when you consider the effects it has on children.
The following will help you know how to choose the right vacation for bringing your family together.
Making the time
With summer filled with school work there are fewer times available for families to take vacations together.
Choosing the location
The first step you'll want to take is picking a place. There are plenty of choices, but one of the best choices is a place connected to the outdoors.
Setting some goals
One thing you don't want is your children not getting along well with each other. Often the best solution is to keep your schedule full and include different activities. Perhaps include your children's opinions on what they want to do.
Family vacations can lead to a real turning point for family members providing a memorable experience that also makes everyone happier.
| A．Keeping the kids happy |
| B．Planning some great activities |
| C．So, next time you plan your trip, plan accordingly. |
| D．But winter and spring provide their own opportunities |
| E．There are plenty of activities that are fun for the whole family. |
| F．You can take a hike, watch wildlife, or camp outside with your kids |
| G．Vacation shouldn’t just be about getting away from work or seeing sights. |
5 . Welcome to the pumpkin weigh-off at Half Moon Bay (半月湾), California. The event has always been very popular among most pumpkin growers. Thousands of people line up along the city’s High Street and watch the proud pumpkin owners from across the country. Each pumpkin is carefully picked up by forklifts (叉式升降机) and placed on a digital weighing scale.
Organizers are offering $30,000 in total prize money for a new record pumpkin entering Half Moon Bay. But in order to receive the “New Record Prize”, the grower will have to bring a pumpkin heavier than the 2,624-pound one grown by Mathias Willemijns in 2017. If the heaviest pumpkin in the contest is unable to surpass (超过) the record, its owner will receive $6 for every pound it weighs.
When: Monday, October 9, 2018. Weighing will begin at 7 am and will end at 11 am. Growers will start lining the street as daylight breaks by 7 am.
Where: I.D.E.S. Grounds, 735 Main Street, Half Moon Bay, California.
Prize Money:
New Record Pumpkin: $30,000 (in total)
1st Place: $6 per pound
2nd Place: $2,000
3rd Place: $1,500
4th Place: $1,000
5th~10th Place: $500 each
11th~20th Place: $100 each
Special Prizes: $500 for the most beautiful pumpkin, judged by the audience (color, shape and size).
The top five pumpkins will be on display for the thousands of visitors to Half Moon Bay’s famous Art and Pumpkin Festival that will take place on October 14-15, 2018.
1. How much will the grower receive if he/she brings the heaviest pumpkin weighing 2600 pounds?| A．$2,000. | B．$15,600. |
| C．$30,000. | D．$30,500. |
| A．The growers. | B．The art judges. |
| C．The organizers. | D．The audience present. |
| A．To introduce a popular festival. |
| B．To inform the prize for a competition. |
| C．To explain how to grow huge pumpkins. |
| D．To attract more people to grow pumpkins. |
The first important thing you need to know is when to begin eating. Before dinner, the hostess usually serves guests first and herself last. So do not eat as soon as you are served but wait until the hostess has also been served and has picked up her fork as the signal to begin. But at a large dinner party where there are many guests, the hostess may ask everyone to begin eating as soon as they are served. If you want to talk while eating, your mouth should certainly not be full of food because it is considered very bad manners. But it is possible to speak with a little food in the mouth. When you have to answer a question, naturally you must wait until the food in your mouth is eaten.
When a dish is passed to you with a fork in the plate, you should use it to take your food. Do not take too much at a time and make sure that the other guests can have enough food.
Anyway, good table manners are very important and they are not so simple as we thought. But it is necessary for one to know what good table manners are because they can help one succeed in his life!
1. Table manners are closely related to one’s _______ in paragraph 1.
| A．life and name | B．job and age |
| C．job and name | D．life and job |
| A．what to eat | B．whether to talk |
| C．when to begin eating | D．How to use forks. |
| A．refuse to answer it |
| B．answer it immediately |
| C．tell him/her to ask it later |
| D．wait until the food in your mouth is eaten |
| A．Sports | B．Culture | C．Music | D．News |
Each year, I attend not just one Thanksgiving dinner, but typically between three and four. Thanksgiving lasts all throughout the second half of the week. I travel to different houses to spend time with different parts of my family. We usually eat a giant amount of traditional Thanksgiving foods such as deviled eggs, ham, green beans, potatoes, and breads. We don’t eat the traditional turkey like many families do, but we have just about everything else that someone would want to eat.
After eating, we sit around and chat. Usually someone has brought a guest, such as a new boyfriend/girlfriend or a new baby, so there’s always a chance to get to know the new family member, as well as catching up with family that I haven’t seen for a long time.
My extended families are very different, which makes for different holiday experiences. My mother’s family is very polite and quiet, and that makes the dinner with them seem very formal. My father’s family is the opposite. They’re loud and don’t even try to control what words come out of their mouths. Their Thanksgiving usually includes yelling at whatever football game is on the television. It’s very casual and relaxed. Either way, it’s nice to be able to see my family and spend time with them.
In my eyes, Thanksgiving is a holiday based on being thankful for what you have, spending time with family, and eating a lot more food than you probably should. Not all these things go with its history, but it makes for a nice tradition.
1. The underlined word“overshadowed”in the first paragraph probably means ________.
| A．compared |
| B．celebrated |
| C．related |
| D．made to feel less important |
a. eating turkey.
b. chatting with her family.
c. watching the annual Thanksgiving shows on TV.
d. attending several Thanksgiving dinners with different parts of her family.
| A．a, b. |
| B．a, c. |
| C．b, d. |
| D．c, d. |
| A．She thinks that her parents’families have a lot in common with each other. |
| B．She believes that her mother and father’s families should learn from each other. |
| C．She prefers her father’s family’s casual way of celebrating Thanksgiving to her mother’s family’s way. |
| D．She enjoys spending time both of her parents’families although they are quite different. |
