1 . Beijing—The public has responded with vigorous support for an NPC deputy’s proposal to extend the Spring Festival holiday from three days to 10.
More than 78 percent of about 27,600 respondents to a poll on www.people.com.cn<http://www.21cnjy.com/> voted in favor of the idea of Li Jing,who is also the mayor of Meishan city in South-west China’s Sichuan province. Li said the lunar new year festival holiday was too short for family reunions,especially for the nation’s 220 million migrant workers.
With hundreds of millions of people on the move during such a short time span,the holiday puts great stress on the public transport system and suppresses tourism, she added. She suggested the holiday be extended and cover the three adjacent(毗连的)weekends,which means the public could take a total of 16 days off and floating population could spend the Lantern Festival,which falls on the 15th day of the lunar new year,with their families.
People would then have sufficient time to fully enjoy the traditional holiday with their families,Li said during an interview with People’s Daily Online on Friday.
Most online voters agreed that extending the holiday will ease the burden on public transport and strengthen family ties.“The Spring Festival is an occasion for family reunions and should be longer than the National Day holiday,”one responder said in an online post.“Every year,I wish I could spend more time at home for the Spring Festival,but I always have to go back to work.I hope the NPC will approve this proposal.”
Another online comment read:“Extending the Spring Festival holiday could prevent the annual transportation crush,which has in recent years resembled an exodus(出走)of fleeing refugees(难民)”.
Most of the about 13 percent who opposed the idea cited difficulties readjusting to work after the break.Some pointed out that office moral was generally low during the first week after the holiday. “After the six-day holiday, many people come back to work feeling absent-minded,” one respondent said. Some who opposed the extension suggested adding the Lantern Festival as an official holiday.
Another 10 percent said lawmakers should carefully study the impacts before they make any decisions on holidays.
1. Which of the following is NOT the reason why Li Jing suggested extending the Spring Festival holiday?| A．The floating population could spend the Lantern Festival. |
| B．People could spend more money and this could promote consumption. |
| C．The lunar new year festival holiday was too short for family reunions. |
| D．The holiday puts great stress on the public transport system and suppresses tourism. |
| A．It could cover the two adjacent weekends. |
| B．The holiday would be from the first day of the lunar year. |
| C．She added the Lantern Festival as an independent official holiday. |
| D．The public could take a total of 16 days off including the Lantern Festival. |
| A．uncomfortable pressure caused by a great crowd of people |
| B．a drink made by pressing fruit and used as juice |
| C．a traffic accident resulting from traveling too fast |
| D．people’s eagerness to go home to meet their families |
| A．It was a waste of time. |
| B．People would not earn much money. |
| C．It would have a bad effect on China’s economy. |
| D．People wouldn’t be in a good working stage after so long a holiday. |
There are all kinds of festivals
3 . Once,I had an American friend.After she went back home,I never heard from her again.I can't help but wonder if there can ever be real friendship between Westerners and us Chinese.
What is friendship?The Oxford English Dictionary says,"The emotions or conduct of friends."In both Western and Chinese culture,we have similar proverbs when it comes to friendship,such as"a friend in need is a friend indeed."
Chinese people value friendship highly.As you know,Chinese people are known to be extremely hospitable and open-hearted.
One type of friend in China is a"close acquaintance"who only occasionally eats and drinks and hangs out with you.In the West,they are called"a fair-weather(不可共患难的）friend."Nikki was that kind of friend.Despite our language barrier,we had a lot of fun together..
| A．They refer to anyone they know as a"friend." |
| B．Friendship in the West is mostly pursued for fun. |
| C．However,there is a cultural gap between the two sides. |
| D．Of course,Westerners and Chinese people can be good friends. |
| E．Real friends can share all our sorrows and double all our joys. |
| F．The second type of friend in China is a"real friend"who is practically your family. |
| G．They'll take turns with you in picking up the bill,because that's what good friends do. |
注意：1.词数80左右；2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Tony,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
5 . When the leaves begin to change colors,it means one thing for many travelers：Fall festival season is here.If you’re interested in visiting a fall festival in America,here are some of the country’s best fall festivals for you to choose from.
Wellfleet Oysterfest
Wellileet Oysterfest is a two-day event held in Wellfleet,Mass.The meeting on Cape Cod is one that the locals look forward to all year long.Feed on oysters(牡蛎）and other seafood，while you watch the fastest oyster-eaters in the world compete in the famous Oyster Shuck-Off,a competition for taking the outer covering of oysters.The competition is taken very seriously.
Harvest on the Harbor
It takes place in Portland,Maine.The festival celebrates all that is best about Maine’s food and wine.This celebration is held every October,and includes the Maine Lobster Chef of the Year Competition and Savory Samplings at the Marketplace.The latter allows travelers to taste the best local food that Maine has to offer at Casco Bay.
Killington Hay Festival
If you’re looking for a fall festival that includes hay sculptures(干草雕塑)，take part in the yearly Killington Hay Festival.When you begin to see the giant hay sculptures,you’ll know you’ve arrived.Past sculptures have changed from a 20-foot-tall kangaroo to a family of penguins.
1. What can we learn about the meeting on Cape Cod?| A．It takes place twice a year. | B．It lasts three days in all. |
| C．It’s loved by the locals. | D．It’s not open to tourists. |
| A．People who want to go to a festival in November. |
| B．People who want to try Maine’s local food. |
| C．The fastest oyster-eaters worldwide, |
| D．The best cooks around the world. |
| A．They all serve seafood. | B．They are all liked by eaters. |
| C．They all last for two days. | D．They all take place in fall. |
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧),并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
My birthday is in May 19th.I often celebrated it with my friends. Usually, I have a good party at home with a few close friend. We sit together, singing, chatting, eating snacks, have drinks and so on. My friends always buy me with some nice gifts, make birthday cards, and prepare a big birthday cake for myself. The happiest moment is absolute the one when I open the gifts, since I can get big surprise every time. In the evening, we often first have a big meal at a restaurant. We have more delicious dishes. Before the meal, we will have the birthday cake and light the candles on the cake and sing the song “Happy Birthday”.
7 . The way of greeting someone comes in different forms. Kissing and hugging are normal in some European and Arab countries. Maoris in New Zealand greet each other by rubbing against their noses. However, the most common physical way of greeting people nowadays is handshake. It has become so ubiquitous that you may never have thought about its origins. It's like a part of human nature.
The modern handshake as a form of greeting is hard to trace. The Quakers are traditionally seen as originators. But as Dutch sociologist Herman Roodenburg——the chief authority for the history of handshaking一wrote in his publication A Cultural History of Gesture, "More than in any other field, the study of gesture is one in which the historian has to make the most of only a few clues. " Another well-known evidence of the early tradition of shaking hands took place in the early 17th century. A Scotsman living in England, named James Cleland, suggested that the practice of the u good old Scottish shaking of the two right hands” should be observed, instead of things like bowing down to everyone's shoes and kissing hands.
If you ask why shaking hands is the most preferred way of greeting over other gestures, the most well-known explanation is that handshaking prevents the right hand from holding a weapon. In the 19th century it was argued that shaking hands without removing gloves was quite rude and required an immediate apology.
Shaking hands seems like a gesture that has been around forever. However, in 1880's France, a society had been formed to abolish the handshake as a ''vulgar" English novelty. And now in the US that gesture may fall away in favor of the fist hump. While the fist bump is a cooler way to greet someone, the reason may have been more practical. According to survey participants, they did not want to shake hands because they were afraid of catching and spreading germs（细菌）.
1. Which of the following can best explain "ubiquitous” underlined in paragraph 1 ?| A．Curious. | B．Obvious. | C．Common. | D．Shallow. |
| A．The importance. | B．The history. |
| C．The feature. | D．The classification. |
| A．For convenience. | B．For politeness. |
| C．For enjoyment. | D．For safety. |
| A．Everyone doesn't fall in love with the handshake. |
| B．The root of handshake is lost in the sands of time. |
| C．It might seem like shaking hands is an ancient custom. |
| D．A handshake is among the most common ways to greet others. |
People send birthday wishes using cards and postcards in many cultures. It’s not known when and where the tradition of
In 1840, the first postage stamp was issued in Britain and sending birthday cards became
Today usually cards
9 . Why Is 2020 Called a Leap Year?
February 29 comes up on the calendar only every four years. A year with a February 29 might be good news if you are paid by the day or the week. But it might be bad news if you were born on a February 29.
American English has a term for the unusual situation. February 29 is called a leap day. And the entire 12-month period with a February 29 in it is called a leap year. This year, 2020, is such a year.
In a leap year, the dates jump over one day of the week. Let me explain. In 2017, the last day of the year, December 31, fell on a Sunday. In 2018, it fell on a Monday. In 2019, it fell on a Tuesday. But in 2020, December 31 will fall on a Thursday.
The reason for a leap day or a leap year is because our calendar does not follow the Earth’s orbit around the sun exactly.
“Leap” is also an important word for two other common American expressions.
| A．One is a kind of warning. |
| B．That’s why we called it a Leap Year |
| C．It just leaped right over Wednesday. |
| D．Each year, we have a little time left over. |
| E．You have to wait three years in between birthdays! |
| F．As a verb, the word “leap” means to jump, or to move quickly. |
| G．Some ancient peoples would likely tell couples not to do it, however. |
10 . A UK college has started teaching students the Danish concept of hygge — said to make homes nicer and people happier. But what exactly is it?
Sitting by the fire on a cold night, while petting a dog — probably surrounded by candles. That’ s certainly “hygge”. Eating home-made cakes. Watching TV under a warm quilt. Tea served in a china set. Family get-togethers at Christmas. They’re all hygge too.
The Danish word, pronounced “hoo-ga”, is usually translated into English as “cosiness(舒适)”. But it’s much more than that — it is an entire attitude to life that makes Denmark one of the world’s happiest countries.
Morley College, in central London, is teaching students how to achieve hygge as part of its Danish language course. “We have long, cold winters in Denmark,” says lecturer Susanne Nilsson. “That influences things. Hygge doesn’t have to be a winter-only thing, but it isn’t that fine for much of the year.”
With up to 17 hours of darkness per day in winter, and average temperatures staying around 0℃, people spend more time indoors as a result, says Nilsson, meaning there’s greater focus on home entertaining.
The idea is to feel as at-home as possible, forgetting life’s worries. “Hygge works best when there’s not too large an empty space around the person or people,” Nilsson adds.
The recent growth in Scandinavian-themed restaurants, cafes and bars in the UK is helping to export hygge, Nilsson says. Most customers won’t have heard of the term, but they might get a sense of it.
Similarly, in the US, the wallpaper and fabric firm Hygge & West aims to channel the concept through its cheery designs, as does a Los Angeles bakery, called Hygge, which sells traditional Danish cakes and treats.
Hygge is a deep-rooted tradition in Danes’ life. Helen Russell, author of The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World ’ s Happiest Country, says, “Hygge is so important for those who live Danishly that the other day, I saw a camper car parked by the roadside with lit candles in the windows.”
1. Which can be used to explain the concept of hygge?| A．It means success. | B．It is a way to relax. |
| C．It requires a large room. | D．It is a candle-involved moment. |
| A．The country’s climate. | B．The country’s culture. |
| C．The country’s economy. | D．The country’s education. |
| A．It is ignored by the two countries’ people. | B．It is quite different from that in Denmark. |
| C．It is a new trend in the two countries. | D．It is related to several traditions. |
| A．To explain the history of hygge. | B．To discuss a UK college course. |
| C．To encourage people to live Danishly. | D．To introduce a traditional Danish lifestyle. |
