The United States is one of the few countries in the world that has an official day on which fathers are honored by their children. On the third Sunday in June, fathers all across the United States are given presents, treated to dinner or otherwise made to feel special.
However, the idea for creating a day for children to honor their fathers began in Spokane, Washington. A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Father’s Day while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909. Having been raised by her father, Henry Jackson Smart, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a selfless and loving man. Sonora’s father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father’s Day celebration in Spikane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.
In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge declared the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. Roses are the Father’s Day flowers: red to be worn for a living father and white if the father has died.
When children can’t visit their fathers or take them out to dinner, they send a greeting card. Traditionally, fathers prefer greeting cards that are not too sentimental. Most greeting cards are too special so fathers laugh when they open them. Some give heartfelt thanks for being there whenever the child needed Dad.
1. At first, Father’s Day was fixed on June 19th because ______.
| A．Sonora honored her father on her father’s birthday |
| B．Sonora’s birthday was June 19 |
| C．it was decided by the president at that time |
| D．her mother died on June 19 |
| A．4 | B．10 | C．14 | D．24 |
| A．people will wear the same flowers to honor their fathers |
| B．only daughters wear red flowers to honor their fathers |
| C．children must go home to honor their fathers |
| D．fathers are often honored in different ways |
| A．was very kind to anyone |
| B．did a lot for his daughter |
| C．was the first father honored in 1924 |
| D．always helped others by giving money |
2 . A trip across the Pacific will guarantee you a different experience with a tipping culture you’ve never come across in China.
In the US, giving a little
Though US national law
So how should you tip if you are in the US?
Yet there is an
Other service workers also receive tips. For taxi drivers, 15 percent is the norm (标准),
Today, you can even pay tips on a credit card. When receiving a copy of the bill to sign, you
are
| A．good | B．pocket | C．extra | D．lucky |
| A．method | B．practice | C．way | D．agreement |
| A．requires | B．believes | C．hopes | D．agrees |
| A．rarely | B．usually | C．seldom | D．always |
| A．put up | B．take up | C．hold up | D．make up |
| A．praises | B．prizes | C．awards | D．rewards |
| A．Fortunately | B．Naturally | C．Normally | D．Surprisingly |
| A．bill | B．note | C．check | D．tip |
| A．expected | B．limited | C．illegal | D．casual |
| A．superb | B．poor | C．splendid | D．new |
| A．example | B．incident | C．exception | D．opportunity |
| A．provide | B．pay | C．charge | D．demand |
| A．need | B．should | C．must | D．might |
| A．put | B．live | C．work | D．rely |
| A．less | B．bigger | C．more | D．smaller |
| A．eager | B．free | C．willing | D．delighted |
| A．Though | B．Now that | C．As if | D．When |
| A．dilemma | B．enjoyment | C．headache | D．change |
| A．stay | B．bear | C．bring | D．take |
| A．terrible | B．various | C．valuable | D．fine |
As they walked up the long winding path, they saw things that chilled (使恐惧) them to the bone! They heard sounds that frightened them. Maybe they should turn back. But the little boys, being very brave, just wanted to see what was in that house, so they went on, not deterred by the things they heard or saw. As they slowly made their way up to the door, they imagined what might be inside. Maybe it would be a witch or maybe a ghost!
After knocking several times, the door slowly creaked (嘎吱作响) open. To their surprise, a monster (怪物) slowly came out to greet them. They were so scared that they couldn’t move! What could they do? Then the little boy had an idea. He said, "Trick or treat!" Then the big scary monster, much to the kids’surprise, reached over and brought out a huge bowl of the best candies they had never seen. Wow, the kids thought, this was great! It turned out that the house was decorated for Halloween, and the big scary monster was just wearing a costume, just like the kids. Since they were the only kids, and were brave enough to go to the scary house, they could take as much candy as they wanted.
1. This passage is ______.
| A．a funny Halloween story |
| B．mainly about two brave kids |
| C．mainly about a spooky house |
| D．mainly about the custom of Halloween |
| A．the monster was afraid of the phrase "trick or treat" |
| B．the two kids were also wearing costumes |
| C．not all families prepared candy for brave kids |
| D．some other children had been to the house before the two kids |
| A．warned | B．delayed |
| C．attracted | D．frightened |
1. 主人请客人先人座；
2. 使用筷子进餐；
3. 吃饭不出声响；
4. 客人先动筷子；
5. 餐毕客人向主人致谢。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Paul,
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Yours truly,
Li Hua
The display is part of the second annual “Happy Chinese New Year: Fantastic Art China” festival held in New York on February 5-10, 2016. The China Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), the USA-China Cultural Institute and the Cultural Associate of the Committee of 100 announced this year’s events on November 18 at a press conference at the Lincoln Center.
The “Fantastic Art China” festival will feature a larger and more diverse series of artistic and cultural events across New York’s top cultural venues (地点) and landmarks, including the Lincoln Center, Empire State Building and Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
This year’s theme focuses on exploring the complicated relationship between sound and image, said Professor Yu Ding from CAFA, who is also president of Fantastic Art China and in charge of the festival’s design. Lunar New Year, which celebrates the “Year of the Monkey” in 2016, is an opportunity to bring China’s modern art to mainstream America, and the festival serves as an innovative approach to establishing cultural exchange between China and New York City, Yu said.
UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Tan Dun’s music is a new edition that will be featured at several venues, including a major art exhibition at the Javits Center, events at the Lincoln Center and the fireworks display on the Hudson, which will take place on the evening of February 6. Five barges (游艇) on the river will launch the fireworks designed by CAFA that will tell a story about celebration and conservation.
“We Chinese are fond of nature, so the best way to celebrate the Lunar New Year is to salute with the sounds of nature, such as sounds of water, stone and bamboo,” said Tan Dun at the press conference, “And it will be fun to use the music of water during the fireworks display.”
In addition to the fireworks, a special lighting show at the Empire State Building will
Chinese New Year is being recognized as a public school holiday for the first time in New York. Children from the National Dance Institute, which represents 75 schools, will perform traditional Chinese dances at the Lincoln Center and the Javits Center. And, in celebration of the “Year of the Monkey”, events will feature a conservation message about the endangered golden monkey in China.
1. The theme of this year’s celebration is centered on ________.
| A．relationship between sound and image of nature |
| B．diversity of Chinese traditional festivals |
| C．endangered species and environmental protection |
| D．cultural exchange between China and America |
| A．sailing on the Hudson River along with a new-year speech |
| B．setting off fireworks and holding a special lighting show |
| C．holding a special concert at the Empire State Building |
| D．taking a week off and organizing Chinese dance contests |
| A．lighten. | B．surround. |
| C．decorate. | D．broaden. |
| A．compare some traditional festivals in China and America |
| B．attract visitors to America for the coming new-year celebration |
| C．report celebration activities for the “Year of the Monkey” in New York |
| D．strengthen the cultural co-operation between China and America |
6 . The Dragon Boat Festival has been marked by eating zongzi and racing dragon boats for thousands of years. It
Qu was minister of the state of Chu
After the
Germany Parents are banned by law from using last names and the names of objects and products as first names. A child’s first name must clearly indicate his or her sex, and all names must be approved by the office of vital statistics in the area in which the child was born.
Iceland The country’s naming committee consults the National Register of Persons to determine if a name is acceptable. If parents want to go off-list, they must apply for approval and pay a fee, and the name must contain only letters in the Icelandic alphabet.
New Zealand The country’s Births, Deaths, and Marriages Registration Act of 1995 prohibits parents from choosing a name that “ might cause offense to a reasonable person; is unreasonably long; or is, includes, or resembles an official title or rank,” including, apparently, Adolf Hitler and Yeah Detroit—both names recently rejected.
Denmark If Danish parents prefer a moniker not on the list of 7,000 preapproved baby names, they must get permission from local church and government officials. Fifteen to 20 percent of the 1,100 reviewed names—including creative spellings of common names, last names as first names, and unusual names—are rejected each year.
1. You can tell whether a baby is a girl or a boy according to the first name in _____.
| A．Germany | B．New Zealand |
| C．Iceland | D．Denmark |
| A．be approved by the office of vital statistics. |
| B．be accepted by the National Register of Persons. |
| C．contain only letters in the Roman alphabet. |
| D．be paid for some money. |
| A．Bin Laden | B．Talula Does The Hula |
| C．John Smith | D．Keenan Got Lucky |
| A．Parents should pay a fee for babies’ names if the names are rejected. |
| B．Each year about 150-200 reviewed names are rejected in Denmark. |
| C．Adolf Hitler is banned in Iceland. |
| D．Danish babies’ names should be on the list if parents can’t get the permission. |
| People | Comments |
| Yingtian Hu Guangzhou, China | This is the first time that I participate in CRI. And I like it very much. I hope its website will become the most excellent one with the foreign languages. And I choose the important news which I think has a great influence on our society and our lives. In the end, I hope that more and more persons join in CRI and make it perfect! |
| SujanParajuli, Select city, Nepal | I am both a regular listener of CRI and visitor of its wonderful Website. First of all, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to CRI for its great efforts to keep the listeners up-to-date during the year 2008. We, the listeners, are greatly grateful to CRI for its praise-worthy efforts to quench the thirst of its dear listeners. During the Year 2008, I found all of your programs quite interesting, informative and educational. Once again, thanks a lot for offering lots of information, news, entertainment and many items which have indeed broaden the horizons of our knowledge and understanding as well. |
| Ibrahim Rustamov, Tajikistan | With CRI, I was impressed by China’s rapid development in all spheres. But I felt so sorry to get to know about the snowstorms in China and Wenchuan earthquake. CRI and CCTV play a great role in introducing China to the world! Kudos! My friends and I wish CRI all the best! |
| Mike Thatcher, London | My family and I are all keen on Chinese Culture, especially the beautiful Chinese folk music. Various interesting programs by CRI just open a window for us foreigners, through which we can know more about China and have a better understanding of the Chinese culture. Best wishes to CRI! Best wishes to China! |
1. Which of the following benefits of CRI is NOT mentioned above?
| A．CRI helps to keep its listeners up-to-date. |
| B．CRI helps its listeners to better understand China. |
| C．CRI helps its listeners to practice and improve foreign languages. |
| D．CRI helps its listeners broaden their knowledge with its rich contents. |
| A．satisfy one’s need |
| B．supply drinks |
| C．take care of |
| D．keep in touch with |
| A．CRI has a great influence on our society and lives. |
| B．Wonderful though CRI is, there are still many weaknesses. |
| C．CRI plays an important role in introducing the world to China. |
| D．CRI has made great efforts to make itself better and gained popularity. |
9 . Should we allow modern buildings to be built next to older buildings in a historic area of a city? In order to answer this question, we must first examine whether people really want to preserve the historic feel of an area. Not all historical buildings are attractive. However, there may be other reasons—for example, economic (经济的) reasons—why they should be preserved. So, let us assume that historical buildings are both attractive and important to the majority of people. What should we do then if a new building is needed?
In my view, new architectural styles can exist perfectly well alongside an older style. Indeed, there are many examples in my own home town of Tours where modern designs have been placed very successfully next to old buildings. As long as the building in question is pleasing and does not dominate (影响) its surroundings too much, it often improves the attractiveness of the area.
It is true that there are examples of new buildings which have spoilt (破坏) the area they are in, but the same can be said of some old buildings too. Yet people still speak against new buildings in historic areas. I think this is simply because people are naturally conservative(保守的)and do not like change.
Although we have to respect people’s feelings as fellow users of the buildings, I believe that it is the duty of the architect and planner to move things forward . If we always reproduced what was there before, we would all still be living in caves. Thus, I would argue against copying previous architectural styles and choose something fresh and different , even though that might be the more risky choice.
1. What does the author say about historical buildings in the first paragraph?| A．Some of them are not attractive. |
| B．Most of them ate too expensive to preserve. |
| C．They are more pleasing than modern buildings. |
| D．They have nothing to do with the historic feel of an area. |
| A．We should reproduce the same old buildings. |
| B．Buildings should not dominate their surroundings. |
| C．Some old buildings have spoilt the area they are in. |
| D．No one understands why people speak against new buildings. |
| A．destroy old buildings |
| B．put things in a different place |
| C．respect people’s feelings for historical buildings |
| D．choose new architectural styles |
| A．To explain why people dislike change. |
| B．To argue that modern buildings can be built in historic areas. |
| C．To warn that we could end up living in caves. |
| D．To admit how new buildings have ruined their surroundings. |
1.未及时回信的原因；
2.你假期的打算（如做兼职、旅行、做志愿者等）
注意：1. 词数：120-150；
2 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
