1 . In the U. S., speaking more than one language fluently is not very common except in Los Angeles, California.
The city has one of the largest population in the U. S. of young people between the ages of 18 and 34. This generation is often called millennials (新千年一代). More than half of millennials in Los Angeles are bilingual (双语的), which means they speak more than one language.
Maria Elena Burgos is cooking a Mexican breakfast. She says making Mexican food is just one of the many traditions in her home. Another is speaking Spanish to her children.
“We want them to be bilingual. We want to keep the Spanish somewhere in their learning too, not only at home.”
When Ms Burgos first came to the United States from Mexico, she learned English. She knew her children would learn English quickly. So she wanted them to speak Spanish at home and study the language at school.
She says being bilingual will give them more opportunities in the future. Knowing Spanish also means the children can talk with their relatives in Mexico.
“When we had our children, one of the decisions we as parents made was to name them with a name that was easily pronounced in English and Spanish.”
Elizabeth wants to know her family’s culture.” “The culture-to go back to our roots because that’s part of who we are.”
Monica wants to pass on the culture to her children.
“It’s nice to know our culture and then to be able to pass it onto our children and grand- children and everyone to let them know where we come from.”
And, Monica says she does not speak only English and Spanish. She has even learned some Korean in school.
1. Which of the following is a tradition of Maria?| A．Cooking breakfast for her relatives. |
| B．Talking with her children in Spanish. |
| C．Talking with her relatives in Spanish. |
| D．Forcing her children to speak Spanish. |
| A．She doesn’t care where she comes from. |
| B．She looks forward to learning Spanish. |
| C．Everyone should know his own culture. |
| D．She doesn’t like American culture. |
| A．It can give children more chances in the future. |
| B．It can make children feel proud before their friends. |
| C．It can give the children a chance to go to a good college. |
| D．It can let children go to the places where they want to go. |
| A．To entertain the readers with a funny story. |
| B．To inform the readers of a shocking experiment result. |
| C．To encourage more persons to learn a second language. |
| D．To tell a truth that many people in Los Angeles are bilingual. |
Of course, the good of oxen is not limited to plowing. In fact, they are seen as “boats on land” for their ability to carry loads. Besides, the whole body of an ox is full of treasures. Their meat and milk are food full of nutrition, and their skin can be used to make clothes and shoes. With all these qualities, oxen are regarded as generous creatures.
In the past, oxen played an important role in the spiritual life of the Chinese. Even today, oxen still play a special part in some folk activities. For example, some people who live in southwest China will cook cattle bone soup and share it among family members when holding the ceremony for children who reach 13. They believe that the cattle bone soup represents the blood relationship among family members. In order to express their love for oxen, people in some other areas will run to shake off diseases on the 16th day of the first month by the lunar calendar (农历), and during their run they will take their oxen along, which indicates they regard the creature as human.
Because of the contribution of oxen in their lives, the Chinese people are very grateful to the animal. In addition, the use of oxen in ceremonies and the thanks people owe to oxen help to develop various traditional customs, which becomes an important part of the folk culture of the Chinese nation.
1. The words “boats on land” underlined in Paragraph 2 refer to ________.
| A．animals for taking goods | B．creatures for pulling plows |
| C．treasures of the folk culture | D．tools in the farming economy |
| A．oxen are no more important today than in the past |
| B．ceremonies are held when people cook cattle bone soup |
| C．oxen are treated as human in some areas of China |
| D．people run with oxen to shake off diseases every month |
| A．The special role of oxen in frowning. |
| B．People’s respect and love for oxen. |
| C．The practical value of an ox's body. |
| D．The contribution of oxen to the economy. |
| A．To stress the importance of oxen in farming. |
| B．To introduce the Chinese folk culture. |
| C．To describe how to celebrate the Year of Ox. |
| D．To explain how to develop agriculture with oxen. |
