Mid-Autumn Festival, or Mid-autumn Day, is the second grandest festival in China after the Chinese New Year. It is named so for that it is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month,
The day is also known as the Moon Festival. In Chinese culture, full moon
2 . Want good luck in 2023? Hit the kitchen. Throughout the world, New Year’s day means celebrating with traditional foods. For your holiday menu, greet the new year with the following foods.
Fish
The Chinese eat fish because the word for “fish” sounds like the word for “a large quantity”. But in other cultures, the custom results from the practicality of cod s (鳕鱼) easy preservation. Among the fishy dishes out there are: boiled cod in Denmark, dried salted cod in Italy, and seafood salad in Sweden.
Grapes
In the early 1900s, Spanish grape growers had a good harvest, and there was born a tradition. When the clock strikes midnight, revelers (狂欢者) pick up a grape for every strike, with each of the twelve grapes representing a month of the coming year. If the particular grape is especially sweet, you can expect an especially happy month matching which grape it was. For example, if the second grape was sweeter than the rest, your February will bring you much happiness.
Beans
Speaking of money, it couldn’t hurt to pair cash with coins. That’s the idea behind eating foods that are small and round. Italians and Germans eat small beans, while the Japanese prefer sweet black beans. In the American South, eating black-eyed peas is thought to bring success, a tradition which started with Sephardi Jews who moved to Georgia in the 1700s.
Cake
What’s a meal without dessert? The meal for the New Year’s Day, commonly a round cake completes the meal. You’ll find pastries in the Netherlands, Poland and Italy. Some cultures hide a meaningful treasure within, and whoever gets it is guaranteed a great year. In Greece, look out for a coin; in Scandinavia, a nut is buried in rice pudding.
1. According to the text, which of the following is TRUE?| A．The custom of eating fish has its origin in China. |
| B．Spanish grapes were used to celebrate a good harvest. |
| C．Small and round beans were used as a kind of coins. |
| D．The meal for the New Year’s Day often ends up with a round cake. |
| A．symbolize good fortune | B．promote national development |
| C．are beneficial to a balanced diet | D．are popular throughout the world |
| A．Food recipes. | B．Historical stories. |
| C．Traffic and holidays. | D．Culture and customs. |
The fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month is the Mid-Autumn Festival. It is a festival
4 . Stargazing Festivals in 2023
As more areas grow brighter with light pollution, national parks across the country have become dark-sky havens. Over the years, they are making a push to get certified as havens for sky-watching by the International Dark Sky Association, and they even host events like stargazing festivals to get travelers excited about astronomy.
·Bryce Canyon National Park—June 14-17
Situated in southern Utah, Bryce Canyon earned its dark-sky title in 2019. The 35,835-acre park is an ideal place to stay up late. This year, its annual astronomy festival includes guided stargazing sessions, lectures and “star stories” presentations, family-friendly activities, and even a performance by strings musicians in the northern Arizona-based Dark Sky Quartet.
·Shenandoah National Park—August 11-13
Conveniently located within a day’s drive from two-thirds of Americans, Shenandoah National Park’s night sky festival is a low-lift way to dabble in astronomy. The nearly 200,000-acre park will host ranger talks, public stargazing sessions, lectures, presentations, and activities for kids. Staffers are still working on this year’s full schedule, but past events have covered topics ranging from space weather to nocturnal(夜间的) creatures.
·Great Basin National Park—September 14-16
Great Basin is one of the least crowded national parks, making it the perfect place to quietly appreciate the mysteries of the cosmos. Its annual astronomy festival is scheduled for this fall and includes guest speakers, constellation talks, observatory tours, and a photography workshop. During the festival’s unique “Art in the Dark” program, participants will get to paint in low-light conditions and experiment with how their eyes perceive color.
·Joshua Tree National Park—October 13-14
Joshua Tree National Park, as the International Dark Sky Association notes, is the “nearest convenient place to go stargazing under a relatively dark sky” for the 18 million people who live in the Los Angeles area. It became an official dark sky park in 2017, and each year, it hosts a night sky festival in the fall. As luck would have it, this year’s dates overlap with an annular “ring of fire” solar eclipse. From Joshua Tree, the moon will appear to obscure between 70 and 80 percent of the sun.
1. What is the purpose of Stargazing Festivals?| A．To raise public interest in astronomy. |
| B．To call for action against light pollution. |
| C．To provide a platform to observe stars. |
| D．To collect money for more observatories. |
| A．Bryce Canyon National Park. | B．Shenandoah National Park. |
| C．Great Basin National Park. | D．Joshua Tree National Park. |
| A．An observatory tour. | B．A photography workshop. |
| C．A stargazing tour. | D．A solar eclipse. |
1. 美术老师教画京剧脸谱；
2. 学生展示所画京剧脸谱作品；
3. 你参加活动的感受。
注意:1. 词数不少于50词；
2邮件的开头和结尾已为你写好，不计入总词数。
Dear Jack,
I’m glad to know that you’re interested in the activity of painting Beijing Opera Masks (脸谱) held by our school’s Beijing Opera club last Sunday. I would like to share something about it with you.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I also want to know your school’s club activities. Hope to hear from you soon.
Yours,
Li Hua
6 . Earth Hour is a yearly event which asks people to turn off all lights and use no electricity (电) for an hour. The aim is to get people to think about the planet they live on and the energy they use.
What is Earth Hour?
Earth Hour is a yearly activity that encourages people and businesses around the world to turn off electricity at the same time for one hour. Earth Hour started in Australia in 2007 when 2.2 million people in the city of Sydney turned off all unnecessary lights for an hour. Since then it has grown to a large worldwide event. In2013, millions of people in 7,000 cities and towns around the world turned off their lights for 60 minutes at the end of March. Everyyear landmarks and well-known buildings around the world take part and “go dark”for Earth Hour.
Who organises Earth Hour?
Earth Hour is organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). It was started by Andy Ridley, who is in charge of this activity in WWF. He came up with the idea of Earth Hour because he wanted to raise awareness of environmental problems by asking people to do something good to help the planet. Turning off the lights for an hour can make a small difference to the amount of energy we use, but Earth Hour is also a representative event to make people think about the problems of climate change.
Why March?
The end of March is around the time when day and night are of equal length in the northern and southern hemispheres (半球), so sunset times in both hemispheres are at similar times. This means that a worldwide “lights out” event has most visual impact at this time of year.
1. What are people asked to do in Earth Hour?| A．Care for their businesses. |
| B．Use no electricity for an hour. |
| C．Turn off the lights during the day. |
| D．Think about the buildings they live in. |
| A．Earth Hour takes place twice a year. |
| B．Earth Hour is only popular in Sydney. |
| C．Earth Hour began in Australia in 2007. |
| D．In 2013, 2.2 million people took part in Earth Hour. |
| A．make people become more environmentally aware. |
| B．be in total charge of the World Wide Fund for Nature. |
| C．ask people to do something good only for themselves. |
| D．call on people to turn off all the lights in their houses. |
| A．the length of day and night |
| B．the visual impact of the event |
| C．the sunset times around the world |
| D．the places in the southern hemisphere |
| A．To explain the reason for climate change. |
| B．To take in more volunteers for Earth Hour. |
| C．To introduce a yearly event of energy saving. |
| D．To present the achievements brought by Earth Hour. |
World Book Day falls on April 23 every year in memory of William Shakespeare. It celebrates the
The Land of Smiles: A Beginners Guide to Etiquette (礼仪) in Thailand
To: JohnnyBoy0303@hotmail.com
Sender: Farang555@gmail.com
Subject: RE: I’m coming to Thailand! ! !
Hey Johnny!
Great news about your visit to Thailand. I shall roll out the red carpet for your arrival! I’m still having a great time here. It’s difficult to work in this heat, but the people here are so kind, and life is generally quite relaxed, so it beats another rainy winter in Scotland. About your questions:
1. Yes, you should learn a little bit of Thai if you can! It’s not an easy language to speak or read, but a little effort will go a long way. Thais are really respectful people. When they greet you, they’ll usually put both of their hands together, and bow their head a little bit. If anyone does it to you, it’s very important that you do it back.
2. Yes, the food is spicy! But it’s so delicious. Thais use a lot of exotic ingredients like coconut, lemongrass, and lime leaves when they’re cooking, so you get some really rich flavours. Actually, I think I never want to eat British food again after living here! Don’t worry—you’re going to love it, and it’s cheap too!
3. Yes, there are a few things to be aware of. Firstly, Thais look at the head as being sacred, so don’t go around patting people on the head, not even kids. The head is the highest part of the body, and the feet are the lowest, so guess what? Don’t do things with your feet. I know it sounds stupid, but just be careful that you’re not pointing your feet at people or kicking them to get their attention or anything like that, and definitely do not put your feet up on tables or chairs—it will be considered very rude.
I think it’s very important to remember that Thais love their royal family too, so you should be respectful towards that. Once, my friend and I were visiting Bangkok, and he dropped a coin, I stamped on it to stop it rolling, and some people seemed quite angry, and we couldn’t work out why. A hotel staff explained to us: Putting my foot on the coin was like stamping on a picture of the king! We told the hotel staff how sorry we were. I think it’s really important to be aware of these things that might mean a lot to other people even though you would never think of them yourself.
Anyway, don’t worry too much. Just be polite and respectful. You’ll have a great time here.
Looking forward to seeing you in the Land of Smiles!
Archie
1. What does the writer feel about Thailand?2. According to the third answer in Archie’s email, please write down the question that Johnny might ask.
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
Some Thais seemed quite angry when seeing the writer use his foot to stop the coin rolling because it wouldn’t work.
4. Suppose Johnny is coming to China. He is curious about etiquette in China and asks you for help. Please write 1 or 2 tips for him. (In about 40 words)
Every culture is riddled with unwritten rules, such as ones on punctuality (守时). I’m British. Soon after moving to Switzerland, I
With the ideal time for harvesting fresh tea leaves approaching, locals celebrated the beginning of the tea-picking season with a spirited ceremony held at Jingmai Mountain in Yunnan province.
This annual event, which takes place towards the end of March, is a tradition among local minorities. Having been around for centuries, it is a perfect opportunity to show respect for the tea forest before harvesting the gifts of nature. Jingmai Mountain, renowned for its thick forests of ancient tea trees, has been an essential part of the locals’ lives for centuries. People there maintain an ancient method of tea cultivation featuring a unique multi-layered (层) ecosystem, which is regarded as the key to maintaining harmony between humans and nature.
The village has been located halfway up the mountain, close to the tea forest in the middle of the mountain, while farmland is in lower areas with abundant water sources, which can avoid disturbance to tea forests during planting.
The ancient tea forests are now refreshing as the younger generations are introducing new ideas aimed at better developing the tea industry in this area. Xian Gong, 39, started a farmers’ cooperative in 2010 in Jingmai village. Over time, she expanded the initiative by developing it into a company integrating the cooperative, a tea factory, a hostel and a shop under one roof. Today, the tea gardens cover an area of more than 600 hectares and generate an annual output of more than 200 tons, helping nearly 500 households increase their incomes.
A growing number of villagers are embracing new business opportunities by establishing cooperatives, tea factories and homestays. Many have adapted to the latest trends, such as selling tea through live streaming and sharing details of their daily lives and work on social media platforms.
The recent boom in the modern tea industry has motivated the residents to take better care of their ancient tea forests. In addition to their efforts to resist using chemicals and avoid planting other crops in the tea forests, the local government has applied over 20 rules and regulations for the protection of precious ancient tea forests. They hold a strong belief that the tea mountain is the most valuable gift left by their ancestors and it is their due responsibility to protect and make good use of it.
1. Why do the locals celebrate the beginning of the tea-picking season?2. What is the key feature of the ancient method of tea cultivation?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, and then underline it and explain why.
It is only due to the efforts made by the local residents that the ancient tea forests have been protected.
4. Give another example which mirrors human-nature harmony.
