1 . Kite Festivals around the World
Hamamatsu Giant Kite Festival, Japan
The large kites of Japan are rectangular (矩形的)，and sometimes as large as 3.5 meters by 3.5 meters! The Hamamatsu Giant Kite Festival started in the 16th century when large kites were flown in celebration of the birth of a baby son to the Lord of Hamamatsu Castle. The audience watches excitedly as the kite fliers use friction (摩擦力) to cut the lines of their matches.
Portsmouth International Kite Festival, UK
This celebration is organized by Portsmouth Oily and the Kite Society of Great Britain. The International Kite Festival is regarded as one of the best, biggest and most popular kite festivals in the world. It has thousands of amazing and colorful kites in the sky and on the ground for visitors to enjoy and appreciate, showing the art of kite flying, kite making tradition around the world and exciting kite flying competitions.
Bali Kite Festival, Indonesia
Hundreds of competing kite teams gather from all over the island to fly their traditional kites. Traditional Balinese kites are as large as up to 4 meters by 10 meters. The kite festival in Bali started off as a seasonal agricultural (农业的) festival to thank God for harvests.
The Zilker Kite Festival, US
The Zilker Kite Festival is the oldest of its kind in the United States. Created in 1929, the Zilker Kite Festival was intended to inspire the creativity of children. The festival is a beloved, family-friendly tradition: activities for all ages, a traditional kite flying competition and show, a fun run and a children’s music concert. There are many competitions held such as Most Unusual Kite, Largest Kite, Smallest Kite, and Strongest Pulling Kite.
1. Where can visitors see all kinds of kites from around the world?| A．In Bali. | B．In Zilker. |
| C．In Portsmouth. | D．In Hamamatsu. |
| A．Bali Kite Festival. | B．The Zilker Kite Festival. |
| C．Hamamatsu Giant Kite Festival. | D．Portsmouth International Kite Festival. |
| A．They include competitions. |
| B．They are international. |
| C．They started in ancient limes. |
| D．They are intended for children. |
2 . Sweetest Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in October. It is an occasion which offers all of us an opportunity to remember not only the sick, the aged, and children who have lost their parents, but also friends, workmates, relatives and neighbors whose helpfulness and kindness we have enjoyed.
Over 60 years ago, when a Cleveland man noticed that some people, such as children who lost their parents and patients who lay in bed, too often felt forgotten and neglected, he developed in his mind the idea of showing them that they were remembered. He did this by giving them small gifts. With the help of his friends and neighbors, he gave those people small gifts on a Saturday in October. During the years that followed, other Clevelanders began to take part in the celebration, which came to be called “Sweetest Day”. Over time, the Sweetest Day idea of spreading cheer to the poor, the sick and children who had lost their parents was broadened to everyone, and became an occasion for remembering others with a kind act or a small gift. Soon the idea spread to other cities all over the USA.
Sweetest Day is not based on any single group’s religious beliefs or on a family relationship. It is a reminder that a thoughtful word or deed enriches life and gives it meaning. Because for many people remembering takes the form of gift-giving, Sweetest Day offers us the opportunity to show others that we care, in a positive way.
1. What is Sweetest Day for?| A．To express love to our parents. | B．To remind us of people in need of our help. |
| C．To draw people’s attention to disabled people. | D．To keep the weak and nice people around us in mind. |
| A．Escaped. | B．Ignored. | C．Rejected. | D．Inspired. |
| A．The importance of Sweetest Day. | B．The customs of Sweetest Day. |
| C．The development of Sweetest Day. | D．The future of Sweetest Day. |
| A．By giving gifts. | B．By offering help to others. |
| C．By sending others reminders. | D．By showing others their beliefs. |
3 . Read Across America Day
Read Across America (RAA) is a day held annually on March 2nd that encourages children in every community to read and also encourages parents and teachers to celebrate the joy of reading. It’s a holiday that has been celebrated since 1998 and falls on the same day as children’s book author Dr. Seuss’ birthday.
This holiday dates back to May of 1997. This is when a small group of people at the National Education Association (NEA) came up with the idea to create a day of the year that celebrates reading among children. They reasoned that since many school football programs could get children engaged in the sport through pep rallies (鼓舞士气的集会), then why couldn’t the same thing be done for reading? So they decided to turn to a Read Across America program that was officially launched on March 2, 1998, and ever since it has continued to grow in size. Today, more than 50 national nonprofit and association sponsors (资助者) and more than 3. 3 million NEA members support the effort every year.
This holiday is celebrated in numerous ways. All over the country, libraries, schools and community centers hold special Read Across America events that promote reading in their communities. Teachers also develop special events on this day to encourage their students to read. The NEA also sponsors reading round tables and has an online store that allows people to buy everything they need for their RAA celebrations. This includes Dr. Seuss hats, RAA bookmarks, special RAA flash drives and even RAA mugs.
While recommended student reading lists vary from community to community, there are some books that always seem to pop up. Below is a partial(部分的) list of some of the books read by elementary, middle school and high school students.
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?| A．Parents in America like reading. | B．RAA has a history of over 50 years. |
| C．Teachers are popular with children. | D．Dr. Seuss was born on March 2nd. |
| A．School football programs’ practice. | B．Millions of NEA members’ support. |
| C．The NEA members’ love for reading. | D．American local official’s encouragement. |
| A．The special events for reading activities. | B．The celebration of Read Across America. |
| C．The encouragement of community centers. | D．The children’s devotion to reading activities. |
| A．The promising future of RAA. | B．The awards given to the children. |
| C．Student reading list recommended. | D．Parents and teachers’ praise for the program. |
