2 . The Double-Seventh Day refers to the seventh day of the seventh month on the Chinese lunar calendar.

In ancient times, the Double-Seventh Day was a festival especially for young women. Girls, whether from rich or poor families, would put on their holiday best to celebrate the annual meeting of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. Parents would place an incense burner (香炉) in the courtyard and lay out some fruit as offerings. Then all the girls in the family would kowtow to Niu Lang and Zhi Nu and pray for ingenuity (灵巧).

In the Tang Dynasty about 1,000 years ago, rich families in the capital city of Chang’an would set up a decorated tower in the courtyard and name it the “Tower of Praying for Ingenuity”. They prayed for various types of ingenuity. Most girls would pray for outstanding sewing or cooking skills. Girls and women would gather together in a square and look into the star-filled night sky. They would put their hands behind their backs, holding a needle and thread. At the word “start”, they would try to thread the needle. Zhi Nu, the Weaver Girl, would bless the one who succeeded first. The ladies would also show off their fried cookies made in many different shapes. They would invite the Weaver Girl to judge who was the best. In the past these were important virtues for a woman.

1. The Double-Seventh Day is usually celebrated on ________.

A．July the seventh

B．New Year’s Day

C．the 7th day of the 7th month on the Chinese lunar calendar

D．the meeting day of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl stars

2. The underlined word “best” can be replaced by “________”.

A．best food

B．best skills

C．best clothes

D．best ingenuity

3. In the Tang Dynasty most girls would pray to Niu Lang and Zhi Nu for ________.

A．a good marriage	B．meeting the Cowherd or the Girl Weaver
C．high officials	D．outstanding sewing and cooking skills

4. Zhi Nu, the Weaver Girl, would bless the one ________.

A．who was the winner in the compition of threading the needle

B．whose family had a tower to pray in

C．who kowtowed to Niu Lang and Zhi Nu for ingenuity

D．whose family lay out most fruit as offerings

4 . Learning the word for fish in Chinese can be a highly useful skill. Knowing how to say “fish” in Chinese is both practical and helpful in understanding cultural values.

The Chinese Character for Fish

The Chinese character for “fish”, written in the traditional form, is 魚 .       1     No matter what form it is written in, the word for fish in Chinese is pronounced like “yu”.

Cultural Importance of Fish in China

The pronunciation of fish in Chinese, “yú” is a homophone (同音字) for “abundance (充裕).”     2     As such, fish are a common symbol in Chinese art and literature, and they are very important in Chinese mythology (神话).

    3    The characters for this fish are 鲤鱼, pronounced “lǐ yú”. Pictures of this fish are also a common decoration for the Chinese New Year.

Fish in Chinese Mythology

One of the most interesting Chinese myths about fish is the idea that a carp (鲤鱼) that climbs the waterfall on the Yellow River (known as the Dragon Gate) changed into a dragon.    4    In reality, each spring, carp come together in great numbers in the pool at the base of the waterfall.     5       It has become a common saying in China that a student facing examinations is like a carp trying to jump the Dragon Gate.

A．The simplified form is 鱼.

B．But very few make the climb.

C．Surprisingly, a lot of them are not related to fish at all.

D．This addition suggests that fish is most useful to humans.

E．The dragon is another important symbol in Chinese culture.

F．For example, Asian carp are the subject of many Chinese stories.

G．This similarity has led to fish becoming a symbol of abundance in Chinese culture.

5 . Vidal first experienced Brazil’s carnival celebrations as a baby living in Salvador, the capital of Bahia State. Before he was even one year old, his mother took him to his first carnival event.

The cultural traditions of Salvador have stuck with him. And, Vidal, a trained musician, now performs the typical music of Bahia in the U.S. He often plays in the Washington area.

February is the carnival season in Brazil and other countries around the world. Even the Washington area celebrates the season. Last week,Vidal and other musicians performed here for a carnival celebration. Performing in Washington and other U.S. cities has helped Vidal stay close to his Brazilian roots(根).

“Living in the U.S. now and not being able to enjoy carnival as I used to in Brazil with my friends and family is really heartbreaking. And that was the reason why I decided to start making my own events—carnival parties—just to get connected to my roots, to my happiness.”

It may come as a surprise, but Washington is said to have one of the largest followings for Brazilian culture in the U.S. This year alone, there are more than twelve carnival celebrations in the Washington area. Here, the season isn’t celebrated on city streets as in Brazil, where it is warm summer. February is one of Washington’s coldest months. So, the events take place at theatres, restaurants and other places.

Carnival is one of the world’s biggest celebrations. In many countries, activities take place for a few weeks each year and include huge parades(游行) and street parties with live music. Carnival goers wear colourful, themed clothing and masks(面具).

1. What do we know about Vidal from the passage?

A．He didn’t enjoy carnival at first.

B．His mother trained him to be a singer.

C．He encouraged Americans to celebrate carnival.

D．Brazil’s traditional cultures influenced him greatly.

2. How did Vidal feel during the carnival season in the U.S.?

A．Excited.

B．Sad.

C．Proud.

D．Anxious.

3. Why are the carnival celebrations in Washington held indoors?

A．Because weather conditions are not good.

B．Because American carnivals fall in hot summers.

C．Because they want to make carnivals different.

D．Because few people celebrate carnivals in Washington.

6 . Mid-Autumn Festival, a typical agricultural harvest and get-together festival, falls on lunar August 15. I disliked it not because it’s ___________ commercialized but because I’m an orphan (孤儿). However, a(n) _________ in my college changed my view.

Last year, finding I had little in common with my classmates, I felt _________. With Mid-Autumn Festival _________, my class decided to hold a Middle-Autumn Festival Eve Party. After all, this was a(n) ___________ occasion for them. On that day, we dressed up in beautiful custume, setting off to the ___________ together. To be frank, seeing the classroom ___________ with fancy lanterns, everyone seemed happy except me. After having moon-cakes, puddings and roast turkey, many activities ranging from singing to guessing riddles, went off. Everyone ___________ and clapped when the performers performed wonderfully.

Later, in spite of my unwillingness, I was still invited to _________ my group to join in the wrestling match. Unbelievably, I won. Given ____________, I was absolutely pleased. I was grateful to the organizers, taking advantage of this chance to express my __________ to them. From then on, I began to make friends with others. As time ____________, I had more faith in myself.

In brief,   I ____________ Mid-Autumn Festival now. I always __________ on joyful moments and merry atmosphere of that night, holding the belief that life’s ______________.

1.

A．originally

B．immediately

C．previously

D．horribly

2.

A．experience

B．atmosphere

C．belief

D．joy

3.

A．romantic

B．lonely

C．capable

D．selfish

4.

A．disappearing

B．harvesting

C．passing

D．approaching

5.

A．significant

B．inner

C．medium

D．autonomous

6.

A．church

B．wedding

C．classroom

D．branch

7.

A．awarded

B．decorated

C．removed

D．observed

8.

A．rolled

B．battled

C．surfed

D．cheered

9.

A．represent

B．greet

C．figure

D．prove

10.

A．features

B．envelopes

C．regions

D．congratulations

11.

A．talent

B．impact

C．respect

D．philosophy

12.

A．settled down

B．marched on

C．broke away

D．gave up

13.

A．charge

B．cure

C．enjoy

D．defend

14.

A．click

B．reflect

C．press

D．depend

15.

A．beautiful

B．effective

C．generous

D．legal

8 . Every summer, many music festivals take place across the UK. From Leeds Festival in the north to Bestival on the Isle of Wight (the small island just off the south coast of Britain),festivals are everywhere. There are festivals for children, for literature enthusiasts and for young adults. Despite the huge amount of choice, one festival remains “the one” to go to: Glastonbury.

Glastonbury is a hugely popular festival, located in the countryside near Bristol. Formally known as Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, it is a five-day event featuring numerous singers and performers. The festival takes place over the last weekend in June. Every five years there is a “fallow year” — this means the festival does not take place, allowing the land to recover.

Tickets, which cost ￡225 each, are released in the autumn prior to the festival. Many people want to obtain tickets and they usually sell out very quickly. Tickets for the 2019 festival sold out in just 26 minutes! For those who missed out, there will be a resale in April. This year, I will be stewarding at Glastonbury for Oxfam. It’s a great way to see the festival, support a good cause and see how a festival is run.

The organisers don’t release the full line-up until after the tickets have been sold. This means people buy tickets without knowing which performers will be there. The festival has a good reputation so most people don’t mind the suspense (悬念). So far, only two headliners have been announced: Foo Fighters and Kanye West. When Glastonbury announced that Kanye West would be one of the headliners lots of people were frustrated. One person even set up a petition (请愿书) asking the organisers of the festival to cancel Kanye’s performance!

1. What happens in the countryside near Bristol in a “fallow year”?

A．There are many artists.	B．The festival lasts a week.
C．People sing over the weekend.	D．Glastonbury doesn’t take place.

2. By saying “Tickets for the 2019 festival sold out in just 26 minutes!”, the writer intends to tell us that 　　　.

A．Glastonbury is popular with people	B．the number of tickets is limited
C．it is very easy for us to buy tickets	D．the writer got a ticket free of charge

3. People would like to go to the festival probably because 　　　.

A．tickets for it are very cheap	B．it is usually very attractive
C．the suspense is very interesting	D．they want to know who will perform

4. When people buy tickets, they 　　　.

A．can choose their favourite performers	B．know who is going to perform
C．have no idea who will perform	D．must set up petitions

9 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Music and dance have been a huge part of Irish culture for generations and     1     two go together well. When you go to see a(n)     2     (tradition) Irish dancing show, you will get     3     (experience) some live musical performances (表演) too. 

The most famous Irish dancing performance is undoubtedly Riverdance. This     4     (be) originally (最初) the half-time show at the Irish-hosted 1994 Eurovision Song Contest but has developed much over the years and the dancers have gone all over the world,     5     (wide) sharing this part of Irish culture. If you are in Dublin, it might be possible to see some big performances of Riverdance. Such shows are often performed in the famous Gaiety Theatre.

If you are looking for something a little more casual (随意的) though, there are plenty of places to go in Dublin. This part of Irish culture, like many others, started off in public     6     (house) around the country, and even today there are plenty of pubs     7     will play host to dancers and musicians every night of the week. Some of these performances are more intimate (温馨的) and the dancers will take over a small section of the pub to put on     8     (they) show. Some pubs in the city will put on a bigger performance, for they have built stages (舞台), especially     9     (design) so many people can enjoy Irish music and dance while they have dinner. This can be a great way to see     10     much of Irish culture as possible while you are here.