1 . Are you confused about what to do next when you plan a birthday celebration for your loved family member or try to help your family prepare for birthdays?     1     Here are some tips on birthday celebrations to get you started.

    2     Rather than making a birthday cake in the kitchen, ordering a handmade cake online is undoubtedly a better choice. You just choose a special theme, and then you’ll have a beautiful professional cake to present to your guests.

Form a band. If you want to fully enjoy yourselves, instead of turning on the music on the computer or phone, you can invite your classmates to form a band for your family member’s birthday. They can play a much music as you like.     3    

Find a meeting place. Many people like to hold their parties at home.     4     You can save a large amount of stress by finding a meeting place outside. Maybe an open park is good for a birthday party as long as it doesn’t disturb the people around.

Invite a special guest. Birthdays are often more memorable than the rest. To ensure your loved one’s party is special, besides gifts, think about someone you can invite that your family member will be happy and surprised to see.     5     If you take the time and care to plan or prepare for your family member’s party, you can make her or his day extra special.

A．Buy a special cake.

B．Make a cake at home.

C．It’s not always easy to know where to begin.

D．You extremely want to get special birthday gifts.

E．It can be a friend your family member expects to see.

F．All of you will enjoy you selves in the live music this way.

G．But not everyone’s house is big enough for a birthday party.

2 . 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.

2. Which kite festival is best for families with children?

A．Bali Kite Festival.	B．The Zilker Kite Festival.
C．Hamamatsu Giant Kite Festival.	D．Portsmouth International Kite Festival.

3. What do the kite festivals have in common?

A．They include competitions.

B．They are international.

C．They started in ancient limes.

D．They are intended for children.

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.

2. What inspired NEA to come up with RAA?

A．School football programs’ practice.	B．Millions of NEA members’ support.
C．The NEA members’ love for reading.	D．American local official’s encouragement.

3. What is the third paragraph mainly about?

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.

4. What may be talked about following the last paragraph?

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.

4 . I remember to this day the feeling of the cold wind causing my ears to hurt. However, that didn’t _________ me at this time. It was Hogmanay and the bays of the town were carrying out the _________ of going from house to house on this special evening.

It is thought that the tradition came from the Vikings who were settlers in the Western Isles. Honestly, that wasn’t _________ to me. I was out and about having _________.

There were about 25 houses to visit in my town of North Boisdale. The start time was 19:00 and all the boys would _________ at one end of the town and begin to _________ each house. Each person had a pillowcase (枕头套) that would be filled with goodies (好吃的东西) _________ from householders.

Outside each house one person would ask the man of the house for permission (许可) to _________. Once inside the house a candle would be lit by the oldest boy in the group and _________ the candle would be passed round all family members. After that, the mother of the house would bring out the __________. Fruit, biscuits and of course sweets. On __________ each house the oldest boy in the group would __________ the family luck in the coming year.

After being to each house the pillowcases would be __________ and heavy and it was at the last house that the fun began. The pillowcases would be __________ and the goodies shared out equally.

The last house would also provide a small party that would, __________ before midnight so all the boys were home before the bells.

1.

A．trouble

B．interest

C．fit

D．harm

2.

A．test

B．service

C．tradition

D．program

3.

A．new

B．possible

C．wise

D．important

4.

A．success

B．experience

C．fun

D．help

5.

A．show off

B．look around

C．run away

D．meet up

6.

A．visit

B．clean

C．find

D．fill

7.

A．bought

B．received

C．stolen

D．sent

8.

A．enter

B．shout

C．hide

D．stop

9.

A．still

B．again

C．even

D．then

10.

A．bags

B．gifts

C．pictures

D．candles

11.

A．searching

B．leaving

C．painting

D．protecting

12.

A．give

B．remind

C．lend

D．wish

13.

A．safe

B．full

C．warm

D．open

14.

A．discovered

B．remembered

C．emptied

D．accepted

15.

A．begin

B．finish

C．continue

D．change

5 . But the solar term culture is still useful today to guide people’s lives through special foods, cultural ________ (ceremony), gardening and even healthy living tips that correspond with each solar term.（所给词的适当形式填空）