1 . Winter Solstice Celebrations From Around the World
The winter solstice (冬至), the longest night of the year, falls on December 21 or 22 in the Northern Hemisphere and June 20 or 21 in the Southern. Since ancient times, people all over the world have celebrated this important astronomical occurrence in different ways. Here are some solstice traditions both new and old to help light your way to longer days.
Soyal
Soyal is the winter solstice celebration of the Hopi Indians of northern Arizona. Ceremonies and rituals include purification, dancing, and sometimes gift-giving. On the day, Hopi welcome the protective spirits from the mountains.
Saturnalia
The ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia is perhaps the most closely linked with the modern celebration of Christmas. This festival happened around the time of the winter solstice and celebrated the end of the planting season. There were games and feasts and gift-giving for several days.
Midwinter in Antarctica
Even Antarctica gets its share of solstice celebration, thanks to the researchers staying there over the long, dangerously cold season. While those of us in the Northern Hemisphere are enjoying the most daylight hours, in the Southern Hemisphere they are celebrating Midwinter. Festivities include special meals, films, and sometimes even handmade gifts.
Dong Zhi
Dong Zhi, the “arrival of winter”, is an important festival in China. It is a time for family to get together and celebrate the year they have had. The holiday generally falls between the 21st and 23rd of December. It is thought to have started as an end-of-harvest festival. Special foods, such as Tang Yuan and Jiaozi, are enjoyed. Friends and family members occasionally express their blessings and care to each other through gifts.
1. Which of the following festivals has something with Christmas?| A．Soyal. | B．Saturnalia. |
| C．Midwinter in Antarctica. | D．Dong Zhi. |
| A．They fall on the same day. |
| B．They welcome protective spirits. |
| C．They mark the end of the year’s harvest. |
| D．Their celebrations all include gift-giving. |
| A．News. | B．Sports. | C．Culture. | D．Weather. |
1. Whom is the party for?
| A．Lisa. | B．Jane. | C．Ted. |
| A．Play some games. | B．Bring Jane along. | C．Watch a video. |
3 . Christmas is a very important festival in the west. However, different countries celebrate Christmas in different ways.
In England
Christmas is celebrated on December 25th. Christmas dinner is usually a roast turkey with Christmas pudding for dessert. Christmas decorations must be taken down on the twelfth day after Christmas otherwise it brings bad luck for the rest of the year.
In Australia
In Australia, it never snows at Christmas because Christmas is in the summer holiday. A traditional Christmas dinner is often held in the backyard for BBQ’s, picnics in the garden or even on the beach. People call the Christmas season the “silly season”. Christmas is a deeply religious festival. The Christmas season officially begins on December 8th. Christmas Eve is known as the “Good Night”.
In Germany
In Germany, people hold special markets every December that specialize in selling decorations and other Christmas related goods. People make and drink a special wine, which is called “mulled wine”. Christmas goose is also needed by many people. Families gather together on Christmas Eve to open their presents.
In Russia
Russian Christmas is very interesting because they celebrate Christmas twice and Christmas on December 25th is not for many Russians with religious beliefs. They celebrate Christmas on January 7th to commemorate (纪念) the birthday of Jesus. However, even more influential is still on December 25th when the streets and main venues of Christmas decorations are colorful. Christmas goose is traditionally eaten by people on Christmas Eve.
1. Why do British take down Christmas decorations on the twelfth day after Christmas?| A．To present them to relatives. | B．To sell them in special markets. |
| C．To make small gifts. | D．To avoid bad luck. |
| A．England. | B．Australia. | C．Germany. | D．Russia. |
| A．People celebrate Christmas twice a year. |
| B．People eat Christmas goose on Christmas Eve. |
| C．People celebrate Christmas in the summer holiday. |
| D．People make and drink a special wine on Christmas Eve. |
| A．Tips on how to have a pleasant Christmas. |
| B．Different ways to celebrate Christmas in four countries. |
| C．Comparison between different attitudes towards Christmas. |
| D．Suggestions given to tourists when travelling during Christmas. |
4 . Do you love seeing beautiful lanterns outside? The best time to do this is during the Lantern Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the first lunar (阴历) month. This year it is on Feb22, marking the end of Spring Festival celebrations.
Lanterns are a big part of the festival. One story says that the bright lanterns show respect for gods. Another says that people light lanterns to celebrate the declining (消退的) darkness of winter.
Watching lanterns is a great event. You see lanterns in any sizes and shapes you can imagine, from animals to plants and flowers. To make this activity more fun, people paste (粘贴) riddles (谜语) on the lanterns. “Ten plus ten, still is ten, ten minus ten, again is ten.” Guess what? It is a pair of gloves.
In some places, people like releasing sky lanterns, which are called Kongming lanterns. A sky lantern is a small hot air balloon made of paper, with an opening at the bottom, where there is a small fire source. When the bright lights fly high in the sky, people bless family members and make wishes. Releasing river lights is also a way to bless for each other. Usually, the lights are in the shape of a lotus (荷花).
In old times, the Lantern Festival was also romantic. At that time, young girls were not allowed to go out very often except during certain festivals. Therefore, looking at lanterns gave young people a chance to meet each other. A line from Xin Qiji, a poet during the Song Dynasty, shows this: “Anxiously, I searched for her in thousands, hundreds of ways. Suddenly I turned, and there she was in the declining light.”
1. When do people celebrate the Lantern Festival?| A．On the 22nd day of the first lunar month. |
| B．On the 15th day of the first solar month. |
| C．On the 22nd day of February every year. |
| D．On the 15th day of the first lunar month. |
| A．People paste riddles to show off their knowledge. |
| B．Young girls were not allowed to go out on the day. |
| C．People light lanterns to drive animals away. |
| D．People make wishes when releasing lights. |
| A．Sad. | B．Scared. | C．Romantic. | D．Anxious. |
| A．The Origin of the Lantern Festival |
| B．River Lights on the Lantern Festival |
| C．Celebrations of the Lantern Festival |
| D．A day to Guess Lantern Riddles |
5 . After a long period of lockdown, now it is time to relax. Head out to find surprising holiday decorations to warm your heart and make your season bright. Come on, light shows are waiting for you.
Holiday Lights on the Boardwalk
Take a walk by the ocean and experience a holiday light display along the Long Beach Boardwalk, dusk to 9 p. m. daily and weekends through mid-January, from Long Beach to Park Avenue.
Free, 516-432-6000. You can also check the stores along Park Avenue for more holiday lights.
Town of Islip Holiday Light Show
Bring the family to see the lights from the comfort and safety of personal vehicles as you drive through the 1/8-mile light display on the grounds of historic Brookwood Hall. Decorations have been given by Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs and Public Works staff.
Cheap, 516-433-6742. From 5 p. m. to 8 p. m. Dec. 22; Brookwood Hall Park.
Suffolk County Holiday Lights Show
The Suffolk County’s drive-through display features two miles of holiday-themed lights; opens from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. through Dec. 30. Closed Dec. 24-25. Tickets will be sold at the gate and payment can be made with credit cards only, no cash, $25; $22 on Dec. 30.
Monday through Friday; 631-543-6622.
Christmas House
Indoor family-friendly walk through holiday experience, highlights include a real snow room: 3 to 11 p. m. Monday-Thursday; 3 p. m. to 1 a. m. Friday; 10 a. m. to 1 a. m. Saturday; 10 a. m. to 11 p. m. Sunday through January. Guests must wear masks, maintain social distancing and purchase tickets with assigned arrival time in advance online.
$30 for adults, $25 for kids aged 10 and younger, 631-591-0455.
1. Which light show is for nothing?| A．Christmas House. |
| B．Holiday Lights on the Boardwalk. |
| C．Town of Islip Holiday Light Show. |
| D．Suffolk County Holiday Lights Show. |
| A．516432-6000. | B．516433-6742. |
| C．631-543-6622. | D．631-591-0455. |
| A．Visit the real snow room. |
| B．Take the family members. |
| C．Book tickets with credit cards. |
| D．Buy tickets ahead of time. |
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;
2．只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
It was my best friends, Tina’s birthday last Saturday. Maria, Anna and I go to visit her. She lives in Rose Street not far away our school. In the morning we bought some presents and got here by bus. Tina, her parents and grandparents were very glad to see us. We gave the presents who we bought to Tina and she was very much happy. Then Maria and Anna helped Tina’s mother preparing lunch. I helped set the table but cut the cake excitedly with Tina. All of you had a great time. At 4 o’clock in an afternoon, we said goodbye and went back home.
| A．Making a plan for their anniversary. |
| B．Preparing for backpacking. |
| C．Booking a hotel. |
8 . The coming week will be very wonderful with so many events for you to refresh your hearts.
Dark drama
An interactive, experimental drama will be staged. The show uses topical events from 2020 such as the breakout of COVID-19 and the return of Chang’e V.
7:30 pm, Jan 2-Jan 6, at Eastern Avant-garde Theatre of China. Tel: 6527-6911.
Rising stars
Young musicians who are actually students at Beijing No.101 High School will feature in a concert. The talented youngsters will play works by Beethoven and other famous composers.
7:30 pm, Dec 30 at Beijing Concert Hall, 1 Beixinhuajie. Tel: 6605-7006.
New Years Eve Concert
The China Philharmonic Youth Chorus will present a New Year’s Eve Concert, conducted by Wu Lingfen. Piano will be played by Peter Seivewright and trumpet by Ying Cai. Some excellent programmes will be displayed.
7:30 pm, Dec 31 at Forbidden City Concert Hall. Tel: 6559-8285.
Movie Anniversary Spectacular
Chinese movie stars will display their talents to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Chinese cinema. They will sing theme songs and share their personal thoughts with the public.
7:30 pm, Jan 1, at the Great Hall of the People, west of Tian’anmen. Tel: 8589 -5049.
1. When can you enjoy the concert performed by middle school students?| A．7:30 pm, Dec 31. | B．7:30 pm, Dec 30. | C．7:30 pm, Jan 1. | D．7:30 pm, Jan 2-Jan 6. |
| A．Enjoy a concert by students. | B．Watch a drama. |
| C．Hear movie stars sing theme songs. | D．Attend a concert by a chorus. |
| A．The Great Hall of the People. | B．Eastern Avant-garde Theatre of China. |
| C．Forbidden City Concert Hall. | D．Beijing Concert Hall. |
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
It is Mother’s Day today. Though it’s a western festival it’s popular in China now. Mom has a full - time job, so she has to do most of the houseworks. She is a great mother. Both Dad or I planned to do something on Mother’s Day. We got up earlier in the morning. Dad cleaned the house, and then went on shopping. When he comes back I found a bunch of flowers in her hand. I asked Mom to stay in the sitting room and I cooked in kitchen. The dishes what I cooked were Mom's favorite. At dinner we said to her “Happy Mother’s Day!” Mom was grateful and moving.
10 . Happy New Year
Celebrations in the Philippines
In the Philippines, celebrations are very loud in order to scare away evil beings. There is often a midnight feast featuring twelve different round fruits to symbolize good luck for the twelve months of the year. Other traditional foods include sticky rice and noodles, but not chicken or fish, which can be seen as bad luck for the next year’s food supply.
Celebrations in Japan
Japan uses the Gregorian calendar and celebrates New Years on January 1. Families eat soba noodles, and sushi for dinner, and ring bells 108 times at midnight to clear away the previous year. Adult relatives give money to the children in their families, and many people send postcards to their friends and families, making sure that they arrive on January 1.
Celebrations in Italy
Like U.S. southerners, Italians eat vegetable and pork on the New Year, which means “head of the year.” After big family dinners on New Year’s Day, Italians go to their local square for huge firework displays and public concerts. Italians are also known to wear red underwear on New Year’s Day to bring luck for the year to come.
Celebrations in Russia
Russia’s New Year celebrations have been greatly affected by the country’s history. As religion and Christmas celebrations were banned in the Soviet Union, New Year’s celebrations often had Christmas traditions such as decorated trees, which were relabeled(确认) as New Year Fir Trees. As the ban left, these traditions stayed part of the New Year’s Day celebration.
1. Which country celebrates the New Year with midnight feast?| A．Philippines. | B．Japan. | C．Italy . | D．Russia. |
| A．To scare away evil beings. | B．To clear away the past. |
| C．To welcome the friends. | D．To bring luck for the new year. |
| A．It includes traditions of Christmas. |
| B．People wear red underwear on New Year. |
| C．There are firework displays and concerts. |
| D．People usually send postcards to their friends |
