4 . While established by Woodrow Wilson as a holiday in the United States in 1911, the practice of recognizing mothers on a specific day or time of year has spread to more than 40 countries. Here's a look at the various traditions.

France

Mother's Day in France only started in the 1950s. After World War I, it was celebrated on the last Sunday in May, unless it conflicted with the Pentecost（五旬节）. If it did, mothers were celebrated on the first Sunday of June. Regardless of the day, a traditional gif is a flower-shaped cake.

Japan

Following WWI, Mother's Day in Japan gained some popularity, and it is now celebrated on the second Sunday of May. Gifts include red or pink conations（康乃馨） as they symbolize sweetness and purity. Children will often draw pictures of their mothers and present them to mom in addition to preparing dishes that their mothers have taught them.

Sweden

Celebrated on the last Sunday in May, the day isn't all that different from the U. S. version. There's breakfast in bed and homemade cards and the like. One difference is that the Swedish Red Cross collects money by selling red plastic flowers. The money from the flowers goes to mothers and children in need.

Thailand

While all mothers are recognized during Mother's Day in Thailand, the holiday is largely centered on Sirikit, the queen mother of Thailand. Mother's Day is celebrated on her birthday, August 12, and public places and households are decorated with lights and pictures of Sirikit. Flowers like jasmine are popular gifts.

1. What do Japanese children usually do for their mothers on Mother's Day?

A．Buy pictures.

B．Cook meals.

C．Grow flowers.

D．Present cards.

2. Which country has a fixed date for Mother's Day?

A．France.

B．Japan.

C．Thailand.

D．Sweden.

3. What's the author's purpose in writing the text?

A．To tell us how different countries celebrate Mother's Day.

B．To protect traditions of Mother's Day in different places.

C．To introduce the origin and development of Mother's Day.

D．To call on us to show respect for our mother on Mother's Day.

6 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

The Lunar New Year     1     (celebrate) by around 1.5 billion people across the world.

Lunar New Year     2     (vary) in different countries, but celebrations usually involve families gathering together for feasts. Schools and     3     (business) shut for a few days as the celebrations take place. Traditional foods include dumplings, rice cakes and noodle soup,    4     are thought to bring happiness and wealth. Spreading good fortune is a major theme, and firecrackers are lit     5     (drive) evil spirits away. Parents and grandparents give children money in envelopes. There are parades (游行) and performances,    6     (include) lion dances and dragon dances. Chinese New Year is the     7     (large) Lunar New Year celebration, and takes place over 15 days, ending in a lantern festival.

The Chinese zodiac (十二宫) is divided     8     12 blocks. Each block lasts a year and is represented by     9     animal. This year is the Year of the Ox. The date for Lunar New Year is worked out through the traditional Chinese Lunar calendar, which is based on the Moon's     10     (move). It depends on the new moon arriving in Asia between January and February.

7 . 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。

All around the world, families celebrate special days together. Traditions for these days     1    (be) very different. Some of them may surprise you.

Families in most countries have a special day to celebrate mothers. In Serbia, this day is on     2     second Sunday before Christmas. On that day, children sneak（溜）into their     3    (mother) bedroom and tie her feet with ribbon（丝带）so that she can’t get out of bed. Then they shout, “Mother’s Day, Mother’s Day! What will you pay     4    (get) away?” Then the mother gives them small     5    (treat) and presents as payment so that the kids “free” her.

In China, they say that babies are one year old when they are born. After that, all children celebrate their birthday on New Year’s Day because that’s when they grow a year     6    (old). Actual birthdays     7    (celebrate) with a big family meal. The tradition is that the “birthday boy” or “birthday girl” should fill their mouth     8     as many long noodles as they can     9     then eat them. This is     10     in Chinese culture, long noodles are a symbol that people will live long.

8 . 语法填空

Annie was     1    （excite）to find her name on the list of the people     2    （invite）to the royal ball at Windsor Castle. She took out the dress     3    （buy）long ago for a special day. She turned around, enjoying her look in the mirror. The next day at the ball, she was well received as an     4    （honour）guest. She danced with a few polite young men     5    （introduce）to her. All in all, she found Windsor Castle to be a place which never made people feel     6    （bore）.

10 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

I still remember it，like it was yesterday when my parents told me the news. It was the week   before Christmas on Thursday morning when my parents said, “Stacy, start packing your things so we can go to Florida for the holidays.”

“Okay, ”I responded.We do this every year for Christmas and New Year. It’s kind of a family   tradition we have.We go every year because we like to visit some family members living in Florida.There has never been a year when we’ve missed a trip to Florida for the holidays. I was so excited to go on this   trip because Christmas is my favorite holiday, but to top it off I was going to get to celebrate it with my family.

The next morning, my mother entered my room. “Stacy, wake up! We need to go to the airport so that we can get our plane tickets to Florida before they sell out.”

I jumped out of bed and got ready as fast as I could.When we were on our way to the airport，I couldn’t stop talking and smiling because I was too excited about getting our tickets.

“Aren’t you just excited to go to Florida?” I asked.

“Yes, I am.We can finally catch up with the family and drink hot cocoa,” responded my mother.

The airport was so crowded. Some people were leaving to other countries and others were just visiting for the holiday. There was such a huge line in the airport because so many different people were buying plane tickets.

When it was our turn, my mother said, “Three tickets to Florida on Christmas Eve please.”

The lady working there responded, “Well, you guys are lucky.You got the last three tickets to Florida.”
My mother and I both smiled in relief and paid for our tickets and went back home to finish packing.
注意：
1．所续写短文的词数应为150左右。
3．续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已给出。
Paragraph 1：

When we arrived home, we found father was lying on the floor, bleeding.

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Paragraph 2：

After we left for the airport to buy tickets, a man climbed into our house to steal money.

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