1 . Warming Up

1. What are they doing in the pictures?
__________________________________________________________________________________
2. What are they wearing?
__________________________________________________________________________________
3. Can you guess where can we see the scenes in the pictures?
__________________________________________________________________________________

2 . 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。

Cheering, dancing and singing, local people and tourists gathered around the fire during the Torch Festival of the Yi People in Bijie’s Hezhang county, Guizhou, on Aug 12. The festival was listed     1    a national intangible cultural heritage in 2011.

Though there are many     2    (describe) of the origin of the festival, it mostly relates to the natural worship of fire. For the early Yi people who lived in high-altitude-mountainous-areas, fire     3    (be) essential to light, warm, and cook food. There was     4    old practice: Before bringing animal meat into the home, a small fire must first be lit outside the door and the meat should     5    (smoke) on the fire to drive away filth. That’s     6    the Yi people have a proverb that says, “Everything you eat must ‘see’ fire.” In farming, they used to light     7    (pile) of branches and leaves and bury them in the ground later,     8    (use) them to fertilize the land.

The Yi people used to celebrate the festival as a way to pray for a good harvest and to drive away evil from their home and farmland. Today, it has become a     9    (society) event, through     10    the Yi people not only share their joy and thanks for their good life, but also get more people to understand their lifestyle and traditions.

3 . 语法填空

Christmas Day, the 25th of December, is the biggest festival that     1     (celebrate) in the Christian countries of the world. Now many of the customs and celebrations     2     (be) not of a religious nature.

In the large shops, preparations for Christmas     3     (make) by the actual day. Shop owners like Christmas because it is a time when people exchange presents. This means more goods     4     (buy) than at any other time of the year. In larger towns decorations     5     (put) up in the main streets two or three weeks before Christmas usually these decorations     6     (light) up at night.

Preparations are also made at home. Special puddings and cakes are eaten on Christmas Day and these have     7     (make) three or four weeks in advance. Two or three days before Christmas people decorate their houses with paper decorations and leaves and ranches. People also like to have a Christmas tree in the living room.

Although everyone enjoys Christmas Day, it is particularly enjoyed by children, who get very excited because of the presents which     8     (receive). Small children believe that their presents are brought by Father Christmas, a kind old man who, the children     9     (tell), lives at the North Pole. He travels through the sky on a sledge which is pulled by reindeer and loaded with presents. Stopping on the roofs of the houses, he enters by climbing down the chimney. When small children go to bed on Christmas Eve, they hang a stocking at the end of their beds. Their parents warn them not to try to look at Father Christmas or he will not leave them anything. When they wake up, they find their stockings     10     (fill) with presents. Children are very excited on Christmas morning and always wake up early.

4 . 根据汉语提示完成短文

    1    (据说) our school will hold a singing contest to celebrate the Party’s birthday. It is not yet clear     2    (比赛何时举行，如何组织). But after hearing the news, the students have begun to prepare for it.     3    (大家认为) through this activity, we can express our love for the Chinese Communist Party and     4    (我们能否获奖) or not doesn’t make any difference.     5    (众所周知) under the leadership of the Party, our life is getting better and better.     6    (令我们感到自豪) is that we are living in a stable, peaceful and prosperous country. I’m sure the singing contest will be a great success.

5 . 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。

At a traditional wedding here in my country, the most important stages (阶段)     1     (be) the ceremony and the reception (a large formal party). Family and friends     2     (give) jobs and responsibilities and have to help at different times of the day. These include the best man, the bride’s (新娘的) father,     3     the bridesmaids.

    4     (traditional), the groom ( 新 郎 ) shouldn’t see the bride’s dress before the wedding ceremony. The best man should be the groom’s best friend and has many important responsibilities. He has to accompany (陪同) the groom to the ceremony and mustn’t forget     5     (bring) the rings. He also has to give a speech. This is usually about the groom, but it shouldn’t be too     6     (embarrass) for him.

The bridesmaids have to help the bride on her wedding day. After the ceremony, the bride should throw a bouquet of     7     (flower) over her shoulder.

After the ceremony, there is usually a party     8     (call) the “reception”. All the guests    9     go to the reception should bring a gift for the bride and groom. At the reception, the bride and groom and their families have to line up and welcome the guests and     10     is usually the bride’s father who gives a speech after the meal.

6 . Fill in the blanks in the passage with subject clauses.
Dear Eric,

How is everything going? I am writing to invite you to participate in     1     (被庆祝的事情) for the first Chinese Farmers’ Harvest Festival in my hometown. It will be held on the square from September 22 to September 24.

The local government will host     2     (令大家都满意的活动) for the festival, such as folk culture performances, tasty food tasting and sightseeing. If it is convenient to you, you are welcome to visit my hometown. I believe that     3     (不管你怎样做) will leave you a deep impression on the festival.

Best wishes.

Yours,

Li Hua

7 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. Where can a going-away party be held?

A．At a fancy restaurant.

B．At a favorite bar.

C．At a friend’s house.

2. What is the speaker’s third suggestion?

A．Send out invites in advance.

B．Make the guest list.

C．Ask for useful gifts.

3. What is a useful gift according to the speaker?

A．A cactus.

B．Packing materials.

C．A homemade sweater.

4. What does the speaker mainly talk about?

A．How to pack for a move.

B．How to pick out the perfect gift.

C．How to organize a going-away party.

8 . 阅读下面小短文，根据上下文语境，从所给的A、B、C、D、E、F六个选项中，选出最佳选项填入空白处，每个单词只使用一次，每个方框里有一个是多余的单词。

A.grateful        B.faiths       C.reflect        D. spite        E. fade          F. horrible

Festivals can    1    people’s wishes, beliefs and    2    . They are celebrated all around the world. In    3    of different forms of celebrations, they have a lot in common. For example, every country celebrates harvest festival, when people show that they are    4    for the year’s supply of food. However, with the development of modern society, some traditions may    5    away. Some believe festivals should not be commercialized. Others think it’s good for economy and public happiness. We hope people will take our festival seriously.

9 . 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.