1 . Party themes are a popular way to add something special to birthdays, anniversaries or any type of gathering. There are many options for putting together a French-themed party.     1    

Including French phrases in your invitation is an easy way to set the mood for a French-themed party. Conveniently enough, a number of standard invitation and party phrases are already French. “Hors d’ oeuvre” can be substituted for “appetizer (开胃小菜)”, for instance. The commonly-used “R. S. V. P.” stands for the French “repondez sil vous plait”, meaning please respond.    2    

You can use the French spellings for other words, too, particularly if you are throwing a French-themed party for an anniversary or other occasions. For instance, “Coeur” is French for “heart”, “enchante” means “enchanted”, and as many are already aware, “l’ amour” means “love”.     3    

    4     French music can be downloaded online if you don’t have access to a collection. French food can also be researched online. Crème Brulee, Eclairs and madeleines are all popular French desserts.

Decoration can be an important part of carrying off any theme. For a French-themed party, one way to improve your decoration is to use well-known French icons. The Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe are both recognizable architectural structures, for instance.    5     Another option is to decorate your dining area like an outdoor cafe in Paris.

A．So consider spelling out this phrase to add effect.

B．You might also post prints by famous French artists.

C．Music and food can add much to your French-themed party.

D．Anyone who has been to France will be eager to talk about it.

E．Besides, it can be relatively easy and inexpensive to create one.

F．These words can also be used in your decoration, thank-you notes and more.

G．Color schemes for French-themed parties can vary according to your preferences.

2 . Adults generally dislike getting older.     1     It’s no surprise, then, that many kids look forward to their birthdays, especially the 16th birthday. For girls in America, a “Sweet 16” birthday is an important rite (仪式) of passage that celebrates approaching adulthood.

In the United States, the 16th birthday is a mark that a girl has come of age. She is not a legal adult yet, but at 16, many girls can begin to learn to drive.     2     For many youths, the 16th birthday is a celebration of womanhood and marks the end of the girl’s childhood.

Society and media often put great importance on a girl’s 16th birthday.     3     Both of them have great personal importance. They think of their 16th birthdays like women think of their weddings.

    4     The event can be held in a garden, a park or somewhere else. Often, a girl has been planning her 16th birthday party for long and has a very specific idea about what she wants and who she wants to invite. As long as she doesn’t waste money, letting a girl plan her 16^th birthday is a great way to let her creativity and personality shine.

There are many theories about how the sweet 16th birthday came into being. Most connect the birthday celebration with the Mexican Quinceanera, which takes place on a girl’s 15th birthday, or European ancient coming-of-age celebrations.     5    

A．She is still just a little kid.

B．Many parties show a girl’s interest.

C．However, kids find “growing up” exciting.

D．The big part of a sweet 16th birthday is the party.

E．They can get jobs and take other adult responsibilities.

F．No matter where the celebration began, it has become a tradition.

G．Many movies show girls’ 16th birthdays are just as important as graduations.

4 . Themysteriousworld is where you can explore unknown and most interesting facts about living planet, universe and lifestyle of people. We tried our best to cover all possible information about a particular subject within the posts on our site online. Here are some top unmissable festivals in the world.

Rio Carnival, Brazil

It is a five-day festival which takes place forty days before Easter. Rio de Janeiro has earned its title as the Carnival capital of the world with its famous samba dancing, colorful eye-catching costumes and live music.

Holi Festival, India

Holi is a Hindu spring festival, also known as the “festival of colors”. It is a sign of the victory of good over evil, the end of winter, and the arrival of spring. Starting with a nighttime bonfire where people gather, sing and dance, Holi is celebrated the next day by people throwing colored powder and water at each other.

St. Patrick’s Day, Ireland

Held on March 17 every year, it is a celebration to mark the death of Ireland’s patron saint (守护神) Saint Patrick. Since 1996, an entire festival of parades, fireworks as well as food and drinks has surrounded the celebration. Enjoy traditional song and dance, watch musical street theater shows and get decorated in all green as you celebrate Irish heritage and culture.

Burning Man Festival, United States

As a week-long event at the end of August in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, it attracts tens of thousands of people from all over the world each year. Tickets to Burning Man are not cheap. But once you’re there, you will surely have an unforgettable experience. The main event is burning a giant wooden statue on Saturday night, followed by a big dance party that lasts all night long.

1. Which festival lasts the longest in celebration?

A．Rio Carnival.	B．Holi Festival.
C．St. Patrick’s Day.	D．Burning Man Festival.

2. What do the festivals have in common?

A．There is no need to buy tickets.

B．People are all dressed in traditional clothes.

C．Dance is a generally accepted way to celebrate.

D．They center on specific traditions of a religion.

3. Where is the text probably from?

A．A guidebook.	B．A newspaper.
C．A website.	D．A travel brochure.

5 . It seems a bit strange to imagine ancient Egyptians celebrating their birthdays with layered cakes topped with lighted candles.    1    

The first birthday cakes were nothing of what they are today and weren’t even called birthday cakes.    2    At that time only they could afford to celebrate with something sweet. That is how cake became associated with special occasions.

Ancient Egyptians are credited with“inventing”the birthday celebration. And ancient Greeks borrowed the tradition but rightfully realized that a dessert would make the celebration all the more meaningful. So they baked moon-shaped cakes to offer up to the moon.    3    

It wasn’t just the ancient Egyptians and Greeks who celebrated with sweet cakes.    4    And it’s believed that the original birthday cake came from them. Rather than just celebrating birthdays, though,ancient Rome was known for celebrating all things with a cake including wedding,but there was an exception—the birthdays celebrated were only for men who were citizens,and they had to be famous.

Modern birthday parties are said to get their roots from the 18th-century German celebration. On the morning of a child’s birthday, he or she would receive a cake with lighted candles that added up to the child’s age plus one.    5    The birthday child would make a wish,try to blow out all the candles in one breath,and dig in.

A．Ancient Romans also had their traditions.

B．Rather,they were symbolic of the noble class.

C．Ancient Greeks made the first birthday cakes.

D．On birthday,children would eat cakes made by their mums.

E．They also decorated the cakes to make them shine like the moon.

F．This extra candle was called the light of hope for another new year.

G．However, they’re the ones who first came up with the idea to do so.

6 . The way students spend their weekends can be different—some may enjoy going out and partying, and others would prefer staying in with friends and family watching a movie.

Going out can seem like the main thing that happens during the weekend. But not everyone is into that—some students study or stay in with friends, and others simply just don’t go out because it is not their type of thing. If you are one of those people who decides to stay in, you probably know the feeling of being the “lame (差劲的) friend.”This leads to feeling bad about yourself and feeling like a buzzkill.

When students feel this way, they can also feel pressured into doing something that they originally did not want to do. Just because a person does not want to go out to party and drink does not mean that they are lame—they just have a different idea of a fun weekend. I have never been pressured into going out, but I do catch myself wondering sometimes why people choose to stay in the library instead of going home and watching a movie.

I don’t think we should assume that everyone needs to go out during the weekend in order to have fun, and the social pressure to do so can be terrible. We should keep in mind that individuals are going through their own personal situations, and everyone has their own reasons for not going out. Staying in and watching a movie by yourself or with friends is not a bad thing, and people should normalize that not going out on the weekends is really not the worst thing.

I remember watching “Where the Crawdads Sing” with some friends one enjoyable and relaxing weekend. This type of environment didn’t make me feel pressured into doing anything because someone else was doing it.

1. What does the underlined word “buzzkill” mean in Paragraph 2?

A．Someone who is very popular.

B．Someone who is easy-going.

C．A person feeling quite comfortable.

D．A person letting others down.

2. Which of the following statements does the author agree with?

A．Some students spend their weekends outside for social pressure.

B．We should spend the weekends with friends with the same interests.

C．Going out at weekends is a good opportunity to strengthen your friendship.

D．Going out at weekends against one’s will doesn’t affect his or her feelings.

3. Why does the author refer to a movie-watching experience in Paragraph 5?

A．To show a good environment.

B．To support his opinion.

C．To introduce a good movie.

D．To offer a way of having fun.

4. What is the article mainly about?

A．Going out for your weekends is very popular.

B．Enjoying your weekends at home is a better choice.

C．How you spend your weekends depends on yourself.

D．Whether you can have a good weekend lies in your character.

7 . For the holiday gathering, you may be wondering how you’re going to pull it off. Before we go into the specifics, a few words of general advice: You don’t have to throw the party your parents did.     1    

We talked to a party-planning expert, Miller. Here’s her advice on how to host a stress-free holiday gathering without losing your mind.

    2    

The best way to avoid being exhausted is to be prepared. Many seasoned hosts set their tables several days in advance. “Always pretend your event is a few days before.” Miller says.    3     She recommends cleaning the house, rounding up an extra dining chair and buying drinks a few days in advance.

Pick a serving setup. 

Before you choose your menu, determine your serving style.     4     If you’ve got the space for it, a family-style meal — where people sit around a table and food is passed on big plates — can cut down on the need for complicated decorations. “Food can be part of the design, so you’re not going crazy with flowers or anything,” she says.

Embrace a mixed menu. 

The pandemic has made takeout an option not only for family dinners, but also for entertaining, because many restaurants now offer specific holiday dinner dishes to take home.     5     “You can do a party with literally no cooking,” Ramos says. “I like to live in the in-between, but it’s up to you.” Time- and stress-savers include relying on make-ahead dishes.

A．This is your show.

B．Dress the house in your own style.

C．Be prepared with a carefully worked-out plan.

D．You can get great food from so many local places.

E．Throw a party that isn’t on the holiday itself.

F．Buffets are good if you don’t have a large dining table.

G．There is always work you have to do at the last minute.

10 . Unlike many other Europeans, the French are not noted for their eagerness to work long hours. The British are surprised by the French readiness to rest from work not only on Sunday but also on Monday afternoons. The Germans and the Swiss are less innocent but, nevertheless, are scornful(鄙夷的)of the fact that the whole of France appears to shut down for three weeks in August so that French citizens can rush to the cote d’Azur (a tourist attraction in France) and squeeze together on the narrow area of Mediterranean beach for vacation. Consequently, most of Northern Europe dismisses France as a lazy nation.

Annually, the 14^th of July marks the start of what the French call “the great escape.” July 14^th is Bastille Day, the celebration of a 1790 attempt to make French political prisoners free, which marked the beginning of modern France, and it was for this reason that, in 1880, Bastille Day was named a national holiday.

The center of the celebration is the Champs-Élysées(香榭丽舍大街)in Paris. An enormous tricolor French flag hangs from the Arc de Triomphe(凯旋门). The broad avenue itself is lined with flags of blue, white, and red. With great pomp(盛况), the President of France progresses along the Champs-Elysées, which is lined with police officers and applauding Parisians. He receives the greeting of the largest military parade in Europe. In the most modern of these displays of power, planes fly low over the cheering crowds.

Later, the president meets with the media and talks informally about what had been achieved in the previous year, how France stands presently, and how she will advance. Bastille Day ends with concerts and parties and, of course, a huge fireworks display centered on the Eiffel Tower. The streets are crowed and alive with people calling out to one another, gossiping, laughing, and partying in being French.

1. According to the text, what is special about the French?

A．They spend all their holidays on Mediterranean beach.

B．They never bother to hide their appetite for vacation.

C．They take a rest on every Monday afternoon.

D．They are eager to work long hours.

2. The underlined word “dismisses” in paragraph 1 can be replaced by ______.

A．looks down upon	B．thinks highly of
C．is indifferent to	D．worries unnecessarily about

3. What can the Parisians do on their national holiday?

A．To liberate French political prisoners from Bastille.

B．To meet with the media and accept the interview.

C．To receive the greeting of the largest military parade in Europe.

D．To enjoy a splendid fireworks display near the Eiffel Tower.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．France’s Historic Vacation	B．France’s National Pride
C．French Working Habits	D．French Leisurely Lifestyle