1 . It seems a bit strange to imagine ancient Egyptians celebrating their birthdays with layered cakes topped with lighted candles.
The first birthday cakes were nothing of what they are today and weren’t even called birthday cakes.
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.
It wasn’t just the ancient Egyptians and Greeks who celebrated with sweet cakes.
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.
| 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. |
2 . The tradition of birthday parties started a long time ago. People thought that there was a special danger from evil spirits, so friends and family came together to bring good thoughts and wishes and even presents.
In many English-speaking countries, a twenty-first birthday cake often has a key on top.
In the past in parts of Europe, men who reached the age of thirty and were still single, had to clean the stairs of the City Hall. This way every girl could see that the man didn't have a girlfriend.
After the age of thirty, many people prefer to forget their birthdays rather than celebrate them...children often bring Mum（or Dad）breakfast in bed.
| A．Birthday traditions are around the world. |
| B．At one time, only kings had birthday parties. |
| C．Or the cake itself is sometimes in the shape of a key. |
| D．It's traditional to give flowers and enjoy a special meal. |
| E．Family members put many sweets on the birthday cake. |
| F．They could also see how good he was at cleaning the house! |
| G．Others are more specific to certain ages and certain countries. |
3 . Known locally as sakura, the cherry blossoms in Japan are popular with both locals and tourists alike. For the Japanese, sakura hold much cultural and historical significance that goes deeper than their obvious beauty.
Sakura are usually only in full bloom(盛开) for about one week.
The specific time of the cherry blossom season varies from region to region each year. Luckily, the Japanese Meteorological Corporation(日本气象厅) has done all the work. Each year it posts forecasts of when the blooming will begin in each region.
| A．It’s easy to plan your trip around the sakura. |
| B．Most people bring beer or other drinks to mark the occasion. |
| C．Many people hold flower-watching parties known as hanami. |
| D．The predictions aren’t just looking at the weather months in advance. |
| E．The JMC will release updated forecasts with the newest information. |
| F．The pink flowers have inspired poets, artists and soldiers for centuries. |
| G．If you manage to catch the tail end of the blooming, you’ll see the beautiful event. |
4 . USA TODAY 10Best's Readers Choice Awards are currently on hold.We asked our readers to vote for the top events across six categories:music,general food,specialty food,film,cultural and emerging industries(founded in the past five years).These are some of the winners:
Kutztown Folk Festival
The nine-day Kutztown Folk Festival is the nation's oldest continuously operated folk life festival,drawing visitors from around the globe.A celebration of Pennsylvania Dutch culture and heritage,the event includes America's largest quilt sale,200 craftsmen and folk artists,local food and family friendly entertainment.
Water Lantern Festival
The Water Lantern Festival is all about connections.Magical nights in cities across the US include food,live music and the beauty of thousands of lanterns decorated with letters of love, hope and dreams floating on the water.
Carnaval of Quebec
The Quebec Carnaval is a 10-day festival of winter,the world's largest,complete with nighl parades(庆祝游行），ice skating,snow sculptures and a towering ice palace.Other highlighls include ice canoe racing,a sugar shack and iconic Caribou drinks.
San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade
San Francisco has celebrated its Chinese heritage during its annual Chinese New Year Festival&Parade since just after the Gold Rush.The parade ranks among the best in the world, with 100 units,fancy costumes,fireworks and a 268-foot Golden Dragon,which takes a team of 100 men and women to march through the streets.It has become one of the largest events of its kind in the world,drawing some three million spectators and television viewers.
1. What can you see during Kutztown Folk Festival?| A．Modern arts. |
| B．Quilts for sale. |
| C．Traditional weddings. |
| D．Shows on stage. |
| A．Kutztown Folk Festival. |
| B．Carnaval of Quebec. |
| C．Water Lantern Festival. |
| D．San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade. |
| A．include special food |
| B．relate to parades |
| C．take place only at nights |
| D．have sculpture exhibitions |
5 . “There’s a mistake. Moonlight you guys won best picture. ”
And with those words, producer Jordan Horowitz of La La Land, told the cast and crew of a competing film that it had won the Oscars’ biggest award. Presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were given the wrong category’s envelope before they went on stage.
Beatty was clearly confused about what he saw when he opened the envelope, but Dunaway read the name of the film listed below Stone’s name. The actors and producers from La La Land left their seats and filled the stage to accept their Oscar statues. They gave many speeches before Horowitz interrupted. “This is not a joke. Moonlight has won best picture, ”he said. He took the card from Beatty and held it up for the cameras. “Moonlight. Best Picture, ”he said as the camera moved closer.
The show’s host, Jimmy Kimmel, made the best of the situation. He went up to Beatty, and exclaimed “Warren. What did you do? ” Kimmel also said, “Personally, I blame Steve Harvey. ”That was in reference to the mistake Harvey made in 2015 at the Miss Universe pageant. He announced the wrong winner, first saying it was the contestant from Colombia, and then realizing the correct winner was actually from the Philippines.
Once order had been restored, Beatty tried to explain what happened, saying he had been given the wrong envelope. Barry Jenkins is the writer and director of Moonlight. Once he reached the stage, he said “Even in my dreams, this cannot be true. ” Stone, happy to have won the best actress award, later said, “Is that the craziest Oscar moment of all time? Cool! ”
Many people are wondering how the mistake was made. The accounting firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers has been handling Oscar votes for over 80 years without any problems. The firm apologized to all of the people who were made uncomfortable by the mistake. It promised to investigate what caused the error.
Horowitz is being credited for staying calm and stopping the show to correct the error. People are calling him “gracious, ” “a great producer, ” and “classy. ”Even Jenkins said “much respect to that dude. ”
1. What can we know from the words of Horowitz?| A．La La Land won the best picture. |
| B．Beatty and Dunaway made a mistake. |
| C．The Oscars’ biggest award belongs to Moonlight. |
| D．Horowitz was given the wrong envelope. |
| A．He was confused and opened the envelope. |
| B．He saved the embarrassing occasion. |
| C．He made fun of the situation. |
| D．He pointed out Warren’s mistake. |
| A．Beatty made the mistake |
| B．Barry Jenkins suspected the result |
| C．The fault is due to Pricewaterhouse Coopers |
| D．Horowitz is being respected for his reaction |
| A．Who made the mistake? |
| B．The Oscars’ biggest award |
| C．A mix-up in the Academy Award |
| D．Pricewaterhouse takes the responsibility |
6 . Birthdays are especially important to the very young and the very old. On their birthdays, people receive birthday cards and birthday presents from their family and friends. Children’s cards often have a large number on them showing how old they are. Cards for adults have pictures of flowers or scenery, or humorous or rude cartoons. Inside there is usually a simple greeting, such as “Happy Birthday” or “Many Happy Returns of the Day.”
In the US, children who have their birthdays during the school year take a cake to school and have a small party with their classmates. In Britain, children sometimes get Bumped (lifted off the ground horizontally and put down again sharply) by their friends.
In the US, the 16th birthday is called sweet 16. It is the age at which a person can get a US driver’s license, and some wealthier parents give their children a car as a present. At 18, in Britain and in the US, young people become adults and many have a big party. In most parts of the US, 21 is the age at which people can drink alcohol legally.
In Britain, people celebrate 21st birthday less. Many adults dislike getting older and a few lie about their age. But in general older people are now much more willing to tell others their age. You may see a sign by the side of a road saying: “Dave Ell is 40 today!”, put there by Dave’s friends. At about 65, people retire, and those who have reached this age are called senior citizens. Few people live to be 100, so a 100th birthday is very special. In Britain, people reaching this age may receive card containing a printed message from the Queen.
1. What’s the main characteristic of children’s birthday cards?| A．They are full of pictures of scenery. |
| B．There are some flowers on them. |
| C．There is a large number on them. |
| D．They have greetings written on them. |
| A．The 40th birthday is very special |
| B．Many adults like lying about their age |
| C．Dave’s friends like playing jokes on him. |
| D．Older people don’ t mind telling others their age now |
| A．be called a senior citizen | B．refuse to talk about his age |
| C．receive a card from the queen | D．be invited to dinner with the Queen |
| A．Bars in the US are forbidden to sell alcohol to young people under 21. |
| B．In Britain, 18 means young people become adults. |
| C．Young people will get a car as the 16th birthday present in the US. |
| D．British young men love to celebrate the 21st birthday. |
7 . If you are a fruit grower — or would like to become one — take advantage of Apple Day to see what’s around. It’s called Apple Day but in practice it’s more like Apple Month. The day itself is on October 21, but since it has caught on, events now spread out over most of October around Britain.
Visiting an apple event is a good chance to see, and often taste, a wide variety of apples. To people who are used to the limited choice of apples such as Golden Delicious and Royal Gala in supermarkets, it can be quite an eye opener to see the range of classical apples still in existence, such as Decio which was grown by the Romans. Although it doesn’t taste of anything special, it’s still worth a try, as is the knobbly(多疙瘩的) Cat’s Head which is more of a curiosity than anything else.
There are also varieties developed to suit specific local conditions. One of the very best varieties for eating quality is Orleans Reinette, but you’ll need a warm, sheltered place with perfect soil to grow it, so it’s a pipe dream for most apple lovers who fall for it.
At the events, you can meet expert growers and discuss which ones will best suit your conditions, and because these are family affairs, children are well catered for with apple-themed fun and games.
Apple Days are being held at all sorts of places with an interest in fruit, including stately gardens and commercial orchards(果园). If you want to have a real orchard experience, try visiting the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale, near Faversham in Kent.
1. What can people do at the apple events?| A．Attend experts’ lectures. |
| B．Visit fruit-loving families. |
| C．Plant fruit trees in an orchard. |
| D．Taste many kinds of apples. |
| A．It is a new variety. |
| B．It has a strange look. |
| C．It is rarely seen now. |
| D．It has a special taste. |
| A．A practical idea. |
| B．A vain hope. |
| C．A brilliant plan. |
| D．A selfish desire. |
| A．To show how to grow apples. |
| B．To introduce an apple festival. |
| C．To help people select apples. |
| D．To promote apple research. |
You have no doubt heard people say how much they “need” a holiday, when what they really mean is that they want one. Certainly, people working under pressure feel a very strong desire to escape from work and become less tight during their holidays, and experience a changed environment.
However, work for many people today is office work and mental, rather than physical tasks. These people may seek much more energy-taking activities while on holiday, rather than on a beach.
Once people become used to going holiday, ___________. For many people, the holiday is one of the last things to be given up, and indeed many workers have chosen to spend some of their last pay when being on holiday. It may give them a “lift” in facing some difficulties in life.
Most of us enjoy showing off the lovely trans-dark skins we get from a holiday. So many tourists are now able to afford holidays in the sun that tans have become quite common; although we join a tan together with health, it has been fully shown that too much sunshine will result in high danger of skin problems, as well as drying out one’s skin and leading to more lines on your face later in life.
1. What’s the best title of the passage? (Please answer within 10 words.)2. Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?
Hard working people want a holiday very much to free from work and get relaxed.
3. Please fill in the blank in the third paragraph with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence.(Please answer with in ten words.)
4. Do you think holidays are good for you? Why? (Please answer within 30 words.)
5. Translate the underlined sentence in the second paragraph into Chinese.
