1 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in each blank with a proper word given in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. abandoned                  B. ceremonies                  C. duties                  D. jewelry        E. memorable F. instructions                 G. historical                    H. occasion                 I. predictions        J. supposed K. traditional

One-Month-Old Feast and One-Year-Old Catch (Zhuazhou) of Babies

In China, One-Month-Old Feast and One-Year-Old Catch of a baby are of unique Chinese characteristics. These two     1     are milestone-like significance in the growing process of a baby.

On the day when a baby is a month old, the family of the baby will invite their friends and relatives to a ceremony to celebrate the     2    . In a     3     One-Month-Old Ceremony, there will be a rejoicing and festive atmosphere in the family and the feast is     4     to be lively and joyful. However, in recent years this custom has been gradually     5     among young people. Nevertheless, One-Month-Old Feast still remains a     6     and happy moment for every family.

“Zhou” in the word “zhuazhou” means “a baby is one year old”. The earliest     7    record about “zhuazhou” appeared during the Dynasty of Northern Qi. On the day when a baby is a year old, before the baby eats its longevity noodle, the family will lay out sutras, brush pens, ink sticks paper, ink slabs, abacus, copper coins, account books,     8    , flowers, rouges, food, toys, etc. If it is a girl, scoops, scissors, rulers, thread, scissor-cut will be added. The parents then put the baby in front of these articles and make it sit up. Nobody will give any     9     or cues to the baby so that it is left free to choose by itself. Watching the baby catch the articles it likes, the family can then make     10    about its potential interests, future career and development.

2 . 阅读下面短文, 从选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。

A. coming     B. games     C. it        D. at E. which     F. a       G. starts H. nothing     I. to celebrate     J. are holding

Hi, Susan,

We     1     a surprise party for Xiaoming’s birthday.

As scheduled, all the classmates in our class will gather     2     the Students’ Centre at 8:00 p. m. this Friday evening     3     Xiaoming’s birthday. We would feel much honored if you could come and enjoy it,     4     is to finish at 9, lasting an hour.

As the party     5    , we will light the candles and sing “Happy Birthday” for him. Then the birthday cake will be presented and cut for all of us to enjoy, following which we’ll sing songs and play some small     6    . What’s more, as     7     surprise, we’ll all . prepare some secret birthday gifts for him, and     8     will be great to see how surprised     9     about it he will be seeing the gifts. As it’s a surprise party, he will know before hand, and we do hope that you could manage to attend it.

Looking forward to your     10    .

Yours,

Li Hua

3 . 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.

4 . Complete her introduction with the correct phrases.

hang decorations                    get ready for               put up               be full of            make efforts get together                           give out                      think of             stay up             make travel plans

Spring Festival is the most important festival for people in China. A week before the festival, many families     1     to do a general house cleaning. After that, they start to     2     with red coloured paper cuts, in order to     3     the New Year and bring good luck. People also     4     Spring Festival couplets (春联) with popular themes of “good fortune” and “wealth”. From this day, the festival atmosphere builds with increasing excitement. People     5     a few weeks in advance to ensure that they are able to return home to their family for dinner on the eve of Spring Festival.

The night before Spring Festival, all family members     6     to have a big dinner around a table. Adults     7     little red envelopes to children containing money. People watch the Spring Festival gala on TV, sing songs, play games and     8     late in the night. Houses     9     laughter. Spring Festival is also the time to     10    and show respect to ancestors.

5 . Complete the passage using the -ing form or the past participle of the verbs in the box.

hold          get          walk          hear        sing          excite          dance          admire

After    1     that I was going to be my aunt's bridesmaid, I felt so    2     that I didn't sleep very well the night before her wedding day. Although I was tired, I didn't mind     3    up early the next morning to go to my aunt's house to get dressed up. I put on my blue dress and my aunt, of course, wore a white silk dress. When my aunt finally appeared at the back of the church,     4     a bunch of flowers, everybody looked at her with    5     smiles. After the wedding. I left the church    6     slowly behind my aunt and her husband. In the evening, we had a celebration party. Everybody was very happy,     7    and    8     until midnight.

6 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper words chosen from the box. Each word com only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. deal       B. symbolizing       C. count       D. themes       E. involve       F. observe       G. fortune       H. parade I. varied       J. tower       K. renewed

Get ready to say good-bye to the old, hello to the new! What’s the occasion? The coming of the New Year.

Many Western cultures measure their days with the solar calendar. Therefore, they     1    the coming of New Year on January 1. Cultures in Asia and Middle East use other calendars, such as the more ancient lunar calendar. They celebrate the New Year at other times.

Events and ceremonies vary from country to country. But in each places, New Year celebrations are a big     2    Most world cultures have been celebrating the New Year for centuries. The earliest New Year celebrations took place during spring or harvest time. With better weather ahead, or plenty of food to eat in winter, people naturally felt like having a party!

As the days became longer and as nature     3    itself, people also felt like they could have a new start. Past disappointments could be forgotten. The New Year could bring better     4     , more opportunities and new challenges. Such universal themes remain the same today.

Some cultures have unusual New Year traditions. Italians throw old things out of their windows at midnight,     5    the departure of the old. Mexicans fire guns into the air to keep away misfortunes.

New Year celebrations also     6    having fun. Some cultures view the New Year as an opportunity to let off fireworks. In New York City’s Times Square, thousands gather on December 31 to     7    down the last seconds of the year. A giant silver ball is lowered at the stroke of midnight.

London, England, hosts an annual New Year’s Day     8    that draws nearly a million spectators. The largest parade in Europe, it features bands and enormous balloons. These ballons are so huge that they     9    over nearby buildings!

How will you celebrate the New Year? Think about the     10    you find meaningful during this season. Do you hope for a new start or a chance to turn over a new leaf? Whatever the case, we wish you well. Happy New Year!