1. Who started to make birthdays important holidays?
| A．The woman’s grandparents. |
| B．The man’s grandparents. |
| C．The woman’s parents. |
| A．She gives her a gift of jewelry. |
| B．She cooks some special food. |
| C．She makes some beautiful clothes. |
| A．Bob's. | B．Julia's. | C．John's. |
| A．On Sunday. | B．On Saturday. | C．On Friday. |
1. What’s the relationship between the speakers?
| A．Party organizer and guest. | B．Market assistant and customer. |
| C．Chef and trainee. | |
| A．Com soup. | B．Chicken soup. | C．Vegetable soup. |
| A．Warm. | B．Hot. | C．Cold. |
| A．In Area 3. | B．In Area 4. | C．In Area 7. |
1. What is one thing the man is not going to pack for the trip?
| A．A sweater. | B．A coat. | C．A jacket. |
| A．A party. | B．A date. | C．A wedding. |
1. What activity is the man organizing?
| A．A school reunion | B．A birthday party | C．A farewell banquet |
| A．The price is quite reasonable. | B．She likes the party rooms there. |
| C．Her brother is a staff member there. | |
7 . In England, we look forward to our birthdays for 364 days a year! We invite special people to celebrate it with us.
The Presents
Presents are opened as soon as the children are awake. They can’t wait for the birthday cake later in the day!
The Cards
Friends and family send birthday cards. Sending birthday cards is a custom that began in England about 100 years ago.
The Party
The birthday child will have a party to which friends and family are invited. Visitors to the party bring presents for the birthday child. The children play games such as Musical Chairs and Pass the Parcel.
The Cake
The birthday cake is decorated on a theme(主题). A candle for each year is lit and placed on top and the child blows out the candles making a wish. We don’t put objects inside the cake as shown on many websites.
The Bumps
It used to be traditional for the birthday child to have the bumps. Friends would hold the child by the child by the legs and under the arms and lift the child up and down bumping them gently on the ground. The number of bumps given is the age of the child plus one for extra good luck. As this can be dangerous, clapping is often done instead.
The Sweets
Some children do take sweets into school to share with their classmates on their birthdays.
1. 1n England, the birthday present is opened .| A．before the child goes to sleep | B．immediately after the child wakes up |
| C．as soon as the child gets up | D．when the birthday party is going on |
| A．Making a wish. | B．Lighting a candle. |
| C．Putting objects inside the cake. | D．Placing the candle on top. |
| A．Bumping less. | B．Decorating cakes. |
| C．Clapping instead. | D．Taking sweets. |
8 . Two Christmas traditions have come under attack in recent years from environmentalists: Christmas cards and Christmas trees.
Paper cards are seen as wasteful and, for some people, going card free is another way of going green. They also argue that in a world of e-mail, Skype, Facebook and Twitter, people are in touch all the time anyway; they no longer need the yearly card that connects them with long lost friends. If you want to send Christmas greetings, there are free e-cards, which get the job done with no postage or wasted paper.
However, especially for people who didn’t grow up with e-mail, there is something missing from a Christmas e-mail. The first Christmas cards appeared in London in 1843 and were designed by the same man who had introduced the world’s first postage stamp three years earlier. His name was Sir Henry Cole. They rose in popularity throughout the 20th century. Many people sent cards that were sold for charity. In the UK this year, in the three weeks before Christmas, the post office expects to handle 100 million cards every day.
When we think of trees at Christmas, there is one that immediately springs into mind — the evergreen tree that people decorate with ornaments and place their gifts under. The custom dates back almost a thousand years to Germany. Nowadays 33 to 36 million Christmas trees are produced in America and 50 to 60 million in Europe each year. Some trees are sold live with roots and soil so people can plant them later and reuse them next year.
Some people prefer artificial trees as they are reusable and much cheaper than the natural ones. However, environmentalists point out that they are made from petroleum products, thus causing many pollution problems.
1. What is the main idea of the article?| A．To analyze how two Christmas traditions grew in popularity. |
| B．To explain the history of two typical Christmas traditions. |
| C．To introduce the debate about some Christmas traditions. |
| D．To suggest the solution to the problems caused by celebrating Christmas. |
| A．Christmas cards. | B．Christmas e-mails. | C．Postage stamps. | D．Many people. |
a. They cannot be recycled.
b. They are not environmentally friendly
c. They are mostly sold for charity
d. The e-cards have many advantages over them
e. They are not as necessary as they used to be for people
| A．a, b, d | B．b, d, e | C．a, c, d | D．b, c, e |
| A．The first Christmas cards were designed three years earlier than the stamps. |
| B．This year has seen a dramatic drop in Christmas card sales. |
| C．Environmentalists advise people to buy cards that are sold for charity. |
| D．Growing environmental awareness is encouraging people to begin to recycle their cards. |
1. What is the party for?
| A．A birthday. | B．A graduation ceremony. | C．A wedding. |
| A．In Dallas. | B．In Houston. | C．In New York. |
| A．A birthday party. | B．New Year's gifts. | C．The man's parents. |
