2 . While some customs like setting off fireworks and counting down the last few seconds seem universal, many countries have their own unique New Year’s Eve traditions.

Denmark: Break plates

A Danish tradition is to throw plates and dishes against friend’s and neighbor’s front doors. It’s a bit of a popularity contest as the bigger the pile of broken china is the next morning, the more friends and good luck you’ll have in the coming year.

Germany: Pouring lead

In Germany, people melt small pieces of lead in a spoon over a candle, then pour the liquid into cold water. The shapes from the lead pouring are supposed to reveal what the year ahead will bring. If the lead forms a ball, luck will roll one’s way, while the shape of a crown means wealth; a cross means death and a star will bring happiness.

Spain: Twelve grapes of luck

In Spain, one New Year’s tradition is to eat 12 grapes, one for each month of the coming year, to secure prosperity (繁荣). You need to eat one grape with each bell strike at midnight. The tradition dates from 1909 when farmers in Alicante came up with this idea to sell more grapes after an exceptional harvest.

Philippines: Round food, round clothes, round everything

In the Philippines, the start of the new year is all about the money. The locals believe that surrounding themselves with round things (to represent coins) will bring money or fortune. As a result, clothes with dots are worn and round food is eaten.

1. What is believed to bring good luck for the coming new year in Denmark?

A．A red candle.

B．Round food.

C．Broken china.

D．A lead cross.

2. What inspired the New Year’s tradition of eating grapes?

A．A way to make coins.	B．An act to keep power.
C．A desire to be popular.	D．An idea to gain profit.

3. Which section of a magazine is the text probably taken from?

A．Fashion.

B．Travel.

C．Culture.

D．Entertainment.

3 . 寒假期间，正好是你爸爸或妈妈的生日，请用英语写篇短文，内容包括：
1. 庆祝活动；
2. 你的感受。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 短文题目已为你写好。

An Unforgettable Birthday

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4 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

For people in the Netherlands, a     1    (Europe)country, April 27 is the date of the King’s Day and an excuse to dress all in orange. As the country’s national day, it is the     2    (big)party of the year and its people take their task of having fun very seriously.

There is even a special word in Dutch for the crazy events    3    happen during the festival: “oranjegekte”,which means “orange madness”. Orange is the color of their country’s royal family     4    thus the color is special to Dutch people.

So what do people do in     5    (celebrate) of the festival? On the day, people wear as much orange as possible. Everyone wears huge orange hats, orange dresses and fake orange hair. Even pets     6    (dress)up in orange clothes.

The king’s Day is a day of shopping too, especially in the Netherlands’ capital city, Amsterdam. “As a city     7    (build) on trade, Amsterdam loves to bargain,” CNN explained. “The free market gives everyone the chance to sell     8    (they) second-hand things on the streets and parks,    9    (create)one of the world’s largest flea markets.”

In the Netherlands, the king’s birthday has long been a national excuse for     10    day of orange fun.