1 . What are pillows really stuffed with? Not physically, but symbolically? The question occurred to me with the photos in the news and social media from the 50 cities around the world that staged public celebrations for International Pillow Fight Day. Armed with nothing more than bring-our-own sacrificial cushions, strangers struck heavily each other in playful feather from Amsterdam to Atlanta, Warsaw to Washington DC. But why? Is there anything more to this delightful celebration?
As a cultural sign, the pillow is deceptively soft. Since at least the 16th Century, the humble pillow has been given unexpected meanings. The Chinese playwright Tang Xianzu tells a famous story about a wise man who meets a depressed young scholar at an inn and offers him a magic pillow filled with the most vivid dreams of a seemingly more fulfilling life. When the young man awakens to discover that his happy 50-year dream has in fact come and gone in the short space of an afternoon’s nap, our impression of the pillow’s power shifts from wonder to terror.
Subsequent writers have likewise seized upon the pillow. When the 19th-Century English novelist Charlotte Bronte poetically observed “a ruffled (不平的) mind makes a restless pillow”, she didn’t just change the expected order of the adjectives and nouns, but instead she made unclear the boundaries between mind and matter — the thing resting and the thing rested upon.
It’s a trick perhaps Bronte learned from the Renaissance philosopher Montaigne, who once insisted that “ignorance is the softest pillow on which a man can rest his head”. On Montaigne’s thinking, intelligence and happiness confront each other forever in a pillow fight that only one can win.
With the words of Tang. Bronte, and Montaigne, we can perhaps more easily measure the attraction of the global pillow fight. Like a ritual of release, the annual international pillow fight amounts to a kind of cleansing, a brushing off of daily worries: an emptying of the world’s collective mind. Rather than a launch-pad for weightless rest, the pillow is a symbol of heavy thought: an anchor that drags the world’s soul down — one that must be lightened.
1. The example of Tang Xianzu is used to illustrate that ________.A.pillows give people satisfactory dreams |
B.dreams are always wonderful while the real world is cruel |
C.people’s impression of pillows changes from wonder to terror |
D.pillows symbolically convey the meaning in contrast to their soft appearance |
A.wrote poems about pillows |
B.regarded pillows as reflections of our minds |
C.shared the same viewpoint as Tang Xianzu on pillows |
D.was likely to have been influenced by the thoughts of the Renaissance |
A.pillows give us comfort |
B.pillows make people more intelligent |
C.people with too many thoughts have less inner peace |
D.people can easily fall asleep when they know nothing |
A.Because it is a ritual release. |
B.Because it makes life delightful. |
C.Because it comforts restless minds. |
D.Because it contains a profound meaning of life. |
Most people know yoga as a kind of exercise, which aims at developing strength and flexibility. However,
Festivals are celebrated all around the world. They have a wide range of origins, such as the seasons of the year, famous figures, and important events. Every festival has its different customs and unique charms. However, no matter how different they may seem, all over the world, the spirit of sharing joy, gratitude, love, or peace is common in all festivals.
Of all the traditional festivals, the harvest festival can be found in almost every culture. This important agricultural festival takes place after all the crops have been gathered in. People celebrate to show that they are grateful for the year’s supply of food. In ancient Egypt, the harvest festival was celebrated during the springtime — the Egyptian harvest season. It featured a parade and a great feast with music, dancing, and sports. Today, in some European countries, people decorate churches and town halls with flowers and fruit, and get together to celebrate over a meal. During the Mid-Autumn Festival in China, families gather to admire the shining moon and enjoy delicious mooncakes.
Customs play a significant role in festivals, but sometimes they can change over time. With the development of modern society and the spread of new ideas, some traditions may fade away and others may be established. One example is the typical Chinese Spring Festival custom of lighting firecrackers to drive away the evil spirits and celebrate the new year. Nowadays, many big cities have given up this custom in order to avoid air pollution. Another example is Halloween, which slowly became an exciting festival for children, in spite of its origins.
Festivals are becoming more and more commercial (商业化的), with business taking advantage of the celebrations. Online shopping websites and social media apps have made it much easier for the public to spend more on gifts for their loved ones. Although some believe festivals should not be commercialised, others believe the increase in spending is good for the economy and public happiness.
Festivals are an important part of society. They reflect people’s wishes, beliefs, faiths, and attitudes towards life. They are occasions that allow us to relax and enjoy life, and forget about our work for a little while. They help us understand where we came from, who we are, and what to appreciate. And if you study festivals carefully, you may be surprised to find that different cultures actually have a lot in common after all.
1. Why do people celebrate the harvest festival?2. How did some traditions change over time according to the passage?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
Festivals are becoming more and more commercial. The festivals should not be commercialised because commercialisation is a totally negative development.
4. What festivals do you celebrate with your family each year? Why do you celebrate them? (In about 40 words)
4 . Geraniums of Love
As the fifth of seven children, I went to the same public school as my three elder sisters and brother. Every year, my mother went to the same ceremony and had parent-child interviews(亲子交流会)with the same teachers. The only thing different was the child. And every child
Geraniums school tradition—the annual plant sale(拍卖会)held in early May, just in time for
Third grade was the first time that I was allowed to take part in the plant sale. I wanted to surprise my mother.
When Mother's Day arrived, I was bursting with pride when I gave her that geranium. I remember how bright her eyes were, and how delighted she was with my
The year I was fifteen, my younger sister reached third grade. In early May, she came to me full of wonder and secrecy and told me that there was going to be a plant sale at school and she wanted to
I helped my little
A.passed down | B.participated in | C.broke with | D.carried on |
A.Women’s | B.Father’s | C.Children’s | D.Mother's |
A.Besides | B.Moreover | C.However | D.Therefore |
A.shared | B.discovered | C.guarded | D.unlocked |
A.plan | B.preparation | C.present | D.selection |
A.watering | B.growing | C.inspecting | D.protecting |
A.showed | B.potted | C.packaged | D.hid |
A.indeed | B.instead | C.properly | D.anyhow |
A.performance | B.grades | C.gift | D.presence |
A.inspire | B.surprise | C.satisfy | D.relax |
A.youngest | B.eldest | C.cleverest | D.bravest |
A.nervous | B.youthful | C.increasing | D.false |
A.on | B.beside | C.behind | D.under |
A.shortest | B.rarest | C.best | D.strongest |
A.sister | B.brother | C.cousin | D.friend |
A.confusion | B.anxiety | C.delight | D.astonishment |
A.listening | B.watching | C.smelling | D.tasting |
A.waved | B.smiled | C.signed | D.called |
A.pretend | B.continue | C.appear | D.try |
A.impressed | B.satisfied | C.associated | D.presented |
5 . March 14 is, perhaps quietly, celebrated as Pi Day,
A website, Piday.org , shows little known facts about the number. Pi has been
March 14 has other scientific