| A．Summer | B．Winter | C．Autumn |
| A．Spring. | B．Summer. | C．Winter. |
1. How long do you think winter lasts in the woman’s country?
| A．Two months. | B．Four months. | C．Six months. |
| A．People in the man’s country. |
| B．People in the woman’s county. |
| C．The man. |
| A．It’s not easy to meet people when traveling in a foreign country. |
| B．People from different places worry about the same things. |
| C．People needn’t worry about their children. |
1. What season is it now?
| A．Summer. | B．Autumn. | C．Winter. |
| A．It'll be rainy. | B．It'll be fine. | C．It'll be cold. |
5 . Lixia, the Beginning of Summer
Lixia, also called the Beginning of Summer, is the 7th out of the 24 solar terms in China, which happens usually on May 5, 6 or 7.
Lixia egg is one of the typical foods. People use black tea leaves or walnut shells to boil eggs till they turn dark red.
Weighing people is traditional custom which dates from the Three Kingdoms Period.
After Lixia, the temperature is gradually rising and hot weather can be strain on your heart. As a result, people may easily feel tired during summer days. Having good rests becomes very important. Do not take up violent sports but do some slow activities.
| A．People used to weigh their children on this day. |
| B．Also, having a nap at noon time can help maintain your vigor（活力） |
| C．People like to weigh themselves at least once a week. |
| D．It is said that the shape of an egg looks like a heart. |
| E．The heart pumps blood round the body. |
| F．As the name suggests, it means spring is over and the summer begins. |
| G．Another traditional food is Lixia rice. |
6 . I was at the hardware store the other day and overhear（偶尔听到）a woman tell Ed, the manager, that fall was her favorite time of year. Ed, because he likes to keep his customers happy, agreed that fall was a wonderful season, but I could tell he was lying.
I was going through my mind recently, trying to find sweet memories of fall. I failed. I met my wife in the summer and married her two summers later. My sons were born in the winter and summer, my granddaughter in the winter. I’ve been fired twice in my life, both in fall. One October, a truck carrying tofu ran a red light and hit me, destroying my favorite car, combining（使结合） the three things I most hate — trucks, tofu, and October.
I’m not saying fall is without its attractions. The leaves are beautiful. But fall’s vacillation （立场摇摆）is troubling, its effort to please everyone, its continuous search for the middle ground, to be all things to all people. Say what you will about summer and winter, at least they have the courage to keep their opinions strong, even if they kill us with extreme heat or cold.
I recently read a story of a man coming out of a three-month coma（昏迷）. It started in early fall and ended just as winter came. I hope if I’m ever in a coma I would be just as lucky as the man.
Upon my awakening, one of my families who stood around my bed would ask , “Don’t you remember anything from the past three months?”
“Not the first thing,” I would happily report. If I ever have enough money, I’m going to buy a second home in Australia, so that when fall starts here, I can move there for three months, just when spring is starting.
1. What did Ed think of the customer’s words?| A．He understood them and supported her. | B．He held a different opinion on the topic. |
| C．He believed she wasn’t telling the truth. | D．He thought they stood for most people’s opinion. |
| A．The author has a big and loving family. |
| B．The author is having a hard time at work. |
| C．It is important to follow the rules of the road. |
| D．Nothing good has happened to the author in fall. |
| A．Because he slept fall away. |
| B．Because he has sweet memories of fall. |
| C．Because he finally came out of the coma. |
| D．Because he was met by his family when waking up. |
| A．Drive trucks. | B．Eat tofu dishes. |
| C．Watch leaves falling in fall. | D．Move to Australia in October. |
| A．In spring. | B．In autumn. | C．In winter. |
8 . When the leaves begin to change their colors and the birds head south, we know the season is starting to change. On September 7 comes White Dew (白露), the 15th solar term (节气) of the year. It indicates (标志着) the beginning of the cool autumn. As the temperature falls, white dew is often seen on the grass and trees at night.
For w riters and poets, autumn is a difficult season to describe. It ’s the end of the summer, and therefore a little sad. The days seem to get shorter, and when you wake in the morning, t here’s mist(薄雾) and it’s cooler. Winter is just around the corner.
American writer Ernest Hemingway wrote in his book A Moveable Feast (《流动的盛宴》), “You expected to be sad in the fall. Part of you died each year when the leaves fell from the trees and their branches (枝条) were bare (光秃秃的) against the wind and the cold, wintry light. ”
But on the other hand, autumn has its good side. There are so many changes at this time of year, such as the colorful leaves and cooler nights. French w riter Albert Camus even thought autumn was a second spring, “when every leaf is a flower.” This view is also found in the most famous autumn poem in English literature, To Autumn by John Keats. In that poem, Keats says that autumn has its own songs, just like spring.
Another theme of this season is wisdom (智慧). The arrival of autumn is thought to be similar to a person becoming mature (成熟的).
The great Irish poet W.B. Yeats used this idea in his poem The Wild Swans at Coole (《库尔的野 天鹅》), writing about the changing seasons in Coole Park in the west of Ireland. Seeing and counting 59 swans, he remembers first making the count as a young man. Seeing the swans do the same thing for all those years, he’s reminded (提醒) that even though we get older, our hearts always stay the same age.
1. What can be concluded about White Dew ?| A．It is often ignored by w riters and poets. | B．It is the time of year with the most rainfall. |
| C．It is when the temperature begins to drop. | D．It indicates the end of the autumn. |
| A．point out that autumn is very cold | B．present the sad part of autumn |
| C．show that winter w ill soon come | D．express sadness about the end of life |
| A．Autumn is an important season for man. | B．We can always stay young at heart. |
| C．Autumn is related to one’s grow ing old. | D．Nature is full of lessons to be learned. |
| A．The solar term White Dew. | B．Why autumn is a sad season. |
| C．Autumn weather and activities. | D．Famous writers’ description of autumn. |
1. What does the woman like about summer?
| A．The rain. | B．The heat. | C．The warm long days. |
| A．Take a long holiday. |
| B．Do outdoor activities. |
| C．Bicycle with friends in the rain. |
| A．Weather. | B．Clothes. | C．News. |
