Son of Snow Mountains

Mount Qomolangma (珠穆朗玛峰) is the world’s highest peak (山峰). It is 8,848.86 metres tall. For the world’s climbers, Mount Qomolangma is a difficult test. But Sherpas (夏尔巴人) are good at climbing mountains.

They are famous for helping climbers up the mountains. They help climbers set up tents (帐篷), carry bags, and find the way to the top of Mount Qomolangma.

If you go up to 3,500 metres, you might get a headache. But Sherpas don’t get ill. They have lived in the world’s highest places for years, so their hearts and lungs (肺) are stronger than ours.

They protect the mountains. Some people throw trash on the mountains. Twenty Sherpas made a team to pick up the trash. They keep the mountains clean and tidy.

There are many holidays in Thailand. The Songkran Festival(宋干节) starts on 13th April and ends on 15th April every year. We call it “Thai New Year”. 15th April is the first day of the new year in Thailand.

Thai New Year is a good time for all the children to show their love for their parents. During this holiday, children give some flowers to their parents and then splash(泼洒) some water on their parents’ hands. Songkran is also known as the “Water Festival” because people believe(相信) water will wash bad luck(运气) away.

At that time, people usually go home to visit their families and enjoy the time together. Many people come to Thailand to enjoy the festival too. People do many interesting things. They like splashing water on each other. They also like visiting the scenic spots(旅游景点).

Different people have different eating habits. The Chinese have a saying, “Good things for breakfast, eat a big meal for lunch but eat a little at dinner.” Many Americans also start the day with a good breakfast, but their ideas about lunch and dinner are different. Most Americans only give themselves a short time for lunch. So they eat a small lunch. After work they will have more time to eat a big dinner.

Eating at a restaurant is also different. In China, many people like to talk and laugh while eating. But Americans want a quiet place where they can eat a good meal. If someone is talking too loudly, the manager(经理) of the restaurant may come and ask him or her to be quiet.

Everyone has a family name. In China, the family name is the first name, but in English-speaking countries, the family name is the last name. Do you know how English people get their family names?

Some family names come from the places of their homes. For example, a man lives on or near a hill, his family name may be Hill. In England, people’s family names may be Wood, Lake, because they live near the wood or the lake.

Some family names come from a person’s job. If a person is a cook, his family name may be Cook.

And many people get their family names from their fathers’ names. If you hear the name “Jackson”, you can know that he is the son of Jack.

7 . 阅读短文，判断下列句子对(T)否(F)。

Canada is the second largest country in the world. It is in North America. Canada and the US are neighbours. Ottawa is the capital of Canada.

There are many large rivers and lakes in Canada. Niagara Falls is very famous.

There are also many interesting things about Canada. It is a nation of differences. In the north, there is almost ice and snow all year around. In the south, there are great forests. Another important difference in Canada is language. Most Canadians speak English, but some speak French. Many people in Canada speak both English and French.

Most English people have three names: the first name, the middle name and the family name. Their family name comes last. For example, my full name is Jim Allan Green. Green is my family name.

People don’t use their middle names very much. So “John Henry Brown” is usually called(被称作) “John Brown”. People never use Mr, Mrs or Miss before their first names. So you can say John Brown, or Mr Brown; but you should never say Mr John.

Sometimes people ask me about my name. “Why do your parents call you Jim?” they ask. The answer is that they don’t call me Jim. They call me James. James is the name of my grandfather. In England, people usually call me Jim for short. That’s because it is shorter and easier than James.