Every time a new year is coming, people set out to better themselves. They promise they will lose weight, find a new job, or maybe even take that vacation they’ve always talked about. But why do we make these promises to ourselves, and where did this tradition come from? Why does this tradition live on when so many people fail to keep the resolutions(决定) they made? Well, we can start by blaming the ancient Babylonians.
Around 4,000 years ago in Babylon, the earliest recorded celebration honoring the coming of a new year was held. Calendars weren’t as they are today, so the Babylonians did it in late March during the first new moon after the Spring Equinox(春分). The festivities were meant for the rebirth of the sun god, but the Babylonians made promises in order to please their gods. They felt this would help them start the new year off well.
Resolutions continued on with the Romans. When the early Roman calendar no longer synced(同步) up with the sun, Julius Caesar decided to make a change. He consulted with the best astronomers and mathematicians of the time and introduced the Julian calendar, which more closely represents the modern calendar we use today. Caesar declared January 1 the first day of the year to honor the god of new beginnings, Janus. The Romans celebrated the New Year by offering sacrifices to Janus.
To this day, the traditions of the ancient Babylonians and Romans continue around the world. So much that Google launched a Resolution Map in 2013 where people could add resolutions and see others adding theirs in real time. However, no matter how many people participated in Google’s project, the numbers are bleak when it comes to the number of people who maintain their resolutions----only eight percent of people are successful in sticking them out.
1.Why did the ancient Babylonians make promises to their gods?
A. To honor the god of new beginnings.
B. To observe the rebirth of the sun god and please him.
C. To honor the coming of a new year and satisfy their gods.
D. To please their gods and hope for a good start of the year.
2.What can we know about the tradition of the New Year’s resolutions?
A. The tradition of making New Year’s resolutions will soon die.
B. A lot of people don’t feel like making New Year’s resolutions.
C. Julius Caesar made January 1 the first day of a year on his own.
D. The history of making New Year’s resolutions is not well known.
3.What does the underlined word “bleak” in the last paragraph mean?
A. Large. B. Unpleasant.
C. Encouraging. D. Hopeful.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A. How Making New Year’s Resolutions Came Into Being?
B. The Ancient Babylonians and the Romans
C. The Change of Roman Calendars
D. How People Better Themselves
Last April, on a Sunday, we took one of our “nowhere” drives. My husband was quietly driving along a back road. I was occupied in the front passenger seat watching the scenery.
I noticed out of the corner of my eye that my husband was struggling to look out of my window. This frightened me, since his eyes should be on the road in front of him. I asked him what he was looking at out of the windows, and he quietly replied, “Nothing.”
After a few minutes, I looked over at my husband and noticed a tear running down his cheek. I asked him what was wrong. This time he told me, “I was just thinking about Pop and a story he had once told.” It had something to do with Pop, his friend from childhood, and I wanted to know the story, so I asked him to share it with me.
He said, “When I was about 8 years old, Pop and I were out fishing and he told me that the pine trees know when it is Easter.”
I had no idea what he meant by that, so I pressed him for more information.
He continued on... “The pine trees start their new growth in the weeks before Easter because spring is drawing near. If you look at the tops of the pine trees, you will see the yellow shoots(嫩芽). As the days get closer to Easter Sunday, the tallest shoot will branch off and form a cross. By the time Easter Sunday comes around, you will see that most of the pine trees will have small yellow crosses on all of the tallest shoots.”
I turned to look out of the window and I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was a week before Easter, and you could see all of the trees with the tall yellow shoots stretching to the sky.
The tallest ones shone in the sunlight like rows of tiny golden crosses. May you find your Easter season filled with beautiful golden crosses!
1.How did the author feel when she found her husband looking outward while driving?
A. Curious. B. Calm.
C. Afraid. D. Excited.
2.Why did the husband cry?
A. He saw something strange out of the window.
B. He was scolded by his wife for driving carelessly.
C. He was too frightened to drive the car on the road.
D. He thought of an old friend and was moved by his story.
3.What can we infer from the text?
A. The author knew Pop’s story very well.
B. Pop was traveling together with the couple.
C. The author was amazed at the appearance of pine trees.
D. Pine trees have something to do with the origin of Easter.
4.What does the author intend to tell us?
A. We should be careful while driving.
B. Pine trees are more beautiful before Easter.
C. Easter should be decorated with golden crosses.
D. Easter promises hope with the coming of spring.
BKLYN House Hotel
This hotel features works by Brooklyn artists. The 116 rooms are of good value—Manhattan is only 20 minutes away by taxi or subway. The immediate surroundings feel urban—the hotel is by a high-rise public housing project while the nearest commercial street is under elevated subway tracks—but Bushwick's best bars and cafes/restaurants are nearby.
Doubles from $99 , room only. Tel：718 388 4433
Archer Hotel
Visitors eager to stay in the heart of Manhattan should try one of the bargain-priced rooms at this hotel. Rates vary from great value to expensive; some start from as low as $179 a night (if prepaying in full). Rooms are small but tasteful, with nice touches such as exposed brick. Some have close-up views of the Empire State Building.
Doubles from $199, room only. Tel: 212 719 4100
Pod 39 Hotel
In an elegant brick building in Manhattan’s Murray Hill, this excellent budget option opened following the success of its sister hotel, The Pod. The rooms are called pods given their small size and may not suit everyone. But with prices among the most competitive in Manhattan, budgeters will be happy.
Doubles from $95, room only. Tel：212 865 5700
CitizenM New York Times Square
This is the first US location for a Netherlands-based concept hotel chain—CitizenM. The hotel features self check-in at its 230 little but comfortable rooms via touch screen “MoodPads”. There’s a rooftop bar, a 24-hour grab-and-go cafeteria and an area with public iMac workspaces. Although New Yorkers avoid nearby Times Square, all the lights, cameras and action can make it a fun tourist experience.
Doubles from $170, room only. Tel：212 319 7000
1.Who would prefer to stay in Archer Hotel?
A. Visitors who prefer large rooms.
B. Visitors fond of the night scene of Times Square.
C. Visitors who plan to work in the Empire State Building.
D. Visitors who want to experience the life of central Manhattan.
2.Which hotel provides the cheapest rooms?
A. Pod 39 Hotel.
B. Archer Hotel.
C. BKLYN House Hotel.
D. CitizenM New York Times Square.
3.What is unique to CitizenM New York Times Square ?
A. It is located in Netherlands.
B. It offers self check-in rooms.
C. It has the largest rooftop bar.
D. It mainly attracts New Yorkers.
假设你是李华，你所在的校曲艺社团（Folk Art Club）面向留学生招收新成员。清给你的留学生朋友Henry写封邮件邀请他加入，内容包括：
1. 活动内容（学习相声，京剧等）；
2. 报名方式及截止日期。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可适当加入细节，以使行文连贯。
3. 参考词汇：相声cross talk；京剧Peking opera
Dear Henry,
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Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线, 并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Have a noisy neighbor is really a common problem. I once had a noise problem with a neighbor. He’d watch out loud movies every night. One night, I had enough of the noise, so I went to my neighbor apartment and talked with him. Therefore, that only made him turn his TV up even loud. The other day, I chatted with him sincere and got to know him better. I also made a joke about what I liked his taste in movies. That night, the noise problem stops. It seemed that all I had to do was get my neighbor see me as a friend, not a enemy.
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
In the Chinese lunar calendar a year 1. (divide) into 24 solar terms. Lichun, the first solar term, usually lasts from around February 4 to February 18. It is time to actively develop agriculture. Lichun 2. (tradition) represents the beginning of spring in East Asian cultures. Farmers often celebrate it with special village events and 3. (ceremony) for a prosperous new year. In the lunar calendar, New Year’s Day might be before 4.after Lichun.
In northern China, people ate spring pancakes on this day. The spring pancake took 5. (it) rise from the Jin dynasty and 6. (become) popular in the Tang dynasty. Lichun was valued by both Chinese ancient kings and civilians. In celebration of Lichun, civilians ate spring pancakes 7. (wrap) around fresh vegetables and meat, 8. was called bite-the-spring. Bite-the-spring implied that civilians were praying for 9. good harvest year.
Now, people also go outside to show their passion for the spring. Villagers usually whip their cattle and on their way, they bang drums and sing songs 10. (celebrate) the coming spring.
