阅读理解
While popular in the US,the April Fool’s Day tradition is even more popular in European countries,such as France and Great Britain.Although the roots of the traditional tricking are unclear,the French and the British both have their own stories about the origin of the celebration.
One story holds that the first April Fool’s Day was on April 1 of the year when the king of France introduced the new calendar.This new system placed the day that had formerly been the first day of a new year on April l.Many people were not used to the new calendar and continued(继续)to celebrate New Year’s Day on what had become the first day of April.Thus,they became the first April Fools.Others began to give funny gifts on the day to laugh at the fools who continued to celebrate the New Year on April 1.
An English story about the day,however,says that it began sometime during the 1200s.At the time,King John was in the habit of making roads out of the paths he most often walked along.The people of one particular farm village were aware of this.To avoid having their green grasslands and pastures(牧场)disturbed by one of the king’s roads,they built a fence that prevented the king from walking through their countryside.
The king sent a group of messengers(使者)to inform the villagers that they must remove the fence.Upon hearing that the king was planning to do this,however,the villagers developed a plan of their own.When the king’s messengers arrived,they were met by the villagers pretending to be mad.The people just throw things and ran around wildly.The messengers were surprised by this and reported to King John that these people were so mad that there was no necessity of punishing them.So,the villagers saved their farmland by tricking the king.In Great Britain,tradition only allows April Fool’s tricks from midnight to noon on April l.Those who try to play tricks in the afternoon become the fools themselves.
1.Which country has the origin of the celebration of April Fool’s Day?
A.Japan.
B.France.
C.Great Britain.
D.Both B and C.
2.When was the first April Fool’s Day?
A.It was on April lst.
B.It was on April 2nd.
C.It was on March lst.
D.It was on May lst.
3.Why did French people become the first April Fools?
A.Because they were stupid.
B.Because they were not used to the new calendar and continued to celebrate New Year’s Day on what had become the first day of April.
C.Because they were happy to become the first April Fools.
D.Because they were given funny gifts on the day.
4.The underlined word“avoid”probably means“________”in Chinese.
A.加强
B.倡议
C.避免
D.建造
5.From the passage we can know that________.
A.April Fool’s Day is very popular in Asian countries
B.according to the English story,April Fool’s Day began sometime during the 1300s
C.according to the English story,King John of England was in the habit of making a building
D.according to the English story,the citizens of one particular farm village were against what the king did
完形填空
April 27 is a special day in Britain.It’s called Take Our Daughters to Work Day.It was___1.____to Britain in 1994 from America.On that day thousands of girls take a day____2.____school and go with one of their parents to their workplaces.By doing this,it can___3.____girls more about the society where they live.
Now the girls can have a close look at____4.____their parents are doing.This may help them to be calmer when they have to choose a____5.____.Mary experienced a day of work at her mother’s office.This helped her___6.____her mother’s work better.She said that this made her feel more confident about her future.
Schools and many companies____7.____the activity.too.Some schools____8.____make the day a necessary part of school life.
Experts think that girls with more selfconfidence are more likely to be____9.____than common girls.___10.___parents can set good examples both at work and at home for them,they will do better than others.Take Our Daughters to Work Day is surely a step in the right direction.
11.A.sent B.given C.caught D.brought
12.A.off B.at C.away D.of
13.A.talk B.keep C.teach D.make
14.A.which B.what C.that D.whom
15.A.place B.school C.friend D.job
16.A.thank B.understand C.praise D.remember
17.A.hold B.refuse C.choose D.support
18.A.just B.never C.even D.ever
19.A.successful B.polite C.friendly D.knowledgeable
20.A.Because B.If C.While D.Though
There were________many people on the bus that I couldn’t get on the bus.
A.so
B.such
C.very
D.quite
Lisa decided________the swimming club.
A.join
B.joining
C.to join
D.joined
They ended up________about the story in Chinese.
A.talk
B.talking
C.to talk
D.talked
My parents________for fifteen years.
A.married
B.got married
C.have married
D.have been married