Almost all cultures celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of another in some way. Different cultures celebrate the beginning of a new year in different ways, and at different times on the calendar.
In Western countries, people usually celebrate New Year at midnight on December 31st- January 1st. People may go to parties, sometimes dressed in formal(正式的) clothes, and the may drink champagne(香槟) at midnight. During the first minutes of the new year, people cheer and wish each other happiness for the year ahead. But some cultures prefer to celebrate the new year by waking up early to watch the sun rise. They welcome the new year with the first light of the sunrise.
Many cultures also do special things to get rid of(摆脱) bad luck at the beginning of a new year. For example, in Ecuador, families make a big doll from old clothes. The doll is filled with old newspapers and firecrackers. At midnight, these dolls are burned to show the bad things from the past year are gone and the new year can start afresh(重新). Other common traditions to keep away bad luck in a new year include throwing things into rivers or the ocean, or saying special things on the first day of the new year.
Other New Year traditions are followed to bring good luck in the new year. One widespread Spanish tradition for good luck is to eat grapes on New Year’s Day. The more grapes a person eats, the more good luck the person will have in the year. In France, people eat pancakes for good luck at New Year. In the United States, some people eat black-eyed peas for good luck-but to get good luck for a whole year you have to eat 365 of them!
1.The reading is mainly about_____.
A. the meaning of “Happy New Year!”
B. several different New Year traditions
C. what to eat on New Year’s Day
D. why people dress up nicely on New Year’s Day
2.It’s clear that_____.
A. some cultures celebrate New Year in the morning
B. the Western people celebrate New Year only on New Year’s Day
C. people in Ecuador go to parties on December 31st-January 1st
D. no cultures do special things to celebrate New Year
3.In some cultures, people throw things into rivers or oceans to_____.
A. bring good luck B. keep away bad luck
C. forget everything D. plan for the next year
4.When eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day, people think_____.
A. one pea brings one day of luck
B. black-eyed peas are the best medicine
C. the peas are too black and taste bad
D. the peas are helpful to count numbers
Three students are talking about the New Year tradition of their own country.
A．Christina from Spain
On the last day of the year, the 31st of December, people wait till 12 p．m. Everybody must have 12 grapes to eat at midnight. At each sound of the clock, we must eat a grape. But we can't ever finish eating the grapes on time! Usually when people still have some grapes in their mouths, they look at each other and start to laugh. This tradition started in Spain long ago. One year, when there were a lot of grapes, the king of Spain decided to give grapes to everybody to eat on New Year's Eve.
B．Cordon from Britain
On New Year's Day in Britain, people have parties. At 12 o'clock, the music stops, and we listen to the radio. On the radio we hear Big Ben, the famous clock in London. Then everybody sings a song about friendship and kisses their friends. We say “Happy New Year” to each other. It's lucky if a tall man with dark hair is the first person to come to the house in the New Year. So I go and visit as many friends as I can. They all give me a drink.
C．Angela from Brazil
In all cities in Brazil, we have a big party on New Year's Eve, especially in Rio de Janeiro. People in this city go to the beaches to watch fireworks (焰火). We put flowers in the sea and think about things we want for ourselves or others. We usually wear white clothes for good luck during the New Year.
1.Which is NOT mentioned (被提到) in the passage?
A. Have 12 grapes to eat. B. Give flowers to others.
C. Have parties. D. Watch fireworks.
2.Who have parties during the New Year?
A. People in Spain. B. People in Britain.
C. People in Brazil D. Both B and C.
3.On New Year's Day, Brazilians usually wear white clothes because ________.
A. they think that they look beautiful in white
B. that reminds them of their happy life
C. they hope that can bring them good luck
D. that's what they have to do during the New Year
4.This article mainly tells us________.
A. what people in different countries do on New Year's Day
B. when and where people have New Year parties
C. what people in Britain do on New Year's Day
D. why people around the world like the New Year
When you are learning English, you find it not clever to put an English sentence, word for word, into your own language. Take the sentence “How do you do?” as an example. If you look up each word in the dictionary, one at a time, what is your translation(翻译)？It must be a wrong sentence in your own language.
Languages do not just have different sounds, they are different in many ways. It’s important to master(掌握) the rules for word order in the study of English, too. If the speakers put words in a wrong order, the listener can’t understand the speaker’s sentence easily. Sometimes when the order of words in an English sentence is changed, the meaning of the sentence changes, But sometimes the order is changed, the meaning of the sentence doesn’t change. Let’s see the difference between the two pairs of sentences.
“She only like apples.” “Only she likes apples.”
“I have seen the film already.” “I have already seen the film.”
When you are learning English, you must do your best to get the spirit(精神实质) of the language and use it as the English speaker does.
1.From the passage we know that when we are learning English.
A. we shouldn’t put every word into our own language
B. we should look up every word in the dictionary
C. we need to put every word into our own language
D. we must read word by word
2.We can learn from the passage that .
A. the meaning of an English sentence always changes with the order of the words
B. the order of words can never change the meaning of an English sentence
C. sometimes different order of words has a different meaning
D. if the order of words is different, the meaning of a sentence must be different
3.“She only likes apples.” means .
A. is the same as “Only she likes apples.”
B. is different from “Only she likes apples.”
C. means “She likes fruit except apples.”
D. means “She doesn’t like apples.”
4.Which is the best title for this passage?
A. Different Orders, Different Meanings.
B. How to Speak English?
C. How to Put English into Our Own Language?
D. How to Learn English?
Are you learning English and do you need help with grammar? Do you want to learn new vocabulary or slang (俚语)? Well, you can find help online with these top 5 free English as a Second Language websites.
1. Dave’s ESL Cafe
This is a complete website that can help you learn and practice English. You can read many stories and do a lot of exercises to test yourself. You can also post questions and answers onto the help center.
2. About.com
You can get free English courses from About.com and you’ll get regular e-mails that will help you learn English.
3. The Classroom by Voice of America
You can watch videos and listen to news stories to improve your listening and vocabulary skills. You can also hear English words and their meanings.
4. Heinle’s Newbury House Dictionary of American English
Do you need to find the definition of a word? Use this online dictionary to find simple and clear definitions, as well as example sentences and idioms (习语). You can also find different cultural facts.
5. Personal English Portal (门户网站) on YouTube
You can watch this series of videos on YouTube to develop your listening skills. You can also do a search for “learn English” on YouTube to find other videos. This is a good way to practice English and have fun.
1.If you want to do English exercises and test yourself, you can go to .
A. About.com
B. YouTube
C. Dave’s ESL Cafe
D. the Classroom by Voice of America
2.You can at the help center on the website Dave’s ESL Cafe.
A. watch videos and pictures
B. listen to news and music
C. watch movies and matches
D. read questions and answers
3.About.com often sends e-mails to its visitors to help them .
A. get relaxed B. have fun
C. become famous D. learn English
4.The underlined word “definition” means “ ” in Chinese.
A. 来源 B. 释义 C. 意图 D. 背景
完形填空
阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项对应题号的答案填写在答题卡上。
Everybody wants to learn English well but many find it not easy. They can _______ three hours on English every day, but _______ they get is not the same. I have been studying English for many years. I am very glad to share my _______with you. I like English . Only when you want to do something can you do it _______. Eight years ago, my English teacher took me into the English _______. I feel _______ because I met a good teacher. Her teaching style was great and we were _______ and excited in classes. So I can say, when I first met English, it _______ me very much.
For some students, to remember the new words is the biggest _______ , because the words are _______ than those I learned before. In fact, words come along with sentences. Of course, it is necessary that you should_______ them now and then, or you will forget them easily. When _______ English books, I always write some special and important phrases down on the notebook so that I can find them when I _______. If you want to study English _______ than others, you must study harder than others, and you must spend more time. Don’t be_______ .
We still have so much to learn about English. It is endless.
1.A. spend B. use C. take D. study
2.A. how B. where C. what D. when
3.A. enjoyment B. solution C. secret D. expensive
4.A. slowly B. well C. carefully D. badly
5.A. world B. countries C. books D. class
6.A. lucky B. frustrated C. excited D. unhappy
7.A. noisy B. active C. tired D. nervous
8.A. troubled B. interested C. helped D. liked
9.A. success B. hobby C. problem D. task
10.A. more boring B. shorter C. more difficult D. easier
11.A. copy B. memorize C. write D. read
12.A. buying B. borrowing C. writing D. reading
13.A. study B. speak C. build D. review
14.A. quicker B. deeper C. better D. easier
15.A. late B. nervous C. afraid D. lazy
Lucy finally found _________exciting to have conversations with friends in Chinese.
A. that B. it C. this D. one
