Every year, as Spring Festival draws near, most Chinese people will get excited to make preparation for the most important festival and make plan for the winter break. It is a little like Christmas in the United States, but there are some differences between the two festivals.
Both the major Chinese and the major Western holidays come during the cold season, and special food is expected. In western countries, cookies and cakes begin just after Thanksgiving in November and show up everywhere. Turkey, potatoes and other food come later. Similar thing happens in China. Entering lunar December, most families will make shopping plans for the coming big day and food is certainly one of the most important things to be considered. At the end of the month, both parents in each family will be very busy---the father is busy buying food while the mother is busy cooking.
A deeper similarity (相似处) is tradition. Christmas, as the letters “Christ” suggests, began as a holiday to celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ. Many people pray (祈祷) on this day. In China, people living in cities or towns, though they don’t plan to sow seeds（播种） this month, still celebrate on the big day for farmers.
Followers of both holidays are also different from each other. While Chinese people travel to the homes of elder relatives, Americans usually call or send cards. Westerners prefer Christmas carols to fireworks. In Christmas, many family gifts come together instead of one by one, since adults may have only one day free to celebrate.
But the most curious difference is about students. Chinese students going home for Spring Festival sometimes report that they get bored by the end of vacation, yet American students seldom get bored around Christmas and western New Year.
Not everyone enjoys classic holiday traditions. Students in western countries may get upset, as too much homework, travel or bad family relations may destroy the short holiday season. In China, more and more college students choose to travel or work during the winter holiday instead of going home to stay with their families. It’s against the tradition but many people accept it.
1.What does “the coming big day” (Paragraph 2) refer to?
A．Christmas B．Thanksgiving Day
C．the New Year’s Day D．the Spring Festival
2.The second and the third paragraphs mainly talk about ________.
A．the similarities between Christmas and the Spring Festival
B．the differences between Christmas and the Spring Festival
C．the preparations for Christmas and the Spring Festival
D．the history of Christmas and the Spring Festival
3.What does the writer mainly want to tell us in this passage?
A．Food in different festivals.
B．Differences between two festivals.
C．Festivals in China and western countries.
D．Traditional celebrations in different countries.
I know what you’re thinking : pizza （比萨饼）? For breakfast? But the truth is that you can have last night’s leftovers in the a. m. if you want to
I know lots of women who skip breakfast （不吃早餐）, and they have a ton of different excuses for doing it . Some say they don’t have time,others think they’re “saving” calories （卡路里）, and still others just don’t like breakfast food .
But the bottom line is that eating in the morning is very important when you’re trying to lose weight. “Eating just about anything from 300 to 400 calories would be better than nothing at all,” says Katherine Brooking , R , D , who developed the super-easy eating plan for this year’s “SELF CHALLENGE”. And even pizza can be healthy if it’s loaded with vegetables, and you stick to one small piece.
Breakfast is one meal I never miss, and the same goes for most weight loss success stories. Research shows that eating breakfast keeps you from overeating later in the day. Researchers at the University of Southem California found that breakfast skippers have a bigger chance of gaining weight than those who regularly have a morning meal.
So eat something in the morning, anything. I know plenty of friends who end up having no breakfast altogether, and have just coffee or orange juice. I say, try heating up last night’s leftovers-it may sound crazy, but if it works for you, do it! I find if I tell myself, “You can always eat it tomorrow,” I put away the leftovers instead of eating more that night. Try it,and then you may save yourself some pre-bedtime calories. And watch your body gain the fat-burning effects.
1.The underlined word “leftovers” in Paragraph 1 probably means__________.
A．food remaining after a meal B．things left undone
C．meals made of vegetables D．pizza topped with fruit
2.What can we infer from the text?
A．Working women usually have breakfast in a hurry.
B．Many people have wrong ideas about breakfast.
C．There are some easy ways of cooking a meal.
D．Eating vegetables helps save energy.
3.According to the last paragraph, it is important to____________.
A．eat something for breakfast B．be careful about what you eat
C．heat up food before eating it D．eat calorie-controlled food
4.The text is written mainly for those_____________.
A．who go to work early B．who want to lose weight
C．who stay up late D．who eat before sleep
Want to be perfect at a holiday dinner party? Follow these tips on good manners, and your dinner companions are sure to be thankful.
*Arrive no earlier than the time the host has announced and no later than half an hour after the time.
*Plan to stay about an hour after dinner unless travel plans or sleepy children which make you leave a bit earlier.
*Bring a gift and write a note of thanks afterwards.
*Offer to help set up for dinner and to clean afterwards.
*Tell the host of any special dietary needs---if you are a vegetarian, diabetic or allergic to common foods. You can tell the host how to prepare a dish you can eat, or even better, offer to bring that dish yourself.
*If you’re going to a potluck (百乐餐) dinner, bring a serving dish with you as an offer. Remember, the best potluck dishes are those that need little preparation in the host’s kitchen, can be served at room temperature and need only a fork to eat.
1.To be a perfect guest, you should _______.
A．never be late for a holiday dinner party
B．leave right away after meal if necessary
C．bring a gift with some words of thanks on
D．help to make table and clean afterwards
2.“Diabetic or allergic” here refers to people who _____ .
A．have some special needs for certain foods
B．are more important than other dinner companions
C．never try some common foods served at dinner
D．always bring dishes to dinner themselves
3.According to the passage, potluck dinner dishes are those _______ .
A．usually given by the guests
B．carefully prepared in the kitchen
C．served only at room temperature
D．eaten only with a fork and knife
4.The passage is mainly written for _____ .
A．holiday makers B．companions C．dinner hosts D．dinner guests
A kindergarten teacher decided to let her class play a game. The teacher told each child in the class to bring along a plastic bag containing a few potatoes. Each potato will be given a name of a person that the child hates, so the number of potatoes that a child will put in his/her plastic bag will depend on the number of people he/she cannot forgive（宽恕）.
So when the day came, every child brought some potatoes with the name of the people he/she hated. Some had 2 potatoes; some 3, while some had up to 5 potatoes.
The teacher then told the children to carry the potatoes with them wherever they go (even to the toilet) for one week. With days passing by, the children started to complain because of the unpleasant smell let out by the rotten (腐烂) potatoes they were carrying.
Those children who have 5 potatoes really began to feel the weight of the heavier bags. After one week, the children were happy to hear that the teacher had finally ended the game. The teacher asked: "How did you feel while carrying the potatoes with you for one week?" The children started complaining of the trouble that they had to carry the heavy and smelly potatoes wherever they go.
Then the teacher told them the hidden meaning behind the game. The teacher said: "This is exactly the situation when you carry your hatred（仇恨）for somebody inside your heart. The burden（负担）of hatred will pollute your heart and you will end up carrying an unnecessary burden with you wherever you go.
If you cannot tolerate the smell of rotten potatoes for just one week, can you imagine what a burden it would be to have the hatred in your heart for your lifetime?"
1.According to the teacher, if a Child hates three persons, he or she needs to carry ________.
A．one potato B．two potatoes C．three potatoes D．four potatoes
2.The underlined word “tolerate ” in the last paragraph probably means _____________.
A．carry B．hate C．receive D．stand
3.In fact, the teacher wants to ______________.
A．play a game with the students B．teach the students a lesson
C．make the students more tired D．play jokes on the students
4.What is the main idea of the story?
A．It’s best to learn to forgive and forget.
B．Students should love people around them.
C．Children should carry less rotten potatoes.
D．Rotten potatoes are really a heavy burden.
The Hand
Thanksgiving Day was near. The first grade teacher gave her class fun work to draw a picture of 36 for which they were thankful.
Most of the class might be 37 to be economically(经济上) poor, but still many would 38 a big holiday dinner with turkeys and other traditional goodies of the season. These, the teacher thought, would be the 39 of most of her students’ art. And they really were.
But Douglas made a 40 kind of picture, for Douglas was a different kind of boy. He was the teacher’s true child of pity and love, 41 and unhappy. As other children played at break, Douglas was likely to stand close by her side. One could only guess the pain Douglas felt 42 those sad eyes.
Yes, his picture was different. When he was 43 to draw a picture of something for which he was thankful, he drew a 44 ---nothing else. Just an empty hand.
His picture brought out the heated 45 of his classmates. Whose hand could it be? One child guessed it was the hand of a farmer because farmers 46 turkeys. Another suggested a police officer’s because the police protect and 47 people. And so the discussion went --- until the teacher 48 forgot the young artist.
49 the children had gone on to do other work, she 50 Douglas’ desk, bent down, and asked him whose hand it was. The little boy looked away and said in a very low voice, “It’s yours, teacher.”
She recalled the 51 when she had taken his hand and walked with him here and there and how 52 she had said, “Take your hand, Douglas, and we’ll go outside.” or “Let me show you how to hold your pencil.” or “Let’s do this together.” Douglas was most 53 for his teacher’s hand.
Brushing aside tears, she went on with her work.
In fact, people 54 not always say “Thanks”. But they would remember the hand that 55 .
1. A．anything B．something C．nothing D．everything
2. A．suggested B．imagined C．encouraged D．thought
3. A．have B．share C．prefer D．ask
4. A．homework B．subjects C．classes D．thoughts
5. A．good B．encouraging C．different D．exciting
6. A．merry B．naughty C．weak D．lively
7. A．behind B．beside C．before D．around
8. A．ordered B．told C．forced D．spoken
9. A．gift B．person C．hand D．wonder
10. A．thought B．laughter C．eyes D．discussion
11. A．keep B．need C．buy D．sell
12. A．look at B．care for C．take away D．drive off
13. A．always B．almost C．usually D．therefore
14. A．Before B．Because C．Since D．When
15. A．looked at B．pointed at C．turned to D．looked to
16. A．chances B．forms C．ways D．times
17. A．seldom B．often C．soon D．much
18. A．thankful B．calm C．pleased D．comfortable
19. A．could B．must C．should D．might
20. A．moved on B．went out C．helped out D．reached out
He lived in a small village, ______ was a long way from the railway station.
A．that B．which C．where D．when
