The tradition of birthday parties started in Europe a long time ago. It was feared that evil(邪恶的) spirits were particularly attracted to people on their birthdays. To protect them from harm, friends and family members would come to stay with the birthday person and bring good thoughts and wishes. Giving gifts brought even more good cheer to keep away from the evil spirits. This is how birthday parties began.
The following are some countries’ birthday traditions:
Canada---Putting butter on the nose. In Atlantic Canada, the birthday child’s nose is put butter on for good luck.
China---Noodles for lunch. The birthday child pays respect to his / her parents and receives a gift of money. Friends and relatives are invited to lunch and noodles are served to wish the birthday child a long life.
England---Money cakes. Certain symbolic(象征性的) objects are mixed into the birthday cake as it is being prepared. If your piece of cake has a coin in it, you will be rich.
Ireland---Birthday bump(碰撞). The birthday child is lifted upside down and “ bumped” on the floor for good luck.
Italy---Pulling ears. The child’s ears are pulled as many times as how old he / she is turning.
Japan---New clothes. The birthday child wears new clothes to mark the occasion.
New Zealand---Birthday claps. After the candles are hit, the happy birthday song is sung loudly and often out of tune and then the birthday person receives a clap for each year he / she has been alive and then one for good luck.
The United States---Cake, candles and the birthday song. A cake is made, and candles are put on top based on how old the person is.
1.The first paragraph mainly talks about .
A. why there are so many birthday traditions
B. how birthday parties started
C. how to keep away from evil spirits
D. why gifts must be given to the birthday person
2.According to the passage, in which country can the birthday children probably receive a gift of money?
A. China. B. England.
C. Ireland. D. Japan.
3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. In New Zealand, an eight-year-old birthday child receives eight claps in all.
B. In Ireland, bumping the birthday child means good luck to him/her.
C. In England, coins are the only things that can be made into a birthday cake.
D. In Italy, the birthday child’s ears are pulled when he/she is lifted upside down.
4.The birthday traditions of New Zealand and the United States share all the following in common EXCEPT .
A. birthday cake B. birthday candles
C. birthday claps D. birthday song
5.In which section of a website does the passage probably appear?
A. Tech&Science. B. Entertainment.
C. Careers&Jobs. D. Culture.
I am the mother of a five-year-old girl now, but I’ll never forget some of the best lessons my mother taught me.
Lesson 1---Always be there for your child
I can’t tell you the last time my parents missed a big event in my life; it never happened. Whether it was a play, or even just a practice---my parents were always there for me. As an only child, they cherished everything in my life.
Lesson2---Hide in the bathroom
For years I wondered why my mother had made the bathroom her own personal library and would stay there forever. Now I know it’s the only place for her to have at least two minutes of peace and quiet. Well, I try to, but that’s quite difficult with two cats, a dog, a kid, a husband and only one bathroom.
Lesson3---Get involved(参与)
I was lucky in having parents who let me do anything they think was good. Now today, I am fond of being active and involved. Whether it is a sports game or a volunteering group, or just playing with my daughter, I love to be involved.
Lesson4---It’s OK to fail
My parents weren’t perfect and that was OK. I know I’m not perfect and I hope my daughter knows that’s OK. Families love one another no matter what happens. If you fail, you learn from the mistakes and keep right on going.
Parents are so important to a child’s growth and development and I’m so glad that I had great parents to follow.
1.The big event in the writer’s life .
A. was seldom missed by her parents
B. was never missed by her parents
C. didn’t include her musical performances
D. wasn’t noticed by her dad sometimes
2.What does the underlined word “cherish” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A. Find out clearly. B. Run after carefully.
C. Care about gently. D. Give up completely.
3.What is difficult for the writer to do?
A. To set up her own personal library.
B. To do her housework well every day.
C. To find a quiet or peaceful place to read.
D. To stay in her bathroom for a long time.
4.When her kid knew it was OK that she wasn’t perfect, the kid .
A. thought being bad was nothing
B. would love her more than others
C. tried her best to do better than she
D. would have a good mind if she failed
5.What can we learn from this passage?
A. The writer hardly follow her parents now.
B. The writer has raised two dogs, a cat and a kid.
C. Getting involved leads to the writer’s active life.
D. The writer’s mom likes reading in the bathroom.
I’ve always known that dogs are clever, but even I was surprised when I heard about a dog called Red, at the Battersea Dog’s Home in London.
The home has been caring for lost and unwanted animals for over 140 years. Recently, the staff there got a shock when they came to work in the morning. They found that some of the dogs had got out of their kennels(狗窝) during the night, opened cupboards and taken out food and toys. And it happened again and again. The manager described how as many as nine dogs were escaping every night. “ When we came in, dogs were running around having fun and causing a lot of mess. ”
Someone or something was unlocking (开锁) the kennels during the night. The manager decided to put in cameras to record how the dogs were getting out.
When she and her staff played back the recording, they saw Red, a three-year-old dog, put his nose through the bars of his kennel and use his teeth to press the button(按钮) that opened his door. That was clever enough, but Red did more: he unlocked the kennels next to his and let the dogs out too. The group broke into cupboards and stole dog biscuits and toys to play with.
The manager said, “ It’s surprising that Red worked out how to open his own kennel and let all his friends out.” I suppose, Red didn’t like to party alone.
The story has a happy ending: after Red was shown on TV, several people came and offered to give him a new home as a family pet.
1.What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A. To ask people to look after unwanted dogs.
B. To describe dogs escaping from the Dog’s Home.
C. To give an example of how clever a dog can be.
D. To introduce the work done by the Battersea Dog’s Home.
2.What did Red do after he got out of his kennel at night?
A. He slept in a cupboard.
B. He let the other dogs out.
C. He took biscuits and toys back to the other dogs.
D. He showed the other dogs how to unlock their doors.
3.What can we learn from the text?
A. Red didn’t like being at the Dog’s Home.
B. Red and his friends had a good time when they escaped.
C. Red and his friends enjoyed being recorded by the cameras.
D. Red and the other dogs escaped because they were hungry.
4.The underlined phrase “ worked out” in paragraph 5 means .
A. found the way and dealt with
B. made the plan of
C. thought carefully about
D. was ready for
5.Which of the following was the topic of the TV program about Red?
A. A dog that can unlock doors.
B. A night when kennels were unlocked.
C. Parties for the missing dogs.
D. Battersea Dog’s Home.
Today my husband wanted to have McDonald’s, so I to go to the nearest one and take the food home together with my 10-year-old daughter.
Right behind me was an elder woman who wasn’t and seemed sad, I took out a piece of paper and wrote a note. On this note, it said, “ Everyone should to smile.” I pulled forward to pay for our with my debit card (借记卡), pulled out extra cash and the cashier to let me pay for the lady’s food me. My daughter looked at me , . But all that I told her was to turn around and what random(随意的) acts of kindness could do to someone. She turned around, watched and . I started to get our and the lady pulled forward and started to hand her cashier . The cashier shook her head , smiled, looked at us, and handed her the . The lady was so puzzled at this moment that it was almost . The lady read the note, smiled, and started to dry tears from her eyes.
We got our food and started to when my daughter turned around with tears in her eyes and said, “ Mom, you she was by herself? Maybe we were the ones today to show we cared. We didn’t do anything but just gave her a smile and a sandwich.
I told her that was why we should be because a smile may be all others have. Oh, random acts of kindness, thank you again for me that a smile can worth a million dollars.
1.A. agreed B. promised C. decided D. advised
2.A. standing B. smiling C. reading D. laughing
3.A. so B. though C. but D. for
4.A. try B. want C. like D. mean
5.A. meal B. tickets C. vegetable D. clothes
6.A. ordered B. asked C. persuaded D. begged
7.A. by B. around C. behind D. without
8.A. shocked B. disappointed C. educated D. puzzled
9.A. guess B. believe C. watch D. record
10.A. ate B. talked C. sat D. waited
11.A. idea B. message C. present D. order
12.A. money B. equipment C. a list D. a place
13.A. card B. note C. menu D. number
14.A. upset B. mean C. different D. funny
15.A. discuss B. search C. leave D. look
16.A. announced B. explained C. understood D. noticed
17.A. rich B. stupid C. only D. brave
18.A. big B. equal C. fair D. necessary
19.A. unique B. kind C. special D. smart
20.A. praising B. teaching C. challenging D. warning
--- How do you find the movie last night?
--- ______, but the background music sounded wonderful.
A. I really like it.
B. I’m crazy about it
C. I think little of it
D. It couldn’t be better.
It’s that time of the year again, ______ Apple fans go crazy about the coming of the new iPhone.
A. who B. when
C. which D. where
