Festivals and celebrations have been held everywhere since ancient times. Most ancient festivals would celebrate the cold weather, planting in spring and harvest in autumn. Sometimes celebrations would be held after hunters had caught animals. At that time people would starve if food was difficult1.find), especially during the cold winter months. Sometimes celebrations would be held after hunters had caught animals.Today’s festival have many origins: some are2.(religion), some seasonal, and some for special people or events.
Some festivals are held to honour the dead or the ancestors, 3.might return either to help4.to do the harm. It is now a Children’s festival, 5.they can dress up and go to their neighbors’ homes to ask for sweets. They offer food, flowers and gifts 6. the dead. In the USA, Columbus Day is 7. memory of the8.(arrive) of Christopher Columbus in the New World. People are grateful because their food9.(gather) for the winter and the agricultural work is over. The most energetic and important festivals are the ones that look forward to the end of winter and the coming of spring.
People love to get together to eat, drink and have fun with each other. Festivals let us enjoy life, be proud of our customs and forget our work for10.little while.
Last week I happened to find an old photo of myself and two of my oldest friends. It got me to think about all the crazy things I ______ with my friends. As kids, we ____ games and give them _____ like Sally Broke Her Leg and Guess Guess. In our teens, we fell off staircases and drank Coke. We sat on the roofs of Wits building talking about life, love and everything. Looking back now, it seems a lifetime ago, but memories like that ______ fade(逐渐消失). Over time, though, those daily ______ became less, then turned into occasional(偶尔的) emails, and they turned, finally into _______ .
My mom always said I can choose my friends, ________ I alone choose how long they stay in my life. Having let a dear friend of mine fade from my life ________ recently, I now understand what she ______ .
He was one of friends who will forever be stuck (陷住) in my ______ . I remembered that he wrote a book about his life at Wits and he wanted to _____ it to our old history professor, who called all the girls in the class “Sir”.
He got me to be ________ of sports and then I wanted to spend as much time doing it as possible. The benches outside of the William Cullen Library were _______ you could find us. If those benches could tell their stories they would _____ the pages of two novels.
A silly _________ between us led to the four-year friendship’s ________ . I felt sad because I did appreciate him. He was like one of those _______ friends who provided a shoulder to cry on even when he _____ one himself.
Life is difficult, but I should ______ every joke and every afternoon spent sitting on a bench. As my mom would say: a man with two real friends is _______ than a man with $100 million in the bank.
1.A. promised B. experienced C. planned D. discovered
2.A. gave up B. turned up C. used up D. made up
3.A. names B. answers C. numbers D. levels
4.A. just B. almost C. never D. already
5.A. exercises B. activities C. reports D. discussion
6.A. silence B. presence C. existence D. contact
7.A. and B. or C. so D. but
8.A. luckily B. quickly C. completely D. naturally
9.A. decided B. meant C. worried D. wanted
10.A. world B. progress C. life D. memory
11.A. award B. hand C. mail D. sell
12.A. short B. full C. fond D. sure
13.A. what B. where C. why D. how
14.A. fill B. cut C. cost D. follow
15.A. mistake B. conversation C. misunderstanding D. decision
16.A. ending B. lasting C. beginning D. finishing
17.A. ordinary B. interesting C. rare D. honest
18.A. found B. needed C. covered D. booked
19.A. create B. tell C. write D. value
20.A. richer B. stronger C. happier D. better
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
How to Make Friends
Friendship is a very important human relationship and everyone needs good friends. Good friendship has many benefits. It offers companionship, improves self-worth and promotes (促进) good health. There are times in our lives such as when we have recently moved into a new town, or changed our jobs or schools. Such changes often leave us without a friend. 1.. But for many of us the process is difficult and requires courage. Below are some helpful suggestions on how to make and keep friends.
● Associate with (与……交往) others.
The first step to making friends is associating with other people. You can go to public places to meet new people. Besides, you will need to make yourself known by becoming an active member of such places.
● Start a conversation.
Starting a conversation is the second most important step in making new friends. 2. You can always start the conversation. Being able to make small talk is a very useful skill in relating with other people.
●3.
Choosing friends with common interests is important in building friendship as these interests would always bring you and your friend together. Hanging out (闲逛) will always be a pleasant experience.
● Let it grow.
It is a good thing to stay in touch. However, try not to press your new friend with calls, messages or visits as this would likely wear him or her out and finally you may lose your friend. 4.. The best friendships are the ones that grow naturally.
● Enjoy your friendship.
The best way to enjoy your friendship is to allow your friends to be themselves. 5. Try not to change them from who they are to what you want them to be. Become the kind of friend you will want your friend to be to you.
A. Do things together.
B. Be cheerful.
C. Making new friends comes easy for some people.
D. So you will need to give your friend time to respond to you.
E. Do not wait to be spoken to.
F. For a friendship to develop you need to stay in touch.
G. Try not to find fault with your friends.
Housework is a frequent source of disputes(争论) between lazy husbands and their hard-working wives, but women have been warned not to expect men to pull their weight any time soon.
A study from Oxford University has found that men are unlikely to be doing an equal share of housework before 2050. Mothers, the researchers warned, will continue to shoulder the burden of childcare and housework for the next four decades, largely because housework such as cleaning and cooking is still regarded as “women’s work”.
The gap between the amount of time men and women spend on housework has narrowed slowly over the past 40 years. But it will take another four decades before true housework equality(平等) is achieved, the study concluded. The research found that in the Nordic countries, the burden of housework is shared more equally between men and women. In the UK, women spend an average of four hours and forty minutes each day on housework, compared with two hours and twenty-eight minutes for men. This is an improvement from the 1960s, when British women typically spent six hours a day on housework, while men spent just 90 minutes every day.
But progress towards housework equality appears to be slowing in some countries. Dr. Oriel Sullivan, a research reader from Oxford’s Department of Sociology, said, “We’ve looked at what is affecting the equality in the home, and we have found that certain tasks seem to be given according to whether they are viewed as ‘men’s work’ or ‘women’s work’.”
Dr. Sullivan said cultural attitudes taught at school may be responsible for the views of housework. “At school it is much easier for a girl to be a tomboy, but it is much more difficult for a boy to enjoy baking and dancing,” she said.
1.The underlined part “pull their weight” in Paragraph 1 probably refers to “ ”.
A. lose weight B. be lazy
C. earn money D. do equal housework
2.Women will continue to do more housework before 2050 mainly because .
A. men are too busy to help
B. they would like to do so
C. they can do better in housework
D. housework will still be considered as women’s work
3.From Paragraph 4 we know that in the UK .
A. men now spend just 90 minutes a day on housework on average
B. women now are too busy with their work to do housework
C. women now spend less time on housework than before
D. housework is shared equally between men and women
4.In Dr. Sullivan’s opinion, what is to blame for the housework inequality?
A. Cultural attitudes towards housework
B. Policies made by the government
C. The time spent on work
D. The type of housework
Hundreds of years ago, news was carried from place to place by people on foot or by horse. It took days, weeks and sometimes months for people to receive news. Now it is possible to send words and pictures around the world in seconds. Billions of people learn about news stories of their own country and all over the world every day, either by watching TV or reading newspapers.
Newspapers have been an important part of everyday life since the 18th century. Many countries have hundreds of different newspapers. How do newspaper editors decide which news stories to print? Why do they print some stories and not others? What makes a good newspaper story? Firstly, it is important to report new stories. TV stations can report news much faster than newspapers. Yet, newspapers give more about the same story. They may also look at the story in another way, or they may print completely different stories to those on TV. Secondly, a news story has to be interesting and unusual. People don't want to read stories about everyday life as a result, many stories are about some kind of danger and seem to be "bad" news. For example, newspapers never print stories about planes landing safely, instead they print stories about plane accidents.
Another factor (因素) is also very important in many news stories. Many people are interested in news in foreign countries, but more prefer to read stories about people, places and events in their own country. So the stories on the front page in Chinese newspapers are usually very different from the ones in British, French and American newspapers.
1.According to the passage, how do people learn about news stories in the world now?
A. They carry news stories and tell others from place to place on foot or by horse. B. They tell each other what they have seen with their eyes. C. They watch TV or read newspapers. D. They listen to the radio every day.
2.The difference between newspaper stories and TV news reports is that _____ .
A. people can learn more about the same news story from a newspaper B. people can read the news story more quickly in a newspaper C. people can read news stories in other countries D. people can read news stories about their own country
3.To make a good newspaper story, how many factors does the passage talk about?
A. Two. B. Three. C. Five. D. Six.
4.According to the passage, which of the following can you most possibly watch on TV?
A. You often play football with your friends after school. B. Your teacher has got a cold. C. A tiger in the city zoo has run out and hasn't been caught. D. The bike in the front of your house is lost.
BLUE SKY RESTAURANT
Telephone:4444872
Address: 8090 White Road
Open: Mon. to Fri. 7:30 am —2:30 pm and 5:00 pm—9:00 pm
Sat. 7:30 am—11:30 am and 5:00 pm—9:30 pm
Sun. 11:00 am—2:00 pm and 5:00 pm—9:30 pm
NEW YORK MUSEUM
America’s largest museum in American history.
Telephone: 2751352
Address: Vanier Park, 1200 Chestnut St. New York
Open: Mon. to Fri. 9:00 am—5:00 pm (Monday free)
Sat, 9:00 am—1:00 pm
TONGCHENG SHOPPING CENTER
Telephone: 5674398
Address: Furong Road
Open: Mon. Wed. and Fri. 9:30am—5:30 pm
Tues. Thurs. and Sat. 9:30am—9:00 pm
Sun. 11:00 am—9:00 pm
HUATIAN HOTEL
Telephone: 7868432
Address: 5200 No. 7 Road (at Sea Island Way)
The Dining Hall: Wed. to Sun. Lunch from 10:30 am
Coffee Shop: Mon. to Fri. 6:00 am
Sat. 6:30 am and Sun. 7:00 am
Mon. to Wed. to 10:00 pm
Thurs. to Sun. to 11:00 pm
1.You do not have to pay money on Mondays if you go to ______.
A. Blue Sky Restaurant B. New York Museum
C. Tongcheng Shopping Center D. Huatian Hotel
2.What can’t you do after 2 o’clock on Saturday afternoon?
A. Go to Blue Sky Restaurant.
B. Have coffee in Huatian Hotel.
C. Pay a visit to New York Museum.
D. Do shopping in Tongcheng Shopping Center.
3.If you are free on early Sunday mornings, you can go to ______.
A. Furong Road
B. 8090 White Road
C. Coffee Shop on 5200 No. 7 Road
D. Vanier Park, 1200 Chestnut St. New York
4.If you want to go out for lunch on Sunday, you can dial the number ______.
A. 4444872 or 7868432 B. 7868432 or 2751352
C. 7868432 or 5674398 D. 2751352 or 4444872
