阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
On January 25, 2020, over a billion people in China and millions around the world will celebrate the Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival. The ancient tradition, 1. date is determined by the lunar calendar and falls somewhere between January 21 and February 20 each year, is the2. (long) and most important of all Chinese festivals.
The preparations will 3. (official) begin with Little Year on January 17 , 2019. It is observed with a day of memorial and prayer ceremonies. Other Little Year activities include cleaning the house 4.（sweep) away bad luck and hanging spring couplets —-red decorations hung in pairs —on doorways for wealth. Since red 5. ( believe) to keep misfortune and evil spirits away, it can be noticed in everything from clothing to 6.(lantern) used to decorate houses.
Often 7. ( consider) the most important meal of the year, the reunion dinner is both delicious and rooted in Chinese tradition. 8.whole chicken symbolizes family togetherness, while long uncut noodles show longevity (长寿）. Wealth is represented by dumplings and spring rolls. Children receive red envelopes filled 9. money and inspiring messages from elders and are often allowed to stay up late to watch the 10.(amaze) fireworks shows.
The two-week long celebrations will end on February 8 — the day of the full moon — with the Lantern Festival.
It was New Year time. We were travelling in a van (货车）_______toys to the homeless.
When we _______ the spot, something caught my eye. Something or someone was moving in the rubbish. Soon I _______ that it was the home of a poor family. There were two _______， both about my age at the time，and a lady I supposed to be their mother. They sat there _______.
As a little girl myself I was_______ interested in the little girl. How_______our lives were. She lived for the day,_______ through the rubbish for something to fill her stomach. I on the other hand was well looked after and never had to worry about _______ I had a good education and thus a________future. I looked at the little girl. The only ________ she had was the worn-out dress that she was wearing.
Seeing this little girl I made the decision to________ a doll that had belonged to me for a while. When the van came to a ________，I stepped out, called the girl over and ________the doll in her hand. At first she looked at me with ________and wasn’t certain what to do，but then she smiled and I saw ________in her eyes. I went back into the vehicle and we started to ________off, and that's when we realized the little girl was running ________ We stopped again and opened the door. The girl had________ with us. She looked directly at me and said two ________words “Thank You”.
1.A. showing B. recommending C. distributing D. selling
2.A. left B. changed C. chose D. approached
3.A. guaranteed B. realized C. decided D. accepted
4.A. boys B. children C. drivers D. adults
5.A. happily B. angrily C. hopefully D. helplessly
6.A. still B. less C. especially D. probably
7.A. similar B. different C. difficult D. ordinary
8.A. searching B. getting C. running D. breaking
9.A. food B. safety C. health D. transport
10.A. doubtful B. distant C. promising D. foreseeable
11.A. present B. decoration C. requirement D. possession
12.A. give away B. give back C. hand out D. hand in
13.A. station B. stop C. street D. signal
14.A. tore B. placed C. dropped D. threw
15.A. anger B. pain C. surprise D. disappointment
16.A. hope B. loneliness C. anxiety D. astonishment
17.A. walk B. get C. lift D. drive
18.A. behind B. away C. out D. in
19.A. got along B. come along C. caught up D. turned up
20.A. final B. new C. key D. simple
Many people struggle with saying “No”. 1. Remember, just because you can do something does not mean it is required. Understand you always have a right to turn down an invitation or refuse a favor and figure out the best ways to say “No”. Here are some specific tips.
Give yourself permission to say no. Many people have an immediate reaction to say “Yes” when they’re asked to do someone a favor. Keep in mind，you are never required to say “Yes”. It’s actually okay to say “No” sometimes. Accept this as you prepare to say “No” to someone. 2.
Set up your personal boundaries.3. However, that reason does not have to be concrete. Many people think if they can do something, they should. Your reason for saying “No” can be a simple matter of your own personal boundaries. Think about what boundaries you have, and accept the fact you’re allowed to stay true to them.
4. People often won’t take “No” for an answer. If you say “No” to someone，they may give you various reasons to try and change your mind. Stay determined for your decision and do not give in easily.
Practice saying “ No”. It may sound silly, but you can actually practice saying “ No”alone. 5. Practice giving a firm “No” to someone so you get comfortable with the words. Many people are nervous about saying “ No ” and may say “Yes” due to anxiety. Practicing can help get rid of some of this anxiety.
A. This will help you say “No” with ease.
B. Be aware of potential persuasion techniques.
C. Find a good chance to stand in front of a crowd.
D. It’s always easier to say “No” if you have a reason.
E. Try standing before a mirror and looking at yourself.
F. It’s rather easy for you to set up your personal boundaries.
G. If someone asks you a favor，you may feel you have to say “Yes”.
While elephants born without tusks (长牙)are not unheard of，they normally form just 2 to 6 percent of the population. However, that is not the case at Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park, where an astonishing 33 percent of female elephants born after the country’s civil war ended in 1992 are tuskless. While that may appear to be just a coincidence, Joyce Poole, an elephant behavior expert, has another theory. The researcher thinks we may be witnessing unnatural evolution of the species due to the constant hunting of elephants for valuable ivory.
Poole says before the country’s 15-year-long civil war, the 100,000—acre park was home to over 4,000 elephants. However, by the time the conflict ended in 1992, about 90 percent of them had been killed for ivory to help finance weapons (武器)and meat to feed the soldiers. Of the less than 200 survivors, over 50 percent of adult females had no tusks. Therefore, it is not surprising that the park’s tuskless elephant population has grown greatly.
This is not the first time researchers have observed a great change in the population of elephants. At Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park and Lupande Game Management Area， areas which were heavily hunted in the 1970s and 1980s, 35% of elephants 25 years or older and 13% of those younger than 25 are now without tusks. A 2008 study published in the African Journal of Ecology found that the number of tuskless females at the Ruaha National Park in Tanzania went from 10.5 percent in 1969 to almost 40 percent in 1989, largely due to illegal hunting for ivory.
The recent ban on ivory in both the US and China should help get rid of, or at least reduce, elephant hunting. However, scientists are not sure how long it will take for elephants with a higher rate of tuskless females, to change the trend.
1.What is the probable cause of the phenomenon mentioned in Paragraph 1 ?
A. Illegal hunting. B. Constant farming.
C. A pure coincidence. D. Natural evolution.
2.Why did people kill so many elephants during the civil war in Mozambique?
A. To get funds by selling ivory. B. To develop new weapons.
C. To provide food for local people. D. To make ivory products.
3.Which of the following had the earliest record on tuskless elephants?
A. Gorongonsa National Park. B. South Luangwa National Park.
C. The Ruaha National Park. D. Lupande Game Management Area.
4.What does the underlined phrase “the trend”in the last paragraph refer to?
A. Elephants facing greater danger.
B. Elephants growing more slowly.
C. Fewer female elephants staying alive.
D. More female elephants being tuskless.
For several months, Cara has been working up the courage to approach her mom about what she saw on Instagram. Not long ago, the 11-year-old girl, like all the other kids in this story, discovered that her mom had been posting her photos for much of her life. “I’ve wanted to bring it up. It’s strange to see myself up there，and sometimes there are pictures I don’t like of myself，” she said.
Like most other modem kids, Cara grew up immersed in social media. While many kids may not yet have accounts themselves, their parents, schools, sports teams, and organizations have been organizing an online presence for them since birth. The shock of realizing that details about your life have been shared online without your permission or knowledge has become an important experience in the lives of many teenagers. Recently a parenting blogger (博主)wrote in a Washington Post essay that despite (不顾)her 14-year-old daughter’s horror at discovering that her mother had shared years of highly personal stories and information about her online, she simply could not stop posting on her blog and social media. The writer said that promising her daughter that she would stop posting about her publicly on the Internet “would mean shutting down a vital part of myself, which isn’t necessarily good for me or her. ” average parents do the same. There’s even a special word for it: sharenting. Almost a quarter of children begin their digital lives when parents upload their photos to the Internet, according to a study conducted by the Internet-security firm AVG. The study also found that 92 percent of kids under the age of 2 already have their own unique digital identity.
1.How does Cara feel about her mom’s behavior?
A. It’s aggressive. B. It’s appropriate.
C. It’s annoying. D. It’s favorable.
2.Why did the parenting blogger post about her daughter online?
A. Because it filled up her blog. B. Because it showed off her success.
C. Because it recorded her stories. D. Because it meant a lot to her.
3.Who are fond of sharenting?
A. A quarter of students B. Most ordinary parents.
C. Kids under the age of 2. D. Some crazy bloggers.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A. Children’s New Trouble B. Social Media
C. Kids’ Online Peformance D. Mommy Bloggers
The boy sat on his chair, with his hand above the keyboard. He thought about what to write.
He recalled that the competition deadline was merely a week away. But he still had not even started on his piece. He looked at the brochure again. “ WRITING COMPETITION!” the title read. His mom had encouraged him to enter the writing competition, and now he was taking it on as his personal task for the holidays.
As the boy reflected on his previous writing efforts, he realized how hopeless his task of winning was. Every story he ever wrote was based on other stories. He had little imagination, and unfortunately, imagination was the key to writing.
Suddenly, he had a brainwave. This time, he came up with an original and imaginative story.
The words shot towards him like a storm of leaves. Words were coming easily, flowing through him, faster than he could type. He typed faster than he ever had before. He continued to type, amazed at how easy writing this story was. The boy could not stop writing. He looked at the word count and saw the number “ 248 ” staring right back at him. He was not even halfway yet.
Then he heard the call of his mother saying time for bed. He continued writing the piece, ignoring her. He had to make up for the time he had lost thinking about a topic to write.
Finally, he finished. The word count now read “498”.
“Perfect,” he thought, “just under the word limit.” He knew this was the story that would win.
He went onto Google and searched for the competition. He found the page but there was no “Enter” button.
1.What caused the boy to take part in the writing competition?
A. A new computer. B. The prize money.
C. His own interest. D. His mom’s advice.
2.How did the boy finish his earlier writing?
A. His mom helped him. B. He copied others’ ideas.
C. His friends assisted him. D. He used his imagination.
3.Why did the boy delay his writing?
A. Because he was terribly lazy. B. Because he didn’t know what to write.
C. Because he wasn’t confident. D. Because he read too many stories.
4.Which might be the maximum word limit for each entry?
A. 100. B. 250.
C. 500. D. 1000.
