Brazil, the largest country in South America, is famous for the Amazon rainforest and soccer. But on the hottest days, people travel there for another reason – the Carnival. Full of excitement and fun, the Carnival is held annually in February or March. This year, the celebration runs from March 2nd to 9th .
It is a wild festival of food, music and dance. The word “Carnival” comes from the Portuguese “Carne Vale”, which means “farewell to meat”. In the early 1600s, the Portuguese brought European traditions to Brazil. Then they started their own carnival with dances and music, which were inspired by black people brought there by the slave trade.
With its beautiful floats (花车), attractive clothes and happy people, the Samba Parade is the most fantastic event of the Carnival. The Sambadrome is a special stadium for the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro with 80,000 seats where people can sit and enjoy the festival. Samba is said to be the soul of Rio. “This is where the passion for samba lies – the atmosphere is electric as even the oldest men and women sing and dance to the music,” travel guidebook Lonely Planet noted.
Top samba schools stand out in the main parade, with fantastic parades of floats and thousands of dancers. The parade goes on until dawn. The schools base their performances on certain themes from Brazilian history or on social and environmental problems, such as that of the Amazon rainforest.
Besides fun street parties, colorful costumes and energetic music, Carnival also offers plenty of tasty street food, such as Quindim – a dessert made of egg yolks and sugar.
Overall, it is traditionally a time to go a bit crazy with eating, dancing and dressing up.
1.What is true about the Carnival in Brazil?
A. It is annually celebrated from March 2nd to 9th.
B. It has attracted a large number of people.
C. It is held for people to stop eating meat.
D. It was brought to Brazil by black people.
2.It can be inferred that Samba is popular because _______.
A. it brought European tradition
B. it highlights top Samba Schools
C. it represents Brazilian passion
D. it reflects Brazilian history
3.What is the main purpose of the passage?
A. To tell the history of European settlers.
B. To attract more visitors to Brazil.
C. To introduce the Carnival in Brazil.
D. To show the attraction of Samba.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What is the general topic of this talk?
A. Returning to school.
B. Doing different jobs.
C. Paying for everyday life.
2.What is the main reason for people to go back to school?
A. They are not satisfied enough.
B. They want to make life different.
C. They want to learn new knowledge.
3.What challenge will older students face?
A. Renting a house.
B. Doing badly in school.
C. Spending a lot of money.
4.How are most people able to work and go to school?
A. They take night classes.
B. They have fewer classes.
C. They stop working full-time.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What is the woman’s older brother like?
A. He’s a good listener.
B. He always gets in trouble.
C. He’s very good with words.
2.What does the man really appreciate about his sister?
A. Her temper. B. Her patience. C. Her kindness.
3.Why does the man love his brother?
A. His brother doesn’t fight with him anymore.
B. His brother never argues with him.
C. His brother always supports him.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Who is the woman?
A. The man’s old classmate.
B. The man’s business partner.
C. The man’s former colleague.
2.What does the man do for a living now?
A. He teaches at a school.
B. He owns an educational agency.
C. He works for a design company.
3.Where did the man go last month?
A. The United States. B. Germany. C. England.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Why does the woman do her grocery shopping online?
A. There’s no market near her place.
B. She often gets off work late.
C. It saves a lot of time.
2.When does the woman usually place her order?
A. In the morning. B. At lunchtime. C. In the afternoon.
3.What’s the relationship between the speakers?
A. Co-workers.
B. Husband and wife.
C. Shop owner and customer.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What does the man think of looking after a baby?
A. It’s quite easy. B. It’s a lot of work. C. It can be much fun.
2.How many daughters does the woman have?
A. One. B. Two. C. Three.
