Many cultures follow different calendars and celebrate the New Year at different times. The Lunar New Year is one example.1.. Here is a look at a few of them:
Getting rid of bad luck
Many cultures have traditions meant to scare off demons (恶魔) and bad luck. This often involves using fire or loud noises—or both—often in the form of fireworks!2.. For example, just before the New Year, people in Denmark find the highest surface they can and jump from it as the New Year starts.
3..
Many cultures have certain foods that are said to bring good luck. In the southern part of the United States, people often eat black-eyed peas and pork for good luck in the New Year. In other parts of the U.S., people eat sauerkraut with pork sausage on New Year’s Day. And in Japan, people eat soba noodles on New Year’s Eve, 4.—which represent longevity (长寿).
Clothing traditions
5.. But some traditions take it a step farther than that. In Japan, for example, people who believe in Buddhism may dress up like the zodiac animal for the coming year. Then they go to a temple to, literally, ring in the New Year. At Buddhist temples, monks will ring a bell 108 times, one for each humanly sin.
A.Food for good luck
B.All kinds of cultures
C.Before they drink, they will always pray to God
D.While they eat, they try not to break the long noodles
E.Of course, some traditions meant to avoid bad luck do not involve fire at all
F.To start the New Year off on the right foot, many people like to wear new clothing
G.No matter when you celebrate, there are many traditions around the world for ringing in the New Year
There has been a lot of publicity (宣传) recently surrounding 5G, the next generation of wireless technology for the world. But what is this technology and how might it change our lives?
What is 5G?
5G stands for fifth generation, meaning the next step in the progression of technology to replace the current 4G system. 4G was the replacement for 3G, which came after 2G, and so on. These systems are wireless computer networks. Earlier “G” systems were designed to improve mobile communication operations. Each new technology brought major improvements in speed and greatly increased network capacity. The new 5G system promises more of the same. It is expected to permit more users to do more things-at a faster rate. Higher internet speeds and larger network capacity should result in better performance for device users connected to 5G. However, technology experts say there is a major way that 5G is different than the earlier systems. It will move well beyond mobile network technology to affect many more devices and industries than other “G” versions.
When will it be available?
Before we can all use 5G, wireless companies and phone makers will have to complete and deploy (部署) a whole new system. New phones and communication equipment must be built. American wireless companies have been preparing for the new system for some time. They have been creating new network equipment and buying broadcasting space to carry 5G signals. They have built news G antennas(天线)to serve American cities and towns. Wireless providers will invest at least $275 billion n 5G-related networks in the United States, the industry group CTIA reported. The first U.S, launch of 5G is expected to happen sometime this year. Industry experts expect it will take a few more year to go nationwide. It will take even longer to reach rural areas. China is expected to launch 5G sometime in 2020, while European nations are likely to build their systems more slowly over time.
1.Which system is widely used nowadays?
A.5G. B.2G. C.3G D.4G.
2.Which of the following is NOT 5G system’s advantage to the other Gs?
A.It will allow more users to do more things. B.The internet speed will be much higher.
C.The users will spend much less money on it. D.It will affect more devices and industries
3.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A.5G system has nothing to do with phone makers.
B.There is much work to do before 5G comes into use.
C.New phones will be much smarter than those used now.
D.4G system will be stopped as soon as 5G comes into use.
4.In which order will the following countries use 5G system according to the passage?
A.USA→China→European nations. B.China→USA→European nations.
C.USA→European nations→China. D.European nations→China→USA.
A 3-year-old boy who was lost in the woods is now safe at home with his family. But Casey Hathaway told his rescuers that he was not alone in the rainy, freezing cold woods. He said he was with a friend—a bear.
The child went missing on January 22 while playing with friends at his grandmother’s house in the southern state of North Carolina. When the other children returned to the house and Casey did not, the family searched the area for almost an hour before calling the police. Police formed a search and rescue team to look for the young boy in the nearby woods. But two days went by and still-no Casey.
Then on January 24, someone called the police saying they heard a child crying in the woods. Police followed up on the information and found Casey at about 9:30 that night. They pulled him out of some briar. He was in good health. Casey told the rescuers that he had hung out with a black bear for two days, a bear he called his “friend”. Sheriff Chip Hughes spoke with reporters from several news agencies. He said Casey did not say how he was able to survive in the woods for three days in the cold, rainy weather. However, the sheriff said, “He did say he had a friend with him in the woods that was a bear.”
Hundreds of people helped in the search and rescue efforts, including some 600 volunteers, federal police and members of the military. Officer Hughes told reporters that at no point did he think Casey had been kidnapped. Doctors at Carolina East Medical Center treated Casey for minor injuries. He was then released to his family on January 25.
1.Which statement is right?
A.Little Casey was taken away by a bear.
B.He played with his grandparents before getting lost.
C.The family called the police in no time.
D.The little boy was lost for more than two days.
2.What can we infer from Para.3?
A.Nobody knew how Casey could survive. B.Casey was in poor health when found.
C.Casey went into the woods to find a bear. D.Police found the boy without help.
3.Many people helped in the research except_______________.
A.many volunteers B.federal police C.his playmates D.some soldiers
4.How do you think people feel after reading the news?
A.Disappointed and tired. B.Relieved and curious.
C.Amused and excited. D.Frightened and sad.
“Food is the first necessity of the people” is a famous Chinese old saying, which reflects that Chinese have paid much attention to food since the ancient times. The importance of food in people’s daily life in China can be seen in the way they send greetings to each other, “Have you eaten?”, which is far away from the way people greet in western countries and has been seen as a characteristic of Chinese culture.
Food in China generally includes rice, wheat, buckwheat, corn, potato, sweet potato, beans and varieties of vegetables. Besides, wheaten food such as Mantou (steamed bun), noodle, Youtiao (deep-fried dough stick), Xiaolongbao (steamed pork-stuffed dumpling in bamboo basket), and: many other local snacks, are commonly seen on the table in China.
Regionally, a general feature of spicy east food, sweet south food, sour west food and salty north food can be summarized, but flavors of food in places differ from each other as a matter of fact. Generally, people living in South China pay more attention to nutrition and prefer delicate, tasty and refreshing food such as rice porridge and soup; however, spicy hotpot is always people' s favorite in the southwest areas due to the wet and rainy climate. And, people living in North China prefer wheaten food such as Jiaozi, noodles, while all kinds of steamed bun and beef and mutton are most popular in northwest areas.
1.The expression “Have you eaten?” functions the same as_______________.
A.Are you hungry? B.What did you eat?
C.Hi! How are you doing? D.When will you eat?
2.Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a general Chinese food?
A.steak and mutton B.rice and wheat
C.corn and potato D.beans and vegetables
3.Why do people in Sichuan province like spicy hotpot?
A.Because they live in the east of China. B.Because it is too cold in winter there.
C.Because it rains a lot and is too wet. D.Because spicy food makes them eat more.
4.The last paragraph is mainly about_______________.
A.people living in South China like sweet food B.Chinese food habits are different in areas
C.people in North China prefer wheaten food D.how people prepare food in different areas
Things That You Can’t Miss in Macao
Macao Tower AJ Hackett Bungee Jump
The Macao Tower, 338 meters tall, is the world's 10th highest tower, with a variety of activities, such as eating and entertainment. One of the exciting activities is the bungee jump. The AJ Hackett Macao Tower Bungee Jump is 233 meters high, making it a Guinness World Record as the highest bungee jump in the world.
Grab a traditional Portuguese dinner
Macao was colonized by Portugal (葡萄牙) before 1999. As a result, Portuguese culture is deeply immersed into many corners of Macao. Many Portuguese settled and opened Portuguese restaurants in the special administrative region, but the flavor is more adaptable to Chinese people.
Visit a museum
Macao, as a tiny little city with only an area of 30.5 square kilometers, has 23 eye-catching museums. Due to its unique history, both Eastern and Western historical sites can be found. Many of them are preserved for cultural heritage, tourist spots or museums, such as the Grand Prix Museum, Maritime Museum and Wine Museum.
Selfie at the Ruins of St. Paul
The Ruins of St. Paul is the signature landmark of Macao. The ruins consist of the St. Paul’s College and the Church of St. Paul, built in 1583. However, after three fires in 1595, 1601 and 1835, the church was seriously damaged.
1.If you want to go bungee jumping, you should go to_______________.
A.the ruins of St. Paul B.the Macao Towel.
C.a Portuguese restaurant. D.the Maritime Museum
2.Which phrase below is close to the underlined part in Para.2?
A.has a great influence on B.is deeply impressed by
C.is well prepared for D.is made up of
3.Where may you read this passage?
A.In a letter B.In a history book
C.In a news report. D.On a tourism website.
阅读下面短文，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。续写的词数应为150左右。
A friend of mine whose name was John Smith had a bad memory, which made him famous. He was so forgetful that he sometimes forgot what he was talking about in the middle of a sentence. His wife had to constantly( 经常地）remind him about his meetings, his classes, even his meals! Once he forgot he had eaten breakfast twice, at home and at school. His wife liked to remind her neighbors, “If John didn’t have his head tied on, he would forget that too!” Since Smith was a professor at a well-known university, his forgetfulness was often an embarrassment to him. It wasn’t that he was not clever, as some critical people tended to say, but just very, very absent-minded.
One hot summer day, Pro.Smith decided to take his children to a seaside town about a three-hour train ride away. To make the trip more interesting for his young children, he kept the name of the town a secret. However, by the time they arrived at the station, Smith forgot the name of the town he was planning to visit. luckily, a friend of his happened to be in the station. He offered to take care of the children while Smith hurried back home to find out where he was going.
The professor’s wife was surprised to see him again so soon.
“Oh, my dear, I forgot the name of the town.”
“What? You forgot the name? Maybe one day you will forgot my name! Now I’ll write the name of that town on a piece of paper, and you put it in your pocket and please, please don’t forget where you put it.”
Satisfied that she had solved the problem, she sent her husband off again. Ten minutes later she was astonished to see him outside the house for the third time.
Paragraph 1:
“What is the matter now?” asked his wife._________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
Hearing the cry, out rushed their neighbors, trying to find out what had happened. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
