The Spring Festival is the biggest festival for Chinese people all around the world. The celebration(庆祝)usually lasts for 15 days. There is a lot to do．

On the eve of the Spring Festival, family members get together and have big meals. Their favorite dish on this day is dumplings. Days before the Spring Festival, families will clean their homes. People think cleaning sweeps away bad luck. It makes the house ready for good luck.

The color red is everywhere during the Spring Festival. People think red is a happy color and will bring them a bright future. People wear red, too. They decorate(装饰)their homes with pieces of red paper. Kids get a lot of “hong bao”. It is a red paper bag with money in it. Usually, the older people give children hong bao. They think it brings good luck. The Spring Festival is the time to make everybody happy. So don't say any bad words or do anything that will bring unhappiness to other people. For example, you'd better not say any bad words like “death”. Don't break anything. People think that it means your luck is running out.

Also, don't borrow or lend money on these days. If you have borrowed money, return it before the Spring Festival．      

21. Why do people clean their houses days before the Spring Festival?

   A. Because it is believed that cleaning will sweep away bad luck.

   B. Because they enjoy being clean

   C. Because it is thought that cleaning brings in money．

   D. Because they think it will bring happiness to others

22. Which of the following things should not happen during the Spring Festival?

   A. Wearing red clothes

   B. Decorating houses with red paper

   C. Returning money before the Spring Festival

   D. Saying words that have to do with death

23. The underlined phrase “running out” probably means“________”

   A. 离开       B. 耗尽         C.开始       D．跑出去

24. We can know from the story that the Spring Festival is ________．

   A. only celebrated in China       B. a time for families to get together

   C. a time of harvest and fun       D. celebrated for one whole month

People have strange ideas about food. For example, tomato is a kind of very delicious vegetable. It is one of useful plants that can be prepared in many ways. It has rich nutrition(营养) and vitamin in it. But in the 18th century, Americans never ate tomatoes. They grew them in their gardens because tomato plants are so pretty. But they thought the vegetable was poisonous(有毒的). They called tomatoes “poison apples”. President Thomas Jefferson, however, know that tomatoes were good to eat. He was a learned man. He had been to Paris, where he learned to love the taste of tomatoes. He grew many kinds of tomatoes in his garden. The President taught his cook a way for a cream of tomato soup. This beautiful pink soup was served at the President party. The guests thought the soup tasted really good. They never thought their president would serve his honored guests poison apples. Jefferson never spoke to his honored guests about the fact.

25. Tomato is a kind of ___________.

   A. poisonous vegetable   B. poisonous fruit   C. tasty vegetable  D. tasty fruit

26. After you read the passage, which of the following do you think is true?

   A. Americans didn’t eat tomatoes before 19th century.

   B. Americans never ate tomatoes after they began to plant them

   C. In the 18th century Americans ate a lot of tomatoes.

   D. Even now Americans don’t eat tomatoes.

27. Jefferson learned that tomatoes were good to eat ____.

   A. because his parents told him so                 B. when he was a little boy

   C. while he was in Paris                               D. from books

28. From the passage we know all the honored guests invited by Jefferson were____.

   A. people of his own country                       B. men only

   C. people from other countries                      D. from France

Mark Twain left school when he was twelve. He had little school education. In spite of this, he became the most famous writer of his time. He made millions of dollars by writing. His real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens, but he is better known all over the world as Mark Twain, his penname.

Mark Twain was born in 1835 and he was not a healthy baby. In fact, he was not expected to live through the first winter. But with his mother’s care, he managed to survive. As a boy, he caused much trouble for his parents. He used to play jokes on all his friends and neighbors. He didn’t like to go to school, and he often ran away from home. He always went in the direction of the nearby Mississippi(密西西比河). He was nearly drowned nine times.

After his father’s death, Mark Twain began to work for a printer, who only provided him with food and clothing. Then, he worked as a printer, a river-boat pilot and later joined the army. But shortly after that he became a miner. During this period, he started to write short stories. Afterwards he became a full time writer.

In 1870, Mark Twain got married. In the years that followed he wrote many books including Tom Sawyer in 1876, and Huckleberry Finn in 1884, which made him famous, and brought him great fortune.

Unfortunately, Mark Twain got into debts in bad investments(投资) and he had to write large numbers of stories to pay these debts. In 1904, his wife died, and then three of his children passed away. At the age of 70, his hair was completely white. He bought many white suits and neckties. He wore nothing but white from head to foot until his death on April 21, 1910.

29. In his childhood, Mark Twain, ________.

   A. his mother often worried about his safety                                

   B. he often played games with other boys

   C. learned a lot at school    

   D. he often went swimming with other boys

30.Which of the following shows the right order about Mark Twain?

       a. He became a miner.                      b. He worked as a printer.

       c. He got into debts.                            d. His father died.

       e. He became a full-time writer.         f. He joined the army.

   A. d—a—f—e—b—c                                    B. c—b—d—f—e—a

   C. a—d—b—c—e—f                                    D. d—b—f—a—e—c

31. In order to make a living, Mark Twain _______.

   A. joined the army after he worked in a mine          

   B. wrote stories in the beginning

   C. did many kinds of work  

   D. first worked as a printer

32. From the passage we can see that Mark Twain _______.

   A. had a happy childhood          

   B. was a good boy and always did what he was asked

   C. was very naughty when he was young       

   D. lived a pleasant life

Festivals around the world

Raksha Bandhan

This is a Hindu festival held in August. Sisters give their brothers a rakhi, a bracelet made of thread. In return, the brothers promise to care for their sisters. 

Moomba

This takes place each year in Melbourne, Australia. There are boat races in the Yarra River, parades and art shows.

US Independence Day

This is held on 4th July. The U.S flag is flown from buildings and people hold parties to celebrate the birth of the nation.         

Bastille Day

On 14th July, people in France celebrate this occasion with flags and fireworks. It marks the start of the French Revolution.   

May Day

The 1st of May is the day when northern Europeans welcome spring. Long age, people wore green leaves and danced outdoors.      

Carnival in Rio de Janeiro

This is a four-day festival when thousands of people in costume dance the samba through the streets.  

Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc, the French girl-soldier is honored on the 30th of May. It was the day she was burnt to death by the English in 1431. 

33. Which of the following is NOT one of the activities in the Moomba festival?

   A. Parades.   B. Boat races.  C. dancing the samba    D. Art shows.

34. Which festival marks the day when the nation was set up?

   A. Carnival in Rio de Janeiro.           B. May Day. 

   C. Bastille Day                            D. U.S Independence Day

35. Which festival is held in memory of the French Revolution.？

   A. Bastille Day    B. Moomba   C. Raksha Bandhan   D.  Joan of Arc

Among national parks, Yellowstone stands out with its large collection of wildlife and beautiful scenery. However, when the busy season ends, winter comes gradually._____36___ unless you’re afraid of the cold, there are not many reasons why you shouldn’t visit it and enjoy the snow in winter. Here are a few reasons why you should.

The wild life is easier to spot. Because the snow often contrasts (形成对照)with the dark fur of wildlife, ___37____.Although bears don’t come out during these months, wolves become much more active than during the summer. Foxes and many other animals are all fighting for survival, making them easily seen out in the open.

____38____ With the beautiful weather of summer in Wyoming, crowds are everywhere in the park. It’s hard to walk around because of that. In the winter, however, you can walk on the small wood path in complete silence and take in the sights without the crowds. Isn’t it great?

____39_____ Although some people hate it after a day or two, everyone loves snow. Yellowstone enjoys about 150 to 300 inches of snow in the winter. The snow there is very slow to melt. So by the end of the season, snowdrifts（雪堆） can be higher than five feet in the lower places, and twice more than that in the maintains.

The hot springs are much more impressive. During the winter, the water of Yellowstone’s hot springs and cold air create thick steam（蒸汽） that fills the air. ____40____There it quickly builds up frost, making the trees turn white.

A. It turns Yellowstone into a nice snow-covered place

B. The crowds are gone.

C. The snow is in large amount.

D. Doing sightseeing as you want.

E. it makes them easier to find while on your tour.

F. Cross-country skiing is like hiking, but much better.

G. This steam can also reach the trees.