As one of the world’s oldest holidays, Halloween is still celebrated today in several countries around the globe, but it is in North America and Canada that it maintains its highest level of popularity. Every year, 65% of Americans decorate their homes and offices for Halloween. Halloween is the holiday when the most candy is sold and is second only to Christians in terms of total sales.

Austria

In Austria, some people will leave bread, water and a lighted lamp on the table before retiring on Halloween night. The reason for this is that it was once believed such items would welcome the dead souls back to earth on a night which for the Austrians was considered to be brimming(溢)with strong cosmic energies.

Belgium

The Belgians believe that it is unlucky for a black cat to cross one’s path and also unlucky if it should enter a home or travel on a ship. The custom in Belgium on Halloween night is to light candles in memory of dead relatives.

Canada

Modern Halloween celebrations in Canada began with the arrival of Scottish and Irish immigrants in the 1800s. Jack- O- Lantern is carved and the festivities include parties, trick-or-treating and the decorating of homes with pumpkins and corn stalks.

France

Unlike most nation of the world, Halloween is not celebrated by the French in order to honor the dead and departed ancestors. It is regarded as an “American” holiday in France and was unknown in the country until around 1996.

41．In which countries does Halloween have its highest level of popularity?

A．France and North America.

B．Canada and North America.

C．Austria and Canada.

D．Belgium and Canada.

42．Why will people leave bread, water and a lighted lamp on the table in Austria?

A．These items would welcome the dead souls back to earth

B．These items are used to respect ancestors

C．These items are just for fun

D．The other items can replace them

43．In which country does Halloween is not celebrated as the others?

A．Canada.                 B．Belgium.                C．Austria.                  D．France.

 If you are a fruit grower — or would like to become one — take advantage of Apple Day to see what’s around. It’s called Apple Day but in practice it’s more like Apple Month. The day itself is on October 21, but since it has caught on, events now spread out over most of October around Britain.

Visiting an apple event is a good chance to see, and often taste, a wide variety of apples. To people who are used to the limited choice of apples such as Golden Delicious and Royal Gala in supermarkets, it can be quite an eye opener to see the range of classical apples still in existence, such as Decio which was grown by the Romans. Although it doesn’t taste of anything special, it’s still worth a try, as is the knobbly(多疙瘩的) Cat’s Head which is more of a curiosity than anything else.

There are also varieties developed to suit specific local conditions. One of the very best varieties for eating quality is Orleans Reinette, but you’ll need a warm, sheltered place with perfect soil to grow it, so it’s a pipe dream for most apple lovers who fall for it.

At the events, you can meet expert growers and discuss which ones will best suit your conditions, and because these are family affairs, children are well catered for with apple-themed fun and games.

Apple Days are being held at all sorts of places with an interest in fruit, including stately gardens and commercial orchards(果园). If you want to have a real orchard experience, try visiting the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale, near Faversham in Kent.

104．What can people do at the apple events?

A．Attend experts’ lectures.

B．Visit fruit-loving families.

C．Plant fruit trees in an orchard.

D．Taste many kinds of apples.

105．What can we learn about Decio?

A．It is a new variety.

B．It has a strange look.

C．It is rarely seen now.

D．It has a special taste.

106．What does the underlined phrase “a pipe dream” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．A practical idea.

B．A vain hope.

C．A brilliant plan.

D．A selfish desire.

107．What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To show how to grow apples.

B．To introduce an apple festival.

C．To help people select apples.

D．To promote apple research.

  Unlike most other holidays, the history of April Fools’ Day, sometimes called All Fools’ Day, is not totally clear. The only point in time that can be agreed on as the beginning of this tradition was 1582, in France. Before that year, the New Year was celebrated for eight days, beginning on March 25th. The celebration reached the highest point on April 1st. With the reform of the calendar under Charles IX，the Gregorian calendar(公历，阳历) was introduced, and New Year’s Day was moved to January 1st.

However, because in those days communications were not as developed as they are today, many people did not receive the news for several years. Some people refused to accept the new calendar and continued to celebrate the New Year on April 1st.These backward people were considered “fools” by other people. They  were often sent on “fools” errands(徒劳无益的工作)  or were made the targets of jokes.

This developed, over time, into a tradition of playing a trick on someone on the first day of April. The tradition eventually spread to England and Scotland in the eighteenth century. It was later introduced to the American colonies of both the Britain and France. April Fools’ Day thus developed into an international fun feast, so to speak, with different nationalities specializing in their own kind of humor at the expense of their friends and families.

108．According to an earlier calendar, New Year’s Day in France was ________.

A．March 25th                                               B．January 1st

C．April 1st                                                   D．April 3rd

109．Which of the following first had the tradition of celebrating the April Fools’ Day？

A．France.                                                     B．England.

C．Scotland.                                                  D．America.

110．What was people’s attitude towards the new calendar？

A．They accepted it happily.

B．They refused it immediately.

C．Some recognized it.

D．Some laughed at it.

111．The passage mainly tells us ________.

A．what the French did on April Fools’ Day

B．how April Fools’ Day came into being

C．when was the new calendar introduced

D．why some people were fooled in France

    Festivals in India are the special occasions when the country holds many celebrations. Socially, the whole nation becomes active in celebrations. This is the main reason why festivals in India are celebrated by the whole society. On such occasions, families will get together, exchange gifts and greetings, and take part in a lot of celebrations and even special fairs. All these are done to keep the festive spirit alive in modern times.

What is special about these celebrations in India is that people celebrate their common culture in their communities. There is a wide variety of festivals in India because of the presence(存在)of many different religions, beliefs, ideas and cultures. It is even said that some places in the country celebrate festivals 365 days a year. They are mainly religious festivals, cultural festivals and tourist festivals that are organized to keep the traditions, values and heritage of the region.

Religious festivals are celebrated as part of the Indian belief system. They are organized to honor spiritual personalities and events related to the journey of a religion. Cultural festivals in India are organized to provide a platform for different forms of music, dance and other art. To keep their artistic traditions alive and even make them become more popular in the future, many cities in India are active in cultural events. The rich cultural heritage of India attracts the Western world during the celebration of important festivals such as Onam, Holi and Durga Puja. Tourist festivals in the country are organized to celebrate the heritage of the land for tourism purposes. These celebrations every year bring good results and attract a large number of tourists, both within the country and abroad.

These festivals in India focus on enriching people’s "Indian" experience in the most real way. For this purpose, foreigners are very interested in attending the festivals, which are organized to show the rich and colorful side of the country.

77．In India，the whole nation often celebrates festivals actively to      .

A．have much fun on special occasions             B．exchange special gifts and greetings

C．keep the traditions of their festivals              D．meet all their family members and relatives

78．Why does India have so many festivals?

A．Because the Indians like singing and dancing.

B．Because the Indians want to attract more tourists.

C．Because there are a great number of old attractions.

D．Because there are many different religions, ideas and cultures.

79．The cultural festivals are usually celebrated by      .

A．performing different art forms

B．visiting the famous old buildings

C．having a journey of honoring spiritual personalities

D．getting together and attending fairs

80．In which part of the website can we read this passage?

A．Travel.                                                     B．Culture.

C．Economy.                                                 D．Technology.

假定你是李华，你的英国笔友 Jim 发来邮件表示对中国农历牛年感兴趣，请你回封邮件给他，内容包括：

1. 简要说说 “ 牛年 ”

2. 简要阐述 “ 牛精神 ”

参考词汇：牛 ox

注意： 1. 词数 100 左右；

2. 开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。

Dear Jim,

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua