Question

Halloween falls on October 31st, the last day of the Celtic calendar. Halloween was referred to as All Hallows Eve and dates back to over 2000 years ago.

The American tradition of "trick-or-treating" probably dates back to the early All Souls' Day marches in England. During the festivities, poor citizens would beg for food and families would give them pastries called "soul cakes" in return for their promise to pray（祈祷）for the family's dead relatives.

The act of giving out soul cakes was encouraged by the church as a way to replace the ancient practice of leaving food and wine for homeless ghosts. The practice, which was referred to as "going a-souling" was finally taken up by children who would visit the houses in their neighborhood and be given sweets, food, and money.

The tradition of dressing in costume（服饰） for Halloween has both European and Celtic roots. Hundreds of years ago, winter was an uncertain and frightening time. Food supplies were often not enough because people were afraid of the darkness and would stay at home without doing businesses.

On Halloween, when it was believed that ghosts came back to the earthly world, people thought that they would meet with ghosts if they left their homes. To avoid being recognized by these ghosts, people would wear masks when they left their homes after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them for their fellows(同伴).

On Halloween, to keep ghosts away from their houses, people would place bowls of food outside their homes to satisfy the ghosts and prevent them from trying to enter their houses.

1.Halloween is a day_______.

A. respecting the old

B. pleasing the children

C. honoring the dead

D. praying for relatives

2.Which of the following statements is false about Halloween?

A. Halloween has a long history.

B. Children can get a lot of gifts.

C. Americans created the festival.

D. People were afraid of darkness.

3.Ancient people would wear masks on Halloween in order to______.

A. frighten the ghosts B. leave their homes

C. enjoy themselves D. look like ghosts

4.The best title for the passage is___________.

A. Halloween Traditions B. American Traditions

C. Ancient Church Practices D. Halloween Costumes

Answer 1

1.C

2.C

3.D

4.A

【解析】

试题分析：文章大意：纵观全文，文章作者主要讲述了美国传统节日万圣节的由来以及节日的活动等。

1.During the festivities, poor citizens would beg for food and families would give them pastries called "soul cakes" in return for their promise to pray（祈祷）for the family's dead relatives.可知万圣节是一个纪念死者的节日。故C正确。

2.The American tradition of "trick-or-treating" probably dates back to the early All Souls' Day marches in England.可知万圣节并不是起源于美国，故C正确。

3.To avoid being recognized by these ghosts, people would wear masks when they left their homes after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them for their fellows(同伴).可知万圣节戴面具是为了让鬼误认为是他们的同伴，故D正确。

4.纵观全文，文章作者主要讲述了美国传统节日万圣节的由来以及节日的活动等。故A项正确。

考点：考查文化类短文阅读