Festivals and celebrations of all kinds have been held everywhere since 【1】 times. Most ancient festivals would celebrate the end of cold weather, planting in spring and 【2】in autumn. Sometimes celebrations would be held after hunters had caught animals. At that time people would 【3】 if food was difficult to find, especially during the cold winter months. Today’s festivals have many 【4】, some religious, some seasonal, and some for special people or events.

The most 【5】 and important festivals are the ones that look forward to the end of winter and to the coming of spring. 【6】the Spring Festival in China, people eat dumplings, fish and meat and may give children lucky money in red paper. There are dragon dances and carnivals, and 【7】celebrate the Lunar New Year together. Some Western countries have very exciting carnivals, 【8】take place forty days before Easter, usually in February. These carnivals might 【9】 parades, dancing in the streets day and night, loud music and colorful clothing of all kinds. Easter is an important 【10】 and social festival for Christians around the world.

【1】He stood on the stage to give a speech， r_____ to his notes now and then．

【2】There were over 500 athletes p_____ in the marathon last month．

【3】A good laugh can drive away n_____ feelings like depression， nervousness， anxiety and disappointment．

【4】Much to our surprise， the witness's a_____ of the traffic accident differed from the official version in several aspects．

【5】Parents should take the responsibility to educate their kids how to b_____ themselves in some formal occasions．

【6】I am living with my parents， but it is only _____(临时的) because next month I will go abroad．

【7】In the future I'll be more _____(成熟) and be able to make my own decisions and do things by myself．

【8】The boy tried his best to study hard to live up to his parents' _____(期望)．

【9】You're actually already in _____(拥有) of one of your most important gifts： time．

【10】A large sum of money has been _____(分配) for buying new books for the school．

【1】他在会议上提出的建议值得三思。 (worth)

【2】法律和政策应该适应我们不断发展的社会需求。 (adapt)

【3】绝不能任由困难打倒你，因为你永远不知道你离成功有多么近。 (account)

【4】父母竭力庇护孩子免受问题的困扰，甚至代替他们做重要的决定，这将不利于孩子的健康成长。 (which)

—________. I am not good at public speech, you know.

A. Don’t beat around the bush

B. Please get down off your high horse

C. You make my day

D. Don’t put me on the spot

—How can you expect ________ a chance of success since you haven't committed yourself to it?

A. there being B. there to be

C. it to be D. it being

She posted the lesson on Facebook, where it's been shared more than 160,000 times. Rosie Dutton explained that during one of her classes she presented the children with two red apples. What the kids didn't know was that before the lesson, she had repeatedly dropped one of the apples on the floor. And yet, on the outside at least, both apples looked perfect.

“I picked up the apple I'd dropped on the floor and started to tell the children how I disliked this apple, “ Dutton wrote. “I told them that because I didn't like it, I didn't want them to like it either, so they should call it names too. “ Some of the children looked at her as if she were “crazy” , but the students passed the apple around the circle, calling it names.

Continuing the exercise, the teacher then passed the second apple around the circle. This apple, however, was showered with words like “Your skin is beautiful” and “What a beautiful colour you have” .

Dutton then showed the students both apples once again, stressing that “there was no change, and both apples still looked the same. “

Finally, Dutton cut both apples open. The apple that the class treated kindly looked fresh inside. But the other apple-the one they'd treated poorly-was bruised(碰伤的)beneath its skin.

“I think there was a light bulb moment for the children immediately, “ Dutton said. “When people are bullied, especially children, they feel horrible inside and sometimes don't show or tell others how they are feeling. If we hadn't cut that apple open, we would never have known how much pain we had caused it. “

Dutton explained how important it is to teach children to stand up for one another, and to stop any form of bullying.

“Let's create a generation of kind caring children, “ the teacher wrote. “The tongue has no bones, but is strong enough to break a heart. So be careful with your words. “

【1】What had the teacher done to the first apple before the lesson?

A.She had introduced it to the kids.B.She had coloured it bright.

C.She had made it look perfect.D.She had damaged it purposely.

【2】What does the underlined part “call it names” (Para. 3) mean?

A.Shout at it.B.Make fun of it.C.Cheer for it.D.Say rude things.

【3】What did the teacher tell the kids to do with the second apple?

A.Drop it.B.Praise it.C.Ignore it.D.Respect it.

【4】What's the purpose of the teacher's using two apples in class?

A.To draw the kids’ attention.

B.To explain her personal preferences.

C.To help the kids understand the results of bullying.

D.To make a comparison between them.

Apart from sperm whales, other animals like wolves and apes also have different regional accents. Researchers analyzed the howls of different species of wolves. They found that red wolves, Arctic wolves and other wolves have howls that vary in pitch (音调). In other words, they have their own dialects.

According to Darcy Kelley from Columbia University, most animals learn their accents naturally. For example, macaques (猕猴) start speaking their dialect as soon as they are born. Scientists placed some macaques in a new environment where their playmates all spoke a different dialect. But the macaques still spoke their own dialect. Their environment had no influence on their communication, according to the Washington Post.

“In most species, communication appears to have a genetic basis,” Kelley explained in the Washington Post. “However, among a small number of species, animals can learn from others and develop their own accents.”

Fruit flies are a good example. According to Science Daily, they send messages through their wing movements. Scientists found that fruit flies can only communicate efficiently with others of the same species. However, they can learn new dialects by spending time around other species.

“A proper accent is vital to mating and warning the coming of enemies, which is the basis of protecting themselves,” Kelley told the Washington Post. A species can’t risk changing their own dialect and learning a new one.

【1】What does the author want to show by talking about the sperm whales at the beginning?

A.Animals have different dialects.

B.Sperm whales live in different oceans.

C.Animals can speak different local languages.

D.Whales communicate through clicking noises.

【2】Why do researchers believe that wolves have their own dialects?

A.Wolves are wild animals using language.

B.Wolves live in different areas of the world.

C.There are different kinds of wolves in the world.

D.Wolves of different kinds howl at different pitches.

【3】According to Kelley, what can dialects help animals to do?

A.Have a better chance of survival.

B.Fight with other species for food.

C.Communicate with other species better.

D.Pass on information to the next generation.

This year will be the sixth year when volunteer Riedel will be offering up her time to the festival. “People coming off a busy spring and summer have a moment of relaxation,” Riedel said. “It’s really easy to relax, and it’s great seeing family and friends have fun together.” These families and friends come from all different kinds of musical tastes. People who take pleasure in Blues are there, so are people who love Bluegrass. This festival does its best to develop everyone’s musical interests.

With so many years of experience, the festival has become a well-oiled machine, and does whatever it can to make attendees feel as comfortable as possible. There are free water stations throughout the venue(举办地) for people to fill up their travel cups. When people buy food, reusable dishes are given a $2 plate fee, but that is returned when the plate is brought back.

The festival has completely sold out of tickets, and in record time. But with big names such as Van Morrison and Jakob Dylan, it’s easy to see how that was going to happen. There is no parking area during the festival, so using the Park & Ride system or Edmonton Transit is highly recommended. A bike lock-up area is provided and will be available Thursday until Sunday one hour before the gates open until 45 minutes after the gates close.

The Edmonton Folk Music Festival begins on Wednesday, Aug. 4 with Van Morrison playing the special donation fund concert, and will finish up on Sunday, Aug. 8.

【1】The Edmonton Folk Music Festival is held mainly to _______.

A.gather people with different musical tastes

B.remind people of the real sense of folk music

C.exhibit the good voices of great talents in folk music

D.collect old stories of folk music

【2】Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A.Riedel has volunteered for the festival for at least 5 years.

B.It’s hard for people to appreciate Blues.

C.It costs people a little to fill up their cups from water stations.

D.People have to pay $2 for a plate of food.

【3】We can learn from the passage that _______.

A.people can get tickets easily for the festival

B.the Edmonton Folk Music Festival is well organized

C.driving one’s own car to the festival is highly recommended

D.bikes are available at the festival from Wednesday to Sunday

A. burdened B. were burdened

C. are burdened D. burden

The Conflict of the Orders

The types of people who served as officials in the Roman government changed over time. These changes stemmed from the attempts of common people to more rights. The struggles became known as the Conflict of the Orders.

In the early republic, Romans were divided into two classes of people: patricians and plebeians. Patricians were powerful landowners who controlled the government. As nobles, they inherited their power. Plebeians, who made up most of the population, were mainly farmers and workers. For many years, plebeians had few rights. They could vote, but they were barred from holding most public offices. Plebeians could not even know Roman laws because laws were not written down. In court, a judge stated and applied the law, but only patricians served as judges.

Over time, plebeians increased their power through demand and strikes. They gained the right to join the army, hold government office, form their own assembly, and elect leaders. In one of their greatest victories, they forced the government to write down the laws of the Roman Republic. In about 450, B.C. the Romans engraved their laws on tablets called the Twelve Tables. The laws were placed in the Forum, the chief public square, for all to view.

The first plebeians were appointed to the government in the late 400s B.C. After 342 B. C, a plebeian always held one of the consul positions. By about 300 B. C. many plebeians had become so powerful and wealthy themselves that they joined with patricians to form the Roman nobility. From that time on, the distinction between patricians and plebeians was not as important. Membership in the nobility was still very important, however, since government officials were not paid a salary only wealthy nobles could afford to hold office. Thus, the nobles still controlled the republic.