A. The Double Ninth Festival
      It falls on the ninth of the ninth lunar month. People used to
climb mountains on that day. So it is also called a festival of
climbing mountains. Now it has become the Elders' Day.
B. The Notting Hill Carnival
      Between 1956 and 1962 the British government asked people
from the Caribbean to come to England. They worked in the
hospitals and on trains and buses in London. Now every August in
London there is a big carnival with music in the streets of Notting
Hill.
C. Christmas Day
     On December 25th, Christmas Day, people give presents,
send cards and eat a special dinner at home. The children are
usually very excited because they get presents from Father
Christmas ( Santa Claus). In their houses,  people have a special
tree with lights.
D. Diwali
   Between 1962 and 1968, many people from India and
Pakistan came to live and work in Britain. Their most important
celebration every year is Diwali. This is a big festival of lights and
dancing with special food and new clothes. Diwali is usually
between October and November.
E. Chinese New Year
   Like Diwali, this celebration moves its date each year.
Usually it is in January or February. In many big cities the people
build paper dragons, wear masks and have fireworks, lights and
music in the street.

(     )1. Father Christmas sends presents to children.
(     )2. You can see fireworks in the street.
(     )3. People wear new clothes.
(     )4. They came from the Caribbean.
(     )5. People always climb mountains with their friends.

     People in the United States honour their parents with two
special days: Mother's Day, on the second Sunday in May, and
Father's Day, on the third Sunday in June. These days are set
aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their
children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give
love and care to their children. These two days offer an
opportunity to think about the changing roles of mothers and
fathers. More mothers now work outside the home. More fathers
must help with childcare.
     These two special days are celebrated in many different ways.
On Mother's Day people wear camations.A red one symbolizes a
living mother.  A white one shows that mother is dead. Many
people attend religious services to honour their parents.  It is also a
day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery(墓
地).  On these days families get together at home, as well as in
restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues(烤肉)for Father's
Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.
     Another tradition is to give cards and gifts.  Children make
them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are
valued more than the ones bought in stores. It is not the value of
the gift that is important, but it is "the thought that counts".
Greeting card stores, florists(花商),candy makers, bakeries,
telephone companies, and other stores do a lot of business during
these holidays.

1. Which is NOT a reason for children to show love and respectfor their parents?

A. Their parents bring them up.
B. Their parents give love and care to them.
C. Their parents educate them to be good persons.
D. Their parents passed away before they grew up.

2. What do you learn from the passage?  

A. Mother's Day and Father's Day are both in May.
B. Fewer women worked outside the home in the past.
C. Not all the children respect their parents.
D. Fathers are not as important as mothers at home.

3. Which do you think is RIGHT about "carnation" ?  

A. It only has two kinds of colour.
B. It refers to the special clothes people wear on Mother's Dayor Father's Day.
C. It's a kind of flower showing love and best wishes.
D. People can wear carnations only on the second Sundayin May.

4. On Mother's Day and Father's Day, _____.    

A. people usually have family parties
B. everyone goes to visit the cemetery
C. children always go to their parents' home
D. hand-made cards are the most valuable gifts

     The Notting Hill Camival (诺丁山狂欢节) has been taking
place in London, on the last weekend in August, every year since
1964.
       This great festival began with the Black immigrants(黑人移
民) from the Caribbean, particularly from Trinidad, where the
Camival tradition is very strong. People there dreamed of creating
a festival to fight against racism (种族主义).  At that time, they
didn't have working opportunities and their housing conditions were
poor.
      This holiday always falls on the last weekend of August with
Sunday and Monday being the major camival days. There are
scores of massive" sound systems" ,  many beautiful and big floats
 (游行彩车)  and steel drum bands (钢鼓乐队).  There are
hundreds of stalls (货摊)  along the streets of the area selling all
sorts of food and drink including Caribbean specialties (特产).
     Dressed in different colors, hundreds of children get the
parade under way on Sunday, ahead of more than 100 floats and
thousands of performers who will stage the main parade on
Monday. Party-goers will eat, drink and dance their way through
the streets.
    The camival, which takes place in the streets of the west
London district, was made famous by the movie Notting Hill
starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Crant. It has become one of the
most celebrated symbols of multicultural Britain.

1.  According to the passage,  the Notting Hill Camival usually lasts _____.  

A. a week                                
B. two days
C. a month                            
D. a year

2. The Camival tradition originated from _____.     

A.  London                              
B.  the Caribbean
C.  America                            
D.  Afric

3. You can watch the Camival performance in _____.

A. the street                              
B. the cinema
C. the hall                        
D. the bar

4. From the passage, we can learn that the Notting Hill Carnival   _____. 

A. takes place every other year
B. has a history of over half a century
C. features dance, drum bands, fine food and beautiful colors
D. was started by Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant

     Canada is a very large country. It is the second largest
country in the world.  By contrast (比较) it has a very small
population.  There are only about 29 million people ( by the year
1996)there. Most Canadians are of British or French origin, and
French is an officiallanguage of Canada as well as English.  About
45% of the people are of British origin, that is, they or their
parents or grandparents, etc. come from Britain. Nearly 30% are
of French origin. Most of the French-Canadians live in the
province of Quebec.
     Over the years, people have come to live in Canada from
many countries in the world. They are from most European
countries and also from China, besides other Asian countries.
   However, Canada was not an empty country when the
Europeans began to arrive. Canadian Indians lived along the
coast, by the rivers and lakes and in forests. Today there are only
about 350,000 Indians in the whole country, with their own
languages. In the far north live the Inuit. There are only 27,000
Canadian-Inuit. Their life is hard in such a harsh climate.

1. According to the passage, about _____   live in Quebec.   

A.30% of the French-Canadians
B.45% of the Canadians
C. 29 ,000 ,000  people
D. 8 ,700,000 French-Canadians

2. The official languages of Canada are ____.

A. English and Chinese
B. French and English
C.Indian and English
D. Chinese and Inuit

3. The word"origin"in this passage means _____   .

A. 血统    
B. 后裔    
C. 先驱    
D. 猿人

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to this passage?

A. There are 27,000 Canadian-Indians in Canada.
B. More than 13 million people have come from Britain and France in recent years.
C. There are about 30% of the pop.ulation whose parents or grandparents come from France.
D.There are no people when the Europeans began to arrive in Canada.

     If you have ever been in a school play or even made believe you were a doctor, detective, or a space
traveler, you know the enjoyment that acting brings. Almost all of us have the wish to play the part of
someone-or something-else.   1  
     In the ancient world, acting was often associated with religious ceremonies and other special occasions. As far back as 2200 B.C. trained Chinese actors performed ceremonial dances in costume and makeup
at harvest festivals.   2  To the dance was gradually added pantomime-the imitation of movements and
gestures-as well as the wearing of masks, the singing of chants, and finally the use of dialogue.
     While acting was coming into its own in the ancient Chinese classical theatre, it was doing the same in
the western world, in Greece. From about 500 B.C. on, acting became a highly specialized art in Greece. Greek actors, however, still wore masks, and their motions were largely fixed by custom.   3  
     Modern acting, by contrast, gives the individual actor great opportunity to develop his or her personal
talents for serious, comic, or musical drama. The names, faces, and styles of famous movie actors are
known worldwide.   4     A special form of acting takes place in radio drama, which was highly popular
before television. In radio drama the actors face an unique challenge. They are unseen by their audience.
So they must rely on voice alone to make their characters real to the listeners.
       5  Only forty percent of Broadway actors are employed, most of them for only part of the year.
Those who become stars need not only talent, but determination. They must not be easily discouraged.
Otherwise, they might give up before the opportunity for stardom presents itself.

A. The origins of acting are in the act of remembering.
B. Drama in Greece began with festivals honoring Dionysus.
C. It is believed that this was the first step in the development of acting.
D. Historical records indicate that this desire is as old as civilization itself.
E. Acting is not, as many people think, a quick, easy road to fame and riches.
F. Broadway and television provide other stages on which actors can display their talent.
G. Consequently, they had little opportunity to demonstrate their individual personalities.

     You may know your mother, but how well do you really know Mother's Day? Cards, flowers, sales, TV specials, and a day off for someone who really deserves it-those are what probably come to mind for many people when they think of Mother's Day. But there's more to the story.
      The earliest Mother's Day celebrations were held during spring in ancient Greece. The celebrations honored Rhea, the Mother of the gods. During the 1600's, England celebrated a day called Mothering Sunday. On this day even servants were given the day off to spend with their families. A mothering cake was even served with the family meal.
     In the US, Mother's Day began in 1872 when Julia Ward Howe, who wrote the words to the famous song The Battle Hymn of the Republic, suggested it as a day devoted to peace. But it didn't really become popular until 1907 when Anna Jarvis started a campaign to honor mothers. She believed that mothers could help people get over the pain they experienced during the Civil War. The US isn't alone in devoting a day to mothers. Many other countries including Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, Japan, and Belgium also honor their mothers in May. Other countries honor their mothers at different times of the year.
     Learning more about Mother's Day and celebrating Mother's Day are important, but probably not as important as understanding what your own mother, or grandmother, or aunt has really done for you. And that will certainly be appreciated more than one day in a year.

1. What is the passage mainly about?

A. The reason why people celebrate Mother's Day.
B. The ways people honor mothers.
C. The history of Mother's Day.    
D. The great contribution of mothers.

2. Where was the earliest Mother's Day celebrated?

A. In ancient Greece.
B. In the US.
C. In England.
D. In Italy.

3. We can learn from the passage that _____.

A. Rhea is the mother of a king in ancient Greece
B. not all the countries celebrate Mother's Day in May
C. only mothers were given a day off on Mothering Sunday
D. it was in 1872 that Mother's Day really came into being

4. The last paragraph tells us that _____.

A. all the people should celebrate Mother's Day
B. only mothers are honored on Mother's Day
C. understanding mothers' work is more important than just celebrating Mother's Day
D. people should celebrate Mother's Day every day

     Traditional fairytales are being abandoned by parents because they are too scary for their young
children, a study found.
    Research revealed one in five parents has ditched old classics such as Snow White and the Seven
Dwarves and Rapunzel in favour of more modern books. One third of parents said their children have
been left in tears after hearing the horrible details of Little Red Riding Hood. And nearly half of mothers
and fathers refuse to read Rumplestiltskin to their kids as the themes of the story are kidnapping and
execution. Similarly, Goldilocks and the Three Bears was also a tale likely to be left on the book shelf as
parents felt it forgives stealing.
    The survey of 2,000 adults was conducted to mark the launch of the hit US drama GRIMM, which
starts tonight at 9pm on Watch, and sees six episodes based on traditional fairytales. The poll found a
quarter of parents polled wouldn't consider reading a fairytale to their child until they had reached the age
of five, as they prompt too many awkward questions from their offspring.  
Steve Hornsey, General Manager of Watch, said: "Bedtime stories are supposed to soothe children and
send them off to sleep soundly.But as we see in GRIMM, fairytales can be dark and dramatic tales so it's
understandable that parents worry about reading them to young children."
   "As adults we can see the innocence in fairytales, but a five year old with an over active imagination
could take things too seriously.Despite the dark nature of classic fairytales, as we see in GRIMM, good
will triumph over evil and there is always a moral to the story."
   The study also found two thirds of mums and dads try to avoid stories which might give their children
nightmares.
   However,half of parents said traditional tales are more likely to have a strong moral message than a lot
of modern kids' books, such as The Gruffalo, The Hungary Caterpillar and the Mr. Men books.

1.Why some parents don't want to read Rumplestiltskin to their kids?

A. Rumplestiltskin is too long
B. Rumplestiltskin is too difficult
C. Rumplestiltskin forgives stealing
D. Rumplestiltskin may have bad influence on Children

2. We can learn from paragraph 3 that Grimm is _____.

A. a fairytales book          
B. a movie for children
C. a play loved by children    
D. a drama based on traditional fairytales

3. The underlined word "soothe "in paragraph4 can be replaced by____

A. put down  
B. calm down  
C. take down  
D. come down

4. Which of the following may Steve Hornsey agree to?

A. There is a moral to a classic fairytale
B. Fairytales are dark
C. Adults take fairytales too seriously
D. Fairytales are not good for children's sleep

5.What's the author's attitude towards traditional fairytales?

A. Optimistic    
B. Not mentioned    
C. Casual    
D. Disapproving