Pure Brightness Festival, also known as Tomb-sweeping Day in China, falls on the 4^th or 5^th of April each year. It was started in the Han Dynasty. On this day, whole families, young and old, with flowers visit the graves of their ancestors to pay their respects. Following the custom, tomb sweepers clean and tidy the graves, decorate them with flowers. They burn paper money made for the dead, set off firecrackers and bow before their ancestors’ tombstones. On this day, they don’t cook. Only cold food is served.

　　 However, tomb sweeping is not the only activity during Pure Brightness Festival. This day is also a time for people to enjoy themselves. Other activities include spring outing, flying kites, planting trees, tasting tea and so on. In April, everything in nature takes on a new look. Trees turn green, flowers come out and the sun shines brightly. So it is a good time to be out to appreciate the beauty of nature. People fly kites not only in the daytime but at night. In the dark, some people fly kites with lanterns, which are called “God’s lanterns”. They plant trees because young trees which are planted during this period are easy to grow up. And they enjoy tea because the tea produced around the festival is said to have good quality.

56. The word “tomb” probably means the same as the word “______” in the passage.

A. grave　　　　　 B. tombstone　　　　 C. ancestor　　　　 D. custom

57. From the passage we can learn that Pure Brightness Festival in 2014 will be on ______.

　 A. April 4　　　 　　　　　　　　　　　 B. April 5

　 C. either April 4 or April 5　　　　　　　　 D. neither April 4 nor April 5

58. According to the passage, Pure Brightness Festival is ______.

　 A. a day full of sadness　　　　　　　　　 B. Tree Planting Day

　 C. a combination of sadness and happiness　 D. a time for people to have fun

59. _____ activities are talked about in the passage above.

　 A. Two　　　　　 B. Three　　　　　　 C. Four　　　　　 D. Five

60. Which of the following do you think is the best title for the passage ?

　 A. A Special Day　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Pure Brightness Festival in China

　 C. What the Chinese Do on Tomb-sweeping Day D.A Chinese Traditional Custom

Life is like the four seasons. Now I am very old, but when I was young, it was the spring of my life. I was born, I played a lot, and then I started school. I learned many new things. Like a flower, I grew bigger every day. There were happy days and sorrowful days: some days the sun shone(闪耀), and some days it didn't.
In my twenties, I had a good job. I was strong and happy. Then I married and had a child. In those days, I didn't have much time to think. Every day I was busy and worked very hard. And so, I started to get some white hairs. The summer of my life passed quickly.
Then the days got shorter. Leaves fell from the trees. My child was a university student, and then an engineer. My home was much quieter. I started walking slowly. One day I stopped working. I had more time. I understood this was my autumn, a beautiful time when the trees change color and give us delicious fruits.
But the days kept getting shorter and colder. Winter has come, I am older and weaker. I know I do not have many days left. I will enjoy them to the end.
【小题1】The writer was very busy in the ______ of his life.
A. spring              B. summer                  C. autumn     
【小题2】According to the passage, which of the following ages is during the autumn of his life?
A. 87                  B. 33                       C. 62 
【小题3】What does the word “sorrowful” mean in this passage?
A. sad                 B. exciting                C. wonderful
【小题4】Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. The writer had a garden with flowers.
B. The writer was always happy as a child.
C. The writer now is old and weak, but still he enjoys his life.
【小题5】The best title for the passage would be _____
A. Four seasons    B. My life      C. Four seasons in my life

Life is like the four seasons. Now I am very old, but when I was young, it was the spring of my life. I was born, I played a lot, and then I started school. I learned many new things. Like a flower, I grew bigger every day. There were happy days and sorrowful days: some days the sun shone, and some days it didn’t.

In my twenties, I had a good job. I was strong and happy. Then I married (结婚) and had a child. In those days, I didn’t have much time to think. Every day I was busy and worked very hard. And so, I started to get some white hairs. The summer of my life passed quickly.

Then the days got shorter. Leaves fell from the trees. My child was a university student, and then an engineer. My home was much quieter. I started walking more slowly. One day I stopped working. I had more time. I understood this was my autumn, a beautiful time when the trees change color and give us delicious fruits.

But the days kept getting shorter and colder. Winter has come. I am older and weaker. I know I do not have many days left, but I will enjoy them to the end.

46. The writer started walking more slowly in the _______ of his life.

A. spring                B. summer            C. autumn                    D. winter

47. According to the passage, which of the following ages is during the summer of his life?

A. 15.                    B. 33.                          C. 62.                         D. 87.

48. What does the word “sorrowful” mean in this passage?

A. Sad.                  B. Exciting.                 C. Wonderful.              D. Pleasant.

49. Which of the following is true?

A. The writer was an engineer.

B. The writer had a garden with flowers.

C. The writer was always happy as a child. 

D. The writer now is old and weak, but still he enjoys his life.

50. The best title of the passage can be _______.

A. Four Seasons                                         B. My Life

C. Four Seasons in a Year                            D. Four Seasons in My Life

Life is like the four seasons. Now I am very old, but when I was young, it was the spring of my life. After I was born, I played a lot, and then I started school. I learned many new things. Like a flower, I grew bigger every day. There were happy days and sorrowful days: some days the sun shone(闪耀), and some days it didn’t.
In my twenties, I had a good job. I was strong and happy. Then I married and had a child. In those days, I didn’t have much time to think. Every day I was busy and worked very hard. And so, I started to get some white hairs. The summer of my life passed quickly.
Then the days got shorter. Leaves fell from the trees. My child was a university student, and then an engineer. My home was much quieter. I started walking slowly. One day I stopped working. I had more time. I understood this was my autumn, a beautiful time when the trees change color and give us delicious fruits.
But the days kept getting shorter and colder. Winter has come, I am older and weaker. I know I do not have many days left. I will enjoy them to the end.
【小题1】The writer was very busy in the ______ of his life.