The Chinese New Year is called the Spring Festival，which is the biggest festival in China．

It usually comes in January or February．Where there are Chinese，there is the Spring Festival．Each Chinese year has a name．We may call it the Year of the Tiger，the Year of the Pig or the Year of the Snake．And the year of 2007 is called the year of the Pig．The year after it is the Mouse Year．

People always spend a month before the festival in preparing for it．People are busy shopping and cleaning their houses．On the eve there is a big family dinner．All the family stay up late to welcome the New Year，watching the CCTV programs or playing cards．On the first day of the Chinese New Year，people put on their new clothes and go to visit their relatives and friends。saying “Happy New Year”，“Good luck” and some other greetings to each other．It often lasts to the Lantern Festival，which is also an important Chinese festival and people usually have sweet dumplings（yuanxiao）．People always have a very good time，especially children．Children can usually get some money for the new year from their parents and the elder relatives．

1．The most important festival in China is _________．

A．the Lantern Festival                                  B．the Spring Festival

C．the New Year                                            D．the October 1st

2．2008 is the _________year．

A．Mouse                 B．Sheep                  C．Tiger                     D．Pig

3．“All the family stay up late to welcome the New Year．” Here “stay up” means _________．

A．to go to sleep                                          B．not to go to bed

C．to stand up                                              D．to have a good rest

4．Which sentence is Right?

A．The Spring Festival is celebrated only by Chinese people in China．

B．People celebrate the Spring Festival all over the world．

C．The Chinese people celebrate the Spring Festival, even when they are in foreign countries．

D．People who can speak Chinese celebrate the Spring Festival in the world．

5．What do people say when they meet on the Chinese New Year's Day?

A．They say “Merry Christmas” and “Happy New Year”．

B．They say “Good luck” and “Good night” to each other．

C．They say “Have a nice day” and “Good luck” only to their friends and relatives．

D．They say many greetings，such as “Good luck” to each other．

My mother loves flowers. We live next door to each other, so she often spends much time planting flowers in my garden. In summer, she often makes colourful bouquets(花束) and puts them inside the houses-both hers and mine.

One year, shortly before Christmas, a local flower shop offered an activity for mothers in each month of the next year. It seemed to be a great way to thank her for all of the flowers she had given me through the years. I couldn't wait the new year so that I could give a bouquet to her!

After the Christmas, in early January, I drove her to the flower shop to pick up her first month's bouquet. But then we found the bouquet would hardly fill a small vase(花瓶).

I was so embarrassed(尴尬的). "Mum, I'm sorry," I told her. "I didn't know how skimpy that bouquet was." She looked at me and smiled. "It's okay," she said optimistically (乐观地). "It allows me to enjoy the beauty of each one better."

I was amazed at what she said. It helped me realize something more important —we often fail to enjoy the beauty of each thing when we have too many good things. I understood that less is sometimes more.

46. The mother often spends much time ________.

A. cleaning her child's house

B. making bouquets in a flower shop

C. planting flowers in her child's garden

D. planting flowers in her own garden

47. We can infer(推断) from the story that_________ .

A. the writer couldn't afford a big bouquet

B. the mother was unhappy when receiving the bouquet

C. the writer would pick up another bouquet the next month

D. the mother would send back the bouquet to the flower shop

48. The underlined word "skimpy" means" _______”.

A. beautiful　　　 B. small　　 C. cheap　　　　 D. colourful

49. What is the mother like?

A. She is a lazy woman.　　　　　　　　　 B. She is a strict mother.

C. Sometimes she isn't honest.　　　　　　 D. She is always optimistic.

50. What did the author learn from her mother?

A. How to buy flowers.　　　　　　　　　 B. How to enjoy flowers.

C. How to grow flowers in the garden.　　　 D. How to consider things in another way.