We call the Chinese New Year the Spring Festival. There is a name for each Chinese year. We may call it the year of the sheep, the year of the monkey or the year of the pig. And this year is the year of dragon. Before New Year’s Day, people are busy shopping and cleaning their houses. On New Year’s Eve, there is a big family dinner. After dinner all the families stay up late to welcome the New Year. On the first day of the New Year, people put on the new clothes and go to visit their friends. They say “Good luck” and some other greetings (问候) to each other. People usually have a very good time during the festival.
【小题1】How many Chinese festivals are talked about in this passage?

A．One

B．Two

C．Three

D．Four

【小题2】We can find that every Chinese year is given ______ name.

A．an animal

B．a plant

C．a family

D．a full

【小题3】The underlined phrase “stay up” in the passage means “______”.

A．建造

B．张贴

C．熬夜

D．起立

【小题4】On New Year’s day, people say “______” to each other when they meet.

A．Merry Christmas

B．Good luck

C．Happy New Year

D．Both B and C

【小题5】The best title (标题) for this passage is ______.

A．Good time

B．The Spring Festival

C．Big dinner

D．The Year of the Dragon

The London Eye

The London Eye was opened on New Year’s Eve in 1999 to celebrate the Millennium (千禧年). It is 135 meters high, and from the top you can see the whote London. On a clear day you can even see Windsor Castle, which is 40 kilometers away. The London Eye has 32 capsules (密封舱), each with room for 25 people. Each “trip” lasts 30 minutes. It moves quite slowly, at a speed of about 15 meters a minute, but it never stops. Passengers have to get on when it’s moving.

OPENING TIME: Daily from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. in summer and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in winter.

TICKETS: Online or by phone. A limited number of tickets are available (可获得的) in the day.From the Ticket Office in County Hall (the building next to the Eye), but go early because you often have to wait in a queue.

HOW TO GET THERE: 5 minutes’ walk from Waterloo underground station.

Choose the best answers:

1.The London Eye was built for celebrating __

A. New Year’s Eve                          B. 1999

C. foreign visitors                           D. the Millennium

2.On sunny day from the top of the London Eye you can see __--

A. all of England

B. Windsor Castle

C. all the buildings which are 40 kilometers away 

D. the building that is 135 meters high

3.There are_____  passengers in the London Eye when it’s full.

A. 32                    B. 800        C. 25                             D. 72

4.The opening time of the London Eye in summer is _that in the winter.

A. shorter than                                         B. the same as

C. as many as                         D. longer than

5.People_____  get tickets from the Ticket Office because tickets there are limited.

A. can usually

B. can never

C. can’t always                            

D. walk from Waterloo underground station to

 

The London Eye
The London Eye was opened on New Year’s Eve in 1999 to celebrate the Millennium (千禧年). It is 135 meters high, and from the top you can see the whote London. On a clear day you can even see Windsor Castle, which is 40 kilometers away. The London Eye has 32 capsules (密封舱), each with room for 25 people. Each “trip” lasts 30 minutes. It moves quite slowly, at a speed of about 15 meters a minute, but it never stops. Passengers have to get on when it’s moving.
OPENING TIME: Daily from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. in summer and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in winter.
TICKETS: Online or by phone. A limited number of tickets are available (可获得的) in the day.From the Ticket Office in County Hall (the building next to the Eye), but go early because you often have to wait in a queue.
HOW TO GET THERE: 5 minutes’ walk from Waterloo underground station.
Choose the best answers:
【小题1】The London Eye was built for celebrating __

A．New Year’s Eve	B．1999
C．foreign visitors	D．the Millennium

【小题2】On sunny day from the top of the London Eye you can see __--

A．all of England

B．Windsor Castle

C．all the buildings which are 40 kilometers away

D．the building that is 135 meters high

【小题3】There are_____  passengers in the London Eye when it’s full.

A．32

B．800

C．25

D．72

【小题4】The opening time of the London Eye in summer is _that in the winter.

A．shorter than	B．the same as
C．as many as	D．longer than

【小题5】People_____  get tickets from the Ticket Office because tickets there are limited.

A．can usually

B．can never

C．can’t always

D．walk from Waterloo underground station to

There is a one-day holiday in most western countries on New Year’s Day. The real celebration begins on New Year’s Eve-the night before New Year’s Day. There are several interesting customs（习惯）in the west, and there are many differences in different countries.
Though Christmas is a good time for families to get together, New Year’s Day is a time for some western people to be with friends. On New Year’s Day, there are always parties. At such parties, there is food, drinks and dances until New Year comes
At midnight, people often say “Happy New Year! ”to each other. In many western countries, fireworks are let off at midnight and some people like to shout aloud to drive away evil spirits.
【小题1】People begin to have great celebrations for the New Year on___________.

A．New Year’s Day	B．the night before New Year’s Eve
C．the night of New Year’s Day	D．New Year’s Eve

【小题2】In the west, ___________on New Year’s Day.

A．friends always get together

B．friends write to each other

C．people can have a week’s holiday

D．people go from one country to another

【小题3】On New Year’s Eve, western people don’t often____________.

A．say “Happy New Year” to each other

B．let off fireworks

C．sing a Scottish song

D．shout aloud to drive away evil spirits

【小题4】This passage mainly（主要）tells us___________.

A．western people drink together on New Year’s Day

B．how western people celebrate their New Year’s Day

C．what western people eat on New Year’s Day

D．western people have a good time on New Year’s Day

This is a song millions of Americans will hear this New Year’s Eve. It is called Auld Lang Syne (《友谊地久天长》). It is the traditional music played during the New Year’s celebration. Auld Lang Syne is an old Scottish poem. It tells about the need to remember old friends.
The words “auld lang syne” mean “old long since”. No one knows who wrote the poem first. However, a version by Scottish poet Robert Bums was published (出版) in 1796. The words and music we know today first appeared in a songbook three years later.
The song is played in the United States mainly on New Year’s Eve. The version (译文) you are hearing today is by the Washington Saxophone Quartet. As we end our program with Auld Lang Syne. I would like to wish all of our radio friends a very Happy New Year! This is Buddy Thomas.
1. Millions of Americans will hear the song named _______________________this New Year’s Eve.
2. ______________________________ is introducing Auld Lang Syne to us.
3. Auld Lang Syne is an old Scottish poem about________________________________.
4. The song is played ________________________________on New Year’s Eve.
5. A version by Scottish poet Robert Bums was published (出版) in ________________________ .