Besides entertainment and beautiful lanterns, another important part of the Lantern Festival, or Yuanxiao Festival is eating small dumpling balls made of glutinous rice flour. We call these balls Yuanxiao or Tangyuan. Obviously, they get the name from the festival itself. It is said that the custom of eating Yuanxiao originated during the Eastern Jin Dynasty in the fourth century, then became popular during the Tang and Song periods.

The fillings inside the dumplings or Yuansiao are either sweet or salty. Sweet fillings are made of sugar, Walnuts, sesame（芝麻）, osmanthus flowers(桂花), rose petals, sweetened tangerine（橘子）peel, bean paste, or jujube paste（枣子酱）. A single ingredient or any combination can be used as the filling . The salty variety is filled with minced meat（肉末儿）, vegetables or a mixture.

The way to make Yuanxiao also varies between northern and southern China. The usual method followed in southern provinces is to shape the dough of rice flour into balls, make a hole, insert the filling, then close the hole and smooth out the dumpling by rolling it between your hands. In North China, sweet or nutmeat stuffing is the usual ingredient. The fillings are pressed into hardened cores, dipped lightly in water and rolled in a flat basket containing dry glutinous rice flour. A layer of the flour sticks to the filling, which is then again dipped in water and rolled a second time in the rice flour. And so it goes, like rolling a snowball, until the dumpling is the desired size.

The custom of eating Yuanxiao dumplings remains. This tradition encourages both old and new stores to promote their Yuanxiao products. They all try their best to improve the taste and quality of the dumplings to attract more customers.

Which of the following is NOT true?

 A. The custom of eating Yuanxiao dates back to the fourth century.

 B. Sugar, rose petals and minced meat are all fillings of Yuanxiao.

 C. Sweet Yuanxiao are usually made in southern China.

 D. People in northern China usually make Yuanxiao by rolling like a snowball.

Which country does the Lantern Festival come from?

A. China  B. South Korea C. Jin Dynasty  D. Tang and Song periods.

Choose the right order of making Tangyuan in southern provinces.

① make a hole and insert the filling 

② roll the dough between your hands 

③ shape the dough of rice flour into balls  

④ close the hole  

⑤ prepare some rice flour

 A. ⑤③②①④  B. ③⑤①②④  C. ③①④②⑤  D. ⑤③①④②

What is the best title of this passage?

A. The Lantern Festival                        B. The ingredients of Yuanxiao

C. The difference between Yuanxiao and Tangyuan.  D. China’s traditional food—Yuanxiao.

Why do we eat Yuanxiao today?

A. Because it’s a tradition.

B. Because it’s a tasty food.

C. Because we love our country.

D. Because this food can make money.

We all eat when we are not hungry. If we stopped eating when we were full, we would be thin , and chefs would have to find other jobs . You may be tempted to eat when you are bored, tired, angry or simply sitting in front of food that you feel like putting in your mouth. Don’t give in , the diet plans warn. Or, if you must eat , then eat only food that is so unappealing or unsatisfying that it is not worth the effort .

It is as important for the sake of losing weight as understanding why there are times when it is extremely important to eat, however, even when there is plenty of food in your stomach. If you find yourself unable to resist snacking and give in and eat a sweet or snack, don’t blame your lack of willpower. Your brain is making you do this.

This request for carbohydrates , for sweet or starchy ( 富含淀粉的) food is a signal that an important brain chemical needs to be made . This chemical is serotonin （ 血管收缩素）its production depends on what you eat or don’t eat . When you eat carbohydrates (apart from the carbohydrates in fruit ) , serotonin is made . When you eat protein, serotonin is not made.

Some of us have brains that don’t make enough serotonin to last all day, and by late afternoon, we feel the effects of too little of this chemical. We become bored, have difficulty concentrating, lose patience with things that annoy us , and feel tired . Therefore, more serotonin is needed. A food scientist said. “We found out years ago in our research that , at moments like this , the brain sends out a signal saying ‘eat some carbs ’ . If we pay attention to this message and eat a bar of chocolate or cake , as soon as the snack is digested , serotonin is made and we feel better .”

64. What does the underlined sentence“Don’t give in ” in the first paragraph mean ?

　 A. Don’t stop eating when you are full.　 B. Don’t eat when you are not hungry.

　 C. Eat a little more when the stomach is full . D. You would be thin if you ate less.

65. More serotonin is made when a person ______.

　 A .drinks some milk　 B. eats an apple　 C. eats some fish　 D. eats chocolate

66. Which of the following will NOT be affected if there’s not enough serotonin?

　 A. Weight　　 B. Patience　 C. Concentration　　 D. Energy

67. What would be the best title for the text?

A. How People Lose Weight?　　　　　　

B. What Should We Eat When We Are Bored?

C. Why Do We Eat When We Are Not Hungry?　　　

D. Why Do People Need to Eat?

B

Besides entertainment and beautiful lanterns, another important part of the Lantern Festival, or Yuanxiao Festival is eating small dumpling balls made of glutinous rice flour. We call these balls Yuanxiao or Tangyuan. Obviously, they get the name from the festival itself. It is said that the custom of eating Yuanxiao originated during the Eastern Jin Dynasty in the fourth century, then became popular during the Tang and Song periods.

The fillings inside the dumplings or Yuansiao are either sweet or salty. Sweet fillings are made of sugar, Walnuts, sesame（芝麻）, osmanthus flowers(桂花), rose petals, sweetened tangerine（橘子）peel, bean paste, or jujube paste（枣子酱）. A single ingredient or any combination can be used as the filling . The salty variety is filled with minced meat（肉末儿）, vegetables or a mixture.

The way to make Yuanxiao also varies between northern and southern China. The usual method followed in southern provinces is to shape the dough of rice flour into balls, make a hole, insert the filling, then close the hole and smooth out the dumpling by rolling it between your hands. In North China, sweet or nutmeat stuffing is the usual ingredient. The fillings are pressed into hardened cores, dipped lightly in water and rolled in a flat basket containing dry glutinous rice flour. A layer of the flour sticks to the filling, which is then again dipped in water and rolled a second time in the rice flour. And so it goes, like rolling a snowball, until the dumpling is the desired size.

The custom of eating Yuanxiao dumplings remains. This tradition encourages both old and new stores to promote their Yuanxiao products. They all try their best to improve the taste and quality of the dumplings to attract more customers.

60. Which of the following is NOT true?

      A. The custom of eating Yuanxiao dates back to the fourth century.

      B. Sugar, rose petals and minced meat are all fillings of Yuanxiao.

      C. Sweet Yuanxiao are usually made in southern China.

      D. People in northern China usually make Yuanxiao by rolling like a snowball.

61. Which country does the Lantern Festival come from?

A. China              B. South Korea            C. Jin Dynasty             D. Tang and Song periods.

62. Choose the right order of making Tangyuan in southern provinces.

① make a hole and insert the filling 

② roll the dough between your hands 

③ shape the dough of rice flour into balls  

④ close the hole  

⑤ prepare some rice flour

      A. ⑤③②①④  B. ③⑤①②④  C. ③①④②⑤  D. ⑤③①④②

63. What is the best title of this passage?

A. The Lantern Festival                                 B. The ingredients of Yuanxiao

C. The difference between Yuanxiao and Tangyuan.         D. China’s traditional food—Yuanxiao.

64. Why do we eat Yuanxiao today?

A. Because it’s a tradition.                                               B. Because it’s a tasty food.

C. Because we love our country.                                      D. Because this food can make money.

If you are afraid of the dark，it’s not a big deal．It’s perfectly normal to feel afraid After all，animals do too. “Fear matters，”says Karen Warkentin，an ecologist．“It’s a good thing，” she adds, “because fear makes you do things that keep you alive.”

Like kids，many animals experience fear and they respond to the feeling in variety of ways．A frightened turtle pulls its head and legs inside its shell．A  small fish will swim away when a big，hungry fish approaches．

Some animals respond to fear in ways you might not expect．The first example is that the fear of being eaten can scare some frogs right out of their eggs. Warkentin made the surprising discovery while studying red—eyed tree frogs in Costa Rica.

In this species，female frogs attach jellylike clumps（果冻一样的块状物）of their eggs to the undersides of leaves．The leaves hang on branches that dangle（悬挂）over ponds．After they hatch from the eggs，the tadpoles（蝌蚪）then fall into the water，where they eventually grow into adult frogs.

Tree frog eggs usually grow for 6 days before hatching．If they sense that a hungry snake is about to attack，however，they can hatch up to 2 days ahead of schedule. As the snakes are unable to swim，by falling into the water early，the tadpoles can escape.

If hatching early helps protect red—eyed tree frogs from snakes，you might wonder why their eggs don’t always hatch sooner．It turns out that hatching early brings its own danger．Once tadpoles land in the water，hungry fish and other animals like to eat them too．Staying in their eggs for a full 6 days，then，allows frog embryos（胚胎）to grow big and strong．This extra growth improves their chances of surviving in the water．

1.It can be inferred from the passage that fears      .

A．help animals grow bigger and stronger

B．are less common among young animals

C．help animals move a lot to fit the environment

D．are more or less important in order for animals to survive

2.We are told in the passage that tree frogs        .

A．face danger both inside their eggs and in the water

B．will grow fast if they fall into the water later

C．are surprisingly clever when inside their eggs

D．stay in their eggs longer if they are frightened

3.Why do the tadpoles hatch up to 2 days ahead of the schedule？Because

A．They like falling into the water early

B．They want to grow into adult frog

C． They sense a hungry snake is about to attack

D．Frog embryos can grow strong

4.What is the best title of the passage ？

A．What is Fear                           B．Why do we feel afraid

C．You feel afraid，animals do too             D．Fear is a good thing

5.What do you think would be discussed in the following paragraph?

A．Further explanations as to why tree frogs hatch ahead of schedule．

B．How the unborn frogs know when a snake is about to attack them．

C．Another example of animals that responds to fear in an unexpected way．

D．How tree frogs improve their chances of survival before falling into the water.

 

Nearly all our food comes from the soil. Some of us eat meat, of course, but animals live on plants. If there were no plants, we would have no animals and no meat. So the soil is very necessary for life. The top of the ground is usually covered with grass or other plants. There may be dead leaves and dead plants on the grass. The waste matter (粪) from animals also falls on it.

All soil needs food. If we do not give it any, the plants will be weak. Farmers found that animals’ waste is the best food for the soil, but chemical fertilizers (化肥) are also very useful. The same crop (庄稼) should not be grown in the same place every year; it’s better to have a different crop. A change of crop and the use of a good fertilizer will keep the land good.

1.What would happen first without plants?

A．People would have more crops.            B．Animals would die.

C．There would be more food.                D．There would be less soil.

2.What does the writer tell us in the first paragraph (段落)?

A．Leaves, plants, grass and waste live on each other.

B．There would be no animals without meat.

C．There would be no plants without animals.

D．People, animals, plants and soil live on each other.

3.Which is the best food for soil in the field?

A．Chemical fertilizers  B．Plants and grass.    C．Animals’ waste.   D．Different crops.

4.Why do we often grow a different crop in the same place every year?

A．Because we can keep the soil rich this way.

B．Because we don’t have enough land.

C．Because we want to have a different food.

D．Because we do this as a habit.

5.What is the best title for the passage?

A．Soil and Waste     B．Plants and Animals   C．Food and Waste    D．Soil and Food