The tradition of birthday parties started a long time ago. There are some traditions that you can find almost anywhere, anytime, such as sending birthday cards, blowing out the candles(吹熄蜡烛) on a birthday cake and singing the ‘Happy Birthday’ song. Others are only found for certain ages and in certain countries.
In China, on a child’s second birthday, family members put many things on the floor around the child. According to Chinese tradition, the first thing that the child picks up tells you what job the child will choose later in life.
For Japanese children, the third, fifth and seventh birthdays are especially important. At this age, there is a special celebration(庆祝) Shichi-Go-San (seven, five, three in Japanese) when children go to the temple wearing a new kimono (和服). The priest (僧侣) gives them special sweets, and the parents usually organize a party for their friends in their home.
In Argentina, Mexico and several other Latin American countries, girls have a special birthday celebration when they reach the age of fifteen. After a special ceremony (仪式), the girls dance a waltz with their father and other boys.
Eighteen is the traditional ‘coming of age’— the age when (in many countries) you have the right to vote (选举权), join the army （参军）and (in Britain) drink alcohol （酒）or buy a house.
In many English-speaking countries, a twenty-first birthday cake often has a key on top, or the cake itself is sometimes in the shape of a key. The key means that the young person is now old enough to leave and enter the family home at any time they want to! Which of the following birthday traditions can you find almost anywhere, anytime?
A. Putting many things on the floor.
B. Sending birthday cards.
C. Dancing a waltz. Mexican girls have a special birthday celebration at the age of .
A. five B. seven C. fifteen In many countries you can ___ when you reach the age of eighteen.
A. join the army B. have a key C. have a special ceremony Which of the following sentences is NOT true?
A. The tradition of birthday parties started a long time ago.
B. Some birthday traditions are only found in certain countries.
C. You become the owner of your house at the age of fifteen.Which is the best title of this passage?
A. Birthday Traditions around the World
B. The Drinking Age in Many Countries
C. Japanese Special Celebration
Can I ask you if you miss the UK, or your relations?
What do you like to do in your free time?
I don’t know he did it.
How can Steve prove he’s honest?
What’s up? You look really unhappy.
What things worried her on that night?
Where are you going to spend the holiday?
Why is Jackie Chan your hero?
I’d like to go to the pop concert.
Why didn’t they catch the plane?
| I’ll show you. A loud noise, as if someone was laughing. Tell his father the truth. I like sailing and mountain biking. I’m going to spend the holidays in Sanya. So would I. Yes, I miss my parents, but I have some close friends here. The train was so late that they missed their flight. Because he’s a great film star and all his films are fantastic. Yes, I feel terrible about something. |
配对阅读。A—G为七本畅销书，看完1---5小题的叙述后，请根据题意为每个人选择最合适的一本书。Today people write to, even talk to others on the computer. Nancy wants to learn more about it.
Mary is a good mother. She believes eating proper food is important. She likes to help her children grow better with proper food.
Jack often sits at the desk studying all night, but he still gets poor grades. He hopes to do better on the tests.
Bob’s sister wants him to move to New York. But he isn’t sure whether that is a good idea. He needs to know more about the country.
Jenny is confused that there are too many used plastic bags and old newspapers at home. She doesn’t know what to do with them.
Bad Hobbies
It’s easier to walk downhill than to climb uphill. So it is easier to fall into bad habits than into good ones. Bad habits do not form suddenly. They form little by little, so you don’t realize（意识到） their danger. Schoolboys and schoolgirls first pick up little bad habits at school or on the streets. When they cannot do their homework, they copy from their classmates. If they see bigger boys or girls smoking, they also want to learn to smoke. If they see their friends gambling(赌博)，they want to gamble. When they get older, the habits become stronger and stronger. Then they can no longer give them up. From copying, they learn to steal; from gambling, they learn to cheat. At last, no one believes in them. It is very important to stop bad habits as soon as they begin!
My son is eight years old. He is now in Grade Three. When he was five, he started school. Every evening we have homework battles. Three afternoons a week he has activities after school. By the time we get home, homework is the last thing he feels like doing. The other two afternoon, he gets home early and we argue(争论) about whether he should do his homework straight away, or if he should have some time to rest and play first. When my son finally sits down to do his homework, he seems to want me there helping him all the time. I do want to help him, but I am sure that he can do it by himself. In fact, I often end up telling him the answers to most of his homework. He has fallen into the habit of depending on me to do this. He never wants to use his own brain.
My wife and I have given up all our outdoor activities. We sit with him when he does his homework. We want to train him form some good learning habits. But what should we do?Bad habit form(形成)_________.
| A．suddenly | B．little by little |
| C．very quickly | D．very happily |
Schoolboys and schoolgirls first pick up little bad habits .
| A．at home | B．at school or on the street |
| C．in the library | D．at the other’s home |
From gambling, they learn to ___________.
| A．steal | B．smoke | C．cheat | D．fight |
My son ________.
| A．likes doing his homework | B．get home on time |
| C．depends on us too much | D．uses his head |
It is very for a child to form good study habits.
| A．easy | B．quick | C．important | D．wrong |
Ask the blog!
Post your problems on the blog and get other blogger’s advice!
My problem is my parents. They never stop going on about how I should keep my room tidy, keep my hair tidy and wear smart clothes. They even make me do the washing-up after dinner every night! None of my friends have got such terrible parents. What should I do?
Helen, USA
Why do you think you’re the only one with parents like that? All parents are the same. They want us to look like them. They don’t understand that fashion have changed in the past 30years!
Tom, Canada
Hi, Helen. I think you should do what your parents ask. They’re much older than you and you should respect them. It’s their house you live in and their money you spend!
Emily, New Zealand
Helen, why should your parents do all the washing-up? You should help around the house---it’s only fair. I don’t think you should change your appearance though. Teenagers should look like teenagers.
Aisha, Nigeria
Read the passage and judge the sentences true (T) or false (F)Helen likes doing the washing-up after dinner every night.
Tom agrees with Helen.
Emily thinks children should respect parents.
Helen thinks parents should do all the washing-up.
Aisha comes from New Zealand.
HAVE you noticed that the moon is becoming rounder and brighter day after day? That’s because Sept 8 is the Mid-Autumn Festival.
For Chinese people, a full moon means that family members can get together on that day. On the Mid-Autumn Festival, people get together and enjoy the round moon . They also send wishes for family members not with them.
There are many stories about the moon to make the tradition more interesting. In China, Chang’e flying to the moon is a well-known legend(传说). Hou Yi and Chang’e were husband and wife in old times. At the time, there were 10 suns in the sky. Hou yi, a brave man, shot (射) down nine suns. People see Hou Yi as a great hero.
Besides China, many other countries have beautiful stories about the moon. In Greek legend (希腊传说), Artemis is the goddess of the moon. She takes care of the hunt (狩猎) and wild animals. Artemis also looks after young children and women in childbirth (分娩).
In India, the god of the moon is Soma. He has four hands and rides through the sky in a chariot (战车). If a baby is born on a full moon day, Indian people believe he or she is lucky. Paragraph 2 tells us that _____.
| A．the Mid-Autumn Festival is a day for family members to get together. |
| B．the Mid-Autumn Festival has a short history |
| C．Chinese people like to look at the moon |
| D．family members are not that important for Chinese people |
From the Chang’e story, we can learn the following EXCEPT _____.
| A．Hou Yi and Chang’e were husband and wife |
| B．there were 10 suns in the sky at that time |
| C．Hou Yi shot down nine suns |
| D．Hou Yi and Chang’e both flew to the moon |
According to the article, Artemis _____.
| A．is the goddess of the moon in Greek myth |
| B．is the goddess of the moon in Indian myth |
| C．has four hands and rides through the sky on a chariot |
| D．had a baby who was born on a full moon day |
What does the article mainly talk about?
| A．How Chinese people celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. |
| B．The story about Hou Yi and Chang’e. |
| C．Stories about the moon in different countries. |
| D．Who the god or goddess of the moon is in different countries. |
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