Dragons are not real animals, but look like a combination(结合体)of many animals such as snakes, fish and deer. They have two horns(角)and a long moustache(胡子). With fantastic powers, they fly in the sky or swim in the sea. They can make rain, too. The Chinese dragon is a symbol of strength and good luck. The emperors of ancient China loved dragons. Their clothes were covered with pictures of dragons.

We are proud to call ourselves the "descendants(传人)of the dragon". In Chinese, "excellent" people are often called "dragons". A number of Chinese sayings and idioms talk about dragons, for example, "Hoping one's child will become a dragon," which means hoping he or she will be successful.

It is said that people born in the Year of the Dragon have certain characteristics. They are creative, confident, brave and quick-tempered. There are some famous "dragons" who have done excellent things, for example, the great man Deng Xiaoping, the famous businessman Li Jiacheng and the movie star Zhao Wei. They are all very successful.

There are also some traditional festivals about dragons in China, such as the Dragon Head-Raising Day and the Dragon Boat Festival. We have different kinds of activities to celebrate them. These two festivals come every year, but the Year of the Dragon comes every twelve years. 2012 is the Year of the Dragon.

The dragon is very important in Chinese culture. As the "descendants of the dragon", it is necessary for us to know the views on dragons in our culture. It can help us understand why our parents always want us to be "dragons".

1.What does the Chinese dragon symbolize?

A.A combination of many animals. B.Chinese sayings and idioms.

C.Traditional festivals. D.Strength and good luck.

2.In the passage, the underlined sentence "Hoping one's child will become a dragon." means "_______"in Chinese.

A.龙马精神 B.龙飞凤舞 C.望子成龙 D.龙腾虎跃

3.What characteristics may the people born in the Year of the Dragon have?

A.Creative, confident, patient and powerful. B.Creative, confident, brave and quick-tempered.

C.Lovely, confident, brave and bad-tempered. D.Lucky, confident, creative and successful.

4.Which of the following years is the Year of the Dragon?

A.1988. B.1998. C.2008. D.2018

5.According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A.Dragons are real animals.

B.There are many Chinese sayings and idioms about dragons.

C.People born in the Year of the Dragon must be successful.

D.The "descendants of the dragon" are often called "dragons".

Every kid wishes to be an adult. Do you remember playing house as a child—pretending(假装) to be a grown-up like your parents? Did you imagine you were a doctor, a soldier or a teacher? At that time, anything seemed more exciting than being young.

But now as grown-ups, some adults find they cannot leave childhood behind. They become “kidults”. Being a kidult has become a lifestyle choice among young people across Asia. Some kidults collect toys they once played with such as Hello Kitty, Garfield.

Other kidults still enjoy children’s stories and fairy tales. For example, the British publisher(出版商) Bloomsbury even released an edition of the Harry Potter novels with an adult cover. That way, no one else on the subway will know that an adult is actually reading a children’s book.

“Kidults can be like vitamins to society. Child-like emotions(情感) maybe needed in such a hard society,” said Lee So-jung, a professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. He added that kidult culture may fill the generation gap(代沟) between adults and kids. It could give children and their parents books, cartoon shows and movies to enjoy together.

Tim Greenhalgh, an adviser to London explained that some kidults just refuse to grow up. They stick to childhood because working life in a busy and stressful city make them scared. Kidults would like to forget their age and openly show their fear of society and adulthood. “So, they can keep away from busy and stressful lives that are hard to deal with,” Greenhalgh said.

1.Why does a kid wish to be an adult?

A.Because he wants to be independent like an adult.

B.Because he doesn’t want to be controlled by adults.

C.Because he really wants to experience the real world:

D.Because he thinks there will be more exciting life when he grows up.

2.What can we infer(推断) from the passage?

A.All kids refuse to grow up.

B.Kidults think childhood is a good time of their life.

C.Some kidults in Britain like being doctors or teachers.

D.All kidults want to keep away from the busy and stressful life.

3.Which statement is one of the advantages of the kidult culture?

A.It can make adults face the real social life.

B.It can make our society young and full of life.

C.It can increase the sales of children’s books.

D.It helps build good relationship between adults and kids.

4.According to the writer, being a kidult is good in some way except that ________

A.It can improve the relationship between parents and their kids.

B.It can help kidults feel relaxed.

C.It is helpful to solve some social problems.

D.It can make people loyal(忠诚的) to one’s parents.

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