Today is March 17th．About two and a half months ago, I said“Happy New Year!”to many of my friends．About fifty days ago, I said the same thing to some other friends．In about four days, I’ll say the same wishes to yet another group of friends．I’ll do the same thing in July and also in September．“How can that be?”you might ask(if you ‘re from Western Europe or the Americas)．“Everyone knows that New Year’s Day is in Januare!”
In fact, the date of New Year’s Day depends on the calendar(日历)－and I have friends who use one or more of five different calendars to keep track of at least part of their lives：
●January 1st：New Year’s Day on the Western/international calendar
●In January or February(in 2006, January 29 th)：New Year’s Day on the Chinese calendar(China, Korea, and a few other places)
●March 21st：New Year’s Day on the traditional Persian(波斯)calendar
●Mid-July(usually the 16 th)：New Year’s Day on the Isamic(穆斯林)calendar
●September：New Year’s Day on most Eastern Orthodox Church(东正教)calendars(Central and Eastern Europe)and, usually, on the Jewish calendar
And these are just the New Year’s Days that I know about!As a matter of fact, there are probably even more!
(1)
The first time the writer said,“Happy New Year!”was about January 1st．The second time was on or after ________．
[ ]
A．
February 28th
B．
the middle of March
C．
January 29th
D．
March 21st
(2)
The writer will say“Happy New Year”around March 21st to some ________ friends．
[ ]
A．
Chinese
B．
Korean
C．
Persian
D．
Eastern Orthodox
(3)
According to the passage, we can infer that the exact(准确的)dates for the two New Year’s Days in September are ________．
[ ]
A．
probably different
B．
not always in September
C．
probably the same
D．
after September
(4)
The meaning of“keep track of”is ________．
[ ]
A．
understand
B．
choose
C．
manage
D．
forget
(5)
The Chinese calendar is used ________．
[ ]
A．
only in China
B．
in several different places
C．
only in China and Korea
D．
all over the world
(6)
The word“Years”in the title of this article ________．
[ ]
A．
means that January 1st is at different times on different calendars
B．
is a mistake and should be“Year”
C．
is used because New Year’s Day is at different times on different calendars
D．
means that the writer was polite
阅读理解
The Spring Festival is China's biggest traditional(传统的) holiday．It usually comes in January or February．It is also called“New Year”because it makes the beginning of a lunar(农历) New Year and the coming of spring．It is celebrated by a big family-reunion dinner．People are very excited and happy．Many people travel hundreds of kilometres to get home for the holiday．And railway stations，bus stations and airports are filled with people hurrying home．Shops and supermarkets are crowded with holiday shoppers．Children are especially happy．They are having their winter vacation；they have many delicious things to eat；they wear new clothes；they fire crackers(爆竹) and fireworks(烟花)．Besides they get some pocket money from their parents as gifts．
The Chinese living in foreign countries also celebrate this big holiday with lion dances，dragon(龙) dances and other colourful performances．Today even many foreigners have come to like our Spring Festival．
(1)
Which is China's biggest traditional holiday?
A．Mid-Autumn Day．
B．New Year's Day．
C．The Spring Festival．
D．Christmas．
[ ]
(2)
Why is the Spring Festival also called lunar New Year?
A．Because it is th beginning of a lunar year．
B．Because it is a spring day.
C．Because it is the beginning of a new year.
D．Because it is the biggest traditional holiday.
[ ]
(3)
Why are the railway stations，the bus stations and the airports so crowded during the holiday?
A．Many people are going to other countries for a visit．
B．Many people are going home for family reunion．
C．Many students are returning to their schools．
D．Many people are going to other cities to do shopping．
[ ]
(4)
What don't the children get during the holiday?
A．Gift money．
B．Candies and crackers．
C．New textbooks．
D．New clothes．
[ ]
(5)
How do the Chinese living in foreign countries celebrate the Spring Festival?
A．By sending cards to friends．
B．By returning to China for family reunion．
C．By holding big parties．
D．With lion dances，dragon dances and other performances．
January 1 is the New Year’s Day, the first day of the year．It is a legal(法定的)holiday, and all banks, stores and schools are closed．Many people invite their friends to come and visit them in the afternoon or evening．
The only legal holiday in February is Washington’s Birthday．Although Washington was born on February 22, his birthday is now celebrated on the third Monday of February．Some States also celebrate Lincoln’s birthday on February 12．These two, the United States’ most famous presidents, were both born in February．
The last Monday in May is Memorial Day(纪念日)．This holiday remembers the many service members, men and women, who died for their country．Americans celebrate Memorial Day with services in cemeteries(公墓)and churches．
America’s great national holiday, Independence Day, falls on the fourth of July．It celebrates the birth of the United States．It was on this day that the colonists(殖民者)announced their independence from England．They had to fight hard for the next seven years to win this independence．
The first Monday of September is Labor Day(劳工节)．This holiday honors(向——表示敬意)the working people of the United States．There are sorts of celebrations and speeches on this day too．People go to all kinds of places to enjoy the fine weather at the end of summer．
(1)
This passage mainly tells us something about ________．
[ ]
A．
Independence Day
B．
America’s holidays
C．
Memorial Day
D．
New Year’s Day
(2)
Which festival is NOT a public holiday?
[ ]
A．
Labor Day
B．
Valentine’s Day
C．
Washington’s Birthday
D．
Thanksgiving Day
(3)
The American people celebrate ________ on July 4th every year．
[ ]
A．
New Year’s Day
B．
May Day
C．
Memorial Day
D．
Independence Day
(4)
From this passage we know ________．
[ ]
A．
American people do not work on New Year’s Day
B．
Memorial Day falls on the first Monday of February
C．
Labor Day comes on May 1 in the United States
D．
Americans celebrate Independence Day on June 14
(5)
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
[ ]
A．
Americans celebrate Memorial Day in order to remember their dead friends．
B．
On New Year’s Day Americans usually go shopping．
C．
Washington and Lincoln were born in the same month．
D．
Americans celebrate Labor Day to remember the dead workers．
阅读快车系列答案
ks. D. From his parents.
15 th. B. August 16 th. C. August 12 th. D. August 13 th.