Does winter mean a boring time at home? Winter can be interesting too! Let’s enjoy some winter fun across China together.

Tengchong hot springs (温泉)

Hot springs in Tengchong, Yunnan Province are very special. Some are near rivers and some are in forests. You can enjoy beautiful sights when having a bath. You can also try to cook eggs in the spring. The most famous hot spring in Tengchong is Dagunguo. The water temperature is about 97 °C.

Winter fishing in Chagan Lake

December and January are the Chagan Lake winter fishing seasons. The lake is in Jilin Province. It is frozen in winter. People there cut holes in the ice and go fishing. They wear fur hats and coats. If you go there, you may want to share a bowl of their delicious fish soup and their joy.

Birdwatching at Caohai Lake

Caohai Lake in Guizhou Province is a great place for birdwatchers. The lake covers an area of more than 30 square kilometers. More than 100,000 migratory birds (候鸟) live there during the winter. There are 230 kinds of birds there. Among them are 70 kinds of rare birds. Black-necked cranes, the only plateau (高原) cranes in the world, fly to the lake between October and November and leave in March and April.

1.You can ________ in the hot springs in Yunnan.

A.have a bath B.see plateau cranes C.see ice D.cut holes and fish

2.If you want to see black-necked cranes, you can go to ________.

A.Tengchong hot springs B.Chagan Lake

C.Caohai Lake D.Dagunguo

3.Chagan Lake is in ________.

A.Tengchong B.Yunnan Province C.Jilin Province D.Guizhou Province

4.There are ________ kinds of rare birds in Caohai Lake.

A.100,000 B.230 C.97 D.70

5.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A.In winter, Chagan Lake is hot and you can cook eggs in it.

B.Black-necked cranes may fly to Caohai Lake in August.

C.October and November are the Chagan Lake winter fishing seasons.

D.Caohai Lake is over 30 square kilometers in size.

Many expressions that we use in American English come from novels. Today we will look at some of them from Lewis Carroll’s famous novel “Alice in Wonderland” in detail.

The story is about a young girl falling down a rabbit hole. When she finally lands, she finds herself in a strange world and meets some strange characters.

The first character Alice meets is the White Rabbit, who runs past her and says some strange words. Alice runs after him, and that is where her adventures begin.

In English, chasing a white rabbit means chasing an impossible clue and finding yourself in a misleading situation.

Then, as she runs after the rabbit, she falls down the rabbit hole into Wonderland.

To fall down the rabbit hole can mean to enter a situation which makes people feel puzzled. However, usually we use this expression to mean we get interested in something to the point of distractions(分神). It often happens by accident and is about something not that meaningful.

Later in the story, Alice meets the March Hare and the Hatter at a crazy tea party. Hares have long been thought to behave excitedly in March, which is their mating(交配)season. Scientifically, this may not be true. But to be mad as a March Hare means that someone is completely mad, or crazy. The expression mad as a Hatter also means to be completely crazy. Of the two, mad as a Hatter is more common.

Near the end of the story, Alice meets the Queen of Hearts. A woman who is called a Queen of Hearts likes controlling others and always tries to control everything and everyone around her.

1.Which of the following situations best fits the expression “to fall down a rabbit hole”?

A.When Jack was sitting in the study, he got bored with the homework and felt sleepy.

B.When Sue turned On the TV, she chose to watch her favourite programme as usual.

C.When Jim was looking for a sport book online, he lost himself in reports on superstars.

D.When Lily was thinking about how to solve a math problem, she came up with a good idea.

2.According to the passage, the expression “to be mad as a March Hare” .

A.describes how hares behave in March

B.shows hares’ characteristics in a funny way

C.is used more often than the expression mad as a Hatter

D.has the same meaning as the expression mad as a Hatter

3.Which of the following characters wants others to obey his or her orders in every situation?

A.Alice. B.The March Hare. C.The Hatter. D.The Queen of Hearts.

4.The writer mainly wants to ________in this passage.

A.introduce a famous novel and its language style

B.introduce a famous writer Lewis Carroll and his novels

C.explain some English expressions from a famous novel

D.explain why many expressions in English come from novels

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