题目内容
New holiday plan
Good news for all Chinese people! We will have one more day holiday every year starting in 2008, according to a new government plan.
The plan was passed by the State Council(国务院)this month and is likely to be formally announced before the new year. Under the new plan, New Year’s Day will remain a one-day holiday and Spring Festival will still last three days. However, it will now start a day earlier.
People will only have one day for the May Day holiday. But three traditional festivals, including Tomb-Sweeping Day, the Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival will be added on to the annual(每年的)holiday calendar. “Celebrating traditional festivals will help keep folk customs and Chinese traditional culture among the young,” said Cai Jiming, a professor at Tsinghua University.
Millions of people agree with him. In November, the government sought the public’s opinion about the holidays. According to Xinhua News Agency(通讯社),more than 1.55 million Chinese took part in an online survey and nearly 80 percent supported the plan.
Other people are happy about the change as there will be three more 3-day weekends with the traditional festivals. “There will be more choices when you choose to travel. We won’t have to squeeze through the crowds in scenic spots(景点)during Golden Weeks,” said Jin Lihua, a white-collar worker in Beijing.
The Golden Week system was first introduced in 1999, in the hope of encouraging people to spend more for the benefit of economic growth. The 8-year-old system achieved its goal with tourism profits increasing from 14.1 billion yuan during the first Golden Week to 64.2 billion yuan during the last National Day Holiday.
But voices calling for their cancellation are becoming ever stronger. People complain that having a nation of 1.3 billion on holiday during the same week resulted in crowded scenic spots, packed hotels and chaos(嘈杂) on trains and buses. Nationwide travel has also done harm to the environment around scenic spots.
1.In what way did the government seek the public’s opinion about the new holiday plan?
A.Written questronaire. B.Face-to-face interview.
C.Newspaper survey. D.Online survey.
2.The Colden Week system was first introduced in 1999 .
A.in order to encourage people to travel.
B.in order to encourage people to consume.
C.in order to increase tourism profits.
D.in order to please the Chinese people.
3.The underlined word “squeeze” in Paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to .
A.pull B.press C.push D.walk
4.Why do more and more people hope to call off the Golden Week system?
A.The Golden Week system caused many unpleasant problems in tourism and environment.
B.The Chinese people hope to celebrate traditional festivals.
C.Travelling is harmful to scenic spots.
D.The Chinese people need more holidays and more choices.
5.According to the new holiday plan, how many traditional festival holidays will the Chinese enjoy?
A.3. B.4. C.5. D.6.
DBCAB
Singles Day falls on every November 11th, and as the name indicates, this relatively new holiday is one exclusively for people who are still living the single life. I was a bit surprised when I googled “Singles Day” on the Internet, to find that China is the only country in the world that has set aside a special day for singles to celebrate their lives. To find out more about this celebration, please read on.
An old story goes that once there were four single men, leading very boring lives. None of them were married, or had lovers, or did anything exciting. They just sat around all day and played Mahjong.
One day they played Mahjong from 11 in the morning until 11 at night. During the game, no matter who won, the winning card was always the “four columns” card (the card shows four independent, parallel columns in two lines). Even more of a coincidence, it was Nov 11, or 11/11. In order to commemorate the day, they nicknamed it Singles Day.
Singles Day was first celebrated at various universities in Nanjing, capital city of Jiangsu Province during the 1990s. It got the name Singles Day because the date consists of four “ones”. These college students have since graduated, and carried their university tradition into society. Singles Day is now a special day for all fashionable youths.
The main way to celebrate Singles Day is to have dinner with your single friends, but it’s important that each person pay their own fee to show their independence. People also hold “blind date” parties in an attempt to say goodbye to their single lives.
Many singles also choose to say goodbye to their single lives on this day. Many attend “blind date” parties and many people choose to marry on this day. In addition to meaning “single” the four “ones” of the date can also mean “only one” as in “the only one for me.” Some people will use this date and this meaning to tell their special someone that they are the only “one” in their heart.
【小题1】Singles Day got its name because _______.
A.the persons who play Mahjong are four singles |
B.the date consists of four “ones” |
C.only single persons celebrate the day |
D.it was first celebrated at universities in Nanjing |
A.Singles Day was first celebrated in Nanjing’s universities. |
B.Many singles choose Singles Day to say goodbye to their single lives. |
C.The only way to celebrate the Singles Day is to have dinner with your single friends. |
D.It was these college graduated students that carried their university’s tradition into society. |
A.the four singles did not get married |
B.Singles Day receives great popularity among young people |
C.when having dinner, one pays the fee for all his friends |
D.on Singles Day many attend parties where blind people were present |
A.The Origin of Singles Day. | B.How to Celebrate Singles Day. |
C.Singles Day. | D.Say Goodbye to Singles Day. |
Are you a big fan of pirate(海盗) stories? Do you know how to talk like a pirate? You can have fun on September 19th. This special holiday is called International Talk Like A Pirate Day. It was invented in 1995 by two young Americans, John Baur and Mark Summers.
These two good friends came up with this idea when they were playing racquetball, and began to talk like pirates. At that moment, they thought, “Young people are interested in pirate, but there is no such a chance for people to get together to share it. Why not have a day when everybody talks like a pirate?” They decided to make September 19th the date. Since then, Baur and Summers have tried hard to promote Talk Like A Pirate Day. As Baur said, “We’ve talked like pirates, and encouraged several of our friends to do so every September 19th.”
At first, this day was only known by a few people. In 2002, Baur and Summers sent a letter about their invented holiday to Dave Barry. This columnist(专栏作家)really liked their idea. He promoted the holiday and made it known to more and more people. Now, it has really become an international holiday. On Talk Like A Pirate Day, you need to dress like a pirate. You should wear a big hat or maybe cover one of your eyes. You can pretend to be any kind of pirate that you can find in any story or movie.
Having fun and being relaxed are not the only best things about the holiday. Young people share the same interest and childhood dreams that day. That's why it is welcomed by so many people, especially young people.
Unlike traditional holidays, International Talk Like A Pirate Day is a brand new holiday which is invented by the youth themselves and celebrated by themselves too. Because of Baur and Summers’ imagination and creativity, thousands of young people’s pirate dream come true. Next time, when you have a good idea, why not share it with your fiends and insist on your belief? Maybe you can create another wonderful holiday for the youth in the future.
【小题1】How did John Baur and Mark Summers invent the special holiday?
A.Many young people asked them to do it |
B.They did it just for pleasure |
C.They did it in order to honor pirates |
D.They thought out the idea by chance and imagination |
A.It was Dave Barry who made more people know the holiday. |
B.Talk Like A Pirate Day is a young, active and lively holiday |
C.The holiday has been popular since the birth of it. |
D.Thanks to John Baur and Mark Summers’ imagination and creativity, many people realize the pirate dream. |
A.It is a brand new holiday invented and celebrated by the youth themselves. |
B.It is a wonderful and instructive holiday. |
C.It has a long history. |
D.People can make their dream come true on this day. |
A.Young people’s pirate dream | B.Can you talk like a pirate? |
C.John Baur and Mark Summers | D.September 19th—a traditional day in honor of pirates |
Are you a big fan of pirate(海盗) stories? Do you know how to talk like a pirate? You can have fun on September 19th. This special holiday is called International Talk Like A Pirate Day. It was invented in 1995 by two young Americans, John Baur and Mark Summers.
These two good friends came up with this idea when they were playing racquetball, and began to talk like pirates. At that moment, they thought, “Young people are interested in pirate, but there is no such a chance for people to get together to share it. Why not have a day when everybody talks like a pirate?” They decided to make September 19th the date. Since then, Baur and Summers have tried hard to promote Talk Like A Pirate Day. As Baur said, “We’ve talked like pirates, and encouraged several of our friends to do so every September 19th.”
At first, this day was only known by a few people. In 2002, Baur and Summers sent a letter about their invented holiday to Dave Barry. This columnist(专栏作家)really liked their idea. He promoted the holiday and made it known to more and more people. Now, it has really become an international holiday. On Talk Like A Pirate Day, you need to dress like a pirate. You should wear a big hat or maybe cover one of your eyes. You can pretend to be any kind of pirate that you can find in any story or movie.
Having fun and being relaxed are not the only best things about the holiday. Young people share the same interest and childhood dreams that day. That's why it is welcomed by so many people, especially young people.
Unlike traditional holidays, International Talk Like A Pirate Day is a brand new holiday which is invented by the youth themselves and celebrated by themselves too. Because of Baur and Summers’ imagination and creativity, thousands of young people’s pirate dream come true. Next time, when you have a good idea, why not share it with your fiends and insist on your belief? Maybe you can create another wonderful holiday for the youth in the future.
1.How did John Baur and Mark Summers invent the special holiday?
A.Many young people asked them to do it |
B.They did it just for pleasure |
C.They did it in order to honor pirates |
D.They thought out the idea by chance and imagination |
2.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A.It was Dave Barry who made more people know the holiday. |
B.Talk Like A Pirate Day is a young, active and lively holiday |
C.The holiday has been popular since the birth of it. |
D.Thanks to John Baur and Mark Summers’ imagination and creativity, many people realize the pirate dream. |
3.According to the passage, which of the following can show that the holiday is special?
A.It is a brand new holiday invented and celebrated by the youth themselves. |
B.It is a wonderful and instructive holiday. |
C.It has a long history. |
D.People can make their dream come true on this day. |
4.Which of the following can serve as the best title of the passage in a newspaper?
A.Young people’s pirate dream |
B.Can you talk like a pirate? |
C.John Baur and Mark Summers |
D.September 19th—a traditional day in honor of pirates |