Beijing is the capital of China. It is also one of the birthplaces of the Chinese civilization (文明) and one of the six ancient capital cities in China. It is the second biggest city with an area of 17,020 square kilometers. Beijing is changing every day and it is becoming more and more beautiful. Now there are a lot of new buildings, modern shopping malls and large markets.
In the past, Beijing was very clean and quiet and most people went to work or school by bike. Things have changed a lot. Now people can take the bus, the underground or the taxi to go to work or school. It is fast and convenient.
The changes in Beijing have brought many advantages but they have also caused some problems: air pollution, noise pollution, sandstorms and lots of traffic. 
【小题1】How many ancient capital cities are there in China?

Beijing is the capital of China. It is also one of the birthplaces of the Chinese civilization (文明) and one of the six ancient capital cities in China. It is the second biggest city with an area of 17,020 square kilometers. Beijing is changing every day and it is becoming more and more beautiful. Now there are a lot of new buildings, modern shopping malls and large markets.

In the past, Beijing was very clean and quiet and most people went to work or school by bike. Things have changed a lot. Now people can take the bus, the underground or the taxi to go to work or school. It is fast and convenient.

The changes in Beijing have brought many advantages but they have also caused some problems: air pollution, noise pollution, sandstorms and lots of traffic. 

1.How many ancient capital cities are there in China?

A．one              B．five              C．six               D．seven

2.How many kinds of problems are mentioned in this passage?

A．four             B．five              C．six               D．seven

3.In the past, people went to work or school ___________.

A．by car            B．by taxi            C．by underground    D．by bike

4.Which statement is the right?

A．Beijing is the biggest city of China.

B．There were many tall buildings in Beijing in the past.

C．The transport in Beijing is fast and convenient.

D．The changes to Beijing have only brought advantages.

5.Which is the best title of this passage?

A．Beijing is the capital of China.              B．Birthplace of China.

C．The problems Beijing have now.            D．Beijing’s past and present.

A Christina from Spain
On the last day of the year, the 31^st of December, people wait till 12 pm. Everybody must have 12 grapes(葡萄) to eat at midnight. At each sound of the clock, we must eat a group. But we can’t ever finish eating the grapes on time! Usually when people still have some grapes in their mouths, they look at each other and start to laugh. This tradition started in Spain long ago. One year, when there were a lot of grapes, the king of Spain decided to give grapes to everybody to eat on New Year’s Eve.
B Cordon from Britain
On New Year’s Day in Britain, people have parties. At 12 o’clock, the music stops, and we listen to the radio. On the radio we hear Big Ben, the famous clock in London. Then everybody sings a song about friendship and kisses their friends. We say “Happy New Year” to each other. It’s lucky if a tall man with dark hair is the first person to come to the house in the new year. So I go and visit as many friends as I can. They all give me a drink.
C Angela from Brazil
In all cities in Brazil, we have a big party on New Year’s Eve, especially in Rio de Janeiro. People in this city go to the beaches to watch fireworks(焰火)。We put flowers in the sea and think about things we want for ourselves or others. We usually wear white clothes for good luck during the New Year.
【小题1】Picture___________ is about paragraph 1.

【小题2】Who have parties on New Year’s Day?
A. People in Spain.  B. People in Britain.
C. People in Brazil.  D. Both B and C.
【小题3】From the 2nd paragraph, we can infer (推断)that___________.