The tradition of birthday parties started a long time ago. There are some traditions that you can find almost anywhere, anytime, such as sending birthday cards, blowing out the candles(吹熄蜡烛) on a birthday cake and singing the ‘Happy Birthday’ song. Others are only found for certain ages and in certain countries.

In China, on a child’s second birthday, family members put many things on the floor around the child. According to Chinese tradition, the first thing that the child picks up tells you what job the child will choose later in life.

For Japanese children, the third, fifth and seventh birthdays are especially important. At this age, there is a special celebration(庆祝) Shichi-Go-San (seven, five, three in Japanese) when children go to the temple wearing a new kimono (和服). The priest (僧侣) gives them special sweets, and the parents usually organize a party for their friends in their home.

In Argentina, Mexico and several other Latin American countries, girls have a special birthday celebration when they reach the age of fifteen. After a special ceremony (仪式), the girls dance a waltz with their father and other boys.

Eighteen is the traditional ‘coming of age’— the age when (in many countries) you have the right to vote (选举权), join the army （参军）and (in Britain) drink alcohol （酒）or buy a house.

In many English-speaking countries, a twenty-first birthday cake often has a key on top, or the cake itself is sometimes in the shape of a key. The key means that the young person is now old enough to leave and enter the family home at any time they want to! 

1.Which of the following birthday traditions can you find almost anywhere, anytime?

A. Putting many things on the floor.

B. Sending birthday cards.

C. Dancing a waltz.                         

2.Mexican girls have a special birthday celebration at the age of       .

A. five           B. seven              C. fifteen 

3.In many countries you can ___ when you reach the age of eighteen.

A. join the army    B. have a key    C. have a special ceremony  

4.Which of the following sentences is NOT true?

A. The tradition of birthday parties started a long time ago.

B. Some birthday traditions are only found in certain countries.

C. You become the owner of your house at the age of fifteen.

5.Which is the best title of this passage?

A. Birthday Traditions around the World 

B. The Drinking Age in Many Countries

C. Japanese Special Celebration

Is it a tree? Is it a bear? If you’re looking at a tree in the shape of a bear, it’s a topiary(林木雕塑). A topiary is a tree or a bush(灌木) that is trained into a shape. Growing a topiary garden takes both time and skills.

A topiary gardener should make a drawing first. The drawing shows the final shape that the gardener likes. The gardener then chooses a bush for the topiary. It may be one that just planted or one that is already in place.

In June of the plant’s first year, the gardener looks for new leaves. When the leaves grow, it’s time to shape(给……造型) the bottom of the bush. It needs about five years. The top is not trimmed during this time. In the fifth year, the bush grows tall enough for shaping. Then the gardener begins to shape the whole bush.

Once a topiary has been started, it needs care all year. In the summer it must be cut many times to keep its shape. This cutting also helps the bush grow. In the winter the bushes don’t grow. The gardeners have to brush snow of the plants, or snow may hurt some parts of them.

Topiary gardening is very old art. The Romans did it in the first Century. In the sixteenth century, people in Europe like topiaries too. By the late 1600s, topiaries were also grown in America. Today it’s popular in many parts of the world.

1. Put the following in the right order according to the passage.

a. The gardener chooses a bush for the topiary.

b. The whole bush grows tall enough for shaping.

c. The gardener begins to shape the bottom of the bush.

d. The gardener draws the shape of a topiary.

A. d→a→b→c            B. b→c→a→d         C. a→d→c→b      D. d→a→c→b

2.In which part of the world did the topiary gardening begin first?

A. In Rome.      B. In Europe.         C. In America.         D. In Africa.

Is it a tree? Is it a bear? If you’re looking at a tree in the shape of a bear, it’s a topiary(林木雕塑). A topiary is a tree or a bush(灌木) that is trained into a shape. Growing a topiary garden takes both time and skills.
A topiary gardener should make a drawing first. The drawing shows the final shape that the gardener likes. The gardener then chooses a bush for the topiary. It may be one that just planted or one that is already in place.
In June of the plant’s first year, the gardener looks for new leaves. When the leaves grow, it’s time to shape(给……造型) the bottom of the bush. It needs about five years. The top is not trimmed during this time. In the fifth year, the bush grows tall enough for shaping. Then the gardener begins to shape the whole bush.
Once a topiary has been started, it needs care all year. In the summer it must be cut many times to keep its shape. This cutting also helps the bush grow. In the winter the bushes don’t grow. The gardeners have to brush snow of the plants, or snow may hurt some parts of them.
Topiary gardening is very old art. The Romans did it in the first Century. In the sixteenth century, people in Europe like topiaries too. By the late 1600s, topiaries were also grown in America. Today it’s popular in many parts of the world.
【小题1】 Put the following in the right order according to the passage.
a. The gardener chooses a bush for the topiary.
b. The whole bush grows tall enough for shaping.
c. The gardener begins to shape the bottom of the bush.
d. The gardener draws the shape of a topiary.

Did you visit the Shanghai World Expo last summer? What impressed (给……留下印象)  you? 21st Century Kids invites four kids to talk about their experiences. They are back from the Expo. What did they bring us? Let’s see what they have to say.

I went to the SAIC-GM Pavilion (上汽集团通用汽车馆). I found my dream car there. It is a green car. Its name is “Leaf”. Chinese engineers made the car. Its roof is in the shape of a leaf. The roof takes in CO₂ and changes it into electricity for the car.

The Japan Pavilion is full of high technology. The “Wonder Camera” is cool. It can find a smiling face in a crowd. When you’re smiling, it takes a photo of you. I want to invent something like that in the future.

My favorite pavilion is the Germany Pavilion. I watched the Energy Source show. Visitors made a ball swing back and forth (来回摇摆) by using only their voices. It’s amazing! Although we had waited for quite a long time before we entered the hall, I think it is well worth seeing with your own eyes.

I like painting, so my parents took me to the France Pavilion to see the famous paintings. But the French cooks caught my eye. I saw them cook. My mom told me that they are some of the best cooks in the world. The dish they cooked looked like a painting. So, being a cook is my second dream job.

1.The 21st Century Kids seems to be _____.

A．a travel service                         B．a newspaper

C．a group of tourists                       D．four children

2. What does the underlined word “electricity” mean in the passage?

A．电               B．汽油             C．灯光             D．指示

3. What activity did the writer experience in the France Pavilion?

A．Using the “Wonder Camera”

B．Driving the green car “Leaf”.

C．To have delicious French dishes.

D．To see cooks painting.

4. What made the ball in the Germany Pavilion swing?

A．Visitors’ smiling faces                   B．CO₂ from cars

C．Some secret power                      D．Noise made by visitors

5. The trip to the Shanghai World Expo made the four kids _____.

A．hardworking and polite                   B．amazed and frightened

C．patient and cheerful                     D．excited and curious

In the US, the most popular way to welcome the new year is with a big party. Some parties are at private homes. But in recent years, it has become more and more common for Americans to go to a hotel or eating-place on the night of December 31st. There, they can eat a big dinner, drink champagne, and dance to orchestra music.

Most New Year’s parties are usually noisy. People shout and sing. And often, guests blow on small noisemakers when the new year arrives at midnight. This tradition of noise making is believed to start centuries ago. People thought that loud sounds would drive away the bad spirits of the old year.

The biggest, noisiest New Year’s party in the US takes place in Times Square in New York. Thousands of people gather(聚集) there. Some of them ring bells and set fireworks. Others blow whistles of car horns(喇叭). And at twelve o’clock, they begin to cheer as an electric sign in the shape of a red apple lights up on top of a tall building.

The Times Square celebration includes another well-known American tradition. Since 1929, the band of musician Guy Lombardo has given a concert on New Year’s Eve. Guy Lombardo died in 1977. But, Bill Lombardo, has kept the tradition alive with a band concert at a New York city hotel. When the crowds in Times Square start cheering the arrival of the new year, television cameras show the band playing the song Auld Lang Syne.

1. The most usual way to welcome the new year in the US is ________.

A. to go shopping      B. to meet friends    C. to travel abroad     D. to hold a big party

2. The biggest New Year’s party in the US is __________.

A. in Central Park     B. in Hollywood       C. in Times Square    D. in Disneyland

3. In the past, some American people made big noise when the new year arrived ________

A. to express their friendship         B. to drive away the bad spirits

C. to make others more excited       D. to give best wishes to each other

4.In 1929 a concert on New Year’s Eve was given by _________.

A. the band of Guy Lombardo        B. the band of Bill Lombardo

C. the band of Johann Strauss         D. the band of Elvis Aaron Presley