The Spring Festival marks the first day of a new year, so the first meal is rather important. People from the North and the South have different   36  about the foods they eat on this  37  day. In Northern China, people   38  eat Jiaozi. The word Jiaozi in Chinese means the   39  and the beginning of time. According to historical   40 , in the past people from the North and the South both ate Jiaozi on Chinese New Year’s Day. Perhaps   41  the areas in Southern China   42  more rice than those in Northern China, southern people slowly  43  to eat many other kinds of food on New Year’s Day.   44  , the most common foods for the first   45  are noodles, New Year Cake and Tangyuan. The noodle  46  long life. The New Year Cake is called Niangao in Chinese, which   47  the hope of improvement in   48  year after year. Tangyuan is a symbol of   49   according to the Chinese.
To  50  a New Year visit to relatives and friends is an important activity during the Spring Festival. People also send cards to   51   a New Year’s greeting. What children love most is to set off firecrackers.   52  , as the pace of life is becoming faster and faster, people have   53  new ways to celebrate the Chinese traditional New Year. For example, many people no longer send out greeting cards.   54  , they use short messages or emails. Also to travel during the New Year holidays has come into   55  .

The Chinese New Year is a great holiday to choose to celebrate Chinese culture with your child. Here are few fun ways to bring a bit of fun and   1   into your home through the festivities of the Chinese New Year.

1.Add a lucky red door. Red is a traditional color of   2  . It's an important part of the Chinese New Year to   3  on doing what one can to bring about good luck for the New Year. If you don't want to  4   the door red, how about wrapping it up like a present with red wrapping paper. If changing your front door's color is not workable, how about the door to your child's bedroom?

2.Eat. A huge part of most cultures is that of food and the Chinese New Year is not   5  , it's eating jiaozi at midnight on New Year's Eve, or longevity noodles on day seven of the festivities to    6  long life. The Chinese New Year celebrations mean many fancy meals that your child will   7  .

3.Create a lantern. Sara Naumann, the Guide to China Travel, shares a bit about the legend of the Lantern Festival or Yuanxiao, which occurs on the   8  day of the Chinese New Year festivities. It's a   9  that includes an emperor, a young woman who misses her family, and tricking the God of Fire. Your kids should love this story. After   10  it with them, or while reading the story, enjoy making your own paper lantern to display.

4.Give lucky money. The Guide to Mandarin Language shares that another very popular   11  during the Chinese New Year is that of the gift of red envelopes with   12  in them. These gifts are given to children and usually follow a bit of superstition（迷信） in that the money needs to be given in even amounts and never contain   13  numbers, such as four. Therefore, four dollars is not a good gift. The envelopes are also decorated with lucky symbols and New Year   14  .

5.Give a small gift. The giving of simple gifts is also an appropriate way to   15  the Chinese New Year. What better gift than that of a children's book about the Chinese New Year or the Chinese Culture.

6.Make some noise. Just like in America, the Chinese use   16  in ringing in their New Year. In the Chinese culture it began as a way to   17   away any demons（鬼） that threaten to bring a profitable and lucky New Year, but today it's also about excitement and   18  . Consider setting off a few firecrackers of your own, if allowed in your area. If not, make a cute firework picture with a bit of glitter and glue. A pretend firecracker is another great craft that could also be considered a festive way to decorate your New Year table.

7.Sing Happy Birthday to your dog. The second day of the Chinese New Year is   19  the birthday of all dogs. Why not   20  your child to throw Fido a birthday celebration? Perhaps an extra ride in the car or new chew toy is in order? I know my dog would appreciate a few extra belly rubs too.

(    ) 1. A. tradition           B. culture             C. civilization       D. habit

(    ) 2. A. wealth              B. disaster             C. belief                      D. luck

(    ) 3. A. focus                      B. accuse              C. adapt               D. mind

(    ) 4. A. boil                 B. paint               C. wash               D. purchase

(    ) 5. A. same               B. similar             C. common           D. different

(    ) 6. A. come about       B. take about        C. bring about       D. get out

(    ) 7. A. bore                 B. destroy             C. enjoy                      D. absorb

(    ) 8. A. last                  B. first                 C. second              D. next

(    ) 9. A. play                 B. story               C. novel                      D. history

(    ) 10. A. sharing           B. listening           C. reading             D. making

(    ) 11. A. invention               B. story               C. race                 D. tradition

(    ) 12. A. food                      B. clothes             C. money              D. jewels

(    ) 13. A. unclear           B. unlucky            C. unfair                   D. uncertain

(    ) 14. A. wishes            B. signs               C. presents            D. happiness

(    ) 15. A. spend             B. envy               C. buy                  D. celebrate

(    ) 16. A. firecrackers     B. songs                      C. dances              D. goods

(    ) 17. A. take                      B. scare               C. get                   D. burn

(    ) 18. A. fun               B. relax               C. sleep               D. travel

(    ) 19. A. fixed                  B. named              C. considered               D. marked

(    ) 20. A. order              B. accompany       C. tease               D. Allow

根据对话内容， 从对话后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳答案。选项中有两项为多余选项：

 A: Mary， we are going to have a party on New Year’s Eve. I’m sure we’ll have a good time. ____1.____

 B: I‘d like to. ____2.____

 A: In our classroom. We are going to decorate（装饰） it and turn it into a splendid ballroom.

 B: ____3.____ I shall be very glad to spend my first New Year in China with you.

 A: But we are going to ask everyone at the party to give a performance. ____4.___

 B: I will. My voice is not very pleasant to the ear，though.

 A: I heard you sing once. ____5.____ I‘m sure you’ll be the star of our New Year party.

 B: Oh，thank you.

A. Your voice was sweet and beautiful.

B. Where are you going to have it?

C. Would you like to join us?

D. Oh，it is great.

E. Let‘s go to the ball together.

F. Do sing us some English songs，please.

G. Go ahead.

People celebrate birthdays in almost every country on earth. And they celebrate them in many different ways.
In China and in Japan, for example, the arrival of New Year is more important than a person’s birthday. So everyone adds a year to celebrate their ages on New Year’s Day, instead of on their birthdays,
In Brazil, the special birthday food isn’t cake, but special candles. In China, it’s long noodles—for long life. In Iceland, people have pancakes with candies rolled inside them on birthdays.
In Britain, a birthday is an all-day celebration. At school, the birthday child is lifted up and “bumped” by his classmates. This means the child is lifted by the feet and arms and bumped to the ground, once for each year once for good growth. In Israel, the same custom is followed, except the birthday person is lifted and lowered while sitting in a chair.
In Holland, children not only get presents, but also give things out. They give cakes, cookies and candles to their classmates and teachers on their birthdays.
In Mexico, it’s good luck to give birthday greetings as early in the day as possible. So it’s usual for the birthday child to be woken up at midnight by fiends singing birthday songs.
In India, birthday celebrations also begin before dawn. Prayers and blessings must be said before morning comes.
In Thailand, two tall candles are lighted the night before the birthday. One is as tall as the birthday person. If it goes out early, it’s bad luck. Another customs of Thailand is that they buy live fish and birds for the birthday person and then the birthday person frees the animals, and it brings good luck.
In Nigeria, people in a certain age group celebrate their birthdays together, on a certain day.
In many countries birthday customs are changing. Old customs are giving way to western style of birthdays, with candle topped cakes. But one thing never changes—birthdays are special days for everyone!
【小题1】It’s a custom to lift and lower the birthday person in a chair in _____.