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.

1.Picture___________ is about paragraph 1.

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.

3.From the 2nd paragraph, we can infer (推断)that___________.

A. People listen to the radio at home.

B. Cordon can’t drink much. 

C. Cordon is a tall man with dark hair.

D. there are no people near Big Ben.

4. On New Year’s Day, Brazilians usually wear white clothes because_________.

      A. that reminds them of their happy life

B. they hope that can bring them good luck

C. they think that they look beautiful in white

D. that’s what they have to do during the New Year

5.This article mainly tells us ________________.

     A. what people in Britain do on New Year’s Day

     B. when and where people have New Year parties

     C. why people in different countries like the New Year

     D. what people around the world do on New Year’s Day

Matt's hobby was collecting stamps. He had stamps from many countries, like America, Egypt and China. On his birthday, can you guess what people gave him? That's right——stamps.

Matt's favorite stamps came from France. He had almost every stamp from 1954 to 2003 except one. That was a 1974 special edition (版). It was very hard to find.

He looked for it everywhere. He asked his friends and relatives to help him. But nobody could find the stamp. It made Matt very sad.

"Don't worry," his father said to him. "You'll find it one day."

"I hope so," Matt said.

"Be patient (耐心的),"his father said. "Don't give up."

Besides collecting stamps, Matt liked writing. He had a pen friend in France. They wrote to each other every month. Matt's pen friend, Philip, gave him a big, green stamp. It looked old. When Matt received the letter, he was very surprised. On the envelope, he looked closely at the stamp. It was the 1974 special edition stamp. Matt was so happy! He told his sister, his mother and his father.

"You see," his father said, "You did find your stamp. So, you see, it's good to have two things in life."

"What are they?" Matt asked.

“Friends and patience (耐心).” he answered.

1.Matt loved the stamps from ______best.

A．America          B．Egypt             C．France            D．China

2.It was very difficult for Matt to find a special French stamp of_____.

A．1954             B．1974             C．2003             D．2011

3.His father told him to_______.

A．stop looking for it                       B．ask his friends for help

C．be patient                             D．write a letter

4.______sent Matt the letter with the special edition stamp on it.

A．Philip            B．Philip's mother      C．Matt's father       D．Philip’s friend

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___________.

Most American families like to have a vacation in summer. Summer is a good season for vacation. It is often hot in July and August.

Children do not go to school in those two months. Some people like to stay at home, read books, or watch TV. Many families take their lunch to eat at a place with many trees or a nice lake. Some people have enough time and money to travel to other countries like France, Japan and Australia. They usually fly to these countries. Many families travel by car or train to see interesting places in their own countries. Their favorite cities are New York, Chicago, Miami, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Not everyone likes to go to busy cities. Some families travel to mountains or beautiful valleys.

1._____ is a good season for vacation.

A. Spring  B. Summer  C. Autumn  D. Winter

2.Some people like to stay at home during their vacation. They don’t _____.

A. read books  B. visit their friends

C. watch TV  D. go to work

3.Many families like to have their lunch _____ during their vacation.

A. in the office  B. near a cinema

C. near a big factory  D. near a nice lake

4.If you have _____, you can travel to other countries.

A. money and friends  B. friends and time

C. money and time  D. food

5.Which of the following is “芝加哥”? 

A. Chicago. B. New York. C. Miami. D. Los Angeles.