is New Year's Day．

A．May 1st         B．January 1st     C．March 8th    D．September 10th

Almost all cultures celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of another in some way. Different cultures celebrate the beginning of a new year in different ways, and at different times on the calendar.
In Western countries, people usually celebrate New Year at midnight on December 31st-January 1st. People may go to parties, sometimes dressed in formal（正式的）clothes, and the may drink champagne（香槟）at midnight. During the first minutes of the new year, people cheer and wish each other happiness for the year ahead. But some cultures prefer to celebrate the new year by waking up early to watch the sun rise. They welcome the new wear with the first light of the sunrise.
Many cultures also do special things to get rid of（摆脱）bad luck at the beginning of a new year. For example, in Ecuador, families make a big doll from old clothes. The doll is filled with old newspapers and firecrackers. At midnight, these dolls are burned to show the bad things from the past year are gone and the new year can start afresh（重新）. Other common traditions to keep away bad luck in a new year include throwing things into rivers or the ocean, or saying special things on the first day of the new year.
Other New Year traditions are followed to bring good luck in the new year. One widespread Spanish tradition for good luck is to eat grapes on New Year’s Day. The more grapes a person eats, the more good luck the person will have in the tear. In France, people eat pancakes for good luck at New Year. In the United States, some people eat black-eyed peas for good luck-but to get good luck for a whole year you have to eat 365 of them!
【小题1】 The reading is mainly about_____.

阅读理解

In almost every big university in the United States football is a favorite sport. American football is not like soccer.

Players sometimes kick the ball, but they also throw the ball and run with it. They try to take it to the other end of the field. They have four chances to move the ball ten yards. They can carry it or throw it. If they move it to the end of the field, they receive six points. This is called a touch—down. It is difficult to move the ball. Eleven men on the team try to stop the man who has the ball. If the man does not move the ball ten yards, his team kicks the ball to the other team.

Each university wants its team to win. Thousands of people come to watch. They all yell for their favorite team. Young men and women called cheerleaders come on the field to help the people yell more. They dance and jump while they yell.

Each team plays ten or eleven games each season. The season begins in September and ends in November. If a team is very good, it may play another game after the season ends. The best teams play again on January 1st, the first day of the New Year. Many people go to see these games and many others watch them on television

1.In American football players can ___.

2. If a team wants to get points, it has to move the ball ___.

3. Who are dancing and jumping while they yell?

4. Most teams play games in ___.

5. When do the best teams play again?

The Chinese New Year is called the Spring Festival，which is the biggest festival in China．

It usually comes in January or February．Where there are Chinese，there is the Spring Festival．Each Chinese year has a name．We may call it the Year of the Tiger，the Year of the Pig or the Year of the Snake．And the year of 2007 is called the year of the Pig．The year after it is the Mouse Year．

People always spend a month before the festival in preparing for it．People are busy shopping and cleaning their houses．On the eve there is a big family dinner．All the family stay up late to welcome the New Year，watching the CCTV programs or playing cards．On the first day of the Chinese New Year，people put on their new clothes and go to visit their relatives and friends。saying “Happy New Year”，“Good luck” and some other greetings to each other．It often lasts to the Lantern Festival，which is also an important Chinese festival and people usually have sweet dumplings（yuanxiao）．People always have a very good time，especially children．Children can usually get some money for the new year from their parents and the elder relatives．

1．The most important festival in China is _________．

A．the Lantern Festival                                  B．the Spring Festival

C．the New Year                                            D．the October 1st

2．2008 is the _________year．

A．Mouse                 B．Sheep                  C．Tiger                     D．Pig

3．“All the family stay up late to welcome the New Year．” Here “stay up” means _________．

A．to go to sleep                                          B．not to go to bed

C．to stand up                                              D．to have a good rest

4．Which sentence is Right?

A．The Spring Festival is celebrated only by Chinese people in China．

B．People celebrate the Spring Festival all over the world．

C．The Chinese people celebrate the Spring Festival, even when they are in foreign countries．

D．People who can speak Chinese celebrate the Spring Festival in the world．

5．What do people say when they meet on the Chinese New Year's Day?

A．They say “Merry Christmas” and “Happy New Year”．

B．They say “Good luck” and “Good night” to each other．

C．They say “Have a nice day” and “Good luck” only to their friends and relatives．

D．They say many greetings，such as “Good luck” to each other．