The Double Ninth Festival

The Double Ninth Festival, also named the “Chong Yang Festival”, is celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth month of the Chinese lunar calendar.

The festival began as early as the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). In ancient time, numbers were mysterious and were divided into yin and yang. Yin means something of darkness and yang means life and brightness. The number nine is regarded as yang. The ninth day of the ninth month is a double yang day, so it is called “Chong Yang Festival”. (Chong means “repeat” in Chinese)

People always climb mountains and drink chrysanthemum wine on the Double Ninth Festival. It is hard to say when the customs were created. But there are many stories which are closely related. As recorded in a historical book of the sixth century, in ancient times, there lived a man named Huang Jing. He was learning the magic arts from Fei Changfang. One day, they were climbing a mountain. Fei Changfang suddenly stopped and looked very upset. He said to Huang Jing, “On the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, a big trouble will come to your hometown”. You must go home immediately. Remember to make a red bag for each one of your family members and leave home quickly and climb to the top of a mountain. Most importantly, you must all drink some chrysanthemum wine. Only by doing so can your family members avoid the big trouble.

On hearing this, Huang Jing rushed home and asked his family to do exactly as his teacher said. The whole family climbed a nearby mountain and did not return until the evening. When they got back home, they found all their animals dead, including chickens, sheep, dogs and so on.

Since then, climbing a mountain and drinking chrysanthemum wine became the traditional activities of the Double Ninth Festival, to avoid evil spirits and bad luck. Nowadays, the Double Ninth Festival is also a time for family get-togethers to do some exercise as well as enjoy the autumn scenery.

1.The Double Ninth Festival began around ______.

A. 475-221 BC B. 435-231 BC C. 337-221 BC D. 245-213 BC

2.People usually climb mountains and ______ on the festival.

A. cook meals B. feed the animals

C. drink chrysanthemum wine D. learn magic art

3.Fei Changfang is ______.

A. Huang Jing’s cousin B. Huang Jing’s teacher

C. Huang Jing’s friend D. Huang Jing’s neighbor

4.Nowadays the Double Ninth Festival is also a time to ______.

A. make dumplings B. buy some wine

C. wear new clothes D. do some exercise

Drinking tea is an important part of Chinese culture. It is seen as the national drink in China. The most common types of Chinese tea are as follows.

Green tea is the oldest and most popular tea in China. It has a pale color and a strong flavor (口味). It is produced mainly in Anhui and Zhejiang. The most popular green tea is Longjing, which is produced near West Lake, Hangzhou.

Black tea is the second most popular type of Chinese tea. It can help treat (治疗) stomachaches.

Wulong tea, also known as blue tea, has a gentle flavor and can help people lose weight. Tieguanyin Tea in Anhui and Dongding Wulong in Taiwan are two well-known types of it.

Scented tea (花茶)is created by mixing tea leaves with flowers. It is known by strong fragrance (芳香), and it can help people feel comfortable after drinking. Jasmine (茉莉) tea is the most popular of this kind.

Tips of Tea Drinking

Do you know how to drink tea in a right way? Here are some tips.

Drinking it while it’s hot.

Don’t drink too much strong tea.

The best time to drink tea is between meals.

Drink tea a couple of hours after taking medicine.

Green tea is the best for office workers.

根据短文内容,选择正确答案,并将其字母代号填入题前括号内(共5小题,每小题2分,满分10分)

1.________ is the oldest and most popular tea in China.

A. Wulong tea. B. Scented teaC.Red teaD.Green tea

2.Black tea can ________.

A. help people lose weight B. help people feel lucky.

C. help treat stomachachesD.help people sleep well

3.Dongding Wulong tea is produced in ______.

A. TaiwanB.Zhejiang C.AnhuiD.Hangzhou

4.Scented tea is made by _______.

A. flowers B. tea leaves

C. tea leaves with flowers D. flowers and fruit

5.The right way to drink tea is _______.

A. to drink it while it’s cold B. to drink between meals

C. to drink too much strong tea D. to drink with medicine

III. Complete the following passage with the words or phrases in the box. Each can be used only once. (将下列单词或词组填入空格。每空格限填一词,每词只能填一次)(共8分)

A) youngest B) professional C) likely D) grows up E) won

Each year, the news magazine Time For Kids selects several young people to serve as TFK kid reporters. These kids are not 1. reporters, but they still have to interview some important people.

Martin, who lives in New York, is a computer buff, plays the piano, and wants to be an airline pilot when he 2.. When he got the assignment from TFK to interview Andrew Hsu, he wanted to talk about science. After all, Andrew had just become the3. winner of the Washington State Science and Engineering Fair. The 11-year-old scientist 4. the grand prize for identifying a particular genes that plays an important role in keeping the human body healthy.

A) free B) meet C) receive D) also E) improving

Martin soon discovered that being a science whiz is just one of Andrew's achievements. He's 5. an athlete who competes in swimming. But the main thing Andrew wanted to tell Martin about was the World Children Organization (WCO). Andrew started this organization along with his brother Patrick. This project is meant to help improve the lives of children.

Andrew and Patrick believe that6.education is the best way they can make a positive difference for children. They know that there are places where a 7. education isn't available to kids. To help 8.that need, Andrew and Patrick had the idea of producing videos about science, math, and languages for children in countries where there aren't enough qualified teachers.

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