Thanksgiving is the national holiday in the USA. It is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. On this day, Americans give thanks for the good things in their lives. Everything started in 1620, when the Pilgrims(清教徒)left their country, England, on a ship called the Mayflower. Their trip took 65 days and was very difficult. They landed near Plymouth Rock in America and they started to build their homes there.

During the first winter, many people died because they hadn’t got enough food to eat. In the spring of 1621, the Pilgrims became friends with the Native Americans. The Native Americans taught them how to plant crops and how to hunt. In 1621, the harvest(收获)was very good. The Pilgrims were very thankful. So they invited their Native American friends to a feast(盛宴). The feast lasted for three days. The main dishes included corns, pumpkins, fish and turkeys.

Today Thanksgiving is still a day to be thankful for family, friends and good food. Families gather around the table and enjoy a traditional dinner of roast turkey with sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie for dessert. On this day many Americans go to or watch on TV football matches.

1.On Thanksgiving Day, Americans gives thanks for many things except .

A. help from friends B. love from the teachers

C. meals from parents D. meat from wild animals

2.The Pilgrims from England reached America about years ago.

A. 300 B. 400 C. 498 D. 500

3.In 1621, the Pilgrims thanked the Native Americans for .

A. the good harvest and the Native Americans’ help

B. the beautiful autumn

C. the three-day feast

D. The football matches

4.At Americans’ traditional thanksgiving dinner, we can enjoy .

A. Beijing Duck B. KFC Chicken C. donuts D. roast turkey

5.From this passage, we can see that .

A. all Americans are thankful and friendly all the time

B. every great day has its background story

C. Thanksgiving Day gives the whole world happiness

D. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated all over the world

The government in China plans to end its one-child policy and let families have two children instead.

The plan was announced on Thursday after high-level political meetings in Beijing.A Chinese Communist Party statement gave a number of reasons for the change in policy.The statement said the change is meant to balance population development,stop a falling birth rate( 出生率) and strengthen the country's labor force(劳动力).

China,with the largest population in the world,started the one-child policy in 1980.But the government allowed only a small number of couples to have two children.For example,some families in the countryside could have two children,if the first-born child is a girl.

In 2013,the Chinese government gave other couples a chance to have two children if one of them was an only child.

Jiang Quanbao,a teacher and population expert,explained how Chinese families react to the newest policy."Too many young people in the cities are no longer interested in having a second child,"he said."People in the countryside are more interested.But some of them are already allowed to have two children."

At the end of 2014,China had a population of 1.37billion people.A total of 800million of them have jobs.But the labor market population will drop in 35years.That is to say,the country will be in great need of labor by the year 2050.With the two-child policy,an increase in births can solve this problem.

Boys and girls,what do you think of the two-child policy?Do you want to have a new-born brother or a sister?

1.Why does the government plan to end the one-child policy?___

A. Because we need a larger population.

B. Because millions of people have jobs.

C. Because most families want to have a second child.

D. Because a falling birth rate must be stopped.

2.How do most young people in the cities react to the two-child policy?___

A. They support the policy. B. They don't think it is good.

C. They're very interested. D. They're not interested any more.

3.When will our country be seriously short of labor if the one-child policy continues?___

A. In 2015. B. In 2035. C. In 2050. D. In 2070

4.What's the order of the following events?___

①The two-child policy was announced.

②China had a population of 1.37billion people.

③Some families in the countryside could have two children.

④Families could have two children if one parent was an only child.

A. ③④②① B. ②①④③ C. ④③②① D. ③①④②

5.What may happen after we have the two-child policy?___

A. There will be more old people. B. The labor market population will drop.

C. Almost every family will have a second child. D. The population development will be balanced.

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