【题目】Celebrating New Year’s Day is one of the oldest and most exciting traditions around the world. Since this festival marks the beginning of the year, New Year’s Day is thought of as a perfect time for a “clean start”. People in the world decide to act better in the year just beginning than the year just ended.

No day has ever been celebrated in so many different ways. All over the world, countries have their own special beliefs about what the New Year means to them.

In Scotland, the New Year is called Hogmanay. In the villages of Scotland, barrels of tar (沥青) are set on fire. It represents that the old year is burned up and the new one is allowed to enter.

New Year’s Day is also the Festival of Saint Basil in Canada. Children leave their shoes by the fireside on New Year’s Day with the hope that Saint Basil, who is famous for his kindness, will come and fill their shoes with gifts.

The Jewish New Year is called Rosh Hashanah. It is an important time when Jews promise to do better in the future. Special services are held in the church, children are given new clothes and New Year bread is cooked to remind people of harvest time.

On New Year’s Day in Japan, everyone gets dressed in their new clothes and homes are decorated (装饰) with bamboos—symbols of long life.

In European countries such as Germany, France and Belgium, families start the New Year by first attending church services. Afterwards, they visit friends and relatives. In France, boys and girls receive gifts of money on New Year’s Day.

New Year celebrations around the 【1】

Country/people

Celebration activities

Special beliefs

Scotland

People 2 barrels of tar.

The old year is burned up and the new one is allowed to enter.

Canada

Children leave their 3 by the fireside.

Their shoes will be 4 with gifts by Saint Basil.

Jews

It is a time for people to 5 to do better in the future.

People 6 New Year Bread to remind of harvest time.

Japan

People 7 their new clothes.

Homes are decorated with bamboos.

Symbols of 8 life

European 9

People attend church services 10

visiting friends and relatives.

【题目】Last week Lu visited England. He stayed with my grandmother. He found it was strange.

‘I don’t know why, but I frightened your grandmother a lot. When I arrived, I gave her a purse from Dongtai. She looked in it and asked me to take it back. Then I saw a red spider (蜘蛛) on the table, and I killed it for her. She seemed very unhappy. Do English people like spiders?

‘Later we went shopping. Someone was painting a shop front, so there was a ladder. Grandmother stopped me from walking under it and said I must walk around it. I liked the shops and bought some lovely rose soap for my mother, a smart umbrella for my father and some new shoes for myself. When we got back, I put the shoes on the table and opened the umbrella to check if it was all right. Your grandmother came in and screamed!

‘Then I broke a small mirror in the bathroom. Your grandmother’s face went white. I felt very sorry. When I left, I gave your grandmother some flowers. She counted and there were 13. She didn’t like them.’

I explained to Lu, ‘My grandmother follows the old customs. You must not give someone an empty purse, or they will have no money. You must not kill a “money spider”, or the same will happen. Also it is very unlucky to walk under a ladder or put new shoes on the table. An open umbrella in a house means someone will die. Breaking a mirror brings seven years’ bad luck, and 13 is also a very unlucky number. You were really making my grandmother very afraid.’

【1】Why did Lu frighten the writer’s grandmother?

A. Because he could not speak English.

B. Because he did many unlucky things.

C. Because he understood British customs.

D. Because he went shopping in England.

【2】What do many British people think of spiders?

A. They are afraid of them.

B. They keep spiders as pets.

C. They hope to see every kind of spiders in their houses.

D. They think some kinds of spiders are lucky.

【3】 What did the writer’s grandmother feel when she saw the umbrella?

A. Excited. B. Satisfied.

C. Afraid. D. Happy.

【4】Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. Thirteen is an unlucky number in England.

B. It is very unlucky to walk under a ladder or put new shoes on the table in England.

C. For most British people, breaking a mirror means bad luck.

D. People never give purses as presents in England.

【5】How many wrong things did Lu do altogether?

A. 5. B. 6. C. 8. D. 10.

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