It _______ we had stayed together for a couple of weeks _______ I found we had a lot in common.

A.was until;when                            B.was until;that

C.wasn’t until;when                        D.wasn’t until;that

When you think of snowy winter festivals, Sapporo in Japan probably is the first place that comes to mind. In the winter in Japan, there are winter festivals every year in the snowy north that drew great crowds and offer lots of attractions to everyone.

The big one is the Sapporo Snow Festival which is held every year in February on Japan’s snow –covered northern island, Hokkaido. The Sapporo Snow Festival was the first of its kind held in Japan, and it is still the biggest. Every year, 2 million snow lovers gather in Sapporo, the biggest city in Hokkaido, to enjoy the Snow Festival in the first 2 weeks of February. At the festival, there are hundreds of snow sculptures(雕刻品) made by artists from all over the world. Some are a couple of buildings. There are ice sculptures too, and ice bars where you can go and have a cold beer.

The Sapporo Snow Festival was started in the 1950s by a group of high school kids. Bored and shut-in by the cold winter, they began to have competitions making snow sculptures. Every year, more kids joined in, and now the festival draws now artists from 15 different countries. There are also musical performances, light shows, snow slides and big snowballs fights.

Every major area has its own snow festival. One of the most popular is the Iwate Snow Festival. It’s held in the small town of Shizukuishi in early or mid-February. Iwate is also famous for its yearly firework displays, where people can watch the colors reflect off the snow. In Iwate you can see traditional Japanese musicians and dancers perform on floats(彩车).

If you want a truly unique winter festival experience, northern Japan is a great place to go. Just make sure you wear warm clothes!

What do we know about the Sapporo Snow Festival?

   A. It is the only snow festival in Japan.

   B. It has the longest history and is the biggest in Japan.

   C. It is held every two years in Sapporo.

   D. It has the highest snow sculptures in the world.

When is the Sapporo Snow Festival held in Japan?

   A. In mid-February                       B. From January to February

   C. In the first half of February              D. In the last ten days of February

What did high school kids start the Sapporo Snow Festival for at first?

   A. To attract more travelers around the world

   B. To enjoy musical performances

   C. To draw snow artists from other countries

   D. To have fun outdoors in the cold winter

Which of the following statements is NOT true about the Iwate Snow Festival?

   A. It’s held in the small town of Shizukuishi.

   B. There are hundreds of snow sculptures there.

   C. People can see traditional Japanese musicians there.

   D. Its firework displays are very popular.

 John and I _____ friends for eight years. We first got to know each other at a Christmas party. But we _____ each other a couple of times before that.

A couple of years ago,before a trip to China,Nicole Davis and her US women’s volleyball teammates were warned about the prominence (显著、突出) of coach “Jenny” Lang Ping in her native country.

“I was pushed over by Chinese journalists while I was just trying to put my luggage on the bus,”said Davis.

Known as the “Iron Hammer” for her punishing spikes(扣球),Lang made it possible for China to dominate in the sport in the early 1980s.She was a key player on China’s 1984 Olympic gold medal winning team.

When the US team arrived for the Olympics,Lang,48,who is from Beijing,had to take a different route to avoid a crowd of reporters and fans.

Then came the greatest moment to Lang：While the US team was playing in a packed gym,at least 8,000 Chinese fans unfurled an American flag.

“That really says it all,” Davis said.“They look at her as an icon(偶像)．I’m sure it’s hard for them to see her coaching another country,but they love her so dearly that her success is their success.”

The loyalty of the Chinese fans was tested on Friday,when China lost a match to the US.

“It’s a pity that China lost the match,but I’m still glad that Lang Ping’s team won,since she is the pride of China’s volleyball,” said Liu Chengli,a spectator.“We also cheered for

Lang’s victory.”

Lang said she just tried to stay professional when the two teams meet.“It doesn’t matter if we play China or any other team.It’s the same.” Lang said.

Davis said she and her teammates could not have imagined the passion for volleyball among Chinese because the sport was lack of popularity in the US. The reception from Chinese fans has touched the US players,said US volleyball player Lindsey Berg.

“It’s such an honor to be here and play for our coach here in China,”she said.“The amount of support that the Chinese give to her and us has been tremendous.The whole event has been unbelievable.”

1.What’s the passage mainly about?

A．Staying professional.                            B．Cheering for the Iron Hammer.

C．A match between China and the US.      D．Lang Ping’s career as a coach.

2.Lang Ping avoided meeting the reporters and fans probably because she ________.

A．was afraid to be questioned about her strategy

B．didn’t want to be paid much attention to

C．disliked to be with her fans

D．didn’t want to disturb public order

3.What does the underlined word “unfurled” exactly mean?

A．destroyed completely                           B．tore into pieces

C．spread out to the wind                          D．rolled up

4.What does Lang Ping mean by saying “It doesn’t matter if we play China or any other team.”？

A．American Volleyball Team will beat any team.

B．Chinese Volleyball Team is the same as other teams.

C．She just tried to stay professional.

D．The results of each match will be the same.

5.What impressed the US team players most?

A．The tolerance of Chinese people.

B．The popularity of volleyball in China.

C．Lang Ping’s coaching skills.

D．The loyalty for volleyball of the Chinese.

Patient: thank you for agreeing to see me on such short notice, doctor.

Doctor: Anything for my favorite patient! Now, what seems to be 1.___matter?

Patient: it’s my vision. I can’t see well at night, and __2._I wake up in the morning, it takes me a few minutes before I can see clearly.

Doctor: OK. I’m going to take a __3.__(close) look . just relax. How _4.___has this been going on ?

Patient: A couple of weeks. I guess…wow, that’s right!

Doctor: Does __5.__ hurt when I do that?

Patient: Not exactly, it’s just really bright.

Doctor: OK. Please, go on.

Patient: Well, I ____6.____ (walk) down to the basement in my house about three weeks ago when I slipped and bumped my head pretty hard on the steps.

Doctor:Where exactly did you hit ___7.___ head?

Patient: Right on the back. I heard a loud sound when I hit it, but there was no blood and everything seemed to be okay.

Doctor: You didn’t get it ___8.___(check) out then?

Patient: My wife said I should, but nothing was wrong,so I thought, why bother? Well,a week passed and all of a sudden I started to have problems with my sight. I first noticed it when I was driving back home __9.__ work.It’s gotten worse over the past week or so.

Doctor: I’m glad you came to see me.I’m going to order some tests, and I want to make an appointment for you to see a specialist tomorrow morning.__ 10.__ (hope), it’s nothing too serious.