themass

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Passage 1

In Britain, Boxing Day is usually celebrated on December 26th, which is the following day after Christmas Day. However, strictly speaking, Boxing Day is the first weekday after Christmas. Like Christmas Day, Boxing Day is a public holiday. This means it's a non-working day in the whole of Britain. When Boxing Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the following Monday is the public holiday.

The exact origin(起源) of the holiday is unclear. One of the thoughts is that during the Middle Ages, when great sailing ships were setting off to discover new land, a Christmas Box was placed by a priest (神父) on each ship. Those sailors who wanted to ensure a safe return would drop money into the box. It was sealed_up and kept on board until the ship came home safely. Then the box was handed over to the priest in the exchange for the saying of a Mass of thanks for the success of the sailing. The priest wouldn't open it to share the contents with the poor until Christmas.

One more thought is about the “Alms Box” placed in every church on Christmas Day. Worshippers (做礼拜的人) put gifts for the poor into it. These boxes were always opened the day after Christmas, that is why that day became known as Boxing Day.

Today, many businesses, organizations and families try to keep the traditional spirit of Boxing Day alive by donating (捐赠) their time, services and money to aid Food Banks, providing gifts for the poor, or helping families in need. Besides, spending time with family and shopping are popular Boxing Day activities now.

( )1. If Christmas Day is on a Saturday, Boxing Day will be celebrated on ________．

A. December 25th B. December 26th

C. December 27th D. December 28th

( )2. Sailors dropped money into the Christmas Box in order to ________．

A. save the poor B. pay for the priest

C. discover new land D. pray for sailing safety

( )3. What does the underlined phrase “sealed up” mean?

A. 密封 B. 悬挂 C. 归还 D. 传递

( )4. The following activities can show the traditional spirit of Boxing Day EXCEPT ________．

A. offering gifts to the poor

B. supporting families in need

C. spending time with family

D. giving money to aid Food Banks

( )5. The purpose of the passage is ________．

A. to praise the kindness of priests

B. to introduce the origins of Boxing Day

C. to call on people to help the poor

D. to compare Boxing Day with Christmas Day

Passage 2

Interesting festivals in the world

Throwing tomatoes — Spain(西班牙)

Spain takes “tomatoes fights” to a whole new level. But the tomatoes are being thrown, not eaten. The festival takes place during the last Wednesday in August. Trucks(卡车) carry tomatoes into the square. People rush to the tomatoes and throw them into the crowd.

Rolling cheese — England

This festival is celebrated on the last Monday in May. It takes place on Cooper's Hill. A large wheel of cheese(奶酪) is rolled down Cooper's Hill. The festival is actually a race where people run down the hill after the rolling cheese. The first person to cross the finish line at the bottom of the hill wins the cheese.

Burning man — The United States

The Burning Man Festival lasts a week, it is from the Monday before Labor Day to Labor Day(which falls on the first Monday in September in America). The festival takes place in the Black Rock Desert. The best part of the festival is the burning of a large sculpture of a man.

Pouring water — Thailand

The Songkran Festival is the celebration of the New Year in Thailand. Rather than a single day, Thailand celebrates the New Year from April 13th to April 15th. Thai people run after each other, pouring water. Songkran is one of the most important reasons why foreigners travel to the beautiful land.

( )1. How many festivals are mentioned in the passage?

A. One. B. Two. C. Three. D. Four.

( )2. Where will you probably go to enjoy one of the festivals above in May?

A. Spain.

B. England.

C. The United States.

D. Thailand.

( )3. Which festival is held in Black Rock Desert?

A. Throwing tomatoes.

B. Rolling cheese.

C. Burning man.

D. Pouring water.

( )4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The tomatoes are thrown into the crowd to eat.

B. Not all the festivals above fall on the single day.

C. Burning a large real man is the best part of the festival.

D. Songkran is the only reason for attracting lots of tourists.

( )5. The passage is most probably taken from ________.

A. a tour guide

B. a science report

C. a story book

D. a fashion magazine

Passage 3

Dear mum and dad，

I'm writing this letter to you from the center of Australia. At the moment we're staying near Uluru—that's the aboriginal(土著) name for Ayers Rock. On the first day, we took a balloon tour over the rock, and I was surprised at how big it was: 3.6 kilometers long and 384 meters high. The colors of the rock are fantastic, and at different times of the day, they change from purple to red. The Aborigines are the first people of Australia, and the ancient aboriginal stories describe the spirits that created the world. Uluru is a center of Aboriginal culture.

The Australians have many British relatives. That's why they're like us in many ways. Their family life is similar to ours, and they enjoy the same food and hobbies. The food and drink that most Australians like are grapes, lamb, ham and especially wine that they make in the south of the country. They love all sports, but football is the most popular. Most Australians live near the coast, so they also love going to the beach, swimming and surfing.

Although it's December, it's summer over here. The sunshine is very bright, and near the coast the countryside is very green. There are lots of sheep in the fields and on the hills, but the outback(澳洲内陆) is more like a desert, full of rocks and sand.

The next day after we arrived at Uluru, we went on a camel(骆驼) ride. The camel that I rode had a bad temper. When I sat on its back, it became very angry and refused me. So everyone else thought it was very funny that my camel kept lying down…

Finally, later this evening, we're taking the plane back to Sydney and coming home, it's been a fantastic trip!

Yours，

Tony

( )1. Which is NOT true according to Paragraph One?

A. Uluru is the name for Ayers Rock.

B. The height of Uluru is 384 meters.

C. The rock of Uluru doesn't change colors.

D. Uluru is the center of Aboriginal culture.

( )2. Tony may be a(n) ________．

A. British

B. Australian

C. American

D. Chinese

( )3 The underlined word “temper” means “________” in

Chinese.

A. 脾气 B. 记忆 C. 命令 D. 信心

( )4. What is the best title of this passage?

A. A Balloon Tour

B. An Aboriginal Letter

C. A Fantastic Trip

D. A Summer Evening

上期部分答案：

Passage 6【主旨大意】本文是一篇议论文。以孩子们说话和日常行为为例，说明别人不用过多地纠正他们的错误，孩子们自己会从与别人的不同之处慢慢纠正过来，慢慢做出改变，所以在学习中，老师不要总是纠正学生的错误，要让他们学会自己改正错误。

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