The spirit of Christmas isn’t always so cheerful. Here are four unusual and a little scary Christmas traditions from around the world.
1. Guatmala: Burning devils
In order to make houses free from bad spirits for the New Year, Guatemalans do a full house clean in December. The dirt and dust is gathered from every home and each neighborhood creates a large amount of garbage. A devil statue is built and placed on top of the dirt, and burned. The bad luck is said to burn up with the devil.
2. South Africa: Don’t eat Santa’s cookies
To keep kids from stealing on Santa’s cookies, parents tell children a story about a boy named Danny who ate all of Santa’s cookies and really angered his grandmother. She killed him and now his ghosts visits houses during Christmas time.
3. Iceland: Fear the Yule Cat
Children who don’t receive new clothes by Christmas Eve will be eaten by the Yule Cat, a large and angry cat, which is said to hide in the snow. The strange tradition comes from farmers who used the myth to encourage their workers to finish making the autumn wool before Christmas.
4. Ukraine: A spooky tree
If you find yourself in Ukraine around the holidays, you may be wondering: Is it Christmas or Halloween? Trees here are decorated with artificial(人工的) spider weds and decorative spiders. The unusual tradition comes from a story where a spider wove a web around the tree of a poor family. When morning came, the white strands(线) turned to precious metals and the family became rich. The webs today show good fortune for the next year.
1.To celebrate the New Year, what will people do in Guatemala?
A. Clean their houses.
B. Show their respects to the devil statue.
C. Buy a devil statue.
D. Move to new houses.
2.Which country has a tradition that might cause kids’ fear of eating Santa’s cookies?
A. Guatemala. B. South Africa.
C. Iceland. D. Ukraine.
3.What can we infer about Christmas in Iceland?
A. The Yule Cat usually hides in the grass before Christmas.
B. All the children will receive new clothes on Christmas.
C. New clothes are popular Christmas presents for children in Iceland.
D. The Yule Cat would eat the farmers who don’t finish their work on time.
4.Why do Ukrainians like spiders on Christmas?
A. Spiders are pretty insects.
B. Spiders are believed to bring good fortune.
C. Spiders always help poor families out of pity.
D. Webs of spiders are suitable for decoration.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
The spirit of Christmas isn’t always so cheerful. Here are four unusual and a little scary Christmas traditions from around the world.
1. Guatmala: Burning devils
In order to make houses free from bad spirits for the New Year, Guatemalans do a full house clean in December. The dirt and dust is gathered from every home and each neighborhood creates a large amount of garbage. A devil statue is built and placed on top of the dirt, and burned. The bad luck is said to burn up with the devil.
2. South Africa: Don’t eat Santa’s cookies
To keep kids from stealing on Santa’s cookies, parents tell children a story about a boy named Danny who ate all of Santa’s cookies and really angered his grandmother. She killed him and now his ghosts visits houses during Christmas time.
3. Iceland: Fear the Yule Cat
Children who don’t receive new clothes by Christmas Eve will be eaten by the Yule Cat, a large and angry cat, which is said to hide in the snow. The strange tradition comes from farmers who used the myth to encourage their workers to finish making the autumn wool before Christmas.
4. Ukraine: A spooky tree
If you find yourself in Ukraine around the holidays, you may be wondering: Is it Christmas or Halloween? Trees here are decorated with artificial(人工的) spider weds and decorative spiders. The unusual tradition comes from a story where a spider wove a web around the tree of a poor family. When morning came, the white strands(线) turned to precious metals and the family became rich. The webs today show good fortune for the next year.
1.To celebrate the New Year, what will people do in Guatemala?
A. Clean their houses.
B. Show their respects to the devil statue.
C. Buy a devil statue.
D. Move to new houses.
2.Which country has a tradition that might cause kids’ fear of eating Santa’s cookies?
A. Guatemala. B. South Africa.
C. Iceland. D. Ukraine.
3.What can we infer about Christmas in Iceland?
A. The Yule Cat usually hides in the grass before Christmas.
B. All the children will receive new clothes on Christmas.
C. New clothes are popular Christmas presents for children in Iceland.
D. The Yule Cat would eat the farmers who don’t finish their work on time.
4.Why do Ukrainians like spiders on Christmas?
A. Spiders are pretty insects.
B. Spiders are believed to bring good fortune.
C. Spiders always help poor families out of pity.
D. Webs of spiders are suitable for decoration.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
A group of Canadian kids are already spreading a bit of Christmas spirit in Halifax,Nova Scotia, by wrapping warm clothing around lamp poles for the city’s homeless to pick up and use. The sight of warmly dressed poles caught recently the attention of locals, who stopped to click pictures to share on social media.
Every year, Tara Atkins collects warm clothing from her community, in order to give to the less fortunate. This year, she took to Facebook to call for donations and the response was strong—their front porch (门厅)was filled with bags of clothes. Since the family was traveling to Halifax on November 15 with their daughter Jayda and seven of her friends to celebrate her 8th birthday, Tara decided it was the perfect time to teach the children a valuable life lesson.
The kids spent time handing out coats to any homeless they met on the streets and tied the rest around lamp posts for o thers to pick up. According to Tara, the experience helped the children better understand the difficult situation of homeless people having to confront the severe winter on the s treets.
There is no way to be sure that the coats left hanging on street posts were actually picked up by the homeless, but Tara says she isn’t too worried about that. By next morning, all the jackets and scarves on the posts were gone. Photographs of the inspiring project have been shared about 8,000 times on Facebook, and got over 10,000 likes. Tara, who did something similar in Toronto in December last year, says she’s already planning next year’s coat drive. She’s hoping to spread the word well ahead of time, so more people can contribute. And she also wants to add $ 5 fast food gift cards so the recipients (接受者)can also enjoy a hot meal. “We’ve had help from others when we were in need, and we knew how great it made us feel,” said Zachary Atkins, Tara’s husband.
1.How did locals respond at the sight of the warmly dressed poles?
A. They got confused.
B. They were annoyed.
C. They took photos and spread the news.
D. They unwrapped and put on the clothes.
2.Why did Tara Atkins go to Halifax on November 15?
A. To go sightseeing.
B. To celebrate Jayda’s birthday.
C. To collect warm clothing for the homeless.
D. To spend the holiday with family.
3.What does the underlined word “confront” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A. Face. B. Discuss.
C. Enjoy. D. Describe.
4.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A. Tara is sure that the coats will be picked up by the homeless.
B. People responded warmly to the photographs on Facebook.
C. Tara is appealing to the government to donate.
D. Zachary Atkins is against what Tara has done.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
She is so optimistic that her cheerful spirits and bubbling laughter _____ the whole class.
A.effect | B.effected | C.infected | D.infect |
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
As the Nation’s Capital City, Washington, DC has hundreds of wonderful museums to visit. Here are some of the most famous ones.
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
There is something for everyone at this world-known museum. Natural history is good for all ages and there are so many artifacts (史前古器物) that you can’t possibly see them all in one visit. The dinosaur exhibits are fascinating and great for kids.
Address: 10th Street and Constitution Ave., NW Washington, DC;
Phone: (202) 633-1000
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
This museum gives visitors a close-up view of air and space travel with 22 exhibition galleries, displaying hundreds of artifacts including the Wright 1903 Flyer, the “Spirit of St. Louis”, and part of the Apollo 11.
Address: Independence Ave. at 7th St. SW Washington, DC;
Phone: (202) 357-2700.
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
The museum is a memorial to the millions of Jews who died during the Nazi regime (政权) in Germany during World War II. The exhibits tell us the terrible history. There is a separate exhibit for kids, which tells the story of the cruelty of the Nazi through the eyes and voice of a young boy.
Address: 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW, Washington, DC;
Phone: (800) 400-9373.
Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens
Few people went to the home of George Washington because it is located outside of the city. In fact, it is a must-see attraction. The museum and education center features 25 state-of-the-art galleries and theaters that tell the story of Washington’s life.
Address: George Washington Parkway, Mount Vernon, VA;
Phone: (703) 780-2000.
Prices: Adults — $18.00; Children aged 6 through 11 — 50% discount off the price.
1.If you are interested in airplanes, you can probably go to ________.
A.10th Street and Constitution Ave B.Independence Ave
C.100 Raoul Wallenberg Place D.George Washington Parkway
2.Which number will you call at if you want to learn more about the exhibit only for children?
A.(202) 633-1000. B.(202) 357-2700.
C.(800) 400-9373. D.(703) 780-2000.
3.How much will they pay if a couple and a 7-year-old child visit Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens?
A.27 dollars. B.37 dollars.
C.45 dollars. D.54 dollars.
4.Which museum is outside of the city Washington, DC?
A.Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
B.Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
C.U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
D.Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens
5.What’s the main purpose of the author’s writing this passage?
A.To attract more visitors to visit these museums.
B.To tell visitors how to visit these museums.
C.To provide visitors some routes to the museums.
D.To make Washington, DC better known.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
All of the children ______ in the school play and they are in high spirits.
A.are involving B.involve
C.are involved D.have involved
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
The music sounded cheerful and encouraging, ________all the people present in high spirits.
A. making B. to make C. made D. having made
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Christmas is always people’s favorite time of the year. _______, it is no mine, not now. On December 23, I still didn’ t have a single present to put_______ the tree for my seven-year-old son, Joe. How was I ever going to find- let alone _______ -the brand-name(名牌的) model airplane he and all his friends were going _______ about?
“I know Santa will got it for me,” he told me “I’ve been a good boy all year.” How could I _______ that sometimes even good boys didn’t get what they asked for from Santa? My husband had been disabled due to an accident, so I had to take up the family _______ by myself. I’d saved every _______, but I still only had enough for a few secondhand gifts. I hoped that I could _______ buy my son a toy and a photo album, one that would hold his new photos _______ in the secondhand store.
Life was hard for us. I knew that without hope and ________ I’d have nothing. So I believed everything would become better. But the sorry state of everything in sight in the secondhand store ________ me. There was a doll that looked like it had been ________ over by a truck and a set of colored pencils—half of them were almost ________ up... I let out a ________ and walked down another aisle(过道). Maybe I must hadn’t been looking hard enough. ________ enough, the bottom shelf I found an unopened box. It was the brand-name model airplane Joe had asked for ... at only half the original price! What a ________! I grabbed it and excitedly ran to the checkout counter (收根台).
At the checkout counter, something on the counter caught my ________— a photo album, lying facedown. Someone had ________ not to get it and dropped it there, I guessed. I opened it up and found it was just the right ________ for Joe’s new photos. It was ________. It was really a last-minute shopping wonder. I turned the album over. Inscribed(题写) on the front cover was a line: “God will provide all your needs. ”
1.A. However B. Besides C. Therefore D. Otherwise
2.A. on B. in C. under D. behind
3.A. borrow B. produce C. imagine D. afford
4.A. crazy B. worried C. image D. concerned
5.A. prove B. understand C. explain D. forget
6.A. business B. burden C. life D. benefit
7.A. penny B. minute C. drop D. day
8.A. at most B. at least C. after all D. in brief
9.A. actually B. perfectly C. naturally D. effectively
10.A. courage B. luck C. faith D. money
11.A. inspired B. touched C. pleased D. disappointed
12.A. run B. turned C. rolled D. taken
13.A. fixed B. torn C. used D. burnt
14.A. secret B. sigh C. shout D. cry
15.A. Embarrassed B. Strange C. Funny D. Sure
16.A. pity B. shame C. find D. mess
17.A. breath B. hands C. ears D. attention
18.A. decided B. agreed C. planned D. hesitated
19.A. material B. size C. color D. time
20.A. terrible B. interesting C. ridiculous D. amazing
高三英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
The Japanese people keep up cheerful spirits ________ the world that they can get over the crisis caused by the terrible tsunami(海啸).
A. being convinced B. convinced C. to convince D. having convinced
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
The brave national spirits showed in the film The Flowers of War are ________ deeply moved the audience.
A.which | B.that | C.who | D.what |
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
In times of trouble, _______ our spirits are low, telling our worries and fears to friends eases the stress.
A. when B. where C. which D. that
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析