Every year on April 1, April Fools’ Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. In France, it’s called “Poisson d’Avril” or “Fish of April.” In Scotland, the holiday is often called “Gowkie Day.” In Iraq, the holiday is called Kithbet Neesan or “April Lie.”
History experts say people have celebrated April Fools’ Day for a long time. Some believe the tradition comes from the ancient Romans more than two thousand years ago. It was a day of playing games and pretending to be someone else.
Others say the day for fooling began in France in 1564, when King Charles changed the yearly calendar. He moved New Year’s Day from April 1 to January 1. Many people did not know about the change because of communication problems back then. Some people continued to celebrate New Year’s Day on April 1. Other people called them April Fools and played jokes on them.
In the United States, April Fools’ Day is just a day of joking and playing tricks on friends. These kinds of jokes are also called pranks. These jokes typically end in the prankster shouting “April Fools’!”
Simple pranks, like telling a friend a funny lie or making prank phone calls, are still common. But, major companies also get in on April Fools’ Day fun in a much bigger way. A few years ago, on April 1, Starbucks announced it was introducing new coffee cup sizes -- Plenta and Micra. The very large cups, bigger than a human head, remained useful for customers even after finishing all that coffee. According to Starbucks, the cups could be used as a rain hat, a pot for plants, or a lampshade.
It did not take long for customers to catch on to the prank! More and more people use social media or smart phone apps to play pranks on their friends on April Fools’ Day. One very annoying smart phone app, Cat Facts, sends funny facts about cats to your friends’ phones, every day.
1.Why did some people keep the old New Year’s Day?
A. It was known only by the government.
B. They wanted to be different from others.
C. They like the old celebration.
D. They didn’t know the time changed.
2.Americans celebrated April Fool’s Day to _________.
A. improve the friendship between friends.
B. have fun and play jokes on others.
C. find a chance to give children gifts.
D. escape the stress of their work.
3.What is the meaning of the underlined words “get in on” in Paragraph 5?
A. participate in. B. turn down.
C. break away from. D. give up.
4.What is the author’s purpose of writing the text?
A. To introduce a new festival.
B. To tell a story on April Fool’s Day.
C. To introduce April Fool’s Day.
D. To express love to the friends.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
Every year on April 1, April Fools’ Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. In France, it’s called “Poisson d’Avril” or “Fish of April.” In Scotland, the holiday is often called “Gowkie Day.” In Iraq, the holiday is called Kithbet Neesan or “April Lie.”
History experts say people have celebrated April Fools’ Day for a long time. Some believe the tradition comes from the ancient Romans more than two thousand years ago. It was a day of playing games and pretending to be someone else.
Others say the day for fooling began in France in 1564, when King Charles changed the yearly calendar. He moved New Year’s Day from April 1 to January 1. Many people did not know about the change because of communication problems back then. Some people continued to celebrate New Year’s Day on April 1. Other people called them April Fools and played jokes on them.
In the United States, April Fools’ Day is just a day of joking and playing tricks on friends. These kinds of jokes are also called pranks. These jokes typically end in the prankster shouting “April Fools’!”
Simple pranks, like telling a friend a funny lie or making prank phone calls, are still common. But, major companies also get in on April Fools’ Day fun in a much bigger way. A few years ago, on April 1, Starbucks announced it was introducing new coffee cup sizes -- Plenta and Micra. The very large cups, bigger than a human head, remained useful for customers even after finishing all that coffee. According to Starbucks, the cups could be used as a rain hat, a pot for plants, or a lampshade.
It did not take long for customers to catch on to the prank! More and more people use social media or smart phone apps to play pranks on their friends on April Fools’ Day. One very annoying smart phone app, Cat Facts, sends funny facts about cats to your friends’ phones, every day.
1.Why did some people keep the old New Year’s Day?
A. It was known only by the government.
B. They wanted to be different from others.
C. They like the old celebration.
D. They didn’t know the time changed.
2.Americans celebrated April Fool’s Day to _________.
A. improve the friendship between friends.
B. have fun and play jokes on others.
C. find a chance to give children gifts.
D. escape the stress of their work.
3.What is the meaning of the underlined words “get in on” in Paragraph 5?
A. participate in. B. turn down.
C. break away from. D. give up.
4.What is the author’s purpose of writing the text?
A. To introduce a new festival.
B. To tell a story on April Fool’s Day.
C. To introduce April Fool’s Day.
D. To express love to the friends.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
阅读下面短文,在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
Earth Day is a yearly event celebrated on April 22. Various activities1.( hold ) worldwide to show support for environmental protection. Here is a brief history of2.event.
In the 1960s, Americans were becoming aware of the effects of pollution3.the environment. In 1969, Senator (参议员) Gaylord Nelson,4.( consider )one of the leaders of the modern environmental movement, developed the idea of Earth Day. His idea really raised5.(aware )about the environment. On April 22, 1970, over 20 million people turned up for the first Earth Day. They believed it was important6.( keep ) the planet safe.
In 1990, Earth Day went global, with 200 million people in over 140 nations 7.( participate ). In 2000, Earth Day focused on clean energy and involved hundreds of millions of people in 184 countries and 5000 environmental8.( group ). Activities ranged from a traveling to a gathering of hundreds of thousands of people at the National Mall in Washington, D. C. Today, the holiday is a global celebration9.is sometimes extended (延长) into Earth Week, a full seven days of events focusing on green living. In 2018, more than 1 billion people were involved in Earth Day activities, making it one of the10.(large)events in the world.
高三英语语法填空困难题查看答案及解析
Earth Day is one of the world's largest environmental movements. Held every year on April 22, Earth Day turns 50 this year. It was created by US politician Gaylord Nelson, aiming to give a voice to people who wanted environmental protection. 1. Back then, it helped to bring clean air and water laws to the US. Now a global movement, it's facing even bigger environmental threats.
2. One of these is The Ocean Cleanup based in the Netherlands. It has successfully made a device that can gather and collect waste from our oceans and rivers, a majority of which is plastic. For us, plastic is an item we use and then throw away. But if you throw away a plastic bottle today, it is non-biodegradable (不可生物降解的).It will still be around for hundreds of years. Much of this plastic waste ends up in the sea, where it kills more than 100 million sea creatures every year. 3.
It is not just our oceans that are under threat. Over time, deforestation (滥伐森林),improper farming, and livestock grazing (放牧)can stop green areas from growing. 4. A Chinese non-governmental organizations (NGO) — The China Green Foundation — is working to change this by planting millions of trees. Another NGO that is making big changes is Welfare Togo. Togo is a developing country in Africa. It faces many environmental problems, including air and water pollution and desertification. To help, Welfare Togo opened 31 schools across the country that focus on teaching sustainable development. Its aim is using education to bring positive environmental changes to Togo.
5. However, through small everyday changes, such as recycling correctly, we can also bring about considerable changes to our natural world.
A.This is called desertification.
B.It aims to support environmental protection around the world.
C.His idea was so successful that more than 20 million people joined in Earth Day events.
D.However, because of high demand, we still make more than 300 tons of new plastic every year.
E.It challenges people to promote environmental education.
F.Not all of us can make such large contributions.
G.Fortunately, many NGOs are stepping up to promote positive changes.
高三英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析
14. Traditionally in West, people usually play ____ on April Fools' Day.
A.funs | B.jokes | C.fool | D.Fools |
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
International Volunteer Day is a global celebration of volunteers.It takes place every year on December 5 1.(shine) a light on the effect of volunteer efforts everywhere.Many nations and governments hold2.(variety) activities in this day.Volunteers are ones3.make use of their own part-time time and participate in social service for no charge.They contribute a lot in the4.(aspect) of rebuilding home,developing economy with promoting social civilization progressing etc.The Day5.(encouragement) volunteers' deeds to develop at local,national and international levels.The Day is the time widely6.(accept)by people to fight poverty,hunger,disease,environmental problems and discrimination against women.
The cultural form and explanation of a volunteer may change depending on circumstances,7.the basic principle never changes:every individual can make a difference in society.Beyond8.(help) to promote the greater good,volunteers enrich their own lives.As one volunteer once put9.,"I feel as though I am able to help in the world and use my skills.It allows me to10.(real) feel as though I am part of the world community."
高三英语短文填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Mother’s Day is usually celebrated on the second Sunday of May every year. Do you know that a mom deserves a special gift this year for Mother’s Day? Sure, flowers can always brighten Mother’s Day and a dinner out is always appreciated. However, doesn’t she deserve something more personal or something that lasts longer than an evening?
I’m talking about the gift of fitness. Improved fitness is a gift that is invaluable to everyone. When you give a woman the gift of fitness, you are helping her open her door to better health. I can’t think of a more thoughtful gift that shows the recipient (接受者)how much you care about their well-being. By giving the gift of fitness you are providing them with unlimited health benefits. Besides, it’s a gift that you can truly feel proud to give.
Of course, we all know that exercising can help people stay slim and fit. But, do you also know about all the other great benefits of exercising? Daily physical activities reduce stress and help you sleep better. Fitness has been linked to reducing the risk of some diseases and to warding off depression. Researchers also believe that strength training can help prevent osteoporosis (骨质疏松). Not to mention that exercising also improves self-esteem, increases energy and helps you be able to do continuous work for longer.
All moms would find these benefits extremely great. If they are like most of us, they have probably even mentioned how they would like to drop a few pounds or just get in better shape. In fact, experts say that about 62% of Americans are currently on a diet. By giving the gift of fitness, you are helping provide your mom with extra motivation. She may be more motivated to actually get fit because she doesn’t want to feel guilty about ignoring such a thoughtful gift.
1. The first paragraph is likely to tell us that ________.
A. we should give a special gift to our mom for Mother’s Day
B. we should invite our mom to a dinner for Mother’s Day
C. it’s good to send flowers to moms for Mother’s Day
D. moms aren’t worth special gifts for Mother’s Day
2. The underlined word “invaluable”(in paragraph 2) means ________.
A. priceless B. worthless C. useless D. helpless
3. According to this passage, the gift of fitness will ________.
A. make moms feel prouder
B. let moms free from illnesses
C. keep moms having a healthy diet
D. encourage moms to do more exercise
4. Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A. Better Pay Attention to Your Mother’s Health
B. Give the Gift of Fitness This Mother’s Day
C. Moms Like to Accept the Gift of Fitness
D. Help Your Mother Keep a Good Shape
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Earth Day is an event 1. (annual) celebrated on April 22. 2. (found) by Senator Gaylord Nelson, an American politician and environmentalist, it was originally aimed at helping the public to know the current situation of air and water pollution and 3. (get) people to care about the earth.
In 1962, Rachel Carson’s bestselling book “Silent Spring” created an 4. (aware) of the dangerous effects pf pesticides(农药). Then, a fire, 5. broke out in 1969 on Cleveland’s Guyahoga River, shed light on the problem of chemical pollution in water. Senator Gaylord Nelson dreamed of 6. similar large event that would get people to take environmental issues seriously. In 1969, he was inspired by protests against the Vietnam War and came up with the idea for Earth Day.
In the fall of 1969, Nelson announced it and appealed to the entire country to get involved. Consequently, telegrams, letters and telephone calls 7. all over the country poured in. Since 1970, Earth Day celebration have grown. Later, Nelson 8. (award) the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of his work.
Today, Earth Day is celebrated around the world every April 22. Sometimes numerous communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of 9. (Activity) focused on the environmental issues. In 2017, the March for Science 10. (occur) on Earth Day (April 22, 2017) and was followed by the People’s Climate Mobilization (April 29, 2017).
高三英语语法填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Earth Day is an event 1. (annual) celebrated on April 22. 2. (found) by Senator Gaylord Nelson, an American politician and environmentalist, it was originally aimed at helping the public to know the current situation of pollution and 3. (get) people to care about the earth.
In 1962, Rachel Carson’s bestseller “Silent Spring” created an 4. (aware) of the dangerous effects of pesticides(农药). Then, a fire, 5. broke out in 1969 on Cleveland’s Guyahoga River, revealed the problem of chemical pollution in water. Senator Gaylord Nelson dreamed of 6. similar event that would get people to take environmental issues seriously. In 1969, he was inspired by protests against the Vietnam War and came up with the idea for Earth Day.
In the fail of 1969, Nelson announced it and appealed to the entire country to get involved. Consequently, telegrams, letters and telephone calls 7. all over the country poured in. Since 1970, Earth Day celebrations have grown. Later, Nelson 8. (award) the Presidential Medal of Freedom because of his work.
Today, numerous communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of 9. (activity) focused on the environmental issues. In 2017, the March for Science 10. (occur) on Earth Day and was followed by the People’s Climate Mobilization on April 29.
高三英语语法填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Earth Day is an event 1. (annual) celebrated on April 22. 2. (found) by Senator Gaylord Nelson, an American politician and environmentalist, it was originally aimed at helping the public to know the current situation of pollution and 3. (get) people to care about the earth.
In 1962, Rachel Carson’s bestseller “Silent Spring” created an 4. (aware) of the dangerous effects of pesticides(农药). Then, a fire, 5. broke out in 1969 on Cleveland’s Guyahoga River, revealed the problem of chemical pollution in water. Senator Gaylord Nelson dreamed of 6. similar event that would get people to take environmental issues seriously. In 1969, he was inspired by protests against the Vietnam War and came up with the idea for Earth Day.
In the fail of 1969, Nelson announced it and appealed to the entire country to get involved. Consequently, telegrams, letters and telephone calls 7. all over the country poured in. Since 1970, Earth Day celebrations have grown. Later, Nelson 8. (award) the Presidential Medal of Freedom because of his work.
Today, numerous communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of 9. (activity) focused on the environmental issues. In 2017, the March for Science 10. (occur) on Earth Day and was followed by the People’s Climate Mobilization on April 29.
高三英语语法填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
April Fools’ Day, not officially considered a holiday, is most definitely a notable day that is celebrated in many countries on April 1. The thing that is so special about April 1 is that it is the day for playing tricks and practical jokes on others. The aim of these jokes is to bring embarrassment to others.
Superstitions(迷信)have it that the practical jokes are meant to be played before noon, and that those that are performed afterwards will bring bad luck. This limitation is widely losing its value due to the fact that many major hoaxes throughout history appear after noon. Another superstition is that anyone who fails to respond properly to the jokes played on them is also said to be easy to suffer from bad luck.
Some people think that being fooled by a pretty girl will be accompanied by marriage, or at least a friendship with her. That sounds like a good deal if she is truly pretty. Some people believe that being married on April Fools’ Day is not a good idea for a man, and that forever in the future he will be ruled by his wife.
The origin of April Fools’ day is not clearly known, but it is generally accepted to have come about as a result of the changes in the calendar system. The New Year celebrations used to begin on 25 March and last for a week, ending on 1 April. In 1582, Charles IX, King of France brought in the new Gregorian calendar, in which the new year began on 1 January. Unfortunately, some people did not hear about the change, and many others simply refused to break the tradition.
1.April Fools’ Day is different from other festivals probably because .
A. it is not official holiday
B. jokes can be played on this day
C. people are relaxed on this day
D. it is an important day
2.If jokes are played on you by a beautiful girl you’ll probably .
A. dislike her B. make much money
C. make many friends D. get married to her soon
3.A man would rather not get married on April probably because .
A. he loves his wife very much
B. he is eager for a bright future
C. he doesn’t want to obey his wife
D. he doesn’t like playing jokes
4.Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A. April Fools’ Day B. The New Year
C. The Superstitions D. The New Gregorian Calendar
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析