The Chinese tradition of giving gifts of mone...

The Chinese tradition of giving gifts of money in red envelopes at Lunar New Year has turned into big business for Web giants Alibaba and Tencent, which now both offer electronic "hong bao".

At the end of each lunar year, it is common in China to give children hong bao -- some money in envelopes that are red, the colour of success. But now the old also take part in this activity.

It is now possible to exchange "red envelopes" with smart phone, which is popular in China and has caused a battle(战争) for the lucrative market between the two companies providing the service, Tencent and Alibaba.

"You don't have to pay the same cost or wait as long as you would for a traditional bank transfer(转账). It's more convenient, simple and fun," Wang Le, a 28-year-old Beijinger, told AFP. " With electronic red envelopes, you're not limited by your identity（身份） or the time of year. It's a new, fresh way of playing the game."

The idea was introduced in 2014 by WeChat, a mobile messaging system with over 400 million users and run by Tencent, China's largest Internet service system. It was successful at once.

This year, Alipay Wallet（阿里支付宝）, the payment system run by Alibaba, is ready to take on the competition. It is allowing its 190 million users to send digital gifts, especially on the Twitter-like Sina Weibo.

For the past few weeks a digital battle has been terrible, with Tencent banning （禁止）Alipay from sending red envelopes on WeChat, saying they were at a risk. Recently, WeChat also blocked(封锁) Alibaba's music app Xiami.

To attract the public's attention, the two companies have launched lotteries through which they award red envelopes to users in an online game.

It's easy to send and receive hong bao or take part in the lotteries: you simply need to register （登记）your bank details.

According to market research group iResearch, Alipay controls 82.6 percent of the Chinese mobile phone payment market, compared to 10 percent for Tencent's Tenpay.

1.Which Web giants now offer electronic "hong bao"?

A. Alibaba　　 B. Tencent 　　 C. Alibaba and Tencent　 D. Sina Weibo

2.According to the passage, what’s the popular trend for people to send “red envelopes” ?

A. Sending "red envelopes" through short messages

B. Sending "red envelopes" through vedios.

C. Sending "red envelopes" through smart phones.

D. Sending "red envelopes" through Express.

3.What does the underlined word “lucrative” mean?

A.利润丰厚的B. 富有想象力的C. 平滑的 D. 好奇的

4.Which one is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Tencent allows Alipay to send red envelopes via Wechat.

B. The idea of electronic red envelope was introduced by Wechat in 2014.

C. It’s complicated (麻烦的) to send and receive hongbao or participate in the lotteries.

D. Alipay controls a smaller payment market of the Chinese microphone than Tencent’s Tenpay.

5. What’s the main business purpose for Tencent and Alibaba launch lotteries?

A. To catch the new fashion on the website.

B. To raise money from netizens.

C. To obtain a better reputation.

D. To gain many more new App users.

九年级英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

In a traditional Chinese wedding, the newly married couple(夫妻)are usually _______in red.

A. worn         B. had             C. dressed    D. put

九年级英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

The red phone box in Britain is a perfect example of the British traditional culture. However, with the fast development of mobile phones, it has lost its place in people’s everyday life. In order to save their loved red phone boxes, people have come up with many ideas, for example, to turn them into toilets or art houses.

In a village in Somerset, a place in South West England, villagers have found a new way to save their red phone box. They turned it into a mini library to deal with the shortage of libraries in their area. The idea was given by a local villager, Janet Fisher, who lives opposite the phone box. Villagers got together to set up the book box. Over 100 books and a lot of movies and music CDs are available at this mini library. The books are of different kinds, including from cooking books to the classics and children’s books. People can put the books that they have read inside the phone box, and take away the books that they’d like to read. The books are always changing. There is a regular check on the books to keep the phone box collection fresh.

Anyone is free to come to read books there. The phone box library is open every day around the clock and is lit (the past form of “light”) at night.  “ It’s very pleasing that the red phone box has been saved. More importantly, it can continue providing a service for us,” said one of the villagers.

1.The red phone box has been a symbol of _________.

2. People in Somerset turned the red phone box into a mini library to _________.

3.Which of the following statements is TRUE about the red phone box?

九年级英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

“Gift” comes from the old Germanic root for “to give”. It meant an act of giving, and then turned into the thing being given. In Old English it meant the dowry(彩礼) given to a bride’s parents. “Present” comes from French. A present is the thing presented or given. But from the 13th century, the two words were in use for the idea of something given to others without paying.

However, they still have some differences in meaning and usage.

“Gift” has more meanings. Gifts can be talents. For example, you can have the art gift or a musical gift. Gifts can be invisible. There is the gift of understanding or the gift of a quiet day.

But we don’t use presents for things like this. Presents are real objects. If your whole family donated to pay for your college on your birthday, would you say “I got a lot of presents”? It doesn’t exactly sound wrong, but since you never hold these donations in your hand, “gifts” seem to fit better.

“Gift” can also act like an adjective to be put in front of another noun. What do you call this kind of shop where you can buy presents? A gift shop. What do you call the basket of presents that you can send to others? A gift basket. “Present” can’t be used like this. We may have gift boxes and gift cards, not present boxes or present cards!

“Gift” is used more often than “present” in modern English. “Present” also means “the time now”.

1.We can use the following expressions EXCEPT _________ .

A. Bill has a gift for sports

B. Mary got into a present store

C. Jack has received lots of birthday gifts

D. Rose enjoys shopping at present

2.What can we know about the words “gift” and “present” from the passage?

A. They both have the same meaning from the beginning.

B. “Present” is used more often than “gift” in modern English.

C. We can call the basket of gifts sent to others “a present basket”.

D. They’re both used for describing something given to others for free.

3.What does the passage mainly want to tell us?

A. “gift” has more meanings than “present” in English.

B. “Gift” and “present” come from different language families.

C. “Gift” and “present” have some differences in meaning and usage.

D. “Gift” and “present” have similar meanings, but people prefer to use “gift”.

4.Where can we probably read the passage?

A. In a fashion magazine.

B. In a travel guide.

C. In a newspaper.

D. In a sports magazine.

九年级英语阅读单选中等难度题查看答案及解析

A large number of foreign people________interested in the traditional Chinese culture. And the number of them ________ increasing.

A.is;is B.is;are C.are;is

九年级英语单选题中等难度题查看答案及解析

完形填空.

For the Japanese, gift-giving is an expression of thanks. It is an important social activity in Japanese life. Here are some customs of 1. gift-giving.

Devalue(贬低) the gift you give. You don't want the receiver to 2. that you are proud. Devalue your gift as much as 3. Praise the gift you 4. It is also important to praise the fine taste of the gift-giver in making that particular choice for you. And don't forget to give a thousand and one thanks. Don't open the gift 5. you aren't asked to do so. And when you do, you must open it carefully. After you see it, you should praise it and say 6. to the sender, and then rewrap the gift as if it was 7. opened. Wrap(包装) all gifts nicely. Wrap any gift with good paper or colorful cloth. Japanese gift-giving is not only a friendly expression but also a(n) 8. You should look out for the colors when you 9. the tapes(丝线). Red and white tapes are especially used for Valentine's Day, 10. red and green are for Christmas. Gold and silver are for weddings(婚礼).

If you keep these points in mind, you'll be sure to make any Japanese happy.

11.A．Japanese　　　　 B．English　　　　 C．Chinese　　　　　　　　 D．Russian

12.A．see　　　　　　　 B．look　　　　　　 C．buy　　　　　　　　　　 D．think

13.A．good　　　　　　 B．possible　　　 C．necessary　　　　　　 D．impossible

14.A．sell　　　　　　 B．buy　　　　　　 C．receive　　　　　　　　 D．give

15.A．until　　　　　　 B．if　　　　　　　 C．after　　　　　　　　　 D．that

16.A．sorry　　　　　　 B．thanks　　　　 C．goodbye　　　　　　　　 D．nothing

17.A．ever　　　　　　 B．even　　　　　　 C．never　　　　　　　　　 D．already

18.A．action　　　　　 B．job　　　　　　 C．lesson　　　　　　　　 D．art

19.A．get　　　　　　　 B．choose　　　　 C．make　　　　　　　　　　 D．sell

20.A．when　　　　　　 B．after　　　　　 C．before　　　　　　　　 D．while

九年级英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Be careful of what to give as gifts. Giving a wrong gift or giving a gift in a wrong way can make people angry.87 In Russia ,if you want to give flowers , you should only give one.　 Giving people money is impolite. In America　 ,knives should not be given as gifts. They mean the end of friendship. The Japanese don’t like the No.9 ,either ,because it has the same reading as Japanese word for bitterness(苦) .They don’t like a gift that isn ’t wrapped (包装)beautifully. 1.___________　 In France, you should not give wine as a gift ,

2.______They can be found anywhere.88You can give flowers, but not carnations(康乃馨).They can bring bad luck.

九年级英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

One of the sweetest gifts of nature is a red, ripe strawberry. There are three basic kinds of strawberries: June bearing, ever bearing and day neutrals.

June bearing are ready in the spring, so they are also called spring bearing. But gardeners will not get a crop during the first spring after planting. Ever bearing , when planted after the last winter freeze, will produce fruit during spring or early summer. A second or sometimes third crop will be ready in late summer. Day neutrals produce fruit throughout the summer months.

The University of Illinois Urban Extension says ever bearers and day neutrals are especially good for home gardens. Plant strawberries in the spring as soon as the soil is dry enough. Try to plant late in the day or on a cloudy day. The soil should cover just the roots and not the crown on top of the plant. Runners will appear in a few weeks.

Strawberries grown in containers（容器） need a soil depth of about twenty-five to thirty centimeters. Be sure the container has holes in the bottom.

Strawberries grow well in loamy soil（沃土） that lets water pass through easily. Carl Wilson at the Colorado State University Extension suggests mixing about three to five percent organic（有机的） material into the soil.

根据短文内容，判断下列句子正误。正确的用“A”表示，不正确的用“B”表示。

1.The strawberry is a kind of fruit with red color and sweet taste.

2.June bearing is usually planted in winter of last year.

3.Strawberries can grow both in gardens and in containers.

4.The right time to plant strawberries is on a wet day.

5.Strawberries only produce fruit once.

九年级英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

In fact, most of children know little about Chinese traditional culture. They prefer to spend 　　　　　 in playing computer games.

A. time　　 B. effort

C. mind　　 D. money

九年级英语单选题中等难度题查看答案及解析

--- What do you think of receiving and giving gifts?

--- I think the art of receiving a gift is _____ than the art of giving.

A. much more difficult　　　　　　　　　　 B.very more difficult

C. much difficult　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. as difficult as

九年级英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析