The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divide...

The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Grain Rain(谷雨)，at the last term in spring，generally starts on April 20 and ends on May 4.

Grain Rain comes from an old saying，“Rain brings up the growth of hundreds of grain”，which shows that this period of rainfall is very important for the growth of crops. Here's something that you may not know about the Grain Rain.

①_______________________

Grain Rain falls between the end of spring and the beginning of summer，and the temperature rises much higher than it does in March. With dry soil and heavy winds，sandstorms may happen more often.

②_______________

There is an old custom in southern China that people drink tea on the day of Grain Rain. Spring tea during Grain Rain is good for the eyes. It is also said that drinking tea on this day would prevent bad luck.

③___________________

People in northern China have the tradition to eat the vegetable toona sinensis during Grain Rain. An old Chinese saying goes“toona sinensis before the rain is just like silk”. The vegetable is good for the stomach and skin.

④______________________

The Grain Rain Festival is celebrated by fishing villages in northern China. Grain Rain marks the start of the fisherman's first voyage (航行) of the year. The custom dates back to more than 2000 years ago.

1.When Grain Rain ends, _______starts.

A. spring　　 B. summer　　 C. autumn　　 D. winter

2.The people in southern China _________ on the day of Grain Rain.

A. drink tea　　 B. eat toona sinensis

C. start the first voyage　　 D. plant tea trees

3.We can guess that“toona sinensis”must be a kind of vegetable which _________.

A. can bring good luck　　 B. is delicious and healthy

C. grows at the seaside　　 D. is terrible but healthy

4.The fight order of the titles from 1 to 4 should be _______.

①Traditions in northern China　　 ②Seasonal characteristics

②Grain Rain Festival　　 ④Customs in southern China

A. ②①④③　　 B. ④③①②　　 C. ②④①③　　 D. ①③④②

八年级英语阅读单选中等难度题查看答案及解析

Happy New Year, everyone!

The year of 2014 is the Year of the Horse in the Chinese lunar calendar(农历). It begins on January 31, 2014, and ends on February 18, 2015. People say 2014 is the Year of Wood Horse. Wood is something about trees or green, so it is also called Year of Green Horse. 2014 is the jiăwŭ (甲午) year.

Horses are our good friends for a long time. In the past, horses helped people carry heavy things and travel far. Today many people ride horses for fun.

Horses are hard-working and loyal animals. So are the people born in the Year of Horse. They are true to others. If you have some friends like that, be nice to them. They could be your friends forever.

1.The year of 2014 is the Year of the ____________.

A. Snake            B. Dragon        C. Monkey        D. Horse

2.The underlined word “loyal” in the last paragraph means __________ in Chinese.

A. 令人畏惧的    B. 自信的        C. 忠诚的        D. 固执的

八年级英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

On the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar（农历）, which is Wednesday this year, all Chinese celebrate one of their traditional festivals, the Dagon Boat Festival, or Dragon Boat Festival. Their celebrations include eating zongzi, rice wrapped in bamboo leaves in the shape of a pyramid, racing dragon boats and sticking mugwort leaves on their doors.

In 2007, the central government decided to add the Dragon Boat Festival, together with two other traditional festivals - Tomb Sweeping Day (清明节) and Mid Autumn Festival - to the list of public holidays

According to tradition, our ancestors（长辈） believed the hot weather in midsummer might cause different kinds of diseases (疾病). So, to keep off diseases and drive out evil were the main purposes of the Dragon Boat Festival. Parents used colorful threads to make necklaces and bracelets （手镯） for children, gave them beautiful embroidered bags（荷包）, painted the Chinese character for "king" (wang) on their foreheads to drive away bad luck. The Dragon Boat Festival was also called "kids festival" in some places. Spending such happy hours with parents, young children began to understand the festival as well as the traditions and culture behind it. Repeating the customs year by year makes it possible for kids to learn the traditions, accept it and pass it on when they become adults.

1.How do people celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival?

A．People celebrate this festival by eating eggs.

B．People celebrate this festival by eating zongzi, racing dragon boats.

C．People celebrate this festival by sending cards.

D．People celebrate this festival by singing and dancing.

2.What is the Chinese meaning of “mugwort leaves” in the second paragraph?

A．粽叶             B．红叶             C．艾叶             D．松叶

3.How many public holidays added by the central government in 2007?

A．2                B．3                C．4                D．only one

4.What is the main purpose of the Dragon Boat Festival according to tradition?

A．To keep off diseases and drive out evil and bad luck.

B．To spend happy time with parents.

C．To make necklaces and bracelets for children.

D．To have a long holiday with family members.

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Dumplings are traditional Chinese food. On the lunar New Year’s Day, most families make a lot of delicious dumplings. To make them, we can follow these easy steps.

The first step is to mix the flour(面粉) with water. When the dough(面团) is ready, we can begin to make dumpling wrappers(薄皮). We roll the dough into small, thin and round pieces so that they can be easy to cook. Then it’s time to prepare the filling(馅), usually, we use meat such as beef or pork, and some vegetables for filling. Remember to cut these things into small pieces, put some salt and oil into it and mix them.

When all these are done, we can start making dumplings. First put a spoonful of filling in the center of the wrappers. Then stick(粘) the two opposite sides together. The best shape of dumplings is like a ship. When they are boiling in the pan, they look like ships sailing in the sea. The smell can make your mouth water.

1.Most families make a lot of dumplings on ____.

A. Dragon Boat Day B. Christmas Day

C. the lunar New Year’s Day D. Mid-autumn Day

2.The second step is ____.

A. to make wrappers B. to mix the flour

C. to prepare the filling D. to cook them in the pan

3.To make the filling, we need to prepare ____.

A. some meat B. some vegetables

C. some salt and oil D. all of the above

4.The best shape of dumplings is ____.

A. round B. like a cake C. like a ship D. like a dough

5.The best title for the passage is ____.

A. What Dumplings Look Like B. How to Make Filling

C. How to Make Dumplings D. The Lunar New Year’s Day

八年级英语阅读单选中等难度题查看答案及解析

Dumplings are traditional Chinese food. On the lunar New Year’s Day, most families make a lot of delicious dumplings. To make them, we can follow these easy steps.

The first step is to mix the flour(面粉) with water. When the dough(面团) is ready, we can begin to make dumpling wrappers(薄皮). We roll the dough into small, thin and round pieces so that they can be easy to cook. Then it’s time to prepare the filling(馅), usually, we use meat such as beef or pork, and some vegetables for filling. Remember to cut these things into small pieces, put some salt and oil into it and mix them.

When all these are done, we can start making dumplings. First put a spoonful of filling in the center of the wrappers. Then stick(粘) the two opposite sides together. The best shape of dumplings is like a ship. When they are boiling in the pan, they look like ships sailing in the sea. The smell can make your mouth water.

根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。

1. Most families make a lot of dumplings on ____.

A. Dragon Boat Day        　　　　　 B. Christmas Day

C. the lunar New Year’s Day    D. Mid-autumn Day

2.. The second step is ____.

A. to make wrappers        　　　 B. to mix the flour

C. to prepare the filling    D. to cook them in the pan

3. To make the filling, we need to prepare ____.

A. some meat        　　　　　 B. some vegetables

C. some salt and oil        D. all of the above

4. The best shape of dumplings is ____.

A. round    B. like a cake

C. like a ship    D. like a dough

5. The best title for the passage is ____.

A. What Dumplings Look Like    B. How to Make Filling

C. How to Make Dumplings    D. The Lunar New Year’s Day

八年级英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The Lunar Calendar（阴历）

Modern Chinese use the solar calendar（阳历）as English people do . But at the same time , they use their own lunar calendar . Each lunar year is given the name of one of these animals : the rat , the ox , the tiger , the hare , the dragon , the snake , the horse , the goat , the monkey , the chicken , the dog and the pig . This list lasts for 12 years and then starts again .

Each Chinese month starts on the day of the new moon . And the full moon comes on the 15th day of the month . The New Year always starts between January 21 and February 20 . On the last day of the lunar year , there is a big family dinner . All members of the family except married daughters try to be present at this meal , even of they have to travel many miles to reach the home of their parents . Old quarrels are forgotten , and everybody is happy . After the dinner , the children keep awake to welcome the New Year .

The New Year celebrations last for 15 days , from the new moon to the full moon . On the first day , children and unmarried people go to visit their elders .

1.If next year is the year of the dragon , what was the name of last year ?

A. It was the year of tiger .

B. It was the year of the hare .

C. It was the year of snake .

D. It was the year of the ox .

2.Suppose that next Chinese New Year’s Day is on 15th February , when will people have their big family dinner ?

A. On February 15        B. On February 16

C. On February 14        D. On February 17

3.The family usually have their big family dinner at the home of ________ .

A. the married son            B. the married daughter

C. the unmarried son        D. the parents

4.People celebrate the New Year ________ .

A. for 15 days

B. from the new moon to the full moon in the first month of the lunar year

C. from January 21 to February 20

D. both A and B

5.From this selection we know that each Chinese month is measured by _______ .

A. the sun’s revolutions（旋转）

B. the moon’s revolutions

C. the earth’s revolutions

D. both the earth’s and moon’s revolutions

八年级英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Modern Chinese use the solar calendar（阳历）as English people do . But at the same time, they use their own lunar calendar. Each lunar year is given the name of one of these animals : the rat , the ox , the tiger , the hare , the dragon , the snake , the horse , the goat , the monkey , the chicken , the dog and the pig . This list lasts for 12 years and then starts again.

Each Chinese month starts on the day of the new moon. And the full moon comes on the 15th day of the month. The New Year always starts between January 21 and February 20. On the last day of the lunar year, there is a big family dinner. All members of the family except married daughters try to be present at this meal, even of they have to travel many miles to reach the home of their parents. Old quarrels are forgotten, and everybody is happy. After the dinner, the children keep awake to welcome the New Year.

The New Year celebrations last for 15 days, from the new moon to the full moon. On the first day, children and unmarried people go to visit their elder

1. If next year is the year of the dragon, what was the name of last year?

A. It was the year of tiger.　　　 B. It was the year of the hare.

C. It was the year of snake.　　 D. It was the year of the ox.

2. Suppose that next Chinese New Year’s Day is on 15th February, when will people have their big family dinner?

A. On February 15    　　　　　　 B. On February 16

C. On February 14    　　　　　　 D. On February 17

3. The family usually have their big family dinner at the home of _______.

A. the married son            B. the married daughter

C. the unmarried son        D. the parents

4. People celebrate the New Year ________.

A. for 15 days

B. from the new moon to the full moon in the first month of the lunar year

C. from January 21 to February 20

D. both A and B

5. From this selection we know that each Chinese month is measured by __.

A. the sun’s revolutions（旋转）

B. the moon’s revolutions

C. the earth’s revolutions

D. both the earth’s and moon’s revolutions

八年级英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Modern Chinese use the solar calendar（阳历）as English people do . But at the same time, they use their own lunar calendar. Each lunar year is given the name of one of these animals : the rat , the ox , the tiger , the hare , the dragon , the snake , the horse , the goat , the monkey , the chicken , the dog and the pig . This list lasts for 12 years and then starts again.

Each Chinese month starts on the day of the new moon. And the full moon comes on the 15th day of the month. The New Year always starts between January 21 and February 20. On the last day of the lunar year, there is a big family dinner. All members of the family except married daughters try to be present at this meal, even of they have to travel many miles to reach the home of their parents. Old quarrels are forgotten, and everybody is happy. After the dinner, the children keep awake to welcome the New Year.

The New Year celebrations last for 15 days, from the new moon to the full moon. On the first day, children and unmarried people go to visit their elder

1.If next year is the year of the dragon, what was the name of last year?

A. It was the year of tiger.　　 B. It was the year of the hare.

C. It was the year of snake.　　 D. It was the year of the ox.

2.Suppose that next Chinese New Year’s Day is on 15th February, when will people have their big family dinner?

A. On February 15　　 B. On February 16

C. On February 14　　 D. On February 17

3.The family usually have their big family dinner at the home of _______.

A. the married son　　 B. the married daughter

C. the unmarried son　　 D. the parents

4.People celebrate the New Year ________.

A. for 15 days

B. from the new moon to the full moon in the first month of the lunar year

C. from January 21 to February 20

D. both A and B

5.From this selection we know that each Chinese month is measured by __.

A. the sun’s revolutions（旋转）

B. the moon’s revolutions

C. the earth’s revolutions

D. both the earth’s and moon’s revolutions

八年级英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

完型填空

The world is divided into　　 parts. One half of the world is rich and the other is poor. In the poor part, a lot of people have　　 got enough to eat. When they are ill, 　　 of the hospital can receive them because they have money. In the rich part, a lot of people eat too much. For example, a dog 　 a cat in North America eats　　 than a child in the poor countries.

The poor countries have some difficult problems. Sometimes the land is too poor to grow

on. People there have 　　 rich land enough water. The land can be made

better, but a lot of things must be done. The people 　 be taught and water must be found.

But rich countries have problems, too. There are not always good places 　　 . Sometimes the air is not clean and the rivers are 　　 dirty to swim in or drink. The roads and streets are full of people and buses. Cars and buses have to move 　 . Noise is too much. Some people don't have houses. Something must be done about these problems. The air and the rivers must be cleaned and be 　　 clean. More houses have to be built. 　　 these can't be done easily.

1.A. one 　　 B. two 　　　　 C. three 　　　　　　　 D. four

2.A. won't　　　 B. aren't　 　　　　　 C. didn't　　　　　　　 D. never

3.A. all 　　 B. none 　　　　 C. some 　　　　　　　 D. any

4.A. a little　 B. no 　　　　　　 C. too much 　　　　　　 D. a lot of

5.A. like　　 B. as 　　　　　　 C. or　 　　　　　　　 D. and

6.A. more　　　　 B. less　 　　　　 C. better　　　　　　 　　　 D. well

7.A. everything　　 B. something　　 C. nothing　　　　 D. anything

8.A. no　　 B. not　　　　　　 C. all　　　　　　 D. both

9.A. and　　 B. but 　　　　　　 C. too　　　　　　 D. or

10.A. needn't　 B. must　　　　 C. can't 　　　　　　　 D. may not

11.A. live in 　 B. to live in 　　 C. to sleep 　　　　 D. stay

12.A. very 　 B. so 　　　　　　 C. too 　　　　　 D. quite

13.A. slowly　 B. quickly 　　　 C. carefully　　　　 D. dangerous

14.A. made 　 B. become 　　　　 C. kept 　　　　 D. done

15.A. But　　　　 B. And　　 　　 C. So　　 　　 D. Because

八年级英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

The way we spend our time can be divided into three "bottles". These are the Necessary Tasks Bottle, the Voluntary Tasks Bottle and the Happiness Bottle.

Every day, we spend time filling the Necessary Tasks Bottle with useful things, like making money, doing housework, buying food and paying bills. We then fill another bottle with Voluntary Tasks. These are things that we do for others, we may not enjoy, but we do them anyway This bottle gets filled with tasks like taking children to activities, cooking family meals, and washing clothes for family members, Those bottles are very important if we don't fill them each day.

However, we often forget to fill the third bottle-the Happiness Bottle. This is the bottle that we fill with activities that make us happy. Is your Happiness Bottle sometimes empty at the end of the day? Between doing all the Necessary and Voluntary Tasks, time flies by, and before we know it. it is time for bed. We all have days like that.

This is why each day we have to make an effort(努力) to fill our Happiness Bottle. Most days, I fill mine by going to the dancing class. And I always leave classes more happily than when I enter. This week, I had the pleasure of taking part in a guitar practice in my neighborhood. We show our musical talent and practice music for charity(慈善) It was a time of fun, friendship and music-making. At the end of the evening, my Happiness Bottle was filled to top.

The challenge(挑战)for each of us is to not let the day go by without filling our Happiness Bottle. That takes some planning. Many of us probably need to pencil happiness activities into our schedule(日程表) Or, we will fill our schedule with those Necessary and Voluntary Tasks.

This week. Think about how your time is being spent. Are you doing enough activities that bring joy to your life? Or are the Necessary and Voluntary Tasks using up all your time? At the end of the day. Hopefully we've done all we can to make sure that our Happiness Bottle is filled.

1.Which activity belongs to(属于) a Necessary Task according to the passage?

A.Having fun with your good friend

B.Preparing a big dinner for your family.

C.Going to work although it is raining heavily.

D.Sending your son to a piano lesson on Sunday.

2.People can fill the Happiness Bottle by________.

A.planning our schedule without any Voluntary Tasks

B.spending time on activities that make us happy

C.using up all the time to find happiness.

D.doing more things for other people

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A.People often fill the Happiness Bottle at bedtime.

B.People are happy to fill the Voluntary Tasks Bottle each day

C.It is necessary for people to plan happiness activities on the schedule.

D.It is OK if we don't fill the Necessary Tasks or Voluntary Tasks Bottle.

4.What is the writer's main purpose in writing this passage?

A.To describe what the Happiness Bottle is like

B.To introduce ways to fill the Harness bottle

C.To share the experience of filling the Happiness Bottle

D.To tell people to spend time filling the Happiness Bottle

八年级英语阅读单选困难题查看答案及解析