5.　　　 Find words from the passage to fill in the blanks: In China, the winter months are usually November, December and ____. But it’s different in Australia. The winter in China is ____ in Australia because it is in the ____ part of the Earth. Winter is not always ___. You can have lots of fun. Try ____ a play and acting it out with your cousins or friends. Or you can play ____ outside and make a ____. If you have to stay ____, clean up your house and ____ it with fun pieces. Just enjoy winter!

(10)

　Look at the light and beautiful snowflakes (雪花) falling. Ever wanted to hold them in your hands? They are always lost when they meet your hands.

Well, this isn’t just a problem for you. It was a problem for Wilson Bentley, too.

In the 1870s, Wilson Bentley was just a teenager. His family lived in a small town in northeast America. Winters there were long and hard. _{Bentley’s mother was once a school teacher. She taught him at home. Bentley didn’t go to school until he was 14. He was a quiet boy, and loved reading his mother’s books.}

But it was his mother’s microscope (显微镜) that interested him. When the other boys were playing with balls, little Bentley was studying things like drops of water, flowers and snowflakes. _{Bentley loved watching snowflakes. For the next two years young Bentley spent many winter days in a cold room watching these ice crystals (晶体) under his microscope.}

_{The boy} thought they were so beautiful that he started to draw pictures of them. But there were so many snowflakes that he couldn’t draw them all.

How could he keep their beauty forever? Bentley thought of buying a camera.

The boy and his mother asked his father to buy one. But, his father didn’t agree. He thought the whole thing was a bad idea. He thought the only thing a farmer should do was farming.

But finally Bentley did get a camera. For more than a year he tried to take pictures of snowflakes. On January 15, 1885, during a snowstorm, Bentley took the first ever photo of an ice crystal with his camera. “It was the greatest moment of my life,” Bentley said later.

For 13 years, Bentley worked quietly and took thousands of photos of ice crystals. Later he became known as “Snowflake” Bentley.

根据短文，选择最佳答案：

4.　　　 从短文中选出一种你喜欢的活动，并说明原因。 I think it will be great fun to ____ this winter because I like to ____. Also, it is ________ and it can ________. I’ll try it out soon.

3.　　　 Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage? A. The northern and southern parts of the Earth have different winter months. B. Winter can be fun if you find interesting things to do. C. The writer thinks it’s great fun to clean your house and decorate it. D. Australian kids enjoy having ice cream on winter days.

2.　　　 Why are Australian kids eating ice cream when it’s winter in China? A. Because they are crazy about ice cream. B. Because winter in Australia is not as cold as that in China. C. Because it’s summer in Australia when it’s winter in China. D. Because they don’t have much to do in winter.

1.　　　 What does this passage mainly talk bout? A. The winter season and fun winter activities. B. Ways to decorate houses. C. The difference between China and Australia. D. The colours linked to winter.

5.　　　 We can tell from the story that the Spring Festival is ____. A. a time of harvest and fun B. celebrated for one whole month C. only celebrated in China D. a time for families to get together

(9)

　 Cold air. Snow. Shorter days. We are in winter now.

　Winter is the coldest season of the year. It comes between autumn and spring. For us, the winter months are usually November, December and January. But that is only because we live in the northern part of the Earth.

　 In China, winter is the time between the beginning of winter, and the beginning of spring. But, this is the time that the southern part of the Earth, has its summer. Imagine when we are playing with snow, Australian kids are enjoying ice cream!

　 Winter isn’t always gray. It can also be bright. Here’s how.

　 Put on a holiday play and try acting. Ask your cousins or classmates to come to your house and make beautiful clothes and write a play. Act it out for your family.

Play around. Go outside and enjoy yourself. Make a snowman with your friends.

If you really have to stay indoors, give your room a clean and decorate (装饰) it. You’ll find it a lot of fun.

根据短文，选择最佳答案：

4.　　　 The underlined phrase “running out” probably means “____”. A. 跑出去　　　　　 B. 打碎　　　　　　　 C. 耗尽　　　　　　　 D. 离开

3.　　　 Which of the following things is not supposed to happen during the Spring Festival? A. Returning money before the Spring Festival. B. Saying words that have to do with death. C. Wearing red clothes. D. Decorating houses with red paper.

2.　　　 Why do people clean their houses days before the Spring Festival? A. Because they enjoy being clean. B. Because it is believed that cleaning will sweep away bad luck. C. Because they think it will bring happiness to others. D. Because it is thought that cleaning brings in money.

1.　　　 What do most people do on the eve of the Spring Festival? A. Family members gather for a big meal. B. Friends eat dumplings together. C. They borrow money from friends. D. They give each other hong bao.