The Chinese New Year is now known as the Spring Festival because it starts from the beginning of spring. Though there are some sayings about its origin（起源）, all agree that the word Nian, which in modem Chinese means“year”, was originally the name of a beast（野兽）that started to eat people the night before the beginning of a new year.

　　One story goes that the beast Nian had a very big mouth that would eat a great many people at one time. People were very afraid. One day, an old man came to their help and said he would stop all this. To Nian he said,“I hear that you are very strong, but can you eat up all the beasts on earth instead of people who are too weak to be your enemy（敌人）? ”“Yes,”Nian agreed with him and went to kill many of the beasts on earth. People were very happy because those beasts also did bad things to people and killed their farm animals from time to time.

　　After that, the old man, who was a god（神）, rode on the beast Nian and left. Nian was gone, and other beasts also went into forests; people began to enjoy their happy life. Before the old man left, he had told people to put up red paper-cuts on their windows and doors at each year's end to drive Nian away, because red is the colour the beast felt most afraid of.

　　From then on, every year at the beginning of spring, people“Guo Nian”. The word“Guo Nian”means“Go through the Nian safely”. Putting up red paper-cuts to drive Nian away and making dumplings for a better new year are still an every-year doing by the Chinese people. However（但是）, people today have long forgotten why they are doing all this, they just feel that the colour and the food make the New Year very enjoyable.

A．By putting red paper-cuts on windows.

B．By eating up beasts.

C．By talking to him.

D．By riding on him.

A．Because Nian liked the colour red.

B．Because the colour red could kill Nian.

C．Because the old man liked the colour red.

D．Because Nian was afraid of the colour red.

A．The Origin of the Chinese New Year

B．The Old Man and the Beast Nian

C．How to Go through the Nian Safely

D．What Nian Was Like

A．Nian can eat up all the beasts on earth at one time.

B．Nian is a tall beast that likes to eat farm animals.

C．Nian is afraid of paper-cuts.

D．Nian doesn't like to use his own mind.

Basketball is still a young game. It's over a hundred years old. In the winter of 1891, a certain college was having some trouble with its boy students. The weather was bad and the students had to stay indoors. As they couldn't play outdoors, they were unhappy, and some even got into fights from time to time.

　　Some of the teachers, at the college asked Dr. Naismith to invent a game so that the students might have something to play with. It was not easy to invent such a game because it had to be played indoors , and the court (球场) was not very large.

　　Dr. Naismith thought for a few days and invented a kind of ball game. It was a fast, wonderful game with much moving and passing of the ball. It was played between two teams. To make a score , the ball had to be thrown into the basket ten feet(英尺) above the floor on the wall . At each end of the court there was such a basket. At first, Dr. Naismith wanted to throw the ball into a box. As he could not find boxes of the right size, he had to use fruit baskets instead. That is how the game got its name.

1. How long is it since basketball was invented?

　　A. 1000 years                      　　　　　　　　　　B. More than 100 years

　　C. 1100 years                       　　　　　　　　　　D. Less than 100 years

2. The students felt unhappy because _______.

　　A. they had much homework to do

　　B. they often got into fights

　　C. they couldn't play outdoors 

　　D. they had little time to study

3. Who asked Dr. Naismith to invent a game?

　　A. Some students                    　　　　　　　　B. Some teachers

　　C. Some students' parents           　　　 D. Some of his friends

4. When a student ______ , he makes a score.

　　A. receives the ball.               　　　　　　

　　B. throws the ball to another student

　　C. runs quickly with the ball in his hand  

　　D. throws the ball into the basket

5. Which sentence is right?

　　A. Dr. Naismith had to use fruit to throw the ball.

　　B. It was easy to invent the game.

　　C. The students could go outdoors when the weather was bad.

　　D. The ball had to be thrown into the basket five feet above the floor.

Basketball is still a young game. It’s over a hundred years old. In the winter of 1891, a certain college was having some trouble with its boy students. The weather was bad and the students had to stay indoors. As they couldn’t play outdoors, they were unhappy, and some even got into fights from time to time.
　　Some of the teachers, at the college asked Dr. Naismith to invent a game so that the students might have something to play with. It was not easy to invent such a game because it had to be played indoors , and the court (球场) was not very large.
　　Dr. Naismith thought for a few days and invented a kind of ball game. It was a fast, wonderful game with much moving and passing of the ball. It was played between two teams. To make a score , the ball had to be thrown into the basket ten feet(英尺) above the floor on the wall . At each end of the court there was such a basket. At first, Dr. Naismith wanted to throw the ball into a box. As he could not find boxes of the right size, he had to use fruit baskets instead. That is how the game got its name.
1. How long is it since basketball was invented?
　　A. 1000 years                    　　　　　　　　　　B. More than 100 years
　　C. 1100 years                      　　　　　　　　　　D. Less than 100 years
2. The students felt unhappy because _______.
　　A. they had much homework to do
　　B. they often got into fights
　　C. they couldn’t play outdoors 
　　D. they had little time to study
3. Who asked Dr. Naismith to invent a game?
　　A. Some students                   　　　　　　　　B. Some teachers
　　C. Some students’ parents          　　　 D. Some of his friends
4. When a student ______ , he makes a score.
　　A. receives the ball.              　　　　　　
　　B. throws the ball to another student
　　C. runs quickly with the ball in his hand  
　　D. throws the ball into the basket
5. Which sentence is right?
　　A. Dr. Naismith had to use fruit to throw the ball.
　　B. It was easy to invent the game.
　　C. The students could go outdoors when the weather was bad.
　　D. The ball had to be thrown into the basket five feet above the floor.