What is your favourite cartoon? It may be difficult for you to decide．But for pianist Lang Lang, Tom and Jerry is the best one．
When Lang was two years old, he saw Tom playing the piano．This was his first time to enjoy western music and this experience encouraged him to learn to play the piano well．
His talent at the keyboard has taken him from Shenyang to the world．
Lang became a good piano student at three．Ever since, the boy has been doing better and better．In 1997, the 15-year-old boy studied at a famous American music college．
Lang's performances are energetic．He is well-known for making facial expressions and moving around while playing the piano．
The road to success has never been easy．Lang's father stopped his job to look after him, while his mother stayed in Shenyang to make money．But Lang considers himself lucky and believes he should give something back．He has helped the children in poor areas a lot．

	Personal       【小题1】	Card
About his personal life	Name	Lang Lang
	Year of birth	【小题2】
	【小题3】	Keyboard
	Favourite   【小题4】	Tom and Jerry
	The reason for   【小题5】    poor children	He believes himself lucky and should give something back．
About his musical life	The   【小题6】   for western music in his childhood encouraged him to learn piano  【小题7】  ．With the help of his parents and teachers, he was able to  【小题8】 at a famous American music college, where  his success began．
	Famous for his    【小题9】    performances and     【小题10】   facial expressions and moving around while playing the piano．

 

What is your wish for the New Year? The following is some children’s ideas.

John: I wish to be a better boy to Mum and listen to her more. I also want to get better grades in school.

Kate: My wish is to change my school as there’s too much to study in this school.

Ann: I wish I could spend more time with Mum. She should stop working at the bank and take up a job at our neighbourhood toy shop.

Peter: I wish someone would find a way to help me walk with my only leg, so I can take part in activities and sports that I’m unable to do now.

Mary: I wish that I could save all my money, so I could buy presents for my mother, father and big sister on their birthdays.

Bob:  I wish for good health though I’m badly ill. I want to finish high school and take an IT course after.

Mark: I wish I could get more money to fix our house. There is a big hole in the wall and big mice run inside the room.

【小题1】How many children can you find in the passage?

A．seven.

B．Four.

C．Three.

D．six.

【小题2】Who is badly ill among the children?

A．Kate.

B．Peter.

C．Mary.

D．Bob.

【小题3】What’s Mark’s wish?

A．To get better grades.	B．To change his school.
C．To buy some presents.	D．To fix their house.

What is your zodiac（生肖） animal? According to the Chinese lunar calendar（农历）, 12 animals mark 12 different years. It is the basis of the Chinese zodiac. Nowadays, Chinese zodiac animals have worldwide fame and are increasingly popular among western people.

The zodiac is an important part of Chinese culture. People believe that the characteristics of a zodiac animal influence the personality of every person born in that year. For example, people born in the Year of the Tiger are considered powerful and brave.

Zodiac animals also have some social functions. When people think it is not proper to ask: “How old are you”, they may change their question to “What is your zodiac animal?” With this question, you can figure out roughly which year someone was born and the person’s age.

Zodiac animals are not special to China. Many countries share a similar zodiac culture with China. For example, in the Japanese Zodiac, a wild boar（野猪）takes the place of a pig and the Vietnamese（越南的）zodiac has a cat instead of a rabbit.

But have you ever wondered how these 12 animals were chosen to represent each year? According to legend, the Jade Emperor（玉皇大帝）invited all the animals to join him for Chinese New Year. Only 12 animals went to see him. As a reward he named a year after each one in the order they arrived. The ox would have been the first to arrive, but the rat sat on his back and jumped off just before they arrived to come in first place.

1.The characteristics of a zodiac animal may influence the _____ of every person

born in that year.

A．appearance        B．personality        C．hobby            D．education

2.“What is your zodiac animal?” is a question used to find out a person’s______.

A．age              B．name             C．job              D．weight

3.In the Japanese zodiac, we don’t see the zodiac animal：_______

A．wild boar          B．rabbit            C．dragon           D．pig

4.According to the last paragraph, we know that ____ was the first animal to arrive.

A．ox               B．rat               C．pig               D．cat

 

What is your zodiac（生肖） animal? According to the Chinese lunar calendar（农历）, 12 animals mark 12 different years. It is the basis of the Chinese zodiac. Nowadays, Chinese zodiac animals have worldwide fame and are increasingly popular among western people.

The zodiac is an important part of Chinese culture. People believe that the characteristics of a zodiac animal influence the personality of every person born in that year. For example, people born in the Year of the Tiger are considered powerful and brave.

Zodiac animals also have some social functions. When people think it is not proper to ask: “How old are you”, they may change their question to “What is your zodiac animal?” With this question, you can figure out roughly which year someone was born and the person’s age.

Zodiac animals are not special to China. Many countries share a similar zodiac culture with China. For example, in the Japanese Zodiac, a wild boar（野猪）takes the place of a pig and the Vietnamese（越南的）zodiac has a cat instead of a rabbit.

But have you ever wondered how these 12 animals were chosen to represent each year? According to legend, the Jade Emperor（玉皇大帝）invited all the animals to join him for Chinese New Year. Only 12 animals went to see him. As a reward he named a year after each one in the order they arrived. The ox would have been the first to arrive, but the rat sat on his back and jumped off just before they arrived to come in first place.

1.The characteristics of a zodiac animal may influence the _____ of every person born in that year.

A．appearance        B．personality        C．hobby            D．education

2.“What is your zodiac animal?” is a question used to find out a person’s______.

A．age              B．name             C．job              D．weight

3.In the Japanese zodiac, we don’t see the zodiac animal：_______

A．wild boar          B．rabbit            C．dragon           D．pig

4.According to the last paragraph, we know that ____ was the first animal to arrive.

A．ox               B．rat               C．pig               D．cat