In the United States the most popular form of folk dancing since the early days has been square dancing. In early times, when men and women worked in groups to build a barn (谷仓) or harvest crops, they danced when the work was done. The music came from the violin for the most part, but if there was no one to play a musical instrument, clapping（拍手）was used to produce the rhythm（节奏）by which to dance. The early settlers danced in a store, in a barn, or in a farm kitchen.

       A square is formed by four couples who stand facing the centre of the square. Each couple stand on one side of the square, the boy on the left and the girl on the right.

       The caller is an important part of the dance, since he tells the dancers which steps to do. If the dancers do not know the steps, he teaches them. It takes time to learn to be a good caller, and good callers are always in demand.

       These are the names of some of the steps the dancers do: Form a square; Circle; Honour your partner; Swing your partner; Form a star. There are many more. As the callers tell the dancers what to do next, they move to form the pattern（图形）he calls.

       Large or small numbers of people can dance at one time. Sometimes 800 or 1,000 people may be dancing at the same time. Or there may be only one square of eight people.

       Special clothes are worn by some when dancing. This makes the dance more colourful to watch. The special clothes are different from place to place. Women often wear full skirts of various colours with a pretty blouse. Men have coloured shirts and western trousers that they wear only when square dancing. In some country areas, everyone wears his best clothes.

       Today in some parts of the United States you will find some schools, clubs, or groups square dancing for fun.

56. From the passage we know that square dancing came from_______.

  A. the clubs            B. the schools  　        C. the countryside       D. big cities

57. How many steps do the dancers usually do while square dancing?

  A. At most four.                                                B. At least five.           

  C. At most eight.                                                  D. At least one thousand.

58. Which of the following statements is true?

  A. The caller is the most beautiful person in square dancing.

  B. It’s easy to learn to be a good caller.

  C. The caller plays an important part in square dancing.

  D. There are always enough good callers.

59. For what purpose do the American men and women dance?

  A. For money.                                B. For fun.

  C. To celebrate their harvest.                    D. To show their beautiful clothes.

60. If 800 people dance at the same time，how many squares can be formed?

  A. 100 squares.       B.200 squares.      C. 400 squares.        D. One big square.

People in the United States honour their parents with two special days: Mother’s Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day, on the third Sunday in June.These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care.

These two days make us think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers. More mothers are now working outside home. More fathers must help with the children care.

These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day, people wear carnations. A red one symbolizes a living mother, while a black one shows the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honour parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit cemetery ( 墓地). On these days, families get together at home, as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.

Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are valued more than the ones bought in stores. It is not the value of the gift that is important, but it is the thought that counts. Greeting card stores, florists, candy makers, bakeries, telephone companies and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays.

1.Which of the following is NOT a reason for parents show love and respect for parents?

A. Parents bring up children                

B. Parents give love and care to children

C. Parents educate children to be good persons 

D. Parents pass away before children grow up

2.Which do you think is true about “carnation” mentioned in paragraph 3?

A. It has only two kinds of colours     

B. It refers to the special clothes people wear on Mother’s Day or Father’Day

C. It’s a kind of flower showing love and best wishes.

D. People can wear carnations only on the second Sunday in May

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are both in May

B. Fewer women worked outside the home in the past

C. Not all the children respect their parents

D. Fathers are not as important as mothers

4. On Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, ____________.

A. people usually have family parties   B. everyone goes to visit the cemetery

C. children always go to parents’ home  D. hand-made cards are not valuable

People in the United States honour their parents with two special days: Mother’s Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day, on the third Sunday in June.These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care.

These two days make us think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers. More mothers are now working outside home. More fathers must help with the children care.

These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day, people wear carnations. A red one symbolizes a living mother, while a black one shows the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honour parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit cemetery ( 墓地). On these days, families get together at home, as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.

Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are valued more than the ones bought in stores. It is not the value of the gift that is important, but it is the thought that counts. Greeting card stores, florists, candy makers, bakeries, telephone companies and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays.

Which of the following is NOT a reason for parents show love and respect for parents?

A. Parents bring up children                

B. Parents give love and care to children

C. Parents educate children to be good persons 

D. Parents pass away before children grow up

Which do you think is true about “carnation” mentioned in paragraph 3?

A. It has only two kinds of colours     

B. It refers to the special clothes people wear on Mother’s Day or Father’Day

C. It’s a kind of flower showing love and best wishes.

D. People can wear carnations only on the second Sunday in May

What can we learn from the passage?

A. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are both in May

B. Fewer women worked outside the home in the past

C. Not all the children respect their parents

D. Fathers are not as important as mothers

On Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, ____________.

A. people usually have family parties   B. everyone goes to visit the cemetery

C. children always go to parents’ home  D. hand-made cards are not valuable

With the start of the new semester students around the country exchange their fun and fashionable clothes for boring school uniforms.
"The uniform makes us look like a bunch of clones, especially when we are doing morning exercises in the playground, "said Qing, a Senior 2 from a high school in Shanghai. "But we are not exactly the same from the top to the bottom. The boys wear different sport shoes and girls have different decorations ( 装饰品 )in their hair. These are the areas where you can express yourself" said Qing.
Although it might be strange for boys to talk about fashion, they do care about what they wear in school, especially shoes, according to Qing.
"Nike and Adidas basketball shoes, although they are still the must for many of my friends ,are becoming out-of-date,” added. He explained, "Since Liu Xiang ran so fast in Athens, running shoes are becoming popular in this autumn."
"Still in fashion are the various baseball caps and American-style T-shirts with random English words printed on them, "said Qing. "The accuracy ( 准确性 )of the written message isn't important. Often, the words are misspelt . Sometimes they do not even make sense “ Qing said with a smile.
Besides sports shoes and T-shirts, styles and colours of school bags are another opportunity for students to express their taste in fashion. Some bags are made more eye-catching by decorating them with small hanging dolls. Other fashionable items are the colourful drink contains which are now popular among girls this semester.
As in China, the new semester in the US also brings new fashion trends: shirts printed with Chinese words, necklaces with Hebrew ( 希伯莱 )or Hindi ( 印度的 )characters, and Brazilian jewelry, are all common in schools in Florida, according to Carmen Domingues, a high school student.

1. 1.

   What does "a bunch of  clones”( Paragraph 2)mean?

   1. A.
      All of the clothes are the same.
   2. B.
      All of the exercises are the same.
   3. C.
      All of the clothes are different.
   4. D.
      All of the exercises are different.
2. 2.

   How do the students express themselves in school?

   1. A.
      The girls wear different sport shoes.
   2. B.
      All the students wear school uniforms.
   3. C.
      The girls have different decorations in their hair.
   4. D.
      The boys drink water from colourful drinks containers.
3. 3.

   Why are Nike and Adidas basketball shoes becoming out-of-date?

   1. A.
      Because the shoes are not eye-catching.
   2. B.
      Because running shoes become more popular.
   3. C.
      Because the shoes have been popular for a long time.
   4. D.
      Because they have changed their opinions for Liu Xiang.
4. 4.

   Which of the following is NOT the new fashion trends in the US?

   1. A.
      Necklace with Hebrew or Hindi characters.
   2. B.
      Baseball caps and American-style T-shirts.
   3. C.
      Shirts printed with Chinese words.
   4. D.
      Brazilian jewelry.

People in the United States honour their parents with two special days: Mother’s Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day, on the third Sunday in June.These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care.These two days make us think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers. More mothers are now working outside home. More fathers must help with the children care.

These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day, people wear carnations(康乃馨). A red one symbolizes（象征） a living mother, while a white one shows the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honour parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit cemetery ( 墓地). On these days, families get together at home, as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.

Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are valued more than the ones bought in stores. It is not the value of the gift that is important, but it is the thought that counts. Greeting card stores, florists, candy makers, bakeries, telephone companies and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays.

1.Which of the following is NOT a reason for parents show love and respect for parents?

A．Parents bring up children

B．Parents give love and care to children

C．Parents educate children to be good persons

D．Parents pass away before children grow up

2.Which do you think is true about “carnation” mentioned in paragraph 2?

A．It has only two kinds of colours

B．It refers to the special clothes people wear on Mother’s Day or Father’Day

C．It’s a kind of flower showing love and best wishes.

D．People can wear carnations only on the second Sunday in May

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A．Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are both in May

B．Fewer women worked outside the home in the past

C．Not all the children respect their parents

D．Fathers are not as important as mothers

4.What do you think the underlined word “florists”do?

A．They sell flowers

B．They offer enough room for having family parties

C．They sell special clothes for Mother’s day

D．They make bread or pastry(点心)