Festivals play an important role in a culture’s identity. I can’t think of a better way of appreciating a new culture than by taking part in one of its festivals. Here are some special festivals around the world.

★ Boryeong Mud Festival--Boryeong, South Korea

    For two weeks in July, millions gather in Boryeong to experience the grey pools and slides. What began as a way of promoting the region’s mineral-rich mud has turned into a festive party , complete with music and fireworks. While the mud is usually only available in cosmetic products, here you can cake yourself in grey as you want.

★ Holi--lndia

Holi, the Festival of Colors, is a Hindu celebration full of joy and one of India’s most important holidays. During the day of the last full moon of the lunar month, usually late February or early March, the air is full of bright colored powder. The festival is celebrated differently throughout the country, but the cheerful spirit is common throughout Hindu communities around the world.

★ Koninginnedag--The Netherlands

Although their current Queen’s birthday is really during the winter, the Queen still celebrates it on April 30th,the country’s official “Queen’s Day” since 1949. Orange is the national color, and the streets become a sea of feather boas（长围巾）and body paint as crowds gather in the plazas（广场）. Amsterdam is the center of this outdoor party, with many live music acts, but nearly every town is alive with orange on this day.

★ National Elephant Day in Thailand

In Thailand, March 13 is regarded as National Elephant Day to show that the Thai elephant plays an important role in the Thai history. Thai Elephant Day has been held on an annual basis since the idea was first approved by the Thai government in 1998. Special events are held at a number of venues in northern Thailand. At the Mae Sa Elephant Camp, it has become a tradition on March 13 for the dozens of elephants there to be treated to a huge feast of fruits and sugarcane.

1.What we can learn from the passage is that ________.

A. Boryeong Mud Festival was originally held to advertise for their mineral resources

B. people around the world celebrate Holi differently to promote their religions

C. Koninginnedag--The Netherlands was celebrated on their current Queen’s birthday

D. it is an international custom for the Thai elephant to eat all kinds of fruits and sugarcane

2.What is the purpose of the festival held on March 13 in Thailand?

A. To call on people to protect these endangered elephants.

B. To give the Thai elephant a chance to eat fruits and sugarcane.

C. To stress the importance of the elephant in the Thai history.

D. To help people relax themselves by feeding the Thai elephant.

3.You can experience the Festival of Colors in _______.

A. South Korea    B. Thailand         C. the Netherlands    D. India

4.What is the main purpose of the text?

A. To tell people how to enjoy and relax themselves.

B. To introduce some unique festivals around the world.

C. To get people to celebrate different kinds of customs.

D. To show the importance of celebrating different festivals.

Festivals play an important role in a culture’s identity．I can’t think of a better way of appreciating a new culture than by taking part in one of its festivals. Here are some special festivals around the world．

★ Boryeong Mud Festival－Boryeong, South Korea

For two weeks in July, millions gather in Borueong to experience the grey pools and slides．What began as a way of promoting the region’s mineral-rich mud has turned into a festive party, complete with music and fireworks．While the mud is usually only available in cosmetic products, here you can cake yourself in grey as you want．

★Holi－India

Holi, the Festival of Colors, is a Hindu celebration full of joy and one of India’s most important holidays, During the day of the last full moon of the lunar month, usually late February throughout the country, but the cheerful spirit is common throughout Hindu communities around the world．

★Koninginnedag－The Netherlands

       Although their current Queen’s birthday is really during the winter, the Queen still celebrates it on April 30^th, the country’s official “ Queen’s Day” since 1949．Orange is the national color, and the streets become a sea of feather boas（长围巾）and body paint as crowds gather in the plazas（广场）．Amsterdam is the center of this outdoor party, with many live music acts, but nearly every town is alive with orange on this day．

★National Elephant Day in Thailand

In Thailand, March 13 is regarded as National Elephant Day to show that the Thai elephant plays an important role in the Thai history．Thai Elephant Day has been held on an annual basis since the idea was first approved by the Thai government in 1998．Special events are held at a number of venues in northern Thailand．At the Mae Sa Elephant Camp, it has become a tradition on March13 for the dozens of elephants there to be treated to a huge feast of fruits and sugarcane．

62．What we can learn from the passage is that        ．

A. Boryeong Mud Festival was originally held to advertise for their mineral resources

B. people around the world celebrate Holi differently to promote their religions

C. Koninginnedag－The Netherlands was celebrated on their current Queen’s birthday

D. it is an international custom for the Thai elephant to eat all kinds of fruits and sugarcane

63．What is the purpose of the festival held on March 13 in Thailand?

A．To call on people to protect these endangered elephants．

B．To give the Thai elephant a chance to eat fruits and sugarcane．

C．To give the importance of the elephant in the Thai history．

D．To help people relax themselves by feeding the Thai elephant．

64．You can experience the Festival of Colors in       ．

A．South Korea           B．Thailand           C．the Netherlands D．India

65．What is the main purpose of the text?

A．To tell people how to enjoy and relax themselves．

B．To introduce some unique festivals around the world．

C．To get people to celebrate different kinds of customs．

D．To show the importance of celebrating different festivals．

Festivals play an important role in a culture’s identity. I can’t think of a better way of appreciating a new culture than by taking part in one of its festivals. Here are some special festivals around the world.
★Boryeong Mud Festival--Boryeong, South Korea
For two weeks in July, millions gather in Boryeong to experience the grey pools and slides. What began as a way of promoting the region’s mineral-rich mud has turned into a festive party , complete with music and fireworks. While the mud is usually only available in cosmetic products, here you can cake yourself in grey as you want.
★Holi--lndia
Holi, the Festival of Colors, is a Hindu celebration full of joy and one of India’s most important holidays. During the day of the last full moon of the lunar month, usually late February or early March, the air is full of bright colored powder. The festival is celebrated differently throughout the country, but the cheerful spirit is common throughout Hindu communities around the world.
★Koninginnedag--The Netherlands
Although their current Queen’s birthday is really during the winter, the Queen still celebrates it on April 30th,the country’s official “Queen’s Day” since 1949. Orange is the national color, and the streets become a sea of feather boas（长围巾）and body paint as crowds gather in the plazas（广场）. Amsterdam is the center of this outdoor party, with many live music acts, but nearly every town is alive with orange on this day.
★National Elephant Day in Thailand
In Thailand, March 13 is regarded as National Elephant Day to show that the Thai elephant plays an important role in the Thai history. Thai Elephant Day has been held on an annual basis since the idea was first approved by the Thai government in 1998. Special events are held at a number of venues in northern Thailand. At the Mae Sa Elephant Camp, it has become a tradition on March 13 for the dozens of elephants there to be treated to a huge feast of fruits and sugarcane

1. 1.

   What we can learn from the passage is that ________

   1. A.
      Boryeong Mud Festival was originally held to advertise for their mineral resources
   2. B.
      people around the world celebrate Holi differently to promote their religions
   3. C.
      Koninginnedag--The Netherlands was celebrated on their current Queen’s birthday
   4. D.
      it is an international custom for the Thai elephant to eat all kinds of fruits and sugarcane
2. 2.

   What is the purpose of the festival held on March 13 in Thailand?

   1. A.
      To call on people to protect these endangered elephants
   2. B.
      To give the Thai elephant a chance to eat fruits and sugarcane
   3. C.
      To stress the importance of the elephant in the Thai history
   4. D.
      To help people relax themselves by feeding the Thai elephant
3. 3.

   You can experience the Festival of Colors in _______

   1. A.
      South Korea
   2. B.
      Thailand
   3. C.
      the Netherlands
   4. D.
      India
4. 4.

   What is the main purpose of the text?

   1. A.
      To tell people how to enjoy and relax themselves
   2. B.
      To introduce some unique festivals around the world
   3. C.
      To get people to celebrate different kinds of customs
   4. D.
      To show the importance of celebrating different festivals

It's time to remind myself what I love about life here in California,USA, to remember what I desperately miss when I go home.

Real radio

In the USA there are so many radio stations that those iPod tuner things don’t work at all. There is, simply, no dead air. It took me a while to discover the USA's many pub­lic radio stations, which don't broadcast any advertisements. KCRW is my favorites station, for its blend of indie music and current affairs. But I also listen to KJAZZ and KPCC. But before you feel jealous — it’s all online. My favorites: American life Snap Judgement and Henry Rollins live every Saturday night. Take listen online for free News? Well, there's not a lot of news from South Africa, and when it is, it's bad and full of fear, so I ignore it. But I care about any place I live in, and that includes the USA. And on public radio, the USA is covered in depth, from the perspective of individual stories rather than statistics.

The festivals

I’m jealously watching tweets and Facebook boasts and reviews from SXSW — seems like half the people I used to work with in South Africa are there,meeting Grumpy Cat and watching bands they’ve always wanted to see live. It’s great to know that these 1000s of festivals are so close, and that one day,if film school schedule ever allows me to leave campus for more than a few days, I can go to one or two of them. I have already ex­changed my much loved Ford Mustang for a bigger, less sexy car — a car spacious enough to sleep in — so that next year I can be there, not just dream of it.

The famous people

When I go back to SA, I'm often asked if I’ve spotted any famous people. It's awkward for me. I feel the the same way about it as I feel when an American asks me if there are lions in the streets. Except yes, I have. No,not lions. I have met some famous people. I chatted to RJ Mitte from Breaking Bad outside a dub in West Hollywood. Many of my professors are famous directors. The problem is, once you meet these famous people, they're just people, FFS. This feels disappointing at first, like you're missing a Jesus mo­ment of some sort. But if you think about it, it's inspiring. What it means, is that I, litlle me (right now, also "just a person") could be a famous just-a-person person one day, and get to make all the films I just dream of now.

1.The underlined sentence "There is,simply, no dead air." probably means____.

A. there is no useless radio programmes in the USA

B. there is no useful radio programmes in the USA

C. there is no polluted air in the USA

D. there is no advertisements from the radio programmes in the USA

2.There are so many festivals that_____.

A. I often leave campus for more than few days

B. I often attend some of them in person

C. I bought a bigger Ford? Mustang

D. I can share many reviews and performances online with my friends in South Africa

3.The author thinks the famous people in the USA _____.

A. are just Like lions????????????? ???????????? B. are well-known but ordinary

C. are disappointing????????????? D. are inspiring

4.The author is most likely to be _____.

A. a director in America????????????? ?????????? B. a professor in South Africa

C. a student in America????????????? ???????? D. an actor in South Africa