A
A holiday is any day when people lay aside their ordinary duties and cares. The word came from Old English. At first holidays honored some holy events or persons. People in Great Britain and other countries speak of holidays as Americans speak of vacations.
Every nation has its special holidays. China observes New Year’s Day(January 1), May Day and National Day as it was on Oct.1, 1949 that the People’s Republic of China was founded as legal（法定的） holidays. The Chinese have long celebrated the Chinese lunar year. In the United States, Congress has declared several days as legal holidays such as New Year’s Day(January 1), Martin Luther King, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and so on. Some holidays celebrate special events in the development of a country, such as Greece’s Independence Day and Italy’s Liberation Day.
In the United States, banks and school usually close on a legal holiday. When such a holiday falls on Sunday, the following Monday is usually observed. Schools and organizations often observe days known as traditional holidays, although schools and business do not close then. Those holidays include Valentine’s Day and Halloween.
1. From the passage we know that China’s National Day is on ________ .
A. January 1 B. October 1 C. May 1 D. June 1
2. The underlined word in the 2nd paragraph probably means ________.
A. celebrates B. spends C. cares D. praises.
3. Which of the following holidays has nothing to do with a country’s development?
A. China’s National Day. B. Italy’s Liberation Day.
C. Valentine’s Day. D. Independence Day.
4. If a legal holiday falls on Sunday in the USA, people usually celebrate in on ________.
A. Sunday B. the following Sunday
C. the following Monday D. the following Tuesday
【答案】1. B 2. A 3. C 4. C
【解析】
这是一篇说明文。本文主要介绍了世界各地各国的多个节日的具体信息。
【1题详解】
细节理解题。根据文章第二段“National Day as it was on Oct.1, 1949 that the People’s Republic of China was founded as legal（法定的） holidays.”（国庆节是法定假日，中华人民共和国成立于1949年10月1日。）可知，国庆节是10月1日。故选B。
【2题详解】
词句猜测题。根据划线词所在句子的下文“The Chinese have long celebrated the Chinese lunar year.”（中国人很早就庆祝中国农历年了。）可推知，observes与celebrate是同义词，意为“庆祝”。故选A。
【3题详解】
细节理解题。根据文章第二段“National Day as it was on Oct.1, 1949 that the People’s Republic of China was founded as legal（法定的） holidays.”（国庆节是法定假日，中华人民共和国成立于1949年10月1日。）和“Some holidays celebrate special events in the development of a country, such as Greece’s Independence Day and Italy’s Liberation Day.”（有些节日庆祝一个国家发展中的特殊事件，如希腊的独立日和意大利的解放日。）可知，A项、B项和D项都和国家的发展有关。故选C。
【4题详解】
细节理解题。根据文章最后一段When such a holiday falls on Sunday, the following Monday is usually observed.（当这样的假日降临在星期日时，通常是下一个星期一庆祝）可知，在下个星期一庆祝。故选C。
