With more recognition than Halloween and less than Christmas, Valentine's Day as an imported festival faces a dangerous situation in China, where it's caught between forces of tradition and fashion. Valentine's Day has a natural enemy in China. And it is not the Chinese _ , which falls on the seventh day of the seventh month on the lunar calendar, usually around half a year away from Feb. 14. It is the Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year, which will influence the Feast of Saint Valentine. The real disagreement between East and West probably took place over a century ago, when China's door was forced open by Western powers and Chinese scholars supported westernization as a means to strengthen our nation's ability to compete. The introduction of the solar calendar and Western measurements was both an acknowledgment of their influence and an effort to be accepted by the world order. For a full century, we have had two systems running in parallel. When it comes to the eventual outcome, practicality usually beats all other concerns. Laws can help, such as the three traditional festivals of Tomb Sweeping, Dragon Boat and Mid-Autumn gaining legal status in 2008 and giving every Chinese citizen a day off, but laws cannot push what people have no feelings for. So, the celebration or boycott of imported holidaysor homegrown ones should be no cause for worry. If they are irrelevant, no social media will change the public's mind; and if they are accepted, there must be a need which they happen to satisfy. Since we have no global Qin Shihuang to force one system on every country, we can always rely on a dual approach by which we share with the outside world on one hand but preserve our own ways of life on the other. Which of the following can decide what to celebrate according to the author? A) Laws. B) Media. C) Needs. D) Tradition.
C
Walt Disney is credited for creating such wonderful things as Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse. However, he cannot take the credit for creating other well-loved characters, such as Cinderella and Snow White. _ are almost automatically associated with Disney because Disney turned old fables into cartoon movies. The original Cinderella varies very much from the Disney version we know today. It started off with the girl mourning her mother's death and going to her tomb three times a day. In addition, there were only birds that helped Cinderella; there was no such thing as a fairy godmother or helpful mice, nor was there mention of a horse and carriage. The stepsisters were cruel: they always threw Cinderella's food into the ashes of the fire and made her sleep on the ashes on the floor, hence her name. In the original story, the king's ball actually lasted for three days. With the help of the birds, the girl, beautifully dressed, danced with the prince on all three nights and the prince fell in love with her. However, she broke away from him to rush back home each night. On the last night, the prince placed soothing sticky on the stairs; as Cinderella made her escape, a shoe got stuck on it. Here now is where the story becomes unpleasant: when the prince went to the house looking for the girl whose foot fit the shoe, the wicked stepmother told one of her two daughters to cut off her big toe to fit into the shoe. The daughter did as told. So the prince took her away to be his bride. But when they passed the tomb of Cinderella's mother, the birds called out to the prince, "Turn and peep, there's blood in the shoe; the shoe is too small, the true bride waits for you." ZXXK Realizing he had been tricked, the prince returned the daughter to her mother. The other then had to cut off part of her heel in order to fit into the shoe, with the same result. Only Cinderella's foot fit perfectly and so the prince chose to marry her. The story ends with the wedding day: as Cinderella's two stepsisters followed her, pretending to... The moral of the original story is that _ . A) a wicked person cannot escape punishment. B) a devoted person certainly deserves respect. C) a well-behaved child earns a great reward. D) a dishonest child cannot get mother love.
A
Q: New experiments discover rats showing sympathy and helping other rodents .It is a characteristic some scientists thought was reserved only for humans and higher animals. In repeated tests, rats freed another trapped rat in their cage, even when yummy chocolate served as an attraction.24 of the 30 rats opened the trap by pushing in a door.The rats could have eaten the chocolate before freeing their partners, but often didn't, choosing to help and share the goodies. "Basically they told us freeing another rat is as important as eating chocolate," said study author Peggy Mason of the University of Chicago."That's a very striking thing." In some cases, the rats first took the chocolate chips out of a container, but didn't eat them, then freed the other rat and shared "almost as if they were serving them chocolate," Mason said.The research is reported in Thursday's journal Science. Also, females showed more consistent care and help than males, Mason said.All six females freed their trapped partner while three quarters of the 24 males did so.This confirms other studies that show females showing more pro-social behavior than males.There were time when the male rats took the day off from helping their trapped partner, but the females never did, she said. Jeff Mogil at McGill University in Canada, who wasn't part of the study, said it was a little surprising but even more convincing. Both scientists said social understanding is probably a characteristic that is important in the evolution of animals. Mason joked that if rats can be so caring and helpful, "there's a sense of optimism.It's something we could be." In repeated tests, 24 out of the 30 rats _ . A) freed their trapped partners before they ate the chocolate alone B) ate the chocolate first and then freed their trapped partners C) helped the trapped partners and shared the chocolate with them D) took the chocolate and served it to their trapped partners
A: C
(Q).
After a day of work and play, the body needs to rest. Sleep is necessary for good health. During this time, the body recovers from the activities of the previous day. The rest that you get while sleeping enables your body to prepare itself for the next day. There are four levels of sleep, each being a little deeper than the one before. As you sleep, your muscles relax little by little. Your heart beats more slowly, and your brain slows down. After you reach the fourth level, your body shifts back and forth from one level of sleep to the other. Although your mind slows down, from time to time you will dream. Scientists who study sleep state that when dreaming occurs your eyeballs begin to move quickly (although your eyelids are closed). This stage of sleep is called REM, which stands for rapid eye movement. If you have trouble falling asleep, some people recommend breathing very slowly and very deeply. Other people believe that drinking warm milk will help make you drowsy. There is also an old suggestion that counting sheep will put you to sleep. The average number of hours of sleep that an adult needs is _ . A) approximately six hours. B) around ten hours. C) about eight hours D) not stated here.
(A).
D