The traditional Chinese solar calendar (阳历) divides the year into 24 solar terms. Start of Winter, (Chinese:立冬), the 19th solar term of the year, begins this year on Nov. 8 and ends on Nov. 21. Start of Winter is the first solar term of winter, which means winter is coming. Here are something you should know about Start of Winter.

       ▲       

In ancient times, the Chinese people took the Start of Winter to be the beginning of the winter. However in fact, the Start of Winter is not the beginning of winter in terms of meteorology (气象学). The general weather conditions every year are different, so the beginning of winter could be quite different.

Eating dumplings

It is said that at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD25-220), “Medical Saint” Zhang Zhongjing saved many people in Henan province from coldness around Start of Winter. He cooked mutton, hot peppers and herbs (药草) to dispel the cold and increase body heat. He put these things into a dough skin and made them into an ear shape. Since then, people have learned to make the food which became known as “dumpling”. Today there is still a saying that goes “Eat dumplings on Start of Winter Day, or your ears will be frostbitten (生冻疮的)”.

Eating Chinese pumpkins (南瓜)

In Tianjin, on the first day of Start of Winter, people eat dumplings stuffed with Chinese pumpkins (wogua). It is a common vegetable in North China. Generally, the pumpkins are bought in summer and stored until the Start of Winter when they are taken out.

Do you know about Start of Winter well?

1.How long does Start of Winter last this year?

A For about a week.

B For about two weeks.

C For about three weeks.

D For about a month.

解析：选B。B数字计算题。根据第一段第二句“begins this year on Nov. 8 and ends on Nov. 21”可知，今年立冬从11月8日开始，11月22日结束，一共14天（两周）。故选B。

2.What can be put back into the “ ▲ ”?

A Winter is coming.

B Building yourselves up.

C Welcoming winter in ancient times.

D Beginning of winter or not.

解析：选D。D段落大意题。根据该段内容可知，在古代，中国人把立冬当作冬天的开始。然而事实上，从气象学的角度来看，冬天的开始并都不是立冬。每年的气候都不一样，所以冬天的开始可能会很不一样，因此“立冬是否是冬天的开始”符合段落大意。故选D。

3.What does the underlined word “dispel” probably mean?

A Spread.

B Prove.

C Remove.

D Attract.

解析：选C。C词义猜测题。根据划线部分后面的“increase body heat”可知，“医圣”张仲景曾经救了许多河南人，让他们在冬天免于伤寒。他把煮好的羊肉、辣椒和一些草药包进面皮里，做成耳朵的形状（现在的饺子），让人们吃了来驱寒取暖。由此可推测，dispel the cold表示“驱散寒冷”。故选C。

4.When may people in Tianjin buy pumpkins?

A In July.

B In October.

C In December.

D In May.

解析：选A。A细节理解题。根据第四段最后一句的“Generally, the pumpkins are bought in summer and stored until the Start of Winter when they are taken out.”可知，一般来说，南瓜是在夏天买好，然后储存到冬天开始的时候再取出来，因此最有可能在七月买好南瓜。故选A。

5.If we divide the passage into three parts, which is the right structure？ (①=Para.1 ②=Para.2 ③=Para.3 …)

A ①②③/④/⑤

B ①/②/③④⑤

C ①/②③④/⑤

D ①②/③/④⑤

解析：选C。C推理判断题。通读全文可知，本文运用了“总——分——总”的结构，第一段通过“Here are something you should know about Start of Winter.”引出话题，第二至四段作者告诉我们一些关于立冬应该了解的事情，最后一段作者通过一个问句总结全文询问大家对这些关于立冬的小知识是否掌握。故选C。