奇速英语官网—英语在线学习平台_让学英语更快乐_更快速

In Chinese tales, dragons, called “loongs”, are not as scary as the dragons in Western stories. Chinese loongs are symbols of good luck and wisdom. They play a big role in China’s history and culture.

There’s an ancient story from over 2,000 years ago about Liu Bang, the first emperor of the Western Han Dynasty. Before he was born, his mother had a dream about a loong, which meant he was going to be a great leader. Emperors in China loved loongs so much that they decorated everything with them — their clothes, thrones (宝座), and even their beds!

People believed that loongs controlled the weather, especially rain. So, if there was a drought or too much rain, they would ask the loong for better weather. They also thought that if loongs were angry, they could cause huge storms or floods.

In ancient times, in order to tell the time, people divided one day into twelve 2-hour periods, and chose one animal to represent each period. The animals were chosen based on their active times during the day. For the loong, it’s between 7 am and 9 am, often when it’s foggy, which is why people thought of loongs riding on clouds.

In Chinese paper cutting, you might see a loong riding on clouds or two loongs with a pearl (珍珠), showing the balance of yin and yang. In Chinese calligraphy, the loong symbolizes beautiful writing.

Many parents hope their children will be as strong and smart as a loong. There’s a popular saying, “望子成龙”, which means parents hope their children will be successful. People born in the Year of Loong are seen as natural leaders, energetic, and full of creative ideas.

1.What’s the second paragraph mainly about?

A The cultural meaning of the loong.

B An old story about the loong.

C The history of the loong.

D Facts about the loong.

解析：选B。B段落大意题。根据第二段中的“There’s an ancient story from over 2,000 years ago”可知第二段主要讲了一个关于龙的古老的故事。故选B。

2.What does the underlined word “drought” mean in Chinese?

A 饥饿.

B 干旱.

C 水灾.

D 贫穷.

解析：选B。B词义猜测题。根据第三段划线部分前文的“loongs controlled the weather, especially rain”和后文的“too much rain”可知，龙掌管雨水，当雨水过少（干旱）或雨水过多时，人们会向龙祈求。即drought意思与too much rain相对，即表示雨水过少。故选B。

3.Why is the hour of loong between 7 am and 9 am?

A A new day is beginning then.

B The loong is most active then.

C The loong likes the clouds then.

D The weather is perfect for loong then.

解析：选B。B推理判断题。根据倒数第三段第二句“The animals were chosen based on their active times during the day.”可知，龙在早上7点到9点最为活跃，故该时段被指定为龙时辰。故选B。

4.What makes people prefer babies born in the Year of Loong?

A Loong’s being happy and independent.

B Loong’s being rich and successful.

C Loong’s being safe and amazing.

D Loong’s being lucky and wise.

解析：选D。D推理判断题。根据第一段的“Chinese loongs are symbols of good luck and wisdom.”以及最后一段“as strong and smart as a loong”“are seen as natural leaders, energetic, and full of creative ideas”可知，龙宝宝受欢迎是因为龙象征着好运、智慧和力量。故选D。

5.Where can we read the passage?

A In a culture magazine.

B In a science book.

C In a movie post.

D In a school notice.

解析：选A。A推理判断题。根据全文内容可知，文章主要围绕“龙”展开，讲述了其在中国传统文化中的象征意义。这属于国家文化方面的内容，故最有可能在一本文化杂志中看到本文。故选A。