Starting a New Tradition

    Shantelle Davis is a nine-year-old girl in New York. On a cold night in December, her family is standing around the kitchen table while she lights a candle. The table is decorated with baskets of fruits and vegetables and ears of com for Shantelle and her two brothers.

    “This candle represents umoja, an African word that means being together,” Shantelle says. “That"s the most important thing for a family.”

    Tonight is the first night of Kwanzaa, and Shantelle is spending the holiday with her family. More than 5 million African Americans celebrate Kwanzaa every year from December 26 until January I. It"s a time when they get together with their families to think about their history and their ancestors in Africa 1.

    Kwanzaa is very unusual because it was started by one man. In 1966, an American named Maulana Karenga wanted a holiday for African-Americans to honor their culture and traditions. So he used words and customs fromAfricato create a new celebration. He took the name Kwanzaa from the words for “first fruits” in Swahili, an African language. At first, a few American families had small celebrations at home. Now there are also Kwanzaa events in schools and public places，and Kwanzaa has spread to other countries like Canada and Jamaica.

    The main symbol of Kwanzaa is a candleholder with seven candles, one for each of the principles of Kwanzaa. Each night, a family member lights one of the candles and talks about the idea it represents：being together, being yourself, helping each other, sharing, having a goal，creating, and believing. The candles are red, black, and green, the colors of Kwanzaa. The parents also pour drinks to honor family members who have died. On the last night of Kwanzaa, there is a big dinner with African food, and children receive small presents.

    Today people can buy Kwanzaa greeting cards and special Kwanzaa clothes. Stores sell Kwanzaa candles and candleholders. Some people don"t believe that Kwanzaa is a real holiday，because it"s so new. But other people say that customs and celebrations are always changing and that Kwanzaa shows what is important in people"s lives 2.

    Shantelle Davis says she likes Kwanzaa because it"s fun. “But I also learn new things every year," she says.

词汇：

ancestor  n.祖宗，祖先

be decorated with 由……所装饰

honor/ "ɒnə(r) / vt. 尊敬,使荣幸; n.荣誉,尊敬

ears of com玉米穗

candleholder/ "kændlˌhəʊldə / n.烛台

注释：

1.    It"s a time when they get together with their families to think about their history and their ancestors in Africa.这段时间里他们和家人待在一起缅怀他们的历史和非洲的祖先。

2.    ... shows what is important in people"s lives. ……展现了人们生活中重要的东西。

People spend a lot of time with their families during Kwanzaa.

A:Right B:Wrong C:Not mentioned

Don’t all stand up at one time! ______, please.

A:Each at one time B:One by one time C:One at a time D:One for each time

That small country (at one time) (must be) prosperous, (for) it enjoyed (a high level) of civilization.（　）

A:at one time B:must be C:for D:a high level

Tom lived in a northern city ______.

A:at some time B:in the time C:for one time D:at one time

Don't all stand up at one time! ______, please.

A:Each at one time B:One by one time C:One at a time D:One for each time

Strange things happen to time when you travel, because the earth is divided into twenty-four time zones, one hour apart. You can have days with more or fewer than twenty-four hours, and weeks with more or fewer than seven days.
If you make a five-day trip across the Atlantic Ocean, your ship enters a different time zone every day, As you enter each zone, the time changes one hour. Traveling west, you set clock back; traveling east, you set it ahead. Each day of your trip has either twenty-five or twenty-three hours.
If you travel by ship across the Pacific, you cross the International Date Line. By agreement, this is the point where a new day begins. When you cross the line, you change your calendar one full day, backward or forward. Traveling east, today becomes yesterday; traveling west, it is tomorrow.
If you cross the ocean going east, you set your clock ______.

A:ahead one hour in each new time zone B:ahead one hour for the whole trip C:back one hour in each new time zone D:back one hour for the whole trip

{{U}}Once upon a time{{/U}} they used to mine coals in these valleys.

A:At a time B:At one time C:At times D:At the time