The Winter Olympic is also called the White Olympics. At this time, people make many colorful stamps to mark (纪念) the great Games. The first stamps marking the opening came out on January 25th, 1932 in the United States for the 3rd White Olympics. From then on, printing stamps during the White Olympics became a rule. During the 4th Winter Olympic Game, a group of stamps were printed in Germany in November, 1936. It was the first time that the five rings appeared on the stamps of the White Olympics.

    In the 1950s, stamps of this kind became more colorful. The host countries as well as the non- host countries printed stamps to mark those games.  China also printed four stamps in February 1980, when the Chinese sportsmen began to take part in the White Olympics.

根据短文内容,选择正确答案。

In the eyes of many foreigners, Chinese are the best hosts and the worst guests in the world . They’re not really bad guests, but because the guest-host relationship in China is much different than in some western countries , it appears they are not nice guests . And western guests sometimes look rude in the eyes of Chinese guests.

In China , guests are almost like gods . Whenever I enter a Chinese person’s home , there is always fruit on the table for me , and someone is quick to bring me a cup of tea or water . In the west , generally the guest is not a god . Acting according to the host’s way of doing things is usual behavior for a guest.

My wife’s mother, a very kind elderly Chinese lady , doesn’t smoke . When I see some of her guests smoking in her house, as a non-smoker , I feel unhappy . Usually I want to stop them directly, but I must realize that in China , to be a good host , she must not do that . In most North America homes, if you are a guest , and the hosts are not smokers , you should not smoke in their house . At the very least , you could ask , “Is it OK if I smoke .” But, don’t be surprised if they say ,”No , you can’t smoke .” In our culture, if you smoke in their home , you are a bad guest , but if they don’t allow you to smoke in their house , they are not a rude guest.

Guests in China also have special habits. Some western people may not adapt to these habits very soon. Thankfully my wife is Chinese, so whenever we visit a Chinese family she tells me to buy them a gift. However, giving a gift to a host is not always necessary in my country. So, if you invite international guests to your home , don’t be too surprised if they don’t bring you a gift.

In China, you probably won’t need to change the guest – host relationship very much because you will probably only be the host , and Chinese are naturally very good hosts . If western hosts invite you to their house, try not to be too surprised if their style of treating you is not what you have expected.

Americans usually eat three meals a day. Breakfast usually comes before eight o’clock in the morning. They usually have eggs, some meat, bread, fruit juice and coffee. Lunch is between twelve and one o’clock. It is like a light meal and working people must take lunch with them or get it near workplace.

Children in school take sandwiches, fruit, and cookies with them or eat in school. Supper, the main meal, is between six and eight in the evening. People cook it carefully. They may have meat or chicken, turkey and duck. They may all have potatoes or rice, vegetables or salad. The drink is coffee, tea or milk. Then comes the dessert.

Before the 1860s, Americans mainly used gold and silver coins to pay for things. Banks could give out paper notes and these could be used as money. If the bank failed, however, these became useless. This system of money worked well for a country like the United States, which had a small government that did not need much money.

When the American Civil War(美国内战) began, however, US President Abraham Lincoln realized that the government would require more money. Lincoln tried to borrow money from American banks but they soon ran out of it. The US government decided that it would make a new form of money instead of borrowing it.

As a result, the government issued（发行）a form of money called “ Demand Notes ” . These notes were printed on paper and could be used to pay only for imported（进口的）things. They could also be used to buy gold. The back side of these notes was printed in green ink. People started calling these notes “greenbacks” as a nick name. Although these helped the United States government pay for the war, they were still not enough to cover its expenses(开支).

Lincoln had to make an important decision. He could either make a new form of money across the United States or borrow money from foreign banks. In early 1862, he asked the government to create a new law and print new paper money called United States Notes. These were different from Demand Notes because they could be used across the United States to pay for anything. However, these were also printed with green ink. These new notes were important in helping Lincoln win the war by 1864.

The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Grain Rain (谷雨), as the last term in spring, starts on April 19 and ends on May 4.

Grain Rain comes from the old saying,“Rain brings up the growth of hundreds of grains”, which shows that this period of rainfall is very important for the growth of crops. Here’s something that you may not know about the Grain Rain.

（1）. ________

Grain Rain falls between the end of spring and the beginning of summer, and the temperature rises much higher than it does in March. With dry soil and heavy winds, sandstorms may happen more often. （2）. ________

There is an old custom in southern China that people drink tea on the day of Grain Rain. Spring tea during Grain Rain is good for the eyes. It is also said that drinking tea on this day would prevent bad luck.

（3）. ________

People in northern China have the tradition to eat the vegetable toona sinensis during Grain Rain. An old Chinese saying goes“toona sinensis before the rain is as tender as silk (嫩如丝)”. The vegetable is good for the stomach and skin.（4）. ________

The Grain Rain Festival is celebrated by fishing villages in northern China. Grain Rain marks the start of the fishermen’s first voyage (航行) of the year. The custom dates back to more than 2000 years ago.

  a. Eating toona sinensis

  b. Sandstorms happen

  c. Grain Rain Festival

  d. Drinking tea