(英语)高考英语阅读理解(社会文化)真题汇编(含答案)

（英语）高考英语阅读理解(社会文化)真题汇编(含答案)
一、高中英语阅读理解社会文化类
1．阅读理解
Here's a selection of festivals for tourists to the United States in summer.
San Francisco Silent Film Festival
Films at this odd cinematic event have a variety of musical accompaniments, including piano and violin. It includes some classic silent movies. If you want to see them all, you can buy a festival pass.
May 29 to June 1; www.silent
Union Street Festival
This popular street fair stretches out over six blocks of the city, in the fashionable shopping area of Union Street. This year, there's beer, wine, biscuits tasting and more separate themes-fashion, cuisine, tech, local, craft, and health and fitness.
June 7 to 10;
North Beach Festival
This is San Francisco's oldest street party, with live entertainment, delicious food and arts and crafts. Situated in the Little Italy district, known for its associations with the “Beat Generation”, festival goers are guaranteed plenty of good Italian food. There is also as the “blessing of the animals”, a San Francisco tradition which takes place at the National Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi (610 Vallejo Street) at 2 pm on both days of the festival.
June 14 to 16;
Stern Grove Festival
This is the oldest free summer arts festival of its kind in the United States. It includes a wide variety of acts, from the local symphony orchestra to well known artists such as Smokey Robinson. Sundays from June 22 to Aug 24;
（1）Which of the following festivals contains the most themes?
A. Union Street Festival.
B. San Francisco Silent Film Festival.
C. North Beach Festival.
D. Stem Grove Festival.
（2）How is North Beach Festival different from the other festivals?
A. Festival goers can enjoy food in it.
B. It lasts the shortest time.
C. It has the longest history of food.
D. Some foreign culture is presented in it.
（3）When can you enjoy the oldest arts festival in the United States?
A. Saturdays in July.
B. Saturdays in May.
C. Sundays in May.
D. Sundays in July.
【答案】（1）A
（2）B
（3）D
【解析】【分析】本文是一篇应用文，介绍了美国旅游时的夏季盛会，即三藩无声电影节、联合大街节、北滩节和斯特恩格罗夫节。

(1)考查细节理解。

根据Union Street Festival部分中的“This year, there's beer, wine, biscuits tasting and more separate themes-fashion, cuisine, tech, local, craft, and health and fitness.”可
知，今年有啤酒、葡萄酒、饼干品尝和时尚、美食、科技、地方、工艺、健康和健身等多个主题。

可知选A。

(2)考查细节理解。

根据North Beach Festival可知，时间是从June 14 to 16，只有3天。

San Francisco Silent Film Festival（May 29 to June 1）4天； Union Street Festival（June 7 to 10）4天；Stern Grove Festival（Sundays from June 22 to Aug 24）时间更长。

故选B。

(3)考查细节理解。

根据Stern Grove Festival部分中的“Th is is the oldest free summer arts festival of its kind in the United States.”中，时间在Sundays from June 22 to Aug，故选D。

【点评】本题考点涉及细节理解题型的考查，是一篇文化类阅读，要求考生准确捕捉细节信息，并结合题目要求，选出正确答案。

2．阅读理解
The year 3700, Earth is far too hot for any human to call it home. On this planet at least, man is nothing more than a memory--if there is anything left to remember the "wise man". But what about our wisdom--will any of it survive us?
The conventional answer is no. Knowledge requires a knower, and there will be no knowing minds around then. But if information survives, perhaps in books or hard drives, maybe the knowledge isn't quite dead but dormant(休眠), ready to become alive with the help of other minds that develop over time or come to visit Earth in the distant future.
At first sight, that seems to be reasonable: after all, we have done similar things with past knowledge. For example, we saved an ancient computer from a ship destroyed at sea off the southern coast of Greece, and succeeded in finding the meaning of Egyptian hieroglyphics(象形文字). Careful work can bring previously lost wisdom back to life.
However, the key point is that there is a certain cultural continuity with those ancient times that allows us to reason and make progress in the dark: we know we are dealing with the legacy(遗产)of other humans. Without that link, the survival of objects and raw data doesn't guarantee the survival of knowledge. And a lack of continuity in language with any future intelligence would be a barrier. Knowledge is closely connected with language. When a language dies out, we can lose systems of reasoning that they contain. If that's lost, then it can't be recovered.
All this means that other minds might not be able to fully make human knowledge alive when we are gone. It is better to concentrate on not dying out in the first place.
（1）How many opinions are mentioned in Para.2?
A. One.
B. Two.
C. Three.
D. Four.
（2）What does the underlined phrase "similar things" in Para 3 probably refer to?
A. Making lost wisdom alive again.
B. Rescuing disappearing knowledge.
C. Preserving future knowledge.
D. Gaining new knowledge.
（3）How can we make knowledge survive?
A. We know a lot about human beings.
B. We learn ways to draw conclusions.
C. We have a certain cultural continuity.
D. We protect the legacy of other humans.
（4）What's mainly talked about in the text?
A. Can human beings live on?
B. Will our knowledge survive us?
C. What will the earth be like in the future?
D. How can we protect our culture?
【答案】（1）B
（2）A
（3）C
（4）B
【解析】【分析】本文讲述的是，我们的智慧将会幸存吗？
(1)推理判断题。

根据第二段Knowledge requires a knower, and there will be no knowing minds around then. But if information survives, perhaps in books or hard drives, maybe the knowledge isn't quite dead but dormant(休眠), ready to become alive with the help of other minds that develop over time or come to visit Earth in the distant future.可知，在第二段中提出了两种建议，故答案为B
(2)词义猜测题。

根据第三段中第二、三句For example, we saved an ancient computer from a ship destroyed at sea off the southern coast of Greece, and succeeded in finding the meaning of Egyptian hieroglyphics(象形文字). Careful work can bring previously lost wisdom back to life.通过例子说明，细心的工作可以将以前失去的智慧带回生活。

由此推知，上句At first sight, that seems to be reasonable: after all, we have done similar things with past knowledge.中划线部分的意思是，让失去的智慧活跃起来。

故选A。

(3)细节理解题。

根据第四段第一句However, the key point is that there is a certain cultural continuity with those ancient times that allows us to reason and make progress in the dark: we know we are dealing with the legacy(遗产)of other humans.可知，我们有一定的文化延续性能使知识幸存。

故选C。

(4)主旨大意题。

根据第一段The year 3700, Earth is far too hot for any human to call it home. On this planet at least, man is nothing more than a memory--if there is anything left to remember the "wise man". But what about our wisdom--will any of it survive us?可知，本文讲述的是，我们的智慧将会幸存吗？根据句意可知答案为B
【点评】考查阅读理解，涉及推理判断、猜测词义、细节理解、主旨大意题。

阅读时要注意作者说明事物采用的是什么方式。

例如：举例、分类还是对比。

无论采用什么方法，作者都是为了说明事物的本质特征，清晰地展现说明的事物。

理清了脉络，就能理解文章，抓住原文中的信息点，并且和选项进行同意转换。

3．阅读理解
Guess what former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and United States president Donald Trump's granddaughter, Arabella Kushner, have in common? They both study Chinese as a second language.
Although Chinese is known as one of the hardest languages to learn, a lot of people from different backgrounds are studying it with hopes of big benefits.
Nov 2 saw more than 120 people, coming from 105 countries, compete in the finals of the 12th "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for foreign secondary school students. Held in
Zhengzhou, Henan province, the finals was mainly made up of speech contests and talent shows. The contestants also visited the Shaolin Temple, Longmen Grottoes and other historical sites in Henan.
While reasons for learning Chinese were different, a common one was interest in the country's rich culture and rapid development.
Raissa, 17, from the Union of the Comoros, developed a strong emotional connection with China after her grandmother was cured by doctors of the Chinese medical team in Africa three years ago. This led her to learn Chinese at a local Confucius Institute.
Fascinated by Chinese culture, the competitor has taken part in activities on traditional Chinese medicine and folk arts during her first trip to China. "My dream is to study medicine in China so that I could cure patients like the Chinese doctors did," she said.
For Fekete Marcell Zoltan, 17, from the Hungarian-Chinese Bilingual School, studying Chinese may secure him a future job as a Hungarian diplomat(外交官) to China. "After graduation from high school, I would like to further my studies in China," he said.
Robert Davis, director of the Chinese-language program in Chicago's public school system, may give you a hint. "Chinese isn't the new French. It's the new English, which is widely used all over the world." he told CGTN.
（1）Why are Mark Zuckerberg and Arabella Kushner mentioned in paragraph one?
A.To show Chinese is popular.
B.To introduce them to the readers.
C.To tell the readers they love China.
D.To stress the importance of learning Chinese.
（2）The underlined word Fascinated in paragraph 6 can be replaced by ______.
A.Attracted
B.Employed
C.Inspected
D.Appreciated
（3）What is the common reason for the competitors to learn Chinese?
A.It's easy to learn.
B.They want to become a doctor.
C.They hope for a good job after graduation.
D.They have interest in Chinese culture and rapid development.
（4）What is Robert Davis' attitude to learning Chinese?
A.Doubtful.
B.Supportive.
C.Indifferent.
D.Upset.
【答案】（1）A
（2）A
（3）D
（4）B
【解析】【分析】本文是一篇说明文，介绍了汉语变得越来越受欢迎这一现象。

（1）考查推理判断。

根据第一段中的“They both study Chinese as a second language.”以及上文可知，前澳大利亚的首相Kevin Rudd, 脸谱 CEO Mark Zuckerberg and 川普的孙女 Arabella Kushner,是为了突出他们都在学汉语，从而表明汉语很流行，所以选A。

（2）考查词义猜测。

根据第六段中的“Fascinated by Chinese culture, the competitor has taken part in act ivities on traditional Chinese medicine and folk arts during her first trip to China.”可知是由于被中国文化吸引，参赛者参加各种有关中医以及民间艺术的活动，所以fascinated表示吸引，故选A。

（3）考查细节理解。

根据第四段“While reasons for learning Chinese were different, a common one was interest in the country's ric h culture and rapid development.” 可知这些参赛者们学习汉语的共同原因是他们对中国文化和发展感兴趣，所以选D。

（4）考查推理判断。

根据最后一段中的“Chinese isn't the new French. It's the new English, which is widely used all over the world.” 可知他认为汉语将会像英语一样在全世界广泛应用，所以他对学习汉语的态度是支持的，所以选B。

【点评】本题考点涉及细节理解，词义猜测和推理判断三个题型的考查，是一篇文化类阅读，考生需要准确掌握细节信息，并根据上下文的逻辑关系，进行分析，推理，从而选出正确答案。

4．阅读理解
Spending Christmas in a foreign country can be a truly eye-opening experience, especially since it's easy to believe that as a worldwide festival, most countries probably celebrate it in a fairly similar manner. Being from the UK, Christmas for me means spending time with family and friends, exchanging presents, eating and drinking, and, of course, hiding from the cold. In Colombia, however, Christmas is viewed much more as a time which devotes itself to religion.
With celebrations beginning on 7 December, Columbia is recognized as having the longest Christmas celebrations period in the world. The celebrations generally begin in the evening with the lighting of candles, either in the streets, parks or outside people's homes. Cities are lit up by candles, as this day marks the beginning of the Christmas period. Although decorations have been up since early November, another tradition in Colombia is that during the nine days before Christmas, family members and friends meet up to pray, sing songs and share traditional foods at home.
Probably the biggest surprise for me has been the music people listen to during the Christmas period. At first, you could easily mistake these songs for the classic salsa, which is played all year round. However, after asking a Colombian if it really felt like Christmas music, they explained to me that the songs are loved more for the memories they symbolize than for the way they sound, and that Colombia has been through so many dark periods in history, it was important to hold on to the good memories of years gone past.
Being in a country like Colombia during this festive period has taught me that you don't need to be religious to take part in these Christmas traditions.
（1）What's the authors opinion of Christmas?
A.It isn't a global festival.
B.It isn't a time for being alone.
C.It is mainly devoted to religion.
D.It's celebrated only in some places.
（2）What can we learn about the Christmas music?
A.It is celebrated in the same way as in the UK.
B.It is celebrated mainly as a religious festival.
C.It is celebrated for nine days or so.
D.It is celebrated with lanterns and fireworks.
（3）What do Colombians do during the Christmas celebration period?
A.Enjoy traditional foods.
B.Go to the church together.
C.Learn abut home decorations.
D.Have a one-month-long holiday.
（4）Colombians love the songs mainly because ______.
A.they sound extremely wonderful
B.they express best wishes for the future
C.they represent good memories of the past
D.they have been passed down for generations
【答案】（1）B
（2）B
（3）A
（4）C
【解析】【分析】本文是一篇说明文，介绍了在哥伦比亚圣诞节的意义及人们的庆祝方式。

（1）考查推理判断。

根据第一段中的“Being from the UK, Christmas for me means spe nding time with family and friends, exchanging presents, eating and drinking, and, of course, hiding from the cold.”可知在作者眼里，圣诞节意味着与家人和朋友共度时光，交换礼物，吃喝玩乐。

圣诞节是团聚的时间不是独处的时间。

故选B。

（2）考查细节理解。

根据第一段中的“In Colombia, however, Christmas is viewed much more as a time wh ich devotes itself to religion.”可知在哥伦比亚，圣诞节更多的是作为宗教节日被庆祝的，故选B。

（3）考查细节理解。

根据第二段中的“another tradition in Colombia is that during the nine days before Christmas, family members and friends meet up to pray, sing songs and share traditional foods at home. ”可知在哥伦比亚，家人和朋友团聚祈祷，唱歌，共享传统食物。

故选A。

（4）考查细节理解。

根据第三段中的“the songs are loved more for the memories they symbolize than for the way they sound, and that Colombia has been through so many dark periods in history, it was important to hold on to the good memories of ye ars gone past.”可知哥伦比亚圣诞音乐让人喜爱是因为它们所象征的记忆，是要保持对过去岁月的美好记忆。

故
选C。

【点评】本题考点涉及细节理解和推理判断两个题型的考查，是一篇文化类阅读，考生需要准确掌握细节信息，并根据上下文进行逻辑推理，从而选出正确答案。

5．阅读理解
"Our aim is to take our art to the world and make people understand what it is to move," said David Belle, the founder of parkour.
Do you love running? It is a good exercise, yet many people find it boring. But what if making your morning jog a creative one? Like jumping from walls and over gaps, and ground rolls? Just like James Bond in the movie Casino Royale? Bond jumps down from a roof to a windowsill and then runs several blocks over obstacles on the way. It is just because of Bond's wonderful performances that the sport has become popular worldwide.
Yes, that's parkour, an extreme street sport aimed at moving from one point to another as quickly as possible, getting over all the barriers in the path using only the abilities of the human body. Parkour is considered an extreme sport. As its participants dash around a city, they may jump over fences, run up walls and even move from rooftop to rooftop.
Parkour can be just as exciting and charming as it sounds, but its participants see parkour much more than that.
Overcoming all the obstacles on the course and in life is part of the philosophy behind parkour. This is the same as life. You must determine your destination, go straight, jump over all the barriers as if in parkour and never fall back in your life, to reach the destination successfully. A parkour lover said, "I love parkour because its philosophy has become my life, my way to do everything."
Another philosophy we've learnt from parkour is freedom. It can be done by anyone, at any time, anywhere in the world. It is a kind of expression of trust in yourself.
（1）Parkour has become popular throughout the world because of .
A.its founder, David Belle
B.the varieties of participants
C.its risks and tricks
D.the film, Casino Royale
（2）The underlined word "obstacles" in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to " ".
A.streets
B.objects
C.roofs
D.barriers
（3）Which of the following is the philosophy of parkour?
A.Sports and extremes.
B.Determination and freedom.
C.Dreams and success.
D.Excitement and popularity.
（4）Which of the following is true of parkour?
A.It is a team sport.
B.It is a good but boring sport.
C.It needs special training.
D.It challenges human abilities.
【答案】（1）D
（2）D
（3）B
（4）D
【解析】【分析】本文是一篇说明文，介绍了跑酷运动的起源、特点和此运动蕴含的哲理。

（1）考查细节理解。

根据第二段中的‘’Just like J ames Bond in the movie Casino Royale? Bond jumps down from a roof to a windowsill and then runs several blocks over obstacles on the way. It is just because of Bond's wonderful performances that the sport has become popular worldwide.”可知因为James Bond在电影Casino Royale中的精彩跑酷表演使得这项运动在全世界流行，故选D。

（2）考查词义猜测。

根据第三段中的“that's parkour, an extreme street sport aimed at moving from one point to another as quickly as possible, getting over all the barriers in the path using only the abilities of the human body.”可知跑酷的目的是尽可能快地从一个地方移动到另一个地方，利用人体的能力越过道路上的所有障碍。

画线部分over obstacles on the way.与getting over all the barriers in the path意思一致，指跨越路上的障碍。

obstacles与barriers同义，故选D。

（3）考查细节理解。

根据第五段中的“Overcoming all the obstacles on the course and in life is part of the philosophy behind parkour. This is the same as life. You must determine your destination, go straight, jump over all the barriers”可知跑酷蕴含的哲理是决心；第六段中的“Another philosophy we've learnt from parkour is freedom.”可知蕴含的另一个哲理是自由。

故选B。

（4）考查推理判断。

根据第三段中的“Parkour is considered an extreme sport.”；第四段中的“Parkour can be just as exciting and charming as it sounds.”可知跑酷是极限运动，像听起来那样刺激和迷人。

因此它挑战人类的能力。

故选D。

【点评】本题考点涉及细节理解，词义猜测和推理判断三个题型的考查，是一篇文化类阅读，考生需要准确掌握细节信息，并根据上下文的逻辑关系，进行分析，推理，从而选出正确答案。

6．阅读理解
Music is an international language. The songs that are sung or played by instruments are beautiful to all people everywhere.
Popular music in America is what every student likes. Students carry small radios with earphones and listen to music before class, after class and at lunch. Students with cars buy large speakers(扬声器)and play the music loudly as they drive on the street.
Adult drivers listen to music on the car radio as they drive to work. They also listen to the news
about sports, the weather, politics, and activities of the American people. But most of the radio broadcast is music.
Pop or popular music singers make much money. They make a CD or tape which radio stations use in every state. Once the popular singer is heard throughout the country, young people buy his or her tapes. Some of the money from these tapes comes to the singer. Wherever the singer goes, all the young people want to meet him or her. Now the singer has become a national star.
Besides pop music, there are two other kinds of music that is important to Americans. One is called folk music. It tells stories about the common life of Americans. The other is called western or country music. This was started by cowboys who would sing at night to the cows they were watching. Today, any music about country life and the love between a country boy and his girl is called western or country music.
Serious music for the concert halls is called classical music. Music for instruments is called orchestra music, such as the symphonies(交响乐)of Beethoven. There is opera for singers, ballet for dancers like the story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai in China.
（1）In what way can music be regarded as an international language?
A.Popular music is what everyone enjoys.
B.The wonderful songs are popular with the world people.
C.When music is played, it seems as if it were speaking to us.
D.Music is too popular for everyone to be able to play it.
（2）What can we know about music and people in America?
A.Adult drivers listen to news as well as music when they drive to work.
B.Adult drivers never listen to music when they drive to work.
C.Student drivers carry small radios with earphones when they drive on the streets.
D.Students always listen to music before class, in class and after class.
（3）Which of the following statement is TRUE according to the passage?
A.All people in America like popular music.
B.Pop singers can get all the money from the tapes.
C.Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai is a kind of pop music in China.
D.Now，western or country music is a little different from its beginning.
（4）What's the best title of the passage?
A.International language.
B.Music in America.
C.Pop music.
D.Music listeners.
【答案】（1）B
（2）A
（3）D
（4）B
【解析】【分析】本文是一篇说明文，介绍了美国的几种音乐。

（1）考查推理判断。

根据第一段中的“Music is an international language.The songs that are sung or played by instruments are beautiful to all people everywhere”可知，音乐是一种世界性
的语言，用乐器演唱或演奏的歌曲对世界各地的人们来说都是美丽的，因此推断美妙的歌曲深受世界人民的欢迎。

故选B。

（2）考查推理判断。

根据第三段中的“Adult drivers listen to music on the c ar radio as they drive to work.They also listen to the news about sports，the weather，politics，and activities of the American people.”可知，成年司机开车上班时听汽车收音机里的音乐，他们还收听体育新闻，天气，政治，和美国人民的活动。

A项正确。

其他三项描述都不正确。

故选A。

（3）考查细节理解。

根据倒数第二段中的“This was started by cowboys who w ould sing at night to the cows they were watching.Today，any music about country life and the love between a country boy and his girl is called western or country music.”可知，如今的乡村音乐与过去是不同的。

当初它是牛仔唱给牛听的，但现在它是任何关于乡村生活或乡村青年爱情的音乐。

故选D。

（4）考查主旨大意。

从文中各段的描述看，本文主要讲的是美国的音乐种类。

故选B。

【点评】本题考点涉及细节理解，推理判断和主旨大意三个题型的考查，是一篇文化类阅读，要求考生在捕捉细节信息的基础上，进一步根据上下文的逻辑关系，进行分析，推理，概括和归纳，从而选出正确答案。

7．阅读理解
The values of artistic works, according to cultural relativism(相对主义), are simply reflections of local social and economic conditions. Such a view, however, fails to explain the ability of some works of art to excite the human mind across cultures and through centuries.
History has witnessed the endless productions of Shakespearean plays in every major language of the world. It is never rare to find that Mozart packs Japanese concert halls, as Japanese painter Hiroshige does Paris galleries, Unique works of this kind are different from today's popular art, even if they began as works of popular art. They have set themselves apart in their timeless appeal and will probably be enjoyed for centuries into the future.
In a 1757 essay, the philosopher David Hume argued that because" the general principles of taste are uniform(不变的) in human nature," the value of some works of art might be essentially permanent. He observed that Homer was still admired after two thousand years. Works of this type, he believed, spoke to deep and unvarying features of human nature and could continue to exist over centuries.
Now researchers are applying scientific methods to the study of the universality of art. For example, evolutionary psychology is being used by literary scholars to explain the long-lasting themes and plot devices in fiction. The structures of musical pieces are now open to experimental analysis as never before. Research findings seem to indicate that the creation by a great artist is as permanent an achievement as the discovery by a great scientist.
（1）According to the passage, what do we know about cultural relativism?
A. It introduces different cultural values.
B. It explains the history of artistic works.
C. It relates artistic values to local conditions.
D. It excites the human mind throughout the world.
（2）In Paragraph 2, the artists are mentioned in order to show that _____ .
A. great works of art can go beyond national boundaries
B. history gives art works special appeal to set them apart
C. popular arts are hardly distinguishable from great arts
D. great artists are skilled at combining various cultures
（3）According to Hume, some works of art can exist for centuries because_____ .
A. they are results of scientific study
B. they establish some general principles of art
C. they are created by the world's greatest artists
D. they appeal to unchanging features of human nature
（4）Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?
A. Are Artistic Values Universal?
B. Are Popular Arts Permanent?
C. Is Human Nature Uniform?
D. Is Cultural Relativism Scientific?
【答案】（1）C
（2）A
（3）D
（4）A
【解析】【分析】本文是一篇说明文，介绍了根据文化相对主义，艺术作品在永恒受欢迎的原因是人类的审美具有共同性，并且就此展开说明。

（1）考查推理判断。

根据第一段中的“The values of artistic works, according to cultural relativism(相对主义), are simply reflections of local social and economic conditions.”可知根据相对主义，艺术作品就是把艺术的价值与当地的社会经济条件结合在一块，故选C。

（2）考查推理判断。

根据第二段中的“It is never rare to find that Mozart packs Japanese concert halls, as Japanese painter Hiroshige does Paris galleries, Unique works of this kind are different from today's popular art, even if they began as works of popular art.”可知不会把莫扎特与日本的音乐进行比较，正如日本的画作与巴黎的画廊进行比较，艺术作品是没有国界的，故选A。

（3）考查推理判断。

根据第三段中的“In a 1757 essay, the philosopher David Hume argued that because‘ the general principles of taste are uniform(不变的) in human nature," the value of some works of art might be essentially permanent.’ ”可知Davide曾辩论到风格的原则上是没有变化的，所以一些艺术是可能会永生的，故选D。

（4）考查主旨大意。

本文主要从相对论的角度来说，艺术的价值只能反应当时的社会经济，但作者提出不同的观点，故选A。

【点评】本题考点涉及推理判断和主旨大意两个题型的考查，是一篇文化类阅读，要求考生根据上下文的逻辑关系，进行分析，推理，概括和归纳，从而选出正确答案。

8．阅读理解
More and more people in America are celebrating the Indian holiday Diwali. Diwali is Hindi for "row of lights". It is the most important holiday in India.
Many people around the world are beginning to celebrate it as well. The United States is one of
the places where the festival is becoming more common. Diwali celebrations can now be found at American landmarks like Disneyland in California and New York City's Times Square. They are also held in many parks and museums.
Neeta Bhasin created the Times Square event. She said Indian immigrants have found great success in America. But, she said, many Americans still do not know much about India. So, she decided to act." I felt it's about time that we should take India to mainstream America and show India's rich culture, heritage, arts and variety to the world," she said, "and I couldn't find a better place than Times Square."
Bhasin came to the United States from India 40 years ago. She is president of ASB Communications, the marketing firm behind Diwali at Times Square. Tens of thousands of people attend the event, now in its fourth year.
In India, Diwali is a five-day harvest festival held just before the Hindu New Year. The exact dates change from year to year but Diwali is always in the fall. Celebrations include lighting oil lamps or candles called "diyas".
A Diwali celebration will light up Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim this year. Visitors can watch performances of traditional Indian dances and take part in a Bollywood dance party. The event is part of a Festival of Holidays program at the theme park to show cultural traditions from around the world. The program takes place on November 10th through January 7th.
San Antonio, Texas, also holds a Diwali celebration. And it is one of the nation's largest celebrations, with more than 15,000 people in attendance each year. Visitors can enjoy Indian dance，food and fireworks. Organizers also plan to float hundreds of lighted candles in the San Antonio River, along the city's famous River Walk.
（1）Which is the main symbol in the Indian holiday Diwali?
A. Dances.
B. Lamps.
C. Food.
D. Clothes.
（2）Why did Neeta Bhasin set up the Times Square event?
A. To make the American culture richer.
B. To create a new business for the firm.
C. To make Indian culture better known in the US.
D. To show the achievements of Indian immigrants.
（3）What do we know about Diwali?
A. It is held in autumn in India.
B. It lasts five days in America.
C. It has been held for 40 years in America.
D. It happens from November 10th to January 7th in India.
（4）What is the main idea of the text?
A. Diwali is mainly celebrated in Disney Parks.
B. Many American cities compete to hold Diwali.
C. Indian Holiday Diwali lights up America, too.
D. Diwali has become the most important holiday in India.
【答案】（1）B
（2）C。