Modern Chinese use the solar calendar（阳历）as English people do . But at the same time, they use their own lunar calendar. Each lunar year is given the name of one of these animals : the rat , the ox , the tiger , the hare , the dragon , the snake , the horse , the goat , the monkey , the chicken , the dog and the pig . This list lasts for 12 years and then starts again.

     Each Chinese month starts on the day of the new moon. And the full moon comes on the 15th day of the month. The New Year always starts between January 21 and February 20. On the last day of the lunar year, there is a big family dinner. All members of the family except married daughters try to be present at this meal, even of they have to travel many miles to reach the home of their parents. Old quarrels are forgotten, and everybody is happy. After the dinner, the children keep awake to welcome the New Year.

    The New Year celebrations last for 15 days, from the new moon to the full moon. On the first day, children and unmarried people go to visit their elder

    Dragons are not real animals, but look like a combination(结合体) of many animals such as snakes, fish and deer. They have two horns(角) and a long moustache(胡子). With fantastic powers, they fly in the sky or swim in the sea. They can make rain, too. The Chinese dragon is a symbol of strength and good luck. The emperors of ancient China loved dragons. Their clothes were covered with pictures of dragons.

    We are proud to call ourselves the “descendants(传人)of the dragon”. In Chinese, “excellent” people are often called “dragons”. A number of Chinese sayings talk about dragons, for example, “Hoping one's child will become a dragon”, which means hoping he or she will be successful.

    It is said that people born in the year of the dragon have certain characteristics(特征). They are creative, confident, brave and quick-tempered（性急的）. They are some famous “dragons” who have done excellent things, for example, the great man Deng Xiaoping, the famous businessman Li Jiacheng and the movie star Zhao Wei. They are all very successful.

    There are also some traditional festivals about dragons in China, such as Dragon Head-Raising Day and Dragon Boat Festival. We have different kinds of activities to celebrate them. These two festivals come every year, but the Year of the Dragon comes every twelve years.

    The dragon is very important in Chinese culture. As the “descendants of the dragon”, it is necessary for us to know the opinions on dragons in our culture. It can help us understand why our parents always want us to be “dragons”.

根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。

    All around the world, people drink tea. But tea does not mean the same thing to everyone. In different countries people have very different ideas about drinking tea.

    In China, for example, tea is always served when people get together. The Chinese drink it at any time of the day at homes or in tea houses. They prefer their tea plain with nothing else in it.

    Tea is also important in Japan. The Japanese have a special way of serving tea called a tea ceremony（仪式). It is very old and full of meaning. Everything must be done in a special way in the ceremony. There is even a. special room for it in Japanese homes.

    Another tea-drinking country is England. In England, the late afternoon is "teatime". Almost everyone has a cup of tea then. The English usually make tea in a teapot and drink it with cream and sugar. They also eat cakes, cookies and little sandwiches at teatime.

    In the United States people drink tea mostly for breakfast or after meals. Americans usually use tea bags to make their tea. Tea bags are faster and easier than making tea in teapots. In summer, many Americans drink cold tea—"iced tea". Sometimes they drink iced tea from cans, like soda.

    Disney's princess stories are famous around the world. You must know some of them, such as Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.

    All princesses are very beautiful. Princes fall in love with them at first sight. In the end, the princess and prince have a happy life together.

    However, princesses often cannot protect themselves. They need help from others. This is the old image of Disney's princesses.

    A few weeks ago, Disney made 10 new rules. To be a princess, you must follow these rules. Surprisingly, no rule talks about having a "pretty face". Instead the rules are about good characteristics like honesty, loyalty and never giving up.

    Princesses need to grow up. When they meet problems, they need to protect themselves. They need to find ways to get away from dangerous people.

    For example, Elsa and Anna fight against the bad prince in Frozen. They need to believe in themselves and their friends. Mulan shows her courage to fight in the army. "Beauty" cannot help them. But a strong heart can. In the real world, these are the rules you need to follow.

    In 2014, Buzzfeed, a US news website, did a survey called "which Disney princess do you like most?". As it turned out, the most popular one was Belle ！More than 18 per cent of people chose her. Belie is in the movie Beauty and the Beast. She is very kind and gentle. She takes care of the Beast and uses her clever mind to get out of trouble.

    On New Year's Eve(前夕), people in Italy throw"(扔)out all the old things. So there ate chairs, beds, clothes and plates in the streets. In Spain, New Year comes more quietly. Everyone holds a bag of grapes.  When twelve o'clock comes, people start eating the grapes.

    In Japan, people eat noodles on New Year's Eve. This food is said to bring long life. Early the next morning, some families climb Mount Fuji. There they watch the first sunrise(日出) of New Year.