五、完形填空。
New Year, Old Celebrations
People have celebrated the start of a new year for thousands of years. Sometimes, these ____1____ were just for fun, but in some places, they were linked to the land or stars. ____2____, in Egypt, the new year began when the River Nile flooded, which happened when the star Sirius (天狼星) rose. The Persians and Phoenicians ____3____ their new year around March 20th, during the spring equinox.
The ____4____ recorded New Year's celebrations were in Babylon about 4,000 years ago. The Babylonians celebrated ____5____ the night of the first new moon after the spring equinox with a festival called Akitu. They believed this cleaned their world for the ____6____ year.
Today, many cities have fireworks at midnight on December ____7____. Sydney, Australia, is one of the first to enjoy the new year eve fireworks. Different ____8____ have unique traditions, like eating 12 grapes in Spain or wearing special underwear in Brazil. New Year's resolutions are ____9____ popular, aiming for positive changes in the new year. People often promise ____10____ bad habits and start new, healthy ones. The new year is a time for fresh starts and new beginnings.
()1. A. parties
B. dinners
C. classes
D. celebrations
()2. A. For example
B. As a result
C. In the end
D. In addition
()3. A. planned
B. started
C. recalled
D. finished
()4. A. newest
B. biggest
C. first
D. heaviest
()5. A. with
B. on
C. in
D. at
()6. A. last
B. bad
C. new
D. big
()7. A. 31st
B. 1st
C. 28th
D. 12nd
()8. A. towns
B. cities
C. countries
D. worlds
()9. A. either
B. also
C. never
D. again
()10. A. to have
B. to develop
C. to make
D. to stop

1. D 2. A 3. B 4. C 5. B 6. C 7. A 8. C 9. B 10. D