A
I can't think of a better way of appreciating a new culture than by taking part in one of its festivals. Some festivals are celebrated by an entire country, while others may be unique to a single city. Festivals play an important role in a certain culture. Just enjoy them!
Batalla del Vino—Haro, Spain
For many years, June 29th is a good day to visit Haro, Spain. Bring a bottle of wine and prepare to be washed in red wine in the heart of Spain's grapegrowing area. After a church ceremony, crowds flock (集结) to the hills for the battle, where white shirts will be made bright purple by the end of the morning.
Bay to Breakers—San Francisco, California
Created after the terrible 1906 earthquake as a way of encouraging people, the race has become one of the region's most important events. Held every year on the third Sunday of May, the race runs through the city from the Bay to the Pacific Breakers. The real highlight,_however, is the thousands of people dressed up in a show.
Pillow Fight Day—Worldwide
The event is organized mainly through the Internet. Tens of thousands of people participated in the 4th annual International Pillow Fight Day on April 2,2013. From London to Vancouver to many other cities, the festival was held in more than 100 countries. So just bring a soft pillow in early April, and watch feathers flying.
Koninginnedag—The Netherlands
Although the Queen's birthday is really during the winter, she has celebrated it on April 30th—the country's official “Queen's Day” since 1949. Orange is the national colour, and the streets become a sea of shining wigs (假发) and body paints, as crowds gather in the squares and on boats in the canals. Amsterdam is the center of this outdoor party, but nearly every town is alive with orange on this day.
本文介绍的是几个国家的节日风俗和一些有趣的民俗，人们是如何庆祝那些具有传统特色的节日的。
21．People celebrated Batalla del Vino by .
A．wearing bright purple shirts
B．pouring wine onto others' white shirts
C．flocking to the hills after a ceremony
D．holding a drinking wine competition
答案：B
解析：推理判断题。由第二段最后一句话“After a church ceremony, crowds flock (集结) to the hills for the battle, where white shirts will be made bright purple by the end of the morning.”可以看出在教堂的庆祝仪式后，人们聚集到小山上，到次日清晨他们的白衬衫上就被染上了明亮的紫色(葡萄酒汁)，故选B项。
22．The underlined word “highlight” in the passage means ________.
A．the most exciting part
B．the brightest part
C．the highest part
D．the hardest part
答案：A
解析：词义猜测题。分析句子“The real highlight,_however, is the thousands of people dressed up in a show.”可以看出真正令人兴奋的是成千上万的人们在节日中盛装打扮，故选A项。
23．Which of the festivals has the shortest history?
A．Batalla del Vino. B．Bay to Breakers.
C．Pillow Fight Day. D．Koninginnedag.
答案：C
解析：细节理解题。根据第四段中“Tens of thousands of people participated in the 4th annual International Pillow Fight Day on April 2,2013.”可以看出国际枕头大战日是年度性(annual)节日，每年举行一次，2013年举行的是第四届，那么其起始日应为2010年，比其他三个节日晚，故选C项。
