He continued on... "The pine trees start their new growth in the weeks before Easter because spring is drawing near. If you look at the tops of the pine trees, you will see the yellow shoots(嫩芽). As the days get closer to Easter Sunday, the tallest shoot will branch off and form a cross. By the time Easter Sunday comes around, you will see that most of the pine trees will have small yellow crosses on all of the tallest shoots."

　　　I turned to look out of the window and I couldn't believe my eyes. It was a week before Easter, and you could see all of the trees with the tall yellow shoots stretching to the sky.

　　　The tallest ones shone in the sunlight like rows of tiny golden crosses. May you find your Easter season filled with beautiful golden crosses!

　　　4．How did the author feel when she found her husband looking outward while driving?

　　　A．Curious. B．Calm.

　　　C．Afraid. D．Excited.

　　　5．Why did the husband cry?

　　　A．He saw something strange out of the window.

　　　B．He was scolded by his wife for driving carelessly.

　　　C．He was too frightened to drive the car on the road.

　　　D．He thought of an old friend and was moved by his story.

　　　6．What can we infer from the text?

　　　A．The author knew Pop's story very well.

　　　B．Pop was traveling together with the couple.

　　　C．The author was amazed at the appearance of pine trees.

　　　D．Pine trees have something to do with the origin of Easter.

　　　7．What does the author intend to tell us?

　　　A．We should be careful while driving.

　　　B．Pine trees are more beautiful before Easter.

　　　C．Easter should be decorated with golden crosses.

　　　D．Easter promises hope with the coming of spring.

　　　 Every time a new year is coming, people set out to better themselves. They promise they will lose weight, find a new job, or maybe even take that vacation they've always talked about. But why do we make these promises to ourselves, and where did this tradition come from? Why does this tradition live on when so many people fail to keep the resolutions(决定) they made? Well, we can start by blaming the ancient Babylonians.

　　　Around 4,000 years ago in Babylon, the earliest recorded celebration honoring the coming of a new year was held. Calendars weren't as they are today, so the Babylonians did it in late March during the first new moon after the Spring Equinox(春分). The festivities were meant for the rebirth of the sun god, but the Babylonians made promises in order to please their gods. They felt this would help them start the new year off well.

　　　Resolutions continued on with the Romans. When the early Roman calendar no longer synced(同步) up with the sun, Julius Caesar decided to make a change. He consulted with the best astronomers and mathematicians of the time and introduced the Julian calendar, which more closely represents the modern calendar we use today. Caesar declared January 1 the first day of the year to honor the god of new beginnings, Janus. The Romans celebrated the New Year by offering sacrifices to Janus.

　　　To this day, the traditions of the ancient Babylonians and Romans continue around the world. So much that Google launched a Resolution Map in 2013 where people could add resolutions and see others adding theirs in real time. However, no matter how many people participated in Google's project, the numbers are bleak when it comes to the number of people who maintain their resolutions----only eight percent of people are successful in sticking them out.

　　　8．Why did the ancient Babylonians make promises to their gods?

　　　A．To honor the god of new beginnings.

　　　B．To observe the rebirth of the sun god and please him.

　　　C．To honor the coming of a new year and satisfy their gods.

　　　D．To please their gods and hope for a good start of the year.

　　　9．What can we know about the tradition of the New Year's resolutions?

　　　A．The tradition of making New Year's resolutions will soon die.

　　　B．A lot of people don't feel like making New Year's resolutions.

　　　C．Julius Caesar made January 1 the first day of a year on his own.

　　　D．The history of making New Year's resolutions is not well known.

　　　10．What does the underlined word "bleak" in the last paragraph mean?

　　　A．Large. B．Unpleasant.

　　　C．Encouraging. D．Hopeful.

　　　11．Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

　　　A．How Making New Year's Resolutions Came Into Being?

　　　B．The Ancient Babylonians and the Romans

C．The Change of Roman Calendars