第一部分阅读(共两节，满分50分)
第一节阅读理解(共15小题;每小题2.5分，满分37.5分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。
A
Four unusual festivals around the world
The Wife Carrying World Championships — Sonkajärvi, Finland
Although the exact origins of the tradition are unknown because of its long history, but today, wife carrying is practiced around the world. Participants are allowed to carry their wives in various ways, including a piggyback or a fireman’s carry (over the shoulder). The prize for winning the race is the wife’s weight in beer.
The Monkey Buffet (自助餐) Festival — Lopburi, Thailand
You may consider how a monkey would taste, but this is a buffet for monkeys. The local monkeys in Lopburi are gifted with a feast of tons of fruits, vegetables, cakes, and candies every November. After the monkeys are given the treats, youths dressed up as monkeys perform dances. The festival first took place in 1989, run by a local businessman to boost tourism in Lopburi. Luckily for him and the monkeys, it worked.
The Boryeong Mud Festival — Boryeong, South Korea
The festival first took place in 1998, and it was originally created as a marketing event for Boryeong mud cosmetics (化妆品). The mud from Boryeong is considered rich in natural minerals and is used to make beauty products. Popular activities include mud swimming, mud slides and mud skiing.
The La Tomatina Festival — Buñol, Valencia, Spain
The festival has been organized annually in August in Buñol since 1940s, when a noisy crowd take the tomatoes from a vegetable stall and start a food fight. The hour — long tomato fight used up about 145,000 kg of tomatoes in 2015. Since 2013 it has been a ticketed event to limit participants to just 20,000.
1. What will you get if you win the Wife Carrying World Championships?
A. A treat. B. Lots of beer.
C. Lots of money. D. A pig.
2. What is the purpose of creating the Monkey Buffet Festival?
A. To taste the monkey. B. To sell out tomatoes.
C. To promote mud makeup. D. To develop tourism.
3. Which festival is likely to have the shortest history?
A. The Boryeong Mud Festival. B. The Monkey Buffet Festival
C. The Wife Carrying World Championships. D. The La Tomatina Festival.
【答案】1. B2. D3. A
【解析】
【导语】本文是一篇应用文。文章介绍了世界上四个奇特的节日：背老婆世界锦标赛、猴子自助餐节、泥浆节和番茄节。
【1题详解】
细节理解题。根据第一段中“The prize is awarded based on the wife’s weight in beer. (比赛的奖品是与妻子体重一样的啤酒。)”可知，如果你赢得背老婆世界锦标赛，你会得到很多啤酒。故选B项。
【2题详解】
细节理解题。根据第二段中“The festival first occurred in 1989, run by a local businessman to drive up tourism in Lopburi. (这个节日首次出现于1989年，由一名当地商人经营，以推动Lopburi的旅游业。)”可知，创办猴子自助餐节的目的是为了发展旅游业。故选D项。
【3题详解】
细节理解题。根据第一段中“Although the exact origins of the tradition are unknown because of its long history (虽然这个传统的确切起源是未知的，因为它的历史悠久)”、第二段中“The festival first occurred in 1989 (该节日首次举办于1989年)”、第三段中“The festival first took place in 1998 (该节日首次举办于1998年)”和第四段中“The festival has been organized annually in August in Buñol since 1940s (从20世纪40年代开始，每年8月在Buñol举办)”可知，四个节日中创办最晚的是第三段中的泥浆节，首次举办于1998年，它的历史最短。故选A项。
