The mistletoe and holly are important symbols of ______.

What are the symbols of Christmas?（ ） A: Rudolph B: Mistletoe C: candy canes D: Yule log

________ are the traditional elements of Christmas. ( ) A: Mistletoe B: Rabbits C: Yule Log D: Christmas Wreath

The mistletoe and holly are important symbols of ______. A: fertility B: good luck C: love D: ad luck

() is the same plant that we hang up in houses at Christmas Time now. A: pen B: The mistletoe C: pie D: apple

At Christmas,the home is decorated with the following except（） A: colorful paper chains B: leaves of holly and mistletoe C: a young fir-tree D: firecracker

About Christmas tree, which of the following is incorrect?( ) A: The star on top represents the star in the East which guided the three Wise Men to Bethlehem. B: In ancient times, a branch of mistletoe was hung over doorways for fun. C: The modern American tree is usually covered with colored balls and strings of colored lights. D: The poinsettia plant is another familiar Christmas decoration.

Part 5: DictationDirections： In this section, you will hear 1 passage. The passage will be spoken THREE TIMES. Please fill the blanks.​浏览器不支持音频​The Irish New Year Festival is known as Samhain which means summer ends and is celebrated on 31 October. The festival has ______ as Halloween. This day was considered of great danger for it is when the spirits of the dead return to earth. It was believed the spirits could do harm unless ______ were taken. The Celtic priests went into the woods on New Year's Eve to gather bunches of mistletoe which they ______ to people to protect them from any harm. Also bonfires were lit to ______ evil forces. They also believed that it was safer to stay indoors as ______ were abroad on New Year's Eve. In Ireland the girls would go to bed with twigs of mistletoe, or holly and ivy leaves under their ______ so they would go to bed dreaming of their future husbands. They might also chant: "Oh, ivy green and holly red. Tell me, tell me whom I shall wed!" In West Ireland the direction of the wind blowing at New Year would indicate the ______ of politics in the coming year. If it blew from the west it would flourish; if from the east the English would have the upper hand. Also if they ate a very large New Year's Eve dinner they would have plenty of food for the coming year. One custom that was ______ on New Year's Eve was to take a large loaf of Christmas bread or cake outside the house and ______ it against the closed doors and windows. This was done so as to drive out any misfortune and ______ .

8. Origin of Peace Symbols(1) The concept of peace is a very important one in cultures all over the world. Think about how we greet people. In some languages, the phrases for greetings contain the word for peace. In some cultures we greet people by shaking hands or with another gesture to show that we are not carrying weapons-that we come in peace. And there are certain symbols which people in very different cultures recognize as representing peace. Let's look at a few of them. The dove(2)The dove has been a symbol of peace and innocence for thousands of years in many different cultures. In ancient Greek mythology it was a symbol of love and the renewal of life. In ancient Japan a dove carrying a sword symbolized the end of war.(3)There was a tradition in Europe that if a dove flew around a house where someone was dying then their soul would be at peace. And there are legends which say that the devil can turn himself into any bird except for a dove. In Christian art , the dove was used to symbolize the Holy Ghost and was often painted above Christ's head .(4)But it was Pablo Picasso who made the dove a modern symbol of peace when he used it on a poster for the World Peace Congress in 1949. The rainbow(5)The rainbow is another ancient and universal symbol, often representing the connection between human beings and their gods. In Greek mythology it was associated with Iris, the goddess who brought messages from the gods on Mount Olympus. In Scandinavian mythology the rainbow was a bridge between the gods and the earth. In the Bible a rainbow showed Noah that the Biblical flood was finally over, and that God had forgiven his people. In the Chinese tradition, the rainbow is a common symbol for marriage because the colours represent the union of yin and yang. Nowadays the rainbow is used by many popular movements for peace and the environment, representing the possibility of a better world in the future and promising sunshine after the rain. Mistletoe(6)This plant was sacred in many cultures, generally representing peace and love. Most people know of the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe at Christmas time, which probably comes from Scandinavian mythology. The goddess Freya's son was killed by an arrow made of mistletoe, so, in honour of him, she declared that it would always be a symbol of peace. It was often hung in doorways as a sign of friendship. The olive branch(7)The olive tree has always been a valuable source of food and oil. In Greek mythology, the goddess Athena gave the olive tree to the people of Athens, who showed their gratitude by naming the city after her. But no one knows for sure when or why it began to symbolize peace. There is probably a connection with ancient Greece. Wars between states were suspended during the Olympic Games, and the winners were given crowns of olive branches. The symbolism may come from the fact that the olive tree takes a long time to produce fruit , so olives could only be cultivated successfully in long periods of peace. Whatever the history, the olive branch is a part of many modern flags symbolizing peace and unity. One well-known example is the United Nations symbol. The ankh(8) The ankh is an ancient symbol which was adopted by the hippie movement in the 1960s to represent peace and love. It was found in many Asian cultures, but is generally associated with ancient Egypt. It represented life and immortality. Egyptians were buried with an ankh, so that they could continue to live in the "afterworld". The symbol was also found along the sides of the Nile, which gave life to the people. They believed that the ankh could control the flow of the river and make sure that there was always enough water. 16. In North Europe mistletoe was often hung in doorways to indicate _______ . A: Friendship. B: Love. C: Kinship. D: Honour.

9. The Colors of Christmas There are several colors which are traditionally associated with Christmas, such as green, red and gold. But why do people have them and what do the colors represent?Most the colors and their meanings come from the western/northern European traditions and customs, when Christmas is in the middle of winter and it's dark and cold.1）GreenEvergreen plants, like Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe have been used for thousands of years to decorate and brighten up buildings during the long dark winter. They also reminded people that spring would come and that winter wouldn't last forever!The Romans would exchange evergreen branches during January as a sign of good luck. The ancient Egyptians used to bring palm branches into their houses during the mid winter festivals.In many parts of Europe during the middle ages, Paradise plays were performed, often on Christmas Eve. They told Bible stories to people who couldn't read. The “Paradise Tree” in the garden of Eden in the play was normally a pine tree with red apples tied to it.Now the most common use of green at Christmas are Christmas Trees.2）RedAs mentioned above, an early use of red at Christmas were the apples on the paradise tree. They represented the fall of Adam in the plays. Red is also the color of Holly berries, which is said to represent the blood of Jesus when he died on the cross. And red is the color of Bishops robes. These would have been worn by St. Nicholas and then also became Santa's uniform!3）GoldGold is the color of the Sun and light - both very important in the dark winter. And both red and gold are the colors of fire that you need to keep you warm. Gold was also one of the presents brought to the baby Jesus by one of the wise men and traditionally it's the color used to show the star that the wise men followed. Silver is sometimes used instead of (or with) gold. But gold is a “warmer” color.4）WhiteWhite is often associated with purity and peace in western cultures. The snow of winter is also very white! White paper wafers were also sometimes used to decorate paradise trees. The wafers represented the bread eaten during Christian Communion or Mass, when Christians remember that Jesus died for them. White is used by most churches as the color of Christmas, when the altar is covered with a white cloth (in the Russian Orthodox Church Gold is used for Christmas).5）BlueThe color blue is often associated with Mary, the mother of Jesus. In medieval times blue dye and paint was more expensive than gold! So it would only be worn by Royal families and very rich people. Mary was often painted wearing blue to show she was very important. Blue can also represent the color of the sky and heaven.18. Which one of the following colors is used to represent the star according to the passage? A: White. B: Yellow. C: Silver. D: Gold.