Question

One of the traditions which is now a necessary part of Christmas is a that of Father Christmas, or Santa Claus. According to the modern legend, he is a magical figure who visits all the children of the world during the night before Christmas Day, leaving presents which they find the next morning. He flies through the night sky in a sledge pulled by reindeer, and enters houses by climbing down chimneys. This strange legend is based on the life of a man called Nicholas, but in fact we know very little about him. Historians think he was a Christian bishop(主教)in Turkey in about 285--350 A.D. One of the stories about him is that he helped three poor girls. No one would marry them because they were so poor. To provide them with money for their weddings, Nicholas secretly dropped some gold coins down the chimney of their house. After Nicholas died, he was made a saint(圣人) by the church.(The name Santa Claus thus comes from St Nicholas.) His feast day was celebrated in December, and parents started giving their children secret presents from St Nicholas. Over the years, this custom became part of our Christmas traditions.

Recently, a psychologist has claimed that Father Christmas is “the perfect fantasy” for children. According to Professor Anthony Clare, children love the character of Father Christmas because he is like an ideal father: he loves children and gives them presents, but he never criticizes them, is never angry, and children do not even need to thank him for the presents. Other writers, however, point out that Father Christmas can be a frightening character to some children. Jane Bidder says that some children are terrified of this fat, bearded old man. It can certainly confuse many children. As parents, we warn our children to be careful of strangers and never to let them into the house, and yet we tell children that a strange man will come into their bedroom at night! Some children can become very worried about this idea and fear that he is a kind of burglar.

Most children, however, understand from their parents and from the media that Father Christmas is basically a benign character, and look forward to his annual visit with joy and excitement.

1.The main point of the first paragraph is that .

A. Father Christmas is an important part of Christmas

B. the tradition of Father Christmas is a modern idea

C. Father Christmas is a magical figure who can fly

D. the legends about Father Christmas are not true

2.The writer mentions details such as Father Christmas’s sledge, the reindeer and the way he climbs down chimneys because he/she .

A. wants to make it clear that these things are impossible

B. is describing the history of St Nicholas

C. wants everyone to believe that Father Christmas is real

D. is explaining the modern legend of Father Christmas

3. Why does the writer mention the story about St Nicholas helping three poor girls?

A. It shows us that historians know very little about him.

B. This story explains why parents give secret presents to children.

C. It supports the writer’s main point that Father Christmas is based on an untrue story.

D. This story explains why we celebrate Christmas in December.

4.In the last paragraph, the word “benign” means .

A. religious B. friendly

C. frightening D. unreal

5.The best title for this passage would be .

A. Is Father Christmas Dangerous?

B. The True History of St Nicholas

C. The Legend of Santa Claus

D. The Traditions of Christmas

Answer 1

1.A

2.D

3.B

4.B

5.C

【解析】

试题分析：本文主要叙述了圣诞老人的传说。圣诞老人源于一位真实的人，他乐于助人，默默无闻。人们为了纪念他就形成了圣诞节给孩子送礼物的传统，尽管现代家长教育孩子不能收陌生人的礼物等等，但圣诞老人仍然受到孩子们的爱戴。

1. 主旨题。通读第一段，并根据第一句话One of the traditions which is now a necessary part of Christmas is a that of Father Christmas, or Santa Claus可知圣诞老人是圣诞节重要的组成部分，故判断选A。

2. 细节题。根据文章第一段的According to the modern legend, he is a magical figure…可知作者详细描写圣诞老人在圣诞节所做的事情主要是现代传说，故判断选D。

【小题3 】B细节题。根据文章第一段的His feast day was celebrated in December, and parents started giving their children secret presents from St Nicholas可知父母们跟他学会了秘密地送给孩子们圣诞礼物，故判断选B。

3. 词义题。根据文章的第一段中圣诞老人所做的一些帮助别人的事情可知圣诞老人是友好的，正因为他的友好，才会让孩子们每年都期待他的到来，故判断选B。A宗教的；B友好的；C感到害怕的；D不真实的。

4. 总结题。通读全文，特别是文章的第一段都是在叙述关于圣诞老人的传说，第二段说明圣诞老人在当今仍受人欢迎，尽管现代的父母们让孩子对所有的陌生人严阵以待，是圣诞老人的爱的传递让孩子们欢喜和幸福。故选C。

考点：考查传说类短文