Halloween

History experts say Halloween goes back more than two thousand years to the Celts(凯尔特人) of ancient Britain.October 31 was the Celtic Day of the autumn feast(宗教节日).On that day,priests(牧师) of the Celtic religion(宗教) prayed that the spirits of the dead would return to their homes for a few hours.The Celts built huge fires to frighten away evil spirits released with the dead on that night.

Hundreds of years later,the Roman Catholic(天主教的) Church made November first a day to honor Christian Saints.It was called All Saints Day or All Hallows Day.The day before was called Hallow Eve or Halloween.The name came from the church.But the traditions were closer to the old Celtic beliefs.

People from Scotland and Ireland brought these traditions to America.Many people still believed spirits played tricks on people on the last night of October.

In the late 19th century,American boys helped the spirits with tricks of their own.On Halloween,they would do things like change street signs or put a wagon on top of a house.

American children continue to celebrate Halloween today.Many adults enjoy the holiday as well.They go to holiday parties dressed as ghosts,monsters or famous people from history.

Children continue these Halloween traditions by going out to “Trick or Treat”.They dress as frightening creatures or characters from popular movies.They go from house to house asking for candy.They may also ask for money for the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund(联合国国际儿童急救基金会).They send the money to UNICEF to help needy children around the world.

1.Who believed that the dead spirits would return home on Halloween?

A.The Celts.　　　　　　　　　　　　 B.American boys.

C.People from Italy.　　　　　　　　 D.People from Rome.

2.Who gave the name of Halloween?

A.The Celts.　　　　　　　　　　　　 B.American boys.

C.People from Scotland.　　　　　　　　　 D.Roman Catholic Church.

3.”Trick or Treat”means 　　　.

A.give us bananas or we’ll not leave

B.give us candy or we’ll make trouble

C.give us apples or we’ll go into your kitchen

D.give us oranges or we’ll cry here

4.On Halloween children go from house to house asking money 　　　.

A.to buy their candy

B.to buy their pens

C.to send to their parents

D.to help the poor children in the world

Tears clouded my eyes as I stood in our washing room, holding Brett’s jeans and full of burn holes.

Tired and defeated, I   31   to the floor. The clothes were just one more thing Brett had 32   . He often got almost everything in the house out of    33   . Many windows in our house needed repair due to his breaking   34   to steal money when he chose to live on the street. Yet none of this could compare to the emotional   35     Brett had done to our once quiet home.

Brett came to live with us when he was 12 years old. During the next few years I had dealt with Brett a   36   as possible, but inside I was shouting. “I don’t want him in my house another day, Lord! I just can’t   37   him!” Having wiped my tears, I continued   38   him as before.

When Brett was nearly 18, he landed again in Juvenile Hall(少管所). After that, my husband and I had to send Brett to a boarding school for helping   39   teens.

At the   40   ceremony, each graduate held a white rose to give to the person who had   41   the most to him or her. Brett spoke   42   to his parents and then spoke to me, “You did so much. You were always there, no matter   43   . My mom and dad, I was their kid. But you,   44    troubled enough by me, always   45   me such love. And I want you to know I love you for it.”

  46   , I stood as Brett placed the white rose in my hand and hugged me   47   .

At that moment, tears   48   in my eyes again, this time not for disappointment but for   49  . Although I had struggled with silent   50   toward my stepson, Brett had seen only my actions. Love is action. We may not always have positive feelings about certain people in our lives, but we can love them.

1. A. sat           B. sank         C. bent                 D. dropped

2.A. ruined     B. lost             C. torn                 D. broken

3.A. danger     B. place        C. trouble              D. order

4. A. off           B. in               C. up                   D. away

5. A. pain          B. injury           C. damage           D. harm

6.A. patiently      B. willingly        C. strictly         D. rudely

7. A. forgive       B. educate          C. stand            D. control

8.A. parenting      B. pardoning   C. comforting       D. feeding

9. A. lazy          B. troublesome      C. disappointing D. careless

10. A. opening      B. official         C. victory          D. graduation

11.A. afforded      B. meant        C. supplied             D. owed

12.A. lovingly      B. sadly        C. proudly              D. nervously

13. A. where   B. how              C. what             D. who

14.A. unless   B. although         C. because              D. when

15.A. cost          B. lent             C. taught               D. showed

16.A. Astonished   B. Puzzled           C. Encouraged       D. Interested

17. A. surely       B. roughly          C. tightly          D. fiercely

18.A. fell          B. flowed           C. moved            D. gathered

19.A. pity          B. happiness      C. luck              D. success

20.A. love          B. anxiety          C. anger            D. car

About a year ago, I went to stay at a Detroit hotel. I didn’t want to  21  too much money with me, so I asked the desk clerk to put a hundred-dollar bill in the safe for me.
The next morning, 22 , the clerk said that he knew nothing about my money. I didn’t have any proof 23  I had given the man the money. There was clearly nothing left to do but go to the 24 lawyer.
The lawyer 25 me to return to the hotel with him and give another hundred dollar bill to the desk. So we did. An hour later, I went 26 to the desk and asked for my money.  27 I had the lawyer as an eyewitness to the 28 hundred dollar bill, the clerk could not say he  29  nothing about it.
Another hour later, I put the second part of the lawyer’s 30 into action. This time both the lawyer and I went to the hotel to 31 for the hundred-dollar bill once again, and  32  the clerk insisted that he had given  33  to me, I said it was not true. The lawyer said to him, “ I  34  this gentleman give you a hundred-dollar bill. If you don’t hand it 35  immediately, I will be forced to call the  36 ”. The clerk realized he had been 37 , so he gave me back the first hundred-dollar bill.
“ I don’t know  38  to thank you enough for  39  my money back.” I said to the lawyer. And what do you suppose he answered? He said, “ Oh, don’t  40  me. That will be one hundred dollars, please.”

I thought my luck had run out at the end of the summer holiday. It was not the   31  of the new term that did it, but the   32  military training. My   33  nightmare(噩梦) had finally come true.

The weather was   34  hot when we were training. Sweat dropped from every part of my body. I   35  as if my mouth was going to catch fire.   36  was the only thing I could think about. It was the first time in my life that I have ever really felt   37 .

However, we had to stand completely   38  all day. The drill-master(教官) were very strict with us. They only   39  us to sit directly on the ground for a few minutes. My heels ached and I had a blister(水泡) on my   40 .

Believe me, this was not the most   41  part. What I couldn’t   42  most of all was the smell of the toilets. It left such a deep impression on me that I can almost smell it right now.I guess most of the other students   43  the same experience that I had. I often thought of giving up and going back home.   44 , I didn’t.

One day, our PE teacher came to watch our   45  for a while. Then he  46  to join the national flag squad(队). “You movement is the best of all,” he praised me. It was so   47 ! I almost couldn’t believe my ears. It was a great honor to be chosen for the squad.

From that day on, I worked much harder than before because I knew I was going to   48  the national flag. Every Monday, thousands of eyes would be   49  on me. Now military training has finished and I have become a flag protector in my school. Every time I raise the flag, I know all my hard work has   50  .

1.                A．imagination      B．course          C．start D．end

2.                A．wonderful       B．simple          C．important     D．tough

3.                A．most           B．worst           C．best D．least

4.                A．unbearably      B．necessarily      C．completely    D．regularly

5.                A．believed        B．supposed       C．felt D．considered

6.                A．Rest           B．Water          C．Music    D．Fruit

7.                A．sleepy          B．helpless         C．thirsty    D．useless

8.                A．quiet          B．silent           C．calm     D．still

9.                A．allowed        B．ordered        C．kept D．made

10.               A．legs           B．hands          C．feet D．arms

11.               A．wonderful      B．exciting         C．popular   D．painful

12.               A．prevent        B．need           C．handle    D．stand

13.               A．behaved        B．shared         C．belonged  D．presented

14.               A．Naturally       B．Generally       C．Fortunately     D．Especially

15.               A．performance    B．practice        C．students   D．exercise

16.               A．took me out     B．picked me out   C．gave me out    D．let me out

17.               A．awful          B．rare           C．amazing   D．interesting

18.               A．lift            B．protect         C．catch D．hold

19.               A．focusing        B．turning         C．changing  D．moving

20.               A．turned off      B．got off         C．taken off  D．paid off

In the middle of the night, Peter's wife suddenly fell ill. She couldn't help crying, “Oh, my stomach (胃)! Get the  16  !”

   Peter, awaking from a deep sleep, thought his wife was only having a 17  dream.

   “Stop that noise.” he said to her. He turned over and tried to go to  18  again, but his wife still cried out, “Oh, help! Help! I'm sure I'm  19  !”

   Peter got out of bed and started  20  , but he could not find him any clothes.

   “Where is my shirt?” he asked. His wife was  21  ill to tell him, and she could only cry, “Oh, my  22  stomach!”

   As soon as he had put his clothes  23  , he said, “Now, my dear, are you quite  24  that you need the doctor? Surely you can wait  25  morning, can't you?”

   “No, I can't. Go, go, go.” his wife shouted,“  26  you will find me dead  27  the morning.”

   So Peter went out into the dark street. He had only gone a few meters  28  he heard his wife calling him again.

   “I'm  29  again now, and I shall not want the doctor.” she said softly.

   Hearing this, he started running as  30  as he could towards the doctor's. When he arrived there, he knocked at the door loudly enough to wake  31  around.

   The doctor put his sleepy head out of the bedroom window and said, “Er? Who's there?”

   “Oh, Doctor.”Peter said to him, “I've very  32  news for you. My wife  33  ill with a terrible stomachache (胃疼). I was on my way to bring you to her, but she called me back to say the trouble had suddenly  34  her. So you need not come. Go back to   35  now,and sleep well!”

1.A. driver      B. nurse       C. doctor        D. child

2. A. terrible     B. interesting   C. surprising    D. wonderful

3. A. bed        B. sleep        C. dream       D. hospital

4. A. walking    B. dying       C. aching        D. sleeping

5.A. dressing    B. wearing     C. raising       D. working

6.  A. very       B. so          C. too          D. quite

7.A. good       B. bad        C. wrong        D. poor

8.A. down       B. off         C. on           D. up

9.A. surprised    B. afraid      C. certain       D. worried

10.A. before      B. for         C. to           D. until

11.A. And        B. But        C. So           D. Or

12.A. after        B. in         C. before        D. until

13.A. after        B. when      C. before        D. while

14.A. good        B. wrong     C. all right       D. right

15. A. fast         B. slowly     C. hurriedly      D. happily

16. A. everyone     B. someone   C. no one        D. doctors

17.A. good        B. bad        C.necessary     D. ill

18.A. fell          B. stayed     C. grew         D. failed

19.A. gone         B. missed     C.disappeared   D. left

20. A. your home    B. your bedroom  C. your dream  D. bed