It used to be that Christmas，with a little help from Blue Peter，was about adding the personal touch.We'd sit there for hours making cards and gifts for family and friends，knowing that the thought put into them would be properly appreciated.

Nowadays，time is against us，but there is still one easy way for you to make someone's Christmas this year—a personalized card from Marks & Spencer's new website.

To celebrate their new site，M&S is offering Times readers two?for?one on all cards.Simply choose one of the 300 exclusive(独家的)Christmas designs—starting from ￡1.99，personalise it by changing the name and writing a message or uploading a photo.Then，add the receiver's address and the card will be sent for you.Order by 2pm and it will be posted the same day.

In all，there are 1,500 card designs to choose from，covering all kinds of special occasions.So if you want to get ahead of yourself for 2010，you know where to visit.You can even choose to be reminded of those important dates every year.

To claim your two?for?one on M&S personalized cards，simply visit marksandspencer?personalized.com.Remember to enter the code‘TIMESFRI’on the payment page.This code is available for two days.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS：M&S PERSONALISED CARDS

1．The product given for free must be of equal or lower value.

2．Payment of postage is required.

3．M&S reserves the right to take back this offer without prior notice.

1．What does the underlined part“two?for?one”(in Paragraph 3)mean in the ad?

A．Two paid cards and one free card.

B．One paid card and two free cards.

C．Your name and a message on one card.

D．Your photo and the receiver's on one card.

2．From the ad we can know that M&S is most probably ________.

A．a website selling Christmas cards only

B．an agency of the newspaper Times

C．a company promoting the sales of cards

D．an advertising agency of card producers

3．To order the product for your friends now，you should ________.

A．enter a code on the payment page of M&S'website

B．always order it before two o'clock in the afternoon

C．put into the card your own date of birth and address

D．spend time making cards with the help of Blue Peter

4．According to the ad，if you order the Christmas cards，______.

A．they can be delivered free of charge

B．you can enjoy the special offer all the year round

C．their value may be lower than that of a free card

D．you can get a favor of at least ￡ 1.99

It used to be that Christmas, with a little help from Blue Peter, was about adding the personal touch．We'd sit there for hours making cards and gifts for family and friends, knowing that the thought put into them would be properly appreciated．

       Nowadays, time is against us, but there is still one easy way for you to make someone's Christmas this year —a personalised card from M&S' new website．

       To celebrate their new site, M&S is offering Times readers two-for-one on all cards．Simply choose one of the 300 exclusive （独家的） Christmas designs —starting from ￡1．99, personalise it by changing the name and writing a message or uploading a photo．

       Then, add the receiver's address and the card will be sent for you．Order by 2pm and it will be posted the same day．

       In all, there are 1,500 card designs to choose from, covering all kinds of special occasions．So if you want to get ahead of yourself for 2010, you know where to visit．You can even choose to be reminded of those important dates every year．

       To claim your two-for-one on M&S personalised cards, simply visit marksandspencer- personalised．com．Remember to enter the code ' TIMESFRI' on the payment page．This code is available for two days．

       TERMS AND CONDITIONS: M&S PERSONALISED CARDS

       1．The product given for free must be of equal or lower value．

       2．Payment of postage is required．

       3．Marks & Spencer reserves the right to take back this offer without prior （预先） notice．

1．What does the underlined part "two-for-one" （in Paragraph 3） mean in the ad?

       A．Two paid cards and one free card．

       B．One paid card and two free cards．

       C．Your name and a message on one card．

       D．Your photo and the receiver's on one card．

2．From the ad we can know that M&S is most probably _____．

       A．a website selling Christmas cards only

       B．an agency of the newspaper Times

       C．a company promoting the sales of cards

       D．an advertising agency of card producers

3．To order the product for your friends now, you should _____．

       A．enter a code on the payment page of M&S' website

       B．always order it before two o'clock in the afternoon

       C．put into the card your own date of birth and address

       D．spend time making cards with the help of Blue Peter

4．According to the ad, if you order the Christmas cards, _____．

       A．they can be delivered free of charge

       B．you can enjoy the special offer all the year round

       C．their value may be lower than that of a free card

       D．you can get a favor of at least ￡1．99

It is a mystery that has puzzled doctors for decades. But experts believe they have now finally solved the tricky question of why winter is notoriously known as the flu season.

According to a new research, the influenza virus coats itself in a protective fatty shield that is tough enough to resist cold temperatures. The butter-like material only melts when it hits the respiratory tract（呼吸道）, leaving the virus free to infect cells-- a process scientists say is like an M&M melting in the mouth.

However, in warmer outdoor temperatures, the protective coating melts before it reaches a person or an animal, killing the bacteria before they can infect someone. Joshua Zimmerberg, from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), in the US, which led the study, said: “Like an M&M in your mouth, the protective covering melts when it enters the respiratory tract. It's only in this liquid period that the virus is able to enter a cell to infect it.”

In the past, scientists worked on theories that flu is more common in winter because people spend more time inside or the radiation from the sun in summer kills off germs. But no research successfully explained the spread of the disease.

Researchers have already claimed that the report, which is published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, could lead to new ways to prevent and treat flu. “Now that we understand how the flu virus protects itself so that it can spread from person to person, we can work on ways to prevent it.”

Influenza and other respiratory viruses are spread in small drops broadcast by coughing, sneezing and talking and which can also settle onto surfaces, to be picked up on fingertips.

1. What can be the best title of the passage?

  A. The mystery that has puzzled doctors for decades.    B. New ways to prevent and treat flu.

  C. A discovery of how flu strikes in Winter.            D. Ways found to prevent flu.

2. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

  A. Doctors have been trying hard to discover why flu strikes in winter.

  B. In the past, scientists didn’t know how flu spreads.

  C. It is possible that flu virus will no longer threaten humans in winter.

  D. People get affected by flu because they spend much more time inside in winter.

3. Where should you insert the following paragraph into the passage?

Duane Alexander, the director of NICHD, said: “The study results open new avenues of research for thwarting (使…受挫)winter flu outbreaks.”

  A. Between Paragraphs 1 and 2.     B. Between Paragraphs 3 and 4. 

  C. Between Paragraphs 4 and 5.     D. Between the last two paragraphs.

4.In what process or order does flu occur?

  a. The virus infects cells                 b. The influenza virus was born

  c. The butter-like material melts           d. The virus hits respiratory tract

  e. The virus coats itself in butter-like shield  f. The virus is free

  A. a, c, d, e, b, f .     B. c, f, d, b, e, a.    C. b, e, d, c, f, a.    D. d, b, e, c, f, a.