Except for a few times, Americans are not big present-givers. There’s no exchange of presents among business people, and if one American tries to give another a present, it may look like that he wants to bribe (贿赂) him. Americans have learned that in some other countries people like to give presents to others, but among ourselves we don’t see the need for presents.

Even friends may never exchange presents. When I go to foreign countries, I try to bring back little things for close friends, but nobody would feel unhappy if I didn’t. I don’t often re­member a friend’s birthday, and few people outside of my family remember mine. If someone gave me presents too often, I’d get unpleasant. But a present from a foreigner — that kind from his or her homeland — won’t go wrong, except to government employees (政府职员) who can’t be given presents.

You usually open a present at once and in front of the person who gives it except Christmas and birthday presents. You should only say, ‘It’s so nice. Thanks…’when you get Christ­mas or birthday presents.

You may want to bring a bottle of wine (葡萄酒) or flowers to a dinner party, but you’re never asked to. Nobody will mind if you bring wine, but your friend may not use it that evening.

At Christmas we often give presents to our family and sometimes our friends. We also give presents to people who have been helpful during the year like doormen, babysitters, housecleaners , newspaper senders — anyone who has often helped us.

1.What do the underlined words ‘close friends’ mean in the passage?

2.What kind of presents don’t Americans usually open in front of the givers?

3.Why do Americans also give presents to housecleaners at Christmas?

4.Which of the following do you think is right?

5.What is the main idea of the passage?

Plant scientists consider them as fruit. Most other people think of them as vegetables. Whatever you call tomatoes, there are many different kinds of this popular and healthy food.
There are two groups of the plants. Small tomato plants grow to about one meter. They can be planted rather close together. Some short kinds do not require special care and are often gotten crop by machines. Large tomato plants can grow over two meters tall. They also produce larger fruits.
People who grow only a few plants can place wire cages around each one. The cage can be made of wire fence material. The cage helps the plant grow taller and produce a better crop.
Tomatoes often need extra calcium (Ca), or the fruits may be ruined. Add lime to the soil can solve this problem. Dry lands may also ruin the fruits. Tomatoes need water regularly. The soil should never dry out completely. Dried grass or leaves placed around the plant can help hold water in the soil and stop the growth of unwanted plants.
Tomatoes are native to South America. The tomato is a member of the potato family. The leaves of the plant are poisonous, like the leaves of its relatives. Before the 18th century, people grew tomatoes only as pretty plants. They called the bright red fruit a “love apple”, but would not eat it.
【小题1】Which of the following is right about the small tomato plants?
A. They can grow to about 2 meters.    
B. They can’t be planted close together.
C. Some of them don’t require special care.
【小题2】People place wire cages around the plant in order to ___________.
A. protect the plant from being taken by others.
B. help the plant grow taller and produce a better crop
C. keep the plant from being eaten by animals
【小题3】The underlined word “ruin” probably means “___________”.
A. grow     B. destroy      C. stop    
【小题4】 People often give tomatoes extra calcium by ___________.
A. adding lime to the soil          B. watering the plant regularly
C. putting dried grass around the plant
【小题5】What can we learn from the passage?
A. Tomatoes are native to North America.
B. The leaves of the plant can also be eaten.
C. Americans began to eat tomatoes from the 18th century.

阅读下面短文，根据要求完成下列各题。
It was December 25. Marie, a 13-year-old Australian girl, was happy. It was Christmas, and Marie's mother was making a special cake. She put four small coins into the cake,  and then she baked (烤) it. The four coins were for good luck. After dinner Marie and her family ate the cake. They found three coins in the cake and put them on the table. Where was the fourth coin? It was missing, but Marie's mother didn't notice.
After Christmas, Marie got sick. She coughed, and she couldn’t speak. After six weeks she felt better, but she still couldn't speak. Marie's parents took her to hospital. Doctors at the hospital looked her over, and then said, "We are sorry, but we can't help her." For 12 years Marie didn't speak. She grew up, she got a job, and she got married. But she never spoke. One day,  when Marie was 25 years old,  she got a sore throat ( 嗓子疼 ) at work. She began to cough. She coughed up something small and black. What was it? Marie didn't know. She took it to the hospital. A doctor at the hospital said, "This is a coin!" The doctor told Marie, "I think you can speak again." Marie went to a special doctor, and soon she could talk.
根据上面短文的内容回答问题。
【小题1】What did Marie's mother make at Christmas?
__________________________________________________________
【小题2】What did Marie's mother put some coins in the cake for? 
__________________________________________________________
【小题3】 How many coins did Marie's family find after eating the Cake?
___________________________________________________________
【小题4】How long didn’t Marie speak?
__________________________________________________________
【小题5】Could Marie speak at last?
__________________________________________________________

I will never forget the year when I was 12.My mother told us that we would not get Christmas gifts because there was not enough money .I felt sad and thought, ”What shall I say when the other kids ask me about my gifts?” I started to hope the Christmas wouldn’t come that year. Just then three women came to our house with gifts for all of us. For me，they brought a doll .I felt so happy.

Years later, my life changed a lot. So one Christmas, I wanted to do something special. I asked forty friends to help me. We visited 125 orphans(孤儿)to come to our Christmas party. For every child, we prepared a beautiful gift.

Finally the moment came. I called out,” One, two, three. Open your gifts!” As the children opened their boxes, the whole room was full of their bright smiles. The feeling I got from that Christmas so long ago came again.

1.___gave the writer a Christmas gift when she was 12.

2.From the sentence “Years later, my life changed a lot.” we can guess that _____.

3.The writer was so _____when she got a Christmas gift.

4.Which of the following is WRONG according to the passage?

5.What’s the best title for the passage?

谈论你最喜欢的一本书、一部电影、卡通故事、一项运动、一张照片、一个人（朋友、  家人、同学）、一个节日、一个季节、一次记忆深刻的旅行。

      具体要求：

        1.  任选一个内容进行写作。

如选前三项内容之一，内容可包括介绍作品名称、作者、以及喜欢的原因。

注意选用正确的时态。

尽量使用由and , but , so, so that , because , if ，though、although等连词连接的并列句或复合句，丰富你的表达。

字数在100词左右。

提示词：cartoon film / story , festival , Spring Festival , Christmas Day, an unforgettable journey(一次记忆深刻的旅行)  .   

                 My favorite ___________