One of the traditions which is now a necessary part of Christmas is 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.

46. 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

47. 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

48. 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.

49. In the last paragraph, the word “benign”means _________.

A. religious           B. friendly

C. frightening        D. unreal

50. 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  

 

假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

    增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。

    删除:把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。

修改:在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意:1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;

     2.只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。

One day I pushed my cousin Li Dong in wheelchair on an especial narrow sidewalk. We struggled along with one wheel on the sidewalk or the other on the road. Suddenly, a man riding his motorcycle past us rapidly, missing Li Dong by several inch. Immediately, he turned round, stopped his motorcycle and came over. We were worried she would blame us for have stood in his way. To our surprise, he said nothing at all and helped out push the wheelchair until we reached a slightly wider sidewalk. Then he left after we could say thanks to him. We were leaving ashamed of what we thought.

 

I still clearly remember that day. I was on the side of the road for close to four hours with my big Jeep. I put signs in the windows that said, “NEED A JACK（千斤顶）”.

Right as I was about to give up, a truck stopped and a man got off. He sized up the situation and went back to take a jack. After about two hours, we finished the job with sweats. We were both dirty. His wife produced a large water jug for us to wash our hands in.

I tried to put $20 in the man’s hand, but he wouldn’t take it, so instead I went up and gave it to his wife as quietly as I could. I thanked them up one side and down the other. I asked the little girl, their daughter, where they lived, thinking maybe I’d send them a gift. She said they lived in Mexico. They were in Oregon now so Mommy and Daddy could pick cherries for the next few weeks. After that, they were going to pick peaches, and then go back home.

After I said my goodbyes and started walking back to the Jeep, the girl called out and asked if I’d had lunch. When I told her no, she ran up and handed me a tamale（玉米粽子）. I thanked them again and walked back to my car. When I opened the tamale, what did I find inside? My $20 bill! I ran to the van and the guy rolled down his window. He saw the $20 in my hand, started shaking his head smiling, and with what looked like great concentration said in English: “Today you, tomorrow me.” Then he rolled up his window and drove away, with his daughter waving to me from the back.

This family, working on a seasonal basis where time is money, took a couple of hours to help a stranger while others passed by quietly.

Since then I’ve helped many people like the Mexican family. I didn’t accept money. But every time I was able to help, I felt as if I was putting something in the bank.

1.From the passage we know that __________.

A．the Mexican man couldn’t speak English

B．the author’s car broke down on the road

C．the Mexican family came to Oregon for a visit

D．$20 was a small amount for the Mexican family

2.Why did the author give the money quietly to the man’s wife?

A．Because the man had refused to accept it.

B．Because the man’s wife needn’t wash her hands.

C．Because the author thought the Mexican family was poor.

D．Because the author thought the man’s wife would take it.

3.The Mexican man helped the author because he tended to think that ___________.

A．it was completely wrong for others to pass by quietly

B．it was quite easy to help the author mend the jeep

C．it was possible that everyone might get into trouble

D．the author was a polite stranger and deserved the help

4.Which of the following is TRUE about the author?

A．He hated those who didn’t offer help.

B．He would send a present to the family soon.

C．He wondered why they didn’t take the money.

D．He considered helping others as saving money in the bank.

5.What can we infer from the passage?

A．The Mexican family lived a richer life than the author.

B．The Mexican family did seasonal work in Oregon each year.

C．The author was inspired to help others by the Mexican family.

D．What made the writer moved was the tamale given by the girl.

 

In the past, man did not have to think about protection of the environment. There were very few people on the earth, and natural resources seemed to be unlimited.

Today things are different. The world has become too crowded. We are using up our natural resources too quickly, and at the same time we are polluting our environment with dangerous chemicals. If we continue to do this, human life on the earth will not survive.

Everyone realizes today that if too many fish are taken from the sea, there will soon be none left. Yet, with modern fishing methods, more and more fish are caught. We know that if too many trees are cut down, forests will disappear and nothing will grow on land. Yet, we continue to use more powerful machines to cut down more and more trees.

We realize that if rivers are polluted with waste products from factories, we will die. However, in most countries waste is still put into rivers, but there are few laws to stop this.

We also know that if the population of the countries in the world is to rise at the present rate in a few years, there will not be enough food.

What can we do to solve these problems?

If we eat more vegetables and less meat, there will be more food available for everyone. Land that is used to grow crops can feed five times more people than land where animals are kept.

Our natural resources will last longer if we learn to recycle them.

The world population will not rise so quickly if people use modern methods of birth control.

Finally, if all of us think about the problem, we will have a better and cleaner planet in the future.

1.This passage mainly tells us about ______.

A. the problems we are facing today about environment and the ways to solve them

B. the unlimited natural resources in the world

C. our rivers are being polluted by waste from factories

D. the ways early man protected the environment

2. Which of the following is NOT true?

A. If we eat more vegetables, more food can be saved.

B. In the past, there was no need for people to think about environmental protection.

C. If we keep on cutting trees, forests will disappear.

D. We shouldn’t take more and more fish out of the sea, or there will soon be no fish left.

3.What is implied (暗示) in the passage?

A. Man is cleverer than any other animal.

B. Man will destroy himself if he doesn’t solve the problem.

C. Modern fishing methods are helpful in our fishing industry.

D. We should make more laws in order to survive.

4.From the passage we can see that the world’s natural resources ______.

A. will never be used up              B. are being polluted

C. are as plentiful as in the past     D. are being used up very quickly

 

A man who knows how to write a personal letter has a very powerful tool. A letter can be enjoyed, read and   36  . It can set up a warm conversation between two people far apart (远离的);it can keep a   37   with very little effort.

I will give   38  .A few years ago my older brother and l were not getting   39 .We had been close as    40    but had grown apart. Our meetings were not   41  ; our conversation was filled with arguments and quarrels: and every effort to clear the air seemed to only   42   our misunderstanding. Then he   43   a small island in the Caribbean and we   44   touch. One day he wrote me a letter. He described his island and its people, told me what he was doing, said how he felt, and encouraged me to   45  . Rereading the letter, I was   46   by its humor（幽默）and clever expressions. These were all qualities for which I had   47   respected my older brother but   48   he no longer had them. I had never known he could write so  49  . And with that one letter we became friends   50  .

It might never have occurred to   51   to write me if he had not been in a place where there were no   52  . For him, writing was a necessity. It also turned out to be the best way for us to get back in touch. Because we live in an age of  53   communication（通讯）, people often   54   that they don’t always have to phone or email. They have a   55   . And that is to write.

1.A. received             B. rewritten                C. returned                          D. reread

2.A. record                          B. promise                  C. friendship                        D. secret

3.A. an example                  B. a lesson                   C. an experience                D. a talk

4.A. through               B. together                 C. along                                 D. away  

5.A．brothers           B. children                  C．fellows                           D．classmates

6.A．normal              B. necessary               C．pleasant                         D．possible

7.A．deepen             B. start                         C．express                          D．settle

8.A．toured                        B. stopped                 C．reached                         D．moved to

9.A．lost                     B. kept in           C．needed                          D．got in

10.A. think                           B. write                        C．enjoy                     D．read

11.A．driven                      B. beaten                    C．surprised                       D．honored

12.A．never                       B. seldom           C．sometimes           D．once

13.A．realized                   B. judged           C. thought                            D. expected

14.A．well                           B. often                       C. much                                D. soon

15.A．later                          B. anyhow                  C. too                                    D. again

16.A．us                             B. anyone                    C. someone                          D. my brother

17.A. mail services    B .transport  services       C. phones                    D. relative

18.A．poor                        B. easy                                 C. popular                            D. busy

19.A．believe       B. decide                                     C. argue                                D. forget

20.A.  habit                        B. choice                              C. method                            D. plan