Going home for Christmas is a tradition of the holiday season. No matter where you may be the rest of the years, being at “home” with your family and friends for Christmas is a “must”. The Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are the busiest times of the year at airports, train stations and bus stations. It seems that all America is on the move and Americans are on their way to spend the holidays with their loved ones.

This means that the house will be full of cousins, aunts and uncles that might not see each other during the year. Everyone joins in to help in the preparation of the festival. Some family members get to choose a Christmas tree to buy and bring home. Others decorate the house on wrap presents. And of course, each household needs to make lots of food!

At Christmas Eve gatherings adults have eggnog, which is made of cream, milk, sugar beaten eggs and brandy. Plenty of eggnog or hot cocoa is on hand in colder climates for carolers, or people who go from house to house sing Christmas carols to their neighbors.

Long ago, each child hung a stocking, or sock, over the fireplace. Santa entered down the chimney and left candy and presents inside the socks for the children. Today the tradition is carried on, but the socks are now large red sock-shaped fabric bags still called stockings. Each child can’t wait to open his or her eyes to see what Santa has left in the stocking.

Giving gifts is a Christmas tradition. However, in recent years, more and more people have complained that Christmas is too commercialized(商业化) especially in large cities. Store owners begin advertising and decorating very early in hopes of selling more goods. Some people believe that the origin of Christmas has been lost.

1．It is a traditional custom for Americans           .

       A．to buy Christmas trees and bring them to churches for Christmas

       B．to drink beer on Christmas Eve

       C．to go home for Christmas with their family and relatives

       D．to hung stockings on the chimney

2．The underlined word “eggnog” in the third paragraph is a kind of        .

       A．drink                   B．food                    C．egg                     D．present

3．Each child hung a stocking over the fireplace in order to        .

       A．get some eggnog                                 B．have a look at Santa

       C．get some candy and presents                D．get some money from his/ her parents

4．The last paragraph wants to tell us that          .

       A．giving gifts is a Christmas tradition

       B．giving gifts is getting more and more commercialized

       C．store owners hope to get more presents

       D．people think there will be no Christmas in the future

5．Why does the writer say “all Americans are on the move” in the passage?

       A．Americans like to travel on Christmas.

       B．Because American has a lot of earthquakes on every Christmas.

       C．Because Americans don’t go sleep on Christmas Eve.

       D．Because Christmas holidays are the busiest times of the year.

Going home for Christmas is a tradition of the holiday season. No matter where you may be the rest of the years, being at “home” with your family and friends for Christmas is a “must”. The Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are the busiest times of the year at airports, train stations and bus stations. It seems that all America is on the move and Americans are on their way to spend the holidays with their loved ones.

This means that the house will be full of cousins, aunts and uncles that might not see each other during the year. Everyone joins in to help in the preparation of the festival. Some family members get to choose a Christmas tree to buy and bring home. Others decorate the house on wrap presents. And of course, each household needs to make lots of food!

At Christmas Eve gatherings adults have eggnog, which is made of cream, milk, sugar beaten eggs and brandy. Plenty of eggnog or hot cocoa is on hand in colder climates for carolers, or people who go from house to house sing Christmas carols to their neighbors.

Long ago, each child hung a stocking, or sock, over the fireplace. Santa entered down the chimney and left candy and presents inside the socks for the children. Today the tradition is carried on, but the socks are now large red sock-shaped fabric bags still called stockings. Each child can’t wait to open his or her eyes to see what Santa has left in the stocking.

Giving gifts is a Christmas tradition. However, in recent years, more and more people have complained that Christmas is too commercialized（商业化） especially in large cities. Store owners begin advertising and decorating very early in hopes of selling more goods. Some people believe that the origin of Christmas has been lost.

1．It is a traditional custom for Americans           .

       A．to buy Christmas trees and bring them to churches for Christmas

       B．to drink beer on Christmas Eve

       C．to go home for Christmas with their family and relatives

       D．to hung stockings on the chimney

2．The underlined word “eggnog” in the third paragraph is a kind of        .

       A．drink                  B．food                   C．egg                    D．present

3．Each child hung a stocking over the fireplace in order to        .

       A．get some eggnog                                                                B．have a look at Santa

       C．get some candy and presents                D．get some money from his/ her parents

4．The last paragraph wants to tell us that          .

       A．giving gifts is a Christmas tradition

       B．giving gifts is getting more and more commercialized

       C．store owners hope to get more presents

       D．people think there will be no Christmas in the future

5．Why does the writer say “all Americans are on the move” in the passage?

       A．Americans like to travel on Christmas.

       B．Because American has a lot of earthquakes on every Christmas.

       C．Because Americans don’t go sleep on Christmas Eve.

       D．Because Christmas holidays are the busiest times of the year.

完形填空

　　Learning experiences happen to us throughout out lives. Not long ago, I had one that I would like to 1 . I was going to Marblehead with my sailboat team. The team was racing down the highway at 85 mph 2 we realized we were 3 . Luckily, we saw a rest area ahead. I had a brand-new (崭新的) $20 bill. I was so 4 because I had never had that kind of cash before. But spending it on 5 seemed like throwing it away. We all rushed into the pizza line. 6 I got a pizza and a drink, and walked to my table. About halfway through the meal, 7 I had not actually handed any money to the cashier. I had just 8 out, and nobody had noticed. I felt terrible.

　　My conscience (良心) opened its mouth and swallowed me in one big bite. I couldn't 9 over it. I just couldn't to back to the cashier and 10 for my stolen pizza. I was so upset that I 11 to give myself the pleasure of an ice cream for 12 that someone would say, “Hey, Jeff, why don't you use the change 13 the pizza instead of that nice, new $20 bill?”I was not 14 of my cash now.

　　For the next two years, whenever I was 15 of the “pizza incident”, I would say to myself, “Don't think about it…”

　　I have learned two things from this 16 . Maybe I was a fool for 17 in to my conscience, and being too stupid to appreciate a 18 pizza. But the real lesson is that even if you get away from what you have done, your conscience will 19 up with you.

　　This reflects (反映) the saying, “A coward (懦夫) dies a thousand deaths, a hero dies one.”I was a coward and have felt terrible about that incident at least a thousand times. If I had been a “ 20 ” and gone back to pay for the pizza, I would have felt a little uncomfortable about it only once, or maybe twice.

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【2011·河北邯郸市二模】

B

Dear Stiff,

Several weeks ago I asked you about the best way to travel to Edinburgh overnight and you advised me to go by coach（长途大巴）. “It’s cheap and convenient,” you said. “And very comfortable.” Well, I took your advice. Now let me tell you what happened!

We left on time (and with plenty of loud music!) and stopped for supper at a café at about 9:30 p. m.  It wasn’t the sort of place I like eating in and it was also very crowded, so I decided to buy some chocolate. I had some fruit with me too, so at least I didn’t go hungry.

We set off again at 10:15. The lights went off (and the awful music too, thank goodness) and I settled down to get some sleep. However, the people just behind me kept on talking and every now and then they burst out laughing at some joke. I asked them to be quiet, but they didn’t take any notice at all. However, eventually I fell asleep – but then the people behind me woke me up ! “You’re snoring （打鼾）,” they said, “and keeping us awake!” After than I hardly slept at all.

The rest of the journey was like a long bad dream. Then, at about 5:30, about 40 miles south of Edinburgh, the coach broke down. The driver went off to telephone for help, but when a rescue van（面包车）finally arrived, they couldn’t get the coach to start. In the end, they had to send for another one and we all had to change coaches – in the rain! By that time I was very hungry and I was onging for a nice hot drink. I got one – when we finaly reached Edinburgh at nine o’clock! By then I was so tired I went straight to bed and stayed there for the rest of the day – the first day of my holiday!

As you can imagine, I don’t want to travel by coach again overnight. Of course I’m not blaming you for all this – but thanks for the advice!

Yours

Ron

45．The reason why Ron didn’t have supper in the café was that           .

       A．he wasn’t hungry                                       B．he had his own food

       C．he didn’t like it                                           D．the food was too expensive

46．At first, Ron couldn’t get to sleep on the coach because the people behind him            .

       A．sang songs loudly                                       B．made a lot of noise

       C．laughed at him                                            D．listened to songs

47．Ron arrived in Edinburgh           .

       A．in a different coach                                     B．in a van

       C．in the same coach                                       D．on a train

48．Which of the following words can best describe the author’s journey?

       A．tiring and uncomfortable                              B．cheap but pleasant

       C．boring and dull                                           D．adventurous and exciting