Washington, November 1, 2012  (CNN) -- After years of planning and months of campaigning（竞选）, the most expensive presidential race in history comes down to a final five-day whirlwind of speeches and television ads in the eight states still up for grabs.
President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney plan to hold virtually nonstop events between now and the Tuesday election considered too close to call.
The focus is on battleground states worth 95 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win. Both sides are trying to close the deal with a decreasing number of uncommitted(未表态的) voters, while making sure supporters actually cast ballots.
That means a game of campaign chess that started Thursday, with appearances by the candidates (候选人)and their assistants as well as advertising dollars allocated to the places considered most vital to success.
Concluding a race expected to cost more than $6 billion overall, Obama and Romney and their running mates will hit all the battleground states -- Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Ohio, New Hampshire, Nevada, Virginia and Wisconsin. The campaigns also are unloading a blast of television ads and mailings that threaten to overwhelm voters already saturated with politicking. Perhaps no one said it better than 4-year-old Abigael Evans of Fort Collins, Colorado, who -- according to NPR -- cried after listening to more election coverage on the radio and told her mother, ‘I'm tired of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.’
【小题1】The underlined phrase “too close to call” probably means               .

Washington, November 1, 2012  (CNN) -- After years of planning and months of campaigning（竞选）, the most expensive presidential race in history comes down to a final five-day whirlwind of speeches and television ads in the eight states still up for grabs.

President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney plan to hold virtually nonstop events between now and the Tuesday election considered too close to call.

The focus is on battleground states worth 95 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win. Both sides are trying to close the deal with a decreasing number of uncommitted(未表态的) voters, while making sure supporters actually cast ballots.

That means a game of campaign chess that started Thursday, with appearances by the candidates (候选人)and their assistants as well as advertising dollars allocated to the places considered most vital to success.

Concluding a race expected to cost more than $6 billion overall, Obama and Romney and their running mates will hit all the battleground states -- Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Ohio, New Hampshire, Nevada, Virginia and Wisconsin. The campaigns also are unloading a blast of television ads and mailings that threaten to overwhelm voters already saturated with politicking. Perhaps no one said it better than 4-year-old Abigael Evans of Fort Collins, Colorado, who -- according to NPR -- cried after listening to more election coverage on the radio and told her mother, ‘I'm tired of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.’

1.The underlined phrase “too close to call” probably means               .

A．a game that one side is clearly winning.

B．a tie in which neither side seems likely to win

C．so close that you need not use a telephone

D．a visit close to one’s home state

2.What is the focus of the last-5 -day campaigns for both presidential candidates?

A．To make sure that their supporters understand their policies.

B．To collect enough money for campaign ads.

C．To paint their rival as black as possible.

D．To win over the voters who have not decide which candidate to vote for.

3.The public generally feel ________ about these last-days election efforts.

A．excited           B．disappointed       C．annoyed          D．relieved

阅读理解

　　On the fourth Thursday in November, Americans celebrate the festival of Thanksgiving. This festival is a time when the family comes together for a meal and gives thanks to God for the blessings they have received. The first Thanksgiving festival was celebrated by the early American settlers who gave thanks to God for their good harvest.

　　In America, Thanksgiving is a family holiday. It is on that holiday that all the family make a special effort to get together. The feast is always held on Thursday and most people have a four-day holiday from school and work. Thus they are able to travel a great distance to he with their family.

　　The Thanksgiving meal is traditionally turkey, which was the food for the first Thanksgiving. The table is filled with fruits, walnuts and many kinds of vegetables. For dessert the main choice is usually pumpkin pie. The meal is a time for the members of the family to talk to each other. There will he talking before the meal, during the meal and long after the meal.

　　On Thanksgiving morning there are sporting events and parades in many cities to mark the day. The family dinner is usually held in the afternoon around 4 o'clock. The mother will prepare the meal and the father will carve the turkey. He will preside at the head of the table. The meal will begin with a short prayer of thanksgiving to God for the blessings the family received. The father will also thank the family for coming together on this day. During the meal there is plenty of food for everyone present. The meal is a very joyful time. When the meal is over some will help with the dishes and others will return to the living room to talk or watch television.

　　In many ways the festival of thanksgiving is similar to the Chinese festival of Mid-Autumn Day. It is a time for the family to get together for dinner.

1．on Thanksgiving Day the family comes together ________.

[　　]

A．to have the Thanksgiving dinner

B．to give thanks to God for the blessings they have received

C．to talk with one another

D．all of the above

2．Why does the writer say Thanksgiving is a family holiday in America?

[　　]

A．It is a holiday for those who have a family.

B．People try to get back to he with their family wherever they are.

C．People celebrate this holiday only at home and will not go out on this particular day.

D．Each family has its own way of celebrating this holiday.

3．________ was the food for the first Thanksgiving according to this passage.

[　　]

4．What is one similarity between Thanksgiving and Mid-Autumn Day in China?

[　　]

A．They are held at about the same time of the year.

B．Family members make a special effort to get together.

C．People cat the same traditional food on both days.

D．The celebration activities are more or less the same.

5．Today is November 4th, Thursday. Which of the following is Thanksgiving Day?

[　　]

Just not a long time ago did I finish my blog about the unforgettable snowy storm that I had on Monday night in November. I got another big   36  in Seattle again. But this time, it's not snow, but the wind and rain. I have   37  seen such a strong wind before even though I had    38  the typhoon every summer when I was still in my home country.

That    39  storm was so powerful that it    40  the whole big Seattle area out of    41  . 700,000 people had no electricity, and    42  13 people have died. Seattle is famous for its evergreen trees, but those trees made a big   43  this time. They broke down the power line above the ground,  44  the road and streets, and    45  the houses.

As the last storm was still   46  in my mind, I had another personal   47  about this new storm.   48  , this time, it was not good either. I was    49  to have my TOEFL test on the second day of the stormy night. Since the whole city had no electricity, my test had to be    50  off, and I had to prepare for another one later. It was my last test for the   51   , and I already made a plan for the time after the test, but now    52  is changed.

I guess sometimes, the way that the thing    53  is not always what you    54  . And what I can do now is to fit for it.   55  , we got a free hotel room from my husband's cousin and met my lovely nephew from San Francisco.