My sister, Cathy, who lives in Vancouver, sent me a package full of Christmas gifts. She told me that she had 36   it in advance to make sure it would arrive at my house weeks before the 37 . Christmas was drawing near, but no package arrived. Cathy checked the tracking number every 38  with Canada Post, and every evening she would call me to 39  if there was any sign of it on our end.

The 40  always started with questions about the package, but twenty minutes later we would still be 41   . We talked about our family, such as parents, our kids, 42  and so on. Of course we also talked about our jobs. We had never made so much 43  for each other! The talk always took us back to the hours we spend together in our childhood.

By Christmas Eve we finally had to 44   the fact that the package was 45  lost. On Christmas morning, Cathy got on the phone with everyone in my 46   and told them what she had sent. Later on, after a big Christmas dinner, I had forgotten all about the 47  package when there was a knock on the door. Who could it be at such a time? As I 48  the door, a man was standing there. “I 49    this is yours.” he said, holding a package. Just then I 50  that it had been delivered to the wrong address. “I just got home from vacation,” he explained, “51 I wanted you to have this in time to open for Christmas.” I thanked this 52  stranger for taking so much trouble to 53 this gift to us on Christmas Day, and 54 thanked God that the package had been lost in the first place.

The real gift that holiday season was the new 55  to my sister who lives far away from us. Now there’s one gift I never want to give back!

1.                A．booked         B．decorated       C． listed    D．mailed

 

2.                A．appointment     B．deadline        C．holiday   D．party

 

3.                A．year           B．morning        C．week D．month

 

4.                A．pick out        B．take out        C．figure out D．find out

 

5.                A．complaint       B．conversation     C． discussion    D．quarrel

 

6.                A．chatting        B．arguing         C． kidding  D．scolding

 

7.                A．gifts           B．secrets         C．husband  D．clothing

 

8.                A．food           B．time           C．achievement   D．money

 

9.                A．consider        B．ignore          C． accept   D．study

 

10.               A．entirely        B．simply          C．mostly D．suddenly

 

11.               A．restaurant      B．office          C．house D．class

 

12.               A．terrible        B．outstanding     C．big   D．missing

 

13.               A．opened        B．locked         C．left   D．watched

 

14.               A．understand     B．forget          C．know D．believe

 

15.               A．expected       B．dreamed       C．realized   D．remembered

 

16.               A．because        B．but            C．or    D．so

 

17.               A．generous       B．honest         C．polite D．kind

 

18.               A．show          B．present        C．return D．offer

 

19.               A．silently         B．carefully        C．gently D．actually

 

20.               A．connection      B．guide          C．recognition D．closeness

 

 

 I worked for a short time as a cashier(出纳员) at a restaurant a few months ago. I also helped to clean up the tables when it was very busy. One night, just before  Christmas, I found a large black wallet on the floor near one of the tables. I guessed I should check it to find out who was the owner, but I was very busy at the time. And I imagined that if there was something valuable(有价值的) in the wallet, the   owner would be back. Sure enough, an hour later a man came up to the counter   and asked if anyone had found a wallet. I asked him to describe the lost wallet, and after he described it exactly, I gave him the wallet. He expressed his thanks when I handed it to him. He asked me if I had opened it, and when I told him “no”. At  once he opened it and showed that it had nearly $ 800 in cash(现金). He took out a twenty-dollar bill and handed it to me and I was amazed at this. “A reward(酬劳) for your honesty,” he said and then turned and walked away.

Thinking about it later, I began wondering whether I would have been honest if I had known what was in the wallet! I thought that if I had no way to find the   owner and no one returned to get it, I might keep it. But it also came into my    mind that I actually saved someone’s Christmas plans by finding and returning the wallet. The good feeling it gave me was worth more than anything could buy.

1.Which of the following is true?

A．The owner of the wallet found a twenty-dollar bill gone.

B．The writer wasn’t surprised when the man gave her a reward.

C．Nothing in the wallet was missing.

D．The man was very, very excited when he got his wallet back.

2.The writer returned the wallet to the owner because _______.

A．she thought Christmas was coming

B．the owner came back too soon

C．she didn’t know there was so much money in it

D．as an honest person, she didn’t care much about money

3.Which of the following is NOT true?

A．The writer accepted a reward of $ 20.

B．The writer regretted (后悔) that she had returned the wallet.

C．The writer didn’t return the wallet until the owner came back.

D．The writer fell very happy after she returned the wallet.

 

I needed to get some money so, after Christmas, I took a job in the clothes department at Graham's for the first fortnight of the January sale. I can't say that I enjoyed it, but it was an experience I'll never forget.

I could never understand why there were so many things in the sales; where did they all come from? Now I know the secret! Firstly, there is the special winter stock(货物) and the stock that people buy all the year round; some of these things are slightly reduced. Secondly, there are the summer clothes they couldn't sell last year; these are heavily reduced to clear them. Thirdly, there are cheap clothes bought in specially for the sales; these are put out at high prices ten days before the sale begins and then are reduced by 60% in the sale. Clever! Lastly, they buy in “seconds”(clothes not in perfect condition) for the sale and they are sold very cheaply.

When I arrived half an hour before opening on the first day of the sale, there was already a queue around three sides of the building. This made me very nervous.

When the big moment arrived to open the doors, the security guards, looking less

 confident than usual, came up to them, keys in hand. The moment they had unlocked the doors, they hid behind the doors for protection as the noisy crowd charged in. I couldn't believe my eyes; this wasn't shopping, it was a battlefield! One poor lady couldn't keep her feet and was knocked over by people pushing from behind.

Clothes were flying in all directions as people searched for the sizes, colours and styles they wanted. Quarrels broke out. Mothers were using their small child

ren to crawl(爬行) through people's legs and get hold of things they couldn't get near themselves.

Within minutes I had half a dozen people pushing clothes under my nose, each wanting to be the first served. Where had the famous English queue gone? The whole

day continued like that, but I kept my temper(脾气)! I was taking money hand over fist and began to realise why, twice a year, ?Graham's? were happy to turn their expensive store into a battlefield like this.

In the sale fever, people were spending money like water without thinking whether they needed what they were buying. As long as it was a bargain it was OK.

You won't believe this but as soon as I got home I crashed out for four hours. Then I had dinner and went back to bed, fearing the sound of the alarm which would tell me to get ready for the second day of the sale.

1.What kind of clothes is likely to be sold 5% cheaper?  

Last summer's clothes.

B.Clothes not in perfect condition.

C.Clothes bought in specially for the sales.     

D.Clothes for winter. 

2.Which of the following statements is true?        

A.The customers gave up the queuing, for which the English are famous.        

B.The customers kept their temper while looking for clothes they wanted.        

C.Small children enjoyed crawling through people's legs.        

D.The security guards were fearless of the crowd. 

3.In the author's opinion, why were Graham's happy to make their expensive store into a “battlefield”?

A.There were too many clothes and they wanted to clear them in the sales.

B.They were eager to show that they were clever at doing business.        

C.They could take the chance to raise the prices of all their clothes.        

D.They wanted to make more money by having sales. 

4.The expression “_________crashed out” means ________.

A.chatted with her friendsB.slept soundlyC.broke downD.dined out 

5.  What would be the best title for the passage?

A.The Best Bargain                B.Hunting for a Job

C.Sale Fever                      D.A Pleasant Fortnight 

It’s just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no address. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years.

It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas. He didn’t hate the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it; overspending, running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and powder for Grandma…

Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached for something special for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way.

Our son Kevin, at 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended and before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church, mostly black.

As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear to protect a wrestler’s ears. They obviously could not afford.

Mike shook his head sadly, “I wish just one of them could have won,” he said. “They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them.”

Mike loved kids—all kids—and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball and lacrosse. That’s when the idea for his present came.

That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church.

On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year. For each Christmas, I followed the tradition.

The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents.

The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation watching as their fathers take down the envelope. Mike’s spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us.

1.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A．Precious Present                       B．Christmas Gift

C．The Small White Envelope                 D．The Good Old Tradition

2.Why did Mike hate Christmas according to the passage?

A．He didn’t like the true meaning of Christmas

B．He didn’t like people spending too much money on presents

C．He hated buying presents for Uncle Harry and Grandma

D．He didn’t want to receive gifts like shirts, sweaters or ties.

3.Which is the closest meaning to the underlined phrase “take the heart right out of them”?

A．make them excited

B．make them inspired

C．make them lose confidence

D．make them kill themselves

4.Why was his smile the brightest thing about Christmas that year? ( paragraph 9)

A．He received some sporting goods

B．He found a potential wrestling team

C．His son won the wrestling match

D．His wife sent presents to those poor kids

5.What can we infer from the passage?

A．The tradition of sending presents will pass from generation to generation.

B．The children were eager to get their new toys ignoring the envelope.

C．With the presents, the poor kids will surely win the match one day.

D．Mike’s spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us.

 

I moved into a new house in July. Since then I have met a few of my neighbors who are very nice people. For Christmas, I thought I would do something nice for each of the neighbors I know. There were nine neighbors whom I knew by name or spoke with often when I was out in my yard. I knew which houses they lived in.
I decided to add one more to my list. This lady I decided to add lives down the street from me. I meet her every morning walking to work as I drive down the street. She always smiles to me. But I had no idea who she was and which house she lived in.
I planned to make small fruit baskets and leave them on my neighbor's front porches (门廊) on Christmas Eve. I signed the cards: “Happy Holidays from 5104 Northumberland Road.”
I saved the last for the friendly lady. I finally decided on a house where I met her each morning and guessed that it was hers.
My neighbors really appreciated the baskets and would tell me as they saw me in the yard or they would call, and a couple even came by to thank me.
This morning I found a small note in the mailbox. It was addressed simply: Resident, 5104 Northumberland Road.
The Thank You card really caught me by surprise. I opened it and read the message, “Thank you for the lovely fruit basket you left on our porch. It was very thoughtful. Richard Kelly passed away last week. He talked a lot about how nice it was that someone remembered him in his time of illness. He really appreciated it.”
I had no idea who Richard Kelly was and that he had been seriously ill. I had left that nice lady’s basket on his porch by mistake. I wanted to say sorry, but that would be wrong. I believe that Mr. Kelly was meant to have that basket because he was dying. I hate that the nice lady did not get to receive a fruit basket on Christmas, but I believe if she knew what had happened, she would be happy. I feel pleased to have helped Richard Kelly's last days be more cheerful.
【小题1】How many Christmas gifts did the author intend to send?

A．9.

B．8

C．10

D．11

【小题2】Where did the friendly lady live?

A．She lived at the end of Northumberland Road.

B．Her address was 5104 Northumberland Road.

C．She was thought to share a house with Mr. Kelly.

D．The author was not sure about her address at all.

【小题3】How did the author’s neighbors respond to his gifts?

A．They liked the gifts very much and were thankful.

B．They were thankful that they wanted to be friends.

C．They all made phone calls to say “Thank You”.

D．They all visited him by person to show gratitude.

【小题4】What does the author mean in the last paragraph?

A．He was regretful that the nice lady didn’t receive his gift.

B．He was glad to have made Mr. Kelly's life more pleasant.

C．He thought Richard Kelly deserved to receive that basket.

D．The old lady was happy to sacrifice to make Kelly happy.