A primary school teacher who left a class of 25 pupils in tears after she told them Santa Claus did not exist has been fired. When excited youngsters became rowdy as they talked about Santa, the supply teacher said out suddenly, "It's your parents who leave out presents on Christmas Day."

The class of seven-year-olds at Blackshaw Lane Primary School, Royton, Greater Manchester burst into tears and told their parents when they arrived home. Mothers and fathers then complained about the incident and were sent a letter by the school saying the teacher, who only worked at the school for one day last week, has been punished.

The school has now said it will not hire her again.

One father said, "My son came home and said that his teacher had told the class that Santa doesn't exist and it’s their mum and dad that put out presents for them. Obviously, they were all talking about Christmas and being a bit rowdy. She just came straight out with it. "

"My son was in tears and so was everyone else in the class — especially as it was so close to Christmas. I thought it was wrong. He was crazy about it. He’s only seven-year-old and it's part of the magic of Christmas to him. "

"We told him that she did not believe in Father Christmas because of her religion and he's fine now."

"The father described the incident as ' shocking' and believed it was done with malicious intent (恶意地). A lot of parents were angry and complained to the school. The teacher, who was supplied by Rochdale and Oldham Supply Agency, is still listed and will work with other schools," the agency said.

However, the head teacher in Angela McCormick refused to comment on the incident.

1. Who felt the angriest about the incident?

A. The teacher who was fired.                 B. The parents whose children cried.

C. The pupils who were in tears.              D. Santa Claus the teacher talked about.

2. We can infer from the passage that       .

A. the teacher was fired and couldn't continue her career in teaching

B. the parents complained about the discipline of the school

C. the little pupils felt disappointed after hearing the words said by the teacher

D. in reality, Santa Claus exists and gives out presents once a year

3. What’s the meaning of the underlined word "rowdy"?

A. surprised.         B. noisy.               C. discouraged.         D. annoyed.

New York: when the first jet struck, World Trade Center at 8:48 am on Tuesday, the People in 2 World Trade Center with a view of the instant damage across the divide had the clearest sense of what they, too, must do: get out fast.

Katherine Hachinski, who had been knocked off her chair by the blast of heat exploding from the neighboring tower, was one of those. Despite her 70 years of age, Ms Hachinski, an architect working on the 91st floor of 2 World Trade Centre, the south tower, went for the stairs. Twelve floors above her, Judy Wein, an executive (经理), screamed and set off too.

But others up and down the 110 floors, many without clear views of the damage across the way and thus unclear about what was happening, were not so sure. And the 18 minutes before the next plane would hit were ticking off.

Amid the uncertainty about what was the best thing to do, formal announcements inside the sound tower instructed people to stay put, assuring them that the building was sound and the threat was limited to the other tower.

Some left, others stayed. Some began to climb down and, when met with more announcements and other cautions(警告) to stop or return, went hack up. The decisions made in those instants proved to be of great importance, because many who chose to stay were doomed(注定死亡) when the second jet crashed into the south tower, killing many and stranding(使某物留在) many more in the floors above where the jet hit.

One of those caught in indecision was the executive at Fuji Bank UAS.

Richard Jacobs of Fuji Bank left the 79th floor with the other office workers, but on the 48th floor they heard the announcement that the situation was under control. Several got in the lifts and went back up, two minutes or so before the plane crashed-into their floor.

“I just don’t know what happened to them,” Mr. Jacobs said.

1. From the passage, we know that the south tower was hit by the plane_______.

A. at 8: 30                   

B. 18 minutes earlier than the north tower

C. at around 9:06

D. at 8:48

2. The underlined words “stay put” means_______.

A. stay in the building                        B. leave at once

C. put everything back and then leave   D. keep silent

3. Which floor was hit by the second jet?

A. the 91st floor                                 B. the 103rd floor

C. the 60th floor                                D. the 79th floor

4. Fewer people would have died if_______.

A. more announcement had been made

B. people hadn’t used the lifts

C. the incident had happened on a weekend

D. the people had obeyed the office rules

第三部分阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分)

阅读下列短文，从每篇短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

A

One stormy night many years ago, an elderly man and his wife entered the hall of a small hotel in Philadelphia. Trying to get out of the rain, they came to the front desk hoping to get some shelter for the night.

“Could you possibly give us a room here?” the husband asked.

The clerk, a friendly man with a winning smile, looked at the couple and explained that there were three conventions in town.“All of our rooms are taken,” the clerk said.“But I can’t send a nice couple like you out into the rain at one o’clock in the morning. Would you perhaps be willing to sleep in my room? It’s not exactly a suite, but it will be good enough to make you folks comfortable for the night.”

When the couple declined, the young man pressed on.“Don’t worry about me; I’ll make out just fine.” the clerk told them. So the couple agreed.

As he paid his bill the next morning, the elderly man said to the clerk,“You are the kind of manager who should be the boss of the best hotel in the United States. Maybe someday I’ll build one for you.” The clerk looked at them and smiled. The three of them had a good laugh. As they drove away, the elderly couple agreed that the helpful clerk was indeed exceptional, as finding people who are both friendly and helpful isn’t easy.

Two years passed. The clerk had almost forgotten the incident when he received a letter from the old man. It recalled that stormy night and enclosed a round—trip ticket to New York, asking the young man to pay them a visit.

The old man met him in New York, and led him to the corner of Fifth Avenue and 34th street. He then pointed to a great new building there, a pale reddish stone, with turrets and watchtowers thrusting up to the sky.“That,” said the older man,“is the hotel I have just built for you to manage.”“You must be joking,” the young man said.“I can assure you I am not,” said the older man, a sly smile playing around his mouth.

The older man’s name was William Waldorf Astor, and that magnificent structure was the original Waldorf—Astoria Hotel. The young clerk who became its first manager was George C.Boldt. This young clerk never foresaw the turn of events that would lead him to become the manager of one of the world’s most glamorous hotels.

51.The purpose of the author writing this story is to_______.

A.give people a good laugh                         B.cover some facts

C.promote the business of Waldorf—Astoria Hotel       D.deliver a lesson

52.Which of the statements about the story is NOT true?

A.The story took place at about one a.m..

B.The old couple was too poor to afford a luxurious room.

C.The clerk was willing to help those in need.

D.The clerk received an unexpected invitation from the old man.

53.The underlined word “conventions” in Para.3 can be replaced by_______?

A.rooms       B.suites            C.meetings         D.hotels

54.Which of the following proverbs suits the story the best?

A.Every little thing helps.                                           B.Make hay while the sun shines.

C.Man proposes； God disposes(处理,决定).                   D.One good turn deserves another.

第三部分阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分)
阅读下列短文，从每篇短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。
A
One stormy night many years ago, an elderly man and his wife entered the hall of a small hotel in Philadelphia. Trying to get out of the rain, they came to the front desk hoping to get some shelter for the night.
“Could you possibly give us a room here?” the husband asked.
The clerk, a friendly man with a winning smile, looked at the couple and explained that there were three conventions in town.“All of our rooms are taken,” the clerk said.“But I can’t send a nice couple like you out into the rain at one o’clock in the morning. Would you perhaps be willing to sleep in my room? It’s not exactly a suite, but it will be good enough to make you folks comfortable for the night.”
When the couple declined, the young man pressed on.“Don’t worry about me; I’ll make out just fine.” the clerk told them. So the couple agreed.
As he paid his bill the next morning, the elderly man said to the clerk,“You are the kind of manager who should be the boss of the best hotel in the United States. Maybe someday I’ll build one for you.” The clerk looked at them and smiled. The three of them had a good laugh. As they drove away, the elderly couple agreed that the helpful clerk was indeed exceptional, as finding people who are both friendly and helpful isn’t easy.
Two years passed. The clerk had almost forgotten the incident when he received a letter from the old man. It recalled that stormy night and enclosed a round—trip ticket to New York, asking the young man to pay them a visit.
The old man met him in New York, and led him to the corner of Fifth Avenue and 34th street. He then pointed to a great new building there, a pale reddish stone, with turrets and watchtowers thrusting up to the sky.“That,” said the older man,“is the hotel I have just built for you to manage.”“You must be joking,” the young man said.“I can assure you I am not,” said the older man, a sly smile playing around his mouth.
The older man’s name was William Waldorf Astor, and that magnificent structure was the original Waldorf—Astoria Hotel. The young clerk who became its first manager was George C.Boldt. This young clerk never foresaw the turn of events that would lead him to become the manager of one of the world’s most glamorous hotels.
51.The purpose of the author writing this story is to_______.
A.give people a good laugh                         B.cover some facts
C.promote the business of Waldorf—Astoria Hotel       D.deliver a lesson
52.Which of the statements about the story is NOT true?
A.The story took place at about one a.m..
B.The old couple was too poor to afford a luxurious room.
C.The clerk was willing to help those in need.
D.The clerk received an unexpected invitation from the old man.
53.The underlined word “conventions” in Para.3 can be replaced by_______?
A.rooms       B.suites            C.meetings         D.hotels
54.Which of the following proverbs suits the story the best?
A.Every little thing helps.                                           B.Make hay while the sun shines.
C.Man proposes； God disposes(处理,决定).                   D.One good turn deserves another.

—____ the police known about the incident??

—Yes. _____ informed immediately.?

     A.Has;They were  B.Have;They were?

     C.Has;It was        D.Have;It was?