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 or 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, 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.

46．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

47．The underlined word “eggnog” in the third paragraph is a kind ____________.

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

48．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

49．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

 

Some researchers claim that people’s personalities can be classified by their blood types

If you have blood type O, you are a leader. When you see something you want , you strive to achieve your goal. You are passionate, loyal, and  self-confident, and you are often a trendsetter(标新立异的人)。Your enthusiasm for projects and goals spreads to others who happily follow you. When you want something ,you may be ruthless(不留情面的)about getting it or blind to how your actions affect others .

Aother blood type A, is a social , “people” person . You like people and work well with them . Y ou are sensitive , patient , compassionate , and affectionate .You are a good peacekeeper because you want everyone to be happy .In a team situation , you resolve conflicts and keep things on a smooth course . Sometimes type As are stubborn and find it difficult to relax. They may also find it uncomfortable to do things alone.

People with type B blood are usually individualist who like to do things on their own . You may be creative and adaptable, and you usually say exactly what you mean . Also you can adapt to situations , you may choose to do so because of your strong independent streak. You may prefer working on your own to being part of a team .

The final blood is type AB . If you have AB blood , you are a natural entertainer. You draw people to you because of your charm and easy-going nature .ABs are usually calm and controlled , tactful(圆滑的) fair. On the downside ,though , they may take too long to make decisions. And they may procrastinate, putting off tasks until the last minute.

1.People with type O will do the following things except__________

A．manage businesses                      B．self-control

C．be considerate                         D．set the fasion

2.Which of the following is not the feature of type A?

A．Stubborn          B．Sensitive          C．reserved          D．Patient

3.The best profession for a type AB is __________

A．athlete           B．peacekeeper       C．actor             D．country leader

 

It is common to have difficulties sleeping during the day. Humans are naturally wired to sleep best at night and be awake during the day. However, modern work schedules require some people to try to accommodate the unnatural schedule of shift（轮班）work — being awake at night and sleeping during the day.
In order to make this adjustment, you need to pay special attention to your sleep environment and your preparation for sleep. If shift work is a necessary part of your work life, here are some suggestions that may help.
Arrange to sleep uninterrupted in a quiet, dark room. This means you may have to turn off or unplug your phone, hang darkening curtains on the windows or wear a sleep eye mask, and train your family and friends to leave you alone while you sleep.
Fit in a nap（小睡）. When your daytime sleep period is too short, taking a short nap of less than 30 minutes just before work or on a break has been shown to improve alertness and enhance performance.
Develop and follow a sleep routine. It's best if you go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day. Try not to vary this too much on weekends. Your body likes routine.
Take extra care to make healthy choices. You may be tempted to reach for unhealthy foods or nicotine to stay awake or alcohol to try to sleep. But ultimately these choices are more harmful than helpful.
If you have tried all these things and are still having problems getting enough quality sleep during the day, talk to your doctor or a sleep specialist. Sometimes medications（药物治疗）may be helpful and safe. In other cases, there may be an underlying sleep disorder that needs to be addressed.
【小题1】The purpose of the text is to     .

A．persuade workers to have a god sleep.

B．advise night workers to keep healthy

C．encourage workers to do day work

D．help night workers to sleep well

【小题2】What does the author recomusend?

A．A suitable account of alcohol to help sleep.

B．A regular life on weekday’s and weekends.

C．A dark room without phoebes to sleep in.

D．A break for sleeping anytime during the day.

【小题3】On which condition should a person turn to a sleep specialist for help?

A．If he suffers from a sleep disorder for the first time.

B．If a good sleep environment is greatly needed for him.

C．If he falls to get quality sleep through his own efforts.

D．If he has the problem of bailing to sleep in the daytime.

【小题4】We can learn from the test that       .

A．night workers need a long time to fall asleep

B．constant breaks at work help to improve performance

C．it is difficult to create a good sleep environment

D．night work requires people to adjust their body clocks

C

Perhaps you have a big test coming up and you are feeling nervous. You know you have got to do well. The pressure is on, so you may be losing sleep and the ability to concentrate. How can you deal with the stress, study effectively, and take the test with confidence? Maybe you should try meditation（沉思）.

When people think about meditation, many pictures of old men’s sitting cross-legged on remote mountaintops will appear in mind. People describing meditation frequently mention elements such as relaxation and “thinking about nothing”.

It is not necessary to travel to a mountaintop to enjoy the benefits of meditation because it is actually more about awareness than just relaxation. The secret of meditation is breathing.

To star meditating, find a place where you can sit or stand comfortably for a little while and concentrate. Close your eyes and start taking slow breaths. Focus on the air moving in and out of your body. If your mind starts to wander and you begin to think about something else, refocus your attention on your breathing.

Meditation has little to do with escaping problems or thinking about nothing. Instead, the breathing techniques help you calm down and think more clearly about your feelings. The issues on your mind unfold clearly, as if they were in slow motion.

This clarity（清晰）is called “mindfulness”. Being mindful means that you are aware of what you are thinking without becoming caught up in your thoughts. It takes practice, but with time, that big test will not scare you anymore. You will realize through meditation that fear is just a product of not being mindful.

64． What is the best way to reduce the pressure if one faces a big test?

A. To climb up to the top of a mountain for a rest.

B. To sit on the top of a mountain without thinking anything.

C. To sit or stand comfortable and begin to meditate.

D. To sit quietly with one’s legs crossed.

65． What should a person do if his mind begins to wander while meditating?

A. Stop meditating.

B. Concentrate on breathing again.

C. Involve himself in his thoughts.

D. Close eyes immediately.

66． From the passage we can learn that by practicing meditation we’ll__________.

A. not be stuck in our thoughts

B. pass the examinations easily

C. realize fear is a product of too much thought

D. never be afraid of big tests

67． From the passage we can know the writer’s purpose is to let the readers know__________

A. how to deal with the stress before a big test

B. what is meditation

C. how a big test scares the students

D. where is the best place to relax

 

What should you think about when trying to find your career? You are probably better at some school subjects than others. These may show strengths that you can use in your work. A boy who is good at mathematics can use that in an engineering career. A girl who spells well and likes English may be good at office work. So it is important to know the subjects you do well in at school. On the other hand, you may not have any specially strong subjects but your records show a general satisfactory standard. Although not all subjects can be used directly in a job, they may have indirect value. A knowledge of history is not required for most jobs but if history is one of your good subjects you will have learned to remember facts and details. This is an ability that can be useful in many jobs.

Your school may have taught you skills, such as typing or technical drawing, which you can use in your work. You may be good at metalwork or cookery and look for a job where you can improve these skills. If you have had a part-time job on Saturdays or in the summer, think what you gained from it. If nothing else, you may have learned how to get to work on time, to follow instructions and to get on with older workers. You may have learned to give correct change in a shop, for example. Just as important, you may become interested in a particular industry or career you see from the inside in a part-time job.

Facing your weak points is also part of knowing yourself. You may be all thumbs when you handle tools; perhaps you are a poor speller or cannot add up a column of figures. It is better to face any weakness than to pretend they do not exist. Your school record, for instance, may not be too good, yet it is an important part of your background. You should not be apologetic(认错的) about it but instead recognize that you will have a chance of a fresh start at work.

1.What is the passage mainly about?

A．The importance of working hard at school.

B．Choosing a career according to one’s strengths.

C．How to face one’s weakness.

D．The value of school work.

2.The writer thinks that a student to have a part-time job is probably ___.

A．a good way to find out his weak points

B．one of the best ways of earning extra money

C．of great use for his work in the future

D．a waste of time he could have spent on study

3.From the passage we learn that if a student’s school performance is not good, he ___________.

A．should pay more attention to learning skills and developing abilities

B．will be regretful about his bad results

C．may also do well in his future work

D．should restart his study in school

4.From the last paragraph we know one should _________.

A．make full use of one’s own weak points

B．study harder for a new school record

C．apologize for one’s own school record

D．face one’s own weak points bravely