完形填空

　　Year after year my brothers, sister and I would lie in bed awake on Christmas morning．We were just 　　1　　 to hear my father's voice saying it was all right to 　　2　　．Usually I was the first one jumped out of bed．I can still 　　3　　 my growing eagerness(渴望)for the 　　4　　 every year．

　　Even now as I 　　5　　 the boxes of Christmas decorations(装饰品)I can see the familiar ones：the presents with our birth years on them, our five stockings, four for the 　　6　　 , one for the dog．It used to be easy for us to 　　7　　 when to put up the decorations．But now since we all have 　　8　　 and social lives, it is usually a hurried activity．

　　As we get older, the season almost brings a 　　9　　 to a little place in our hearts．The worst was year after my grandparents had 　　10　　．We couldn't go to their house to celebrate the holiday anymore．　　11　　, we just had a get-together in my house．Now when I 　　12　　 to it, I miss the special 　　13　　 my grandfather gave me for Christmas．I even miss him 　　14　　 me “Jessie”, even though I can't 　　15　　 when people call me that．

　　Things change, not always for the good, 　　16　　 not always for the bad either．And the things that don't 　　17　　 have the most important meaning to us, and I am sure they will be there for the 　　18　　 of our lives．After all, every time I hear my father's 　　19　　 “All right you guys, come on down, nice and slow” and we go down the stairs, first my brother, then me, then my sister, then my older brother, I still 　　20　　 the true Christmas spirit．

阅读理解

　　Everyone knows you must exercise regularly to keep good health．Indeed, staying physically fit is a big part of our culture, we consider(or rightly so)that healthy people are attractive people．Since most of us want to be attractive, there is no shortage of exercise clubs, training videos, magazines and books offering to help us stay physically fit．

　　Unfortunately, however, our culture doesn't place the same emphasis(重视)on mental fitness．Although we tend to like men and women with strong, healthy－looking bodies, we don't have the same degree of respect or attraction for smart, educated, mentally healthy people．This is a pity, because there are great rewards for people who have developed the ability to think well．

　　If your mind is well trained and flexible(灵活的), you will be able to understand a great deal of what happens around you．And if you are also well educated－that is, if you understand basic science, mathematics, music, art, literature, history and so on－you will find it much easier to make good decisions throughout your life．Over the long run, this leads to a sense of control over your destiny(命运)and a much better life than otherwise(in another way)．

　　People who are poorly educated or who don't think well－that is, people who are not mentally fit－see things differently．Their world is controlled by mysterious, often malevolent(恶意的)forces．Such people live within a system they will never master, forced to follow rules they will never understand．Although it may not be obvious, most spend their lives being manipulated(控制)by others．They are told what to do, what to think, how to spend their money, and what they should and should not aspire(渴望)to in life．

　　In my opinion, if you want to live well, you must be able to use your mind well．For this reason, I want you to be able to concentrate, to solve problems, to understand complex ideas, and to think clearly and quickly．Such skills will make it easier for you to make informed decisions, understand current events, choose good friends, manage your money well, make wise long－term decisions and appreciate music, art and literature．

　　The key to developing such skills is to enjoy learning, and to have the ability and motivation to teach yourself．

阅读理解

　　Everyone knows you must exercise regularly to keep good health．Indeed, staying physically fit is a big part of our culture．we consider(or rightly so)that healthy people are attractive people．Since most of us want to be attractive, there is no shortage of exercise clubs, training videos, magazines and books offering to help us stay physically fit．

　　Unfortunately, however, our culture doesn’t place the same emphasis on mental fitness．Although we tend to like men and women with strong, healthy-looking bodies, we don’t have the same degree of respect or attraction for smart, educated, mentally healthy people．This is a pity, because there are great rewards for people who have developed the ability to think well．

　　If your mind is well trained and flexible, you will be able to understand a great deal of what happens around you．And if you are also well educated－that is, if you understand basic science, mathematics, music, art, literature, history and so on－you will find it much easier to make good decisions throughout your life．Over the long run, this leads to a sense of control over your destiny and a much better life than otherwise．

　　People who are poorly educated or who don’t think well－that is, people who are not mentally fit－see things differently．Their world is controlled by mysterious, often malevolent(恶意的)forces．Such people live within a system they will never master, forced to follow rules they will never understand．Although it may not be obvious, most spend their lives being manipulated(控制)by others．They are told what to do, what to think, how to spend their money, and what they should and should not aspire(渴望)to in life．

　　In my opinion, if you want to live well, you must be able to use your mind well．For this reason, I want you to be able to concentrate, to solve problems, to understand complex ideas, and to think clearly and quickly．Such skills will make it easier for you to make informed decisions, understand current events, choose good friends, manage your money well, make wise lone-term decisions and appreciate music, art and literature．

　　The key to developing such skills is to enjoy learning, and to have the ability and motivation to teach yourself．