As a young boy, I sometimes traveled the country roads with my dad. He was a rural mill carrier, and on Saturdays he would ask me to go with him. Driving through the countryside was always an adventure: There were animals to see, people to visit, and chocolate cookies if you knew where to stop, and Dad did.
In the spring, Dad delivered boxes full of baby chickens, and when 1 was a boy it was such a fun to stick your finger 'through one of the holes of the boxes and let the baby birds peck on your fingers.
On Dad' s final day of work, it took him well into the evening to complete his rounds because at least one member from each family was waiting at their mailbox to thank him for his friendship and his years of service. "Two hundred and nineteen mailboxes on my route." he used to say, "and a story at every one. " One lady had no mailbox, so Dad took the mail in to her every day because she was nearly blind. Once inside, he read her mail and helped her pay her bills.
Mailboxes were sometimes used for things other than mail. One note left in a mailbox read. "Nat, take these eggs to Marian; she's baking a cake and doesn't have any eggs. " Mailboxes might be buried in the snow, or broken, or lying on the groom:. bat the mail was always delivered On cold days Dad might find one of his customers waiting for him with a cup of hot chocolate. A young wrote letters but had no stamps, so she left a few button on the envelope in the mailbox; Dad paid for the stamps. One businessman used to leave large amounts of cash in his mailbox for Dad to take to the bank. Once, the amount came to 8 32,000.
A dozen years ago, when I traveled back to my hometown on the sad occasion of Dad’s death,  the mailboxes along the way reminded me of some of his stories. I thought I knew them all, but that wasn't the case.
As I drove home, I noticed two lamp poles, one on each side of the street. When my dad was around, those poles supported wooden boxes about four feet off the ground. One box was painted green and the other was red, and each had a long narrow hole at the top with white lettering: SANTA CLAUS, NORTH POLE. For years children had dropped letters to Santa through those holes.
I made a turn at the comer and drove past the post office and across the railroad tracks to our house. Mom and I were sitting at the kitchen table when I heard footsteps. There, at the door, stood Frank Townsend, Dad's postmaster and great friend for many years. So we all sat down at the table and began to tell stories.
At one point Frank looked at me with tears in his eyes. " What are we going to do about the letters this Christmas?" he asked.
"The letters?"
'I guess you never knew. "
"Knew what?"
" Remember, when you were a kid and you used to put your letters to Santa in those green and red boxes on Main Street? It was your dad who answered all those letters every year. "
I just sat there with tears in my eyes. It wasn’t hard for me to imagine Dad sitting at the old table in our basement reading those letters and answering each one. I have since spoken with several of the people who received Christmas letters during their childhood, and they told me how amazed they were that Santa had known so much about their homes and families.
For me, just knowing that story about my father was the gift of a lifetime.
【小题1】It can be inferred from the passage that the writer regarded his travels with Dad us_____.

As a young boy, I sometimes traveled the country roads with my dad. He was a rural mill carrier, and on Saturdays he would ask me to go with him. Driving through the countryside was always an adventure: There were animals to see, people to visit, and chocolate cookies if you knew where to stop, and Dad did.
In the spring, Dad delivered boxes full of baby chickens, and when 1 was a boy it was such a fun to stick your finger 'through one of the holes of the boxes and let the baby birds peck on your fingers.
On Dad' s final day of work, it took him well into the evening to complete his rounds because at least one member from each family was waiting at their mailbox to thank him for his friendship and his years of service. "Two hundred and nineteen mailboxes on my route." he used to say, "and a story at every one. " One lady had no mailbox, so Dad took the mail in to her every day because she was nearly blind. Once inside, he read her mail and helped her pay her bills.
Mailboxes were sometimes used for things other than mail. One note left in a mailbox read. "Nat, take these eggs to Marian; she's baking a cake and doesn't have any eggs. " Mailboxes might be buried in the snow, or broken, or lying on the groom:. bat the mail was always delivered On cold days Dad might find one of his customers waiting for him with a cup of hot chocolate. A young wrote letters but had no stamps, so she left a few button on the envelope in the mailbox; Dad paid for the stamps. One businessman used to leave large amounts of cash in his mailbox for Dad to take to the bank. Once, the amount came to 8 32,000.
A dozen years ago, when I traveled back to my hometown on the sad occasion of Dad’s death,  the mailboxes along the way reminded me of some of his stories. I thought I knew them all, but that wasn't the case.
As I drove home, I noticed two lamp poles, one on each side of the street. When my dad was around, those poles supported wooden boxes about four feet off the ground. One box was painted green and the other was red, and each had a long narrow hole at the top with white lettering: SANTA CLAUS, NORTH POLE. For years children had dropped letters to Santa through those holes.
I made a turn at the comer and drove past the post office and across the railroad tracks to our house. Mom and I were sitting at the kitchen table when I heard footsteps. There, at the door, stood Frank Townsend, Dad's postmaster and great friend for many years. So we all sat down at the table and began to tell stories.
At one point Frank looked at me with tears in his eyes. " What are we going to do about the letters this Christmas?" he asked.
"The letters?"
'I guess you never knew. "
"Knew what?"
" Remember, when you were a kid and you used to put your letters to Santa in those green and red boxes on Main Street? It was your dad who answered all those letters every year. "
I just sat there with tears in my eyes. It wasn’t hard for me to imagine Dad sitting at the old table in our basement reading those letters and answering each one. I have since spoken with several of the people who received Christmas letters during their childhood, and they told me how amazed they were that Santa had known so much about their homes and families.
For me, just knowing that story about my father was the gift of a lifetime.

1. 1.

   It can be inferred from the passage that the writer regarded his travels with Dad us_____.

   1. A.
      great chances to help other people
   2. B.
      happy occasions to play with baby chickens
   3. C.
      exciting experience* with a lot of fun
   4. D.
      good opportunities to enjoy chocolate cookies
2. 2.

   The writer provides the detail about the businessman to show that_____.

   1. A.
      Dad had a strong sense of duty
   2. B.
      Dad was an honest and reliable man
   3. C.
      Dad had a strong sense of honor
   4. D.
      Dad was a kind and generous man
3. 3.

   According to the passage, which of the following impressed the writer most?

   1. A.
      Dad read letters for a blind lady for years.
   2. B.
      Dad paid for the stamps for a young girl.
   3. C.
      Dad delivered some eggs to Marian.
   4. D.
      Dad answered children's Christmas letters every year.
4. 4.

   The method the writer uses to develop Paragraph 4 is______.

   1. A.
      offering analyses
   2. B.
      providing explanations
   3. C.
      giving examples
   4. D.
      making comparisons
5. 5.

   What surprised the children most when they received letters in reply from Santa Claus every year?

   1. A.
      Santa Claus lived alone in the cold North Pole.
   2. B.
      Santa Claus answered all their letters every year.
   3. C.
      Santa Claus had unique mailboxes for the children.
   4. D.
      Santa Claus had so much information about their families.
6. 6.

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

   1. A.
      The Mail
   2. B.
      Christmas Letters
   3. C.
      Special Mailboxes
   4. D.
      Memorable Travels

 Charlie and Jackie joined a wholesale company together just after graduation. They both worked very hard.

After several years, the boss made Jackie sales manager but Charlie__36_ a salesman. One day, Charlie could not _37__ it any more. He handed in his resignation letter (辞职信) to the boss and complained that the boss did not __38__ hardworking employees, but only raised those who tried to please him. He thought it was really _39___.

The boss knew that Charlie had spared no __40__ for the company all these years, but in order to help Charlie to realize the _41_ between him and Jackie, the boss asked Charlie to do the _42_, “Go and find out if there is anyone selling watermelons in the market.” Charlie went, returned and __43__ said, “Yes.” The boss asked, “How much per kg?” Charlie went back to the market to ask and returned to __44__, $12 per kg.”

The boss told Charlie that he would ask Jackie the __45__ question. Jackie went, returned and said, “Boss, only one person selling watermelons. $12 per kg , $100 for 10 kg. He has a __46_ of 340 melons. On the table are 58 melons, and every melon weighs about 15 kg, __47__ from the South two days ago. They are fresh, red and of good_48__.”

Charlie was __49__ and he realized the difference between himself and Jackie. He decided not to __50__ but to learn from Jackie.

My dear friends, you know, a more __51__ person is more observant, thinks more and understands in __52__. For the same matter, he sees several years ahead, __53_ you see only tomorrow. The difference between a year and a day is 365 times, so how could you __54__?

Think: how far have you seen ahead in your life? How __55__ are you?

1. A. made        B. became       C. remained     D. kept

2.A. stand        B. do           C. get          D. put

3. A. enjoy        B. meet         C. repay        D. value

4. A. unusual      B. unfair        C. careless       D. selfless

5. A. rest         B. trouble        C. effect        D. effort

6. A. competition   B. relationship   C. difference     D. distance

7. A. following     B. finding       C. shopping     D. searching

8.A. still           B. again        C. even         D. only

 9.A. offer          B. answer       C. remind       D. repeat

10.A. difficult       B. familiar       C. same        D. simple

11. A. total          B. lot          C. pile          D. number

12. A. taken         B. come        C. bought       D. heard

13. A. value         B. quality       C. condition     D. shape

14. A. struck        B. moved        C. puzzled      D. shaped

15. A. stay          B. stop         C.  work       D. leave

16. A. important     B. intelligent     C. successful    D. hardworking

17. A. time         B. depth         C. need         D. common

18. A. while        B. though        C.  unless      D. since

19. A. see          B. think         C. know         D. win

20.A. hopeful       B. thoughtful     C. helpful       D. meaningful

I believe being honest is one of the greatest gifts. I know they call it a lot of fancy names these days，like　36　and straightforward. And it’s still what  37 a man a good citizen. This is my code(准则)，and I try to live by.

I’ve been in the taxi business for thirty-five years，  38　 there is a lot about it that is not so good. Taxi drivers have to be rough and tumble(乱作一团) fellows to be able to take it in New York. You've got to be  39 to fight the New York traffic eight hours a day.

Because taxi drivers are tough，people get the  40 impression that they are bad. Taxi drivers are just like other people. Most of them will act as  41 fellows.  Almost every week you read in the papers where a taxi driver  42  money or jewels or like that people leave in their  43 . If they weren't honest，you wouldn't be reading those stories in the papers. One time，I found an emerald（翡翠的）ring in my car. I remembered helping a lady with a lot of suitcases that day，so I went back to where I had  44  her off. It took me almost two days to wait for her in order to return her  45 to her. I didn't get as much as “thank you.”  46 ，I felt good because I had done what was right. I think I felt better than she   47 .

I was born and brought up in Ireland until I was nineteen years old. I came to this country in 1913 where I  48 several jobs to earn a few dollars before joining the army in World War I. After being discharged(退伍)，I bought my own car and have owned one ever since. It hasn’t been too easy  49 ，but my wife takes care of our money and we have a good bit  50  for a rainy day(一时之需). In all my years of driving a taxi，I have never had___51__ with the public，not even with drunks. Even if they get a little headstrong(顽固的) once in a while，I just agree with them and then they behave themselves.

People ask me about tips. As far as I know，  52 everyone will give you something，because most Americans are  53 generous. I always try to be nice to everyone，whether they  54 or not. I believe in God and try to be a good member of my parish（教区）. I try to act toward others like I think God wants me to act. I have been trying this for a long time，and the  55 I try，the easier it gets.