Workplaces all over the UK are preparing for Christmas and all the traditions and customs that come with it. But will this Christmas be a cause of happiness and celebration, or of disappointment and embarrassment?
At this time of year, colleges show their appreciation of each other by doing a “Secret Santa”. Secret Santa involves people who work together buying gifts for each other without saying who they are from.
Co-workers all write their names on pieces of paper, then organize a lottery in which each worker picks a colleague’s name at random. He then has to buy a present for that colleague, usually on a small budget of five or ten pounds.
Since the givers are unknown, the quality of presents can vary greatly. In an Internet survey of Secret Santa presents, the gifts that people received range from tickets to the opera to an air freshener for a car.
Another common workplace tradition is the office Christmas party, at which workmates put on their best clothes and enjoy lots of free wine.
Most parties go without a hitch, but sometimes the alcohol cause party-goers to behave in a way that they later regret.
The BBC invited people to share their most embarrassing Christmas office party stories, and received hundreds of funny ones. For example, a man split his trousers while dancing; a drunken lady spent the whole night with the edge of her dress folded into her pants, and later looked at photos that proved it at work.
But the funniest story must be that of Stuart Vanies, who got so drunk that he put his boss’s head into the toilet. Unsurprisingly, he was fired the very next day. How many Christmas traditions are mentioned?
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
We learn from this article that for Christmas ____________________.
| A．few people buy presents for their colleagues in Britain |
| B．British workers write their names on the presents they give their colleagues |
| C．people usually give their colleagues presents of high quality |
| D．British workers buy their presents based on an agreed budget |
The underlined phrase “without a hitch” in the sixth paragraph means _______________.
| A．quite smoothly | B．without a result |
| C．with some difficulty | D．quite unexpectedly |
The examples in the last two paragraphs are to ______________________.
| A．show that most British people enjoy drinking wine |
| B．advise readers not to drink wine at parties |
| C．prove that funny things often happen at office Christmas parties |
| D．criticize the bad habits of the British |
How I Turned to Be Optimistic
I began to grow up that winter night when my parents and I were returning from my aunt's house, and my mother said that we might soon be leaving for America. We were on the bus then . I was crying, and some people on the bus were turning around to look at me. I remember that I could not bear the thought of never hearing again the radio program for school children to which I listened every morning.
I do not remember myself crying for this reason again. In fact, I think I cried very little when I was saying goodbye to my friends and relatives. When we were leaving I thought about all the places I was going to see-the strange and magical places I had known only from books and pictures. The country I was leaving never to come back was hardly in my head then.
The four years that followed taught me the importance of optimism, but the idea did not come to me at once. For the first two years in New York I was really lost-having to study in three schools as a result of family moves. I did not quite know what I was or what I should be. Mother remarried, and things became even more complex for me. Some time passed before my stepfather and I got used to each other. I was often sad, and saw no end to "the hard times".
My responsibilities in the family increased a lot since I knew English better than everyone else at home. I wrote letters, filled out forms, translated at interviews with Immigration officers, took my grandparents to the doctor and translated there, and even discussed telephone bills with company representatives.
From my experiences I have learned one important rule: almost all common troubles eventually go away! Something good is certain to happen in the end when you do not give up , and just wait a little! I believe that my life will turn out all right, even though it will not be that easy.How did the author get to know America?
| A．From her relatives. | B．From her mother. |
| C．From books and pictures. | D．From radio programs. |
Upon leaving for America the author felt_________________.
| A．confused | B．excited | C．worried | D．amazed |
For the first two years in New York, the author___________________ .
| A．often lost her way | B．did not think about her future |
| C．studied in three different schools | D．got on well with her stepfather |
What can we learn about the author from paragraph 4?
| A．She worked as a translator. |
| B．She attended a lot of job interviews. |
| C．She paid telephone bills for her family. |
| D．She helped her family with her English. |
The author believes that _________________ .
| A．her future will be free from troubles |
| B．it is difficult to learn to become patient |
| C．there are more good things than bad things |
| D．good things will happen if one keeps trying |
Mark Twain left school when he was twelve. Though he had little school education, he became the most famous writer of his time. He made millions of dollars by writing. His real name was Samuel Langhorne Clements, but he is better known all over the world as Mark Twain, his penname.
Mark Twain was born in 1835 and he was not a healthy baby. In fact, he was not expected to live through the first winter. But with his mother’s tender care, he managed to survive. As a boy, he caused much trouble to his parents. He used to play jokes on all his friends and neighbors. He didn’t like to go to school, and he ran away from home from time to time. He always went in the direction of the nearby Mississippi. He was nearly drowned(淹死) nine times.
After his father’s death in 1847, Mark Twain began to work for a printer, who only provided him with food and clothing. Then, he worked as a river-boat pilot and later joined the army. But shortly after that he became a miner, during this period, he started to write short stories. Afterwards he became a full-time writer.
In 1870, Mark Twain got married. In the years that followed he wrote many books including Tom Sawyer in 1876, and Huckleberry Finn in 1884, which made him famous, and brought him a great fortune（财富）.Unfortunately, Mark Twain got into debts in bad investments（投资） and he had to write large numbers of stories to pay these debts. In 1904, his wife died and then three of their children passed away.
He died on April 21, 1910 at the age of 70.Mark Twain was ________ in his childhood.
| A．a naughty boy | B．a good student |
| C．a handsome boy | D．a strong boy |
Mark Twain began to write short stories when he _______.
| A．was at school | B．was in the army |
| C．worked for a printer | D．was a miner |
Before he became a full time writer Mark Twain had not been ___
| A．a printer. | B．a miner |
| C．a tailor | D．a soldier |
Mark Twain’s wife died _________
| A．soon after she give birth to three children |
| B．at the same time with her children |
| C．before three of her children died |
| D．after Mark Twain had died |
Mark was walking home from school one day when he noticed a boy ahead of him. He had tripped (绊倒) and dropped all of the books he was carrying, along with some clothes, a baseball bat and a glove.
Mark knelt (跪) down and helped the boy pick up the things. Since they were going the same way, he offered to carry some things for the boy.
As they walked, Mark discovered the boy’s name was Bill. He loved video games, baseball and history, but he was having trouble with some of his subjects.
They arrived at Bill’s home first. Mark was invited in for a Coke and to watch some television. The afternoon passed pleasantly with some laughs and talk. Then Mark went home.
They continued to see each other around school, had lunch together once or twice, and then both graduated from junior school.
Three days before graduation, Bill asked Mark if they could talk.
Bill reminded (提醒) Mark of the day years ago when they had first met. “Did you ever wonder why I was carrying so many things home that day?” asked Bill.
“You see, I took away all my things from school. I had stored away some of my mother’s sleeping pills (安眠药). I was going home to kill myself. But after we spent some time talking and laughing, I realized that if I had died, I would have missed so many good times. So you see, Mark, when you picked up those books that day, you did a lot more._____________________”When Bill fell down on his way home, Mark ________.
| A．didn’t notice that |
| B．went away quickly |
| C．helped him pick up the things |
| D．carried all the things for him |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Mark was a warm-hearted boy. |
| B．Bill was good at all of his subjects. |
| C．Bill and Mark were in the same school. |
| D．Bill loved video games, baseball and history. |
At Bill’s home, they didn’t ________.
| A．drink some Coke | B．watch TV |
| C．have a pleasant talk | D．play video games |
What would Bill probably say at last?
| A．I should die. | B．You saved my life. |
| C．You did a good job. | D．You helped me a lot. |
What to do if you don't feel popular？
●Try to take part in activities. Call your friends. Plan to do something. The worst feeling is staying home alone, because it makes you feel even more lonely.
●Try to make new friends. Choose friends carefully, not just because you think they're popular. And remember, making good friends takes time. Choosing a popular person to be friends with is okay. If they are nice.
●Be yourself（保持独立）. If you want to become friends with someone who's popular, don't make yourself into someone you are not just to impress that person.
●Be nice. Be friendly. Be outgoing（开朗的）. But don't overdo it！Talk to trusted friends if you are feeling really bad. Or you might want to write it down in a journal（期刊）or diary.
●Do something special for yourself. You could take pictures of your friends, or collect their school pictures, and take a collage（拼贴画）to hang on your wall. This will remind you, when you are feeling unpopular, that you really do have friends.
●Think up your own ideas. These suggestions might not work for everyone.
What to do if you have a problem with your teacher？
●Talk to your parents, or another adult who will listen to you and perhaps can help. Talk to your friends. Maybe they have had problems with the same teacher, too.
●Don't give the teacher a reason to have problems with you. Do your work, complete your task, attend the class seriously and take notes. Maybe you just need to give the teacher a chance（机会）.
●Try to find out what the problem is.
●Talk to the teacher if you feel comfortable doing this. Don't be nasty（闹别扭的）, but express your concerns（关心）. Listen to the teacher, as well.
●Just accept the fact that you're not going to love all your teachers.What do we mean by saying“ not feeling popular” ？
| A．Not liked by our classmates or workmates. |
| B．Not doing what we want. |
| C．Not showing any interest in anything. |
| D．Not so happy. |
What does the underlined word “overdo” mean?
| A．Do something too much or in an extreme way. |
| B．Try your best to do something. |
| C．Do something carefully. |
| D．Work too hard. |
The writer _______________. .
| A．believes that your friend will help you out if you take their pictures |
| B．suggests that you discuss the reason of problem with your teacher when you feel uncomfortable |
| C．wants you to know that students usually hates teachers |
| D．is not too sure if his advice will certainly work on you |
What's the best title of this passage？
| A．Why We Have Problems at School？ |
| B．Always be yourself. |
| C．How to Handle Problems at School？ |
| D．Don't Be Afraid of Problems With Others. |
The following is a true story. It happened in the northern end of Queensland, Australia, where all kinds of animals live in the forest.
Lisa, a 33-year-old woman, went to prepare lunch in the kitchen, leaving Barney, her three-year-old son, playing by himself in the back garden.
Suddenly, a sharp cry of Barney came into the mother’s ears, and Lisa rushed into the backyard in a hurry and found a big snake entwining the little child with its terrible body and trying to eat the boy as its delicious dish! It was a boa(蟒)! Lisa was terrified and quite angry. She made up her mind to save her son from the snake’s mouth. It was fearless mother love that made Lisa forget what she faced. She took up an old hoe from the ground and beat the boa with all her might. One...two... With the hoe, Lisa beat the snake repeatedly, but useless. The little boy’s voice and breath were getting weaker and weaker. Lisa’s heart was broken and she got nearly mad.
Suddenly Lisa put away the hoe and threw herself to the boa, opening her mouth and bit into the boa’s back as if trying to eat a rare steak(牛排). Lisa was really mad!
Blood was spurting(喷射) out of the boa’s body and covered most of Lisa’s body. The boa was so badly wounded that it let go of(松开) Barney and moved back into the forest hurriedly. It had never known how a man had such terrible sharp teeth! On halfway home, the boa died.
It was fearless mother love that saved the little boy.When she rushed into the back garden, Lisa found______
| A．a boa eating her son |
| B．her son was playing with a big snake |
| C．her son in danger of losing his life |
| D．her son was fighting with a boa |
Lisa failed in fighting against the boa at first just because ______.
| A．she was bitten by the boa |
| B．the boa was too strong |
| C．the hoe was too sharp |
| D．she was afraid that she would hurt her son |
Lisa bit the snake because ______.
| A．she was mad |
| B．she thought her teeth were much sharper than the boa |
| C．her son was entwined by the boa |
| D．she hadn’t got any other way to fight with the snake |
What does the underlined word “entwining” probably mean?
| A．Biting. |
| B．Twisting or winding sth. around. |
| C．Eating. |
| D．Being closely connected with |