Thanksgiving Day is special holiday in the United States and Canada. Families and friends gather to eat and give thanks for their blessing.
Thanksgiving Day is really a harvest festival. This is why it is celebrated in late fall, after the crops are in. But one of the first thanksgivings in America had nothing to do with a good harvest. On December 4, 1619, the Pilgrims from England landed near what is now Charles City, Virginia. They knelt down and thanked God for their safe journey across the Atlantic.
The first New England Thanksgiving did celebrate a rich harvest. The Pilgrims landed at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620. They had a difficult time and the first winter was cruel. Many of the Pilgrims died. But the next year, they had a good harvest. So Governor Bradford declared a three-day feast（盛宴）. The Pilgrims invited Indian friends to join them for their special feast. Everyone brought food.
In time, other colonies（殖民地）began to celebrate a day of thanksgiving. But it took years before there was a national Thanksgiving Day. During the Civil War, Sarah Josepha Hale persuaded Abraham Lincoln to do something about it. He proclaimed（宣布）the last Thursday of November 1863 as a day of thanksgiving. Today, Americans celebrate this happy harvest festival on the fourth Thursday in November. Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving Day in much the same way as their American neighbors. But the Canadian thanks-giving Day falls on the second Monday in October.Thanksgiving Day is celebrated .
| A．in spring | B．summer |
| C．in autumn | D．in winter |
The first to celebrate thanksgiving were .
| A．some people from England | B．the American Indians |
| C．Sarah Josepha Hale | D．Governor Bradford |
We can infer from the passage that New England must be .
A. in the U. S. A. B. in Great Britain
C. in Canada D. on some island off the AtlanticWhich of the following is NOT true?
| A．Thanksgiving Day used to be a holiday to celebrate a good harvest. |
| B．Abraham Lincoln was not the first to decide on thanksgiving celebrations. |
| C．Thanksgiving Day is celebrated to express the American and Indian people’s thanks to God. |
| D．There’s little difference between the American way and the Canadian way to celebrate Thanksgiving Day. |
The passage mainly tells us .
A. how Thanksgiving Day is celebrated in the U. S. A.
B. how Thanksgiving Day came into being and the different ways it is celebrated
C. that Thanksgiving Day is in fact a harvest holiday
D. how the way to celebrate Thanksgiving Day changed with the time and places
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We can achieve knowledge either actively or passively（被动地）. We achieve it actively by direct experience, by testing and proving an idea, or by reasoning.
We achieve knowledge passively by being told by someone else. Most of the learning that takes place in the classroom and the kind that happens when we watch TV or read newspapers or magazines is passive. Although we are used to passive learning, it’s not surprising that we depend on it in our everyday communication with friends and co-workers.
Unfortunately, passive learning has a serious problem. It makes us tend to accept what we are told even when it is rumor (谣言).
Did you ever play the game Rumor? It begins when one person writes down a message but doesn’t show it to anyone. Then the person whispers it, word for word, to another person. That person, in turn, whispers it to still another, and so on. Then the last person writes down the message word for word as he or she hears it. Then the two written statements are compared. Typically, the original message has changed.
That’s what happens in daily life. The simple fact that people repeat a story in their own words changes the story. Then, too, most people listen imperfectly. And many enjoy adding their own feelings to a story, trying to improve it, marking it with their own personal style. Yet those who hear it think they know.
This process is also found among scholars and authors: A statement of opinion by one writer may be re-stated as fact by another, who may in turn be quoted by yet another; and this process may continue, unless it occurs to someone to question the facts on which the original writer based his opinion or to challenge the interpretation he placed upon those facts.
59. According to the passage, passive learning may occur when a person is _______.
A. doing a medical experiment B. solving a math problem
C. watching news on TV D. doing scientific reasoning
60. The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refers to _____.
A. active learning B. knowledge C. communication D. passive learning
61. The author mentions the game Rumor to show that _____.
A. a message may be changed when being passed on
B. a message should be delivered in different ways
C. people may have problems with their sense of hearing
D. people tend not to believe in what they know as rumor
62. What can we infer from the passage?
A. Active learning is less important.
B. Passive learning may not be dependable.
C. Active learning occurs more frequently.
D. Passive learning is not found among scholars.
.
第三节阅读理解(共20小题；每小题2分。满分40分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项，并在
答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi for a living. One night I went to pick up a passenger at 2:30 AM. When I arrived to collect, I found the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window.
I walked to the door and knocked, "Just a minute," answered a weak, elderly voice.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her eighties stood before me. By her side was a small suitcase.
I took the suitcase to the car, and then returned to help the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the car.
She kept thanking me for my kindness. "It's nothing," I told her. "I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated."
"Oh, you're such a good man." She said. When we got into the taxi, she gave me an address, and then asked, "Could you drive through downtown?"
"It's not the shortest way," I answered quickly.
"Oh, I'm in no hurry," she said. "I'm on my way to a hospice(临终医院). I don't have any family left. The doctor says I don't have very long."
I quietly reached over and shut off the meter(计价器).
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked, the neighborhood where she had lived, and the furniture shop that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
Sometimes she'd ask me to slow down in front of a particular building and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
At dawn, she suddenly said, "I'm tired. Let's go now."
We drove in silence to the address she had given me.
"How much do I owe you?" she asked.
"Nothing." I said.
"You have to make a living," she answered. "Oh, there are other passengers," I answered.
Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto earth tightly. Our hug ended with her remark, "You gave an old woman a little moment of joy."
56. The old woman chose to ride through the city in order to ______.
A. show she was familiar with the city B. let the driver earn more money
C. see some places for the last time D. reach the destination on time
57. The taxi driver did not charge the old woman because he ______.
A. shut off the meter by mistake B. had received her payment in advance
C. was in a hurry to take other passengers D. wanted to do her a favor
58. What can we learn from the story?
A. Giving is always a pleasure. B. An act of kindness can bring people great joy.
C. People should respect each other. D. People should learn to appreciate others' concern.
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Annual holidays have become a luxury and are no longer a staple of family life, according to government research．
A getaway of a week or more is no longer considered essential by many families and is often beyond their reach, said the analysis of what parents and children say they really need．Fashionable clothes for the children, expensive birthday parties and lots of toys are also on the list of luxuries families don’t have to have．Instead, recession-hit parents are thinking of the future, and the things they want for their children centre around learning to behave properly, good education and good health．
Their picture of what a family ought to have includes a space to eat together away from the television, plenty of fruit and vegetables, and bicycles so children can get exercise．
The breakdown of necessities and luxuries was prepared by researchers from the Department for Work and Pensions(DWP) who were trying to establish an up-to-date picture of what parents say they really need．
Their findings show how families have scaled down their expectations in the face of economic difficulties — how parents are now concentrating their attention and money firmly on the long-term interests of their children．Many believe that while it is vital for a family to do things together, day trips or weekend breaks are enough．
Spending on furniture or decorating the house was also considered luxurious, unless the state of the home was so bad it became difficult to invite visitors in.
Instead, researchers said: A family home should have an area where the family can eat together, not on their laps in front of a television．Families should be able to go on outings, overnight trips and possibly short holiday: the fact of being able to share these experiences is more important than the precise activity and its cost．
71．It can be inferred that ______________.
A．a week or more holiday is considered beyond many families’ reach
B．children hardly ever need fashionable clothes and lots of toys
C．what a family should have is basic things that they must have
D．annual holidays were once considered necessary and vital
72．In the opinion of most parents, _____________.
A．families can watch TV together in order to keep up their relationship
B．day trips or weekend breaks are enough for families to share experiences
C．their expectations should be increased in the face of economic difficulties
D．a week’s holiday is an essential minimum during the financial crisis
73．Which of the following is TRUE of the researchers from the DWP?
A．They confirm many families still need at least a week away on holiday each year.
B．They learn it is insignificant for a family to do things with each other regularly.
C．They want to know what parents really need in the face of economic difficulties.
D．They found spending on furniture or decorating the house was thought valuable.
74．We can conclude from the last paragraph____________.
A．being able to share experiences is important for families
B．a family needs at least a week away on holiday each year
C．a family home should have a comfortable area to watch TV
D．going on outings and overnight trips is wasting time for families
75．What does the author mainly discuss in the text?
A．Cycling is very important for children’s health.
B．Family holidays once a year have become a luxury.
C．It is vital for parents to eat together with children.
D．Parents are concerned with children’s future.
.
Imagine a world 400 years ago where children were used as chimney sweeps．The pay was low, it was a dirty trade and there was little reward for the men who did the job and even less for children.
Medway’s annual Sweeps Festival recreates the joy and laughter enjoyed by the chimney sweeps at their traditional holiday: the one time of the year the sweeps could leave the soot（烟灰） behind and have some fun．The sweeps’ holiday was traditionally held on 1 May each year．Locally, they used to mark the occasion by staging a procession through the streets of Rochester.
Their fun continued with the Jack-in-the-Green ceremony, a seven-foot character that they used to waken at dawn on Blue Bell Hill, Chatham．The Jack-in-the-Green would walk with the chimney sweeps in their parade．When the Climbing Boys’ Act 1868 made it illegal to employ young boys to carry out the trade, the traditional procession gradually began to fade．The final May celebration was held in the early 1900s.
The modern day Rochester Sweeps Festival is a colorful mix of music, dancing and entertainment with more than 60 Morris sides and entertainers celebrating throughout the three-day festival．The festival was revived in 1981 by local businessman Gordon Newton, a keen historian．He decided it was time to bring it back and over the years he has helped develop the festival into what it is today — an excellent performance of traditional Britain.
Gordon researched the Sweeps’ tradition and organized a small parade, involving local Morris teams．In time, Medway Council took over organization of the festival but Gordon remained actively involved．Today he is festival producer and plays melodeon（簧风琴） for several Morris teams．Doug Hudson is the festival’s music director, a role he has held for many years．Through Gordon’s vision and hard work, Doug’s musical ability and the council’s help, the Rochester Sweeps Festival has become the largest May Day celebration of its kind in the country.
66．According to the writer, chimney sweeps ____________.
A．were highly respected B．were well rewarded
C．led a hard life in the past D．worked in good conditions
67．Medway’s Sweeps Festival ____________.
A．has been organized by the Jack-in-the-Green
B．dated back to the May celebration in the early 1900s
C．is held to honor those chimney sweeps every other year
D．has become a time for chimney sweeps to enjoy themselves
68．The underlined word “revive” in the 4th paragraph most probably means ___________.
A．realize B．review C．recreate D．recognize
69．It can be inferred from the passage that ____________.
A．the festival has never been supported by the local government
B．The festival is a good way to see British folk customs in action
C．youngsters has been forbidden to be chimney sweeps since 1981
D．the modern festival lasts five days celebrating the coming of spring
70．What is the passage mainly concerned about?
A．Sweeps Festival history B．Medway’s traditional holidays
C．Climbing Boys’ Act 1868 D．a procession in Rochester
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Laws that would have ensured pupils from five to 16 received a full financial education got lost in the ‘wash up’．An application is calling on the next government to bring it back.
At school the children are taught to add up and subtract（减法） but, extraordinarily, are not routinely shown how to open a bank account — let alone how to manage their finances in an increasingly complex and demanding world.
Today the parenting website Mumsnet and the consumer campaigner Martin Lewis have joined forces to launch an online application to make financial education a compulsory element of the school curriculum in England．Children from five to 16 should be taught about everything from pocket money to pensions, they say．And that was exactly the plan preserved in the Children, Schools and Families bill that was shelved by the government in the so-called “wash-up” earlier this month — the rush to legislation before parliament was dismissed．Consumer and parent groups believe financial education has always been one of the most frustrating omissions of the curriculum.
As the Personal Finance Education Group (Pfeg) points out, the good habits of young children do not last long．Over 75% of seven- to 11-year-olds are savers but by the time they get to 17, over half of them are in debt to family and friends．By this age, 26% see a credit card or overdraft（透支） as a way of extending their spending power．Pfeg predicts that these young people will “find it much harder to avoid the serious unexpected dangers that have befallen many of their parents' generation unless they receive good quality financial education while at school.”
The UK has been in the worst financial recession（衰退）for generations．It does seem odd that — unless parents step in — young people are left in the dark until they are cruelly introduced to the world of debt when they turn up at university．In a recent poll of over 8,000 people, 97% supported financial education in schools, while 3% said it was a job for parents．
61．The passage is mainly about _____________.
A．how to manage school lessons
B．how to deal with the financial crisis
C．teaching young people about money
D．teaching students how to study effectively
62．It can be inferred from the first two paragraphs that __________.
A．the author complains about the school education
B．pupils should not be taught to add up and subtract
C．students have been taught to manage their finances
D．laws on financial education have been effectively carried out
63．The website and the consumer campaigner joined to _________.
A．instruct the pupils to donate their pocket money
B．promote the connection of schools and families
C．ask the government to dismiss the parliament
D．appeal for the curriculum of financial education
64．According to Pfeg, ___________.
A．it is easy to keep good habits long
B．teenagers spend their money as planned
C．parents are willing to pay the debt for their kids
D．it will be in trouble if the teenagers are left alone
65．A poll is mentioned to ___________.
A．stress the necessity of the curriculum reform
B．show the seriousness of the financial recession
C．make the readers aware of burden of the parents
D．illustrate some people are strongly against the proposal