I looked at my beautiful Christmas tree and sighed. It was time. The New Year was a week old and my tree still stood in the corner of our room with its collection of memories proudly displayed in a shower of colorful lights. I’d procrastinated（拖延，耽搁）long enough.
I got up, went to the garage and dragged all the boxes into the room. The garland(花环)was the first to come down. The tree looked naked(光秃秃的)already. I took the large ornament（装饰物）off next. They made a large pile on our bed. An hour later, our bed was covered with Christmas memories. Each pile contained an ornament along with its matching brothers and sisters from sets purchased many years ago.
I prepared the boxes and carefully placed ornaments in their protective packaging, pausing every few minutes to admire a favorite. “Hey, little Santa!” I held the Santa from my childhood. “Thanks for being my friend for almost fifty years.” He was a little ragged but still gives me a flood of wonderful memories. “Until next year, my dear friend.”
There was a collection of handmade ones. My children made in the their first years of school, more than twenty years ago. Made by tiny hands, they are far from perfect in design, but every year they go on my memory tree－memories of young giggles(咯咯地笑)on Christmas morning and a smiling face when they handed them to me when I came home from work. “Look what we made, Daddy!”
“Oh! It is beautiful. Let’s find a special spot on the tree for it.” Every year since, they are displayed.
A few hours after I started, the filled boxes were back in the garage, the room was vacuumed(用吸尘器清扫)and I sat staring at a barren(空荡荡的)corner. The room seemed so empty. It took me two days of work to assemble(收集)and decorate my tree, but only a few hours to take it apart.
My tree is like a good marriage or a great friendship. Like the tree, they take a long time to assemble and decorate with memories, but can be torn down quickly.
Every year I have to put my tree away, but not my marriage or friendships. I take great care of those. They get to glow in the corner of my life for as long as I live. I get to analyze my tree and find memories for a few weeks every year. I can do the same with the loves in my life every day. Take great care of your friendships and your marriage. Once they come down, they aren’t as easy to put back together as a Christmas tree. Stand them in that special spot in the corner of your heart and admire their glow.In the author’s eyes, the Christmas tree .
| A．is a collection of childhood memories |
| B．is a symbol of long-lasting relations |
| C．takes too much time to decorate |
| D．is full of out-of-date ornaments |
To the author, a Christmas tree is similar to a good marriage in that .
| A．both take time to build but fall apart easily |
| B．both remind him of bittersweet memories |
| C．both need to be admired for some time |
| D．both get less attractive over the years |
What is the main theme of the article?
| A．We’d better put away Christmas decorations and recycle them each year. |
| B．Friendships and marriages should be valued and managed carefully. |
| C．Memories with friends and family should be cherished and relived. |
| D．We should decorate Christmas trees with personal stuff and recycle. |
A traveller was staying in an Egyptian village. One day, she held up her camera to take pictures of the children. Suddenly the young ones began to shout at her. The traveller's face turned red and she apologized to the head for what she was doing, and told him she had forgotten that people in some places believed a person would lose his soul(灵魂) if his picture was taken. She explained to him the operation of a camera for a long time. Several times the head tried to say something, but he couldn't. When she believed that the head didn't fear any longer, the traveller then let him speak. With a smile, he said, "The children were trying to tell you that you forgot to take off the lens(镜头) cap!" The children shouted when the traveller was taking pictures of them because ______.
| A．they didn't want to stop playing |
| B．the traveller forgot to take off the cap on her head |
| C．they didn't want to have their pictures taken |
| D．the traveller was not doing well with her camera |
The traveller made an apology to (向……道歉) the head because _______.
| A．she thought it was not right to take people's pictures without telling them beforehand(事先) |
| B．the children would lose their souls |
| C．she had stayed in the village too long |
| D．she didn't take a picture of the head first |
The traveller explained how to use a camera to the head because _______.
| A．the head was very interested in her camera |
| B．the head wanted to learn to take pictures |
| C．she was afraid of the head |
| D．she wanted the head not to worry about what she was doing |
When the head smiled, it's clear that _______ .
| A．the children wanted to play with her |
| B．the traveller didn't know what the children meant |
| C．he wanted the traveller to tell him something else |
| D．the traveller didn't let him speak |
Which of the following is NOT right?
| A．The traveller knew something about people in some countries. |
| B．The children wouldn't mind if the traveller took pictures of them. |
| C．The head was afraid that the traveller's camera would hurt the children. |
| D．The traveller didn't understand why the children shouted. |
City buses are white and blue. Please board at the front door and pay the fare as you get on. The fare per ride is $1.50 for adults and $1.00 for senior citizens. The fare may be paid by cash, bus pass or multiple passes. Please pay the exact amount directly into the slot at the top of the fare box. Remember that bills are not accepted and drivers cannot make change for riders.
When you wish to get off the bus, please notify the driver in advance by pressing one of the buttons provided throughout the bus for this purpose. The bus may pass bus stops without stopping if no one is getting off or waiting to get on.
There are five subway lines in the city. The fare is set at five rates from $2.00 to $3.50 according to the number of predetermined “price zones” traveled. To purchase the appropriate ticket, please check the fare on the boards installed above the ticket-selling machines in each subway station.
Pass through the automated ticket gates by inserting the ticket into the slot. When getting off the subway at a station beyond the validity of the ticket, pay the additional fare at a fare-adjustment machine. What is the lowest cost of a subway ride for an adult?
| A．$1.00. | B．$1.50 . | C．$2.00. | D．$3.50. |
How can a rider determine the fare of a subway ride?
| A．It is automatically determined. |
| B．It is always $2.00 |
| C．Fare-adjustment machines determine the fare. |
| D．All fares are posted. |
Bus riders can NOT use _________.
| A．change | B．bills | C．a bus pass | D．a multiple pass |
According to the information, all bus riders should _________.
| A．exit from the back door |
| B．let the driver know in advance if they want to get off |
| C．ask the driver for chang. |
| D．pay according to a “price zone” |
This text mainly tells us _________.
| A．how to use city buses and subways |
| B．how convenient city buses and subways are |
| C．how to pay the fare for city buses and subways |
| D．how well city buses and subways are equipped |
The first newspapers were written by hand and put up on walls in public place. The earliest daily newspaper was started in Rome in 59 BC. In the 700’s the world’s first printed newspaper was published. Europe didn’t have a regularly published newspaper until 1609, when one was started in Germany.
The first regularly published newspaper in the English language was printed in Amsterdam in 1620. In 1621, an English newspaper was started in London and was published once a week. The first daily English newspaper was the Daily Courant (每日新闻). It came out in March 1702.
In 1690, Benjamin Harris printed the first American newspaper in Boston. But not long after it was first published, the government stopped the paper. In 1704, John Campbell started The Boston Newsletter (波士顿新闻通讯), the first newspaper published in the American colonies. By 1760, the colonies had more than thirty daily newspapers. There are now about 1,800 daily papers in the United States.
Today, as a group, English language newspapers have the largest circulation (发行量) in the world. But the largest circulation for a newspaper is that of the Japanese newspaper Asahi Dhimbun (朝日新闻).It sells more than 11 million copies every day.The first daily newspaper came out in _____.
| A．59 BC | B．700’s | C．1609 | D．1620 |
The first regular published newspaper in Europe was printed in _____.
| A．England | B．Germany | C．France | D．Sweden |
The first printed newspaper in America came out in _____.
| A．Washington | B．New York | C．Boston | D．New Orleans |
Today there are about _____ daily newspaper printed in the United States.
| A．1621 | B．1704 | C．1760 | D．1800 |
Which is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．The first regularly published newspaper in the English language was printed in Amsterdam. |
| B．English language newspaper sells more than 11 million copies every day. |
| C．Europe didn’t have a regularly published newspaper in 1608. |
| D．The first daily English newspaper came out in March 1702. |
Have you wondered why different animals or pests have their particular colors? Colors in them seem to be used mainly to protect themselves.
Birds, especially seagulls are very fond of locusts, but birds can’t easily catch locusts because locusts change their colors together with the change of the color of crops. When crops are green, locusts look green. But when crops are ripe, locusts take on exactly the same brown color as crops have. Some other pests with different colors from plants are usually easily found and eaten by their enemies. So they have to hide themselves in terror for lives and appear only at night.
If you study the animal life in any part of the world, you will find the main use of coloring is to protect themselves, bears, wolves and other beasts move quietly through forests. They are usually invisible to the eyes of hunters, because they have the color much like the barks(树皮) of trees.
An even more strange act remains to be noticed. A kind of fish living in seas can send out a kind of very black liquid when it faces danger. While the liquid is over, its enemies cannot find it, and it quickly swims away. Thus, it has existed up to now though it is not powerful at all.This passage mainly talks about ______.
| A．the change of color in locusts |
| B．the protective coloration of animals and pests |
| C．how a certain sea fish protects itself |
| D．animals or pests can dye themselves different colors |
Locusts are ______ but they aren’t easily wiped out(消灭)by their enemies because _______.
| A．animals; they are powerful enough |
| B．beasts; they are dangerous to their enemies |
| C．pests; they take on the same colors as crops |
| D．birds; they fly very fast |
What does the underlined word “invisible” in Paragraph 3 mean?
| A．can’t be seen | B．can be seen | C．can’t move | D．can’t change |
The laptop is a machine which can be a mobile office；it can be used to entertain us and people can play computer games on them. One machine can perform many tasks at the same time. As technology grows，the size of the new laptop machines is decreasing. Now laptops are lighter，have smaller screen sizes，and perform better. Smaller screen laptops，which are more convenient to take along with，have been specially designed for professionals. Huge display screen laptops are still used by graphic(绘画的)designers and those who like playing computer games.
Laptops are advanced machines，and they can be very expensive. When we spend much money on something，we should take good care of it. I know some people who buy a new laptop every year. The reason they do this is that the old one either is broken or has some problems which cannot be fixed. Common problems are the breaking of the screen，the breaking of joints of the laptop，display problems，and keyboard problems.
Different problems will always come up with machines，and they cannot be avoided(避免)．Old machines will always have to be replaced by new ones. However，if we are more careful and handle our laptops with care，they will last for a longer period of time，and they will perform better. This is not a hard thing to do，but it will greatly increase the life and performance of laptops.According to the first paragraph，the laptop is a machine which________.
| A．is being used by more and more people in the office |
| B．will take the place of desktops sooner or later |
| C．is specially designed for people who like playing computer games |
| D．can be used for both work and entertainment purposes |
The underlined word in the first paragraph means “________”．
| A．becoming smaller |
| B．becoming more important |
| C．becoming more popular |
| D．becoming better |
We infer that graphic designers still use huge display screen laptops most probably because________.
| A．huge display screen laptops are very cheap |
| B．small display screen laptops are not on sale yet |
| C．they can see their drawings more clearly |
| D．they also want to play computer games |
What can we learn from the second paragraph?
| A．That laptops can only be used for one year. |
| B．That laptops are not as good as desktops. |
| C．That the prices for laptops are too high. |
| D．That laptops may have problems which cannot be fixed. |