Last Christmas was a very difficult time for me. My family and all of my close friends were back home in Florida, and I was all alone in a rather cold California. I was working too many hours and became very sick.
I was working a double shift at the Southwest Airlines ticket counter, it was about 9:00 PM on Christmas Eve, and I was feeling really miserable inside. There were a few of us working and very few customers waiting to be helped. When it was time for me to call the next person to the counter, I looked out to see the sweetest-looking old man standing with a cane. He walked very slowly over to the counter and in the faintest voice told me that he had to go to New Orleans. I tried to explain to him that there were no more flights that night and that he would have to go in the morning. He looked so confused and very worried. I tried to find out more information by asking if he had a reservation or if he remembered when he was supposed to travel, but he seemed to become more confused with each question. He just kept saying, “She said I have to go to New Orleans.”
After much time, I was able to at least find out that this old man had been dropped off at the curb on Christmas Eve by his sister-in-law and told to go to New Orleans, where he had family. She had given him some cash and told him just to go inside and buy a ticket. When I asked if he could come back tomorrow, he said that she was gone and that he had no place to stay. He then said he would wait at the airport until tomorrow. Naturally, I felt a little ashamed. Here I was feeling very sorry for myself about being alone on Christmas, when this angel named Clarence MacDonald was sent to me to remind me of what being alone really meant. It broke my heart.
Immediately, I told him we would get it all straightened out, and our Customer Service agent helped to book him a seat for the earliest flight the next morning. We gave him the senior citizen’s fare, which gave him some extra money for travelling. About this time he started to look very tired, and when I stepped around the counter to ask him if he was all right, I saw that his leg was wrapped in a bandage. He had been standing on it that whole time, holding a plastic bag full of clothes.
I called for a wheelchair. When the wheelchair came, we all stepped around to help him in, and I noticed a small amount of blood on his bandage. I asked how he hurt his leg, and he said that he had just had bypass surgery and an artery was taken from his leg. Can you imagine? This man had had heart surgery, and then shortly afterward, was dropped off at the curb to buy a ticket with no reservation to fly to New Orleans, alone!
I never really had a situation like this, and I wasn’t sure what I could do. I went back to ask my supervisors if we could find a place for him to stay. They both said yes, and they obtained a hotel voucher for Mr. MacDonald for one night and a meal ticket for dinner and breakfast. When I came back out, we got his plastic bag of clothes and cane together and gave the porter a tip to take him downstairs to wait for the airport shuttle. I bent down to explain the hotel, food and itinerary (行程) again to Mr. MacDonald, and then patted him on the arm and told him everything would be just fine.
As he left he said, “Thank you,” bent his head and started to cry. I cried too. When I went back to thank my supervisor, she just smiled and said, “I love stories like that. He is your Christmas Man.”Last Christmas the writer had a miserable time because ______.
| A．there were more customers than usual waiting to be helped |
| B．it was freezing cold in California at Christmas time |
| C．she was working all alone at the ticket counter |
| D．she was far away from her family and friends |
The writer’s first impression of the old man was that he was ______.
| A．gentle-looking and weak | B．tired out and worried |
| C．confused and very sick | D．sad and anxious |
The old man wanted to fly to New Orleans to ______.
| A．see his friends there |
| B．spend the Christmas with his family |
| C．visit his sister-in-law |
| D．undergo heart surgery |
On hearing the old man say that he would wait at the airport the whole night, the writer felt a bit ashamed. This is because ______.
| A．she felt sorry that she couldn’t do the old man a favor |
| B．she realized that someone was even more miserable than she felt |
| C．it took her a long time to find out how helpless the old man was |
| D．the old man was like an angel in the writer’s eyes |
The writer called for a wheelchair for the old man because ______.
| A．the old man had broken his leg when he was dropped off at the curb |
| B．the old man could spend the whole night on it at the airport |
| C．the old man was carrying a whole lot of clothes |
| D．the old man had had surgery just before and was very weak by then |
By calling the old man the writer’s Christmas Man, the writer’s supervisor implied that ______.
| A．the old man had told the writer a love story on Christmas |
| B．the old man had caused a lot of trouble for the writer on Christmas |
| C．the old man was the best gift the writer could have received on Christmas |
| D．the old man was the only customer the writer had served on Christmas |
We know that cigarette smoking kills． So, producers made electronic cigarettes as a safer smoking choice - safer than tobacco． Although e-cigarettes contain the drug nicotine like cigarettes, they do not use tobacco and you do not light them． They are powered by battery （电池）．
However, if e-cigarettes are so safe, why has the United States Center for Disease Control（CDC） seen an increase in telephone calls about e-cigarette poisonings?
The answer is children． Most of the calls are from people worried about children who have played with the devices, In the period of one month this year, the Center said 215 people called the Center with e-cigarette concerns． More than half of these calls were for children aged five and younger． The devices had made them sick．
Tim McAfee is director of the Center's Office on Smoking and Health, He says the problem is regulation． Meaning, the U．S． federal government does not control e-cigarettes even though they contain liquid nicotine． Mr．McAfee adds that liquid nicotine is a well-known danger． Mr．McAfee explains that nicotine poisoning happens when it gets into the skin, gets into the eyes or is swallowed． It can cause stomach pain or a sense of unbalance． And too much nicotine can kill,
Tim McAfee says e-cigarettes do not create the level of risk to people that tobacco products do．He notes that almost 500,000 Americans die each year from cigarettes． "So, cigarettes are the winner in that contest．" E-cigarettes do not contain hundreds of harmful chemicals that are found in real cigarettes． So, the U．S．Surgeon General Boris D． Lushniak has suggested that e-cigarettes may be a useful tool for adults trying to end their tobacco use．
But McAfee worries that teenagers may think electronic cigarettes are harmless． They could become addicted to the nicotine and then start smoking real cigarettes． In other words, he fears that for young people fake e-cigarettes could be a "gateway" to the real thing．What do the producers think of e-cigarettes?
| A．Dangerous． | B．Expensive． |
| C．Safer． | D．Cheaper． |
Why did the CDC receive so many calls about e-cigarettes?
| A．Parents feared that their children might get poisoned, |
| B．Parents found the device useless in quitting smoking． |
| C．Children swallowed the liquid nicotine from the device． |
| D．Children might get addicted to playing with the device． |
It can be inferred from the passage that．
A． the CDC wants to develop a better type of e-cigarettes
B． the government is in favor of the use of e-cigarettes
C． Surgeon General Boris D． Lushniak is a heavy smoker
D． smokers most probably can't quit smoking using e-cigarettesWhat is Tim McAfee's opinion about smoking?
| A．Adults should use harmless e-cigarettes． |
| B．Smoking e-cigarettes can make a person sick． |
| C．He claims that regulations should be made to ban smoking． |
| D．He is concerned about the teens using e-cigarettes． |
It's time for your family to relax and have fun! The following family adventures have links for you to get more information．
Take the Rides of Your Life
Visit Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, to seek thrills "Even though it's located off the beaten track, experts regularly praise Cedar Point as the best overall theme park of the country," says U．S． News & World Report． The park calls itself the roller coaster capital of the world, and with 16 to choose from, it's hard to argue． It's open daily from May 10 through Labor Day; weekends only from Labor Day through November 2．
Tickets start at $ 48．99 per person if purchased online．
http://www．cedarpoint,com．
Wander Free on a Dude farm
Dust off your cowboy boots and ready your cowboy hats for a visit to this Rocky Mountains paradise． Located in Augusta, Montana, "The farm has everything an aspiring cowboy or girl could long for," says Sunset magazine, including hiking trails, fishing trips, campfires with sing-alongs, and, of course, horseback rides． The large farm operates from June through September; kids-only and adults-only
programs are available．
Total cost starts at $ 1,360 per adult, $ 1,276 per teen, and $ 1,168 per child．
http://www．triplejranch．com．
Dig for Dinosaurs
Most kids （and adults） love dinosaurs, and to make their wildest dreams come true, head to Fruita, Colorado． The Museum of Western Colorado offers Dino Digs for children ages five and older． You can choose from one-, three-, and five-day expeditions． "Imagine how your child will feel when she helps unearth the fossilized（化石） bones of ancient species," says Outside magazine． It lasts from May to October．
Digs start at $ 125 per person．
http://www．museumofwesternco．com
Surf Sand Dunes
Swap your snowboard for a sand-board, and head to Sand Master Park in Florence, Oregon． Real Simple recommends learning the basics at this private dune park, "which offers board rentals and lessons - often taught by world-champion sand boarders．" Then you 'can hit the ",slopes" to test your skills． From March to June, and September to November．
Rentals for a sand-board start at $ 10 per day; lessons start at $ 45 an hour per person．
http:/'www．sandmasterpark．com．What is special about Cedar Point?
| A．You can visit Cedar Point on weekends． |
| B．It has 16 roller coasters for you to choose from． |
| C．You can help unearth the fossilized bones of dinosaurs． |
| D．It offers lessons taught by world-champion sand boarders． |
If you have a 3-day holiday in April, which of the following may interest you most?
| A．Take the Rides of Your Life |
| B．Wander Free on a Dude farm |
| C．Dig for Dinosaurs |
| D．Surf Sand Dunes |
Where will you probably find this passage?
| A．A science fiction． |
| B．An adventure storybook． |
| C．A travel magazine． |
| D．A theme park advertisement． |
The Cuban iguana is a species of lizard（蜥蜴） of the iguana family． It is the largest of the West Indian rock iguanas, one of the most endangered groups of lizards． This species with red eyes and a thick tail is one of the largest lizards in the Caribbean．
The Cuban iguana is primarily herbivorous; 95% of its diet consists of the leaves, flowers and fruits from as many as 30 plant species, including the seaside rock bush and various grasses． However, Cuban iguanas occasionally consume animal matter, and individuals have been observed eating the dead flesh of birds, fish and crabs, The researchers wrote that quite a few people on Isla Magueyes could have caused this incident．
The Cuban iguana is distributed throughout the rocky southern coastal areas of mainland Cuba and its surrounding islands with a wild population booming on Isla Magueyes, Puerto Rico． It is also found on the Cayman Islands of Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, where a separate subspecies occurs． Females guard their nest sites and often nest in sites half destroyed by Cuban crocodiles． To avoid the attack from them, the Cuban iguana often makes its home within or near prickly-pear cacti （仙人掌）．
In general the species is in decline, more quickly on the mainland than on the outlying islands． One of the reasons for their decline is habitat destruction caused by the over consuming of farm animals, housing development, and the building of tourist resorts on the beaches where the animals prefer to build their nests． Although the wild population is in decline, the numbers of iguanas have been sharply increased as a result of captive-breeding（圈养） and other conservation programs．．The underlined word "herbivorous" （Paragraph 2） probably means．
| A．dangerous | B．gentle |
| C．plant-eating | D．flesh-eating |
．Why does the Cuban iguana build its nest near prickly-pear cacti?
| A．To keep itself cool． | B．To get the food easily． |
| C．To stay away from people． | D．To avoid crocodiles' attack． |
．How many reasons are mentioned for the habitat destruction?
| A．Two． | B．Three． | C．Four． | D．Five． |
．What's the author's purpose of writing the text?
| A．To give us a brief introduction to the Cuban iguana． |
| B．To show he is concerned about the Cuban iguana． |
| C．To explain reasons for the Cuban iguana's decline． |
| D．To draw people's attention to the endangered Cuban iguana． |
My 16-year-old son, Anton, had gone to the local swimming hole． Most of the kids swim there, and there are plenty of rocks for them to use as safe harbors, so I had no fears for his safety．
Still, the firefighter's first words "You need to come up here to the Stillwater River" made me catch my breath, and his follow-up words gave me relief: “ Your son is OK．”
When I got to the river, I immediately saw the firetruck, ambulance and Anton, wrapped with a towel about his shoulders, sitting quietly on a low platform of the fire engine．
I hurried over to him． "You OK?"I asked．
”Yeah," was all he said． But my eyes begged for an explanation, I didn't get it from my son, however, who tends to play his cards close to his vest．
The story was this: A woman was being swept under water． Hearing the cries, Anton and his friend Tyler, without hesitation, swam out to her, and brought her safely to shore．
In an age in which the word "hero" is broadcast with abandon and seemingly applied to anyone who make it through the day, I realized the real thing in my son． The teens are stubborn and self-centred, but that didn't mean they have no desire to do good．
Still shocked by my son's daring, I drove him home． Along the way, I tried to dig out some more information from him - but he had precious little to say． The only words he said were,
”What's for supper?"
I spent some time alone that evening, thinking about the tragedy that might have been． The next morning, when Anton got up, I half expected him to tell me the story． But all he did was toast some bread, pull himself together, and head for the door to start a new day． Watching from the window,1 was reminded that still water often runs deep．Why did the mother allow her son to swim there?
| A．He was an excellent swimmer． |
| B．The water of the river is shallow． |
| C．He was old enough to swim． |
| D．The rocks can be of help if there's danger． |
The underlined part "who tends to play his cards close to his vest" probably means
| A．Anton is a boy fond of swimming with other kids |
| B．Anton is unwilling to tell others what he thinks |
| C．Anton always has a desire to help others |
| D．Anton seldom changes his mind |
In the mother's eyes, what her son did was
| A．dangerous but interesting |
| B．unexpected and courageous |
| C．meaningful but difficult |
| D．awful and absurd |
What might be the best title for the passage?
| A．My Son, My Hero | B．Anton, A Silent Boy |
| C．A Good Deed | D．A Proud Mother |
Up to two-fifths of a food crop is often wasted because it is “ugly”, a report on food waste has shown.
Produce grown in the UK that does not meet retailer(零售商) standards on appearance is often given to animals or thrown out even though it is healthy to eat.
The report from the UK’s global food security program also showed that the average household throws away more than 5kg of food a week, and nearly two-thirds of that waste is avoidable.
The waste costs £ 480 a year per household on average, and £ 680 per family.
Households throw away a fifth of the food they buy, wasting it for reasons ranging from cooking too much to not using it before it goes bad, the study showed.
Consumption is the top area where food is wasted in the UK, the study said.
Farmers respond to consumer demands for high-quality food with standards that can lead to the crop being wasted. Some supermarkets have started marketing “odd shapes and sizes” of fruit and vegetables, though.
Also, more UK consumers are prepared to accept “ugly” fruit and vegetables, amid concerns over sustainability(可持续发展) and food prices, the research said.
In developing countries, much of the loss of food occurs during post-harvesting storage, processing and packaging.
Tackling waste globally is necessary to feed a growing world population sustainably. One in eight people worldwide doesn’t have enough food, the report said.
Around a third of food produced globally is lost or wasted.
Professor Tim Benton, an expert on food security at the University of Leeds, said: “Over 5 million people in the UK live in poverty, where basic food provision is a daily challenge.”
Nearly 400,000 people used food banks last year, according to the Trussell Trust.
“At the same time, 15 million tons of food is wasted annually, with nearly half thrown away within UK households. Reducing the scale(范围) of losses and waste throughout the food system is a crucial step.”
The report highlights priorities(优先事项) for research to help reduce food waste, including improving harvesting and packaging technologies and seasonal weather prediction. Food waste in developing nations is mainly due to .
| A．fast growing populations |
| B．huge demand for high-quality foods |
| C．poor technology in food industries |
| D．people’s lack of concern about food shortages |
We can conclude from the article that .
| A．over half of the food produce in the UK is wasted within households |
| B．“ugly” fruits and vegetables are becoming more and more popular in the UK |
| C．avoiding food waste could, by itself, solve food shortage problems around the world |
| D．developing better farming and packaging technologies is key to reducing food waste |
Which of the following statements might Professor Tim Benton agree with?
| A．British farmers should keep up with their high growing standards. |
| B．The number of people living in poverty is growing too fast in Britain. |
| C．There is still much to do to improve British people’s awareness of food sustainability. |
| D．British supermarkets should be encouraged to sell food of odd shapes and sizes. |
What is suggested in the report?
| A．Cutting food prices. |
| B．Using different approaches to reduce food waste. |
| C．Improving the appearance of food. |
| D．Cooking at home more often. |