Christmas is perhaps the most important holiday in American culture. On Christmas Eve, children sit out with parents in the living room hanging stockings, setting up a Christmas tree, eating candy canes, and setting up milk and cookies for Santa Claus. Perhaps the most beloved figure in American history, Santa Claus has become an important icon for Christmas.
I remember believing in Santa when I was a very young girl. However, as I grew older, I learned many facts that “proved” his existence as false. Always inquisitive by nature and very keen on the scientific method of experimentation, I was determined to use tests and observations to determine whether Santa Claus was real.
The first year of tests happened when I was 5. I decided that if I stayed up all night on Christmas Eve, I could see if Santa really did come down the chimney. However, that was a futile attempt, I fell asleep that year. The next year, I was able to test if location was an issue with Santa’s deliveries. That year, my family spent Christmas with the family of one of my mother’s friends. At the time, I decided that if Santa was all-knowing he would know I wasn’t home. Sure enough, there was a pretty pink package waiting for me the next morning. At age 7, I came up with my ultimate test to see if Santa was real. That year, I didn’t send out my Christmas letter to Santa. On Christmas Eve, my mother dragged me to our local Wal-Mart and led me around the toy section. I refused to say a word, but did let my eye linger on a ballet set. I figured that “Santa” wouldn’t know what to get me because he shouldn’t be able to read my mind. However, mother would know everything that caught my eye in the store. If I got the ballet set the next morning, I would have my evidence. Christmas morning, there was the ballet set, sitting under the tree. As I didn’t use it much, mother ended up returning it a few days later. She claimed Santa was generous enough to leave a receipt. That was the end to my mission to discover the existence of Santa.
Now, I can look back on all of these with fond nostalgia(怀旧). The magic and mystery of it all made Christmas a fun time. Santa was a big part of my childhood.Children do all the things on Christmas Eve except______
set up a Christmas tree
hang stockings and eat candy canes
prepare milk and cookies for Santa Claus
wait for Santa Claus with their parentsThe underlined word “futile” means____
| A．unreal | B．unusual |
| C．unsuccessful | D．unreasonable |
How did the writer prove the existence of Santa Claus as false?
| A．He stayed up all night on Christmas Eve and saw Santa come down the chimney. |
| B．He found that Santa was all-knowing and could make the deliveries accurate |
| C．He didn’t send out his Christmas letter but still got his Christmas present |
| D．He used the receipt left by Santa to return his present |
The writer wants to tell us that_____
| A．He proved the existence of Santa Claus as false. |
| B．Christmas and Santa is a part of his life as well as his child |
| C．Christmas plays an important role in American culture |
| D．Santa Claus is the most popular figure in American history |
B
Supermarkets are trying out new computers that make shopping carts more intelligent（具备智能的）. They will help shoppers find paper cups or toilet soap, and keep a record of the bill.
The touch-screen devices（触摸屏装置）are on show at the Food Marketing Institute’s exhibition here this week. “These devices are able to create value and get you around the store quicker,” said Michael Alexander, manager of Springboard Retail Networks Inc., which makes a smart cart computer called the Concierge.
Canadian stores will test the Concierge in July. A similar device, IBM’s “Shopping Buddy”, has recently been test-marketed at Stop & Shop stores in Massachusetts.
Neither device tells you how many fat grams or calories are in your cart, but they will flash you with items on sale. The idea is to make it easier for people to buy, not to have second thoughts that maybe you should put something back on the shelf.
“The whole model is driven by advertisers’ need to get in front of shoppers,” said Alexander. “They’re not watching 30-second TV ads anymore.”
People can use a home computer to make their shopping lists. Once at the store, a shopper can use a preferred customer card to start a system（系统）that will organize the trip around the store. If you’re looking for toothpicks, you type in the word or pick it from a list, and a map will appear on the screen showing where you are and where you can find them.
The device also keeps a record of what you buy. When you’re finished, the device figures out your bill. Then you go to the checker or place your card into a self-checkout stand and pay.
The new computerized shopping assistants don’t come cheap. The Buddy devices will cost the average store about $ 160,000, and the Concierge will cost stores about $ 500 for each device.
59. The underlined word “They”（paragraph 1）refers to ______.
A. supermarkets B. shop assistants C. shopping carts D. shop managers
60. Which of the following is the correct order of shopping with computerized shopping carts?
a. Start the system. b. Make a shopping list.
c. Find the things you want. d. Go to a self-checkout stand.
A. abdc B. bacd C. acbd D. bcad
61. We can learn from the last paragraph that ______.
A. intelligent shopping carts cost a large sum of money
B. the Concierge is cheaper than the Buddy devices
C. shop assistants with computer knowledge are well paid
D. average stores prefer the Concierge to the Buddy devices
62. What might be the most suitable title for the text?
A. New age for supermarkets.
B. Concierge and Shopping Buddy.
C. New computers make shopping carts smarter.
D. Touch-screen devices make shopping enjoyable.
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
A
There was once a professor of medicine, who was very strict with the students. Whenever he took the chair on the exam committee（委员会）, the students would be in fear , because he was seldom pleased with the answers they gave . A student would be lucky enough if he or she could receive a good mark from him. At the end of the term, the students of medicine would take their exam again . Now a student entered the exam room and got seated before the committee. This student was a little nervous as he knew it would not be so easy to get through the exam at all.
The professor began to ask. The student was required to describe a certain illness, his description of which turned out to be OK.
Then the professor asked about the cure（药剂,疗法）for the illness , and the student , too , answered just as right . “Good,” said the professor, “and how much will you give the patient?”
“A full spoon,” answered the student.
“Now you may go out and wait for what you can get,” said the professor. At the same time the committee discussed carefully the answers the student had given .Suddenly the student noticed that there was something wrong with his last answer. “A full spoon is too much,” he thought to himself. Anxiously he opened the door of the room and cried, “Mr. Professor, I’ve made a mistake! A full spoon is too much for the patient. He can take only five drops. ”
“I’m sorry, sir,” said the professor coldly, “but it’s too late. Your patient has died. ”
56. The students were afraid of the professor because _______.
A. they often angered and disappointed him
B. their answers often astonished him
C. their answers seldom satisfied him
D. he often misunderstood them and gave them bad marks
57. The student’s description of the illness was ________ .
A. not correctB. not satisfying
C. completely discouraging D. accepted
58 Which guess is the most reasonable from the passage?
A. The student must have passed the exam.
B. The student may not have passed the exam.
C. The student must have been very happy when he heard, “Your patient has died . ”
D. The professor must have been very pleased and given the student a good mark.
(C)
Daban town is famous for girls and windmills , while Loulan is a myth(神话) in the desert. Two thousand years ago, beside the beautiful and rich Loubu Lake, there lay Loulan ancient city of the Silk Raod. Businessmen from every country gathered and there were dancing parties. Everything shows that people in Loulan lived a rich life then.
However, two thousand years later, this rich land suddenly disappeared from the map of China. It became an area covered with sand and dead tree trunks.
Loulan was first“discovered” by a Swedish man named Sven Hedin in 1900. People from America, British , Japan and Sweden, all set foot here. Then in the 1930’s, a Chinese man named Huang Wenbi came to Loulan for the first time. He visited and studied this area and found many relics that were beautifully and carefully made.
It is recorded that the ancient city of Loulan was the capital of the Loulan Kingdom during the Han and Jin Dynasties, and covered an area of some 100,000 sq. metres. Inside the city , there are the ruins of government offices, temples and other old buildings. Outside the city there are some dried-up rivers and much farmland. In the past century, many things have been dug up there including Han Dynasty coins, mirrors and many others of Greek and Roman times. All these things show that a lot of business between the East and West once took place there.
Lying on the northwest of the Lop Nur area, the Loulan Kingdom is now a lifeless area with endless “forests” of mounds( 小丘 ) which aren’t easily seen in other parts of the world. Its mystery has been attracting many people from many countries.
46.The first person to set foot in Loulan in the 20th century was______.
A. a European B. an American C. an Englishman D. a Japanese
47.Before Loulan disappeared, ________.
A. people from America and Japan had set foot there.
B. much business between the East and West had taken place there.
C. a lifeless area with lots of mounds could easily be seen there
D. there were no government offices or temples
48. We can infer from the passage that_______.
A. Loulan was destroyed by the terrible weather there
B. wars between Dynasties made Loulan disappear
C. foreigners came to Loulan and destroyed it
D. how Loulan disappeared is still unknown to us
49. What makes so many people visit the Loulan Kingdom now?
A. Its beautiful scenery . B. Its developing business.
C. Its mystery. D. The treasures.
50. The title for this passage might be_______.
A. Famous Town, Daban B. Ancient Town in the Desert
C. Business in Ancient Loulan D. Cities in Ancient China
(B)
We’re not suggesting that you should reach a permanent state called “happiness” and remain there. But there are many ways to keep away from anxiety, anger, frustration and sadness. Here are some ideas to get you started. Choose the ones that work for you.
Practice mindfulness. Focus on the present. Instead of worrying about what you should do tomorrow while you’re having dinner with your family, focus on the here and now—the food, your families, the conversation.
Sing along. Studies fine music act
ivates parts of the brain that produce happiness. In one study, older adults who listened to their choice of music during eye surgery had significantly lower heart rate and blood pressure than those who had silent surgery.
Go to sleep. We have become a nation of sleep-deprived citizens. Taking a daily nap or getting into bed at 8 p.m. at night with a good book and turning the lig
ht out an hour later can do more for your mood than any number of bubble baths or massages.
Make a list. There’s nothing like writing down your tasks to help you organize your thoughts and calm your anxiety. Checking off each item provides a great sense of fulfillment.
Visit a quiet place. Libraries, museums, gardens, and places of worship(礼拜场所) provide islands of peace and calm in today’s world. Find a quiet place near your house and make it your secret getaway.
Volunteer. Helping others enables you to put your own problems into perspective(客观判断力) and also provides social interaction. While happy people are more likely to help others, helping others increases your happiness. One study found that volunteer work enhanced all four aspects of well-being: happiness, life satisfaction, self-esteem and sense of control over life.
41. According to the passage, which of the following ways can keep you away from bad moods?
A. Staying with your family. B. Having a lot of money.
C. Having enough sleep. D. Travelling.
42. As stared in the text, ______can reduce the risk of operation.
A. taking a nap when having surgery B. finding a quiet place to perform surgery
C. keeping quiet when having surgery D. listening to music when having surgery
43. Making a list of your tasks and checking them off can ________ yourself.
A. encourage B. satisfy C. improve D. change
44. You’d better not go to _______if you want to keep quiet and calm.
A. libraries B. churches C. supermarkets D. gardens
45. According to the passage, why can helping others increase your happiness?
A. Because it’s a good way to relax.
B. Because happy people are more likely to help others.
C. Because it enable you to see your own problems clearly.
D. Because it can enhance your health.
IV. 阅读理解：（共20题，每小题2分，共40分）
(A)
My father had returned from his business visit to London when I came in, rather late, to supper. I could tell at once that he and my mother had been discussing something. In that half-playful, half-serious way I knew so well, he said, "How would you like to go to Eton?"
"You bet," I cried quickly catching the joke. Everyone knew it was the most expensive, the most famous of schools. You had to be entered at birth, if not before. Besides, even at 12 or 13, I understood my father. He disliked any form of showing off. He always knew his proper station in life, which was in the middle of the middle class, our house was medium-sized; he had avoided joining Royal Liverpool Golf Club and went to a smaller one instead; though once he had got a second-hand Rolls-Royce at a remarkably low price, he felt embarrassed driving it, and quickly changed it for an Austin 1100.
This could only be his delightful way of telling me that the whole boarding school idea was to be dropped. Alas! I should also have remembered that he had a liking for being different from everyone else, if it did not conflict(冲突) with his fear of drawing attention to himself.
It seem
ed that he had happened to be talking to Graham Brown of the London office, a very nice fellow, and Graham had a friend who had just entered his boy at the school, and while he was in that part of the world he thought he might just as well phone them. I remember my eyes stinging(刺痛) and my hands shaking with the puzzlement of my feelings. There was excitement, at the heart of great sadness.
"Oh, he doesn't want to go away," said my mother, "You shouldn't go on like this.” “It's up to him," said my father. "He can make up his own mind."
36. The house the writer's family lived in was ________.
A. the best they could afford B. right for their social position
C. for showing off D. rather small
37. His father sold his Roils-Royce because ________.
A. it made him feel uneasyB. it was too old to work well
C. it was too expensive to possess D. it was too cheap
38. The writer's father enjoyed being in the middle class because ________.
A. it drew attention to himB. it didn't bring him in arguments
C. it was understood as a joke D. he disliked showing off
39. What was the writer's reaction to the idea of going to Eton?
A. He was very unhappy. B. He didn't believe it.
C. He was delighted. D. He had mixed feelings.
40. We can know from the passage that ________.
A. Children who can go to Eton are very famous
B. Children can go to Eton if they will
C. It is very difficult for a child to get a chance to go to Eton
D. Children don't have the right to decide whether they will go to Eton