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 |
Many people write to newspaper and magazines to express their opinions. Letters to the editor must carry the writer’s full name, address and telephone number, although the information is not necessary for publication. This requirement to provide personal particulars is a clear indication that writers are held responsible for what they say. When a writer wants his voice heard, he needs to claim ownership of his voice. Responsibility is the name of the game.
“People today prefer living together to putting their signatures on a marriage certificate because they refuse to accept responsibility for the relationship,” said social worker Ken Yip, “and this is what is causing a lot of family problems.” When we sign a paper, for example, a business contract or a bank document, the signature is a seal of consent, an agreement to take the matter seriously. Most governments and many organizations will not process written complaints if they do not bear the writer’s signature. The absence of a signature, they explain, tells us that the writer cannot be too serious and therefore does not deserve a reply.
There are people who wish to remain anonymous（匿名的）for various reasons. Multi-billionaire Mr. King donates generously to charity several times a year. He gives simply because he wants to help but not for the publicity his donations may bring, and he does not want his good deeds to make news. In other cases, people insist on anonymity because they are afraid of the consequences of revealing their identity. Crime witnesses may be willing to assist the police, but most are unwilling to give their names when reporting a crime.
Name or no name? The answer is very personal and lies in how much we want to get involved. We all have a name. It is a matter if responsibility to use it when we make a statement, a claim or an accusation. We all want to honor our own name, and it is only by stamping our expression of an opinion with our own name that we honor what we say.What does the writer mean by saying “Responsibility is the name of the game”?
| A．Writers need to provide their personal information in the game. |
| B．Publication must bear the writer’s full name, address and phone number. |
| C．Writers should be responsible for their names. |
| D．Names are required to indicate writers’ responsibility for what they say. |
The second paragraph suggests that a paper without a signature may _______.
| A．help to end a relationship |
| B．not get a reply |
| C．be accepted all the same |
| D．become a family problem |
Some people don’t want their names known because they are ________.
| A．hesitant to make a donation |
| B．unwilling to draw public attention |
| C．afraid of an accusation |
| D．ready for involvement |
The passage is mainly about _______.
| A．honor and writers |
| B．identity and signature |
| C．signature and responsibility |
| D．anonymity and signature |
Name: Off the Beaten Path
Cover price: $30.00
Our price: $l9.80
The best-selling Reader’s Digest travel book has 40% new content including over 200 new sites, over 200 new full-color photographs, and all-new, up-to-date maps. It spotlights over l, 000 of the United States’ most overlooked must-see destinations.
Name: Container Gardens by Number
Cover price: $l5.95
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A unique book contains 50 easy-to-follow container designs. Each design provides a simple numbered planting plan that shows exactly how to create each display, with an instruction of the finished planter and in-depth plant information. The plans are easy to follow and for any type of living space or garden.
Name: Best Weekend Projects
Cover price: $l7.95
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Choose from 80 unique ideas to create an extraordinary living space. The projects are practical, as well as attractive, and will improve your home and yard and can be made in a weekend. These 80 well-designed projects are presented in a clear, easy-to-follow style that addresses readers in an accessible, user-friendly tone.
Name: l80l Home Cures
Cover price: $40.00
Our price: $29.96
Plenty of health complaints can be handled at home. Each and every cure will be tested by a doctor to make sure it is safe and sound.
Dozens of conditions are covered, from headaches, sunburn, bad breath, and blisters to allergies, and hiccups.You can most probably read the passage in a ___________.
| A．newspaper | B．travel guide |
| C．reference book | D．textbook |
How much money could you save if you want to buy a travel book?
| A．$6.46 | B．$l3.96 | C．$l0. 20 | D．$l9.8 |
Which of the following could help you to deal with common diseases without a doctor?
| A．l80l Home Cures. | B．Container Gardens by Number. |
| C．Off the Beaten Path. | D．Best Weekend Projects. |
What’s the purpose of the passage?
| A．To share his opinion about the books with readers. |
| B．To advise readers to read more in spare time. |
| C．To share the pleasure of reading with readers. |
| D．To advise readers to buy their books. |
In the fall of 1985, I was a bright-eyed girl heading off to Howard University, aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere. Twenty-one years later I am still a bright-eyed dreamer and one with quite a different tale to tell.
My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated from college at the age of 65. She was the first in our family to reach that goal. But one year after I started college, she developed cancer. I made the choice to withdraw from college to care for her. It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait.
Then I got married with another dream: building my family with a combination of adopted and biological children. In 1999, we adopted our first son. To lay eyes on him was fantastic – and very emotional. A year later came our second adopted boy. Then followed son No. 3. In 2003, I gave birth to another boy.
You can imagine how fully occupied I became, raising four boys under the age of 8! Our home was a complete zoo – a joyous zoo. Not surprising, I never did make it back to college full-time. But I never gave up
on the dream either. I had only one choice: to find a way. That meant taking as few as one class each semester.
The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys. They often wanted me to stay home with them. There certainly were times I wanted to quit, but I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives.
In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina. It took me over 21 years to get my college degree!
I am not special, just single-minded. It always struck me that when you’re looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when you’re in the midst of it, it just seems normal. Everything you want won’t arrive in your life on one day. It’s a process. Remember: little steps add up to big dreams.When the author went to Howard University, her dream was to be _______.
| A．a writer | B．a teacher |
| C．a judge | D．a doctor |
Why did the author quit school in her second year of college?
| A．She wanted to study by herself. |
| B．She fell in love and got married. |
| C．She suffered from a serious illness. |
| D．She decided to look after her grandma. |
What does the author mostly want to tell us in the last paragraph?
| A．Failure is the mother of success. |
| B．Little by little, one goes far. |
| C．Every coin has two sides. |
| D．Well begun, half done. |
Which of the following can best describe the author?
| A．Caring and determined. |
| B．Honest and responsible. |
| C．Ambitious and Sensitive |
| D．Innocent and single-minded |
As anybody with children knows, dining out with kids is an entirely different experience from dining out with friends. If the restaurant offers crayons (蜡笔), puzzles or toys of some sort, it takes a lot of the stress out of dining out with kids. Here, in no particular order, are our pick of top restaurants for kids.
The Olive Garden
The Olive Garden is a family favorite, especially because of the kids menu, crayons, and activity books. My daughter believes this famous Italian food chain has the “best pizza ever” on its kids menu. The kids also get to indulge in the famous Olive Garden bread --- a favorite for kids of all ages.
The Silver Diner
The Silver Diner, which has locations in New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia, gets a nod for featuring one of the most fun kids meal containers --- a heavy-duty paper car --- as well as old-fashioned, table-side jukebox selectors (点唱机选择器).The menu wins too, both for its breadth (范围) of choices, and for the number of them that are healthy.
Legal Sea Foods
The kids menu for popular seafood chain Legal Sea Foods is extensive (详尽的) and features the most choices from the sea of any kids menu we’ve seen. The original Boston Harborside restaurant has a small children’s menu, but its other locations all have 12 kid’s choices, including a pricy (昂贵的) One Pound Lobster (or 1/2 pound), Wood-Grilled Fish of the Day, and Popcorn Shrimp selections.
Ground Round
This restaurant chain was a favorite of children growing up in the 1970s and early 1980s, as it served popcorn and peanuts before the meal instead of bread, and let kids throw the peanut shells on the floor. There were also cartoons and silent movies shown during dinner. Ground Round has changed with the times, but they still have delectable (美味的) offerings for kids.What makes the Silver Diner different from the other restaurants for kids ?
| A．Its great pizza and variety of activity books. |
| B．Its fun kids meal containers and jukebox selectors. |
| C．The popcorn and peanuts served before the meal. |
| D．The way its menus change with the times. |
Which of the following restaurants might interest those who like eating lobster?
| A．The Olive Garden. | B．The Silver Diner. |
| C．Legal Sea Foods. | D．Ground Round. |
Who is the article intended for?
| A．School teachers. | B．Parents with kids. |
| C．Travelers to the US. | D．Restaurant managers. |
The underlined word “indulge in ” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to _____.[
| A．be crazy about | B．be tired of |
| C．be good for | D．be surprised at |
Apple Inc. released the Apple Watch on March 9 in San Francisco, US., which is a simple rectangular (矩形的) shape with a range of stylish and useful wristbands.
The watch will be available in nine places, including the US, the UK and China, from April 24. The starting price is $349 (2,186 yuan).With six different designs and 30 or so wristbands, the gadget “sets the standard for smartwatches, in style,” agreed The Brisbane Times, “but more importantly, in functionality (功能性).” “With the built-in speaker and microphone, you can receive calls on your watch. I have been wanting to do this since I was 5 years old,” said Apple’s chief executive Tim Cook. In fact, anything you can do on the iPhone is there on the watch --- e-mails, text messages, airline boarding services, and directions from Apple Maps. Using a home security app, you can keep an eye on your home from a far place, or even open a locked door.
There are some features that have made Cook sure the watch is “our most personal device”. The watch taps you on the wrist to draw your attention to a message or a calendar reminder, and it can send a tap on the wrist to another Apple Watch wearer.
However, the watch can also do things that are just plain fun. You can send a real-time display of your heartbeat to another Apple Watch to “let someone know you are thinking about them.”
So far, though, the most impressive part of this new device is “the monitoring of the wearer’s health and fitness,” said AFP. It will even tap you on the wrist if you have been sitting down for longer than is good for your health.Which of the following features of the Apple Watch are mentioned in the article?
a. its price
b. its functions
c. its shortcomings
d. its shape and weight
e. when and where people can buy it
| A．abd | B．abe | C．bce | D．bde |
With an Apple Watch, you can ______.
| A．monitor your health and diagnose yourself |
| B．send a real-time display of your heartbeat to an iPhone |
| C．be reminded to move around if you’ve been sitting down for too long |
| D．receive emails, text messages and calls, and open a locked door for your neighbor |
How does the Apple Watch let wearers know there is a new message?
| A．The watch beeps. |
| B．The watch sends out music. |
| C．The watch changes its screen color. |
| D．The watch taps the wearer on the wrist. |
Which word best describes Tim Cook’s attitude toward the Apple Watch?
| A．Proud. | B．Modest. |
| C．Serious. | D．Cautious. |