It was a Christmas night．I was an unlucky nurse who had to work on such a beautiful festival．When I was complaining（抱怨）about it，three people appeared at my desk﹣a tired woman and two children．
"Are you all sick？"I asked doubtfully because they seemed all right．
"Yes，"the woman answered weakly and lowered her head．
But when they started to present their problems，things became unclear．One child had a fever，but his temperature was OK．The other child had an earache，but she could not tell me which ear hurt．It seemed that the mother was pretending（假装）to cough．
Something was wrong．But I only explained that it might take a while before a doctor could meet them．"Take your time，please，"said the mother．I checked their charts﹣no address．Suddenly I knew，they were homeless while the hospital was warm．
The family huddled（蜷缩）together under the Christmas tree，smiling and talking with each other sweetly．Quietly，I went back to the nurses'station and told them what happened in the waiting room．It was just like God sending us a gift on Christmas Day．The nurses'station suddenly came back to life．All the nurses went into action for"a Christmas emergency（急诊）"．
We took out our meals for our Christmas"patients"．We also put together oranges and apples as presents．We tried to exceed the needs of a family who only wanted a warm place on Christmas night．Later，the little girl kissed me and said，"Thanks for being our angel（天使）．"
56．Before the family appeared in the hospital，the writer was very ．
A．proud
B．unhappy
C．pleased
57．The family came to the hospital because ．
A．they came to visit a patient
B．they were all sick
C．they were homeless
58．The nurses offered the family meals and gifts in order to ．
A．make them feel at home
B．make them leave
C．make them feel upset
59．What does the underlined word"exceed"in this passage mean？
A．降低
B．超出
C．拒绝
60．From the story，we learn that ．
A．homeless people often tell lies
B．a hospital is a good place to spend Christmas night
C．we should always be friendly and kind to those in need．
The Clockwork Radio
The British inventor Trevor Baylis created this really clever ′wind-up radio′ for people from Third World countries. in some parts of the Third World countries, it’s very hard for people to get or pay for enough energy. This radio uses no batteries (电池) and does not need any electricity to run it. A clockwork generator (发电机) is put inside the radio and works as the power. When it is fully wound up (上弦), the radio can work for long periods.
The clock work product is not a new invention. The Victorians had already put it in wide use. We may find them used in toys as well. Then what is new about this clockwork radio? Baylis has used this simple but effective (高效的) way of creating electricity to both help the people of the Third World and to develop a product which is selling well in Western Europe.
Even former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandella has one of these radios and personally recommends this product to others. What does the clockwork radio use to run it?
| A．Batteries. | B．Electricity. |
| C．A clockwork generator. | D．Wind power. |
The Third World countries are in the world.
| A．the rich countries | B．the poor countries |
| C．Western European | D．Victorian countries |
Which sentence is true according to the passage?
| A．the clockwork radio can work for only a short period of time. |
| B．Trevor Baylis created the world’s first clockwork product. |
| C．The clockwise radio is also a toy for people of the Third World. |
| D．Nelson Mandella owns one of the clockwork radios. |
Interested in Chinese calligraphy (书法) experiences? By joining our Beijing Tours Xi’an Tours or Guilin Tours, visitors can add Chinese calligraphy classes to the tour at, very reasonable prices.
Most of the big museums in China have calligraphy collections. See our Museums Tours.
For travelers who are interested in the history and culture of Chinese calligraphy, Museum of Chinese Characters in Anyang City, Henan Province is a good choice. The Stele Forest Museum in Xi’an City houses many works of famous ancient calligraphers as well as precious stone sculptures (雕塑).
Contact us for a tailor-made tour.Where can we find this piece of writing?
| A．In a story book. | B．In a textbook. |
| C．In a cookbook. | D．In a travel magazine. |
What can we see in the Stele Forest Museum in Xi’an City?
| A．Statue of ancient calligraphers. |
| B．Precious stone sculptures. |
| C．City houses |
| D．Famous workers. |
Which road sign tells us that we must NOT turn right?
Outside our school there’s a sign like this
. What should the drivers to when they see it?
| A．They must stop the car immediately and wait there. |
| B．They must take a U-turn there. |
| C．They mustn’t even stop the car in that area. |
| D．They mustn’t drive the car into that area. |
Where in the world can you take an hour’s train ride, and pass a forest, a London street, a scene from the Wild West, and a burning building that never burns down? There’s only one place, and that’s Hollywood, in California. The scenes you see from the tourist train are film sets（布景） in the Universal Studios, one of the oldest and largest movie companies(公司) in the USA.
A visit to Universal Studios brings back memories of great days of Hollywood, the films and the stars. But they are only memories. Hollywood isn’t quite the same as it used to be. Costs have gone up and confidence has gone down. Movie-makers are afraid to spend their money on expensive new ideas. Instead, they repeat old ones.
The film industry is changing fast. Teenagers still go out to the movies. The theatre is a good place to meet friends away from home. But older people mostly stay home to watch series, like Dynasty have become as important to Hollywood as expensive movies. These “soap opera”, as they are called, show rich, powerful families living in beautiful homes and wearing beautiful clothes. But the actors and actresses are nearly all middle-aged, like many of the people who watch them.
Though it is soap operas that are keeping the film-makers of Hollywood in Business, big films are still being made in America. But more and more of them are made outside Hollywood. New York is the most important new center, but there are many others as well. Movie-makers have realized that they don’t need Hollywood any more. Modern cameras and real houses instead of expensively made copies in a studio. Other states, especially Florida and Texas, are working hard to take the film business away from California. They are offering better working conditions and lower cost.
But Hollywood is fighting back. The state of California is trying hard to keep its best-known industry.From the passage, we know Universal Studios is ______.
| A．a very large park | B．a busy London street |
| C．a famous movie company | D．an old Hollywood movie |
The movie industry in California isn’t as successful as before because ______.
| A．young people don’t go to movie theatres any more |
| B．there is strong competition from other states |
| C．its movie companies are in neeed of young stars |
| D．the state hasn’t put a development plan into action |
Which of the following seems to be a threat（威胁）to Hollywood？
| A．The use of modern cameras and other equipment |
| B．The interest of middle-aged film stars |
| C．The making of TV series like Dynasty |
| D．The expensively made copies of scenes |
The Guidance Department （教导处）at Berryville High School has a staff of eleven teachers. Most of their work is done with the students. But the staff sees a lot of parents, too.
“Parents meetings make clear monthly diagram（图表）.”says Mildred Freman, head of the Guidance. “This diagram stays much the same from year to year. The busy months are October, March and May. ”
September, the beginning of a new school year, starts rather slowly. Few parents come in. Most of these want to talk about the schedules. October brings many problems caused by some students. Some parents are called in. Others come by themselves. Things quiet down in November. December is a quiet month. “It’s the holiday. ”Ms Foreman says, “People want to come in, I know, but they decide to wait until after New Year’s Day.”
Report cards go home just before Christmas holidays. Bad marks bring parents in as school opens again. This happens again in March, another report card month. May is always the year’s busiest month. That’s when parents begin to think that their children may be asked to stay in the same grade again. They come in to see if anything can be done before things are decided in June. The teachers in the Guidance Department usually ______.
| A．do most of their work for the students |
| B．answer all the questions from parents |
| C．help other teachers get along with students and parents |
| D．only bring report cards to students and parents |
In December parents usually ______.
| A．stay at home with their children for their holidays |
| B．wait for the teachers to bring report cards to their children |
| C．wouldn’t like to visit the teachers in the Guidance Department |
| D．let teachers have a good rest during their holidays |
Why do some parents come to school in March? Because ______.
| A．they want to see their children’s teachers after Christmas holidays |
| B．they are called by the teachers of Guidance Department |
| C．bad marks have them do it |
| D．it’s the beginning of a new school year |
Which of the following is Right?
| A．In June the school decides who will stay in the same grade again. |
| B．Almost all the parents come to meet Mildred Foreman every month. |
| C．April is also the second busiest month for the staff. |
| D．The parents help to do most of the work for the staff. |