Going home for Christmas is a tradition of the holiday season. No matter where you may be the rest of the years, being at “home” with your family and friends for Christmas is a “must”. The Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are the busiest times of the year at airports, train stations and bus stations. It seems that all America is on the move and Americans are on their way to spend the holidays with their loved ones.
This means that the house will be full of cousins, aunts and uncles that might not see each other during the year. Everyone joins in to help in the preparation of the festival. Some family members get to choose a Christmas tree to buy and bring home. Others decorate the house or wrap presents. And of course, each household needs to make lots of food!
At Christmas Eve gatherings adults have eggnog, which is made of cream, milk, sugar, eggs and brandy. Plenty of eggnog or hot cocoa is on hand in colder climates for carolers, or people who go from house to house sing Christmas carols to their neighbors.
Long ago, each child hung a stocking, or sock, over the fireplace. Santa entered down the chimney and left candy and presents inside the socks for the children. Today the tradition is carried on, but the socks are now large red sock-shaped fabric bags still called stockings. Each child can’t wait to open his or her eyes to see what Santa has left in the stocking.
Giving gifts is a Christmas tradition. However, in recent years, more and more people have complained that Christmas is too commercialized(商业化) especially in large cities. Store owners begin advertising and decorating very early in hopes of selling more goods. Some people believe that the origin of Christmas has been lost.
46．It is a traditional custom for Americans ____________.
A．to buy Christmas trees and bring them to churches for Christmas
B．to drink beer on Christmas Eve
C．to go home for Christmas with their family and relatives
D．to hung stockings on the chimney
47．The underlined word “eggnog” in the third paragraph is a kind ____________.
A．drink B．food C．egg D．present
48．Each child hung a stocking over the fireplace in order to____________.
A．get some eggnog B．have a look at Santa
C．get some candy and presents D．get some money from his/ her parents
49．The last paragraph wants to tell us that ____________.
A．giving gifts is a Christmas tradition B．giving gifts is getting more and more commercialized
C．store owners hope to get more presents D．people think there will be no Christmas in the future
完型填空 (每小题1分，共20分)
My parents made me know the ideas of family, faith and patriotism (爱国主义) when I was young. 26 we lived a hard life, they 27 great importance to making us realize how 28 we were to live in a great country with 29 chances.
I got my first real 30 when I was ten. My dad injured his back working in a factory and had to be 31 so that he could take up a new job as a hairstylist. When he hadn’t got enough money to rent a shop, the owner of the shopping center gave Dad a(n) 32 . But he should clean the parking lot (停车场) three nights a week, which meant getting up at 3 a.m. To pick up waste, Dad used a little 33 that looked like a lawn mower (割草机). Mom and I emptied garbage cans and 34 waste by hand. It took two to three hours to clean the lot. I’d 35 in the car on the way home because of tiredness.
I did this for two years, but the 36 I learned have lasted a lifetime. I 37 discipline (纪律) and a strong work ethic (道德准则), and learned at a(n) 38 age the importance of 39 interests in life -– school, homework and a job. This really __40 during my senior year of high school, when I worked 40 hours a week at a fast-food restaurant while taking school 41 and preparing for my college examination.
The hard work was 42 . As a result, I attended the U.S. Military Academy and went on to receive graduate degrees in 43 and business from Harvard. __44 , I joined a big Los Angeles law firm and was elected to the California State Assembly (会议). In these jobs and in everything else I’ve done, I have never forgotten those 45 in the parking lot.
26. A. Now that B. As if C. Even D. Even though
27. A. attached B. announced C. suggested D. admitted
28. A. important B. surprising C. fortunate D. satisfying
29. A. several B. limitless C. few D. energetic
30. A. incident B. dream C. success D. job
31. A. retrained B. regarded C. considered D. respected
32. A. increase B. order C. discount D. explanation
33. A. bag B. machine C. knife D. stick
34. A. brought up B. turned up C. made up D. picked up
35. A. sleep B. talk C. study D. sing
36. A. knowledge B. information C. lessons D. skills
37. A. required B. acquired C. remind D. forgot
38. A. common B. legal C. old D. early
39. A. balancing B. expressing C. supporting D. increasing
40. A. turned B. changed C. helped D. improved
41. A. measures B. courses C. messages D. tours
42. A. encouraging B. disappointing C. discouraging D. rewarding
43. A. law B. medicine C. science D. arts
44. A. However B. Indeed C. Later D. Before
45. A. people B. nights C. cars D. opportunities
--- Hi, Tom. Any idea where Jane is?
--- She ______ be in the classroom. I saw her there just now and she said she wouldn’t go anywhere.
|
A．must |
B．may |
C．can |
D．should |
Make sure that your speech is _________ and to the point, so that the audience will not get bored just because they have to listen to you talking for a long time.
|
A．brief |
B．attractive |
C．humourous |
D．powerful |
---- Can I borrow your car?
---- Sorry. My car __________ at the garage.
is being repaired B. is repaired C. will be repaired D. has been repaired
When _________ for a certain job, you have to go through all the newspapers to look for information.
|
A．inspecting |
B．earning |
C．hunting |
D．responding |
