One of the traditions which is now a necessary part of Christmas is a that of Father Christmas, or Santa Claus. According to the modern legend, he is a magical figure who visits all the children of the world during the night before Christmas Day, leaving presents which they find the next morning. He flies through the night sky in a sledge pulled by reindeer, and enters houses by climbing down chimneys. This strange legend is based on the life of a man called Nicholas, but in fact we know very little about him. Historians think he was a Christian bishop(主教)in Turkey in about 285--350 A.D. One of the stories about him is that he helped three poor girls. No one would marry them because they were so poor. To provide them with money for their weddings, Nicholas secretly dropped some gold coins down the chimney of their house. After Nicholas died, he was made a saint(圣人) by the church.(The name Santa Claus thus comes from St Nicholas.) His feast day was celebrated in December, and parents started giving their children secret presents from St Nicholas. Over the years, this custom became part of our Christmas traditions.
Recently, a psychologist has claimed that Father Christmas is “the perfect fantasy” for children. According to Professor Anthony Clare, children love the character of Father Christmas because he is like an ideal father: he loves children and gives them presents, but he never criticizes them, is never angry, and children do not even need to thank him for the presents. Other writers, however, point out that Father Christmas can be a frightening character to some children. Jane Bidder says that some children are terrified of this fat, bearded old man. It can certainly confuse many children. As parents, we warn our children to be careful of strangers and never to let them into the house, and yet we tell children that a strange man will come into their bedroom at night! Some children can become very worried about this idea and fear that he is a kind of burglar.
Most children, however, understand from their parents and from the media that Father Christmas is basically a benign character, and look forward to his annual visit with joy and excitement.
1.The main point of the first paragraph is that .
A. Father Christmas is an important part of Christmas
B. the tradition of Father Christmas is a modern idea
C. Father Christmas is a magical figure who can fly
D. the legends about Father Christmas are not true
2.The writer mentions details such as Father Christmas’s sledge, the reindeer and the way he climbs down chimneys because he/she .
A. wants to make it clear that these things are impossible
B. is describing the history of St Nicholas
C. wants everyone to believe that Father Christmas is real
D. is explaining the modern legend of Father Christmas
3. Why does the writer mention the story about St Nicholas helping three poor girls?
A. It shows us that historians know very little about him.
B. This story explains why parents give secret presents to children.
C. It supports the writer’s main point that Father Christmas is based on an untrue story.
D. This story explains why we celebrate Christmas in December.
4.In the last paragraph, the word “benign” means .
A. religious B. friendly
C. frightening D. unreal
5.The best title for this passage would be .
A. Is Father Christmas Dangerous?
B. The True History of St Nicholas
C. The Legend of Santa Claus
D. The Traditions of Christmas
Dear Susan,
I have been in England for three months now. I hope you don’t think I have forgotten you. There have been so many places to see and so many things to do that I’ve not had much time for writing letters. I shall soon start my studies at King’s College.
So far I’ve been learning about British ways of living. I won’ tell you about London in a traditional way, because there are plenty of books you can read and plenty of pictures you can look at. I’m sure you’ll be more interested to know what I think about the life here. I find some of the customs new and interesting. People here do not shake hands so much as we do in Asia. During the first few weeks I was often surprised because people did not put out their hands when I met them. Men raised their hats to women, but not to each other.
Yours ever,
Anne
1.According to the passage, the author .
A. has never been to England
B. came to England a few months ago
C. came to England just now
D. will come to England in there months
2.The author has .
A. not written to Susan for long
B. much time to write letters
C. no intention of writing letters
D. forgotten to write letters
3.Why did the author come to London?
A. Study at college
B. Make a living.
C. Learn British ways of living.
D. Learn about life there.
4.Which part of the world does the author come from?
A. Asia. B. Europe.
C. America. D. Africa.
5.Men in England .
A. don’t shake hands as often as the Asians do
B. shake hands as often as the Asians do
C. raise their hats to all friends
D. do not raise their hats to friends
Sayings(谚语) are quite common in spoken English. We don’t normally put them in a composition or a letter. Sometimes it is helpful if you know what common proverbs mean. Here are a few examples.
“ Once bitten, twice shy.” If a dog bites me, I shall be twice as careful in future when I see it. This proverb is also used to apply to many things and not only to dogs. For example, if you have been cheated at a shop, you will not go to the same shop again.
“A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” If I am a hunter, trying to catch birds, it is better to catch one than to see two birds in a bush but not able to catch them. Thus this means that what you have already got is better than the chance of being able to get something bigger in future.
“ Don’t be a dog in a manger(槽)” means “ Don’t be selfish.” In a stable (马棚)，the manger is the place where the horse’s food is put. Sometimes a dog will sleep in the manger and bark when a horse comes to get its food. The dog doesn’t want to eat the horse’s food in the manger but it will not let the horse eat it.
“ He who pays the piper calls the tune (调子).” A piper is a musician. The man who pays a musician can say what tunes the man will play. Thus this means that if a man provides the money for a plan, he can say how it will be carried out.
“To pour oil on troubled waters” is to try to calm things down. Oil is lighter than water. If a ship is in trouble at sea, another ship may come to help it. The second ship can send small boats to rescue people. However, it may first pour oil on the sea to make the sea less rough.
1.Peter has a bicycle which is much too small for him but he does not want to let his young brother ride on it. What would Peter’s mother say to him?
A. “ You can’t get blood out a stone.”
B. “ Don’t be a dog in a manger.
C. “ The early bird gets the worm.”
D. “ To pour oil on troubled waters.”
2.Mr and Mrs Smith had a quarrel. Their friend, Mr Brown, wanted to talk to them. When he came back, he told his wife that he had been trying to help the Smiths by ______ .
A. pouring oil on the troubled waters
B. getting blood out of a stone
C. being a dog in a manger
D. sitting on the fence
3.Mr Wang paid for a new school. Some people didn’t like the design of the school but they didn’t argue with Mr Wang because ______.
A. he was sitting on the fence
B. once bitten, twice shy
C. he who pays the piper calls the tune
D. a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
4.Mrs Lin wanted to buy a new dress. Her husband suggested that she buy it from a shop near their home. Mrs Lin disagreed because she had been cheated by that shop. So she said, “ I won’t go there again because ______ .”
A. a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
B. he who pays the piper calls the tune
C. once bitten, twice shy
D. I don’t want to be a dog in a manger
5.Mr Brown had quite a good job in Hong Kong but he thought that if he went to Singapore, he might get a much better job with more money and a larger house. His wife didn’t want him to leave his job in Hong Kong and she reminded him that ______ .
A. a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
B. don’t be a dog in a manger
C. he who pays the piper calls the tune
D. once bitten, twice shy
English words don’t stay the same. People need new words for new ideas and new inventions. Some new words come into use, and some old words are used in a new way.
English can change by borrowing words from other languages. The word “tomato” was borrowed from Mexico, and “tea” came from China, and so on. Now a great many new space and science words are being borrowed from other countries, too. New words can be created in other ways. For example, some can be created by adding two words together. “Weekend” and “cookbook” are made up of two parts. Sometimes new words are shorter forms of older words. The word “photo” was made from “photograph” by cutting off the end of the longer word. “Plane” was made by cutting off the front part of “airplane”. The names of people and products can become new words. Our “sandwich” was named after a man named Sandwich and “sello(透明胶带)” was a name given by the company that first made the product.
1.New English words are needed because .
A. people use old words in a new way
B. people need a new way to speak
C. the world is changing in a different way
D. new ideas and new inventions come about quickly
2.What can we know from the passage?
A. New science words are shorter than the old ones.
B. The best way to make a new word is adding words together.
C. Some new English words are borrowed from other languages.
D. Most new English words are the name of a person or a product.
3.According to the passage, which of the following is true?
A. New words come into use while older words disappear.
B. New words can only be formed by adding two words together.
C. The word “tea” was borrowed from China.
D. The word “photo” was named after its inventor.
4.The main idea of the passage is that .
A. the English language is always changing
B. there are new ideas in English today
C. people name new products and inventions
D. the change of languages goes on in the world
5.This passage may most probably be taken from .
A. a story book
B. a science magazine
C. a business report
D. a TV advertisement
Sarah and Janet have been friends since they 1. (start) school. They do everything together: study, read, watch TV, surf the Internet, play sports and listen to music. Anyone 2. has a problem can ask the other for help. When Sarah was in the 3. (three) grade, some of the other students made fun of her 4. she was shy. Janet told the other students to stop 5. (make) fun of Sarah, and she helped Sarah overcome her shyness. In the fifth grade, Janet had 6. (difficult) in her maths class. She studied hard, 7. she just couldn’t understand the homework. Sarah helped Janet 8. her homework and 9. (patient) explained every exercise to Janet. After six months, Janet did much better and even got 10. A in the maths exam.
It was one of the hardest days of my young life. My 110-pound body had been knocked to the ground more times than I could . It had become as the practice went on that there was no way I was ever going to be able to compete against the taller and stronger boys. My of being a football star had been crashed to the ground along with my bruised (擦伤的) body.
I made it home, .
My mom me at the door. From my expression, she could see that I was and had me sit at the kitchen table. I thought she had known what had happened that day. She me up with a bowl of soup. While I had the soup, I felt her hand rubbing my aching back. We said no word, but by the time the soup was done I was feeling again. I knew I was loved and that was all that .
I have kept that in my heart all of these years. Even today, no matter what life throws at me, a bowl of soup always lifts my spirits. Sometimes I can even feel Mom’s gentle hand rubbing my back from Heaven and see her beautiful face smiling at me with .
In this world, all of us have had our dreams crashed to the ground at one time. Sometimes it takes a lot of dreams until we find our true purpose in life, too. are always there, though, to comfort us and to remind us that we are loved.
1.A. write B. count C. report D. explain
2.A. clear B. easy C. natural D. possible
3.A. order B. habit C. dream D. request
4.A. fearful B. stupid C. hungry D. sad
5.A. helped B. invited C. met D. taught
6.A. troubled B. shocked C. warned D. praised
7.A. brought B. warmed C. kept D. caught
8.A. gently B. tightly C. sharply D. properly
9.A. hotter B. better C. greater D. smarter
10.A. happened B. passed C. appeared D. mattered
11.A. information B. lesson C. memory D. record
12.A. schedules B. secrets C. results D. difficulties
13.A. respect B. purpose C. love D. patience
14.A. broken B. colored C. pleasant D. strange
15.A. Relatives B. Teachers C. Parents D. Friends
