He wishes the holiday season would end already. His back aches, his red suit feels like a spacesuit , his cheeks have gone tight from smiling for 12 hours —and still the kids keep coming and coming , like ants at a picnic . As Christmas becomes more commercialized (商业化) across the U. S. and Canada, so must Santas. As the holiday begins earlier each year, so must its spokesmen .
The questions from children these days are harder than ever. Now, with thousands of children expecting a father or mother serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, the questions are as heart-breaking as they are unanswerable. For example, “Can you please bring Daddy home from the war in time for Christmas morning?”
Santas also have a pretty good chance of getting sued (指控). A professional Santa Claus in Canada told a story: A Santa had a girl on his knee, and he commented, “You have nice eyes and nice hair.” The girl later said it was sexual harassment (骚扰) . When a Santa feels anxious, he often shows it in the same ways ordinary people do: The Santas were always seen to hang around at the dinner table when the show ended. Many of them just sleep in bed for several days and don’t see other children again.
1.In the first paragraph, “spokesmen” refers to .
A .businessmen B. political leaders
C. organizers of the activities D. Santa Clauses
2.The passage implies that the job of Santa Claus is .
A. well-paid B. very hard C. worth doing D. dangerous
3.According to the third paragraph, Santas may sometimes be blamed(责备) for .
A. doing something against the law B. hanging around the dinner table
C. being lazy and sleeping in bed for days D. not playing their roles as expected
4.What would be the best title for the passage ?
A. Christmas: Not a Good Festival for Santas B. Is Santa Claus Really Alive?
C. A Christmas Story D. What Does Santa Claus Do for Children?
Every year on my birthday, from the time I turned 12, a white gardenia was delivered to my house. No card came with it. Calls to the flower-shop were not helpful at all. After a while I stopped trying to discover the sender’s name and just delighted in the beautiful white flower in soft pink paper.
But I never stopped imagining who the giver might be. Some of my happiest moments were spent daydreaming about the sender. My mother encouraged these imaginings. She’d ask me if there was someone for whom I had done special kindness. Perhaps it was the old man across the street whose mail I’d delivered during the winter. As a girl, though, I had more fun imagining that it might be a boy I had run into.
One month before my graduation, my father died. I felt so sad that I became completely uninterested in my upcoming graduation dance, and I didn’t care if I had a new dress or not. But my mother, in her own sadness, would not let me miss any of those things. She wanted her children to feel loved and lovable. In truth, my mother wanted her children to see themselves much like the gardenia-lovely, strong and perfect with perhaps a bit of mystery(神秘).My mother died ten days after I was married. I was 22. That was the year the gardenia stopped coming.
1. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A．A childhood Dream. B．A Mother’s Love.
C．A Graduation Party. D．A Special Birthday.
2.The mother insisted that her daughter go to the graduation dance because _________.
A．she could take care of things herself B．she hoped she would find a boyfriend
C．she wanted her to be happy and strong D．she thought education was most important
3.Who was the sender of the flower?
A．A boy the writer had run into. B．One of the writer’s neighbors.
C．One of the writer’s classmates. D．The writer’s mother.
Charles R. Drew was a medical student at Columbia University in New York. Before he graduated, he wrote an article __41___ blood bank, that is, the storing of blood. Up till then, a lot of people had died from loss of blood __42___ there was no blood bank.
When the United States entered the Second World War, it became __43___ to set up blood banks. Dr Drew became __44___ of the Red Cross’s first blood bank. When the Red Cross __45___ blood banks to collect and store blood for men __46__ in battle, black American gave blood along with the whites. At ___47__ their blood was not accepted. Later blood from the blacks was ___48___ but was stored in a __49___ place from “white” blood. Although the best doctors __50___ that there was __51___ difference at all between the blood of blacks and whites, the Red Cross, with the support of the government, __52___ to separate black blood from white blood.
After the war, Dr Drew was ___53__ from Washington with three other doctors to attend a medical meeting in a southern state. In northern Carolina their car went __54___ a ditch（深沟）and Dr Drew was __55___ hurt. He had lost __56__ blood by the time a passing car took him to the __57___ hospital. But they were stopped at the gate of the hospital. “__58__him to the hospital for blacks.” No matter __59___ they said, they could not get into the hospital. They had to take him to the __60___ hospital, but on the way Dr Drew died because he had lost too much blood.
1.A. of B. on C. for D. in
2.A. though B. if C. because D. and
3.A. possible B. impossible C. unimportant D. necessary
4. A. visitor B. head C. receiver D. supporter
5.A. started B. expected C. promised D. forbade
6. A. died B. killed C. wounded D. fighting
7.A. most B. least C. first D. last
8.A. received B. accepted C. lost D. found
9. A. good B. cool C. hot D. separate
10.A. discovered B. invented C. insisted D. regretted
11.A. little B. much C. some D. no
12.A. began B. refused C. stopped D. continued
13.A. driving B. walking C. arriving D. running
14.A. from B. into C. along D. off
15.A. hardly B. nearly C. badly D. not
16.A. some B. little C. all D. much
17.A. biggest B. most modern C. nearest D. cheapest
18.A. Take B. Bring C. Send for D. Find
19.A. how B. what C. where D. who
20.A. colored B. better C. farthest D. same
E-mail , as well as cellphones, _____an important part in daily communication.
A. have played B. play C. are playing D. is playing
This kind of stories instructive while stories of that kind harmful to children.
A. is; seems B. are; seem C. is; seem D. are; seems
We have reached a stage _________we have almost no rights at all.
A. where B. why C. which D. that
