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Weeks passed and the ___30_____over the coming Christmas grew into restlessness until the last day of ___31___before the holiday break. I smiled in ___32____as the last of them hurried out the door. Turning around I saw David ____33___standing by my desk.
“I have something for you,” he said and ___34___ from behind his back a small box. ____35___it to me, he said anxiously. “Open it.” I took the box from him, thanked him and slowly unwrapped it. I lift the lid and to my ___36___saw nothing. I looked at David’s smiling face and back into the box and said, “The box is nice, David, but it’s ___37____”.
“Oh no, it isn’t,” said David. “It’s full of love, my mum told me before she died that love was something you couldn’t see or touch unless you know it’s there.”
Tears filled my eyes ___38___I looked at the proud dirty face that I had rarely given ____39___to. After that Christmas, David and I became good friends and I never forgot the meaning ____40___the little empty box set on my desk..
1. A. anxious B. courageous C. serious D. cautious
2. A. warning B. ringing C. calling D. yelling
3. A. scolded B. wondered C. realized D. learned
4. A. modestly B. naturally C. inaccurately D. inappropriately
5. A. popular B. upset C. special D. funny
6. A. expressing B. delivering C. wearing D. sharing
7.A. practiced B. wandered C. studied D. stayed
8.A. would B. should C. might D. could
9.A. aim at B. turn to C. put off D. head for
10.A. argument B. excitement C. movement D. program
11.A. school B. year C. education D. program
12.A. relief B. return C. vain D. control
13. A. weakly B. sadly C. quietly D. helplessly
14. A. searched B. found C. raised D. pulled
15.A. Holding B. Handing C. Sending D. Leaving
16. A. delight B. expectation C. appreciation D. surprise
17.A. cheap B. empty C. useless D. improper
18.A. as B. until C. because D. though
19. A. advice B. support C. attention D. command
20.A. from B. behind C. over D. towards
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The last few days before Christmas passed quickly and it was soon Christmas Eve. That night when everyone went to bed, Bunny couldn't sleep. He still couldn't think of what he wanted his Christmas gift to be. He wondered how Father Christmas would know what to bring him if he didn't know himself.
As he was sitting up in bed, Bunny heard a big noise on the roof (屋顶) and a sound downstairs. It was Father Christmas, he realized. Bunny jumped out of bed and raced down the hall to the stairs hoping to have a look at the old man with his own eyes.
By the time Bunny reached the bottom of the stairs, though, everything was again silent. Beautiful gifts were piled (堆积) under the Christmas tree, but Father Christmas was gone. He looked for him for a few minutes, but it was already too late. Bunny turned to climb back upstairs when he heard a cry.
“Hello,” said Bunny. “Is somebody there?”
He was answered by another cry. Bunny looked around the big pile of gifts to see what was making the noise. Right under the tree was a funny looking brown animal with big feet and sad eyes. Bunny might have mistaken it for a dog, if it hadn't been for the antlers (鹿角) on its head.
“Are you a reindeer (驯鹿)?” asked Bunny.
“Yes,” replied the animal, “my name is Ralph.”
“And you were pulling Father Christmas' sled (雪橇)?”
“I was until I got airsick,” replied Ralph, “I'm afraid I wasn't cut out for the job. Now I'm stuck here and I don't know how to get back to the North Pole.”
“Well, if you like, you can stay with us as a friend,” said Bunny. As he made the offer, Bunny suddenly realized the gift he wanted from Father Christmas was a new friend!
1.Why couldn't Bunny fall asleep on Christmas Eve?
A. He had a lot of things to do. B. He was disturbed by a big noise.
C. He was thinking of what gift he would get. D. He wanted to have a look at the reindeer.
2.As soon as Bunny came downstairs, he _____.
A. was probably very sad B. found what he wanted
C. ran into a reindeer D. heard a loud cry
3.What would be the best title for the text?
A. A strange Christmas tree B. A special Christmas gift
C. A quiet but smart boy D. A lovely reindeer
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Christmas is over. And I got my wanted radio-controlled truck. But you would not believe the___36___ and work that went into getting this holy toy.
For over a month I stared at ___37___ magazines I received from my friend until I had made up my ___38___: I wanted a Pumpkin truck. I ___39___ to work immediately, dropping hints to my father about it.
My first job was to tell him about how the steering(操纵杆) on my old car didn’t ___40___, but he just blamed the problems on my bad ___41___.
My next plan would have to be more ___42___. “Look at this, Dad, the truck with controller and battery pack—all for only US$250!” You can’t ___43___ to miss out on this bargain!”
His ___44___ was that he certainly could afford to miss this ___45___ and for US$250 you could buy ___46___ educational like a telescope. “A telescope? To look at the moon? I’ll look at it when I’m 97 years old and living in a ___47___ home! This is my youth! I am supposed to run about.”
I went to my room, ___48___ at how mean(吝啬的) my father was. It was obvious that he didn’t ___49___ that I would die if I did not get the Pumpkin radio-controlled truck.
When I ___50___ on Christmas morning I wasn’t excited. I had been ___51___. I opened all my presents until there was just one big package ___52___. “The telescope,” I thought. I ___53___ the packaging and looked at the top of the box—it was a Pumpkin truck. I had ___54___! I loved my parents! I felt like I could do anything! I could ___55___ get an A+ in English class.
1.A. pain B. attempt C. joy D. shyness
2.A. housing B. fishing C. car D. fashion
3.A. mind B. idea C. opinion D. head
4.A. get B. set C. searched D. went
5.A. operate B. run C. start D. work
6.A. riding B. driving C. thinking D. keeping
7.A. strong B. practical C. ideal D. obvious
8.A. afford B. pay C. allow D. stand
9.A. talk B. expression C. face D. response
10.A. truck B. telescope C. chance D. bargain
11.A. one B. something C. everything D. nothing
12.A. heating B. loving C. nursing D. finding
13.A. pleased B. good C. expert D. angry
14.A. say B. believe C. care D. learn
15.A. went off B. woke up C. rang up D. found out
16.A. worried B. instructed C. warned D. defeated
17.A. opened B. wrapped C. left D. faded
18.A. recovered B. refused C. reopened D. removed
19.A. won B. done C. beaten D. failed
20.A. ever B. already C. still D. even
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Karan rented a _________ flat and had it _______ pink for the coming Christmas.
| A．furnishing; painted | B．furnishing; painting |
| C．furnished; painting | D．furnished; painted |
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More and more fast-food restaurants have _____ all over the town in the last few years.
| A．come up | B．taken up | C．sprung up | D．put up |
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You’re lost in the world of dreams and sleep. You roll over, smiling as you come across a swimming pool filled with chocolate. And then, your wonderful dream becomes a nightmare when someone is screaming, “Get up!” It’s just what every teenager goes through each morning!
Now, there seems to be one school that finally understands that requiring teens to show up at 9 am is not just cruel but also harmful to both the kids and the school.
The Monkseaton High School in North Tyneside, Britain, recently decided to experiment to see if there is any difference in student behavior if they just pushed back the start of their day by one hour, from 9 am to 10 am. And the results are surprising.
Since carrying out the later start, Monkseaton has seen a 28% drop in truancy, even hardly any lateness, and best of all, higher test scores. One of the reasons is that the teenagers are much happier to have the extra hour of sleep, but there is also a scientific reason behind why they need the extra sleep.
The school’s decision to push back the time was based on the research done by Oxford Professor Russell Foster, who pointed out that teenagers and adults have different sleep cycles, explaining why teenagers go to bed late and wake up late.
While adults are wide awake and ready at 8 am, teenagers are not fully awake until 10 am, sometimes even noon. Teachers may argue that their students perform better in the morning, but in fact, it is because they are in the zone while their students are still sleepy, making the students easier to control. Memory tests prove that the more difficult classes should be in the afternoon when teenagers are most wide awake.
The Monkseaton school officials are encouraged by the results and plan on voting to make it a permanent change.
1.What’s the best title of this passage?
| A．Get up early, teenagers! |
| B．Finally, a school understands teenagers. |
| C．Why do teenagers stay up late? |
| D．Difference between teens and adults. |
2.What’s the meaning of the underlined word “truancy”?
| A．grades | B．subject s | C．absence | D．classes |
3.What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Teenagers and adults have the same sleep cycle. |
| B．Teenagers are fully awake at 10 am. |
| C．Teenagers are much happier to sleep than study. |
| D．Teenagers need the extra sleep also for a scientific reason. |
4.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．The Monkseaton school is satisfied with the result of experiments. |
| B．It is cruel for the teenagers to show up at 9 am. |
| C．The Monkseaton school plans to change the school time forever. |
| D．Teenagers perform better in the morning than in the afternoon. |
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It was a winter morning, just two weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.
The bike was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.
People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity as a whole. And it has influenced us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.
1.Why was the bike so important to the couple? (Within 10 words)
_______________________________________________________________________.
2.How did people get to know the couple’s problem? (Within 3 words)
_______________________________________________________________________.
3.What do the couple learn from their experience? (Within 12 words)
_______________________________________________________________________.
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On Christmas Eve─the night before Christmas Day─children all over Britain put a stocking at the end of their beds before they go to sleep. Their parents usually tell them that Father Christmas will come during the night.
Father Christmas is very kind and hearted. He gets to the top of each house and climbs down the chimney into the fireplace. He fills each of the stockings with Christmas presents.
Of course, Father Christmas isn't real. In Jim and Kate's house, "Father Christmas" is really Mr Green. Mr Green doesn't climb down the chimney. He waits until the children are asleep. Then he quietly goes into their bedrooms and fills their stockings with small presents. When they were very young, Mr Green sometimes wore a red coat. But he doesn't do that now. The children are no longer young, and they know who "Father Christmas" really is. But they still put their stockings at the end of their beds.
1.Christmas Eve is __________.
A.the night of Christmas Day B.the evening of Christmas Day
C.Christmas Day D.the night before Christmas Day
2.Father Christmas often puts presents ________.
A.into children's hats B.into children's stockings
C.under children's beds D.into children's shoes
3.When the children are older, they __________.
A.know that Father Christmas is real
B.ask their mother to fill their stockings with presents
C.know that Father Christmas is really their father
D.know that Father Christmas is really their friend
4.Father Christmas comes into the house through the ________.
A.chimney B.back door
C.front door D.window.
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As Christmas is coming, there are presents to be bought, cards to be sent, and rooms to be cleaned. Parents are ___36___ with difficult jobs of hiding presents from curious young children. If the gifts are large, this is sometimes a real ___37___. On Christmas Eve, young children find the excitement almost unbearable. They are torn between the wish to go to bed early so that Father Christmas will bring their presents quickly and the wish to ___38___ up late so that they will not ___39____ the fun. The wish for gifts usually proves stronger. But though children go to bed early, they often lie ___40___ for a long time, hoping to get a short ___41___ at Father Christmas.
Last Christmas, my wife and I ___42___ hid a few large presents in the storeroom. I ___43___ the moment when my son, Jimmy, would ___44___ me where that new bike had come from, but ___45___ he did not see it.
On Christmas Eve, ___46___ took the children hours to go to sleep. It must have been nearly___47___ when my wife and I went quietly into their room and began ___48___ stockings. Then I pushed in the ___49____ I bought for Jimmy and left it beside the Christmas tree. We knew we would not get much sleep that night, for the children were ___50___ to get up early. At about five o’clock the next morning, we were ___51___ by loud sounds coming from the children’s room — they were shouting excitedly! ___52_____ I had time to get out of bed, young Jimmy came riding into the room on his new bike, and his sister, Mary, followed close behind pushing her new baby carriage. ____53_____ the baby arrived. He moved ___54____ the hands and knees into the room dragging a large balloon behind him. Suddenly it burst. That woke us up ___55___. The day had really begun with a band(巨响) !
1.A. faced B. met C. filled D. pleased
2. A. question B. matter C. Problem D. business
3.A. get B. stay C. stand D. wake
4.A. lose B. break C. miss D. leave
5.A. awake B. wake C. asleep D. sleep
6.A. look B. stare C. glare D. watch
7.A. hopefully B. busily C. gladly D. successfully
8.A. liked B. feared C. surprised D. hated
9.A. answer B. tell C. ask D. search
10.A. sadly B. unluckily C. possibly D. fortunately
11.A. it B. they C. I D. we
12.A. morning B. midnight C. evening D. daybreak
13.A. filling B. sewing C. mending D. preparing
14.A. present B. stocking C. bike D. tree
15.A. going B. sure C. glad D. excited
16.A. troubled B. frightened C. woken D. shocked
17.A. Before B. After C. Until D. Since
18.A. Even B. And C. Soon D. Then
19.A. with B. on C. over D. by
20.A. all B. nearly C. happily D. completely
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As Christmas is coming，there are presents to be bought，cards to be sent，and rooms to be cleaned. Parents are with difficult jobs of hiding presents from curious young children.If the gifts are large，this is sometimes a real .On Christmas Eve，young children find the almost unbearable They are between the wish to go to bed early so that Father Christmas will bring their presents quickly and the wish to up late so that they will not the fun.The wish for gifts usually proves stronger.But though children go to bed early，they often lie for a long time，hoping to get a short look at Father Christmas.
Last Christmas，my wife and I managed to hide a few large presents in the storeroom.I feared the moment when my son，Jimmy，would me where that new bike had come from，but he did not see it.
On Christmas Eve,it took the children hours to go to sleep.It must have been nearly when my wife and I went quietly into their room and began stockings(袜子) .Then I pushed in the I bought for Jimmy and left it beside the Christmas tree.We knew we would not get sleep that night，for the children were to get up early. At about five o’clock the next morning，we were woken by loud sounds coming from the children’s room--they were shouting excitedly! I had time to get out of bed，young Jimmy came into the room on his new bike，and his sister，Mary， close behind pushing her new baby carriage. Even the youngest baby arrived He moved the hands and knees into the room dragging a large balloon behind him.Suddenly it burst.That woke up completely.The day had really begun with a bang(巨响)!
1.A．faced B．met C．filled D．pleased
2.A．question B．matter C．problem D．business
3.A．joy B．excitement C．presents D．parents
4.A．pulled B．divided C．separated D．torn
5.A．get B．stay C．stand D．wake
6.A．lose B．break C．miss D．leave
7.A．awake B．wake C．asleep D．sleep
8.A．hopefully B．busily C．gladly D．successfully
9.A．answer B．tell C．ask D．search
10.A．sadly B．unluckily C．possibly D．fortunately
11.A．morning B．midnight C．evening D．daybreak
12.A．filling B．sewing C．mending D．preparing
13.A．present B．stocking C．bike D．tree
14.A. little B. some C. enough D. much
15.A．sorry B．sure C．glad D．excited
16.A．Before B．After C．Until D．Since
17.A. running B. laughing C. shouting D. riding
18.A．walked B．moved C．followed D．jumped
19.A．with B．on C．over D．by
20.A．him B．her C．me D．us