The most important holiday in spring， especially for Christians （基督徒）， is Easter. This Christian holiday is not on the same date every year， but it’s always on a Sunday. It can be any Sunday between March 22 and April 25. Many people celebrate Easter by buying new clothes. Children celebrate by hunting for colored eggs that their parents have hidden around the house. People also give Easter baskets filled with candy and other goodies to one another to celebrate the day.
But the holiday is more than new clothes and good things to eat. On Easter， many people go to church to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection （复活） from the dead.
Most people color them. Some people hide them. Others just eat them. But no matter what one does with Easter eggs， they are an important Easter tradition throughout the Western world.
People from many different cultures celebrate Easter. In both America and Belgium， children look for Easter eggs hidden on lawns and in bushes. In America， children believe the eggs are hidden by the Easter bunny （复活节兔子）。 But in Belgium， the hidden eggs are supposed to have fallen from church bells. In Bulgaria， red Easter eggs are lucky in churches； Bulgarian families also hit these Easter eggs together to see whose is the strongest. The winner looks forward to good fortune that year. Still dozens of other Easter traditions exist. In parts of Austria， for example， children sing from door to door and are rewarded with colorful eggs.
66. Easter comes _______.
A. on the same date every year
B. on Sunday on March 22
C. on Sunday on April 25
D. on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25
67.To celebrate Easter， people ___________.
A. go sh
opping， hide colored eggs and children hunt for them
B. give Easter baskets filled candy and goodies to one another
C. buy new clothes， hide colored eggs and children look for them around the house
D. both B and C
68. For Christians the more important thing to do on Easter is________.
A. buying new clothes
B. going to church to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection
C. eating delicious food and paint color eggs
D. exchange beautiful gifts each other
69. People from different cultures have different ideas about Easter egg， _________.
A. In both American and Belgium， children hunt for Easter eggs hidden in rooms and in
bushes
B. In American， children believe the eggs are hidden by the Easter bunny
C. In Belgium， the hidden eggs are thought to have fallen from doorbells
D. In America， the hidden eggs are supposed to have fallen from doorbells
70. In some places of Austria， children sing from door to door for_______.
A. blesses B. Easter eggs
C. candy and goodies D. Easter bunny
第三部分 阅读理解(共20小题：每小题2分，满分40分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项，并在答
题卡上将该项涂黑。
Wishing to encourage her young son to make more progress on the piano，a mother took her boy to a Paderewski concert. After they were seated，the mother spotted a friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her. Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall，the little boy rose and eventually found his way through a door marked "NO ADMITTANCE.” When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that the child was missing.
Suddenly，the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. To her horror，the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard，innocently picking out Twinkle，Twinkle Little Star.
At that moment, the great pianist made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy's ear, "Don't quit. Keep playing." Then leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child and he added a melody. Together, the old master and the young beginner transformed a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience. The audience was amazed and, as it finished, they cheered.
That's the way it is in life. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren't exactly graceful flowing music. But when we put our trust in the hands of a Greater Power, our life's work can be truly beautiful. Next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully. You can hear the voice of the Master, whispering in your ear, "Don't quit, keep playing.
56. The mother took her son to the concert so that the boy could _______.
A. be encouraged to be a brave man B. become a famous pianist
C. be inspired to achieve more D. be a great artist
57. The reason why the boy went to the piano was that
A. he was encouraged to explore B. his mother forced him to have a look
C. be was invited to by the pianist D. he was exploring the concert hall
58. What the famous pianist did at the beginning of the concert showed ________.
A. what a great pianist he was B. what a skilled pianist he was
C. what an upright man he was D. what a strong man he was
59. What did the author really want to tell us in the last paragraph?
A. Not being interrupted by others is important.
B. Life needs one's own effort combined with guidance and cooperation.
C. It is necessary for us to keep doing everything.
D. It is important for us to get help from a famous person.
What would you do if you were lost in the dark forest at night? The first sensible lesson is that you shouldn’t bother trying to find your way in the dark at all, but just stay put until dawn. Because then you won’t trip over things? No, mainly because you’ll have an idea of direction. The sun rises in the east. But you will be amazed at how many people forget they know that. Apparently, the area underneath a holly bush provides a good makeshift shelter — they are thick, and evergreen. The next thing to do — or rather not to do — is panic, for the obvious reason that unless there is someone there to hear you scream, it will get you nowhere. Just try to think of nice, happy things.
There is always a point in films when a person who is lost in the desert or the snow, dehydrated(脱水的) and exhausted, comes across a set of their own footprints and realizes they have just walked in a huge, round circle. It is wrong to owe it to the unequal strengths or different lengths of your legs. Experiments prove that, without the sun or the moon (or landmarks) as a fixed guide, lots of small errors add up over time so the brain can’t correctly identify the “straight ahead” direction. To just get out of somewhere, pick a spot on the horizon and just head for it.
There are several ways to find directions in the dark, and by far the best is to establish north using the stars. Most people can identify the Plough, which is part of Ursa Major. It looks a lot like a saucepan. The Plough rotates through the sky, but let’s imagine the saucepan lying horizontally (水平地), with its handle on the left. You need to trace a line from the star at the right-hand base of the pan, through the star at the right-hand rim (边沿), and follow it upwards; the north star is roughly five times the distance between those two “pointer” stars. Then drop a vertical line from the North Star to the horizon and that’s north.
“Tonight is very cloudy and I can’t see the Plough.” Maybe luckily, it is quite windy. Keep in mind that almost all of our weather comes from a south-westerly direction. (This only works if you are in the British Isles). To find the direction, you can throw light bits of dried-out grass in the air and see which way they blow; or, if there are clouds and patches of clear sky, see which way they blow across the stars. You can also get an idea of direction from leggy plants. If they look as if they have been blown over, they will probably be pointing north-east. If they are simply leaning in one direction as they grow, there’s a good chance that is south (they will be reaching towards the sun). The last thing to do is to judge your direction and off you go.
67. What might be the best title of the passage ?
A. How to survive in the forest
B. How to protect yourself in the forest
C. How to direct your way out of the wild
D. What to do if you are lost
68. Which of the following pictures matches the description of the position of the north star?
69. Why will people often walk in a circle if they are lost in the desert or the snow?
A. Because without anything to refer to for directions, the brain will be confused by errors.
B. Because one of the legs is longer and stronger than the other.
C. Because the desert or the snow usually covers a large area for people to get across.
D. Because people usually feel dehydrated and exhausted in the desert or the snow.
70. If you were lost in Taklimakan Desert in China, _________ would NOT be dependable for you to identify the directions.
A. the sun B. the North Star C. wind D. the moon
Have you got any wonderful plans for your coming winter vacation? Here are some wonderful films for you to kill time.
| Away We Go With a baby on his way, a young couple, Burt and Verona, look at their lives and are puzzled about what they really want. So they hit the road and seek a place to call home. On their journey, they visit a handful of characters and learned a lot. It’s about taking the scenic route in life, preparing for the hope and excitement and fear of new beginnings, while never forgetting to look out of the window. |
Orphan Esther, a bright and well-behaved child, however, is not as innocent as she appears. Soon after being taken home, the peace of her adoptive family is completely changed… You want a good horror film about a child from hell? Then you got one! Do not, in any cases, take children to see it. |
| 500 Days of Summer Tom is in love with Summer from the moment he sees her. Can he accept that she simply likes him for now, not for forever? The movie is about Tom wrestling with that reality. Tom remembers his love, Summer, as a series of joys and bafflements. But Summer is just herself and he cannot have her. Here is a rare movie that begins by telling us how it will end and is about how the hero has no idea why. |
2012 The director Roland Emmerich successfully dresses a corny story with an old Mayan prediction, which is believed by many to happen in the coming 2012 and as a result, attracts millions of people into the cinema. It’s just an entertaining Hollywood blockbuster(大片) with plenty of jokes, instead of a description of what the end of the world is really like. Don’t take it too seriously! |
63. This passage aims to __________.
A. make comments on films for a cinema B. introduce films for a film corporation
C. recommend several films for fun D. advertise several films for a website
64. If you bring your seven-year-old sister to the cinema, which of the following film should you avoid?
A. Away We Go. B. Orphan. C. 2012. D. 500 Days of Summer.
65. Among all the characters mentioned in the passage, who directed films in Hollywood?
A. Roland Emmerich. B. Tom and Summer. C. Burt and Verona. D. Esther.
66. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Orphan is a comedy about Esther adopted by a kind family.
B. 500 Days of Summer is a romance with a happy ending.
C. Away We Go shows beautiful scenery on the young couple’s journey.
D. The ancient Mayan prediction is going to happen in 2012.
第三部分: 阅读理解 (共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C和D中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
He was an old man who fished alone in a boat in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish. In the first forty days a boy had been with him. But after forty days without a fish the boy’s parents had told him that the old man was now definitely and finally salao, which is the worst form of unlucky, and the boy had gone at their orders in another boat which caught three good fish the first week. It made the boy sad to see the old man come in each day with his skiff empty and he always went down to help him carry either the coiled lines or the gaff (鱼钩) and harpoon (鱼叉) and the sail that was furled around the mast (桅杆). The sail was patched with flour sacks and, furled, it looked like the flag of permanent defeat.
The old man was thin and gaunt with deep wrinkles in the back of his neck. The brown blotches（斑点）of the skin cancer the sun brings from its reflection on the tropic sea were on his cheeks. The blotches ran well down the sides of his face and his hands had the deep-creased scars from handling heavy fish on the cords. But none of these scars were fresh. They were as old as erosions in a fishless desert.
Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated.
“Santiago,” the boy said to him as they climbed the bank from where the skiff was pulled up. “I could go with you again. We’ve made some money.”
The old man had taught the boy to fish and the boy loved him.
“No,” the old man said. “You’re with a lucky boat. Stay with them.”
“But remember how you went eighty-seven days without fish and then we caught big ones every day for three weeks.”
“I remember,” the old man said. “I know you did not leave me because you doubted.”
“It was papa who made me leave. I am a boy and I must obey him.”
“I know,” the old man said. “It is quite normal.”
“He hasn’t much faith.”
“No,” the old man said. “But we have. Haven’t we?”
“Yes,” the boy said. “Can I offer you a beer on the Terrace and then we’ll take the stuff home.”
“Why not?” the old man said. “Between fishermen.”
56. The boy left the old man and went in another boat to fish because .
A. the old man preferred to fish alone
B. the old man was unlucky
C. the boy’s parents ordered him to
D. the old man’s sail suggested a permanent defeat
57. After reading this passage, we may safely conclude that .
A. the old man was insistent and not afraid of failure
B. the boy’s papa had confidence in everything
C. the old man caught big fishes during eighty-seven days
D. the boy obeyed his father because he had some doubts about the old man
58. What might happen after the last paragraph?
A. The old man and the boy might go to fish with other fishermen.
B. The old man might go to have a drink with the boy.
C. The old man and the boy might go to enjoy beer at the old man’s home.
D. The old man might go to tell the boy’s papa about the secrets between fishermen.
The Friday after the American holiday of Thanksgiving is called Black Friday. It’s said that it’s the day that store ledgers(分类账)move into the black and companies become profitable. On that day, retailers slash prices to get consumers to buy. It is also a time when many Americans start their Christmas shopping. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee tells us how the economy may affect consumers on that bargain day.
“It’s just the deals, the sales and everything you can get for a lesser price,” said Sandy Thomas, a shopper. But it’s a nightmare for others. “I think it’s crazy. I’ve done all of my shopping throughout the week so I don’t have to go out on Friday,” she said. It’s called Black Friday, the start of the traditional Christmas shopping season in the United States. Every year it’s the day after the Thanksgiving holiday. Stores open before sunrise and there are deep discounts everywhere you look.
While the lead up to Christmas is known as the season of giving, Black Friday can get ugly.
Last year a crowd of bargain-hunters killed a Wal-mart worker in a New York suburb. This year, many stores are increasing security while they slash prices. “This is a huge time for the retail stores,” said Fred Joutz from George Washington University. “This is when they begin making their profits for the year.”
Economics professor Fred Joutz says how Americans spend the weekend after Thanksgiving is a good indication of how consumers feel about the future.
With the unemployment rate above 10 percent, Joutz says Americans are saving more and spending less. “Credit is still strictly controlled whether through credit cards or through borrowing from banks,” he said. Some retailers are attracting consumers by opening on Thanksgiving Day, when shops are traditionally closed. Other stores open their doors anywhere from midnight to four in the morning.
And shoppers will be lining up in front of the doors in order to be one of the first ones to walk through and get a big discount. Electronics like flat screen TVs are usually the first items to go. Sandy Thomas says it’s an annual family tradition and well worth it. “I just save maybe half of what I would have spent on a regular, you know, shopping trip,” she said.
Economists say U.S. consumers will spend money this Black Friday, but they will spend it more carefully.
59. The underlined word “slash” in the first paragraph probably means _________.
A. reduce B. raise C. increase D. change
60. The sentence “This day should be a shopper’s dream.” should be placed between ________.
A. paragraph two and paragraph three B. paragraph one and paragraph two
C. paragraph three and paragraph four D. paragraph five and paragraph six
61. Why are many stores increasing security according to the passage?
A. Because there are too many people saving more and spending less.
B. Because it’s a time when they begin making their profits for the year.
C. Because last year a crowd of bargain-hunters caused an accident.
D. Because many stores open their doors from midnight to four a.m.
62.What can we learn from the passage?
A. Christmas shopping is traditional time and this year it is no exception.
B. Electronics like flat screen TVs are usually least discounted.
C. The economy only affects consumers on that bargain day.
D. Thanksgiving is a good indication of how consumers feel about the future.
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