There are good Santas and there are bad Santas. The good Santas all realize one thing: In the mind of a child, Santa Claus is perfect.
That’s difficult. And so they come from around the world to attend the Charles W. Howard School in Midland, Mich. The school offers a three-day, 40-hour course for Santas hoping to be excellent. A former Macy’s Santa named Charles Howard founded the Michigan school in 1937. “Many people will think if you have a suit and you’re a Santa,” said Tom Valent, the school’s current dean. “It’s more than that.”
The school teaches everything from breathing techniques for carol singing to the beard maintenance. There are lessons in child psychology, sign language and even media training for talk-show appearances and call-in shows. Santas also need to make sure they know all the names of the reindeer(驯鹿). What’s harder to deal with, however, is children who ask for Christmas gifts like bringing daddy home or making mommy happy again.
After spending time in the classroom, Weir went to the mall to test his training. However, at one point, his hat fell off, and he was unsure how to react. “You’re the real Santa,” Valent said. “Pick that hat up, slip it back on, keep smiling and do your job. You’ve got to stay on top of your game. Even the last one at night, when you’re tired, you’ve got to remember: This one’s forever, so do a good job.”According to the passage, good Santas should be the ones that ______.
| A．can offer the children some gifts |
| B．help adults look after their children |
| C．have ability to make children happy |
| D．should be perfect in the mind of children |
The Michigan school was founded by Charles Howard with the purpose to ______.
| A．train the pet reindeer for the Santas |
| B．earned money from its students |
| C．train perfect Santas for the world |
| D．show the world’s concern to the poor |
According to Weir’s performance, we can conclude that ______.
| A．Weir was short of experience |
| B．Weir was not fit for the job as a Santa |
| C．Weir did very badly in the game |
| D．Weir was not a good student in school |
For many people today, reading is no longer relaxation. To keep up with their work they must read letters, reports, trade publications, interoffice communications: a never-ending flood of words. In getting a job or advancing in one, the ability to read and comprehend quickly can mean the difference between success and failure. Yet the unfortunate fact is that most of us are poor readers.
Most reading faults can be traced to early school training. According to Dr. Betts, two persons out of five in school were forced to read material too difficult for them to understand at the time, a frustration experience which left them with bad reading habits.
Fortunately, almost anyone can learn to read faster and with more comprehension. Age makes little difference. According to a recent study of 138 students at The Reading Laboratory, Inc. , all age groups showed a marked increase in reading rate after training from 93 percent for the 50-90 age group to 142 percent for the 20-29.Dr. Mila Banton Smith, director of New York University’s Reading Institute, says that the average adult student, in 28 training hours, nearly triples (三倍的) his reading speed and boosts(增长) his comprehension by about 30 percent.
The best way to improve your reading, of course, is to enroll(登记) in a reading clinic. If there’s no clinic handy, you can improve your reading ability yourself--- provided you have no eyes troubles. (if reading tires you easily or makes your eyes or head ache, you should consult a doctor.)To many people today, _______.
| A．reading quickly is easy |
| B．reading quickly and comprehending quickly can ensure their success |
| C．reading is only for fun |
| D．reading can ensure their success |
Most reading faults are_______
| A．due to early school training |
| B．a frustrating experience |
| C．made by reading difficult materials |
| D．made by reading carelessly |
Who can learn to read fast and with comprehension?
| A．teachers only | B．students only |
| C．a few people | D．almost everybody |
According to the passage, what is the best way to improve one’s reading？
| A．go to a doctor |
| B．review what has been learnt at school |
| C．go to reading remedial class for special training |
| D．consult a dictionary |
While income worry is a rather common problem of the aged, loneliness is another problem that aged parents may face. Of all the reasons that explain their loneliness, a large geographical distance between parents and their children is the major one. This phenomenon is commonly known as “ Empty Nest Syndrome”(空巢综合症). In order to seek better chances outside their countries, many young people have gone abroad, leaving their parents behind with no clear idea of when they will return home. Their parents spend countless lonely days and nights, taking care of themselves, in the hope that someday their children will come back to stay with them. The fact that most of these young people have gone to Europeanized or Americanized societies makes it unlikely that they will hold as tightly to the value of duty as they would have if they had not left their countries. Whatever the case, it has been noted that the values they hold do not necessarily match what they actually do. This geographical and cultural distance also prevents the grown-up children from providing response in time for their aged parents living by themselves.
The situation in which grown-up children live far away from their aged parents has been described as “ distant parent phenomenon”, which is common both in developed countries and in developing countries. Our society has not yet been well prepared for “ Empty Nest Syndrome”.According to the passage, the loneliness of aged parents is mainly caused by ________.
| A．their earlier experience of feeling lonely |
| B．the unfavorable living conditions in their native countries |
| C．the common worry about their income |
| D．the geographical distance between parents and children |
Many young people have gone abroad, leaving
their aged parents behind, to _______.
| A．live in the countries with more money |
| B．seek a better place for their aged parents |
| C．continue their studies abroad |
| D．realize their dreams in foreign countries |
If young people go abroad, ________.
| A．they do not hold to the value of duty at all |
| B．they can give some help to their parents back home |
| C．they cannot do what they should for their parents |
| D．they believe what they actually do is right |
From the last paragraph, we can infer that______
| A．the situation in the developed and developing countries are different |
| B．“Empty Nest Syndrome” has arrived unexpectedly in our society |
| C．children will become independent as soon as they go abroad |
| D．the aged parents are not fully prepared for “Empty Nest Syndrome” |
BRITAIN is apopular tourist place. But tours
of the country have pros and cons.
Good News
Free museums. No charge for outstanding collections of art and antiquities.
Pop music. Britain is the only country to rival(与---匹敌) the US on this score.
Black cabs. London taxi drivers know where they are going even if there are never enough of them at weekends or night.
Choice of food. Visitors can find everything from Ethiopian to Swedish restaurant.
Fashion. Not only do fashion junkies love deeply and respect highly brand names such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, street styles are justly loved, too.
Bad News
Poor service. “ It’s part of the image of the place. People can dine out on the rudeness they have experienced,” says professor Tony Seaton, of Luton University’s International Tourism Research Center.
Poor public transport. Trains and buses are promised to defeat the keenest tourists, although the overcrowded London tube is inexplicably(无法解释的) popular.
Lack of languages. Speaking slowly and clearly may not get many foreign visitors very far, even in the tourist traps(圈套).
Rain. Still in the number one complaint(抱怨).
An air-conditioning. So that even splendidly hot summers become as unbearable as the down- pours.
Overpriced hotels. The only European country with a higher rate of tax on hotel rooms is Denmark.
Licensing hours. Alcohol(酒精) is in short supply after 11p. m. even in “ 24-hour cities”What do tourists complain most?
| A．poor service | B．poor public transport |
| C．rain | D．overpriced hotels |
What do we learn about pop music in Britain and the US through this passage?
| A．pop music in Britain is better than that in the US. |
| B．pop music in Britain is as good as that in the US. |
| C．pop music in Britain is worse than that in the US |
| D．pop music in Britain is quite different from that in the US |
When is alcohol not able to get?
| A．at 9:00 p. m. | B．at 10:00 p. m. |
| C．at 11:00 p. m. | D．at 12:00 p. m. |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．you have to pay to visit the museum |
| B．it’s very cheap to travel by taxi there |
| C．you cannot find Chinese food there |
| D．the public transport is poor there |
1970 was World Conservation Year. The United Nations wanted everyone to know that the world is in danger. They hoped that governments would act quickly in order to conserve nature. Here is one example of the problem. At one time there were 1,300 different plants, trees and flowers in Holland but now only 866 remain. The others have been destroyed by modern man and his technology. We are changing the earth, the air and water, and everything that grows and lives. We can’t live without these things. If we continue like this, we shall destroy ourselves.
What will happen in the future? Perhaps it is more important to ask “what must we do now?” the people who will believe in the world of tomorrow are the young of today. A lot of them know that conversation is necessary. Many are helping to save our world. They plant trees, build bridges across rivers in forests, and so on. In a small town in the United States a large group of girls cleaned the banks of 11kilometers of their river. Young people may hear about conservation through a record called “no one’s going to change our world.” It was made by the Beatles, Cliff Richard, and other singers. The money from it help to conserve wild animals.There are fewer plants, trees and flowers in Holland now because________
| A．There has been a lot of conservation in Holland |
| B．Holland does not need so many plants, trees and flowers |
| C．many plants, trees and flowers do not grow there any more |
| D．some plants, trees and flowers are dangerous |
We shall destroy ourselves if we don
’t change_______
| A．The United Nations |
| B．modern technology |
| C．our rivers and forests |
| D．the government of Holland |
“No one’s going to change our world” was________
| A．an important book published in 1970 |
| B．an idea that nobody would accept |
| C．a record calling all people to conserve nature |
| D．a rule worked out by the United Nations |
What is the most important thing for us to do to save our world?
| A．we should plant more trees and flowers |
| B．we should clean the banks of our rivers |
| C．we should know what will happen in the future |
| D．we should know what we must do and begin to do now |
My husband is a born shopper(天生的购物者). He loves to look at things and to touch them. He likes to compare prices between the same items(产品) in different shops. He would never think of buying anything without looking around in several different shops. On the other hand, I’m not a shopper. I think shopping is boring and unpleasant. If I like something and I have enough money to take it, I buy it at once. I never look around for a good price or a better deal. Of course my husband and I never go shopping together. Doing shopping together would be too painful for both of us. When it comes to shopping, we go our different ways.
Sometimes I ask my son Jimmy to buy some food in the shop not far from our home. But he is always absent-minded. This was his story.
One day I said to him, “I hope you won’t forget what I have told you to buy.” “No,” said Jimmy, “I won’t forget. You want three oranges, six eggs and a pound of meat.”
He went running down the street to the shop. As he ran, he said to himself over and over again. “ Three oranges, six eggs and a pound of meat.”
In the beginning he remembered everything but he stopped several times. Once he saw two men fighting outside a clothes shop until a policeman stopped them. One of them was badly hurt. Then he stopped to give ten cents to a beggar. Then he met some of his friends and he played with them for a while. When he reached the shop, he had forgotten everything except six eggs.
As he walked home, his face became sadder and sadder. When he saw me he said, “ I’ m sorry, mum. I have forgotten to buy oranges and the meat, I only remembered to buy six eggs, but I’ve dropped three of them.” The husband loves shopping because _______
| A．he has much money |
| B．he likes the shops |
| C．he likes to compare the prices between the same items |
| D．he has nothing to do but shopping |
The wife doesn’t like shopping because ______
| A．she has no money |
| B．she has no time |
| C．she doesn’t love her husband |
| D．she feels it boring to go shopping |
They never go shopping together because _______
| A．their ways of shopping are quite different |
| B．they hate each other |
| C．they needn’t buy anything for the family |
| D．they don’t have time for it |
Jimmy cannot do the shopping well because ______
| A．he is young | B．he is absent-minded |
| C．he often loses his money | D．he doesn’t like shopping |
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