The story goes that some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper．Money was tight and he became infuriated（愤怒的） when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree．Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, “This is for you, Daddy.”
The man was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found out the box was empty．He yelled at her, stating, “Don't you know, when you give someone a present, there is supposed to be something inside?” The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and cried, “Oh, Daddy, it’s not empty at all．I blew kisses into the box. They’re all for you, Daddy.”
The father was crushed．He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her forgiveness．
Only a short time later, an accident took the life of the child．It is also told that her father kept that gold box by his bed for many years and, whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there．
In a very real sense, each one of us, as humans beings, have been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children, family members, friends, and God．There is simply no other possession, anyone could hold, more precious than this．The 3-year-old girl was punished by her father for ________．
| A．decorating a box |
| B．wasting wrapping paper |
| C．putting the box under the Christmas tree |
| D．bringing the gift to her father |
The father remembered the love of his daughter by ________．
| A．kissing the gold box |
| B．putting gold into the box． |
| C．taking out an imaginary kiss from the box． |
| D．keeping the little girl’s ash box by his bed． |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．The kisses in the box |
| B．A girl and his father |
| C．A love story |
| D．The box under the Christmas tree |
William Butler Yeats, a most famous Irish writer, was born in Dublin on June 13, 1865. His childhood lacked the harmony（和睦）that was typical of a happy family. Later, Yeats shocked his family by saying that he remembered “little of childhood but its pain”. In fact, he inherited（继承）excellent taste in art from his family—both his father and his brother were painters. But he finally settled on literature, particularly drama（戏剧）and poetry.
Yeats had strong faith in the coming of new artistic movements. He set himself the fresh task in founding an Irish national theatre in the late 1890s. His early theatrical experiments, however, were not received favorably at beginning. He didn’t lose heart, and finally enjoyed success in his poetical drama.
Compared with his dramatic works, Yeats’s poems attract much admiring notice. The subject matter includes love, nature, history, time and aging. Though Yeats generally relied on very traditional forms, he brought modern sensibility to them. As his literary life progressed, his poetry grew finer and richer, which led him to worldwide recognition.
He had not enjoyed a major public life since winning the Nobel Price in 1923. Yet, he continued writing almost to the end of his life. Had Yeats stopped writing at age 40, he would probably now be valued as a minor poet, for there is no other example in literary history of a poet who produces his greatest works between the ages of 50 and 75. After Yeats’ death in 1939, W. H. Auden wrote, among others, the following lines:
Earth, receive an honored guest:
William Yeats is laid to rest.
Let the Irish vessel（船）lie
Emptied of its poetry.Which of the following can describe Yeats’s family?
| A．It filled Yeats’s childhood with laughter |
| B．It was shocked by Yeats’s choice |
| C．It was a typically wealthy family |
| D．It had an artistic atmosphere |
According to the passage, what do we know about Yeats’s life?
| A．Yeats founded the first Irish theater |
| B．Yeats stuck to modern forms in his poetry |
| C．Yeats began to produce his best works from the 1910s |
| D．Yeats was not favored by the public until the 1923 Noble Prize |
What kind of feeling is expressed in W. H. Auden’s lines?
| A．Envy | B．Sympathy | C．Emptiness | D．Admiration |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Yeats’s literary achievements | B．Yeats’s historical influence |
| C．Yeats’s artistic ambition | D．Yeats’s national honor |
I never got along with Dad. But when he was dying. I set off for Nebraska to be with him and my family. I stopped for the night at a hotel with a pool, hoping it would relax me.
The pool area was empty as I walked into the still water. A man in a bathing suit appeared. He sat on the edge of the pool with his legs moving up and down in the water. He had dark hair and deep brown eyes and smiled. “Where are you going?” he asked. When I told him about my father, he asked how we got along. I tried to change the subject, but then for some reason, I told him everything.
Finally the man said, “Even with all the trouble, remember, your father still loves you.” All at once, warm and clear childhood memories came flooding back: Dad running alongside my wobbling（摇摆的）bicycle, the proud hug he gave me at my high school graduation, his laugh when I caught him off guard with a tickle（挠痒）. “Yes, I know he does, ” I heard myself say. And for the first time in years I believed it. The man left, leaving me alone with my comforting thoughts.
Back in my room, as I went to bed, I decided it was time to forgive my father. Then I wished he’d forgive me too. The phone bell woke me up at 3 am. My sister’s voice sent a shiver（寒战）through me: Dad had just died. I had wanted to see him and make peace. But as sadness was beginning to surround me, I remembered that the man by the pool had already brought Dad and me together. From the passage we learn that the author _________
| A．didn’t know his father was seriously ill |
| B．always thought highly of his father |
| C．lived in Nebraska far away from his family |
| D．was going to see his father |
When the author was in the pool, ___________
| A．many other people were there too |
| B．he talked a lot with the man by the pool |
| C．he greeted the may by the pool first |
| D．the man by the pool told him everything about his family |
What made the author change his original idea about his father?
| A．That he was reminded that his father actually loved him |
| B．That the man by the pool mentioned his interesting childhood |
| C．That he remembered his father had taught him to ride a bike |
| D．That he knew his father would leave him forever |
In the last paragraph, the author was sad that he ________
| A．hadn’t accepted the kind stranger’s advice |
| B．had no chance to make peace with his father |
| C．hadn’t obeyed his father when he was young |
| D．hadn’t stayed with his father before |
Most friendships die a nature death: people move, change jobs, or start different stages of life. Other friendships, however, end unexpectedly. When a friendship is over and you don’t understand why, it can be especially painful. Sometimes a friend ends your relationship without telling you why.
The loss of friendship might be worth reflecting on. Knowing when a friendship is over and why it ends may help you build stronger friendships in the future.
●See if you can find a problem.
When a friendship is over, examine your relationship. Perhaps you remember your friend complaining that you’re always late. Maybe you seldom return your friend’s phone calls. When a friend ends your relationship, try to find out the reasons why the friendship is over.
● Writer a letter to your friend .
Express you feelings about the friendship. Do you miss seeing them? Do you have any regrets? Would you act differently if you were still friends? Make it an honest communication.
● Express you feeling of being hurt or anger.
Write or talk about how you feel in a letter. When a friendship is over, it’s important to communicate exactly how hurt you feel, and why. Write until you have nothing left to say. When a friend ends your relationship, you do have the right to express yourself.
● Communicate that you are open to pick up the friendship .
When a friendship is over and you want to reconnect some day, send Christmas, or birthday cards. Say hi and send greetings through mutual(共有的) friends. When a friendship is over, don’t give up until you’re ready.
● Decide to make your present friendships better.
An adviser once told me that simply talking about your relationship strengthens your relationship. Talk to your present friends. Are they happy with your friendship? If a friend ends your relationship, learn something from it.The underlined phrase “reflecting on” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to .
| A．keeping on | B．giving up | C．thinking about | D．getting angry |
What can we know from “See if you can find a problem.”?
| A．You are always late when you and your friend plan to go out. |
| B．Perhaps your friendship is over because of your problem. |
| C．Your friend is fond of complaining all the time. |
| D．You often refuse to answer your friend’s phone calls. |
When a friendship is over, you may do all the following EXCEPT .
| A．ask your friends whose fault on earth it is |
| B．talk about how you feel about your friendship |
| C．write a letter to your friend to tell your regrets |
| D．send your greetings to your friend before giving up |
Thousands of years ago, birthdays were considered special days. On birthdays, the bad spirits were able to harm you and change your life. It was believed that the only way to solve the problem was to have your friends and family around you, so that good wishes and presents would keep the bad spirits away. Also, noisemakers were thought to be used at parties as a way of scaring away the evil spirits.
The custom of lighting candles was created by people believing that the gods lived in the sky. By lighting candles and torches, they were sending a signal or prayer to the gods, so they could be answered. Blowing out the candles and making a wish were thought to be another way of sending a signal or a message.
This is how the way we celebrate our birthdays came about. But different cultures celebrate in different ways.
The birthday story in the Bible（圣经） that we know best is about the birth of the Christ in Bethlehem（地名：伯利恒）. For nearly 2000 years since that day, the Christian world has been honoring this birth. The day many Englishmen celebrate is, of course, Christmas. There are other references to birthday parties. King Pharaoh celebrated his birthday by making a feast for his court followers. That was over 4000 years ago. The story of King Herod tells that on his birthday he made a supper for his lords, high captains and other special friends in Galilee (地名：加利利).According to the passage, good wishes and presents given by one’s friends and family on his birthday can _____________________.
| A．cheer him up |
| B．push bad spirits away |
| C．bring him a big fortune |
| D．prove that he’s a popular person |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．People send messages to the gods by lighting or blowing out the candles. |
| B．The gods celebrate their birthdays by lighting candles. |
| C．The custom of lighting candles originated with the gods. |
| D．The gods will help people realize their dreams on their birthdays. |
The two ancient kings’ ways of celebrating their birthdays show__________________.
| A．how great the two kings were |
| B．that their court followers were awarded the special honors |
| C．the two kings’ excellent cooking skills |
| D．how different cultures celebrate in different ways |
The passage is mainly about __________________.
| A．the functions of the noises made on birthdays. |
| B．how to scare away the bad spirits on birthdays |
| C．how birthdays came about |
| D．the origin of a famous day Christmas |
One of my wonderful memories is about a Christmas gift. Unlike other gifts ,it came without wrap（包装）. On September 11, 1958, mum gave birth to Richard. After she brought him home from hospital, she put him in my lap（大腿）, saying, “I promised you a gift, and here it is .” What an honor! I turned four a month earlier and none of my friends had such a baby doll of their own. I played with it day and night. I sang to it. I told it over and over how much I loved it!
One morning, however, I found its bed empty. My doll was gone! I cried for it. Mum wept and told me that the poor little thing had been sent to a hospital. It had a fever. For several days, I heard mum and dad whispering such words as “hopeless”, “pitiful”，and “dying”, which sounded ominous.
“Christmas was coming, don’t expect any presents this year ”Dad said, pointing at the socks I hung in the living room. I’d never seen him cry before.
The phone rang early on Christmas morning. Dad jumped out of bed to answer it. From my bedroom I heard him say.” What? he’s all right?” he hung up and shouted upstairs. “The hospital said we could bring Richard home! ”
“Thank god!” I heard Mum cry.
From the upstairs window, I watched my parents rush out to the car. I had never seen them so happy. And I was also full of joy. What a wonderful day! My baby doll would be home. I ran downstairs. My socks still hung there flat. But I knew they were not empty: they were filled with love!What happened to the author on September 11, 1958 ?
| A．He got a baby brother. | B．He got a Christmas gift |
| C．He became four years old. | D．He received a doll |
What does the underlined word “ominous” in Paragraph 3 probably mean？
| A．Impossible. | B．Boring | C．Difficult | D．Fearful |
Which word can best describe the feeling of the father when Christmas was coming?
| A．Excitement. | B．Happiness. | C．Sadness. | D．Disappointment. |
What is the passage mainly about ?
| A．A sad Christmas day | B．Life with a lovely baby |
| C．A special Christmas gift. | D．Memories of a happy family |
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