NEW YORK— Picking a Christmas tree takes most people a few minutes, or a couple of hours if they head for the woods. Dave Murbach needs 11 months.
Almost every day of every year, Murbach’s thoughts turn to vision of a perfectly shaped evergreen tree that will take everyone's breath away.
Murbach is the man responsible for finding the towering tree that makes more attractive Manhattan’s Rockefeller Center each Christmas season.
“I'm always looking for a tree,” the center's chief gardener says. “I look for it even when I go to the beach in the summer. It' s like a homework assignment hanging over your head.”
And if he gets it wrong, there's nothing hiding it.
“Every day it's up, 400,000 people go by, and 2.5 million people watch the lighting celebration on television,”he says.
This year’s tree, a 74-foot Nomy spruce (云杉) from Richfield, Ohio, flown to New York on the world's largest cargo plane, was lighted on December 2.
The arrival of the tree leads in the Christmas season in New York — a tradition dating back to 1931, when the workers building Rockefeller Center put up a small tree with ornaments (装饰品).
The search for the next year's tree starts soon after the old tree is chopped up for wood chips and horse-jumping logs.
Murbach has three standards: The tree must be at least 65 feet high, at least 35 feet across and leaves dense (密集的) enough not to see through.
That's not as simple as it sounds. Though forests are full of evergreens, few get enough sunlight or space to fill out. And branches in snow regions often break under the weight, making trees unbalanced.
Back at the office, he sorts through hundreds of letters from people offering their trees, many addressed simply to “Mr. Christmas Tree Man.”
Though there was occasional anxiety attack and sleepless night, Murbach knows the effect the tree has on people: “It's for bringing people together, attempting to bring together people you love. That's what I hope it sets off.” But Murbach says he's always too worn out to celebrate Christmas. Which is the correct order of the events in the passage?
a. Murbach’s thoughts turn to a perfectly shaped tree.
b. 2.5 million people watch the Christmas tree.
c. The tree is flown to New York.
d. It was lighted on December 2.
e. The tree is chopped up.
f. Murbach searches for the tree.
| A．a, b, c, d, e, f | B．c, d, b, f, e, a |
| C．c, d, e, b, a, f | D．a, f, c, d, b, e |
Murbach spends a lot of time that are exhibited in Manhattan’s Rockefeller Center each Christmas season.
| A．taking care of Christmas trees |
| B．deciding on the perfect evergreens |
| C．sorting the letters from people |
| D．deciding the TV programs |
Why does Murbach take his job seriously?
| A．Because he wants everyone to be happy with his choice. |
| B．Because he hopes to make everybody unable to breathe. |
| C．Because he enjoys showing off. |
| D．Because he wishes to attract people's attention to himself. |
According to Murbach' s standard of trees, the best tree must_______ .
| A．be evergreen |
| B．have lots of space between their branches |
| C．be tall enough not to see through |
| D．be equally balanced |
What kind of person do you think Murbach is?
| A．A person always ignoring his family. |
| B．A person full of love. |
| C．A person devoted to his work. |
| D．A person with great anxiety. |
Parents often believe that they have a good relationship（关系）with their teenagers. But last summer, Joanna and Henry noticed a change in their older son: suddenly he seemed to be talking more to his friends than to his parents. “The door to his room is always shut,” Joanna noted.
Tina and Mark noticed similar changed in their 14-year-old daughter. “She used to cuddle up (蜷伏) with me on the sofa and talk,” said Mark. “Now we joke that she does this only when she wants something. Sometimes she wants to be treated like a little girl and sometimes like a young lady.”
Before age 11, children like to tell their parents what’s on their minds. “In fact, parents are first on the list,” said Michael Riera, author of Uncommon Sense for Parents with Teenagers. “This completely changes during the teen years,” Riera explained. “They talk to their friends first, then maybe their teachers, and their parents last.”
Parents who know what’s going on in their teenagers’ lives are in the best position to help them. To break down the wall of silence, parents should create chances to understand what their children want to say, and try to find ways to talk and write to them. And they must give their children a mental break(休息), for children also need freedom, though young. Another thing parents should remember is that to be a friend, not a manager, with their children is a better way to know them.“The door to his room is always shut” suggests that the son ______.
| A．is always busy with his studies | B．doesn’t want to be disturbed |
| C．keeps himself away from his parents | D．begins to dislike his parents |
What troubles Tina and Mark most is that _____.
their daughter isn’t as lovely as before
they can’t read their daughter’s mind exactly
they don’t know what to say to their daughter
their daughter talks with them only when she needs help Which of the following best explains “the wall of silence” in the last paragraph?
| A． Teenagers talk a lot with their friends |
| B． Teenagers do not want to understand their parents. |
| C． Teenagers do not talk much with their parents |
| D． Teenagers talk little about their own lives |
What can be learned from the passage?
A. Parents are unhappy with their growing children.
Parents have suitable ways to talk with their teenagers
C. Parents should be patient with their silent teenagers.
D. Parents should try to understand their teenagers.
Some time ago I discovered that one of my chairs had a broken leg. I didn’t think there would be any difficulty in getting it mended, as there are a lot of antique(古董) shops near my home. So I left home one morning carrying the chair with me. I went into the first shop expecting a friendly reception (接待). I was quite wrong. The man wouldn’t even look at my chair.
The second shop, though slightly more polite, was just the same, and the third and the fourth－so I decided that my approach must be wrong.
I entered the fifth shop with a plan in my mind. I placed the chair on the floor and said to the shopkeeper, "Would you like to buy a chair?" He looked it over carefully and said, "Yes, not a bad chair. How much do you want for it, sir?" "Twenty pounds," I said. "OK," he said, "I’ll give you twenty pounds." "It’s got a slightly broken leg," I said. "Yes, I saw that, it’s nothing."
Everything was going according to plan and I was getting excited. "What will you do with it?" I asked. "Oh, it will be easy to sell once the repair is done." "I’ll buy it," I said. "What do you mean? You’ve just sold it to me," he said. "Yes, I know but I’ve changed my mind. I am sorry. I’ll give you twenty-seven pounds for it." "You must be crazy," he said. Then, suddenly the penny dropped. "I know what you want. You want me to repair your chair." "You’re right," I said. "And what would you have done if I had walked in and said, ’ Would you mend this chair for me?’ "I wouldn’t have agreed to do it," he said. "We don’t do repairs, not enough money in it and too much trouble. But I’ll mend this for you, shall we say for five pounds?" He was a very nice man and was greatly amused (感到有趣) by the whole thing. We can learn from the text that in the first shop the writer ________.
| A．was rather impolite | B．was warmly received |
| C．asked the shopkeeper to buy his chair | D．asked the shopkeeper to repair his chair |
The underlined word "approach" in the second paragraph means ________.
| A．plan for dealing with things | B．decision to sell things |
| C．idea of repairing things | D．way of doing things |
The expression "the penny dropped" in the last paragraph means the shopkeeper ________.
| A．changed his mind | B．accepted the offer |
| C．saw the writer’s purpose | D．decided to help the writer |
How much did the writer pay?
| A．￡5. | B．￡7. | C．￡20. | D．￡27. |
From the text, we can learn that the writer was _________.
| A．honest | B．careful | C．smart | D．funny |
If you are planning to study in the United States, you need to consider several factors. Everyone has different opinions about where is the best place to live in. Also, the best places to live are not always home to the best schools. Finally, many schools specialize in different areas of study. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for example, is a great school for computer science and technology-related fields of study. However, if you want to study oceanography（海洋学）, your interests may be better served by attending school in a place that is on a coastline or near the ocean.
Now I am sure that you know which schools are considered the best in the country. So I will tell you about which states I believe are the best to live in.
California is a nice state. Northern California specifically has very good weather. Los Angeles in Southern California is another story though. Life in Los Angeles is full of excitement and fast, and sometimes dangerous. As for me, I enjoy the time I spent in Massachusetts, Virginia and Maryland and these states have a lot of history and culture. The weather is not as perfect as California, but it is still quite nice. My favorite area of America is the Mid-west. Middle America, I think, is home to the true American sense of values. In addition, there are many good universities there.
Also, you need to think about your likes and dislikes and then research the various states. You like sunshine and hate snow? Then you probably won’t like the Midwest or even the Northeast. Open space, nature and peace and quiet? Then you probably should stay away from America’s large cities. Are you interested in government? Then Washington D.C. is the only place for you. Whatever you decide, put some thought into it. The place you live could be the difference between a great study-abroad experience and a state of great suffering on earth. From the first paragraph we can conclude （得出结论）that in the USA _______.
| A．all colleges and universities lie in big cities |
| B．all colleges and universities lie in beautiful places |
| C．famous colleges and universities lie in nice places |
| D．famous colleges and universities may not lie in nice places |
What should be considered first if you want to study in the USA?
| A．The climate. | B．The scenery. | C．The study condition. | D．The living condition. |
From the third paragraph we can find that _______.
| A．California is the best place to live in |
| B．California is the worst place to live in |
| C．California is a state with different climates |
| D．California is a small state in the USA |
If you study in Middle America, you can probably _______.
| A．find the best universities | B．feel the real character of the nation |
| C．meet the most famous professors there | D．face more difficulties |
From the last paragraph of this passage we can get to know that _______.
| A．Washington is the largest city in the USA |
| B．Washington is the political centre of the USA |
| C．you can’t find sunshine in the Midwest |
| D．you can’t find any universities out of big cities in the USA |
When you want to go shopping, decide how much money you can spend on new clothes. Think about the kind of clothes you really need. Then look for those clothes you really need. Then look for those clothes on sale.
There are labels(标签) inside all new clothes. The labels tell you how to take care of your clothes. The label for a shirt may tell you to wash it in warm water. A sweater label may tell you to wash in cold water. The label on a coat may say “dry clean only”, for washing may ruin this coat. If you do as the directions on the label, you can keep your clothes looking their best for a long time.
Many clothes today must be dry cleaned. Dry cleaning is expensive. When buying new clothes, check to see if they will need to be dry cleaned. You will save money if you buy clothes that can be washed.
You can save money if you buy clothes that are well made. Well-made clothes last longer. They look good even after they have been washed many times. Clothes that cost more money are not necessarily better made. They do not always fit better. Sometimes less expensive clothes look and fit better than more expensive clothes.If you want to save money, you had better buy clothes that ________.
| A．don’t fit you | B．don’t last long |
| C．need to be dry cleaned | D．can be washed |
The labels inside the clothes tell you________.
| A．how to keep them looking their best | B．how to save money |
| C．whether they fit you or not | D．where to get them dry cleaned |
The first thing for you to do before you buy clothes is ________.
| A．to look for well-made clothes | B．to see how much money you can spend on it |
| C．to know how to wash them | D．to read the labels inside them |
We learn from the passage that cheaper clothes ________.
| A．are always worse made | B．must be dry cleaned |
| C．can not be washed | D．can sometimes fit you better |
The best title for the passage should be ________.
| A．Buy Less Expensive Clothes | B．Taking Enough Money When Shopping |
| C．Being a Clever Clothes Shopper | D．Choosing the Labels inside New Clothes |
I travel a lot, and I find out different "styles" (风格) of directions every time 1 ask "How can I get to the post office?"
Foreign tourists are often confused (困惑) in Japan because most streets there don’t have names in Japan, people use landmarks (地标) in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, "Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop."
In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are not usually many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat; in many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, "Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile."
People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure distance in time, not miles. "How far away is the post office?" you ask. "Oh," they answer, "it’s about five minutes from here." You say, "Yes, but how many miles away is it?" They don’t know.
It’s true that a person doesn’t know the answer to your question sometimes. What happens in such a situation? A New Yorker might say, ’Sorry, I have no idea." But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers "I don’t know." People in Yucatan believe that "I don’t know" is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A tourist can get very, very lost in Yucatan! When a tourist asks the Japanese the way to a certain place they usually _________
| A．describe the place carefully | B．show him a map of the place |
| C．tell him the names of the streets | D．refer to recognizable buildings and places |
What is the place where people measure distance in time?
| A．New York. | B．Los Angeles. | C．Kansas. | D．Iowa |
People in Yucatan may give a tourist a wrong answer ________
| A．in order to save time | B．as a test | C．so as to be polite | D．for fun |
Which sentence is true according to the text?
| A．There is no street names in Japan. |
| B．There is no landmarks in the countryside of American. |
| C．People in Yucatan always give wrong answers when asked the way. |
| D．People in Los Angeles measure distance in time, not miles when asked the way. |
What can we infer from the text?
| A．It’s important for travelers to understand cultural differences. |
| B．It’s useful for travelers to know how to ask the way properly. |
| C．People have similar understandings of politeness. |
| D．New Yorkers are generally friendly to visitors. |
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