A great-grandfather has put up his Christmas tree for the 85th time after his father first bought it from a toy shop.
Douglas Hewitt, 85, has celebrated every Christmas with the artificial tree since he was born. His father bought the tree from a toy shop in Sheffield just months after Douglas was born. The four-foot tree remains the centre point of the Hewitt family household during every festive season.
Mr. Hewitt, of South Anston, South Yorkshire, said, “It reminds us of my childhood, our children’s childhood and our grandchildren and great-grandchildren’s after that. They all come and look at it and smile; it’s become part of the furniture. If we didn’t put that Christmas tree up, it wouldn’t feel like Christmas.”
The tree was passed down to Mr. Hewitt when he married Mavis. Mrs. Hewitt said, “Year after year we have just carried on using that one. You have to be a bit more careful with it now, as it’s fragile.”
Their daughter, June Murphy, also has fond memories of the Christmas tree. She said, “It was in my grandparents’ home and then it was given to us. It looks a little thin now, as each time you get it out something else falls off. It’s become a bit of a family joke. Each year someone has to comment ‘not again!’ But it’s a Christmas tradition of getting the tree out that we all love. We’d all be sad to see it go, as I think it would be hard to find such a loved replacement.”
Mr. Hewitt said, “There were a lot more branches on it, and it’s lost its feathers that were all along the edge. There were little candle holders（蜡烛架）on the ends and little legs on it, but unfortunately they’ve been lost over the years.”Where did Douglas Hewitt get the Christmas tree?
| A．He got it from his father. |
| B．He bought it from a toy shop. |
| C．He made it by himself. |
| D．He cut it down in a forest. |
What does Mr. Hewitt want to tell readers in the third paragraph?
| A．It may be the last year that the tree appears in this house. |
| B．His family decorate their house with this Christmas tree. |
| C．This Christmas tree reminds him that Christmas is on the way. |
| D．His family has a special feeling towards this Christmas tree. |
The underlined word “fragile” in the fourth paragraph probably means_______.
| A．a little strange | B．easily broken |
| C．quite small | D．not beautiful |
Why does her family put up the Christmas tree every year according to June Murphy?
| A．To honor her grandparents. |
| B．To save the family money. |
| C．To keep up the family tradition. |
| D．To create a friendly atmosphere. |
Do you know how to use a mobile phone without being rude to the people around you?
Talking during a performance irritates (激怒) people. If you are expecting an emergency call, sit near the exit doors and set your phone to vibrate (振动). When your mobile phone vibrates, you can leave quietly and let the others enjoy the performance.
Think twice before using mobile phones in elevators, museums, churches or other indoor public places—especially enclosed spaces. Would you want to listen to someone’s conversation in these places? Worse yet, how would you feel if a mobile phone rang suddenly during a funeral! It happens more often than you think. Avoid these embarrassing situations by making sure your mobile phone is switched off.
When eating at a restaurant with friends, don’t place your mobile phone on the table. This conveys the message that your phone calls are more important than those around you.
Mobile phones have sensitive microphones that allow you to speak at the volume you would on a regular phone. This enables you to speak quietly so that others won’t hear the details of your conversations. If you are calling from a noisy area, use your hand to direct your voice into the microphone.
Many people believe that they can’t live without their mobile phone. Owning a mobile phone definitely makes life more convenient, but limit your conversations to urgent ones and save the personal calls until you are at home.What should you do when you need to answer a phone call during a performance?
| A．Call back after the performance. | B．Answer it near the exit door. |
| C．Talk outside the exit door. | D．Speak in a low voice. |
Putting your mobile phone on a restaurant table may make your friends think_____.
| A．you prefer to talk to your friends at the table |
| B．you value your calls more than your friends |
| C．you are enjoying the company of your friends |
| D．you are polite and considerate of your friends |
When you are calling in a noisy area, you are advised to _____.
| A．use a more sensitive microphone |
| B．shout loudly into your microphone |
| C．go away quietly to continue the phone call |
| D．use your hand to help speak into the phone |
The author implies that the use of mobile phones in such places as museums should be_____.
| A．limited | B．expected | C．encouraged | D．recommended |
Advertising gives useful information about which products to buy. But modern advertising does more than gives news about products and services. Today’s advertisements, or ads, try to get consumers to buy certain brands. Writers of advertising are so skillful that they can, sometimes persuade a consumer to wear a certain kind of clothing, eat a special kind of cereal, or see a movie. Consumers might never even want a product if they did not see or hear advertisements for it.
For example, you probab1y do not need the newest cereal in the supermarket. There are probably many cereal brands on your kitchen shelves. You may not have space on a shelf for another. But if you see ads about a new cereal that is your extra-tasty and has a free prize in the box, you may want it.
Advertising must get attention. To be effective, it must be exciting, entertaining, or provide some pleasure. The secret of writing good advertising copy is to offer a good idea as well as a product. The idea is what the ad is really selling. One example is an ad that says eating a certain cereal will make a person do well in sports. That cereal brand may sell better if consumers think it offers strength and energy.What is discussed in this passage?
| A．The content of modern advertising. |
| B．The skills of modern advertising. |
| C．The results of modern advertising. |
| D．The writing of modern advertising. |
According to the passage, a good advertisement should ____________.
| A．be both persuasive and effective |
| B．give people useful information |
| C．show people a product |
| D．show people a new idea of a product |
From the passage, we know that ___________________ .
| A．modern advertising has less effect on customers |
| B．once customers see ads about a new cerea1, they are sure to buy it |
| C．cereal can make people strong |
| D．cereal is a kind of food which is popular among people |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Customers can easily be persuaded by advertisements. |
| B．Customers should be persuaded by advertisements. |
| C．It’s impossible for customers to buy a product without advertisements. |
| D．Customers buy products according to their demands rather than the advertisements. |
Many people don't realize the importance of music education in the schools today．A new study showed, however, music education is extremely important．
In college, music education is one of the largest programs．Teachers have to learn general education materials and techniques． They must learn to play every instrument; they must learn music history and music theory; they must learn instrument repair and teaching methods; they must learn conducting and so much more．At the same time, much of our culture and tradition is absorbed in music．
Music plays a very important role in our education．
Music helps with math and science． Students learn to count, and how to multiply and divide．Students also use science to help them discover what sounds good together and what doesn't．Students also need science to understand something called the “overtone series", which is about how music is produced by vibration（颤动）and why．
Students learn a lot about languages through music．Many songs are written in other languages, including ancient ones．Students must learn to translate these works to understand what they are singing about． A song is likely to be a famous short work set to music; so students are exposed to that very often while singing．
Students learn a huge amount of cooperation （协作）of body parts through music, so parts of the body can work better together．Students must use motor（肌肉运动的）skills in order to play an instrument．Singers and wind（管乐器）players must learn breath control and be in good shape to play．
Students learn about art． Some famous pieces were written about important pieces of art, and students learn about the artists and styles as they're playing the music．
Music education also brings higher thinking to our children．It allows them to think about complex patterns．Students have to be aware of what every other musician does at every time．In that way, it develops cooperation, as well．They tend to develop more ability for learning．
As one can see, music is very important to education．According to the passage, learning music in college will be quite ．
| A．easy | B．stressful | C．attractive | D．useless |
As to the benefits from music, which of the following is NOT included in the passage?
| A．Calculation． | B．Language study． |
| C．Relaxation． | D．Cooperation of body parts． |
The underlined word "that" in Para．5 refers to“ "．
| A．the music | B．the language |
| C．the culture | D．the work |
What can we know from the passage?
| A．Science and music are extreme poles． |
| B．Only the wisest person can learn music well． |
| C．Music is good to our all-round development． |
| D．All of us know the importance of music clearly． |
Google has been collecting tons of data about smartphone usage around the world． Here are some of the most surprising and interesting facts:
Android is most popular in Japan, with 55% of respondents（调查对象） using it, compared with 39% for iOS．Android is also number one in a few other countries, including New Zealand （41%）, the US（40%）, and China （38%）．
iOS is farthest ahead in Switzerland, with 52% usage vs 23% for Android．Other countries where iOS is far ahead include Australia （49% vs 25% Android）, Canada （45% vs 23% Android and 23% Blackberry）, and France （43% vs 25% Android）．
In Egypt, Windows Mobile is far more popular than iOS．13% of survey respondents use the Microsoft smartphone platform, behind Symbian （19%） and Android （14%）． iOS is very far down at 4%．
Mobile social networking is biggest in Mexico and Argentina, where 74% and 73% of users visit a social network daily．But mobile-social is weak in Japan where 34% of users never visit a social network on their phone, and this figure rises to41% in Brazil．
Watching video is most popular in Saudi Arabia, with 59% of respondents doing it daily．Number two is Egypt, with 41%．
Chinese users shop from their phones．59% of Chinese users do this, compared with only 41% in second-place Egypt．Chinese users also love to write reviews．41% of them write a review of a local business after looking it up on their smartphone．Number two, Japan, is far behind, with only 24% of respondents doing this．Which of the following best describes the usage of the smartphone operating systems in Egypt?
| A．Windows Mobile＞iOS＞Symbian＞Android |
| B．Android＞Windows Mobile＞iOS＞Symbian |
| C．iOS＞Android＞Symbian＞Windows Mobile |
| D．Symbian＞Android＞Windows Mobile＞iOS |
In which of the following countries is mobile social networking least popular?
| A．Brazil． | B．Japan． | C．Mexico． | D．Argentina． |
In which section of a newspaper can we most probably read the passage?
| A．Health． | B．Environment． | C．Technology． | D．Entertainment． |
Like a backward tape, time returns to my mom's teens．She is waiting for admission results from a famous high school．She has studied for the test but with joy, since she feels no suffering in learning．Suddenly I spy her jumping and laughing, waving a paper in her hand while her family stands nearby, more shocked than happy．No one else from their village has ever passed the test．
Later, at her new high school, I proudly watch as she continues to rise to the top．Many of her essays are published in newspapers, and her classmates seek her advice when a test is approaching． She never refuses them, and I feel honored to be related to such an intelligent person．
As I walk with her through her journey, I finally come to the point I have been looking forward to most: her life in America． After passing several tests and finding a kind boss to sponsor her, she becomes a college student at University of California, Los Angeles． At first, I sense her loneliness and panic as she tries to adapt to her new surroundings．Though her English is broken and she knows little about American culture, I can tell she is more than grateful to be here． Here she has access to electricity and running water, and most importantly, better schools． At UCLA, she has so many opportunities to grow and advance in her field．
Her journey to America was for just one reason: education．Though having an education will better her life, I know she doesn't do it for herself．My mom wants her children to have an easier life that will not require hard labor．I see what my mom goes through, and I'm filled with gratitude that she has made the brave choice to move here．According to the first paragraph, the writer's mother considers learning to be .
| A．easy and joyful | B．bitter but rewarding |
| C．costly and boring | D．exciting but fruitless |
Which of the following does the writer's mother do at high school?
| A．Working as a newspaper deliverer． |
| B．Feeling proud of her intelligence． |
| C．Working hard to be honored and awarded． |
| D．Giving her classmates advice before tests． |
How does the writer's mother pay for her college education?
| A．By doing a part-time job． |
| B．By asking her parents for support． |
| C．With the financial support from a kind boss． |
| D．With the help from her teachers and classmates． |
What is the final aim of the writer's mother's going to America?
| A．To accumulate wealth． |
| B．To benefit her children． |
| C．To make her parents live better． |
| D．To become famous in her field of study． |
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