A

About three weeks ago American children dressed as monsters and asked for sweets. That was Halloween. In a few weeks American houses will be red and green and filled with presents， for Christmas.

As if all this isnt enough， on November 22， America will enjoy another festival—Thanksgiving.

Children will have two days off school， shops will close and houses will be filled with families enjoying mountains of food.

Thanksgiving is a traditional festival that started in 1621， soon after the first pilgrims（朝圣者）arrived in the US to start a new life. After a hard year， they had a big autumn harvest. They held a feast and invited the native American Indians to thank God for giving them enough food. Thanksgiving has been celebrated ever since in the US.

Now， Thanksgiving is a time to thank other people for their love and help in life.

Three “Fs” highlight the important parts of Thanksgiving：

Food

It is a day for a big dinner. A roast turkey is the most common dish of a Thanksgiving dinner. Other dishes include mashed potatoes， green beans and carrots. For dessert， various pies are often served， particularly pumpkin pies and apple pies.

Family

For Thanksgiving， most people in the US spend it with their family. They may have to travel a long way to be with their parents or grandparents. No one wants to be alone on that day.

Football

Lots of people like to watch American football matches on TV. Some even watch it all evening！

1. Whats the main purpose of this passage？

A. To talk about Christmas Day.

B. To introduce Thanksgiving Day to us.

C. To encourage us to spend festivals with our families.

D. To tell us the differences between Halloween and Thanksgiving Day.

2. What do many people like to do on Thanksgiving day？

A. Stay alone.

B. Visit their friends.

C. Go out with their family.

D. Stay at home and watch American football matches.

3. What should be the best title of the passage？

A. Various Festivals in the US

B. The Origin of Christmas Day

C. Too Many Festivals in the US

D. Big Feast on Thanksgiving Day

B

Im a Chinese student studying in Canada. I have been a boarder（寄宿生）with the Carsons for more than a year and a half.

The Carsons live in their own house， which has four bedrooms including the one in the basement which I live in. Judy does all the work in the house and Andrew is responsible for the work in the garden. When they go out in the evening， they often ask me to look after their children.

Judys parents， Mr and Mrs Morris， live in another city. Judy is their only child and naturally they dote on（溺愛）Judys children. They often send the children presents.

Last April Mr Morris died. Now that Mrs Morris was quite alone， I expected that Judy would want her to come and live with them. One day， Margaret told me grandma was coming to live with them and her daddy and mummy would want my room back. The news didnt surprise me and the next day I went to Judy and asked her about it. I said I couldnt think of living in their basement room any longer if it was needed for Mrs Morris. Judy seemed surprised at first. Then she told me there was no need for me to move， for they hadnt yet come to any decision about her mother coming to live with them. “Naturally Im worried about my mother. She has been in poor health.” She smiled sadly and added， “To be honest， Andrew and my mother have never got on well. Well wait a bit and see what happens. Perhaps Mother will be all right living herself， or perhaps they will both change their minds.”

That was six months ago. During this time Ive heard that Mrs Morris has had two illnesses and that her health has got worse. A nursing home was mentioned once but Mrs Morris refused to go there. So up to now shes still living alone and Im still living in the basement room.

4. The speaker is ___ .

A. a student of Judy Carson

B. a brother of Andrew Carson

C. a close friend of the Carsons

D. a student who pays to live at the Carsons house

5. Why did the speaker expect Jady would want Mrs Morris to come to live with them according to Paragraph 4？

A. Mr Morris was badly ill.

B. Mrs Morris lived with her lovely dog.

D. Mrs Morris suffered from mental illness.

D. Mr Morris was dead and she was alone.

6. Why didnt Mrs Morris come to live with her daughters family？

A. She did not want to leave her own house.

B. She was in rather poor health and could not come.

C. She did not have a good relationship with her son-in-law.

D. She has no room to live in for the speaker lived there.

7. Whats the best title of the passage？

A. The Boarder

B. My Landlady

C. Nursing Homes and the Aged

D. Canadians Family Relationships

C

The United States is one of the few countries in the world that has an official day on which fathers are honored by their children. On the third Sunday in June， fathers all across the United States are given presents， treated to dinner or otherwise made to feel special.

However， the idea for creating a day for children to honor their fathers began in Spokane， Washington. A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Fathers Day while listening to a Mothers Day sermon（布道）in 1909. Having been raised by her father， Henry Jackson Smart， after her mother died， Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices（犧牲）and was， in the eyes of his daughter， a selfless and loving man. Sonoras father was born in June， so she chose to hold the first Fathers Day celebration in Spikane， Washington on the 19th of June， 1910.

In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge declared the third Sunday in June as Fathers Day. Roses are the Fathers Day flowers： red to be worn for a living father and white if the father has died.

When children cant visit their fathers or take them out to dinner， they send a greeting card. Traditionally， fathers prefer greeting cards that are not too sentimental（感傷的）. Most greeting cards are too special so fathers laugh when they open them. Some give heartfelt thanks for being there whenever the child needed Dad.

8. Which of the following is true of Fathers Day in the United States？

A. It is an official day.

B. Many people celebrate the day.

C. All men are honored on the day.

D. Only America celebrates the day.

9. Why was Fathers Day fixed on June 19 at first？

A. Sonoras mother died on June 19.

B. Sonoras birthday was on June 19.

C. It was decided by the president at that time.

D. Sonora honored her father on her fathers birthday.

10. According to the passage， on Fathers Day， ___ .

A. people will wear the same flowers to honor their fathers

B. only daughters wear red flowers to honor their fathers

C. children must go home to honor their fathers

D. fathers are often honored in different ways

11. What can we learn from the text about Henry Jackson Smart？

A. He was very kind to others.

B. He did a lot for his daughter.

C. He was the first father honored in 1924.

D. He always help others by giving money.

D

Nearly two million drivers in the UK have had accidents due to “Baby on Board” signs and childrens toys that affect their view， according to alarming new research. One in twenty motorists says stickers and playtime paraphernalia（裝備）are to blame for a collision—equal to 1.85 million of Britains 37 million drivers. The discovery triggered a warning by a road safety charity—brake to cut down on clutter（雜亂的東西）in the car.

Deputy chief executive Julie Townsend said “Baby on Board” signs are very useful in alerting the emergency services that a child may be involved in case of a crash. “This help can become negative if drivers display signs when their child isnt in the car，” she said. “Worse still is the danger that can be caused by drivers influencing their view by cluttering up（塞滿）windows with lots of signs. Drivers priority should always be getting there safely without putting themselves， young passengers or other road users at risk.”

A survey arranged by price comparison website Confused.com found that 37 percent of parents have displayed signs and four out of five of them believe they improve safety. But 46 percent admit doing so at all times—regardless of whether or not their child is in the car， and 15 percent admit they only have them for their novelty（新奇）value. The poll of 2，000 drivers also found that 46 percent of drivers regard them as a risk and 33 percent say they are lacking in taste.

“There are benefits and dangers to ‘Baby on Board signs. They can offer useful information for medical aid in case of a crash but having too many novelty items displayed could be a safety issue，” said a Confused.com spokesman.

12. What can we learn about the signs on the car from Paragraph 1？

A. They are forbidden to be used.

B. They are dangerous sometimes.

C. They are welcomed by passengers.

D. They are useful to avoid accidents.

13. What is Julie Townsends attitude towards the signs？

A. Positive. B. Negative.

C. Uninterested. D. Uncertain.

14. According to the survey， what do most of the users think of the signs？

A. They can kill time.

B. They can improve safety.

C. They can make drivers clear.

D. They can make drivers at risk.

15. What is the purpose of this text？

A. To tell an interesting story.

B. To solve a threat to traffic safety.

C. To persuade drivers to drive safely.

D. To describe a threat to traffic safety.

As one of the worlds oldest holidays， Halloween is widely celebrated with different names in many countries. Although it originated（起源）as a religious holiday， it has 1

its religious connection in the United States. It is now 2

largely as a childrens holiday， and many American 3 look forward to it for days and weeks beforehand.

The orange pumpkin， 4 at this time of the year， is hollowed（挖空）out， a funny face cut into it， and a candle is placed 5 as a decoration（裝飾）in the window. But city folks， nowadays， sometimes use paper pumpkins for 6 .

Some years ago， the holiday was celebrated by 7 strange and frightening clothes and 8 tricks on ones neighbors and friends， such as ringing door bells， throwing bits of corn on the window panes（窗格）， and in other ways of making little 9 .

More recently， children come to the door to have friends and neighbors 10 their clothes and guess who they are 11 the strange masks and receive treats of candy， fruit or cookies. They say “Trick or Treat”， which 12 “I will play a trick on you 13 you dont want to give me a treat.” This practice has even more recently 14 into an important international activity. Instead of or along with candy， the children 15 money for UNICEF （United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund）. This 16 collection of money by children for needy children throughout the 17 is known as “UNICEF Trick or Treat”. Begun only recently， it 18 several million dollars each year being 19 to UNICEF. The collection box is 20 ， reminding people of the pumpkin.

1. A. lost B. found C. followed D. needed

2. A. considered B. celebrated C. thought D. regarded

3. A. parents B. teachers C. children D. students

4. A. vegetable B. crop C. product D. harvest

5. A. beside B. on C. inside D. below

6. A. fun B. free C. example D. decoration

7. A. having on B. wearing in C. putting on D. dressing up

8. A. playing B. doing C. having D. putting

9. A. peace B. trouble C. noise D. faces

10. A. share B. look C. honor D. admire

11. A. behind B. beside C. before D. between

12. A. suggests B. shows C. advises D. insists

13. A. unless B. if C. until D. when

14. A. occurred B. moved C. developed D. processed

15. A. gather B. collect C. make D. earn

16. A. usual B. rare C. special D. common

17. A. town B. village C. place D. world

18. A. results from B. results in C. brings out D. brings in

19. A. used B. close C. contributed D. encouraged

20. A. red B. blue C. orange D. green

As winter holiday are coming soon， my classmates are trying very hard to get train tickets to go to home. After make up my mind， I decided to stay in Shanghai where my university is. This is the first time that I spent the Spring Festival away from home. My parents agreed to visit me， but I will have a different festival. When they came here， I will show them around my university and the city just as well. I have decided to buy them some nice gift. It will be the big surprise for them. Our parents have done a lot for me， and I think it is high time that I did something specially to express my thanks.

1. 一個(gè)由九個(gè)成員組成的委員會(huì)已經(jīng)派到那里去調(diào)查這件事了。（consist of）

2. 窗子太臟了，因?yàn)橐呀?jīng)很多周沒有擦過了。（for weeks）

3. 如果可以，請(qǐng)?jiān)试S我先將面粉和豬肉混合在一起，因?yàn)檫@是一個(gè)必不可少的過程。（mix ... with ...）

4. 為了紀(jì)念他們的好友，他們一同寫下一首感人的長(zhǎng)詩。（in memory of）

閱讀下面材料，在空白處填入適當(dāng)?shù)膬?nèi)容（1個(gè)單詞）或括號(hào)內(nèi)單詞的正確形式。

One day， when Bill was walking home from school， he heard a noise 1 （come） from the bushes（灌木）. He went over to see 2 it was. Behind a bush， he found a black dog. Bill went back home as soon as he could with the dog and showed her 3 his parents. Bills dad found that the dog had a 4 （break） leg so they brought the dog to a doctor for animals by car. On the way， Bills parents decided that Bill could keep the dog if they couldnt find the 5 （own）.

When they arrived， the doctor 6 （check） the dog. He told Bill that she was going to have babies！ The next day， Bill put up signs like “FOUND DOG BLACK” around his neighborhood. He also wrote his familys phone number on the signs.

Two days 7 （late）， Bill got a call from the owner of the dog. The owner thanked Bill when he came 8 （pick） up his dog， he said Bill could have one of the 9 （baby）. Bill was very happy！ Finally Bill got 10 baby dog from the owner. He named him Rosco and liked him very much.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

6. 7. 8. 9. 10.