Many people still remember the magic of Father Christmas from when they were children. As parents, they try to keep that magic alive for their children for as long as they can.
That is why Letters from Father Christmas could be the perfect book for those who regard Christmas as a special time of year. The man who wrote these letters is one of the most famous names in English literature — J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings. The letters were Tolkien’s way of keeping Father Christmas alive for his four children, over a period of more than twenty years.
Every Christmas, an envelope with a North Pole stamp arrived. It was addressed to Tolkien’s children. Who could it be from? The children must have been very excited as they opened it. Inside, they would find a handwritten letter from Father Christmas. The letters were also beautifully illustrated—each must have taken its true author, Tolkien, a long time to complete.
The letters told wonderful stories about Father Christmas’s life and adventures at the North Pole. A regular character in the letters was Polar Bear, who once climbed the North Pole (an actual pole in this case) and fell through the roof of Father Christmas’s house. In another letter, Father Christmas complained about how he could not stop his helpers playing games with the toys instead of wrapping them up. Interestingly, the letters did not contain the usual warnings to children that they might not receive their presents if they were not good. The letters did, however, change as Tolkien’s children got older：
...but if you find that not many of the things you asked for have come, and not perhaps quite as many as sometimes, remember that this Christmas all over the world here are a terrible number of poor and starving people.
Letters from Father Christmas tells us that as well as enjoying the adventures of Father Christmas, Polar Bear and other characters at the North Pole, we can all share the true spirit of giving at Christmas time. By expressing love for his children in such a special way, Tolkien may indeed have been the real Father Christmas.
1. What is Tolkien famous for?| A．His novel The Lord of the Rings. | B．His letters to Father Christmas. |
| C．His fantasy childhood memories. | D．His introduction to Father Christmas. |
| A．They were sent from Father Christmas. | B．They were wrapped up in good boxes. |
| C．It was hard to write the different stories. | D．The beautiful pictures were hard to make. |
| A．Life will be easy if you work hard. | B．It’s no use complaining about life. |
| C．We should learn to give care to others. | D．Children love presents with pictures. |
| A．He addressed all his letters to Father Christmas. |
| B．He showed his love for his children in a special way. |
| C．He got others to know some people were starving. |
| D．He discovered the spirit of Father Christmas. |
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【推荐1】With all of the wonderful things life brings us, it also brings us stress. It is for this reason that I am an active supporter of mental health days.
Although it’s never good to ignore(忽视) responsibilities, sometimes it is good to unplug(拔除) from the world for a day. We eat healthy and stay active to keep us from getting sick, but sometimes we forget to care for our minds. Our minds and bodies are connected, and when only one is being cared for, the other may be suffering. It is important to try to combine self care with our lives and spend time on activities we enjoy. This helps relieve stress on a daily day.
So, what do you do on a mental health day? The answer is anything you want. Growing up, my brother and I were allowed a few mental health days a year. We would stay home from school and relax. For him, it was playing games on the computer, while my days were spent reading or watching TV. My mental health days now include picking things up around my apartment, cooking a tasty meal, and then reading for a few hours. I completely shut myself off from work or school. To me, this is relaxing. Organize the clutter(凌乱的东西) that piles up during the week, cook the meals I don’t have time to cook, and read the books that I’ve bought but don’t have time to read.
A mental health day is great, but only if it’s supplemented(增补) with self care through the week. From my experience, if self care is not regularly provided in your week, taking a mental health day is just going to stress you out even more. But when it’s needed, try hard to recognize that and take care of yourself. It will help keep you happy and healthy. A mental health day is not a day to avoid life, it is a day to recoup(恢复).
1. What can we infer from Paragraph 2 ?| A．People tend to ignore their mental health. |
| B．People should care for each other. |
| C．One should have a strong sense of responsibility. |
| D．Mental health is less important than physical health. |
| A．stay at home alone. | B．enjoy outdoor activities |
| C．do something meaningful. | D．do whatever they want. |
| A．He cooked for his family. | B．He played computer games. |
| C．He watched TV programs | D．He read the books he bought. |
| A．one needs help and care from other. |
| B．leading a regular life is unnecessary. |
| C．mental health days are not enough. |
| D．one should try to be physically friendly. |
Public opinion may have some say in who is considered “beautiful” on the outside, but inner beauty takes on a whole other meaning.
Ask yourself what beauty means to you. How do you define (定义) inner beauty? Is it a person who is always smiling? Someone who has kind words for everyone he meets? Or, is your definition of beauty more complex?
Have confidence in who you are. In addition to stressing your character strengths, you can apply other ways to feel more confident.
Smile and laugh more.
| A．Notice the beauty around you |
| B．When you want to get the feeling of confidence |
| C．Even if you don’t quite feel up to it at the moment |
| D．Besides, you should try to laugh as much as possible |
| E．Take a moment to reflect on what beauty means to you |
| F．It has more to do with your character than your appearance |
| G．Frequently take part in activities in which you perform well |
【推荐3】We've seen a worldwide health crisis (危机) bring out the worst in some people, but fortunately, we've also been able to see it bring out the best in others.
A taxi driver in Spain has been providing COVID-19 (新冠肺炎) patients with free rides to and from the hospitals. Doctors and nurses wanted to surprise him with their thanks for helping out.
They tricked him down to the hospital under the pretense of needing to pick up a sick patient, but in reality, doctors and nurses lined the hall waiting to applaud (鼓掌) him.
“This is a surprise that has been given to a taxi driver who takes patients to the hospitals without charge,” wrote the taxi company that first shared the video.
The man seemed completely taken aback by the gesture, stopping in the middle of the doors as the whole room cheered for him.
He was also given an envelope full of money and the satisfying results of his own COVID-19 test.
The video has since been shared tens of thousands of times across the world, because kind gestures break the language barrier (障碍).
“When the crisis is finished, there will have been two types of people... the good and the bad,” one user wrote. “With workmates like him, I am proud to be a taxi driver, son of a taxi driver, and father of a taxi driver.”
With the word in hard times, just knowing good people are there doing good deeds is something we can all appreciate.
1. We can learn from the story that____________.| A．the driver took doctors to and from the hospitals |
| B．the taxi company ticked the driver to pick up a patient |
| C．the patients lined the hall to thank the driver |
| D．the driver stayed safe from COVID-19 |
| A．Worried. | B．Amazed. | C．Frightened. | D．Excited. |
| A．It moves people of different nations. |
| B．It encourages more people to be a taxi driver. |
| C．It shows there will have been two types of people. |
| D．It calls for doctors and nurses to fight COVID-19. |
| A．There is always kindness around us. |
| B．We should be proud of our own jobs. |
| C．Helping others is the biggest happiness. |
| D．Taxi drivers play an important part in this crisis. |
【推荐1】BEST CULTURAL FESTIVALS IN THE WORLD
If you’re planning on hitting a cultural festival this year, make sure you check out the background information about some of them.
BURNING MAN (NEVADA, USA)
Burning Man started in 1986, when Larry Harvey and Jerry James built a 8-foot-tall wooden figure and dragged it to San Francisco’s Baker Beach. They lit it on fire and thus one of the world’s strangest, wildest parties was born. It takes place from the last Sunday in August to Labor Day, with an emphasis on freedom, creativity, and self-expression.
CARNIVAL (RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL)
Arguably the biggest festival in the world, Brazil’s Carnival is widely considered “the greatest show on Earth”. The event takes place in February or March, attracting nearly 5 million people who’re baking in the heat each year. There are annual samba competitions for the celebration, and the carnival parades are usually the stuff of legend.
ICE & SNOW SCULPTURE FESTIVAL (HARBIN, CHINA)
Located in Northeast China, Harbin receives some seriously cold winter winds blowing over from Siberia. So why would any healthy person want to visit for this month-long Chinese festival, which officially starts on January 5. Because it’s home to the largest ice sculptures in the world, and the celebration takes over the entire city. Activities in the area during the festival include touring ice lantern exhibitions and swimming in the river’s cold waters.
KING’S DAY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS)
The rest of the world could learn a thing or two from the Netherlands about properly celebrating the national governor’s birthday. King’s Day is now officially celebrated on April 27 and includes an official government ceremony followed by sporting competitions and family-friendly celebrations. The great climate also makes for ideal conditions for a country-wide flea market you have to see to believe.
1. Which festival can people attend in August?| A．Burning Man. | B．Carnival. |
| C．Ice & Snow Sculpture Festival. | D．King’s Day. |
| A．They share religious origins. |
| B．They attract visitors most at night. |
| C．They include underwater activities. |
| D．They are held in extreme temperatures. |
| A．It is celebrated around the world. |
| B．It ends with a wonderful ceremony. |
| C．It features an ice lantern exhibition. |
| D．It is in honor of the head of the country. |
【推荐2】On Monday, 2023, people across Kenya took part in the country’s first national tree-planting holiday. The holiday was created by Kenya’s president to encourage people to plant trees as part of a plan to fight the climate crisis.
Kenya is famous for its beautiful forests and wildlife. But large areas of Kenya’s forests have been cut down. Those trees would normally help absorb carbon dioxide.
Currently, just 7% of Kenya is covered by trees. Kenya has been seriously affected by the climate crisis. The country has been hit by a severe drought, and the area’s rain patterns have been changing for the worse.
An app is created to help organize the tree planting.
On Monday, people all over Kenya turned out in large numbers to take part in the holiday. In the capital, Nairobi, hundreds of people joined in, even though it was raining.
| A．Most Kenyans supported the event. |
| B．It’s not yet clear how many trees were planted. |
| C．It’s a greenhouse gas that causes the climate crisis. |
| D．Even so, people were very excited about the holiday. |
| E．The app is called JazaMiti, meaning “filling with trees”. |
| F．Government leaders led planting efforts all over the country. |
| G．To prepare for the day, the government got young trees ready. |
【推荐3】Ostara, upon which Easter is based, is the Pagan celebration of the vernal equinox (春分).
The holiday is named after Eostre, a spring goddess of the Germanic tradition. There isn’t much written record of Eostre, and it is thought she was worshiped by tribes who used oral tradition rather than written words to record history. Eostre was a symbol of fertility—she may have been the original source of the association of eggs with springtime celebrations. She may also be responsible for the Easter rabbit—the spring equinox was a time when hares would come out and mate. A female hare can even conceive (受孕) while pregnant with another one—this remarkable fertility became a symbol of the season. Therefore, we get “Eostre rabbits” in the spring.
Growth and awakening are important parts of Ostara celebrations. Because the day marks the coming of the planting season, modern Pagans store seeds to later transfer outdoors after frost has disappeared. Caring for the seedling is like worshiping the goddess. Besides, drawings replace the pretty colors of new flowers.
For Pagans, Ostara is a time for spiritual awakening and rebirth. Walking meditation is a common practice and special attention is paid to the signs of nature coming back to life. New beginnings are coming, and there is much soul-searching and clearing away negative energy. This spiritual cleaning is also reflected in the practice of spring cleaning.
Whether you’re Pagan or not, you might have noticed many of your own springtime celebrations in Ostara celebrations, and there’s a reason why Pagan customs have been practiced pretty much in the same way because so much of it is simply human nature. Who could resist a springtime walk in a forest? Is there anyone who isn’t inspired by nature’s annual new beginning? So whatever your own tradition, honor the season with a spiritual cleaning and rebirth—to make room for beautiful things to come.
1. What can be inferred from the passage?| A．Ostara has a longer history than Easter. |
| B．Only Pagan celebrate Ostara nowadays. |
| C．Ostara is a celebration intended for females. |
| D．Most Ostara celebrations are not held outdoors. |
| A．Growth. | B．Drawings. |
| C．Flowers. | D．Spiritual awakening. |
| A．They can help to clean people’s spirit. |
| B．They are in need of some special attention. |
| C．It is common to hold the activities worldwide. |
| D．Written record of them is not talked about a lot. |
| A．They have the same origin and history. |
| B．It is human nature to pursue beautiful things. |
| C．Pagan customs have been spread to the world. |
| D．Pagans are good at learning from other cultures. |
【推荐1】Beth Booker of Florida, turned to Twitter for help last week after seeing the images of her 78-year-old grandmother’s home in Fort Myers Beach, Florida being in water. In the days before Hurricane Ian struck her grandmother’s community, Beth and her husband helped her granny, Carole McDanel, prepare herself and her home for it.
Her granny wanted to stay where she had been living for more than two decades. She felt safe to stay because Ian was heading north for another city and the house had survived quite a few major hurricanes in history. In addition, the home contained priceless family memories and heirlooms (传家宝), among which were photos of Booker’s dad, who passed away when she was only five years old. After her dad’s death, Booker had to live with her grandmother, McDanel.
Once the storm struck, Booker received updates from her granny, who shared photos and videos showing flood started to fill the home. In her last phone call with granny, Booker told her granny to climb on the roof if the flood waters continued to climb. Unable to communicate with her granny any longer, Booker turned to Twitter for help with everything from searching for her granny to contacting local emergency officials.
The Fort Myers area was left devastated Wednesday after Hurricane Ian. On Thursday, as rescue crews came over to search for survivors, Booker’s husband and friend began their own search for her granny by boat. Just a few hours later, at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Booker tweeted the news that her husband and friend found granny sitting on her own sofa, where she was able to remain safe during the storm.
McDanel and Booker, who declined to be interviewed, said in a statement that they felt grateful for the support they had received and that they are calling for the world to continue the same energy and love into recovery and relief efforts for their community.
1. What does the underlined word “devastated” mean in paragraph 4?| A．Disturbed. | B．Rebuilt. | C．Destroyed. | D．Attacked. |
| A．In her home. | B．In a very small boat. |
| C．In an emergency office. | D．Among the flood victims. |
| A．Powerful. | B．Responsible. | C．Hard-working. | D．Humorous. |
| A．Natural disasters had ever struck the Earth frequently. |
| B．Booker had a good relationship with her grandmother as well. |
| C．Booker knew nothing about Hurricane Ian ahead of time. |
| D．Social media play a very great role in people’s daily life. |
【推荐2】Growing up in Colombia, Diana longed to explore the universe and gain more understanding of it. Her dad thought that being able to speak a second language would give her an advantage. He suggested she live with her aunt in Miami while going to school. Only 17 years old at the time, she accepted his suggestion.
With just $300 in her pocket, Diana took a series of housekeeping jobs to put herself through community college and later the University of Florida. In addition to learning English, she studied aerospace engineering. Sometimes she had to take six buses just to get to class. Other days she was cleaning bathrooms to continue her studies. But Diana saw everything coming her way as an opportunity.
Diana applied to the NASA Academy in her senior year of college, and was the first immigrant Latina in the academy. NASA hired her that year, and in 2009, she became a telecom system engineer for the Curiosity Rover(探测器)that landed successfully on Mars in 2012. During this mission, she developed a dust removal tool to help scientists better explore Mars’ surface, which earned her recognition as one of the 20 most influential Latinas in the technology industry. Since then, Diana has only kept setting the bar higher. In her second mission, it took her team two years to create the robotic arm for the Perseverance Rover that would bring back soil samples from the Red Planet to learn if there once was life there.
Right now, her mission is to help more Latinas realize they can be also successful in the exploration of science and technology. Last week, she hosted NASA’s first-ever Spanish-language live broadcast for Perseverance’s arrival on Mars and it gained more than 2.5 million views online.
1. What was Diana’s contribution to the Curiosity Rover?| A．She designed a tool to remove the dust. | B．She explored the surface of Mars. |
| C．She created the robotic arm. | D．She directed the telecom system. |
| A．To fight for the women’ equal rights. |
| B．To host a broadcast to attract more viewers. |
| C．To create the robotic arm for the Perseverance Rover. |
| D．To encourage more Latinas to study science and technology. |
| A．It is never too old to learn. |
| B．Behind bad luck comes good luck. |
| C．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart. |
| D．Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. |
【推荐3】Bertha Mahony Miller, a US editor and publisher, was born on March13th, 1882 in Rockport, Massachusetts. After her mother’s death, 11-year-old Mahony helped look after her three younger siblings. She entered local teacher-training classes after high school but left the next year to pursue studies at newly formed Simmons College in Boston. Unable to afford the four-year program in library science, she chose instead to take a year of secretarial courses.
In 1906, Mahony became a secretary for the Women’s Educational and Industrial Union (WEIU), a nonprofit social-service agency. Board members soon recognized her creativity and intelligence, so she was given a variety of duties. One of her favorites was organizing plays for children, and her interest in children’s literature expanded as she searched through books for appropriate material.
With the support of the Union, Mahony opened the Bookshop for Boys and Girls in 1916. The creation of this Boston store devoted to children’s books came at a time when most parents, booksellers and publishers did not put much thought into what children read. Mahony aimed to change this by offering a large selection of thoughtfully chosen books and seeking help from many notable librarians such as Anne Carroll Moore and Alice Jordan. Storytelling, author visits and other activities helped spark people’s interest in the store, and the creation of a bookmobile extended its reach to other regions.
To coincide with (与……同时举行) the opening of the store, Mahony edited and published a buying guide of selected children’s books, the first commercial list of its kind. It grouped some 1,200 books into categories based on age and subject matter and provided a brief description of each publication. The attention it drew led her to another idea. In 1924, Mahony and coworker Elinor Whitney founded The Horn Book Magazine, the first periodical devoted entirely to children. Mahony and Whitney also compiled (汇编) Realms of Gold in Children’s Books (1929), a publication covering five centuries of children’s literature.
Bertha Mahony Miller devoted much of her life to promoting children’s literature. Her efforts enlightened (启发) consumers and encouraged publishers to expand and improve their juvenile (少年的) offerings. She is considered a figurehead of the children’s literature movement.
1. Mahony developed an interest in children’s literature when .| A．she was in high school | B．she attended local teacher-training classes |
| C．she opened the Bookshop for Boys and Girls | D．she was working as a secretary for the WEIU |
| A．The bookstore only offered children’s books. |
| B．People paid little attention to children’s books. |
| C．Mahony could not get any help from the professionals. |
| D．It was challenging to expand the bookstore into other areas. |
| A．The awards Mahony received in her life. |
| B．The support Mahony got from her friends and family. |
| C．The contributions Mahony made to children’s literature. |
| D．The difficulties Mahony met during the creation of the bookstore. |
| A．To prove the importance of reading. | B．To call on children to read more books. |
| C．To show the respect for Bertha Mahony Miller. | D．To introduce the development of children’s literature. |
