1 . I remember believing in Santa when I was a very young girl. However, as I grew older, I learned many _______ that “proved” his nonexistence. Always_______by nature, I was determined to use _______to decide whether Santa Claus was _______.

The first test_______when I was 5, I decided that if I _______all night on Christmas Eve, I could see if Santa really came down the chimney. _______, that was a useless_______. I fell asleep that year, and when I woke up, I saw a _______ wrapped present under the________.

At the age of 7, I came up with another test to see if Santa was real. That year, I didn’t send out my Christmas letter to Santa because I wanted ________for Christmas. But this turned into a plot. By then, I ________knew Santa wasn’t real, but I wanted enough________to support this. That year was ________. Because on Christmas Eve, my mother dragged me to our local Wal-Mart led me around the toy section. I ________ to say a word, but did let my eyes ________on a ballet set. I________that “Santa” wouldn’t know what I wanted because he shouldn’t be able to read my ________. However, my mother would know everything that caught my eyes in the store. If I got the ballet set the next morning, I would have my evidence. On Christmas morning, there was the ballet set, sitting under the tree again.________I didn’t use it much, my mother ended up returning it a few days later. She ________ Santa was generous enough to leave a receipt. That was the end to my task to discover the existence of Santa.

1.

A．theories

B．choices

C．situations

D．facts

2.

A．curious

B．typical

C．cautious

D．desperate

3.

A．data

B．exam

C．tricks

D．tests

4.

A．generous

B．wise

C．merciful

D．real

5.

A．worked

B．succeeded

C．happened

D．failed

6.

A．stayed up

B．kept up

C．called up

D．made up

7.

A．Instead

B．However

C．Therefore

D．Otherwise

8.

A．effect

B．suggestion

C．attempt

D．struggle

9.

A．roughly

B．beautifully

C．clearly

D．tidily

10.

A．tree

B．bed

C．chimney

D．table

11.

A．everything

B．anything

C．nothing

D．something

12.

A．hardly

B．already

C．never

D．usually

13.

A．idea

B．intention

C．evidence

D．experience

14.

A．amazing

B．interesting

C．strange

D．annoying

15.

A．hated

B．refused

C．hesitated

D．tried

16.

A．try

B．focus

C．put

D．call

17.

A．hoped

B．explained

C．argued

D．figured

18.

A．purpose

B．mind

C．opinion

D．eyes

19.

A．As

B．If

C．Although

D．As soon as

20.

A．admitted

B．thought

C．claimed

D．promised

2 . Plays are an important part of British culture. The West End theatre district in London is the best place to watch a professional play, but acting also takes place in every school and village hall across the country.

There are over 2,500 non-professional drama groups in the UK today and they are an active part of community life. people from all walks of life take on acting roles in addition to their regular jobs. They do it for fun, for the love of acting and as a way to meet new people.

Not everyone in a drama club is a skilled actor, but enthusiasm(热情)is considered to be more important than talent. Friends, family members and neighbours enjoy getting together to watch the final performance and telling the people they know to “break a leg(走运)”. It’s a great way of bringing communities together. Also, in many rural parts of Britain, non-professional theatre is the only chance people have to see plays for miles around.

Many people get a taste for acting at school. Every school puts on a play at least once per year, usually at Christmas, and parents love coming to watch their children perform. Ask any British person and they’re sure to have happy memories of being in their school’s Christmas play, whether they played the role of Mary or Joseph or perhaps even a sheep or a donkey.

Another Christmas theatre tradition is the pantomime(舞剧). Pantomimes are a type of musical comedy for families .the audience is encouraged to participate in the performance-singing along with the music and shouting to the actors. Pantomimes are really fun to watch, especially for children.

British people love going to the theatre, professional or not, and many of them also enjoy performing. If you have the chance, go and see a play in the UK.

1. What matters most for an actor in a drama club, according to the article?

A．Talent	B．Enthusiasm
C．Professional training	D．Support from family

2. According to the article, what is special about pantomimes?

A．All the performers are professional child actors

B．The audience is allowed to play some small roles in them

C．The audience is encouraged to interact with the actors

D．The musical comedy is always about family life

3. According to the article most Britain people ____________.

A．learn how to be a professional actor in school

B．consider acting to be their regular jobs

C．often participated in performance when in school

D．watch plays in the West End theatre district in London

4. What is the article mainly about?

A．Reasons why British people love plays

B．The origin of theatre traditions in the UK

C．Rules for theatergoers to follow in the UK

D．The popularity of non-professional plays in the UK

3 . 目前,城里人喜欢到农村过周末,而农村人喜欢到城里过周末。阅读下表内容写一篇短文介绍生活中的这一变化,并说明自己的感受。词数:120词左右。

	城里人	农村人
周末活动	到农村钓鱼、旅游、远足	进城买东西、看电影听音乐会
出行方式	开汽车	乘汽车
活动目的	呼吸新鲜空气,欣赏乡村风景,以达到放松、健身的目的	改善生活质量,体验现代文化

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. How did the man learn about the festival most probably?

A．Through going to a park.

B．Through reading a newspaper.

C．Through hearing of it from his brother.

2. What’s the woman’s attitude toward the art exhibitions?

A．Interested.

B．Disappointed.

C．Worried.

3. When will the international painters show their works?

A．On Saturday.

B．On Sunday.

C．The whole weekend.

5 . March 14 is, perhaps quietly, celebrated as Pi Day,     1     day to honor the number that many people are familiar with. The date comes from the first three number of Pi: March is the third month,     2     (follow) by the one and four that make 14. Pi     3     (appear) wherever there are circles. Pi is a ratio. It measures the     4     (distant) around a circle to its diameter(直径).

A website, Piday.org , shows little known facts about the number. Pi has been    5    (universal) known for thousands of years and gets its name     6     a Greek letter,. The Greeks are believed to have used the letter to describe the ratio. The first Pi Day     7     (celebrate) on March 14, 1988. San Francisco’s Exploratorium Science Museum started the event, according to the site. The museum marks the day with a daylong celebration     8     (include) a parade.

March 14 has other scientific     9     (link). It is the birthday of physicist and Nobel Prize winner Albert Einstein. Princeton University,     10     Einstein lived for many years, celebrates Pi Day as well.

6 . Columbus Day has been on American calendars since 1937, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared October 12 a federal holiday to honor the Italian explorer who “discovered” the Americas in 1492. However, the holiday has always been controversial. Many people believe that Christopher Columbus should not be given credit for “discovering” the continent, since native Americans had already been living there for generations.

Besides, the explorer’s mission was not a scientific “voyage of discovery”, but one intended to conquer the new land. Critics maintain that the Spanish army Columbus brought on his second voyage, caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of indigenous(土著的) people. Those that survived the massacre became slaves, working in mines. Many, therefore, believe that the explorer’s arrival should not be celebrated.

In 1977, a delegation of Native nations at the International Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations in the Americas, proposed renaming the holiday to “Indigenous People’s Day”. The proposal passed with a majority.

However, convincing the rest of the country to do the same was not that easy. It took 15 years before the city of Berkeley in California adopted the name in 1992 and then 22 more years before Minneapolis, MN and Seattle, WA did the same in 2014. The following year, eight more cities including Albuquerque, NM and Portland, OR, began celebrating the second Monday of October as “Indigenous People’s Day”. The movement really started to gain momentum in 2016 when 19 cities, including Boulder, CO and Phoenix, AZ, as well as the states of Minnesota and Vermont, all decided to rename the day to honor Native Americans. In 2017, 21 more cities, including Austin, TX and Los Angeles, CA have made the shift.

With the increasingly larger number of cities moving away from Columbus Day each year, it will be interesting to see if “Indigenous People’s Day” gets federal recognition. Meanwhile, it will continue to be the focal point of debates throughout the Americas.

1. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

A．Indigenous People’s Day Has Got Federal Recognition after Years’ Work

B．Columbus Day Honoring the Italian Explorer Has Always Been Controversial

C．Christopher Columbus Should Not Be Given Credit for Discovering Americas

D．More Cities Have Replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day

2. Many people don’t agree that     .

A．Columbus discovered the continent

B．Columbus was a remarkable explorer

C．Native Americans were abused

D．Columbus Day is a public holiday

3. What can we infer from the second paragraph?

A．Columbus was well received by indigenous people

B．The indigenous people hated the Columbus’ arrival

C．The Spanish army rebelled against Columbus’ rule

D．Few soldiers survived the attack by native Americans

4. Which of the following cities is the earliest to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day?

A．Portland	B．Phoenix
C．Seattle	D．Los Angeles

7 . College Student Guide to Thanksgiving Break

Thanksgiving break, for many college students, is a big gift in the middle of fall semester. Lots of students go home for Thanksgiving, but some stay on campus.     1     Whatever your situation, though, there are things you can do to make sure you squeeze every last drop out of the long weekend.

Thanksgiving is nearly always about friends and family. However, every college student has a unique situation. Not all the students choose to return home for Thanksgiving.    2     If you find being back home stressful, try planning to see friends or a trip to your favorite coffee shop.

For many students, it’s the first chance they have to visit friends from high school. If you had a large circle of friends» getting to see everyone you wanted to see might be hard.    3     So it is wise to try to plan group activities where you can spend time with as many of your old friends as possible.

Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel times of the year, so knowing what to expect can prevent a fun trip home from turning into a travel nightmare.    4     The other half is planning your route home. If you plan to fly back home, book tickets at least six weeks in advance.

For most students, Thanksgiving falls either right before or right after midterms. So while you’re relaxing over the break, it doesn’t mean you can let your academics slide.    5     Even if your professors didn’t assign you anything over the break f you probably have a larger project to work on. Remember the end of the semester is really only a few weeks away.

A．Some families are less supportive than others.

B．After all, the Thanksgiving break is only a few days.

C．Knowing what to pack when heading home is half the battle.

D．Others head to a friend’s house to celebrate the holiday.

E．Learn what to do and make the best of the long weekend.

F．It is your first chance to learn how to manage homework over a college break.

G．When returning home for Thanksgiving, you might have changed in many ways.

8 . Christmas can easily become an expensive time of a year. From gifts to decorating, the money spent on the celebration adds up quickly. But there's no reason to completely break the bank.     1    

Make a budget (预算). Set the amount you're willing to spend for the holiday, including gift giving, decorating and travel.     2     And if you can keep to your budget, you'll lead an easy life in the following weeks and months.

Start shopping for Christmas decorations early. Stores have sales for decorations between Halloween and Thanksgiving.     3       Better yet, go shopping for next year's decorations the day after Christmas. You can buy many things at very low prices right after Christmas.

Shop for gifts all year round. Whenever you're out shopping, keep an eye out for great Christmas presents.     4     Shopping early can prevent you from spending more money than you can afford. And if you spend little here and there throughout the year, Christmas will have a much smaller influence on your wallet in December.

Scale down (缩减) your gift giving. Sometimes you just can't afford to get something for everyone. Remove the people from your list whom you rarely speak with.     5     The people you do choose to buy for don't need something expensive. Keep in mind that it's the thought that is more important.

A．Send them simple cards instead.

B．This budget is perfect for many people.

C．Once you have a budget set, keep to it.

D．And it's after Thanksgiving that the prices begin to go up.

E．Christmas is known as the season of giving, sharing and receiving.

F．There are ways to celebrate well and spend wisely at the same time.

G．It doesn't matter when you get the gift, whether it's January or June.

9 .     1    

People often dream of a perfect holiday with white sands, blue beaches and so on. But traveling or sometimes even planning a trip can be a stress. Here are some tips to make your holiday a memorable one.

● Plan ahead. The first thing you need to do is to be sure of what you need from this trip. Do you want to experience the local culture or just have fun on those sandy beaches?    2    

● Read up before you go.     3     Buy a good guidebook and read up on the culture, history, local attractions of the place. You can read the local publications online or surf the Net for more information. The more you know, the better you can enjoy the place and its traditions.

● Pack light and right. Pack only the important things.    4     A heavy luggage may sometimes influence your holiday spirit. Carry clothes that are comfortable and right for the season. As much as possible try to put everything you need in a single carry-on bag.

●     5    Unreasonable(不合理的)expectations can lead to unwanted stress, so enjoy the holiday by managing what you can with the time you have. Enjoy each moment, whether good or bad.

A．Always book your stay.

B．Have realistic expectations.

C．How to plan for a perfect holiday

D．Avoid carrying unnecessary things around.

E．Plan your trip according to your needs and likes.

F．Prepare yourself before visiting an unknown holiday place.

G．All you need is to get away from busy people and the world.

10 . Strange Baby-Naming Laws
Germany Parents are banned by law from using last names and the names of objects and products as first names. A child’s first name must clearly indicate his or her sex, and all names must be approved by the office of vital statistics in the area in which the child was born.
Iceland The country’s naming committee consults the National Register of Persons to determine if a name is acceptable. If parents want to go off-list, they must apply for approval and pay a fee, and the name must contain only letters in the Icelandic alphabet.
New Zealand The country’s Births, Deaths, and Marriages Registration Act of 1995 prohibits parents from choosing a name that “ might cause offense to a reasonable person; is unreasonably long; or is, includes, or resembles an official title or rank,” including, apparently, Adolf Hitler and Yeah Detroit—both names recently rejected.
Denmark If Danish parents prefer a moniker not on the list of 7,000 preapproved baby names, they must get permission from local church and government officials. Fifteen to 20 percent of the 1,100 reviewed names—including creative spellings of common names, last names as first names, and unusual names—are rejected each year.
1. You can tell whether a baby is a girl or a boy according to the first name in _____.

A．Germany	B．New Zealand
C．Iceland	D．Denmark

2. In Iceland, the names should _____.

A．be approved by the office of vital statistics.

B．be accepted by the National Register of Persons.

C．contain only letters in the Roman alphabet.

D．be paid for some money.

3. Which name is accepted in New Zealand?

A．Bin Laden	B．Talula Does The Hula
C．John Smith	D．Keenan Got Lucky

4. According to the passage, which of the following is true?

A．Parents should pay a fee for babies’ names if the names are rejected.

B．Each year about 150-200 reviewed names are rejected in Denmark.

C．Adolf Hitler is banned in Iceland.

D．Danish babies’ names should be on the list if parents can’t get the permission.