One of the traditions which is now a necessary part of Christmas is that of Father Christmas, or Santa Claus. According to the modern legend, he is a magical figure who visits all the children of the world during the night before Christmas Day, leaving presents which they find the next morning. He flies through the night sky in a sledge pulled by reindeer(馴鹿), and enters houses by climbing down chimneys. This strange legend is based on the life of a man called Nicholas, but in fact we know very little about him. Historians think he was a Christian bishop(主教) in Turkey in about 285－350 A. D. One of the stories about him is that he helped three poor girls. No one would marry them because they were so poor. To provide them with money for their weddings, Nicholas secretly dropped some gold coins down the chimney of their house. After Nicholas died, he was made a saint(圣人) by the church. (The name Santa Claus thus comes from St Nicholas.) His feast day was celebrated in December, and parents started giving their children secret presents from St Nicholas. Over the years, this custom became part of our Christmas traditions.

    Recently, a psychologist has claimed that Father Christmas is “the perfect fantasy” for children. According to Professor Anthony Clare, children love the character of Father Christmas because he is like an ideal father: he loves children and gives them presents, but he never criticizes them, is never angry, and children do not even need to thank him for the presents. Other writers, however, point out that Father Christmas can be a frightening character to some children. Jane Bidder says that some children are terrified of this fat, bearded old man. It can certainly confuse many children. As parents, we warn our children to be careful of strangers and never to let them into the house, and yet we tell children that a strange man will come into their bedroom at night! Some children can become very worried about this idea and fear that he is a kind of burglar(夜盜).

    Most children, however, understand from their parents and from the media that Father Christmas is basically a kind and friendly character, and look forward to his annual visit with joy and excitement.

60．The main point of the first paragraph is that ________.

      A．Father Christmas is an important part of Christmas 

      B．The tradition of Father Christmas is a modern idea

      C．Father Christmas is a magical figure who can fly   

      D．The legends about Father Christmas are not true

61．The writer mentions details such as Father Christmas’s sledge, the reindeer and the way he climbs down chimneys because he/she ____________.

      A．wants to make it clear that these things are impossible   

      B．is describing the history of St Nicholas

      C．wants everyone to believe that Father Christmas is real

      D．is explaining the modern legend of Father Christmas

62．Why does the writer mention the story about St Nicholas helping three poor girls?

     A．It shows us that historians know very little about him.

     B．This story explains why parents give secret presents to children.

     C．It supports the writer’s main point that Father Christmas is based on an untrue story.

     D．This story explains why we celebrate Christmas in December.

63．The best title for this passage would be __________.

     A．Is Father Christmas Dangerous?           B．The True History of St Nicholas

One stormy night many years ago, and elderly man and his wife entered the hall of a small hotel in Philadelphia. Trying to get out of the rain, they came to the front desk hoping to get some shelter for the night.

   “Could you possibly give us a room here ?” the husband asked.

The clerk, a friendly man with a winning smile , looked at the couple and explained that there were three conventions in town .” All of our rooms are taken”, the clerk said ,”But I can’t send a nice couple like you out into the rain at one o’ clock in the morning. Would you perhaps be willing to sleep in my room ?It’s not exactly a suite（套房）, but it will be good enough to make you folks comfortable for the night .”

When the couple declined , the young man pressed on . “Don’t worry about me. I’ll make out just fine,” the clerk told them. So the couple agreed.

As he paid his bill the next morning, the elderly man said to the clerk, “You are the kind of manager who should be the boss of the best hotel in the United States. Maybe someday I’ll build one for you.” The clerk looked at then and smiled, The three of them had a good laugh, As they drove away, the elderly couple agreed that the helpful clerk was indeed exceptional, as finding people who are both friendly and helpful isn’t easy

Two years passed, The clerk had almost forgotten the incident when he received a letter from the old man. It recalled that stormy night and enclosed a round-trip ticket to New York, asking the young man to pay them a visit.

The old man met him in New Your , and led him to the corner of Fifth Avenue and 34th street. He then pointed to a great new building there, a pale reddish stone with turrets and watchtowers thrusting up to the sky.” That ,” said the older man, “is the hotel I have just built for you to manage.” “You must be joking” the young man said , “I can assure you I am not” said the older man, a sly (偷偷的) smile playing around his mouth.

The older man’s name was William Waldorf Astor ,and that magnificent structure was the original Waldorf- Astoria Hotel . The young clerk who became its first manager was George C. Boldt. This young clerk never foresaw the turn of events that would lead him to become the manager of one of the world’s most glamorous hotels.

51．The purpose of the author writing this story is to         .

       A．give people a good laugh   

       B．cover some facts

       C．promote the business of Waldorf-Astoria Hotel       

       D．deliver a lesson

52．Which of the statements about the story is NOT true?

       A．The story took place at about one a. m

       B．The old couple  was too poor to afford a luxurious（豪華）room.

       C．The clerk was willing to help those in need,

       D．The clerk received an unexpected invitation from the old man.

53．The underlined word “conventions ” in Para3. can be replaced by        ?

       A．rooms            B．suites                C．meetings           D．hotels

54．Which of the following proverbs suits the story the best?

       A．One good act deserves another.                                     

       B．Make hay(干草)while the sun shines.

       C．Man proposes, God disposes（處理，決定）.                   

       D．Every little thing helps.

    It was a normal Monday morning at a meeting, and the old headmaster was addressing the students on important things in life and about   36   ourselves to what is important to us. This is how the story went.

An old man lived in a certain part of London, and he would wake up every morning and go to

the   37    He would get the train right to Central London, and then sit at the street comer and __38  . He would do this every single day of his life. He sat at the same street comer and begged for almost 20 years.

    His house was dirty, and a stench(臭氣) came out of the house and it smelled   39  . The neighbors could not  40   the smell anymore, so they called the police officers to   41  the place. The officers   42   down the door and cleaned the house. There were small bags of  43  all over the house that he had   44   over the years.

The police counted the money, and they soon realized that the old man was a   45  . They waited outside his house in anticipation (預(yù)料) to   46   the good news with him. When he arrived home that evening, he was met by one of the officers who told him that there was no   47 for him to beg any more as he was a rich man now, a millionaire.

    He said   48   at all; he went into his house and locked the door. The next morning he woke up as usual, went to the street and continued to beg.

      49  , this old man had no great plans, dreams or anything   50   for his life. We learn nothing from this story other than staying  51   the things we enjoy doing: commitment(信奉).

    We should remain true to our course, which may mean devoting yourselves to things that people around you would   52   disapprove of. Let nothing distract us from being happy, let nothing else determine our fate, but   53   .

    What makes us happy is   54   matters in the end…not what we acquire (獲得).

This particular story is one such lesson that I will never forget. Every time I don’t concentrate on course, I get reminded   55   this story.

---         is the population of Canada?

--- I don’t know exactly, but I’m sure that it has          population than China.

       A．How much; much less                         B．How many; a much less

       C．What; much smaller                             D．What; a much smaller

--- Mary, what would you say to a camping holiday for the weekend?

---         I am simply tired of life here.

       A．You’ve taken the words out of my mouth.

       B．Enjoy yourself.

       C．I can’t afford the time.

       D．Where should we go?

Examination compositions, together with most business letters and government reports, are the main situations           formal language is used.

       A．on which             B．in which              C．of which             D．for which

Thousands of teachers          into their new flats and the rest of them          for theirs. The government says many more apartment buildings          .

       A．have moved; is waiting; are to be built   

       B．have been moved; are waiting; will be completed

       C．have been moved; is waiting; will have been putting up

       D．have moved; are waiting; are to be set up

--- How are you getting on with your study at university?

--- Quite well. Not so smoothly as I hoped,         .

       A．too                     B．instead                C．though                D．either

Great changes have taken place in our hometown. It is no longer          it was a few years ago        visited.

       A．what; when         B．that; which          C．what; which        D．which; that

--- You were driving at 100 km an hour, sir.

--- But officer, I       . My car cant go more than 80.

       A．may not have been                                  B．couldn’t have been

       C．wouldn’t have been                              D．needn’t have been