“Jingle bells,　jingle bells,　jingle all the way...”goes the popular Christmas tune.　With the song in my head,　I felt a bit sorry for myself.　Instead of rushing back and forth across a freezing school campus,　I could have had a cozy Christmas dinner at home or enjoyed the fabulous fireworks lighting up campus at night.　But this Christmas would not be celebrated as usual.?

　　 One month ago,　all six girls in my dormitory(including me) had made detailed plans for a more－exciting－than－ever Christmas holiday.　But　one day we received an unusual mission:(?).The children would perform on stage while volunteers offered food to the spectators(觀眾) and collect some money for the organization.?

　　 Naturally,　we were supposed to support the idea wholeheartedly,　and we did.　But wait—　　　　　　　　　　!This meant that all our original Christmas plans would have to be set aside.?

　　 However,　we took the plunge into preparations for the party.　We spared no effort in organizing,　designing,　propagandizing,　making contacts with the potential sponsors,　negotiating and so on.　We went through thick and thin and finally made it,　though with a bit of reluctant.?

　　 Finally,　Christmas Eve arrived.　As I dragged myself into the auditorium after another day of hard work,　I detected the notes of a beautiful Christmas song that immediately filled me with happiness.　I looked to find the source of the song—it was a group of children singing on stage.　Though disabled,　they appeared extraordinarily earnest and sincere in front of the audience.　Everyone attending was deeply moved by the sight.　People wanted to donate some money or show their support.　The performers earned recognition and respect from all of us.?

　　 At that point,　I found all that I had done in the one－month time was worthwhile.　And all the volunteers who had been participating in this Christmas party shared the same feeling:　the true meaning of Christmas was giving and receiving love from one another.?

　　 1．Use not more than 20 words to figure out our mission.?

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　　 2．Translate the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4.?

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　　 3．Fill in the blank with a suitable sentence to make the context fluent.?

　?______________________________________________________________________

　　 4．What do you think made “me” think the mission worthwhile?

　?____________________________________________________________

　　 5．Would you like to help someone else while you have your own favorite choice?　Why?

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短文改錯

My Aunt Aggie was used to think that she was able to	1．________
sing; I’m sorry to say her singing was horrible. Well, one	2．________
day she asked for a piano-tuner(調(diào)音師) to come and tune	3．________
her piano. As he tried to tune the piano, it seemed to	4．________
be right. Aggie said“Let me play it”, so he heard her playing	5．________
it. It was perfectly in tune but she had him tuned it	6．________
again. The man did the job again, The next day she rang	7．________
up again and said,“It is easy to see that you know your	8．________
job. The piano seemed to be all right when you are here,	9．________
but as soon as I will begin to play it and sing at the	10．________
same time, it gets all out of tune.”

This song is based ________ an old folk tune.

[　　]

　Having one of those days or weeks — when everything seems to annoy you? Even if you do nothing about it, your bad mood will probably go away after some time. But with a little effort, you can forget it much faster — often within a day or two.

　　Walk it off

　　Exercise is the most popular bad-mood buster. A person who’s in a bad mood has low energy and high tension. Taking a fast ten-minute walk, or doing some quick exercises can do wonders towards changing that bad mood.

　　Tune it out

　　Listening to your favorite music for a while can also make tension go away quickly, because music starts associations with past positive experiences we’ve had.

　　Give yourself a pep talk

　　Stop and listen to what’s on your mind. Bad moods are often started by too many negative thoughts. Write them all down on paper; the pessimistic (悲觀的) messages you’ve been giving yourself and then give optimistic answers. ("I still don’t have a job. "vs" I have two interviews next week.")

　　Reduce your stress

　　Relaxation techniques are wonderful mood-lifters. These include deep breathing, stretching and visualizing (想象), all of which sound complicated but aren’t. One easy way to visualize: close your eyes and picture a favorite place, such as the beach. Another simple way to against distress is to make a to-do list. One reason for being in a bad mood is feeling you have no options(選擇權(quán)) By taking control over certain areas, you realize you’re not helpless. You can make changes in your mood and life.

　　Avoid things that won’t improve your mood

　　TV may not help much: You need to increase your energy level and stimulate your mind something — that the TV show "Neighbors" won’t do. And before you reach for that piece of cake and coffee, think about how mood and food are linked. Sugar and caffeine contribute to depressed moods. The better choice? Research shows that carbohydrates, such as potatoes and pasta, produce a calming effect in people who have a desire for them.

　　We learn from the text that it might help rid us of a bad mood ________.

　　A. to do nothing about it

　　B. to take a long walk on the beach

　　C. to do some exercises with light music

　　D. to talk it to neighbours

　 Why is it suggested that you close your eyes and picture the beach?

　　A. It is not complicated to do so.

　　B. It is an area to be easily controlled.

　　C. It helps beat a bad mood.

　　D. It brings us a new technique.

　　 TV may not improve your mood because ________.

　　A. it sometimes shows what happens around you

　　B. it keeps you stay unmoved

　　C. it reminds you of eating and drinking

　　D. it produces a calming effect

　　This text most probably appears in ________.

　　A. a book on physical exercises            B. a doctor’s handbook

C. a notice                                          D. a magazine