In Britain,Boxing Day is usually celebrated on December 26th,which is the following day after Christmas Day.However，strictly speaking,Boxing Day is the first weekday after Christmas.Like Christmas Day,Boxing Day sing a public holiday.This means it’s a non﹣working day in the whole of Britain.When Boxing Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday,the following Monday is the public holiday.
The exact origin（起源）of the holiday is unclear.One of the thoughts is that during the Middle Ages,when great sailing ships were setting off to discover new land,a Christmas Box was placed by a priest （神父）on each ship.Those sailors who wanted to ensure a safe return would drop money into the box.It wassealed upand kept on board until the ship came home safely.Then the box was handed over to the priest in the exchange for the saying of a Mass of thanks for the success of the sailing.The priest wouldn’t open it to share the contents with the poor until Christmas.
One more thought is about the“Alms Box”placed in every church on Christmas Day.Worshippers （做礼拜的人）put gifts for the poor into it.These boxes were always opened the day after Christmas,that is why that day became know as Boxing Day.
Today,many businesses,organizations and families try to keep the traditional spirit of Boxing Day alive by donating（捐赠）their time,services and money to aid Food Banks,providing gifts for the poor,or helping families in need．Besides,spending time with family and shopping are popular Boxing Day activities now.
1.When do people usually celebrated Boxing Day?
2.Why did saliors drop money into the Christmas box?
3.When could the priest open the box to share the contents with the poor?
4.What activities do people do to show the traditional spirit of Boxing Day?
5.What do you think of Boxing Day?
It is k1.that China is a great country with the largest population in the world. However, too large population can also be a problem. To deal with the population problem, our government decided to have one-child policy (政策) . After the policy was carried out (施行) for some time , while it did help to c2. the population growth, problems like aging also became clear, Last month, all Chinese c3. were told that they could be allowed to have two children. As the one-child policy came to an end, many Chinese children, i4.you, may have a brother or sister in the future.
But what would your5.be like growing up with a brother or a sister.Having a brother or sister can keep you away from some bad f6.such as loneliness and fear. Your brother or sister can give you something that parents can’t give you. You may not feel lonely at home anymore b7.there will be someone playing with you and sharing secrets with you, Of course, sometimes you may argue or e8. fight with him or her, but you will forgive(原谅) each other soon.
Althought now the government e9.people to have more children, most young couples don’t want more children because of the pressure from work and family. M10.it takes a period of time for people to accept the new policy.
1.Betty likes cartoons better than any other programme.(保持句意基本不变)
Betty ________cartoons________of all the programmes.
2.She lost weight successfully after eating less and exercising more.. （改为一般疑问句）
________she________weight successfully after eating less and exercising more.
3.The woman is so old that she can do nothing. (保持句意基本不变)
The woman is________ old to do________.
4.This film caught many people’s attention. （改为否定句）
.This film________ ________ many people’s attention.
5.The suspect was out of breath when he was walking in the street. (保持句意基本不变)
The suspect was ________ ________when he was walking in the street.
Bertie was a very good boy,but he always forgot. No matter what he was asked to do, in the end his answer always was ’I forgot.’ If he was sent to the store to get something, he would return with nothing but his usual answer.
His parents decided that something must be done to make the little boy remember.
Christmas was near, and Bertie was busy making out a long list of things that he wanted Santa Claus to bring him.’Santa Claus may forget some of those things.’ said his mother.
He cannot,’replied Bertie,’because I will write all the things on this paper. Then Santa Claus can see it and put the things in my stocking(长袜).’
Christmas morning came, and Bertie was up early to see what was in his stocking. His mother kept away from him as far as she could, for she knew what Santa Claus had done.
Finally she heard him coming to her room. He held a list in his hand,which is much longer than the one he had made out. He put it in his mother’s hand, while tears of
disappointment fell from his eyes. It was a list of all the things that Bertie had forgotten to do over the last six months. At the end of all was written, in big letters, ’I FORGOT.’.
Bertie cried for an hour. Then they went to grandpa’s house. There for the first time he saw a Christmas tree. It was very strange to Bertie, but on the Christmas tree he found everything he had written on his list.
Did he change his bad habit? Not all at once,but when his mother saw that he was very careless,she would say, ―’Remember, Santa Claus does not forget!’
1.When Bertie was asked to do something,his answer always was________in the end.
A.I remembered B.I returned C.I did D. I forgot
2.Bertie made a long list of the things ________.
A.he put on the Christmas tree B.he had forgotten to do before
C.he wanted Santa to bring him D.his parents wanted him to remember
3.How did Bertie feel after he read the list Santa Claus left to him?
A.He was disappointed. B.He was excited. C.He was pleased. D.He was angry.
4.Why would his mother say, ‘Remember, Santa Claus does not forget!’?
A.To make Bertie remember Santa Claus’gifts. B.To remind Bertie to change his bad habit.
C.To help Santa Claus not to forget the list. D.To tell Bertie Santa Claus never forgets.
Nowadays, many children spend hours a day looking at computer screens or other digital (数码的) products. Some eye care doctors say all the screen time has caused more children to have what they call computer vision syndrome (视力综合症).
Nathan Warford is an optometrist in the US. He says he has seen more children having eye problems. “More children come into my office because their parents have noticed that they have headaches (头疼)or red eyes, or because their degree of short-sightedness appears to be increasing (增加)very fast and they’re worried,” he said.
Dr. Warford says part of the problem is that even if their eyes start to feel uncomfortable or they start to get a headache, some children don’t tell their parents, because they don’t want their games or the computer to be taken away. Another part of the problem is that people blink (眨眼睛) less often when they look at the screen.A person who uses a computer or a digital product blinks about a third as much as we normally(正常地) do in everyday life. If eyes can’t stay wet or are too tired, they will not be protected like normal.
1.Why don’t some children tell their parents when their eyes start to feel uncomfortable?
A.They think it is not serious.
B.They don’t want their parents to worry.
C.They want to go to the hospital themselves
D.They want to continue playing computer games.
2.People normally blink about 20 times a minute.How many times do they blink if they use a computer?
A.About 4 times B.About 7 times C.About 11 times D.About 15 times
3.From the passage, we can learn that________ .
A.blinking is good for eyes
B.sleeping late is bad for eyes
C.children should blink as much as possible
D.we shouldn’t look at screens in a dark room
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A.Some ways of protecting children’s eyes.
B.Some information about the latest digital products.
C.Dr. Warford’s experience of working out eye problems.
D.Eye problems in children caused by using digital products.
Many of us feel uneasy when someone stands too close to us, talks to us too loudly or makes eye contact(接触) with us for too long. But have you ever wondered why those things make you uncomfortable?
It’s all about personal peace, which means not only an imaginary space around the body, but also the space around all the senses. People feel that their space is being violated(侵犯) when they meet with an unwelcome sound, smell or look. This is probably why a man on a crowded bus shouting into his mobile phone or a woman next to you putting on strong perfume(香水) makes you feel angry.
Whether people have had a stronger wish to protect their personal space in recent times is hard to say. Yet studies of airlines show that people have a strong desire(渴望) to have space to themselves. In a survey by TripAdvisor, a travel website, people said that if they had to pay more for some extra service, they would rather have larger seats than extra food.
Although people may need their personal space, some hardly realize it. For example, people on a bus who hold newspapers in front of their faces to read in fact keep a distance from strangers.
Go and watch a library table. You will notice that one of the corner seats will usually be taken first, because they are the farthest way. What if someone sits opposite to you? Maybe you will pile up books as if to make a wall.
Preference(偏好) for personal space are different from culture to culture. Scientists have found that Americans generally prefer more personal space than people from other cultures. In Latin(拉丁人的) cultures, however, people are more comfortable standing close to each other.
1.The writer mainly _________ in this article.
A.tells us how to achieve personal space
B.explains why people need personal space
C.introduces some knowledge about personal space
D.argues for the importance of keeping personal space
2.Who might feel his personal space is safe according to the passage?
A.A person who has to sit next to a lady putting on strong perfume.
B.A person who has been watched by a stranger for a long time.
C.A person who hears strange noises when reading at home.
D.A Latin boy who is chatting with a friend sitting close to him.
3.What can we know from the survey by TripAdvisor?
A.People need a smaller personal space in recent times than before.
B.People have a strong desire for personal space in recent times.
C.There are not enough seats on the plane to meet people’s needs.
D.Food service is better provided than seats on the plane.
4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.The space around the body is more needed than that around all the senses.
B.If you hold newspapers on the bus, your personal space won’t be violated.
C.People usually choose the corner seats first in a library for personal space.
D.Different cultures share the same preferences for personal space.
