The winter holiday season is the busiest time of the year in the US, and Thanksgiving is the one holiday this time of year that doesn’t get the attention it deserves — it is often overshadowed by Christmas. However, I still feel the festive atmosphere in my family.
Each year, I attend not just one Thanksgiving dinner, but typically between three and four. Thanksgiving lasts all throughout the second half of the week. I travel to different houses to spend time with different parts of my family. We usually eat a giant amount of traditional Thanksgiving foods such as deviled eggs, ham, green beans, potatoes, and breads. We don’t eat the traditional turkey like many families do, but we have just about everything else that someone would want to eat.
After eating, we sit around and chat. Usually someone has brought a guest, such as a new boyfriend/girlfriend or a new baby, so there’s always a chance to get to know the new family member, as well as catching up with family that I haven’t seen for a long time.
My extended families are very different, which makes for different holiday experiences. My other’s family is very polite and quiet, and that makes the dinner with them seem very formal. My father’s family is the opposite. They’re loud and don’t even try to control what words come out of their mouths. Their Thanksgiving usually includes yelling at whatever football game is on the television. It’s very casual and relaxed. Either way, it’s nice to be able to see my family and spend time with them.
In my eyes, Thanksgiving is a holiday based on being thankful for what you have, spending tine with family, and eating a lot more food than you probably should. Not all these things go with its history, but it makes for a nice tradition.
1. The underlined word“overshadowed”in the first paragraph probably means ________.
A. compared
B. celebrated
C. related
D. made to feel less important
2.How does the author usually celebrate Thanksgiving?
a. eating turkey.
b. chatting with her family.
c. watching the annual Thanksgiving shows on TV.
d. attending several Thanksgiving dinners with different parts of her family.
A. a, b.
B. a, c.
C. b, d.
D. c, d.
3.What does the author think of her parents’families?
A. She thinks that her parents’families have a lot in common with each other.
B. She believes that her mother and father’s families should learn from each other.
C. She prefers her father’s family’s casual way of celebrating Thanksgiving to her mother’s family’s way.
D. She enjoys spending time both of her parents’families although they are quite different.
Jimmy is an automotive mechanic, but he lost his job a few months ago. He has a good heart,but always afraid to apply for a new job.
One day, he gathered up all his strength and decided to attend a job interview. His appoint⁃ment was at 10 a.m. and it was already 8:30. While waiting for a bus, he saw an elderly man wildly kicking the tyre of his car. Obviously there was something wrong with the car. Jimmy immediately went up to lend him a hand. When Jimmy finished working on the car, the old man askedhim how much he should pay for the service. Jimmy said there was no need to pay him; he just helped someone in need, and he had to rush for an interview. Then the old man said,“Well, Icould take you to the office for your interview. It’s the least I could do. Please, I insist.”Jimmy agreed.
Upon arrival, Jimmy found a long line of applicants waiting to be interviewed. Finally his name was called. The interviewer was sitting on a large chair facing the office window. Rocking the chair back and forth, he asked,“Do you really need to be interviewed?”Jimmy’s heart sank.“With the way I look now, how could I possibly pass this interview?”He thought to himself.
Then the interviewer turned the chair and to Jimmy’s surprise, it was the old man he helped earlier in the morning.
“Sorry I had to keep you waiting, but I was pretty sure I made the right decision to have you as part of our workforce before you even stepped into this office. I just know you’d be a trustworthy worker. Congratulations!”Jimmy sat down and they shared a cup of well-deserved coffee .
1. Why did Jimmy apply for a new job?
A. He was out of work.
B. He was bored with his job.
C. He wanted a higher position.
D. he hoped to find a better boss.
2.What did Jimmy see on the way to the interview?
A. A friend’s car had a flat tyre.
B. A wild man was pushing a car.
C. A terrible car accident happened.
D. An old man’s car broke down.
3.Why did the old man offer Jimmy a ride?
A. He was also to be interviewed.
B. He needed a traveling companion.
C. He always helped people in need.
D. He was thankful to Jimmy .
4. How did Jimmy feel on hearing the interviewer’s question?
A. He was sorry for the other applicants.
B. There was no hope for him to get the job.
C. He regretted helping the old man.
D. The interviewer was very rude.
应某英文报纸的邀请，你们班开展一次关于友谊的讨论――假如你正在复习功课，你的一个朋友请你陪他上街购物，你去还是不去？你的同学李磊和汤姆的观点截然不同。请你根据下表中的观点，用英语写一篇短文，给该英文报投稿。
李磊的观点 | 1. 是朋友就不能拒绝其要求； 2. 为朋友即使学习有所影响,也没有关系。 |
汤姆的观点 | 1. 朋友的要求也不能都答应; 2. 学习比购物更重要。 |
你的观点 | …… |
注意：1. 词数120左右
2. 文章的格式已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Sir,
Recently, we have had a discussion on the question: “Would you go shopping with your friend at his request while you are going over your lessons?
I will never forget the story that happens on a bus the other day. It was a windy day.
I got off a bus after school. A young lady was standing the next to me. Suddenly, a strong wind blew inside the windows. The lady’s false hair has blown away. To our surprised, she was hairless. While he was wondering what to do, and many passengers laughed loudly. She managed to hold back her tears. Saw this, I picked up her false hair and said, “Don’t be sad, Miss. I’m sure your hair will grow again.” When I glanced the other passengers, they all quick bent their heads with shame.
1.There is a mobile medical team c____________ of ten doctors and five nurses in our town.
2.After all his mathematical calculations, Copernicus c_______________ that the earth was not the center of the solar system.
3.It’s very dangerous to be e_________________ to SARS patients without any protection.
4.Do you still remember who taught us a_________________ mathematics at high school?
5.She was o_______________even when things were at their worst.
6.There are v________________ beautiful flowers in the garden in spring.
7.United, we stand; d___________, we fall.
8.My parents are quite s___________ with me. For example, they never allow me to go out with my friends at night.
9.Having been shown around the stadium, we were g________around the science and technology museum.
10.His first visit to the small village made a strong i___________ on him.
London Underground
The world’s first subway was built in London in 1863. At the time，the government was looking for a way to reduce traffic problems in the city of London. The poor areas of the city were so crowded with people that it was almost impossible for horse carriages to get through. The city officials were interested in trying to make it possible for workers to live outside of London and travel easily to work each day. If people had a cheap and convenient way that they could depend on to go to and from work， they would relocate their homes outside of the city. This would help ease(减轻) the pressure of too many people living in the poor parts of London. From these problems，the idea of the London Underground，the first subway system，was born.
The plans for building the Underground met with several problems and delays，but the fast track was finally opened in January 1863. A steam train pulled the cars along the fast underground track which was 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) long. About 30，000 people got on the subway the first day. Riders were treated to comfortable seats (standing up while the train was moving was not allowed)， and pleasant decorations inside each of the cars. However， the smoke from the engine soon filled the air in the tunnels with ash and soot(煤灰)， as well as chemical gases. Fans had to be put in the tunnels later to keep the air clean enough for people to breathe. Even with its problems，riding in the Underground did catch on. It carried 9 million riders in its first year.
1.What led the British government to build the London Underground？
A. Traffic jams and pollution.
B. Population and pollution.
C. Overcrowding and traffic jams.
D. The poverty and subway problems.
2.How did the London Underground solve the smoke problem？
A. It made the tunnels larger.
B. It put fans in the tunnels.
C. It cleaned the chemical gases in the tunnels.
D. It reduced the number of passengers riding in the train.
3.The underlined phrase “catch on” most probably means “______”.
A. be troublesome B. become popular and fashionable
C. keep up with D. seize
4.Which of the following is TRUE？
A. To relocate the workers’ homes outside London，the government built the subway.
B. There were so many problems and delays that in 18th century the first subway opened.
C. The subway greatly eased the pressure of traffic.
D. There were not enough seats for the passengers the first day the subway opened.
