For most people the holiday season is a time of joy. It's always time to make memories as a family. For me, it is a time of loneliness-for I have been away from my family in Iran while studying in the United State.

A tie-clasp(领带夹)I still wear reminds me repeatedly of the unforgettable Christmas three years ago. All my classmates had excitedly looked forward to the holiday. I had no money for the vacation. My check(支票) from home had not arrived.

One day I walked to pick up my mail at the International Students Office. The important check still had not arrived. Maria, a Mexican-American student working in the department, must have seen my disappointment. She invited me to spend Christmas Eve with her family. I accepted gladly.

Maria's family was not rich. They lived in a small house. Maria introduced me to her parents, her aunt and her sister, who welcomed me warmly. Maria's father could only speak Spanish, so he talked to me while Maria's sister acted as an interpreter. The kind look in his eyes and his relaxed behavior made me feel right at home.

The dinner was well prepared. Maria's aunt ate while standing at a corner of the small, ole table. I felt a little uncomfortable, knowing that I was taking her place, but her gesture(手势)expressed the. hospitality(好客).

After dinner, Maria handed a small box to me. Inside I found the tie-clasp I still use to this day.

It was an unforgettable evening of good friendship during a hard and lonely period of my life.

1.During the holiday season in the US, the writer always feels ________.

A.excited B.upset C.relaxed D.lonely

2.Before Christmas three years ago, the writer ________.

A.began to study in the US B.began to work with Maria

C.was excepting a check to arrive D.was busy writing mail to his friends

3.What does the underline word interpreter in paragraph 4 probably mean in Chinese?

A.记录员 B.口译者 C.招待员 D.指挥者

4.Who gave the tie-clasp to the writer as a present?

A.Maria. B.Maria's sister. C.Maria's father. D.Maria's aunt

5.Which is the best title for the passage?

A.A late check. B.A big dinner C.A small tie-clasp D.a warm Christmas

Most people around the world are right-handed. This also seems to be true in history. In 1799, scientists studied works of art made at different times from 1,500 B.C. to the 1950s. Most of the people shown in these works are right-handed, so the scientists guessed that right-handedness has always been common through history. Today, only about 10% to 15% of the world’s population is left-handed.

Why are there more right-handed people than left-handed ones? Scientists now know that a person’s two hands each have their own jobs. For most people, the hand is used to find things or hold things. The right hand is used to work with things. This is because of the different work of the two sides of the brain. The right side of the brain, which makes a person’s hands and eyes work together, controls the left hand. The left-side of the brain, which controls the right hand, is the centre for thinking and doing problems. These findings show that more artists should be left-handed, and studies have found that left-handedness is twice as common among artists as among people in other jobs.

No one really knows what makes a person become right-handed instead of left-handed. Scientists have found that almost 40% of the people become left-handed because their main brain isdamagedwhen they are born. However, this doesn’t happen to everyone, so scientists guess there must be another reason why people become left-handed. One idea is that people usually get right-handed from their parents. If a person does not receive the gene(基因) for right-handedness, he/ she may become either right-handed or left-handed according to the chance and the people they work or live with.

Though right-handedness is more common than left-handedness, people no longer think left-handed people are strange or unusual. A long time ago, left-handed children were made to use their right hands like other children, but today they don’t have to.

1.How many people in the world are left-handed now?

A.Less than one sixth.

B.More than a half.

C.About 40%.

D.The passage doesn’t tell us.

2.Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined word “damaged” in this passage?

A.knocked B.changed C.broke D.harmed

3.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

A.No one really knows what makes a person become right-handed.

B.Left-handedness is cleverer than right-handedness.

C.Today children are not made to use their right hands only.

D.Scientists think there must be some reason why people become left-handed.

4.The best title for this passage is _______.

A.Scientists’ New Inventions

B.Left-handed People

C.Which Hand

D.Different Brains, Different Hands

When you wear something, you are often saying, "Look at me!" Your clothing communicates to the world what you want the world to think of you. For example, when you go on a job interview, you might choose clothes that make you seem sincere. When you go to a party, you might choose clothes that make you look exciting.

___1 In Scotland and parts of the countries of East and Southeast Asia, men as well as women wore skirts. In Turkey and China and among the Inuit, both men and women wore trousers. But in ancient Greece, men who wore trousers were thought to be savages(野蛮人).In the United States today, both men and women wear pants.

_____2 Over the centuries, anthropologists(人类学家)have learned that the clothing people wore was connected to the position they held in society. In most societies, important people put on special clothing to show their power. In the 18th, kings and queens wore special clothing, often specially made and difficult to keep clean. Since poor people could not afford to wear this kind of clothing, it became a symbol of wealth.

_____3 Today some people still wear clothing that represents their position in life. Sometimes clothing clearly shows the organization that a person works for. Postal workers, airline attendants, and some factory workers wear uniforms. Others wear expensive clothes that show their social position as wealthy people.

4 Now many teenagers and adults buy clothes from a certain designer or company. They may like the good name of the designer or the company and want to share that name. But one basic reason for choosing clothes is the same as it has always been. People choose their clothes to tell others who they are and what they like.

1.The sentence "In different civilizations(文明)at different times, different kinds of clothes have been acceptable(可接受的). "can be put in Blank ________________.

A.1 B.2 C.3 D.4

2.Why do some people buy clothes from a certain designer?

A.They like the designer's good name.

B.They work for the designer's company.

C.They want more people to know the designer.

D.They think it makes it easier to choose clothes.

3.In the sentence "But one basic reason for choosing clothes is the same as it has always been." "one basic reason" probably refers to(指的是)_________________.

A.their work B.their wealth C.their appearance D.their position

4.According to the article, you may believe that __________________.

A.people might not look attractive in new clothes

B.each new period brings some changes in clothing

C.clothes from good designers or companies sell well

D.people who belong to organizations must wear uniforms

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