He wishes the holiday season would end already. His back aches, his red suit feels like a spacesuit, his cheeks have gone tight from smiling for 12 hours — and still the kids keep coming and coming, like ants at a picnic. As Christmas becomes more commercialized (商业化) across the U. S. and Canada, so must Santas. As the holiday begins earlier each year, so must its spokesmen .

The questions from children these days are harder than ever. Now, with thousands of children expecting a father or mother serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, the questions are as heart-breaking as they are unanswerable. For example, “Can you please bring Daddy home from the war in time for Christmas morning?”

Santas also have a pretty good chance of getting sued (指控). A professional Santa Claus in Canada told a story: A Santa had a girl on his knee, and he commented, “You have nice eyes and nice hair.” The girl later said it was sexual harassment (骚扰). When a Santa feels anxious, he often shows it in the same ways ordinary people do: The Santas were always seen to hang around at the dinner table when the show ended. Many of them just sleep in bed for several days and don’t see other children again.

56.In the first paragraph, “spokesmen” refers to       .

       A.businessmen                    B.political leaders

       C.organisers of the activities       D.Santa Clauses

57.The passage implies that the job of Santa Claus is       .

       A.well-paid        B.very hard        C.worth doing    D.dangerous

58.According to the third paragraph, Santas may sometimes be blamed for       .

       A.doing something against the law        B.hanging around the dinner table

       C.being lazy and sleeping in bed for days        D.not playing their roles as expected

59.What would be the best title for the passage?

       A.Christmas: Not a Good Festival for Santas

       B.Is Santa Claus Really Alive?

       C.A Christmas Story

       D.What Does Santa Claus Do for Children?


One hundred and thirteen million Americans have at least one bank-issued credit card. They give their owners automatic credit in stores, restaurants, and hotels, at home, across the country, and even abroad, and they make many banking services available as well. More and more of these credit cards can be read automatically, making it possible to withdraw or deposit money in scattered locations, whether or not the local branch bank is open. For many of us the “cashless society” is not on the horizon---it’s already here.
While computer offer these conveniences to consumers, they have many advantages for sellers too. Electronic cash registers can do much more than simply ring up sales. They can keep a wide range of records, including who sold what, when and to whom. This information allows businessmen to keep track of their list of goods by showing which items are being sold and how far they are moving. Decisions to reorder or return goods to suppliers can then be made. At the same time these computers record which hours are busiest and which employees are the most efficient, allowing personnel and staffing assignments to be made accordingly. And they also identify preferred customer for promotional campaigns. Computers are relied on by manufacturers for similar reasons. Computer analyzed marketing reports can help to decide which products to emphasize now, which to develop for the future and which to drop. Computers keep track of goods in stock, of raw materials on hand, and even of the production process itself.
Numerous other commercial enterprises, from theaters to magazine publishers, from gas and electric utilities to milk processors, bring better and more efficient services to consumers through the use of computers.
49.According to the passage, the credit card enables its owner to     .
A. withdraw as much money from the bank as he wishes
B. obtain more convenient services than other people do
C. enjoy great trust from the storekeeper
D. cash money where he wished to
50. From the last sentence of the first paragraph we learn that     .
A. in the future all the Americans will use credit cads
B. credit cards are mainly used in the United States today
C. nowadays many Americans do not pay in cash
D. it is now more convenient to use credit cards than before
51. The phrase“ring up sales”most probably means     .
A. make an order of goods            B. record sales on a cash register
C. call the sales manager             D. keep track of the goods in stock

阅读下面五个人对不同乐器和不同音乐种类的爱好,从所给的六个选项(A, B, C, D, E和F)中,为他们各自选出最恰当的一项,并在答题纸上将该选项标号涂黑,其中有一项是多余的。
【小题1】Kathy loves jazz music very much. Her favorite musical instrument is the guitar and she also wants to improve her skill in playing the guitar.
【小题2】Ronald started to play the violin when he was five. His favorite style of music is country music. His wish is to learn both of them further and become a violinist in the future.
【小题3】Gilbert like a variety of musical style though his real wish is to be a computer expert. He especially loves the sound of the drum(鼓) and he likes rock music.
【小题4】Clinton is only 14 years old. He has been learning to play the piano for nearly ten years. He says the best instrument is the piano. He expects to be a pianist in the future. In his spare time he likes to listen to opera.
【小题5】Green was born in a worker’s family. He wants to learn to play the drum and at the same time he wishes to study classical music.

A.Birthplace of a violinist
The city becomes famous because great violin players were born there. The students there have several good places to play their violins. Meanwhile they have a chance to learn about country music..
B.Home of musical judges
In this department they teach the students how to enjoy all kinds of music, especially for those who want to be a listener not a player.
C.Drum Garden
This department is the home for the drum players. If the students haven’t played the drum and hope to learn from the beginning, it is likely to be their favorite place. In addition, they have chances to learn about rock music, jazz and so on.
D.Jazz paradise
In this department you can learn jazz, opera, classical music, but jazz is the best of all. Jazz teachers are experienced and have won a lot of national prizes. At the same time you can improve your skill in playing the guitar and the piano.
E. Palace of piano
As is known, the piano is more versatile(用途多的) than any other instrument. In this department only the students who have learned the piano for at least five years can be admitted. Besides, the students also have chances to enjoy all kinds of music.
F. Eden of percussion instrument
In this department they do better in teaching how to play the drum. They have excellent drums and every student has a chance to practise every day. All the teachers are very patient and experienced. What’s more, the students can learn rock, classical music and jazz.

How often one hears children wishing they were grown-ups and old people wishing they were young again. Each age has its pleasures and its pains, and the happiest person is the one who enjoys what each age gives him without wasting his time in useless regrets.

Childhood is a time when there are few responsibilities to make life difficult. If a child has good parents, he is fed, looked after and loved, whatever he may do. It is impossible that he will ever again in his life be given so much without having to do anything in return. In addition, life is always presenting new things to the child — things that have lost their interest for older people because they are too well-known. But a child has his parents. He is not so free to do what he wishes to do; he is continually being told not to do things or being punished for what he has done wrong.

When the young man starts to earn his own living, he can no longer expect others to pay for his food, his clothes, and his room, but has to work if he wants to live comfortably. If he spends most of his time playing about in the way that he used to as a child, he will go hungry. And if he breaks the laws of society as he used to break the laws of his parents, he may go to prison. If, however, he works hard, keeps out of trouble and has good health, he can have the great happiness of building up for himself his own position in society.

1. According to the second paragraph, the writer thinks that __.

A.life for a child is comparatively easy

B.a child is always loved whatever he does

C.if much is given to a child, he must do something in return

D.only children are interested in life

2.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A.People are often satisfied with their life.

B.Life is less interesting for old people.

C.Adults are free to do what they want to do.

D.Adults should no longer rely on others.

3.The underlined word "responsibilities" in the second paragraph means__________.

A.duties

B.jobs

C.suggestions

D.desires

4.The main idea of the passage is _________ .

A.life is not enjoyable since each age has some pains

B.young men can have the greatest happiness if they work hard

C.childhood is the most enjoyable time in one's life

D.one is the happiest if he can make good use of each age in his life

 

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