Last Christmas was a very difficult time for me. My family and all of my close friends were back home in Florida, and I was all alone in a rather cold California. I was working too many hours and became very sick.

I was working a double shift at the Southwest Airlines ticket counter, it was about 9:00 PM on Christmas Eve, and I was feeling really miserable inside. There were a few of us working and very few customers waiting to be helped. When it was time for me to call the next person to the counter, I looked out to see the sweetest-looking old man standing with a cane. He walked very slowly over to the counter and in the faintest voice told me that he had to go to New Orleans. I tried to explain to him that there were no more flights that night and that he would have to go in the morning. He looked so confused and very worried. I tried to find out more information by asking if he had a reservation or if he remembered when he was supposed to travel, but he seemed to become more confused with each question. He just kept saying, “She said I have to go to New Orleans.”

After much time, I was able to at least find out that this old man had been dropped off at the curb on Christmas Eve by his sister-in-law and told to go to New Orleans, where he had family. She had given him some cash and told him just to go inside and buy a ticket. When I asked if he could come back tomorrow, he said that she was gone and that he had no place to stay. He then said he would wait at the airport until tomorrow. Naturally, I felt a little ashamed. Here I was feeling very sorry for myself about being alone on Christmas, when this angel named Clarence MacDonald was sent to me to remind me of what being alone really meant. It broke my heart.

Immediately, I told him we would get it all straightened out, and our Customer Service agent helped to book him a seat for the earliest flight the next morning. We gave him the senior citizen’s fare, which gave him some extra money for travelling. About this time he started to look very tired, and when I stepped around the counter to ask him if he was all right, I saw that his leg was wrapped in a bandage. He had been standing on it that whole time, holding a plastic bag full of clothes.

I called for a wheelchair. When the wheelchair came, we all stepped around to help him in, and I noticed a small amount of blood on his bandage. I asked how he hurt his leg, and he said that he had just had bypass surgery and an artery was taken from his leg. Can you imagine? This man had had heart surgery, and then shortly afterward, was dropped off at the curb to buy a ticket with no reservation to fly to New Orleans, alone!

I never really had a situation like this, and I wasn’t sure what I could do. I went back to ask my supervisors if we could find a place for him to stay. They both said yes, and they obtained a hotel voucher for Mr. MacDonald for one night and a meal ticket for dinner and breakfast. When I came back out, we got his plastic bag of clothes and cane together and gave the porter a tip to take him downstairs to wait for the airport shuttle. I bent down to explain the hotel, food and itinerary (行程) again to Mr. MacDonald, and then patted him on the arm and told him everything would be just fine.

As he left he said, “Thank you,” bent his head and started to cry. I cried too. When I went back to thank my supervisor, she just smiled and said, “I love stories like that. He is your Christmas Man.”

1.Last Christmas the writer had a miserable time because ______.

A．there were more customers than usual waiting to be helped

B．it was freezing cold in California at Christmas time

C．she was working all alone at the ticket counter

D．she was far away from her family and friends

2.The writer’s first impression of the old man was that he was ______.

A．gentle-looking and weak                  B．tired out and worried

C．confused and very sick                   D．sad and anxious

3.The old man wanted to fly to New Orleans to ______.

A．see his friends there

B．spend the Christmas with his family

C．visit his sister-in-law

D．undergo heart surgery

4.On hearing the old man say that he would wait at the airport the whole night, the writer felt a bit ashamed. This is because ______.

A．she felt sorry that she couldn’t do the old man a favor

B．she realized that someone was even more miserable than she felt

C．it took her a long time to find out how helpless the old man was

D．the old man was like an angel in the writer’s eyes

5.The writer called for a wheelchair for the old man because ______.

A．the old man had broken his leg when he was dropped off at the curb

B．the old man could spend the whole night on it at the airport

C．the old man was carrying a whole lot of clothes

D．the old man had had surgery just before and was very weak by then

6. By calling the old man the writer’s Christmas Man, the writer’s supervisor implied that ______.

A．the old man had told the writer a love story on Christmas

B．the old man had caused a lot of trouble for the writer on Christmas

C．the old man was the best gift the writer could have received on Christmas

D．the old man was the only customer the writer had served on Christmas

My mother once was a follower of traditional methods when it came to anything. She cooked traditional food, liked dressing up traditionally and thus was fond of traditional way of shopping, She loved going to the market and going from one shop to another to find out what suited her best. She could walk miles when shopping with her friends . She was familiar with all the local markets and shops and by now knows very well where she can get best discounts(折扣) and materials.

　 However, now she begins to feel her age and gets tired when she goes out in the market. So one day I decided to introduce a new shop to her, a shop that is much bigger than her usual markets and where she gets better discounts. Yes, I am talking about the online gift stores. She has basic knowledge of computers and can operate a laptop. But she was doubtful about shopping from these online gift shops and wasn’t too sure about the quality of the products.

　 One fine day I decided to get some branded(品牌的) things for her first so that she could build trust in these shops. I ordered a Timex watch for her along with Sisley handbag. She never bought things online but when they were delivered(邮递) as a gift, she jumped for joy. She could not believe that I had ordered these gifts for her despite（尽管）her being not very positive about online shops. However, after she saw both the products , she believed that these online gift shops would send the promised brand and products .She loved her new watch and handbag.

　 After that she ordered a gift for her friend’s wedding . She chose a gift basket that could be made to her requirements. They sent a beautifully decorated(装饰) basket with fine wines and chocolates. The basket was so carefully decorated that it immediately became her friend’s favorite gift. Since then my mother has been often shopping online.

64.From the first paragraph, we learn that the author’s mother_________.
　　A. is kind and very humorous　　　 B. always leads a poor life 　　

C. lived in a traditional way 　　 D. really hated shopping very much
65.Why did the author decide to introduce a new shop to his mother?
　　A. The new shop is very big and special.
　　B. She wants to get best discounts from the new shop.
　　C. She is too old to go to the market as before.
　　D. The goods in the new shop are very cheap.
66.What was the author’s mother’s attitude to online shopping at first?
　　A. She thought it was convenient.(方便的)
　　B. She doubted the quality of online goods.
　　C. She thought online goods were cheap.
　　D. She thought online goods were second-hand
67. The author bought his mother some branded things to ______.
　　A. change her way of life　　　　　　　 B. make her happy in later life
　　C. make her believe in online shopping　　 D. give her a surprise on Mother’s Day

阅读理解

阅读下列短文，从所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　2001 is the year of the “Snake Sleeping in Winter”. The image (形象) is one of a snake which builds up sufficient resources (足够的资源) to last out the winter in comfort. On face, value this may seem to imply that a successful year is ahead. This is not necessarily the case, but is dependent upon sufficient work being done to ensure that success.

　　This is a year for preparation. In this particular snake year there is the association (联系) with deep winter, with potertial (潜在的) hardship and difficulties to overcome. This is a year, therefore, in which your eyes should be fixed on your goals, but not so firmly fixed as to be blind to the short-term difficulties that lie in the path of our goals.

　　This is a year in which it is important to be faithful to friends and family. Your network of support may be a significant asset (财产) in difficult times. Be prepared to be more than a fair weather friend and to walk the extra mile when someone is in need. That said, remember that there is a danger of unusual overwork this year, so keep a balance, and just check to make sure you're not being taken for a ride.

1．The writer thinks that ________.

[　　]

A．2001 is sure to be a year of success

B．great efforts are required in 2001

C．everybody will live a happy life in 2001

D．2001 will be a good year for snakes

2．By writing the passage the writer is trying to tell us ________.

[　　]

A．what fine nature the snakes are possessed of

B．what we should learn from the snakes

C．what information we can get from the snakes about the new year

D．what we should do and expect in this particular snake year

3．Which of the following expressions has the meaning of “go out of one's way to offer help”?

[　　]

A．To walk the extra mile.

B．To be a fair weather friend

C．To take others for a ride.

D．To pay enough attention to the short-term difficulties.

某网站上组织了一次讨论，其中David, Joe, Sophie, Michael与Bauer的观点颇具代表性。以下是他们各自的观点。阅读下面发表在该网站上的6段留言（A、B、C、D、E和F），选择与其观点一致的表述，并在答题纸上将该项标号涂黑。选项中有一项是多途选项。
【小题1】David believes people shouldn't smoke in public places as it harms others.
【小题2】Joe insists that smokers should put the cigarette ends where they should go．
【小题3】Sophie holds that this question should call for a further argument．
【小题4】Michael thinks cigarette taxes should be raised for free healthcare for nonsmokers．
【小题5】Bauer thinks that victims of second - hand smoking should leave smoking areas to avoid harm．
A
The stupid thing is, I often see people smoking and then they throw the cigarette ends away from them when they have finished, not even stopping them but it just seems like once they have finished, they don't want it near them, perhaps they ought to have to carry their own ash trays in their pockets．
B
In many places, there are no non - smoking bars or restaurants．Unless people refuse to go out with friends who smoke, they cannot avoid passive smoking．Society accepts that adults can decide to harm themselves．so long as they do not harm others．This is why the suggestion is not arguing that people should be banned from smoking in private．Passive smokers do choose to breathe in other people's smoke．If they do not want to smoke passively, they do not need to go to places where smoking is allowed．There is therefore no reason to prevent smoking in public．
C
I'm only for smoking because not only do nice people and many friends and family of mine smoke, but this debate needs someone to take the side of the smoker．Otherwise we're just picking on a set of people．The only comment so far for smoking has been that clever one about how they pay for it．Smoking has its good points, whether it is giving job opportunities to millions of people, or getting extra breaks at work．Anyway, I do have a lot to say against smoking too, but again, debate．
D
What I care about is whether people can get free healthcare．Some people deliberately take dangerous toxins into their bodies because they're "addicted" while there are other people like my uncle who died of lung cancer and he never smoked in his life．It makes you wonder why cigarettes are so cheap．Surely all the taxes from cigarettes ought to go to help people who don't smoke．Perhaps we ought to sort things out．
E
Completely against it．I work in a bar and 1 get so sick of coming home smelling like a bonfire． And if that isn't enough, I'm probably going to get lung cancer from those idiots that decide to excite themselves．However,! do understand that for some older smokers it is a habit because they may have been smoking long before they knew it was bad for them．I do think there's no excuse for my generation to do it though and if they want to die, then go to do it in your own home．
F
Phil and I had a good argument today in the pub．He made the comment, "If he wants to smoke and kill himself, he can!", about which I said "You want to get on your motorbike and risk death, fine", which are basically the same thing．He made the point that he's a good driver and it's not his fault if he gets hurt, but at the end of the day, his fault or not, he knows he could get killed, and he's still taking the risk of being on a bike．I think it's a sick thing to say, being honest! If people want to put something in their mouth and blow on it, they should be allowed without having things like that being said ! It's a free country!

某网站上组织了一次讨论，其中David, Joe, Sophie, Michael与Bauer的观点颇具代表性。以下是他们各自的观点。阅读下面发表在该网站上的6段留言（A、B、C、D、E和F），选择与其观点一致的表述，并在答题纸上将该项标号涂黑。选项中有一项是多途选项。

1.David believes people shouldn't smoke in public places as it harms others.

2.Joe insists that smokers should put the cigarette ends where they should go．

3.Sophie holds that this question should call for a further argument．

4.Michael thinks cigarette taxes should be raised for free healthcare for nonsmokers．

5.Bauer thinks that victims of second - hand smoking should leave smoking areas to avoid harm．

A

The stupid thing is, I often see people smoking and then they throw the cigarette ends away from them when they have finished, not even stopping them but it just seems like once they have finished, they don't want it near them, perhaps they ought to have to carry their own ash trays in their pockets．

B

In many places, there are no non - smoking bars or restaurants．Unless people refuse to go out with friends who smoke, they cannot avoid passive smoking．Society accepts that adults can decide to harm themselves．so long as they do not harm others．This is why the suggestion is not arguing that people should be banned from smoking in private．Passive smokers do choose to breathe in other people's smoke．If they do not want to smoke passively, they do not need to go to places where smoking is allowed．There is therefore no reason to prevent smoking in public．

C

I'm only for smoking because not only do nice people and many friends and family of mine smoke, but this debate needs someone to take the side of the smoker．Otherwise we're just picking on a set of people．The only comment so far for smoking has been that clever one about how they pay for it．Smoking has its good points, whether it is giving job opportunities to millions of people, or getting extra breaks at work．Anyway, I do have a lot to say against smoking too, but again, debate．

D

What I care about is whether people can get free healthcare．Some people deliberately take dangerous toxins into their bodies because they're "addicted" while there are other people like my uncle who died of lung cancer and he never smoked in his life．It makes you wonder why cigarettes are so cheap．Surely all the taxes from cigarettes ought to go to help people who don't smoke．Perhaps we ought to sort things out．

E

Completely against it．I work in a bar and 1 get so sick of coming home smelling like a bonfire． And if that isn't enough, I'm probably going to get lung cancer from those idiots that decide to excite themselves．However,! do understand that for some older smokers it is a habit because they may have been smoking long before they knew it was bad for them．I do think there's no excuse for my generation to do it though and if they want to die, then go to do it in your own home．

F

Phil and I had a good argument today in the pub．He made the comment, "If he wants to smoke and kill himself, he can!", about which I said "You want to get on your motorbike and risk death, fine", which are basically the same thing．He made the point that he's a good driver and it's not his fault if he gets hurt, but at the end of the day, his fault or not, he knows he could get killed, and he's still taking the risk of being on a bike．I think it's a sick thing to say, being honest! If people want to put something in their mouth and blow on it, they should be allowed without having things like that being said ! It's a free country!