“No man is an island” is a well-known line from John Donne’s Devotion. It was written more than three hundred years ago. Even now people still agree with him. No one can live a completely lonely life. Without other people, life will become empty and sad. We all need to have friends.
For some of us, although making friends is not difficult, feeling shy, we may not want to make the first move. It is also difficult at times to keep the friends we already have.
There are many books about friendship, but Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People, written in 1936, is the most famous. This “how to” book about getting along with other people became a best seller. It was later put into 28 languages.
Dale Carnegie’s advice seems to be simple, but can his advice help you? Do you need to change the way you act? Here is the list of advice from his book:
Be friendly and polite.
Always greet with a smile. Begin with “Excuse me” or “Would you please” when you want to ask somebody. Remember to say “Thank you” and try to be as helpful as you can.
Go out of your way to be nice.
Find some time to do special things for other people. Making some soup for a sick neighbour may seem like a little thing to you, but it will make your neighbor feel a lot better.
Remember names.
They say that the sweetest music to a person’s ears is the sound of his or her own name.
Be open-minded.
Try to understand other people’s ways and ideas and learn something from them.
Listen patiently.
When someone is talking to you, look at him or her, listen carefully and say something when necessary.
【小题1】The underlined sentence “No one can live a completely lonely life.” means “_____”.

One of the traditions which is now a necessary part of Christmas is that of Father Christmas, or Santa Claus. According to the modern legend, he is a magical figure who visits all the children of the world during the night before Christmas Day, leaving presents which they find the next morning. He flies through the night sky in a sledge pulled by reindeer, and enters houses by climbing down chimneys. This strange legend is based on the life of a man called Nicholas, but in fact we know very little about him. Historians think he was a Christian bishop(主教) in Turkey in about 285－350 A. D. One of the stories about him is that he helped three poor girls. No one would marry them because they were so poor. To provide them with money for their weddings, Nicholas secretly dropped some gold coins down the chimney of their house. After Nicholas died, he was made a saint(圣人) by the church. (The name Santa Claus thus comes from St Nicholas.) His feast day was celebrated in December, and parents started giving their children secret presents from St Nicholas. Over the years, this custom became part of our Christmas traditions.

Recently, a psychologist has claimed that Father Christmas is “the perfect fantasy” for children. According to Professor Anthony Clare, children love the character of Father Christmas because he is like an ideal father: he loves children and gives them presents, but he never criticizes them, is never angry, and children do not even need to thank him for the presents. Other writers, however, point out that Father Christmas can be a frightening character to some children. Jane Bidder says that some children are terrified of this fat, bearded old man. It can certainly confuse many children. As parents, we warn our children to be careful of strangers and never to let them into the house, and yet we tell children that a strange man will come into their bedroom at night! Some children can become very worried about this idea and fear that he is a kind of burglar.

Most children, however, understand from their parents and from the media that Father Christmas is basically a benign character, and look forward to his annual visit with joy and excitement.

46. The main point of the first paragraph is that ________.

A. Father Christmas is an important part of Christmas 

B. the tradition of Father Christmas is a modern idea

C. Father Christmas is a magical figure who can fly   

D. the legends about Father Christmas are not true

47. The writer mentions details such as Father Christmas’s sledge, the reindeer and the way he climbs down chimneys because he/she ____________.

A. wants to make it clear that these things are impossible   

B. is describing the history of St Nicholas   

C. wants everyone to believe that Father Christmas is real

D. is explaining the modern legend of Father Christmas

48. Why does the writer mention the story about St Nicholas helping three poor girls?

A. It shows us that historians know very little about him.

B. This story explains why parents give secret presents to children.

C. It supports the writer’s main point that Father Christmas is based on an untrue story.

D. This story explains why we celebrate Christmas in December.

49. In the last paragraph, the word “benign”means _________.

A. religious           B. friendly

C. frightening        D. unreal

50. The best title for this passage would be __________.

A. Is Father Christmas Dangerous?       B. The True History of St Nicholas

C. The Legend of Santa Claus       D. The Traditions of Christmas  

One of the traditions which is now a necessary part of Christmas is that of Father Christmas, or Santa Claus. According to the modern legend, he is a magical figure who visits all the children of the world during the night before Christmas Day, leaving presents which they find the next morning. He flies through the night sky in a sledge pulled by reindeer, and enters houses by climbing down chimneys. This strange legend is based on the life of a man called Nicholas, but in fact we know very little about him. Historians think he was a Christian bishop(主教) in Turkey in about 285－350 A. D. One of the stories about him is that he helped three poor girls. No one would marry them because they were so poor. To provide them with money for their weddings, Nicholas secretly dropped some gold coins down the chimney of their house. After Nicholas died, he was made a saint(圣人) by the church. (The name Santa Claus thus comes from St Nicholas.) His feast day was celebrated in December, and parents started giving their children secret presents from St Nicholas. Over the years, this custom became part of our Christmas traditions.

    Recently, a psychologist has claimed that Father Christmas is “the perfect fantasy” for children. According to Professor Anthony Clare, children love the character of Father Christmas because he is like an ideal father: he loves children and gives them presents, but he never criticizes them, is never angry, and children do not even need to thank him for the presents. Other writers, however, point out that Father Christmas can be a frightening character to some children. Jane Bidder says that some children are terrified of this fat, bearded old man. It can certainly confuse many children. As parents, we warn our children to be careful of strangers and never to let them into the house, and yet we tell children that a strange man will come into their bedroom at night! Some children can become very worried about this idea and fear that he is a kind of burglar.

Most children, however, understand from their parents and from the media that Father Christmas is basically a benign character, and look forward to his annual visit with joy and excitement.

46. The main point of the first paragraph is that ________.

Father Christmas is an important part of Christmas 

the tradition of Father Christmas is a modern idea

Father Christmas is a magical figure who can fly   

the legends about Father Christmas are not true

47. The writer mentions details such as Father Christmas’s sledge, the reindeer and the way he climbs down chimneys because he/she ____________.

wants to make it clear that these things are impossible   

is describing the history of St Nicholas

wants everyone to believe that Father Christmas is real

is explaining the modern legend of Father Christmas

48. Why does the writer mention the story about St Nicholas helping three poor girls?

It shows us that historians know very little about him.

This story explains why parents give secret presents to children.

It supports the writer’s main point that Father Christmas is based on an untrue story.

This story explains why we celebrate Christmas in December.

49. In the last paragraph, the word “benign” means _________.

      A. religious    B. friendly      C. frightening D. unreal

50. The best title for this passage would be __________.

   A. Is Father Christmas Dangerous?       B. The True History of St Nicholas

   C. The Legend of Santa Claus  D. The Traditions of Christmas