Ever wonder how this season’s celebrations affect the environment? Guest blogger Krista Fairles takes an amusing look at this very topic:

The holidays are a wonderful, cheerful time when most people wait for Santa to bring them presents. But I’m not like most people. I spend my time wondering just what the environmental impacts of Santa Claus and his reindeer are, and more importantly, how I can calculate those impacts.

Lately I’ve been particularly curious as to whether Santa’s old sled is a clean green flying machine, or if he should be replacing his 8 reindeer with an environmentally-friendly car.

I should mention that, surprisingly, I was unable to find statistics specific to Santa’s magical flying reindeer, so these calculations use numbers from various sources and may not represent actual pollution caused by Santa and his animals. In other words, don’t complain to the government about the damage Santa is causing the environment based on this article.

Santa’s yearly trip around the globe is 44,000km long, twice the average of a North American driver. If we assume that the magic provides the altitude for this trip, then reindeer power only needs to push Santa’s sled forward. To complete the trip in 12 hours, I estimate they must travel at a speed of about 3100km/h. To travel at this speed, for this length of time, the reindeer need to eat an incredible 980 million calories each!!

So the next question is: how much food is in 980 million calories? Well, if they’re eating corn, they’d need to eat 16,500 lbs each — or 1.6 acres of food. Growing 12.8 acres of corn has its own implications for the environment that we’ll leave for another calculation.

We now need to consider that during the global trip the reindeer are “letting out” some of that corn in the form of methane (甲烷，沼气). A resting cow produces 110 kg of methane per year, so flying reindeer would each let out about 4.8 tons. With methane causing 20 times the global warming damage of CO₂, and the altitude increasing that damage by 1000% that another 20 times, we can put Santa’s round-trip emissions at 15,488 tons. This is much more than the 100 tons an environmentally-friendly car would release on the same trip!

Bad Santa.

1. Which aspect does the writer NOT include in her analyses about reindeer’s influence on environment?

A. Distance covered.                                      B. Calories consumed.

C. Tons of waste let out.                       D. Money spent on food.

2. According to Paragraph 6, how many acres of corn would Santa need to feed 10 reindeer?

A. 1.6.                 B. 16.                           C. 12.8.                        D. 128.

3. Which of the following statements would the writer most probably agree with?

A. Christmas celebrations are really a waste of money.

B. Vegetarians are more likely to survive than meat-eaters.

C. Raising animals has a negative influence on environment.

D. The car industry does less harm to environment than farming.

4. Which of the following words best describes the language style of the passage?

A. Humourous and concerned.                    B. Cheerful and friendly.

C. Academic and formal.                               D. Serious and boring.

5. Which of the following is the best title for this passage?

A. Is Santa driving clean and green?

B. Santa, watch where you’re going!

C. Santa Claus is coming to town!

D. Let’s reduce waste on Christmas celebrations!

第二节完形填空(共20小题；每小题1．5分，共30分)

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。   

"How did you do it, Dad? How have you  36  to not take a drink for almost 20 years?" It took me almost 20 years to have the___ 37___to even ask my father this very personal question. When Dad first   38    drinking, the whole family was on pins and needles every time he 39   a situation that, in the past, would have   40   him drinking again. For a few years we were afraid to bring it up   41   the drinking would begin again.

"I had this little poem that I   42  recite to myself at least four to five times a day," was Dad's reply to my 18-year-old   43   question. "The words were an instant relief and constant 44   to me that things were never so   45   that I could not handle them," Dad said. And then he 46   the poem with me. The poem's simple, yet profound words immediately became part of my daily 47   as well.

About a month after this talk with my father, I   48   a gift in the mail from a friend of mine. It was a book of daily affirmations （誓词）with one affirmation   49   for each day of the year.

It has been my experience that when you get   50   with days of the year on it, you automatically turn to the   51   that lists your own birthday.

I   52   opened the book to November 10 to   53   what words of wisdom this book had in store for me. I did a double-take and tears of   54   and appreciation rolled down my face. There, on my birthday, was the   55   same poem that had helped my father for all these years! It is called the Serenity （安详）Prayer:

God, grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the Courage to change the things I can; and the Wisdom to know the difference.

36. A. prepared       B. promised       C. managed     D. performed

37. A. courage        B. opportunity     C. inspiration     D. reason

38. A. began         B. avoided        C. permitted      D. quit

39. A. got away with   B. got into        C. got down to    D. got through

40. A. forbade        B. started         C. attracted       D. caused

41. A. for fear        B. for sure        C. so that         D. otherwise

42. A. should         B. might         C. would         D. had to

43. A. unanswered     B.unasked        C. unexpected     D. unwelcome

44. A. prayer         B. performer      C. inspector       D. reminder

45. A. rough         B. severe          C. tough         D. urgent

46. A. created        B. explained       C. spared         D. shared

47. A. schedule       B. routine         C. habits        D. customs

48. A. mistook       B. posted          C. accepted       D. received

49. A. copied        B. presented        C. listed          D. printed

50. A. something     B. anything        C. everything      D. nothing

51. A. date          B. page           C. matters         D. problems

52. A. doubtedly      B. eventually       C. patiently        D. hurriedly

53. A. see           B. recite           C. repeat          D. forecast

54. A. sadness        B. loneliness       C. disbelief        D. belief

55. A. exact          B. correct         C. almost          D. much

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的从四个选项中（A、B、C和D），选出可以填人空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

She was a five-year-old girl with very fine golden hair when I first met her. She was carrying a bowl of _36_. I was 29 at that time and suffering from the flu.

Her mom and I had been friends for years._37 that friendship grew into care, from care into   _38_ and marriage. Marriage brought the three of us together as a _39_. At first I was afraid to be a “stepfather”. Therefore, I tried not to come _40_ my future daughter and her   41  father. I acted in that way in order to be liked. However,   42  she was growing up, I found it increasingly hard to   43  with her.

Once her school required the parents to individually write an open and   44  letter to our children. I wrote a letter about a little golden-haired girl who had   45  me a bowl of soup when I needed   46 .

A week later, all the parents 47  together with our children. The students were allowed to make a few statements. I was   48  to hear what my daughter would say.

Finally my daughter   49  make her way up to the microphone. She said something like others and then  50 , “At this very moment, I just want to say …I love you, Father.”

Immediately people around me started   51  at me. For a teenage girl to say  52  in front of so many people, “I love you,” took a great deal of courage.

Since then I have   53  to understand I didn’t need to have any   54  about being a stepfather. I can still   55  honest love with the same little girl I met so many years before － carrying a bowl full of what turned out to be kindness. I can also be friends with the girl － my dear daughter.

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You probably know you should say “ please” and “thank you ” at restaurants. You probably know the rules of a library. You know you should respect and be nice to your classmates. But do you have music manners?
Keep It Down! You have to notice the volumeof your music. You should not play your music so loud that everyone around you can hear it. Some people might even get angry. Usually, when you play the music loud on an MP3 player, other people can’t hear the words of the song. They just hear a loud sound. Not one wants to listen to this. Very loud music can also be bad for your ears, so even if you are alone when listening to our MP3 player, you shouldn’t have it turned up too high.
Take Them off! You need to know when to turn your MP3 player off and put it away. Libraries and schools don’t allow MP3 players. There are other places, like museums, that don’t have rules, but it would be rude to have your MP3 player on. Sometimes, it just doesn’t make sense to listen to your MP3 player at event. Why would you listen to music at a play, a movie or a sporting event? You would miss what is going on and others would wonder why you even came.
Take One Out! Once in a while it’s okay just to take out one earphone and not other. Imagine you are listening to your MP3 player when someone asks you the way. It would not be rude to take out one earphone, tell him the way, and put back the earphone and continue listening. You can also do this when you order food at a fast-food restaurant or when you answer the telephone and it’s not for you.
It’s Your Choice! There are times when you need to decide what is the best. For example, some people can listen to music on their MP3 Players when reading books, while others think it is disturbing. In cases like this, you need to do what seems right for you.
【小题1】The underlined word “volume” in Paragraph Two probably means       .
A. the type of music       
B. the amount of a sound  
C. the length of a song      
【小题2】We should turn down the music when we are alone because loud music       .
A. is not enjoyable        
B. makes us tired         
C. hurts our ears
【小题3】If we listen to our MP3 player at a play,       .
A. the theater won’t allow it                        
B. we will miss part of the play
C. others won’t hear the play well        
【小题4】We can take one earphone out when we       .
A. show others the way   
B. talk to fiends on the phone
C. watch a sporting event    
【小题5】What can be the best title of this passage?
A. Music Lovers        B. Music Manners           C.MP3 Players

People say teenagers are no good. They make too much noise in shopping malls; they drive recklessly（不顾一切地） up and down America’s main streets; they carry chips on their shoulders as big as the Sears Tower. And at least some of the time those things are true. But we shouldn’t forget that there are hard moments in the life of a teenager too.

I watched such a moment not long ago at a woman’s funeral. I didn’t expect the event to affect me. Through much of the ceremony, in fact, I remained unmoved.

The teenage grandson stepped forward. With his very first deep breath, every heart in that church was achingly reminded of something we had all forgotten. Softly he began: “I want to share a few values that Nana taught me. She never failed to see light in any situation. When our family dog would truely attract her, what would Nana say? ‘oh, what beautiful barking that dog has!’ That was Nana. ”

“She was a strong woman who often lived in the shadow of my grandpa, who was a successful businessman in this city. But she was the one behind the scenes who provided the strength and support for my grandpa’s career,” he said, with a voice now trembling, “That was Nana’s way.”

Through a low sob, he continued, “Whenever she did anything worth recognition, you ’d have to hear about it from a different source, because she was never one to show off.”

Finally, in a voice breaking free of sorrow, he looked up and said, “Nana taught me courage. She put up an incredible fight to the end, when she died peacefully, which is how she lived her life. That was Nana’s way, and I hope I can carry on in the same manner.”

There are no hearts as sensitive as those of teenagers, because everything is happening to them for the first time. The trouble with teenagers is that they haven’t learned to be controlled.

When that boy rose to speak about the woman who surely had been his truest and dearest friend, his honest voice dragged each of us out into the open where we could no longer hide in the calm ceremony . He exposed us to the truth about this very real woman who believed in a boy who probably tried the patience of many adults. He reminded us that his grandmother was more than another dot on the chart of life and death.

All over again we felt those powerful losses crossing our own hearts, and we knew that when you say good-bye to something happy, something young in yourself. And that something never really returns, and the pain never really goes away.

1.In the first paragraph, the writer gave some examples to_____.

A. support his idea that young people are no good.

B. introduce his point of view about young people.

C. tell people every coin has its two sides.

D. young people often make mistakes.

2. From the boy’s speech, we know _____.

A. his grandmother had great influence on him.

B. they had a dog which often attacked people

C. people had forgotten her until the boy appeared..

D. his grandmother was so weak that she is always living in the shadow of his grandpa

3. Which of the following statements is true?

A. The boy ‘s speech moved no one present at the funeral except the writer.

B. The boy’s being good at expressing himself enabled him to draw everyone’s attention.

C. The boy was too grieved to accept the fact that his grandmother had passed away.

D. The writer didn’t expect the event would affect him.

4.What words can best describe grandmother’s quality?

A. weak, mild and modest.

B.. easygoing, cautious and considerate

C. sensitive and hard on others.

D, patient, optimistic, strong and helpful.

5.The passage tells the readers____.

A. facing certain bitter facts help young people to grow.

B. young people have to control themselves

C. the adults should learn from the young.

D. the adults should teach the young how to be brave