“Sending thank-you notes is becoming a lost art,” mourns May Mitchell, a syndicated columnist known as “Ms Demeanor” and author of six etiquette(礼节) books. In her view, each generation, compared with the one before, is losing a sense of consideration for other people. “Without respect,” she says, “you have conflict.”

       Ms. Demeanor would be proud of me: I have figured out a way to ensure that my children always send thank-you notes. And such a gesture is important, says Ms. Demeanor, because “a grateful attitude is a tremendous life skill, an efficient and inexpensive way to set ourselves apart in the work force and in our adult lives. Teach your children that the habit of manners comes from inside---it’s an attitude based on respecting other people.”

       A few years ago, as my children descended like piranhas (一种南美淡水鱼，喜吞食或攻击) on their presents under the Christmas tree, the only attitude I could see was greed. Where was the appreciation of time and effort?

       A thank-you note should contain three things: an acknowledgement of the gift (Love the tie with the picture of a hose on it); a recognition of the time and effort spent to select it (You must have shopped all over the state find such a unique item!); a prediction of how you will use your gift or the way it has enhanced your life (I’ll be sure to wear it to the next Mr. Ed convention!).

       So, five years ago, in one of my rare flashes of parental insight, I decided that the most appropriate time to teach this basic courtesy is while the tinsel (装饰用光亮金属) is hot. To the horror of my children, I announced that henceforth every gift received will be an occasion for a thank-you note written immediately, on the spot.

       I have reluctantly given my kids the green light to send e-mail thank-you notes; though hand-lettered ones (at least to me) still seem friendlier. But pretty much any thank-you makes the gift giver feel special—just as, we hope, the recipient feels. It’s a gesture that perfectly captures the spirit of the holidays.

41. in Ms. Demeanor’s point of view, children born in the ______ is probably the least respectful generation.

       A. 1960s        B. 1970s         C. 1980s         D. 1990s

42. The phrase “set oneself apart” (Para. 2) means _______.

       A. to reserve to a particular use            B. to put to one side

       C. to make noticeable or outstanding    D. to determine to purse

43. According to the passage, a thank-you note may contain the following information EXCEPT “_______”.

       A. I love the pearl necklace you bought me for my birthday

       B. it must have taken you a long time to find just the right thing for me

       C. is it very expensive         D. I promise I will wear it on my wedding day

44. How did the author feel when she saw her children searching under the Christmas tree for their presents?

       A. Greedy.      B. Cheerful.           C. Laughable.        D. Disheartened.

45. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE about the author?

       A. She feels hand-written letters are friendlier than word-processed ones.

       B. She does not allow her children to sent email thank-you note.

       C. She thinks the best time to teach her children the basic etiquette of  

appreciation is to strike while the iron is still not.

       D. She thinks a thank-you note can make the gift giver feel special just as the   

recipient does.

Toucans(巨嘴鸟), a kind of tropical birds known for its colorful beak, are very smart. In Mexico, my dad became friends with a toucan that was in a “walk in and see the birds” cage. The toucan was so smart that it knew how to get out. It just needed some human to help it. It almost flew out while we were leaving!

I also noticed that all toucans have different beaks! They also have very long unique beaks with an extremely long tongue. It struts(大摇大摆地走) around with its chest sticking out and beak pointed forward. The toucan is a beautiful bird! The beak has a red tip (different shades on every one), but sometimes there is a little turquoise on the bottom half. Then, right where the beak separates there is a splotch of yellow. And the rest of the beak is green. The toucan takes very much pride of itself.

The toucan eats fruit and seeds. The ramphastidae(the toucan family) is known for its long beak, and 37 species. Toucans also feed on insects, small lizards, bird nestlings and eggs. They nest in hollow trees where they incubate and care for their young.They are found in the woody areas.

Of the various toucan facts, here is an odd one. Citizens of Central and South America associate the toucans with evil spirits. They think the birds can be the personification of evils. Where couvades(父代母育) is practiced, the father of a new child must not eat toucan flesh as it is believed to bewitch the new-born child. Yet the toucan can also be a tribal totem(图腾). So the medicine men use it as a symbol to fly to the spirit world.

60. Which of the following words is NOT suitable to describe toucans?

   A. Intelligent     B. Confident     C. Dangerous     D. Colorful

61. The second paragraph mainly talks about _______.

   A. where toucans strut around   B. how toucans get food

   C. what toucans look like       D. when toucans lay eggs

62. What does the underlined word“incubate”probably mean in paragraph 3?

   A.Hatch eggs    B.Take cover    C.Gather strength    D.Keep warm

63. We can learn from the last paragraph that _______.

   A. all citizens of Central and South America are afraid of toucans

   B. the toucans can also be used as medicine to cure diseases

   C. a new child must not eat toucan flesh because it is poisonous

   D. some people believe toucans can bring them misfortune

D
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54.What is special about the Ariau Amazon Towers hotel?
A．You can sleep in the houses     B．You can choose any of the towers
C．It is designed for big families    D．Every room has a walkway
55.For two persons spending a night in one of these hotels,they have to pay at least
A．$111    B．$182    C．$600    D．$636
56.Which website should you visit if you want to find out whether there exists a hotel the sea?
A．http://www.icehotel.com    B．http://www.ariautowers.com
C．http://www .propeller-island.com    D．http://www.bahamabeachclub.com
57.Which hotel would invite artists to come to work every year?
A．Propeller Island City Lodge    B．Ariau Amazon Towers
C．The Ice Hotel               D．Bahama Beach Club

America will never again have as a nation the spirit of adventure as it ______ before the West was settled.

    A.has          B. did       C.was           D. would

Over the past 20 years, AIDS and war have claimed the parents of 2．4 million Ugandan children．When Alexis Hefley first visited the country,, in 1993, she saw the children's sorrow, but the former Texas banker also spotted "a world of possibility"．She watched as they danced for tourists to earn money, and she had a thought: If people in America could see them perform, they'd support them too．                   

The children's passion and talent inspired Hefley to work with the kids at an orphanage（孤儿院）in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, to organize a traveling dance troupe（团）．The goals: to give the problems in Uganda a human face, to raise awareness and to raise money．

The first tour touched down at six American cities in 1994．Today, the 22-member troupe, known as the Spirit of Uganda, travels across America every two years．The young performers bring their energy and joy to audiences across the U．S．and help support hundreds of Ugandan orphans back home．Among the young dancers, some earn scholarships to attend the U．S．colleges, and then return to their country to help rebuild it．

Photojournalist Douglas Menuez first photographed the troupe in 2006 -?a project that led to his new book, Transcendent Spirit, from which these images are drawn．At each performance, the dancers' faces show pure joy, quite an achievement given the hardships they've faced．"They look to the future, not the past," explains Menuez．"They embrace beauty and good in the world．" As one dancer puts it, "People think we have lost our parents．We've had so many problems．But then they see us perform．They see our smiles．And they learn that life goes on．"

What are the first two paragraphs mainly about?     

       A．How miserable Ugandan orphans' life is．       

       B．How the dance troupe was set up．

       C．How the young dancers earned money．        

       D．How the orphans lost their parents．|

What do we learn about the Spirit of Uganda?            

       A．It was started by a journalist．

       B．It travels across the U．S．annually．

       C．It consists of two dozen performers．

       D．Its dancers have chances to study in the U．S．

In the eyes of Menuez, the young performers are_____． 

       A．beautiful            B．talented    C．optimistic      D．humorous

What might be the most suitable title for the passage?      

       A．Ugandan orphans turn tragedy into dance         

       B．Transcendent Spirit: A close look at Uganda           

       C．AIDS and war are claiming people's lives                 

       D．Lots of people are helping Ugandan orphans