Bobby was sitting out in his back yard in the snow. The thin sneakers he wore had a few holes in them. Try as he might, he could not come up with an idea for his mother’s Christmas gift.

    Ever since his father had passed away three years ago, his mother worked nights at the hospital, but the small wage could only be stretched so far.

    What the family lacked in money and material things, they more than made up for in love and family unity. They ran the household in their mother’s absence. All three of his sisters had already made beautiful gifts for their mother.

    It was Christmas Eve already, and he had nothing. Bobby started to walk down to the street. He walked from shop to shop. Everything seemed so beautiful and so out of reach. It was starting to get dark, then suddenly his eyes caught a shiny dime. Never has anyone felt so wealthy as Bobby did at that moment.

    He went inside a flower shop. When the owner asked if he could help him, Bobby presented the dime and asked if he could buy one flower. The shop owner looked at Bobby, then said, “You just wait here and I’ll see what I can do for you.”

    The shop owner returned holding red roses all tied together with a big silver bow. Bobby’s heart sank as the owner placed them gently into a long white box. “That will be ten cents, young man,” said the shop owner, reaching out his hand for the dime. Slowly, Bobby moved his hand to give the man his dime.

    Then the shopkeeper’s wife appeared. “Where are the roses you were fixing?”

    The shop owner replied, “A strange thing happened to me this morning. I thought I heard a voice telling me to set aside a dozen of my best roses for a special gift. I wasn’t sure at the time whether I had lost my mind or what, but I set them aside anyway. When I saw that little boy tonight, I knew who that voice was.”

1.According to the first three paragraphs we know that _____.

    A. Bobby’s sisters didn’t help Bobby to buy a gift

    B. Bobby had known what gift he’d give to his mother

    C. the children in the family all loved their mother

    D. Bobby’s family was rich before his father died

2.Why did Bobby walk along the street?

    A. Because he didn’t know what to do. 

    B. Because he wanted to try his luck there.

    C. Because he wanted to get some money.

    D. Because he hoped to see what he could get.

3.What could he buy with a dime then?

    A. A flower.            B. Nothing.     C. A piece of cake.       D. Many flowers.

4.Bobby slowly gave the dime to the shop owner because _______.

    A. he did not want any rose flowers

B. the flowers weren’t worth a dime

    C. the shop owner would cheat him

D. he hardly believed what had happened

5.From the last two paragraphs we can infer that the shop owner ______.

    A. was shocked by the voice he heard       

B. was always ready to help others

    C. didn’t know how to run a business      

D. was good at making up stories

Zigfried, a little mouse, blew his breath on the frosty window of the farmhouse and rubbed it to see the outside. Still nobody came. Maybe today, he thought   31 .It was only a few days before Christmas and he was watching for a miracle (奇迹).

　　This farmhouse had been   32   too long. It needed a family. Zigfried’s　　33   made a noise. He realized that he hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday. He jumped from the windowsill (窗沿), grabbed a   34   from his home, and went next door to Farmer Mike’s.

　　Farmer Mike’s house had been a great place for the little mouse   35   the farmer married a wife who had a cat. Zigfried   36   when he thought of it. He looked around cautiously as he   37   into the room where grain was stored and was quite   38   as he filled his bag with wheat. He was turning to leave when suddenly he   39   a hot breath about his ear. His heart beat   40  , and without thinking he started to run and luckily   41   the cat’s paws (爪子).

　　The next afternoon Zigfried heard some good news: a   42   family would be moving into the farmhouse soon. Zigfried’s granny would arrive on Christmas Eve to　　43   with him. He hoped that the family would come before his granny came. Before long, a car came   44   the road leading to the house, with butter sandwiches, cheese and chocolate.

　　Zigfried’s Christmas miracle did arrive!

　　The house came   45   the next few days. Zigfried   46   every single hour of them.   47, the day before Christmas when he was drinking hot chocolate with a   48   smile at the door of his home, he heard the   49   of the children of the family about what they might get for Christmas. What? A cat ? The   50   froze on his face; his mouth fell wide open. After a long while, he at last found his voice: “Hey! Whose Christmas miracle is this?”

　　31. A. carefully    B. excitedly                 C. hopefully                D. proudly

　　32. A. shabby      B. noisy               C. messy             D. empty

　　33. A. mouth       B. nose               C. stomach                 D. throat

　　34. A. bag           B. stick                C. bowl                D. coat

　　35. A. although          B. until                 C. whereas                 D. unless

　　36. A. leapt                B. sniffed             C. trembled                D. withdrew

　　37. A. broke               B. marched          C. paced                     D. stole

　　38. A. curious      B. nervous          C. pitiful               D. sensible

　　39. A. took                 B. released                C. felt                  D. drew

　　40. A. strongly     B. irregularly               C. slowly              D. wildly

　　41. A. escaped    B. seized                     C. rubbed            D. scratched

　　42. A. close                B. happy             C. new                 D. young

　　43. A. celebrate   B. communicate   C. compete          D. compromise

　　44. A. across              B. from                       C. off                   D. up

　　45. A. alive           B. loose               C. open                D. still

　　46. A. counted    B. enjoyed           C. missed            D. wasted

　　47. A. However    B. Instead            C. Moreover               D. Therefore

　　48. A. bitter          B. forced                     C. polite                      D. satisfied

　　49. A. introduction B. discussion            C. comment         D. debate

　　50. A. blood               B. smile               C. tear                 D. sweat

Knowing how much her own children loved presents at Christmas, Ann Sutton, a social worker, always tried to seek help for one or two poor families. This year, Kinzie, Ann’s seven-year-old daughter, was  31  that Santa Claus would make a special visit to a young mother named Ashley who worked in a factory and was  32  her 12-month-old son, Evan, and her 12-year-old brother, Kenny, by herself.

At a  33  dinner, the phone rang. A representative from a local charity was calling to say that the  34  Ann had requested for Ashley had been cancelled. No Santa Claus, no presents, nothing. Ann saw the cheer fade away from her children's faces at the news. Without a word, she  35  down from her chair and ran from the room. Now, it didn't feel much  36  Christmas anymore. Kinzie returned, her face set with determination. She had opened up her piggy  37 , and now she counted out the coins and broken dollar  38  , one by one, onto the dining table: $3.30. Everything she had.

“Mom,” she told Ann, “I know it's not much.  39  maybe this will buy a present for the baby.”

Then  40  everyone was reaching into pockets and purses. Adding to Kinzie's gift became a game, with everyone  41  for loose change. By the time the search ended, there was a small mountain of bills and a neat pile of coins. The  42 : $130, plenty for a Christmas for three. “God multiplied your gift,” Ann said to Kinzie.

That evening, Kinzie went with her mother and sister to  43  the money.

On Christmas Eve, Ann  44  through the pouring rain to the small cottage where the family lived. When Ashley opened the door, Ann stood under her umbrella and  45  the astonished woman a merry Christmas. Then she began to  46  the gifts from the car, handing them to Ashley one by one. Ashley laughed in disbelief, and still the presents came. Ann abandoned the umbrella, and the young woman joined her in the rain, passing gifts  47  to Kenny. “Please, can I open up just one tonight?” he begged. Soon both women were  48  to the skin, and surprise had turned to something  49  , the kind of joy that brought them close to tears.

Reflecting on a little girl's generosity, Ashley says she hopes she'll one day be able to do something similar for someone else in  50  . “Kinzie could have used that money for herself, but she gave it away,” Ashley says. “She's the type of kid I'd like my son to grow up to be.”

1.A. disappointed          B. pleased                     C. surprised                  D. puzzled

2.A. raising                  B. teaching                   C. helping                    D. protecting

3.A. sorrowful                  B. joyful                      C. pitiful                      D. grateful

4.A. reward                  B. job                          C. aid                           D. prize

5.A. knelt                         B. fell                          C. rolled                       D. slipped

6.A. like                    B. at                                   C. over                         D. for

7.A. pocket                   B. case                         C. basket                      D. bank

8.A. checks                   B. bills                         C. receipts                    D. signs

9.A. So                        B. And                         C. But                          D. or

10.A. hopefully                 B. luckily                            C. obviously                 D. suddenly

11.A. hunting                B. struggling                 C. rushing                    D. trading

12.A. goal                        B. budget                            C. total                         D. maximum

13.A. spend                  B. save                         C. distribute                  D. collect

14.A. looked                 B. drove                       C. wandered                 D. walked

15.A. owed                   B. offered                     C. brought                    D. wished

16.A. unload                 B. separate                    C. divide                      D. choose

17.A. out                      B. inside                       C. down                       D. up

18.A. wet                         B. excited                     C. close                        D. familiar

19.A. sadder                 B. heavier                     C. wilder                      D. deeper

20.A. vain                        B. store                        C. need                        D. touch

One of Britain’s bravest women told yesterday how she helped to catch suspected (可疑的) police killer David Bieber -- and was thanked with flowers by the police. It was also said that she could be in line for a share of up to ￡30,000 reward money.

Vicki Brown, 30, played a very important role in ending the nationwide manhunt. Vicki, who has worked at the Royal Hotel for four years, told of her terrible experience when she had to steal into Bieber’s bedroom and to watch him secretly. Then she waited alone for three hours while armed police prepared to storm the building.

 She said: “I was very nervous. But when I opened the hotel door and saw 20 armed policemen lined up in the car park I was so glad they were there.”

The alarm had been raised because Vicki became suspicious (怀疑) of the guest who checked in at 3 pm the day before New Year’s Eve with little luggage and wearing sunglasses and a hat pulled down over his face. She said: “He didn’t seem to want to talk too much and make any eye contact (接触).” Vicki, the only employee on duty, called her bosses Margaret, 64, and husband Stall McKale, 65, who phoned the police at 11 pm.

Officers from Northumbria Police called Vieki at the hotel in Dunston, Gatesheed, at about 11:30 pm to make sure that this was the wanted man. Then they kept in touch by phoning Vicki every 15 minutes.

“It was about ten past two in the morning when the phone went again and a policeman said ‘Would you go and make yourself known to tile armed officers outside?’. My heart missed a beat.”

Vicki quietly showed eight armed officers through passages and staircases to the top floor room and handed over the key.

“I realized that my bedroom window overlooks that pair of the hotel, so I went to watch. I could not see into the man’s room, but I could see the passage. The police kept shouting at the man to come out with his hands showing. Then suddenly he must have come out because they shouted for him to lie down while he was handcuffed (带手铐)。

The underlined phrase “be in line for” (paragraph 1) means __

       A. get          B. be paid       C. ask for       D. own

Vicki became suspicious of David Bieber because __________.

       A. the police called her

       B. he looked very strange

       C. he came to the hotel with little luggage

       D. he came to the hotel the day before New Year’s Eve

Vicki’s heart missed a beat because _________.

       A. the phone went again B. she would be famous

       C. the policemen had already arrived    D. she saw 20 policemen in the car park

David Bigber was most probably handcuffed in ________.

       A. the passage B. the man’s room 

C. Vicki’s bedroom      D. the top floor room

The whole event probably lasted about _______ hours from the moment Bieber came to the hotel to the arrival of some armed officers.

A.6            B.8               C.11           D.14

As Christmas is coming, there are presents to be bought, cards to be sent, and rooms to be cleaned. Parents are ___1___ with difficult jobs of hiding presents from curious young children. If the gifts are large, this is sometimes a real ___2___. On Christmas Eve, young children find the excitement almost unbearable. They are torn between the wish to go to bed early so that Father Christmas will bring their presents quickly and the wish to ___3___ up late so that they will not ___4___ the fun. The wish for gifts usually proves stronger. But though children go to bed early, they often lie ___5___ for a long time, hoping to get a short ___6___ at Father Christmas.

Last Christmas, my wife and I ___7___ hid a few large presents in the storeroom. I ___8___ the moment when my son, Jimmy, would ___9___ me where that new bike had come from, but ___10___ he did not see it.

On Christmas Eve, ___11___ took the children hours to go to sleep. It must have been nearly ___12___ when my wife and I went quietly into their room and began ___13___ stockings. Then I pushed in the ___14___ I bought for Jimmy and left it beside the Christmas tree. We knew we would not get much sleep that night, for the children were ___15___ to get up early. At about five o’clock the next morning, we were ___16___ by loud sounds coming from the children’s room — they were shouting excitedly! ___17___ I had time to get out of bed, young Jimmy came riding into the room on his new bike, and his sister, Mary, followed close behind pushing her new baby carriage. ___18___ the baby arrived. He moved ___19___ the hands and knees into the room dragging a large balloon behind him. Suddenly it burst. That woke us up ___20___. The day had really begun with a band(巨响) !  

1. A. faced                B. met            C. filled          D. pleased

2. A. question           B. matter           C. problem             D. business

3. A. get                B. stay           C. stand           D. wake

4. A. lose              B. break             C. miss           D. leave

5. A. awake              B. wake             C. asleep         D. sleep

6. A. look                     B. stare              C. glare           D. watch

7. A. hopefully                 B. busily            C. gladly         D. successfully

8. A. liked               B. feared             C. surprised      D. hated

9. A. answer            B. tell               C. ask            D. search

10. A. sadly             B. unluckily         C. possibly       D. fortunately

11. A. it                B. they             C. I            D. we

12. A. morning           B. midnight         C. evening      D. daybreak

13. A. filling            B. sewing            C. mending      D. preparing

14. A. present          B. stocking          C. bike           D. tree

15. A. going            B. sure             C. glad           D. excited

16. A. troubled                B. frightened       C. woken        D. shocked

17. A. Before           B. After            C. Until         D. Since

18. A. Even             B. And             C. Soon         D. Then

19. A. with              B. on                C. over          D. by

20. A. all              B. nearly            C. happily        D. completely