They ________ to help us and we ought to thank them.

[　　]

They ________ to help us and we ought to thank them.

1. A.
   do best
2. B.
   do their best
3. C.
   did best
4. D.
   did their best

They ________ to help but could not get here in time．

1. A.
   had wanted
2. B.
   have wanted
3. C.
   was wanting
4. D.
   want

Halloween

History experts say Halloween goes back more than two thousand years to the Celts(凯尔特人) of ancient Britain.October 31 was the Celtic Day of the autumn feast(宗教节日).On that day,priests(牧师) of the Celtic religion(宗教) prayed that the spirits of the dead would return to their homes for a few hours.The Celts built huge fires to frighten away evil spirits released with the dead on that night.

Hundreds of years later,the Roman Catholic(天主教的) Church made November first a day to honor Christian Saints.It was called All Saints Day or All Hallows Day.The day before was called Hallow Eve or Halloween.The name came from the church.But the traditions were closer to the old Celtic beliefs.

People from Scotland and Ireland brought these traditions to America.Many people still believed spirits played tricks on people on the last night of October.

In the late 19th century,American boys helped the spirits with tricks of their own.On Halloween,they would do things like change street signs or put a wagon on top of a house.

American children continue to celebrate Halloween today.Many adults enjoy the holiday as well.They go to holiday parties dressed as ghosts,monsters or famous people from history.

Children continue these Halloween traditions by going out to “Trick or Treat”.They dress as frightening creatures or characters from popular movies.They go from house to house asking for candy.They may also ask for money for the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund(联合国国际儿童急救基金会).They send the money to UNICEF to help needy children around the world.

1.Who believed that the dead spirits would return home on Halloween?

A.The Celts.　　　　　　　　　　　　 B.American boys.

C.People from Italy.　　　　　　　　 D.People from Rome.

2.Who gave the name of Halloween?

A.The Celts.　　　　　　　　　　　　 B.American boys.

C.People from Scotland.　　　　　　　　　 D.Roman Catholic Church.

3.”Trick or Treat”means 　　　.

A.give us bananas or we’ll not leave

B.give us candy or we’ll make trouble

C.give us apples or we’ll go into your kitchen

D.give us oranges or we’ll cry here

4.On Halloween children go from house to house asking money 　　　.

A.to buy their candy

B.to buy their pens

C.to send to their parents

D.to help the poor children in the world

Everybody likes a winner, and there are always people ready to cheer for a good winner. But who has ever heard a song for the man who comes in second？ So this is in praise of the almost winner, the nearly champion（冠军）, the next to the biggest, the second best. This is the song of Mister Two.

You hear unflattering（不讨好人的）names for Mister Two. “Alsoran”, they call him, and “runner­up”, names that make you think of a fellow who couldn’t quite make it. Don’t let that fool you. Ask the winner of any race how good a man Mister Two is. He will tell you it’s Mister Two who made him run so fast, Mister Two is always threatening to overtake and pass him.

Ask the salesman who won the contest and what kept him looking for extra order. Ask the directors of the big company why they keep changing their product, seeking the new equipment, the added advantage. What drives them？ What keeps them going？ It’s the salesman with nearly as many orders. It is the company with the product almost as good. It’s Mister Two.

In this country, we’re proud of the quality of our champions. Our big men come very big. Our fast men run very fast. Our wise men are the wisest and our greatest men are the greatest that a country could hope to be blessed with. And why is that？ It is Mister Two that makes the race always open and everybody can run. So this is for you, Mister Two. This is your song. This is for all the days you tried for first, and came in second. It’s for the nights when you wonder if you ought to go on trying, since nobody seems to notice.

We notice, Mister Two. We know the score. Winner or not, you’re a natural champion. There couldn’t be a race without you, Mister Two.

58. People usually call Mister Two unflattering names to　　　　him.

A. praise       B. encourage      C. laugh at      D. respect

59. According to the author, Mister Two is mentioned in connection with the following except　　　　.

A. business   B. sports            C. greatness    D. failure

60. It is implied in this story that　　　　.

A. Mister Two is as important as the winner

B. every leader needs someone to help him

C. the second today must be the first tomorrow

D. second place is always praised

61. The person who wins needs to understand that　　　　.

A. winning is everything

B. being Mister Two is wonderful

C. without Mister Two he would do better

D. without strong competition he wouldn’t have worked so hard