Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock in London. The name was given in honor of Sir Benjamin Hall, who was in charge of the work when the bell was built in 1856.

The clock has become a landmark of the United Kingdom and London, particularly in the visual media. When a television or film-maker wishes to quickly show a non-UK audience a certain location in Britain, a popular way to do so is to show an image of the Clock Tower.

The Clock Tower is a focus of New Year celebrations in the United Kingdom, with radio and TV stations turning to its chimes（报时钟声） to welcome the start of the year.

Londoners who live a proper distance from the Clock Tower and Big Ben can, by means of listening to the chimes both live and on the radio or television, hear the bell strike thirteen times on New Year’s Eve. This is possible because the speed of sound is a lot slower than the speed of radio waves.

Big Ben has appeared in many films. In the 1978 version of The Thirty-Nine Steps, the hero attempted to halt the clock’s progress to prevent a linked bomb blowing up by hanging from the minute hand of its western face. It was also used in the filming of Shanghai Knights starring Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson, and was described as being partially destroyed in the film Doctor Who. An animated version（卡通版） of the clock was also used as the setting in the Walt Disney film The Great Mouse Detective, and was shown being destroyed by a UFO in the film Mars Attacks! 

66. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The nickname of the clock was given by Benjamin.

B. The clock strikes thirteen times to welcome the New Year.

C. The radio and TV make a mistake about the clock’s chimes.

D. Benjamin was responsible for the work when the bell was built.

67. The second paragraph mainly wants to show us that Big Ben is_______ .

A. a symbol of the UK and London

B. a most popular scene for film-makers

C. a must-see sight for tourists to London

D. a popular place to have pictures taken

68. The underlined word“halt” in Paragraph 5 probably means“_______”.

A. look into something

B. get something to stop

C. make something work again

D. draw people’s attention to something

69. In which of the following movies was the clock destroyed?

A. The Thirty-Nine Steps and Shanghai Knights.

B. Shanghai Knights and Doctor Who.

C. The Great Mouse Detective and Doctor Who.

D. Mars Attacks and Doctor Who.

70. In which section of a newspaper would the passage be found?

A. Entertainment & Sports

B. Business & Economy

C. Sightseeing & Tourism

D. Culture & Arts

Two weeks before Christmas，Mother told me we were going to my grandmother's house for the holiday.Grandma and Uncle Henry lived on a farm some 15 miles out of town.They had no electricity or running water and__1__what I considered the “good things” in life.They__2__made no plans for Christmas.When Christmas Eve arrived，Mom told me in her “I-mean-it” voice to__3__all the decorations(装饰物)from our tree.She packed those up，__4__all the trimmings(配料)for a __5__turkey dinner.

Christmas morning__6__perfectly，with the sun shining brightly across a fresh blanket of snow.__7__I sulked(生气)silently in the backseat of the car as we made our__8__to grandma's.This was going to be the __9__Christmas ever!

Grandma was__10__to see us as we walked up to her door.“What on earth are you doing here？”she stammered.“We weren't expecting__11__.It's Christmas，and I don't even have a turkey to cook for you.”“I knew__12__.”Mom said as we set boxes of goodies on the kitchen table.“That's__13__we brought one with us.”“We__14__have a tree，”Mom insisted.“__15__，what will we do with all these decorations？”

Uncle Henry quickly caught Mom's spirit.He called me to join him，and we found a perfect Christmas tree in the woods.Soon the house __16__fresh and piney as we decorated the tree，and the day__17__a festive air.The turkey dinner was very good，too.I was actually beginning to enjoy this unusual Christmas day!

Dessert was forgotten__18__Mom came out with the final surprise—a flaming(燃烧的)pudding! “Merry Christmas，Mother，”Mom said.“Dear me！” Grandma gasped.“I haven't seen a flaming pudding since I left England before I was married.”Tears of__19__filled her eyes.

I could not keep the tears__20__my eyes，either.I knew then that Mom had also given me the best Christmas present ever—she had taught me what a beautiful thing it is to give.

1．A.prepared      B．lacked 

C．refused  D．desired

2．A.also      B．still 

C．never      D．hardly

3．A.replace        B．collect 

C．remove  D．show

4．A.instead of    B．by the side of

C．along with      D．in spite of

5．A.normal        B．complete 

C．fresh       D．separate

6．A.dawned       B．passed 

C．broke      D．happened

7．A.But      B．So 

C．And        D．Then

8．A.decision       B．way 

C．wish       D．plan

9．A.last      B．busiest 

C．best        D．worst

10．A.expected    B．eager 

C．surprised        D．ready

11．A.anyone       B．others 

C．someone        D．no one

12．A.you    B．it 

C．that         D．this

13．A.how  B．why 

C．where     D．when

14．A.may  B．will 

C．can         D．must

15．A.Meanwhile        B．Therefore

C．However        D．Otherwise

16．A.improved  B．smelled 

C．became  D．changed

17．A.showed up        B．carried on

18．A.until  B．after 

C．because  D．unless

19．A.sadness     B．joy 

C．regret      D．worry

20．A.inside        B．back 

C．into         D．from

任务型阅读（满分10分）

请认真阅读下面短文，并根据所读内容在文章后图表中的空格里填入最恰当的单词。

注意：每空只填一个单词。

“Happy New Year!” Everyone will greet each other with these words as they meet each other on New Year’s Day. But it wasn’t always January 1 that marked the New Year.

    At least 4,000 years ago, the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians marked the changing of the year. In Egypt, the year started when the Nile River flooded, enriching farmers’ fields. This happened at the end of September.

    The Babylonians held a festival in the spring, on March 23, to kick off the next farming cycle. The Babylonian celebration lasted for 11 days.

    The date January 1 was picked by the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar as the change of the year when he established his own calendar in 46 BC. The month of January originates from the Roman god, Janus. He is pictured with two heads. One head looks forward and the other back. They represent a break between the old and new. The new calendar was in time with the sun and it has been used until the present day.

    In Vietnam, the New Year holiday happens in February. They buy fresh flowers and a peach blossom to put in their house, following the Vietnamese custom.

Thailand has its specific New Year’s date; it’s different from the normal calendar. The Thai New Year is celebrated on April 13. On this day, Thai people play with water, throwing it on each other. It is intended to bring good luck during the New Year ahead.

    In China, the more favorable New Year is usually celebrated in February according to lunar calendar (阴历). On New Year’s Eve, all family members sit together at table, enjoying lots of auspicious foods such as dumplings, chicken to bring good luck.

Title:  New Year traditions all around the world

第二节：完形填空(共20小题；每小题l.5分，满分30分) 阅读下面短文掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
I don’t remember when it first started annoying me — her hands pushing my hair that way. But it    36    annoy me, for    37   felt work-worn and rough against my young skin.    38   , one night, I shouted out at her, “Don’t do that anymore — your hands are too rough!” She didn’t say anything in    39  . But never again did my mother close out my day with that familiar    40    of her love. Lying awake long afterward, my words stuck to me. But pride kept my conscience back, and I didn’t tell her I was    41  .
Time after time, with the passing years, my thoughts    42    to that night. By then I missed my mother’s hands, missed her goodnight kiss upon my forehead. Sometimes the incident seemed very    43  , sometimes far away. But always it hid in the back of my    44   .
Well, the years have passed, and I’m not a little girl any more. Mom is    45    her mid-seventies and those hands I once thought to be so rough are    46   doing things for me and my family. She cooks the best fried chicken in the world, gets stains out of blue jeans and still    47    on dishing out ice cream at any hour of the day or night. Through the years, my mother’s hands have put in countless hours of labor.
Now, my own children are grown and gone. Mom no longer has Dad, and on special occasions, I find myself drawn next door to    48    the night with her. So it was late on Thanksgiving Eve, as I slept in the bedroom of my    49  , a familiar hand hesitantly stole    50    my face to brush the hair from my forehead. Then a kiss, ever so gently, touched my eyebrow.
In my memory, for the thousandth time, I recalled the night, when my young voice    51   ,　“Don’t do that anymore — your hands are too rough!” Catching Mom’s hand in hand, I spoke out how sorry I was    52   that night. I thought she’d remember,    53    I did. But Mom didn’t know what I was talking about. She had forgotten — and forgiven — long ago.
That night, I fell asleep with a new    54    for my gentle mother and her    55   hands.
36． A. had          B. did        C.would              D . will
37． A. they         B. What      C.them         D. that
38． A. However     B. Later      C.Unluckily     D. Finally
39． A. Order        B. time      C.reply         D. return
40． A. expression          B. signal     C.impression     D. mean
41． A. sad          B. sorry      C.stupid         D. tired
42． A. adopted       B. hurried       C.returned       D. adjusted
43． A. close         B. serious          C.deep          D. clear
44． A. head         B. mind      C.brain         D. thought
45． A. at            B. on         C.to             D. in
46． A. still         B. already       C.almost          D. even
47． A. insists         B. sticks     C.puts          D. takes
48． A. stay         B. pay        C.spend         D. spare
49． A. youth              B. son        C.daughter       D. father
50． A. over         B. Across    C.through        D. on
51． A. argued        B. Talked    C.explained      D. complained
52． A. to            B. At        C.in             D. for
53． A. when              B. As         C.so             D. since
54． A. understanding  B. connection  C. appreciation     D. relation
55． A. old          B. Caring          C. ugly         D. tiring

A fried of mine named Paul received an automobile from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a naughty street boy was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it. “Is this your car, Mister?” he asked..
Paul nodded, “My brother gave it to me for Christmas.” The boy was surprised. “You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn’t cost you anything? I wish…” He hesitated（犹豫）.
Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the boy said made Paul think all the way.
“I wish ,” the boy went on, “that I could be a brother like that.”
Paul looked at the boy in surprise, adding, “Would you like to take a ride in my automobile?”
“Yes, I’d love that.” After a short ride, the boy turned and said, “Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house?”
Paul smiled, He thought he knew what the boy wanted. But Paul was wrong again. “Will you stop where those two steps are?” the boy asked.
He ran up the steps. Then in a while Paul heard him coming back, but he didn’t come fast. He was carrying his little crippled（伤残） brother. He pointed to the car and said, “There it is, Buddy, just like I told you up stairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas. And some day I’m going to give one just like it and then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Christmas windows that I’ve been trying tell you about. ”
Paul got out and lifted the boy to the front seat. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride.
That Christmas Eve, Paul learned what “It is more blessed to give” means.
【小题1】The naughty street boy wished to _____________ .