One kind of letter most people enjoy writing is the letter of thanks or appreciation. It's pleasant to say "thank you" to someone who has been generous or thoughtful.

Every gift, however trifling, should be acknowledged(表示感谢)with a note of thanks. Every favor or courtesy(礼貌)- every kindness or attention on the part of a neighbor or friend - every expression of hospitality- certainly every letter of condolence(吊唁)or congratulation - deserves sincere and gracious(有礼貌的)acknowledgement.

It doesn't matter if you have already expressed your appreciation in person; a letter must still be written. It can be as brief and simple as you like, but it should express your appreciation with sincerity and warmth. Remember that half the joy of giving is the anticipation(预料)of receiving pleased acknowledgement, and surely the person who has been thoughtful or generous toward you deserves that satisfaction!

The underlined word "trifling" probably means "________".

A. of little value    B. important     C. valuable       D. precious

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. We need not write a letter of thanks if we have already said "thank you" personally.

B. Usually no replies are written to letters of condolence.

C. Our letters of thanks may be short, but we should be sincere.

D. We should not, however, expect letters of thanks for what we give. 

B
One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class walking home. His name was Kyle. He was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, “Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd(书呆子).” So I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw some kids running at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes. I jogged over to him, and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, I handed him his glasses. He said, “Thanks!” There Was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived, It turned out he lived near me, so I asked him why! had never seen him before. He said he had gone to a private school before coming to this school. I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home. He turned a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play football on Saturday with me and my friends. He said yes. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends.
Graduation day arrived. Kyle was valedictorian of our class, so he had to prepare a speech for graduation. In his speech he said. “Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. I am going to tell you a story.” I stared at my friend in disbelief as he told the story of the first day We met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He gave me a little smile. “Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable.” I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment.
45．What does the underlined word “valedictorian” in the second paragraph mean?
A．A graduate who delivers a farewell speech in a class.
B．A graduate who is the youngest in a class.
C．A student who is the most popular in a class.
D．A student who can not graduate on time in a class.
46．It can be concluded from the text that the author______.
A．was good at playing football in high school
B．had not liked to make friends with the students from private schools before
C．seldom helped others
D．did not study hard in high school
47．Not until the graduation day did the author know_______.
A．the real reason why Kyle carried all his books home the first day they met
B．Kyle was his best friend
C．Kyle enjoyed making speeches in front of the class
D．Kyle's many weaknesses
48．What does the author mainly want to express by telling this story?
A．A friend in need is a friend indeed.
B．Helping others is a Virtue.
C．Your action is powerful: with one small gesture you can change a person's life.
D．We should have a pity on the weak.

B

       One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class walking home. His name was Kyle. He was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, “Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd(书呆子).” So I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw some kids running at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes. I jogged over to him, and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, I handed him his glasses. He said, “Thanks!” There Was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived, It turned out he lived near me, so I asked him why! had never seen him before. He said he had gone to a private school before coming to this school. I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home. He turned a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play football on Saturday with me and my friends. He said yes. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends.

       Graduation day arrived. Kyle was valedictorian of our class, so he had to prepare a speech for graduation. In his speech he said. “Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. I am going to tell you a story.” I stared at my friend in disbelief as he told the story of the first day We met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He gave me a little smile. “Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable.” I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment.

45．What does the underlined word “valedictorian” in the second paragraph mean?

       A．A graduate who delivers a farewell speech in a class.

       B．A graduate who is the youngest in a class.

       C．A student who is the most popular in a class.

       D．A student who can not graduate on time in a class.

46．It can be concluded from the text that the author______.

       A．was good at playing football in high school

       B．had not liked to make friends with the students from private schools before

       C．seldom helped others

       D．did not study hard in high school

47．Not until the graduation day did the author know_______.

       A．the real reason why Kyle carried all his books home the first day they met

       B．Kyle was his best friend

       C．Kyle enjoyed making speeches in front of the class

       D．Kyle's many weaknesses

48．What does the author mainly want to express by telling this story?

       A．A friend in need is a friend indeed.

       B．Helping others is a Virtue.

       C．Your action is powerful: with one small gesture you can change a person's life.

       D．We should have a pity on the weak.

What’s black and white and read all over? Not newspapers, at least not anymore. In fact, if you’re like most young people, you probably don’t read the newspaper at all.

       In one recent survey, just 19 percent of 18-to-34--year-olds said they read a newspaper every day, while 37 percent watch local TV news and 44 percent visit Internet news sites daily. As people turn more and more to new technologies, they turn the pages of newspapers less and less.

       “There’s a revolution (革命) in the way young people get news,” says media consultant Merrill Brown.

       Just a generation (一代人) or two ago, the newspaper was the main way that many people got their news. Now, nearly every home has at least one TV set. There’s high-speed, wireless Internet both at home and in many public places.

       You no longer have to wait for a bundle of newsprint to arrive on your doorstep every morning. Thanks to new technology, if you want to know what’s going on in the world, you can get breaking news immediately in more ways than one.

       So newspapers face a very big challenge. Raised on MTV and video games, today’s kids and young adults want flashy displays, special effects, quick information, and the chance to interact (互动) in real time, even when they’re reading about serious problems.

       If newspapers can’t find creative ways to be more than just ink on paper, some experts suggest, they might disappear completely.

       Traditional newspaper articles are supposed to be read from beginning to end, lack (缺乏) of interaction. With Web pages, on the other hand, there’s more freedom. You can look through the things you’re interested in, then follow links to other sources. You can join discussion groups, read other people’s opinions on a topic, or start a blog to express your own views.

68. This passage is mainly about ______.

A. the disappearing newspaper     

B. different news sources

C. the future of the Internet        

D. the new technologies

69. From the survey, we can see that ______.

A. TV has become the major source of news

B. newspapers are no longer the major source of news

C. more than half of the 18-to-34-year-olds visit news sites daily

D. new technologies have replaced the traditional one

70. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT the disadvantage of newspapers?

A. Slow speed.         B. Lack of changes.    

C. High price.           D. Lack of interaction.

 “Thanks” is an expression _____ used to express one’s gratitude to someone for something he has done for you.

     A. commonly           B. ordinarily          C. regularly              D. occasionally