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

 

The Price of a Dream
I grew up poor, living with my wonderful mother. We had little money but plenty of love and attention.  I was   36  and energetic. I understood that no matter how poor a person was, he could still   37  a dream.
My dream was to be a sportsman.   38  I was sixteen, I had started playing baseball. I could throw a ninety-mile-per-hour fastball and hit anything that moved on the football field.  I was also   39 . My high-school coach was Ollie Jarvis, who not only believed in me, but taught me  40 to believe in myself. He   41 me the difference between having a dream and realizing the dream. One particular   42  with Coach Jarvis changed my life forever.
It was the summer between my junior and senior years, and a friend recommended (推荐) me for a summer job. This meant a chance for money in my pocket—money for a new bike and new clothes, and the   43  of savings for a house for my mother. Then I realized I would have to   44  summer baseball to deal with the work schedule, and that meant I would have to tell Coach Jarvis I wouldn’t be playing. 
When I told Coach Jarvis, he was as   45  as I expected him to be.  “You have your whole life to work,” he said.  “Your playing days are limited. You can’t   46  to waste them.” I stood before him with my head hanging, trying to think of the   47  that would explain   48  him why my dream of buying my mom a house and having money in my pocket was worth facing his   49  in me.
“How much are you going to make at this job, son?” he asked. “Three twenty-five an hour,” I replied.
“Well,” he asked, “is $3.25 an hour the   50  of a dream?”
That simple question made it   51  to me the difference between   52  something right now and following a dream. I   53  myself to sports that summer, and within the year I was   54  by the Pittsburgh Pirates to play baseball, and was   55  a $20,000 contract. In 2000, I bought my mother the house of my dream!

【小题1】
A.happyB.politeC.shyD.honest
【小题2】
A.loseB.haveC.makeD.need
【小题3】
A.By the timeB.The timeC.At one timeD.At a time
【小题4】
A.rightB.popularC.luckyD.confident
【小题5】
A.how B.whyC.whenD.whether
【小题6】
A.gaveB.taughtC.broughtD.asked
【小题7】
A.accidentB.matterC.problemD.experience
【小题8】
A.aimB.ideaC.startD.purpose
【小题9】
A.keep upB.put upC.give upD.pick up
【小题10】
A.madB.happy C.frightenedD.shameful
【小题11】
A.adoptB.affordC.affectD.effect
【小题12】
A.answersB.excusesC.wordsD.ways
【小题13】
A.forB.toC.onD.in
【小题14】
A.sadnessB.regretC.hopelessnessD.disappointment
【小题15】
A.sourceB.prizeC.priceD.allowance
【小题16】
A.directB.clearC.cleanD.straight
【小题17】
A.wantingB.changing C.dreamingD.choosing
【小题18】
A.providedB.devotedC.headedD.imagined
【小题19】
A.workedB.mentionedC.firedD.hired
【小题20】
A.paidB.gotC.offeredD.signed

Harry’s father bought a magazine which gave its readers information about all kinds of products and helped them make the best choice while buying.
Harry borrowed his father’s magazine when he needed a new computer. “I’ll read it and choose the best one.” He said.
The magazine described these computers.

The DGT PC450
The BNK 975XF: AT $3,200
The CGP 8PT

This computer comes with lots of good software. However it does not have much memory and is rather slow. At $2,850 it’s not very good value for money.

This is the most expensive computer we tested. However it is also the most reliable (可靠的). It is very fast and has lots of memory. It is worth the extra money if you can afford it.

At only $1,900. It has lots of memory and is quite fast. However it broke down twice while we were testing it and we cannot recommend (建议) it for reliability.
     Harry chose the BNK 975XF. “I know it’s expensive,” he said, “but it will be with me for a long time and do everything I want it to do.”
【小题1】 Harry wants to buy a computer, so he borrowed ___________ from his father.
A.a magazine about all kinds of productsB.a computer magazine
C.a shopping bookD.a book about all kinds of computers
【小题2】 ____________ doesn’t have much memory and is rather slow.
A.The BNK 975XFB.The DGT PC450
C.The CGP 8PTD.Harry’s computer
【小题3】 The CGP 8PT is _____________ among the three kinds of computers.
A.the fastestB.the most expensive C.the cheapestD.the slowest
【小题4】Harry chose the BNK 975XF because _________.
A.it is the most expensiveB.it has lots of good software
C.it has much memoryD.it would work for him for a long time


When I decided to get married, my father decided to share some wisdom. “Lori, it is just as easy to love a rich man as it is to love a poor man, “ he said. My boyfriend didn’t have much money, but I loved him. “What?” I cried. “ How can you say that? I want to marry for love, NOT for money.” “ But why not marry someone you love who has money?” he asked. “Rich men are materialistic(物质主义的). I’d rather marry a poor man who loves me,” I said and he gave in.
And as we went on, with my family growing, I learned why my father put such importance on money. We had to cover the rent, car, electricity, food, and medical bills. We were under lot of pressure. The worries over whether we would be asked to move out or if we had the money to wash our clothes at the Laundromat this week made me question if I did the right thing by marrying a “poor” man.
I realized that I had entered the ranks of the poor. Not that I’d ever been rich. Most of my life, I considered us in the lower middle-class rank. We had a house of our own, food on the table, cars, clothes, and money for college. But now, as I listened to an apartment neighbour talk about her monthly “Mother’s Day” gift, I realized she was talking about her welfare check(政府发放的救济金). And another young mother tried to “help” me out by connecting me with a friend who stole baby clothes from a department store. “ For a small cut,” she said, “ I could return my ‘purchase’(购买的东西)for cash.” It made me sick. How poor was I?
I had a college education but wasn’t using it. I insisted on not missing a minute of our children’s childhood and it came at a price. My husband was working as hard as he could and it wasn’t enough. But somehow we made it.
The kids grew. Today, we look back and see the great values gained by going through those hard years. My children are not materialistic. They never thought they were poor growing up because we always managed to give a little bit of food, money, or clothes to the “poor”. They were satisfied with the simple things in life that come free such as a beach day or a horse back ride from their dad.
We had our worries, but we still treasured our very favorite part of the day when we’d nest (栖息地)under the covers and talked about our future, the kids and how much we loved each other. Sure our financial(财政的) troubles caused a lot of fights, but we didn’t leave each other. We began to live a better life. We moved to a better community(社区)with good schools for the kids. And soon, we’ll face a new challenge with wealth. But we’ll never give up.
My father died three years ago. Before he died, he knew I made the right choice. I’m proud of my decision.
【小题1】.The writer argued with her father because _________________.

A.she thought her father didn’t love her at all
B.her father thought her boyfriend was too materialistic
C.her father wanted her to marry a rich man while she didn’t
D.she thought her father loved her boyfriend’s money more than him.
【小题2】.After getting married, the writer questioned if she had done the right thing to marry her husband because___________.
A.she was often scolded(责骂)by her father
B.she found her husband was irresponsible(不负责任的)
C.he didn’t think her husband loved her deeply
D.they lived a poor life with children to support
【小题3】.After their children were born, the writer_______________.
A.often regretted not using her college education
B.worked very hard in order to make more money
C.had to steal baby clothes from a department store
D.looked after her children as a professional (职业的,专业的)housewife
【小题4】. Why didn’t the writer’s children think they were poor growing up?
A.Because the writer always gave them whatever they wanted
B.Because the writer and her children often helped other people.
C.Because the writer didn’t let her children play with their rich neighbours
D.Because the writer let her children have a good life through receiving help from others.
【小题5】.What do you think is the theme(主题)of the story?
A.Women should always make a decision by themselves
B.Listening to the old is important when people get married
C.Money doesn’t matter as much as love in marriage
D.Children don’t mind whether they have a poor family or not

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网