When families gather for Christmas dinner, some will stick to formal traditions, that is, their tables will be set with the good dishes and silver bowls. But now in many other homes, this china-and-silver elegance (优雅)has given way to a stoneware (粗陶) and informality, with dresses in an informal and ordinary look. For hosts and guests, the change means greater simplicity and comfort. For makers of fine china in Britain, it means economic hard times.

   Last week Royal Doulton, the largest employer in Stoke-on-Trent, announced that it is removing 1,000 jobs -- one-fifth of its total workforce. That brings to more than 4, 000  the number of positions lost in 18 months in the pottery (陶瓷) field. Wedgwood and other pottery factories made cuts earlier.

   Although a strong pound and weak markets in Asia play a role in the downsizing, the layoffs(失业) in Stoke have their roots in great social changes. A spokesman for Royal Doulton admitted that the company "has been somewhat slow in catching up with the trend(潮流)" toward informal dining. Families eat together less often, he explained, and more people eat alone, either because they are single or because they want to eat in front of television. Even dinner parties, if they happen at all, have gone informal. In a time of long work hours and busy family schedules, busy hosts insist, rightly, that it's better to share a takeout pizza on paper plates in the family room than to wait for the perfect moment or a "real" dinner party. Too often, the perfect moment never comes. Iron a fine-patterned tablecloth? Forget it. Clean the silver bowls ? Who has time?

   Yet the loss of formality has its down side. The fine points of etiquette (礼节) that children might once have learned before at the table by observation or instruction from parents and grandparents (" Chew with your mouth closed." "Keep your elbows off the table. ") must be picked up else-where. Some companies now offer etiquette courses for employees who may be able professionally but inexperienced socially.

71. In many homes nowadays, people tend to ______________________

A. stick to formal traditions when they dine

B. set their tables with the good dishes and silver bowls

C. have dinner informally

D. buy many sets of fine china

72. Why do people tend to follow the trend towards informal dining?

    A. Family members need more time to relax.

    B. Busy schedules leave people no time for formality.

    C. People prefer to live a comfortable life.

    D. Young people won't follow the etiquette of the older generation.

73. It can be learned from the passage that ‘Royal Doulton’ is              .

   A. a store of steel tableware                 B. a store of stoneware

    C. a store of pottery chain                  D. a producer of fine china

74. The main cause of the layoffs in the pottery industry is              .

A. the increased value of the pound          B. the worsening economy in Asia

C. the change in people's way of life         D. the fierce competition at home and abroad

75. In the last paragraph, we can find that formal table manners, though less popular than before in present social life,               .

A. are still a must on certain occasions       B. are certain to return sooner or later

    C. are still being taught by parents at home   D. can help improve personal relationships

第二节  信息匹配 (共5小题;每小题2分,满分10分)

     下面是一些电影的相关信息,请阅读下文,并按照要求匹配信息。首先,请阅读下列的应用文:

Hello Kitty

          The famous cartoon character known as Hello Kitty was created by Japanese company Sanrio in 1974 and quickly became a pop cultural phenomenon through a series of animated television shows. This collection of the Hello Kitty series includes five volumes for a total of 25 episodes, such as Hello Kitty Tells Fairy Tales, Hello Kitty Plays Pretend.

Jimmy Neutron

          This is a funny, silly, and colorfully animated children’s film featuring Jimmy Neutron. Jimmy has created all kinds of interesting things to make his life easier, including a robotic dog, Goddard, who follows him everywhere. Jimmy and his friend, Carl, use a homemade spaceship to launch a satellite.

Sesame Street 

Elmo runs across a Magic Cookbook and sets free a Genie that lives inside. Together, Elmo and the Genie explore the fun world of cooking and making food, with the help from Emeril Lagasse and Heather Headley, who show tips on making pizzas and pocket foods.

Sing and Dance With Barney

          Barney has planned a very special sing-along party and invited many of his friends, old

and new.  The group enjoys singing their all-time favorites, while being transported to magical places. It has over 55 minutes of singing and dancing.

Blue’s Clues  

Steve and Blue explore the worlds of math and reading as they help each other with familiar activities. Viewers are invited to join in the counting, reading, adding and subtracting.

Adventures of Willy Fog

Eerie lakes, bottomless pits, dinosaurs, and volcanic eruptions are just a few of the places laying in wait for Willy Fog and his friends in this exciting journey. Trying to get to the centre of the earth proves a lot more difficult than they originally thought.

请阅读以下有关学生的信息,然后为他们选择要看的电影:

61. Robert studies in an art school. Not only does he like singing, but he is good at dancing.

This weekend he is going to see a film about singing and dancing.

62. Turner is a brave boy who likes adventure. Everyone knows that he has rich imagination. Turner wishes he could travel to the centre of the earth.

63. Lena is a lovely girl who is only ten years old. In her spare time she likes watching cartoon. Among all the cartoon characters she likes cats best.

64. Philip, a clever student, likes science very much. He is especially interested in computer and robot. He wishes he could be an astronaut in the future.

65. Nancy shows special interest in cooking. At home she often watches her mother cooking

in the kitchen room. Besides, Nancy loves seeing films about fairy tales.

During the school year many parents take on the role of driver as they drive their children from one lesson to another. It can be understood that many of us want our children to have a little taste of everything, from organized sports to music, dance and more. But we overdo it, leaving our children feeling a little tired, and according to parent educator Diane Loisie, it’s their school work that suffers the most. “After school, if they’re busy in a number of sporting events, besides they need to do their homework, then the time they’ll feel sleepy is in the classroom. Your child needs free time. So if you’re filling up that after school time, then it’s during the day they’re going to be taking a break. ”

 Professor Claire McDermott agrees that there’s a lot to be gained from sometimes putting those planned lessons and activities away. “Relaxing time is important for children. It’s time just to do the things they want to do. A child can go up to their room, or they can play around. It doesn’t look like useful time; parents certainly wouldn’t be saying ‘Wow, are they ever learning things now?’ But this relaxing time gives both the body and the brain just a wonderful chance to relax after a day. It helps a child prepare for sleep, but it also helps to understand the learning that’s gone on that day. ”

 It’s hard to prevent signing our kids up for some activities and lessons. After all, many of us want our children to have a head start in life and the chance to join in great activities in the arts or sports is a part of that. However, Loisie feels that in the long run most children feel better with just a few key activities because it gives them an opportunity to master them. “When we get our children in too many activities because we want our children to experience everything, then what we’re doing is setting them up not to be good at one thing or gaining a skill. ” So choose your children’s activities wisely. It may be one of the best things you’ve ever done for your kids… and for the family driver!

What is the biggest disadvantage for children to attend too many lessons after school?

 A. They can get bored easily about everything.

 B. They might have no time to do the homework.

 C. They might not pay much attention to learning.

 D. They cannot easily focus on learning during the day.

What should we think of children’s playing around aimlessly?

 A. It is simple.

 B. It is helpful.

 C. It is a bad habit.

 D. It is a waste of time.

Why should parents limit the activities our children attend?

 A. Because children have no time.

 B. Because children cannot learn many things.

 C. Because children do not have enough sleep.

 D. Because children cannot focus on too many activities.

What is the main idea of this passage?

 A. Don’t be children’s drivers after school.

 B. Choose activities for your children wisely.

 C. Make your children learn as much as possible.

 D. Let children learn something from various subjects.

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