—Where___________I meet you tomorrow morning ?

—I haven’t decided the place. But I’ll call you soon.

—Honey, I’d like to watch the NBA game this Christmas.

—      You must help me with the decoration of the house.

—Do you know the reason why he failed ?

—No, he’s a hard-working man___________, he failed finally.

It was extremely dark in the passage so he___________a match.

A few months earlier I had been painting two portraits for each of my parents．I'd planned to give them the portraits as Christmas gifts．This would be a   36   for everyone，as I had not studied  37  ．

While painting one day, I was surprised by a knock on the door. Quickly having put all my  38 materials out of sight, I opened the   39  . To my astonishment, my father came in .

Immediately I wanted to show him the paintings, but I was   40  to destroy his Christmas surprise. Yet something  41  me to share the gifts with him. After making him promise to keep it secret, I   42   he keep his eyes closed until I had the portraits set on easels(画架). “Okay, Daddy. Now you can   43  !”

He appeared dazed at first. Finally , he said, “I don’t believe it. The eyes are so  44 that they follow you everywhere—and look how   45   your mother is. Will you let me have them  46 ?”

Excited with his response, I happily volunteered to   47  them to the frame shop the next day. Several weeks passed. Then one night the   48   rang—my father had a stroke(中风). He died the next day, and it seemed all   49    escaped from the life of my mother and me .

I finally remembered to  50   about the framed portraits. I was surprised when the shopkeeper told me my father had visited the shop,   51 for the framing and had them gift-wrapped.

 52 we had lost our loved people, everyone gathered on Christmas Day making an effort to be   53  . As I looked into my mother’s sad eyes and unsmiling face, I decided to give her Daddy’s and my   54  . After she saw it, with a wide smile, she quickly said, “I knew Daddy would be with us on Christmas Day!”

I glanced at the gift card written in my father’s   55 . “ Mother—Our daughter reminded me why I am so blessed. I’ll be always looking at you.—Daddy.”

Small talk is meaningless conversation in terms of content，but is often seen as socially important in certain situations，or context．In many English-speaking countries，it can be viewed as rude or unfriendly not to make small talk.

Discussing the weather with people who you don’t really know is an example of small talk that many of us are very familiar with on a daily basis．We may chat about the weather with the cashier at the supermarket or with the attendant at the gas station．Small talk may also be related to the situation such as waiting in line．People in the line may comment to others about how slow it is in the post office or bank that day，for instance．We also engage in small talk with people we may see every day but don’t really know such as those we share the elevator with in our office building．

Small talk is common at parties when guests may know the host but not each other．It is considered rude not to mingle and speak with other guests at social functions，so small talk can break the ice and get guests chatting．Compliments(赞美)may be a type of small talk such as one woman at party complimenting another on her dress．

Some people like small talk because they find silence uncomfortable and／or they enjoy communicating verbally．Others enjoy meeting new people and use small talk to start conversations. When making small talk，especially with strangers or those you don’t know very well，it’s important to observe certain socially acceptable conventions．First，small talk should be general and not personal or about controversial topics. Second，while compliments are acceptable，they shouldn't refer to the person’s body or sound like a pick-up line．

1.What do people usually talk about in small talk?

2.Who do we usually have small talk with?

3.At parties，it’s considered rude to          ．

4.We can infer from the last paragraph that           ．

Going Zero Waste means more than just managing the rubbish we create．It means reducing it too．While it might seem like a difficult thing to do, it's well worth it．And what better time to start than Christmas?

We need to copy the way Nature wastes nothing．Many things are created by human society that we know will soon become useless and be thrown out．How many plastic bottles or even PCs end up in the rubbish bin? Instead，we should design products that can be more easily repaired，reused and recycled．

Kamikatsu, a Japanese village，has already gone Zero Waste．The 2，000 villagers compost their leftovers，and recycle everything else．There are 34 different boxes at the re-cycling centre! Residents grumble about the inconvenience，but they also see the benefits．

People who live Zero Waste lives are careful about what they do．They never take more than they need．Reusing plastic bags at supermarkets is a great way to reduce waste．And those who plan before they shop avoid having to throw food out later．Also，it’s best not to go food shopping when you’re hungry：You’ll be sure to buy too much!

Let’s think about how to enjoy a Zero Waste Christmas．By sending recyclable cards，we can help our friends and family reduce waste．And what better way to enjoy the spirit of Christmas than with a real tree that can be replanted in the spring?

Going Zero Waste requires us to think more about what happens before and after we act．It takes ambition，and it's not always easy．But just think how good it would be，both for ourselves and for the environment, if we never had to waste anything．

1.When is this passage probably written?

2.What should we do to reduce waste according to the passage?

3.If we want to live Zero Waste lives we should do the following except        .

4.What’s the main purpose of this passage?

It was an afternoon Truman would never forget．

Rayburn and his friend were talking in the office before Truman arrived. The telephone rang. It was a call from the White House asking whether Vice-President Truman had arrived yet. No, Rayburn replied. The caller asked to have him telephone the White House as soon as he arrived.

Truman entered a minute later. He immediately called the White House. As he talked, his face became white. He put down the phone and raced out of the door to his car.

Truman arrived at the White House within minutes. An assistant took him to the president’s private living area. Eleanor Roosevelt, the president’s wife, was waiting for him there. “Harry,” she said, “the president is dead.” Truman was shocked. He asked Mrs. Roosevelt if there was anything he could do to help her. But her reply made clear to him that his own life had suddenly changed. “Is there anything we can do for you ?” Mrs. Roosevelt asked the new president, “You are the one in trouble now.”

Truman had been a surprise choice for vice-president at the Democratic Party nominating convention in nineteen forty-four. Delegates considered several other candidates before they chose him as Roosevelt’s running mate. That was at a time when presidential candidates did not make their own choices for vice-president．

Harry Truman lacked the fame，the rich family and the strong speech-making skills of Franklin Roosevelt．He was a much simpler man．He grew up in the Midwestern state of Missouri．Truman only studied through high school but took some nighttime law school classes．He worked for many years as a farmer and a small businessman，but without much success．

Truman had long been interested in politics．When he was almost forty，he finally won several low-level positions in his home state．By nineteen thirty-four，he was popular enough in Missouri to be nominated and elected to the United States Senate. And he won re-election six years later．

Most Americans, however, knew little about Harry Truman when he became president．They knew he had close ties to the Democratic Party political machine in his home state．But they had also heard that he was a very honest man．They could see that Truman had strongly supported President Roosevelt’s New Deal programs．But they could not be sure what kind of president Truman would become．

At the center of all the action was Harry Truman．It was not long before he showed Americans and the world that he had the ability to be a good president．He was honest，strong and willing to make decisions．

1.When Mrs. Roosevelt said”You are the one in trouble now”，she really meant that         ．

2.According to the passage，of Truman’s day，the president’s running mate was         ．

3.Truman served as the U．S．Senator           ．

4.What’s the best title of the passage?

Visitors to Fiji enjoy not only some of the world's best lagoons, with beautiful blue waters and the famous Rainbow Reef，but also rich history and culture spanning thousands of years．While you'll surely spend plenty of time on the beach in Fiji, why not check out some of these cultural destinations to get a sense of traditional life in Fiji?

The Meke is a native dance performed by indigenous Fijians wearing leis and grass skirts．Although similar in importance to the hula dance of Hawaiian the Meke is like nothing you'll see on any other island．Experiencing this culturally and historically significant dance is something that visitors to Fiji simply must do．

Indigenous Fijians are very proud of their heritage，something you'll notice immediately upon walking into the National Museum．The Fiji Museum is located in the beautiful botanical gardens of Suva，the capital city of Fiji. There，you'll find an archaeological collection dating back thousands of years，evidence of Fiji's long history．The lengthy history of Fiji can also be seen in its buildings, including the Parliament Houses and Sri Siva Subramaniya, a Hindu temple．

While you're in Suva to visit the Fiji museum，take plenty of time to absorb the local culture. Suva offers a very active nightlife, including live bands and other forms of entertainment. If you're looking for a Meke show，Suva is a good bet on any night of the week. The city is also a popular destination for tourists looking for souvenirs，including carved Tiki masks and statues．

Like any tropical island vacation, Fiji offers white sandy beaches，palm trees，and beautiful blue skies .If you're planning a variation to Fiji，don’t forget to schedule plenty of time to visit cultural and historical sites，and to take in the parts of Fiji that truly can’t be found anywhere else in the world．

1.The word”lagoons”(in Paragraph 1)probably refers to “      ”.

2.Which of the following may be the main idea of the fourth paragraph?

3.This passage is most likely taken from      ．

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

It’s normal to wake briefly during the night.  1  But if you’re waking up during the night and having trouble falling back asleep, the following tips may help.

Stay out of your head. The key to getting back to sleep is continuing to prepare your body for sleep, so remain in bed in a relaxed position. Hard as it may be, try not to stress over the fact that you’re awake , because that very stress and anxiety encourage your body to stay awake. 2

 3  If you are finding it hard to fall back asleep, try a relaxation technique such as visualization, deep breathing, or meditation, which can be done without even getting out of bed. Remind yourself that although they’re not a replacement for sleep, rest and relaxation still help refresh your body.

Do a quiet, non-stimulating activity. If you’ve been awake for more than 15 minutes, try getting out of bed and doing a quiet, non-stimulating activity, such as reading a book. Keep the lights dim so as not to think that it’s time to wake up.  4  A light snack might help relax you, but be careful not to eat so much that your body begins to expect a meal at that time of the day.

 5  If you wake during the night feeling anxious about something, make a brief note of it on paper and postpone worrying about it until the next day when you are fresh and it will be easier to resolve.

E. Also avoid screens of any kind —computers, TVs, cell phones, iPads.

F. You’ll be much more productive and creative after a good night’s rest.

G. A good way to stay out of your head is to focus on the feeling in your body.