A small ,white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree and it has been there for the past ten years or so.
It all began because my husband Justin hated Christmas—oh, not the true meaning of Christmas.Overspending was one thing, but compared to the difficult experience of choosing gifts—running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and a pair of gloves for Grandma…,spending money is nothing. I felt too tired to think of any special gifts.
Knowing Justin felt the same way, I decided one year not to buy the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so on. I reached for something special just for Justin. The inspiration came in an unusual way.
Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling （摔跤）at the junior level at the school he attended; and shortly before Christmas, there was a match against a team sponsored (赞助) by an inner-city church.These youngsters, dressed in such worn-out shoes that shoe strings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, while our boys were in their blue and gold uniforms and new wrestling shoes.
As the match began, I was shocked to see that the other team were wrestling without wearing helmets (头盔) to protect their ears. Well, our boys ended up defeating them. We took every weight class.
Justin, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, “I wish just one of them could have won,” he said. “They have a lot potential (潜力) , but losing like this could take the heart out of them.” Justin loved kids—all kids, and he knew them, having coached little league football and baseball. That’s when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought different kinds of wrestling helmets and shoes. I sent them to inner-city church without leaving my name.
On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Justin what I had done and that was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and since then the envelope has become the highlight of our Christmas.
【小题1】Justin hated Christmas because _____.

David came from a poor family. When he finished his high school, however, he was given a wonderful present. “Some of my friends got new clothes and a rich boy even got a new car,” he remembered, “My dad reached into his trousers pocket and took something out. I held out my hand, and his present dropped into it — a nickel (五分镍币).”
Dad said to me, “Buy a newspaper with that. Read every word of it. Then turn to the classified section (分类栏目) and get yourself a job. Get into the world. It’s all yours now.” I always thought that was a great joke my father had played on me until a few years later when I was in the army, sitting in a foxhole (战壕), and thinking about my family and my life. It was then that I realized that my friends had got only new cars, or only new clothes. My father had given me the whole world. What a great present!
1. When David left school, he received ______ as a present.
A. a new car        B. new clothes         C. a newspaper     D. hardly anything
2. What did David become a few years later?
A. A college student.  B. A rich person.      C. A soldier.     D. A newspaper reporter.
3. The title of the passage may be ______.
A. How to be a Soldier  B. How to find a Job    C. A Great Joke D. A Great Present

When my son, Mark, was in the third grade, he saved all his pocket money for over three months to buy holiday presents. The third Saturday in December Mark said he had made his list and had twenty dollars in his pocket.

   I drove him to a nearby supermarket. Mark picked up a hand basket and went in while I waited and watched in the car. It took Mark over 45 minutes to choose his present. Finally he came to the checkout counter and reached into his pocket for his money. It was not there! There was a hole in his pocket, but no money! Mark stood there holding his basket, tears falling down his face.

   Then a surprising thing happened. A woman came up to Mark and took him in her arms. “ You would help me a lot if you let me pay for you,” said the woman. “It would be the most wonderful gift you could give me. I only ask that one day you will pass it on. When you grow up, I would like you to find someone you can help.When you help others, I know you will feel as good about it as I do now.”

  Mark took the money, dried his tears and ran back to the checkout counter as fast as he could. That year we all enjoyed our gifts almost as much as Mark enjoyed giving them to us.

  I would like to say “thank you” to that very kind woman, and tell her that four years later, Mark went house to house to collecting blankets and clothes foe the homeless people in the fire. And I want to promise her that Mark will never forget to keep passing it on.

1.When did the story probably happen?

A. On Christmas Day.       B. Before Christmas Day.

C. On New Year’s Day.      D. After New Year’s Day.

2.What happened to Mark in the supermarket?

A. His gifts were stolen.     B. He broke his basket.

C. He lost his money.       D. He lost his way.

3.Which is RIGHT according to the passage?

A.When they got to the supermarket, Mark went in with the woman.

B.Mark’s family has no money.

C. Finally Mark accepted the woman’s help. 

D. The woman asked Mark to collect the clothes and blankets.

4.Why did the writer want to say “thank you ” to the woman?

A. Because she bought Mark a nice gift.

B. Because she always paid money for others.

C. Because she collected clothes for the homeless.

D. Because she taught Mark to help people in need.

5.What’s the best title for the passage?

A. A big supermarket.     B. A kind woman.

C. A happy holiday.       D. A wonderful gift.

A small ,white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree and it has been there for the past ten years or so.
It all began because my husband Justin hated Christmas—oh, not the true meaning of Christmas.Overspending was one thing, but compared to the difficult experience of choosing gifts—running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and a pair of gloves for Grandma…,spending money is nothing. I felt too tired to think of any special gifts.
Knowing Justin felt the same way, I decided one year not to buy the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so on. I reached for something special just for Justin. The inspiration came in an unusual way.
Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling （摔跤）at the junior level at the school he attended; and shortly before Christmas, there was a match against a team sponsored (赞助) by an inner-city church.These youngsters, dressed in such worn-out shoes that shoe strings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, while our boys were in their blue and gold uniforms and new wrestling shoes.
As the match began, I was shocked to see that the other team were wrestling without wearing helmets (头盔) to protect their ears. Well, our boys ended up defeating them. We took every weight class.
Justin, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, “I wish just one of them could have won,” he said. “They have a lot potential (潜力) , but losing like this could take the heart out of them.” Justin loved kids—all kids, and he knew them, having coached little league football and baseball. That’s when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought different kinds of wrestling helmets and shoes. I sent them to inner-city church without leaving my name.
On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Justin what I had done and that was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and since then the envelope has become the highlight of our Christmas.
【小题1】 Justin hated Christmas because _____.