E

In England, Christmas is the most important of all the holidays in the year. Two important things help to set this holiday apart from all others: the custom of giving gifts and the habit of spending it with the family.

In the present highly commercialized (商业化的) age, we are reminded of Christmas many weeks before the event. In the shops the special Christmas displays appear. In the shopping centers of very large towns decorations are put up in the streets. Thousands of people flock into the center of the town to see the decorations. The advertisements in all the newspapers keep reminding us that there are “Only × more shopping days to Christmas”. The Post Office vans (有盖小货车) are covered with brightly colored posters urging us to “Post Early for Christmas”, for hundreds of millions of Christmas cards and millions of parcels are sent every year. Everywhere one turns, one is made aware that Christmas, which comes “but once a year”, is coming once again.

Many people deplore (谴责) what they consider the over-commercialization of a sacred holiday, but under all the business activities, a great deal of true Christmas spirit is to be found. The custom of giving presents to one’s family and friends is a very pleasant one so long as one remembers that it is the spirit behind the gift which matters most and not the gift itself. And how good it is at Christmas to return to the family home and meet parents, grandparents and as many aunts, uncles and cousins as can be accommodated (容纳). Without twentieth and 21st century means of transport, many families would be denied the Christmas reunion.

On Christmas Eve, the traditional custom of hanging up a stocking at the foot of the bed is performed by millions of excited children. During the day the Christmas tree will have been dressed. All is now ready for the great morning, which comes round soon enough. Many of the young children stay awake until Santa Claus (or Father Christmas, as some call him) steals in to deliver the presents they have asked him for.

Christmas Day is spent quietly at home. The excitement of all the presents is hardly over before it is time for the traditional Christmas dinner.

1. In the first paragraph, the phrase “set ... apart” is closest in meaning to “______”.

A. make ... different      B. set ... aside

C. remove ... from        D. divide ... by

2. Which of the following reminds you of the true Christmas spirit?

A. Commercialization.         B. Goods on display.

C. Family reunion.              D. Colored posters.

3. We can infer from the passage that before the 20th century ______.

A. people didn’t have a happy family reunion

B. it was hard for a family to gather together at Christmas

C. people could travel freely during the holiday

D. the true spirit of Christmas couldn’t be found

4. What would be the best title for the passage?

A. Christmas Decoration

B. Holidays in the West

C. Christmas in England

D. Father Christmas