B

A dozen years ago, when I traveled back to my hometown on the sad occasion of Dad’s death, the mailboxes along the way reminded me of some of his stories. I thought I knew them all, but that wasn’t quite the case.

As I drove through Marcellus, I noticed two lamp poles (街灯柱), one on each side of the street. When my dad was around, those poles supported wooden boxes that were about four feet off the ground. One box was painted green, and the other was red, and each had a slot (狭缝) at the top with white lettering: SANTA CLAUS, NORTH POLE. For years children had dropped letters to Santa through those slots.

Mom and I were sitting at the kitchen table when Frank Townsend came. He had been Dad’s postmaster and great friend for many years. So we all sat down at the table and began to tell stories.

At one point Frank looked at me across the table with tears in his eyes. “What are we going to do about the letters this Christmas?” he asked.

“The letters?”

“I guess you never knew.”

“Knew what?”

“Remember when you were a kid and you used to put your letters to Santa in green and red boxes on Main Street? It was your dad that answered all those letters that the kids wrote every year.”

I just sat there with tears in my eyes. It wasn’t hard for me to imagine Dad sitting at the old table in our basement reading those letters and answering each one. I have since spoken with several of the people who received Christmas letters during their childhood, and they told me how amazed they were that Santa had known so much about their homes and families. For me, just knowing that story about my father was the gift of a lifetime.

39. What did the writer’s father probably do?

A. A police officer.   B. A writer.

C. A school teacher.  D. A mail carrier.

40. Asked by Frank about the Christmas letters, the writer felt       .

A. frightened B. delighted  C. puzzled  D. worried

41. Which word can best describe the writer’s father?

A. Warm-hearted. B. Humorous.

C. Quick-minded. D. Serious.

42. The writer’s purpose of writing this passage is to       .

A. tell a funny story B. celebrate Christmas

C. share his experience D. honor his father

C

There have been many arguments that football should not be played in high schools because it causes too many injuries, but it can be played safely. Besides, there are contributions (贡献) that the sport makes to schools: it raises money and it encourages kids to get good grades.

Research shows there are ways to make football safe. One of the most common injuries in football is a concussion (脑震荡). Although most people think mouth guards are for your teeth, they actually protect you from concussions. Here is why. If your upper and lower jaws snap together, it makes your brain hit your skull, which can cause the concussion. Also there is a lot of equipment being invented that makes the players avoid concussions such as the concussion safe helmet (头盔). There have also been many rule changes in the NCAA and NFL that make football safer. One is if two players make helmet to helmet contact, then they would be fined. Another main rule that helps a player recover fully from a concussion is that he can’t come back after a concussion until 2 months after the injury.

Football makes contributions to high schools. If you win the championship game, the school gets more than $400,000. That money could be spent on hiring new teachers, getting new books, or providing scholarships for students. If there was no high school football, the schools would have fewer teachers and less teaching equipment. Cutting high school football means a smaller budget (预算) for schools.

Football encourages students to get good grades. The players have to have a certain grade point average. This encourages kids to work harder. Also, it helps kids come together, study together, and sometimes even make their own homework club. Like when it was football season for our team, we would go into our coaches’ room and do our homework together.

43. From Paragraph 2, we can learn that       .

A. mouth guards are only for football players’ teeth

B. concussions are not common injuries for football players

C. the concussion safe helmet will be avoided by football players

D. mouth guards can protect football players against concussions

44. According to the new rules, if two players make helmet to helmet contact, they       .

A. will have to pay some money B. can’t come back to play again

C. will be examined for a concussion

D. can’t play in the following two months

45. What is implied about football in Paragraph 3?

A. It costs too much for high schools.

B. It is a moneymaker for high schools.

C. It means a smaller budget for high schools.

D. It means having to hire more teachers for high schools.

46. What is this passage mainly about?

A. How to make contributions to high schools.

B. Why many high schools say no to football.

C. Why football should be played in high schools.

D. How to make sure that football can be played safely.

D

It’s summertime, and the living is easy. School is out and the weather is great. For many Americans, this is the season to travel.

Throughout their history, Americans have been people on the move. The early comers had to travel to get to the New World. Once they arrived, they settled along the East Coast. But they weren’t satisfied to stay there. Explorers and traders journeyed to the unknown western territories (边界). Later, settlers moved west to develop these new areas. As a result of this westward movement, Americans finally controlled the whole continent — from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Even today, Americans seem unable to stay put. Research says that the average American moves every five years.

Besides their habit of changing addresses, Americans are used to traveling. Their jobs may even require them to take frequent business trips. Most companies provide an annual (一年一次的) vacation for their employees, and people often use that time to travel. Camping out in the great outdoors is attractive to adventurous types. Some travel in comfortable vehicles to camp out in comfort, while others “rough it” by sleeping in tents.

Most Americans prefer to travel within their nation’s borders. Why? For one thing, it’s cheaper than traveling abroad, and there’s no language problem. But besides that, the vast American territory offers many tourist attractions. Nature lovers can enjoy beaches, mountains, canyons, lakes and a wealth of natural wonders. Major cities offer visitors plenty of urban delights. The convenience of modern freeways, railways and airplanes makes travel in America as easy as pie.

Many American vacations are as unique as the people who take them. History lovers seek out famous historical sites and museums. Environmentalists prefer “green vacations”. Others hit the water to go fishing, skiing or white-water rafting. Daring souls go for safaris (游猎) in faraway places from Africa to Asia.

47. What can we infer from the second paragraph?

A. It’s good for Americans to be on the move.

B. Americans move too much.

C. Americans will settle soon.

D. Early settlers moved more than modern Americans do.

48. Which of the following is NOT the reason why Americans like to travel within their own country?

A. They can save money.

B. They will have no communication difficulties.

C. They love their own country much.

D. They can still enjoy many tourist attractions.

49. What makes traveling so easy for Americans?

A. Their large income.  B. Modern means of transport.

C. Their lifestyle.

D. The annual vacation given by companies.

50. How do you best understand the underlined sentence in the last paragraph?

A. Vacations are suitable for different kinds of people.

B. Vacations leave unique memories with people.

C. People choose vacations based on their special interest.

D. There are many different kinds of vacations available.