In 1970, my five brothers, my sister and I lived in the housing projects of Toronto with our parents. My father was a factory worker, and my mother stayed at home. Each year my father would dress up as Santa Claus and go through the streets of the projects sharing joy and candies with the children there. He loved it as much as they did!

But around the Christmas in 1970, my father was out of his job and money was tight. In fact, there was no money for Christmas and my parents weren’t sure what they’d provide for us.

That Christmas Eve, however, as usual, my father left the house dressed as Santa Claus. He knew that even though our Christmas would be hard, he could not disappoint the other kids in the neighborhood.

As my father left the house and went down the walkway, Santa Claus was walking up, with a great sack full of gifts for us! He said nothing, only smiled a sweet smile at my father, and wished him a Merry Christmas. The happy man handed Dad the sack and walked away down the block.

We never knew who the man was and who showed us great kindness on a snowy Christmas night. We do know, however, that without him we would have had nothing under the tree. His kindness gave my parents hope and showed us in a very real way the true meaning of Christmas.

Our family has never forgotten this kind stranger. Each year we tell the story of the mysterious Santa Claus and try to repay his gifts by giving gifts to others in need.

28.The author’s father ________.

A. was once the richest man in his hometown

B. was working in a government office

C. had to support a family of 9 people

D. looked like Santa Claus most

29.What happened in 1970?

A. The author’s mother lost her job.

B. They had a little money left for Christmas.

C. They had the worst Christmas in their lives.

D. The author’s father was out of work.

30.The author’s family knew ________.

A. who the mysterious Santa Claus was

B. why the mysterious Santa Claus helped them

C. how they could repay the mysterious Santa Claus

D. they could find the mysterious Santa Claus one day

31.It can be inferred(推断)that ________.

A. the mysterious Santa Claus was one of their relatives

B. the mysterious Santa Claus was a rich man in the area

C. the sack from the mysterious Santa Claus was very expensive

D. the author’s family were all thankful to the mysterious Santa Claus

If you don’t think technology can improve your trip, meet Judy Williams. When she and her husband recently checked into Blu Hotel in Zurich, a clerk asked them to sign the dotted line on a room rate hundreds of dollars higher than their online offer.

“It was not a cheap stay,” says Williams, a lawyer from Billings, Mont. But it became more of one after her husband fired up the Booking.com app he’d used to book their room on his smartphone. “As soon as we showed him the cost, he honored it,” Williams says.

Technology may create challenges for travelers but it can also solve them. It’s more than making sure of a hotel cost. The latest Booking.com can help users select hotels by location, make a secure booking and view the confirmed(已确认的) cost so they never need to re-discuss their hotel price.

Another pain point for travelers is traffic that eats away precious vacation time. There’s a new app called Commute which is aimed at users who have to make the same trip every day. But if you’re headed to Los Angeles or Honolulu, where visitors can easily get stuck in hours of heavy traffic, Commute can help.

Just input basic information about your destination and expected leaving time, and the app will start sending you traffic information 15 minutes before you leave. Testing Commute proved to be a challenge for me, because my home address is about 900 miles from my place of work. But if you have only a short distance to travel through a heavily populated area, you can use Commute to avoid traffic jams.

Another source of travel-related problems is money. That’s particularly true when you’re dealing with a foreign currency. The latest Travel Money Tracker helps travelers prevent currency mix-ups. It immediately changes a country’s native currency to yours, so you know exactly how much that Espresso(浓咖啡) in Milan costs in dollars. It can also warn you when you’re overspending, which can sometimes be a problem when you’re on vacation. The only catch, of course, is that you have to remember to record all your purchases.

Taken together, these apps solve some of the most common travel problems. But not all of them. Some things, no smartphone can fix, which means I get to keep my job – for now.

32.What does the writer want to tell through the example of Judy Williams?

A. The cost of Blu Hotel was higher than that of others.

B. The clerk was very friendly and patient.

C. The smartphones have many functions.

D. Technology can make our trips better.

33.Commute is not suitable for those who_________.

A. have a long journey

B. go on the same trip every day

C. can easily get stuck in traffic jams

D. travel a short distance downtown

34.What is the function of Travel Money Tracker?

A. It tells people how much Espresso costs.

B. It changes the native currency to yours.

C. It warns people when they are shopping.

D. It records all people’s purchases.

35.What is the purpose of this passage?

A. To encourage people to travel.

B. To introduce some new apps.

C. To help people with technology problems.

D. To provide people with traveling information.

第II卷(非选择题)

第一节、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根据短文内容。(共5小题;每小题2分，满分10 分)

Improve your memory, improve your life

Mark began to introduce the guest speaker to the audience, but then he paused in horror. ____36._____

Barbara hid her jewelry when she went on vacation. When she came back, she couldn’t remember where she’d put it.

____37.______. Most people have. But memory can be developed. First, relax. If you’re overanxious about remembering something, you’ll forget it. ____38.____.Take a deep breath and tell yourself that you have all the time in the world to remember.

Second, avoid being negative. If you keep telling yourself that your memory is bad, your mind will come to believe it and you won’t remember things. When you forget something, don’t say, “ Gee, I need to have my brain rewired(重装电线).”

To improve your memory, you’ll need to take an active role. Like your body, your memory can be strengthened through exercise. ___39.______ For example, if you’re learning a language, try to actively remember irregular verbs.

You may also want to make associations, or links, between what you’re trying to remember and things you already know. For example, if you need to catch a plane at 2:00pm, you can imagine a plane in your mind and notice that it has two wings. ___40._______.

Don’t worry.

He had forgotten her name.

Perhaps you’ve had experiences like these.

Look for opportunities to exercise your memory.

Jokes like this will have a negative effect on your memory.

You are now ten times more likely to remember the take-off time.

Relaxing will help improve your awareness and ability to concentrate.