Workplaces all over the UK are preparing for Christmas and all the traditions an

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Workplaces all over the UK are preparing for Christmas and all the traditions and customs that come with it. But will this Christmas be a cause of happiness and celebration, or of disappointment and embarrassment?
At this time of year, colleges show their appreciation of each other by doing a “Secret Santa”. Secret Santa involves people who work together buying gifts for each other without saying who they are from.
Co-workers all write their names on pieces of paper, then organize a lottery in which each worker picks a colleague’s name at random. He then has to buy a present for that colleague, usually on a small budget of five or ten pounds.
Since the givers are unknown, the quality of presents can vary greatly. In an Internet survey of Secret Santa presents, the gifts that people received range from tickets to the opera to an air freshener for a car.
Another common workplace tradition is the office Christmas party, at which workmates put on their best clothes and enjoy lots of free wine.
Most parties go without a hitch, but sometimes the alcohol cause party-goers to behave in a way that they later regret.
The BBC invited people to share their most embarrassing Christmas office party stories, and received hundreds of funny ones. For example, a man split his trousers while dancing; a drunken lady spent the whole night with the edge of her dress folded into her pants, and later looked at photos that proved it at work.
But the funniest story must be that of Stuart Vanies, who got so drunk that he put his boss’s head into the toilet. Unsurprisingly, he was fired the very next day.
小题1: How many Christmas traditions are mentioned?

A．One.

B．Two.

C．Three.

D．Four.

小题2: We learn from this article that for Christmas ____________________.

A．few people buy presents for their colleagues in Britain

B．British workers write their names on the presents they give their colleagues

C．people usually give their colleagues presents of high quality

D．British workers buy their presents based on an agreed budget

小题3:The underlined phrase “without a hitch” in the sixth paragraph means _______________.

A．quite smoothly	B．without a result
C．with some difficulty	D．quite unexpectedly

小题4:The examples in the last two paragraphs are to ______________________.

A．show that most British people enjoy drinking wine

B．advise readers not to drink wine at parties

C．prove that funny things often happen at office Christmas parties

D．criticize the bad habits of the British

答案

小题1:B
小题1:D
小题1:A
小题1:C

解析

略

举一反三

Searching for love is no longer just a favorite subject for songs. It has also become a huge industry. Researchers say the online dating industry in the US earned 649 million dollars in 2006. They expect this number to increase to more than 9 million dollars by 2011.
Experts say that the industry has grown because traditional social ties have weakened. Many young people leave behind a close community of friends and family to find work in bigger cities. People work longer hours, so they have less time to meet new people.
This helps explain the popularity of online dating. Some estimates say120 thousand marriages a year result from matches made on the Internet.
The dating industry has also been expanding in new ways. Many companies offer personalized services for finding the perfect mate. These companies are answering a large demand by single people. They are willing to invest their time and money to find love with carefully planned methods, instead of leaving love to chance.
AskRomeo is a company in Virginia. It provides single people with advice on how to meet a person for the first time.
Also in Virginia, the company True Life Partners provides a more costly and detailed dating service. The company hires a team of professional persons who help couples meet. But this level of service comes at a high price. Men pay thousands of dollars for the service. But women get to take part at no cost.
There are lots of other costs linked to dating. And we wonder how the economic recession(衰退) has affected dating in the US.
小题1:What can we infer from the first paragraph?

A．Songs were only written to express love in the past.

B．Many people will take part in the industry in two thousand eleven.

C．The industry will increase the interest by nine hundred million dollars.

D．Love is not only the soul of some songs but also the heart of an industry now.

小题2:According to the passage, we can know ______.

A．most of the marriages result from the Internet.

B．the dating industry is popular now

C．women won’t spend money when dating

D．single people like love at the first sight now

小题3:The author took AskRomeo and True Life Partners for examples to ______.

A．emphasize the important role of the companies

B．praise the two companies’ good work

C．show how the companies help expand the dating industry

D．show the companies are the base of the industry

小题4: What will the author talk about in the following paragraph?

A．The situation of dating now in the economic recession

B．How to deal with the economic recession

C．What the economic recession is.

D．Whether the cost of dating is decreasing now in the US.

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The legal age for drinking alcohol in the Unite States is twenty-one. Underage drinking is a crime but also a common part of college social life. This week in our Foreign Student Series, we look at alcohol rules at American colleges and universities. These rules differ from school to school, but many schools have been moving to strengthen their rules.
The United States has more than 17,000,000 students in higher education. Each year, 1700 of them die from alcohol-related road crashes and other injuries. 600,000 more are injured while under the influence of alcohol. And almost 700,000 are attacked by another drunken.
One behavior that college officials are trying to prevent is too much drink. Some researchers have found that students who think binge drinking(狂饮) is normal often think extremely how much other students really drink. A person can die of alcohol poisoning. At Oklahoma University, a nineteen-year-old student died from drinking heavily at a party in 2005.
Now alcohol is banned from all sorority houses(联谊会会馆) and university housing. Student organizations can serve alcohol at events but only on Friday and Saturday nights. Other new requirements include an alcohol education program that first-year students take online.
The rules govern behavior on campus(大学校园)and off. With a first violation(违犯)，students pay seventy-five dollars and their parents are told. They must also take an alcohol education class. For a second “strike”, they have to pay one hundred fifty dollars. A third strike means that they have to be suspended school for at least one semester.
Since 2005,363 students have had a first strike. 30 have had a second strike-and only one hasn’t allowed to go to school for one semester. The president at Oklahoma tells us the aim is not just to punish but to change the behavior and culture at the university.
小题1:The first paragraph mainly tells us that .

A．the legal age at the lowest for drinking alcohol is 21

B．many colleges consider drinking alcohol to be a crime

C．drinking alcohol is a necessary and popular campus culture

D．American colleges and universities have their own alcohol rules

小题2:Every year the number of the students who die or are injured because of alcohol in the USA adds up to about .

A．17,000,000

B．1,301,700

C．601,700

D．1300,000

小题3:If a student has a third strike, he or she should .

A．have to stop going to school for a time.

B．be removed to another school

C．be locked at home for a period.

D．be forced to leave school forever.

小题4:Which of the following is TRUE?

A．College students are not allowed to drink alcohol at any time.

B．If students take an alcohol program online, they can drink alcohol.

C．Students having a first strike only receive punishment of fine.

D．Students with a second strike pay twice as much as students with a first strike.

小题5:From the last paragraph we can infer that .

A．alcohol rules have no effect on college students

B．drinking alcohol remains a serious problem

C．alcohol rules aim to change the behavior and culture at the university

D．the number of students drinking alcohol is dropping in one way

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A typicalChinese Internet user is a young male who prefers instant messaging to e-mail, favors news, music and games sites and seldom makes online purchases（购物）．According to a study, about two-thirds of survey participants use the Internet for news — often entertainment-related — or for online games．About half download music and movies.
They also tend to prefer instant messaging to e-mail, and they are depending on the Internet more frequently than before to communicate with others who have the same professions, hobbies and political interests．Online purchases still remain unpopular in China．Three-quarters of users surveyed have never bought anything over the Internet, and only 10 percent make purchases even once a month．Among those who do buy online, most pay for entertainment while others buy phone cards, or computer hardware or software.
“Many people don’t trust the quality of goods bought online,” Guo said Wednesday．“If they buy it in a store and don’t l

ike it, they can easily bring it back.”
The survey was done in five major cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Changsha．Results do not necessarily project countrywide because Internet use in rural areas is lower than in cities．Guo describes the typical netizenin the five cities surveyed as young, male, richer and more highly educated．Males make up two-thirds of the Internet community, and more than

80 percent of users are under 24．Among people ages 25 to 29, 60 percent to 80 percent go online.
China has more than 100 million people online, second in the world to the United States.
小题1:A typical Chinese Internet user may be the one who _________.

A．likes to send e-mails	B．likes to buy goods online
C．likes to pay for entertainment	D．likes the games sites

小题2:Online purchases still remain unpopular in China mainly because _________.

A．it is more difficult for sales returns

B．people haven’t computers

C．it is not convenient to purchase on line

D．all goods bought online are of low quality

小题3:Which of the following words fails to describe the typical netizens in the

five cities?

A．well educated

B．richer

C．female

D．young

小题4:According to the text, which of the following shows the right relation between online people and their ages?

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Ideal for anyone who wants a good time, the Gold Coast is packed with enough fun for everyone in Australia．It"s impossible to be bored on the Gold Coast．Below are the attractions;
Dream World
This is a fun place for everyone, whether you are a family with young kids, older kids, or out with your mates．This theme park is actually a series of parks, made up of such places as preschooler heaven Wiggles World and such attractions as Big Brother for inner reality TV fans．Dream World also owns the theme park White Water World．It is possible to buy tickets from Dream World that covers several different parks．
Sea World
Get up close and personal with dolphins, sharks and polar bears．This theme park also offers the right mixture of shows, exhibits, animal fights and thrill rides such as roller coaster．This is a must-see for your Gold Coast adventure．
Warner Bros Movie World

This theme park has the best combination of fast-paced entertainment．Visitors can have fun living as though they"re in the movies．Kids will see all their cartoon favourites on parade and in shows．Bigger kids and grown-ups can pretend they"re on real movie sets with their favourite action heroes, and then put themselves into some serious action．
How to get there梇ou can easily travel to the Gold Coast by plane．Fly straight into Gold Coast International Airport, or to Brisbane and then catch the ""airtrain" service to the Gold Coast．All of the major airlines have daily flights, some with several per day depending on your departure city．If you want to save money, you can get there by train．
Accommodation—Want something truly unusual? Consider staying in the world"s largest residential tower （塔式住宅） and enjoy beautiful views．The accommodation choices on the Gold Coast are just as varied and interesting as the activities, so whether you are a single, couple, family, friends, a large or small group, you will find options perfect for you at TakeABreak．corn．an．
小题1:From the pas

sage, we know _____．

A．visitors can go t．o the Gold Goast only by air

B．the Gold Coast is famous for its golden beach

C．it is difficult for a family to find a right place to stay

D．the theme park "Sea World" wi

ll attract animal lovers

小题2:Which is NOT included in the theme parks?

A．Children can see their favorite cartoons．

B．Visitors have opportunities to take roller coasters．

C．Some famous movie actors often act with visitors．

D．Visitors can share the joy from animals．

小题3:This passage is mainly ______．

A．to describe the theme parks in Australia

B．to draw

more visitors to go to the Gold Goast

C．to tell some exciting shows, adventures, etc．

D．to introduce how to get to the Gold Coast

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Students and Technology in the Classroom
I love my Blackberry—it’s my little connection to the larger world that can go anywhere with me．I also love my laptop computer，as it holds all of my writing and thoughts．Despite this love of technology, I know that there are times when I need to move away from these devices（设备） and truly communicate with others．
On occasion, I teach a course called History Matters for a group of higher education managers．My goals for the class include a full discussion of historical themes and ideas．Because I want students to thoroughly study the material and exchange their ideas with each other in the classroom, I have a rule —no laptops, iPads, phones, etc．When students were told my rule in advance of the class, some of them were not happy．
Most students assume that my reasons for this rule include unpleasant experiences in the past with students misusing technology．There’s a bit of truth to that．Some students assume that I am anti-technology．There’s no truth in that at all．I love technology and try to keep up with it so I can relate to my students．
The real reason why I ask students to leave technology at the door is that I think there are very few places in which we can have deep conversations and truly engage complex ideas．Interruptions by technology often break concentration and allow for too much dependence on outside information for ideas．I want students to dig deep within themselves for inspiration and ideas．I want them to push each other to think differently and to make connections between the course material and the class discussion．
I’ve been teaching my history class in this way for many years and the evaluations reflect student satisfaction with the environment that I create．Students realize that with deep conversation and challenge, they learn at a level that helps them keep the course material beyond the classroom．
I’m not saying that I won’t ever change my mind about technology use in my history class, but until I hear a really good reason for the change, I’m sticking to my plan．A few hours of technology-free dialogue is just too sweet to give up．
小题1:Some of the students in the history class were unhappy with______．

A．the course material	B．others’ misuse of technology
C．discussion topics	D．the author’s class regulations

小题2:The underlined word “engage” in Para．4 probably means ______．

A．explore

B．accept

C．change

D．reject

小题3:According to the author, the use of technology in the classroom may ____．

A．keep students from doing independent thinking

B．encourage students to have in-depth conversations

C．help students to better understand complex themes

D．affect students’ concentration on course evaluation

小题4:It can be inferred from the last paragraph that the author ______．

A．is quite stubborn

B．will give up teaching history

C．will change his teaching plan soon

D．values technology-free dialogues in his class

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