When families gather for Christmas dinner, some will stick to formal traditions dating back to grandma's generation. Their tables will be set with the good dishes and silver, and the dress code will be Sunday best.

But in many other homes, this china-and-silver elegance has given way to a stoneware (粗陶) and stainless informality, with dresses assuming an equally casual-Friday look. For hosts and guests, the change means greater simplicity and comfort. For makers of fine china in Britain, it spells economic hard times. Last week Royal Doulton, the largest employer in Stoke-on-Trent, announced that it is eliminating 1,000 jobs -- one-fifth of its total workforce. That brings to more than 4, 000 the number of positions lost in 18 months in the pottery (陶瓷) region. Wedgwood and other pottery factories made cuts earlier.

Although a strong pound and weak markets in Asia play a role in the downsizing, the layoffs in Stoke have their roots in earthshaking social shifts. A spokesman for Royal Doulton admitted that the company "has been somewhat slow in catching up with the trend" toward casual dining. Families eat together less often, he explained, and more people eat alone, either because they are single or they eat in front of television. Even dinner parties, if they happen at all, have gone casual. In a time of long work hours and demanding family schedules, busy hosts insist, rightly, that it's better to share a takeout pizza on paper plates in the family room than to wait for the perfect moment or a "real" dinner party.

Too often, the perfect moment never comes. Iron a fine-patterned tablecloth? Forget it. Polish the silver? Who has time? Yet the loss of formality has its down side. The fine points of etiquette (禮節(jié)) that children might once have learned at the table by observation or instruction from parents and grandparents (" Chew with your mouth closed." "Keep your elbows off the table. ") must be picked up else-where. Some companies now offer etiquette seminars for employees who may be able professionally but inexperienced socially.

1. Why do people tend to follow the trend to casual dining?

A. Busy schedules leave people no time for formality

B. Family members need more time to relax.

C. People prefer to live a comfortable life.

D. Young people won't follow the etiquette of the older generation.

2.It can be learned from the passage that 'Royal Doulton is .

A. a seller of stainless steel tableware

B. a dealer in stoneware

C. a pottery chain store

D. a producer of fine china

3.The main cause of the layoffs in the pottery industry is .

A. the increased value of the pound

B. the worsening economy in Asia

C. the change in people's way of life

D. the fierce competition at home and abroad

4.Formal table manners, though less popular than before in current Social life,___________.

A. are still a must on certain occasions

B. are certain to return sooner or later

C. are still being taught by parents at home

D. can help improve personal relationships

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When something goes wrong，it can be very satisfying to say，”Well, it’s so-and-so’s fault,” or “I know I’m late，but it’s not my fault；the car broke down”. It is probably not your fault，but once you form the habit of blaming somebody or something else for a bad situation，you are a loser. You have no power and could do nothing that helps change the situation. However, you can have great power over what happens to you if you stop focusing on whom to blame and start focusing on how to remedy the situation. This is the winner’s key to success.

Winners are great at overcoming problems. For example, if you were late because your car broke down, maybe you need to have your car examined more regularly. Or, you might start to carry along with you the useful phone numbers, so you could call for help when in need. For another example, if your workmate causes you problems on the job for lack of responsibility or ability, find ways of dealing with his irresponsibility or inability rather than simply blame the person. You should accept the fact and find creative ways to work successfully regardless of how your workmate fails to do his job well.

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1.According to the passage, winners .

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B. meet with fewer difficulties in their lives

C. have responsible and able colleagues

D. blame themselves rather than others

2.The underlined word remedy in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to _________.

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3.When your colleague brings about a problem, you should .

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B. blame him for his lack of responsibility

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4.When problems occur, winners take them as

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C. challenges to their colleagues

D. chances for self-development

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B. A Winner’s Problem.

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根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，從短文后的選項中選出填入空白處的最佳選項。選項中有兩項為多余選項。

Real-life Room Escape Games

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3. Soon, they were exported to North America, Asia and Australia. Examples include the two pioneer companies Hint Hunt and Adventure Rooms.

The games were so successful that new locations began opening up across China, in cities big and small, according to Want China Times. In the southern city of Shenzhen, for example, the first escape game location opened last August. 4. “These real-life escape games can help those who stay at home on their computers and iPads all day to experience real social circles,” Tian Xiaochuan, who owns two room escape game stores in Jinan, told Want China Times.

Earlier this year, The South China Morning Post said the real-life escape games are a hit among “highly stressed students and overworked young professionals.” 5. Some players get so involved that they tear down equipment or decorations inside their “prisons”, as Zhu Yumeng, chief operating officer of Beijing room escape game store Taoquan told China Daily.

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B. And seven new game locations quickly followed.

C. They should also be brave enough to face their fears.

D. Sometimes the excitement becomes a bit much, though.

E. Weekend or day event escape games have been held in some stores.

F. Permanent real life escape games in a fixed location were first opened in Europe.

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完形填空

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1.A. piled B. returned C. bought D. found

2.A. hoping B. paying C. heading D. waiting

3.A. decision B. fall C. meal D. class

4.A. experienced B. fallen C. noticed D. left

5.A. cheering B. wondering C. praying D. fighting

6.A. regret B. shame C. anger D. terror

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8.A. kind B. easy C. hard D. long

9.A. recognized B. forgiven C. known D. forgotten

10.A. carefully B. unconsciously C. regularly D. instantly

11.A. interesting B. familiar C. special D. unnatural

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13.A. until B. so C. as D. once

14.A. joy B. surprise C. disappointment D. excitement

15.A. taking B. regarding C. treating D. protecting

16.A. wondered B. questioned C. cared D. saw

17.A. Somebody B. Nobody C. Anybody D. Everybody

18.A. achievement B. rules C. expectations D. shadows

19.A. survived B. suffered C. relaxed D. hesitated

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短文改錯

As it is known to us, fewer and fewer students do sports regularly, what makes them weak and easily tired. There are many reasons about this. First of all, some of the students complained that they have too many homework, resulting in less time to take exercise. Beside, some of them think that it is very difficulty for them to keep doing exercise, because it is a very hard thing.

Because lack of physical activities, many students are in poor health. I suggest that our school must take measures to encourage more students to take part in sports. For us students, no matter what busy we are, it is necessary to spare some time to do exercise.

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完型填空

閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的四個選項（A、B、C、D）中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項，并在答題卡上將該項涂黑。

Good afternoon, everyone,

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Thank you!

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2.A. stillB. insteadC. eitherD. though

3.A. convenientB. vacantC. toughD. remote

4.A. AsB. ButC. HoweverD. Since

5.A. aroundB. outsideC. alongD. beyond

6.A. claimedB. offeredC. decidedD. expected

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9.A. playersB. runnersC. ridersD. passengers

10.A. proveB. approveC. applyD. accuse

11.A. drew upB. set upC. put upD. took up

12.A. signB. callC. viewD. write

13.A. demandB. invitationC. requestD. plan

14.A. obviouslyB. importantlyC. naturallyD. necessarily

15.A. destructionB. organizationC. protectionD. construction

16.A. interestingB. competingC. parkingD. rewarding

17.A. gameB. matchC. playD. exercise

18.A. end upB. turn upC. keep upD. put up

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短文改錯

假定英語課上老師要求同桌之間交換修改作文，請你修改你同桌寫的以下作文。文中共有10處語言錯誤，每句中最多有兩處。每處錯誤僅涉及一個單詞的增加、刪除或修改。

增加：在缺詞處加一個漏字符號(∧)，并在其下面寫出該加的詞。

刪除：把多余的詞用斜線(\)劃掉。

修改：在錯的詞下畫一橫線，并在該詞下面寫出修改后的詞。

注意：1. 每處錯誤及其修改均僅限一詞；

2. 只允許修改10處，多者(從第11處起)不計分。

Taking parts in recreation activities help us keep fit. There are various kinds of activity in our daily life, for example, listening to music, watching TV, playing chess, or going to cinema. But I think we’d better to have more outdoor activities. As students, we usually sit too longer in the classroom, and as a result our eyes and brains getting tired. But it’s a good idea to play ball games, go swimming, do some runnings, or even go for a picnic. Our brains also need changes to make itself smart and active. In a word, exercise is good for health.

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Mr. Black, as well as his wife and children, ________ invited to the dinner party last night.

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科目：高中英語 來源：2014-2015學(xué)年天津靜�？h第一中學(xué)高三上學(xué)期期末考試英語試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

As a senior, my future is always on my mind. To be exact, thoughts of the future have kept me up countless nights and made me worry enough to do poorly on more than one test. Because of this, words of wisdom are a source of comfort. Steve Jobs gave a speech to Stanford’s graduating class in 2005 and his words resound repeatedly in my mind whenever I think about my future.

It wasn’t always like that, though. It started when I became a junior, when college came into view. It’s the first big step to making your life your own. So when Jobs discussed his life as a student, some fears were eased. He, too, felt the need to attend college to make something of himself. He faced what many are extremely afraid of: uncertainty. His lack of understanding caused him to stop attending college and focus on what he felt was important. His story had a happy ending, of course, since he certainly turned out well.

This doesn’t mean that students shouldn’t attend college, but rather that they shouldn’t worry so much. You’ll get where you need to go, even if your path is a bit more winding（蜿蜒的）than you’d like.

Jobs talked about the hardships in his work. His love of his work helped him carry on and he got where he was meant to be, which restates the point: don’t panic.

One particular part of his speech stayed with me. Steve Jobs quoted（引用）the saying “Stay hungry, stay foolish” and it has become my motto. Staying foolish is realizing that you are still a fool, no matter how much you’ve learned or experienced. There is always more to explore. Staying hungry is wanting to find those things about which you are still uneducated.

Steve Jobs’s level of success is attainable, and I aim to prove that. With the will power to go into the world living every day like it’s my last and allowing the future to take care of itself, I will do great things. In the last moments of my life, I’ll be proud of what I have done and hope to have all the wisdom a person could wish for.

1.The author felt worried when _________.

A. he had to take tests at school

B. he thought about his future

C. he had lots of sleepless nights

D. he searched for words of wisdom

2.It is suggested in Paragraphs 1 and 2 that _________.

A. Steve Jobs didn’t attend college

B. Steve Jobs failed because of his decision

C. the author is a college student

D. the author cares much about his future

3.What did the author gain from Jobs’s speech?

A. Courage to drop out of school.

B. Confidence in defeating Jobs.

C. Interest in computer industry.

D. Bravery to face uncertainties.

4.What did NOT Steve Jobs encourage students to do in his speech?

A. Have the desire to learn more.

B. Be content with what they know.

C. Stay calm in the face of hardships.

D. Be modest so as to learn more.

5.The passage is mainly about _________.

A. the wisdom drawn from a speech

B. the most impressive quotation in life

C. a memorable meeting with Jobs

D. an experience of a speech

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