Two Christmas traditions have come under attack in recent years from environmentalists: Christmas cards and Christmas trees.
Paper cards are seen as wasteful and, for some people, going card-free is another way of going green. They also argue that in a world of e-mail, Skype, Facebook and Twitter, people are in touch all the time anyway; they no longer need the yearly card that connects them with long lost friends. If you want to send Christmas greetings, there are free e-cards, which get the job done with no postage or wasted paper.
However, especially for people who didn’t grow up with e-mail, there is something missing from a Christmas e-mail. The first Christmas cards appeared in London in 1843 and were designed by the same man who had introduced the world’s first postage stamp three years earlier. His name was Sir Henry Cole.
They rose in popularity throughout the 20th century. Many people sent cards that were sold for charity. The most famous of these are the ones sold for UNICEF. In the UK this year, in the three weeks before Christmas, the post office expects to handle 100 million cards every day. Environmental awareness also means that nowadays many people recycle their cards; this helps raise money to plant more trees, as well as recreating more paper.
When we think of trees at Christmas, there is one that immediately springs(躍入)mind---the evergreen tree that people decorate with ornaments and place their presents under. The custom dates back almost a thousand years to Germany. Nowadays 33 to 36 million Christmas trees are produced in America and 50 to 60 million in Europe each year. Some trees are sold live with roots and soil so people can plant them later and reuse them next year.
Some people prefer artificial trees as they are reusable and much cheaper than their natural alternative. However, environmentalists point out that they are made from petroleum (石油) products and so have many pollution issues.
【小題1】What is the main idea of the article?

A．To introduce the history of two typical Christmas traditions.

B．To explain the debate about some Christmas traditions.

C．To analyze how two Christmas traditions grew in popularity.

D．To point out the problems caused by celebrating Christmas.

【小題2】What does the underlined word “They” in the fourth paragraph probably mean?

A．Many people

B．Christmas e-mails

C．Postage stamps

D．Christmas cards

【小題3】Some people suggest getting rid of paper cards because     .
a. they cannot be recycled         b. they are not environmentally friendly
c. they are mostly sold for charity  d. the e-cards have many advantages over them
e. they are not as necessary as they used to be for people

A．a(chǎn), b, d

B．a(chǎn), c, d

C．b, d, e

D．b, c, e

【小題4】What can we conclude from the article?

A．The first Christmas cards were designed earlier than the world’s first stamps.

B．This year has seen a dramatic drop in Christmas card sales.

C．Environmentalists advise people to buy cards that are sold for charity.

D．Growing environmental awareness is encouraging people to recycle their cards.

【小題5】Which of the following statements in TRUE according to the article?

A．There is always a wider Christmas tree market in America than in Europe.

B．The custom of decorating Christmas trees first appeared in Britain.

C．Some people prefer to buy live trees that can be reused next year.

D．Artificial trees are better than natural ones in all aspects.

LONDON—Archaeologists have discovered a smaller prehistoric(史前) site near Britain’s famous circle of standing stones at Stonehenge.

Researchers have named the site “Bluehenge” after the color of the 27 Welsh stones that were laid to make up a path. The stones have disappeared, but the path of holes remains.

The new circle, unearthed over the summer by researchers from Sheffield University, represents an important find, researchers said Saturday. The site is about a mile away from Stonehenge.

Bluehenge, about 80 miles southwest of London, is believed to date back to about the time Stonehenge was built, about 5,000 years ago.

Mike Parker Pearson of Sheffield University said he believed the path and stonehenge itself were linked to rituals(儀式) of life and death.

Mike Parker suggested that the ancient funerary rituals began at a different circle site known as “Wood-henge”, which represented the world of the living. The bodies of the dead were then brought down the River Avon to Bluehenge, which represented death, and were finally carried along a ceremonial route known as the Avenue to Stonehenge.

Bournemouth University Professor Tim Darvill, an expert on Stonehenge, told Britain’s Dail Mail that Bluehenge “adds to the richness” of the ancient site’s story.

“This henge is very important because it forms part of the picture of ceremonial monuments in the area and puts Stonehenge into context,” Darvill was quoted(引述) as saying. “It’s no longer Stonehenge standing alone, but it has to be seen in context with the landscape.”

1.How many henges are mentioned in this passage?

A．Two             B．Three        C．Four          D．Five

2.Who believed the Stonehenge is related to ancient ritual of death?

A．Archaeologists from London             B．Welsh researchers

C．Mike Parker Pearson               D．Professor Tim Darvill

3.What does the underlined sentence “It’s no longer Stonehenge standing alone, but it has to be seen in context with the landscape.” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Stonehenge has noting to do with Bluehenge

B．Woodhenge represented the world of living in ancient times.

C．Bluehenge represented death

D．Stonehenge, Woodhenge and Bluehenge should be studied together

4.From the passage we can learn that ______.

A．researchers have named the site “Bluehenge,” because they have found blue huge stones there

B．funerary rituals were carried out along the path starting from Woodhenge, River Avon to Bluehenge, finally Stonehenge.

C．Bluehenge is 1 mile away from London

D．Bluehenge dates back to 2000 BC

 

Maybe you know some well-known buildings, such as the Great Wall, the Great Hall of the People, the Leaning Tower of Pisa. But do you know the Royal Academy of Arts  (皇家藝術學院)?

Lying in the heart of London, the Royal Academy of Arts is an independent fine arts institution (機構) which supports modem artists and promotes interest in the arts through all kinds of exhibition programs. The Academy is completely independent. It is a self-funded (自籌資金的), organization which is governed by the Royal Academicians—eminent practicing, painters, printmakers, sculptors and architects who are elected to the position. The Academy has a long history and was founded in 1768 with Sir Joshua Reynolds as its first President. The Academy lies in Burlington House which itself has a long colorful history with parts of the original structure dating back to1664. Today, the Academy attracts over one million visitors each year, making it one of London's top 10 attractions for paying visitors.

Air: London's City Airport. Gatwick Airport, Heathrow Airport, Luton Airport and Stansted Airport.

Rail: Underground: Piccadilly and Green Park or a short walk from Oxford Circus and Bond Street.

Road: Bus: Public services.

Contact Addresses:

Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London WIJ OBD

Telephone: 020 7300 8000

Website: www.royalacademy.org.uk

1.Which of the following is TRUE about the Academy of Art?

A．It dates back to 1664.

B．You can't get there by underground.

C．It is one of London’s top 10 attractions.

D．It is much older than Burlington House.

2.You can contact the Academy of Arts by all the following EXCEPT________________.

A． writing a letter	B．sending an e-mail
C．visiting the website	D．making a call

3.The main purpose of this passage is to_______________________.

A．a(chǎn)ttract more visitors to the Royal Academy of Arts

B．introduce the well-known building of England

C．show the long history of England

D．introduce the arts of England

 

Two Christmas traditions have come under attack in recent years from environmentalists: Christmas cards and Christmas trees.

Paper cards are seen as wasteful and, for some people, going card-free is another way of going green. They also argue that in a world of e-mail, Skype, Facebook and Twitter, people are in touch all the time anyway; they no longer need the yearly card that connects them with long lost friends. If you want to send Christmas greetings, there are free e-cards, which get the job done with no postage or wasted paper.

However, especially for people who didn’t grow up with e-mail, there is something missing from a Christmas e-mail. The first Christmas cards appeared in London in 1843 and were designed by the same man who had introduced the world’s first postage stamp three years earlier. His name was Sir Henry Cole.

They rose in popularity throughout the 20th century. Many people sent cards that were sold for charity. The most famous of these are the ones sold for UNICEF. In the UK this year, in the three weeks before Christmas, the post office expects to handle 100 million cards every day. Environmental awareness also means that nowadays many people recycle their cards; this helps raise money to plant more trees, as well as recreating more paper.

When we think of trees at Christmas, there is one that immediately springs(躍入)mind---the evergreen tree that people decorate with ornaments and place their presents under. The custom dates back almost a thousand years to Germany. Nowadays 33 to 36 million Christmas trees are produced in America and 50 to 60 million in Europe each year. Some trees are sold live with roots and soil so people can plant them later and reuse them next year.

Some people prefer artificial trees as they are reusable and much cheaper than their natural alternative. However, environmentalists point out that they are made from petroleum (石油) products and so have many pollution issues.

1.What is the main idea of the article?

A．To introduce the history of two typical Christmas traditions.

B．To explain the debate about some Christmas traditions.

C．To analyze how two Christmas traditions grew in popularity.

D．To point out the problems caused by celebrating Christmas.

2.What does the underlined word “They” in the fourth paragraph probably mean?

A．Many people       B．Christmas e-mails    C．Postage stamps     D．Christmas cards

3.Some people suggest getting rid of paper cards because     .

a. they cannot be recycled         b. they are not environmentally friendly

c. they are mostly sold for charity  d. the e-cards have many advantages over them

e. they are not as necessary as they used to be for people

A．a(chǎn), b, d            B．a(chǎn), c, d             C．b, d, e            D．b, c, e

4.What can we conclude from the article?

A．The first Christmas cards were designed earlier than the world’s first stamps.

B．This year has seen a dramatic drop in Christmas card sales.

C．Environmentalists advise people to buy cards that are sold for charity.

D．Growing environmental awareness is encouraging people to recycle their cards.

5.Which of the following statements in TRUE according to the article?

A．There is always a wider Christmas tree market in America than in Europe.

B．The custom of decorating Christmas trees first appeared in Britain.

C．Some people prefer to buy live trees that can be reused next year.

D．Artificial trees are better than natural ones in all aspects.

 

Maybe you know some well-known buildings, such as the Great Wall, the Great Hall of the People, the Leaning Tower of Pisa. But do you know the Royal Academy of Arts ?

Lying in the heart of London, the Royal Academy of Arts is an independent fine arts institution (機構) which supports modern artists and promotes interest in the arts through all kinds of exhibition programs. The Academy is completely independent. It is a self-funded (自籌資金的), organization which is governed by the Royal Academicians—eminent painters, printmakers, sculptors and architects who are elected to the position. The Academy has a long history and was founded in 1768 with Sir Joshua Reynolds as its first President. The Academy lies in Burlington House which itself has a long colorful history with parts of the original structure dating back to 1664. Today, the Academy attracts over one million visitors each year, making it one of London's top 10 attractions for paying visitors.

Air: London's City Airport. Gatwick Airport, Heathrow Airport, Luton Airport and Stansted Airport.

    Rail: Underground: Piccadilly and Green Park or a short walk from Oxford Circus and Bond Street.

    Road: Bus: Public services.

    Contact Addresses:

    Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London WIJ OBD

    Telephone: 020 7300 8000

    Website: www.royalacademy.org.uk

1.Which of the following is TRUE about the Academy of Arts?

A. It dates back to 1664.

    B. You can't get there by underground.        

    C. It is much older than Burlington House.

D. It is one of London’s top 10 attractions.

2. You can contact the Academy of Arts by all the following EXCEPT________________.

A. sending an e-mail             B. writing a letter

C. visiting the website            D. making a call

3.The main purpose of this passage is to_______________________.

    A. introduce the arts of England

    B. introduce the well-known building of England

    C. show the long history of England

    D. attract more visitors to the Royal Academy of Arts