There are good Santas and there are bad Santas. The good Santas all realize one thing: In the mind of a child, Santa Claus is perfect.
That’s difficult. And so they come from around the world to attend the Charles W. Howard School in Midland, Mich. The school offers a three-day, 40-hour course for Santas hoping to be excellent. There’s a real range to what Santas earn, from big bucks for large events to no pay for charities①. One thing for them all is a pure love for children.
A former Macy’s Santa named Charles Howard founded the Michigan school in 1937. “Many people will think if you have a suit and you’re a Santa,” said Tom Valent, the school’s current dean. “It’s more than that.” So with a pet reindeer②, his properly named wife Holly and a workshop full of wonder.
The school teaches everything from breathing techniques for carol singing to the beard maintenance. There are lessons in child psychology, sign language and even media training for talk-show appearances and call-in shows. Santas also need to make sure they know all the names of the reindeer. What’s harder to deal with, however, is children who ask for Christmas gifts like bringing daddy home or making mommy happy again.
After spending time in the classroom, Weir went to the mall to test his training. However, at one point, his hat fell off, and he was unsure how to react. “You’re the real Santa,” Valent said. “Pick that hat up, slip it back on, keep smiling and do your job. You’ve got to stay on top of your game. Even the last one at night, when you’re tired, you’ve got to remember: This one’s forever, so do a good job.”
Notes:
charity n. 慈善，慈善團體
reindeer n. 馴鹿
According to the passage, good Santas should be the ones that ________.
A. can offer the children some gifts B. help adults look after their children
C. have ability to make children happy D. should be perfect in the mind of children
The underlined words “big bucks” should refer to ________.
A. lots of money B. many gifts C. loves for children D. gifts from children
The Michigan school was founded by Charles Howard with the purpose to ________.
A. train the pet reindeer for the Santas B. earned money from its students
C. train perfect Santas for the world D. show the world’s concern to the poor
According to Weir’s performance, we can conclude that ________.
A. Weir was short of experience B. Weir was not fit for the job as a Santa
C. Weir did very badly in the game D. Weir was not a good student in school
科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
Seasonal influenza is characterized by a sudden fever, cough, headache, muscle and joint pain, sore throat and runny nose. Most people recover from fever and 1 symptoms within a week without requiring medical attention. But influenza can 2 severe illness or death in people at high risk. The time from infection to illness is about two days.
Yearly influenza epidemics can 3 affect all age groups, but the highest risk of complications occur among children younger than age two, adults age 65 or older, and people of 4 age with certain medical conditions, such as chronic heart, lung, kidney, liver, blood or metabolic diseases, or weakened immune systems.
Seasonal influenza 5 easily and can sweep through schools, nursing homes or businesses and towns. When an 6 person coughs, infected droplets get into the air and another person can breathe them 7 and be exposed. The virus can also be spread by hands infected with the virus. 8 transmission, people should cover their mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing, and 9 their hands regularly.
Drugs for influenza are 10 in some countries and effectively prevent and treat the illness. Some influenza viruses develop 11 to the antiviral medicines, limiting the effectiveness of treatment.
Influenza epidemics occur 12 during autumn and winter in temperate regions. Illnesses result in hospitalizations and deaths mainly among high-risk groups. Worldwide, these annual epidemics result in about three to five million 13 of severe illness, and about 250 000 to 500 000 deaths.
Influenza can cause serious public health and economic problems. In 14 countries, epidemics can result in high levels of worker absenteeism and productivity 15 . 16 most people recover from a bout(輪) of influenza, there are large numbers of people who need hospital treatment and many 17 die from the disease every year. 18 is known about the effects of influenza epidemics in developing countries.
The most 19 way to prevent the disease or severe outcomes from the illness is vaccination. Vaccination is especially important for people at higher risk of serious influenza complications, and for people who live with or care 20 high risk individuals.
( ) 1. A. its B. it’s C. all D. other
( ) 2. A. cause B. lead C. result D. bring
( ) 3. A. lightly B. slightly C. seriously D. heavily
( ) 4. A. all B. any C. no D. both
( ) 5. A. goes B. spreads C. comes D. happens
( ) 6. A. to infect B. infecting C. infected D. infect
( ) 7. A. off B. away C. out D. in
( ) 8. A. To prevent B. To protect C. To prepare D. To prefect
( ) 9. A. wash B. washing C. to wash D. washed
( ) 10. A. free B. available C. useful D. helpful
( ) 11. A. assistance B. resistance C. consistence D. preference
( ) 12. A. monthly B. weekly C. daily D. yearly
( ) 13. A. pieces B. states C. conditions D. cases
( ) 14. A. developed B. developing C. big D. small
( ) 15. A. lose B. losses C. loose D. lost
( ) 16. A. For B. Because C. While D. Whether
( ) 17. A. / B. which C. do D. who
( ) 18. A. Little B. Much C. Few D. Lot
( ) 19. A. Affective B. effective C. attractive D. aggressive
( ) 20. A. about B. of C. for D. to
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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
I fell in love with England because it was quaint （古雅）—all those little houses, looking terri??bly old-fashioned but nice, like dolls’ houses．I loved the countryside and the pubs, and I loved London．I’ve slightly changed my mind after seventeen years because I think it’s an ugly town now．
Things have changed. For everybody, England meant gentlemen, fair play, and good man??ners．The fair play is going, unfortunately, and so are the gentlemanly attitudes and good man??ners—people shut doors heavily in your face and politeness is disappearing．
I regret that there are so few comfortable meeting places．You’re forced to live indoors．In Paris I go out much more, to restaurants and nightclubs．To meet friends here it usually has to be in a pub, and it can be difficult to go there alone as a woman．The cafes are not terribly nice．
As a woman, I feel unsafe here．I spend a bomb on taxis because I will not take public trans??port after 10 p．m．I used to use it, but now I’m afraid．
The idea of family seems to be more or less non-existent in England. My family is well united and that’s typically French．In Middlesex I had a neighbour who is 82 now．His family only lived two miles away, but I took him to France for Christmas once because he was always alone．
The writer doesn’t like London because she ______．
A．is not used to the life there now
B．has lived there for seventeen years
C．prefers to live in an old-fashioned house
D．has to be polite to everyone she meets there
Where do people usually meet their friends in England?
A．In a cafe． B．In a restaurant． C．In a nightclub. D．In a pub．
The underlined part “it” （in Par A．4） refers to______．
A．a taxi B．the money C．a bomb D．public transport
The writer took her neighbour to France for Christmas because he ______．
A．felt lonely in England B．had never been to France
C．was from a typical French family D．didn't like the British idea of family
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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
This is a dangerous world we live in. The number of murders goes up every year, people are dying of cancer, more people contract HIV, more teens are using drugs, ect. You know this because you’ve heard all the statistics on the news and in the paper. But do you really have an accurate idea what they mean? The numbers are going up, but how do they compare to the growth in population? Are more cases of these diseases being reported because of better testing techniques, or are the diseases more common? The fact is that without knowing the background statistics mean very little.
This growing trend of reporting only part of the information is becoming dangerous. For example, several years ago a high school student reported the dangers of the chemical known as dihydrogen monoxide. This chemical, found in most cancerous tumors, is often found in the blood of people drunk on alcohol, and causes complete physical and mental dependence for those who take the chemical even once. After reading his report, more than 75% of his Advanced Placement Chemistry class voted to forbid this dangerous chemical! Every one of the above statement is true, yet this chemical is necessary to all life on earth. The students made a mistake because they voted knowing only a few statements and statistics, rather than the chemical’s full background.
The point of this article is that one should be aware of what is and is not being said. When one finds a new fact or number, one should try to consider other important information before forming an opinion with only half-truths. Always remember that the author is trying to convince you of his or her own view, and will leave our information that is different from his view. For example, look again at the statistics that suggest skiing is safe. Only 32 people die each year when skiing, while 897 die from lightening strikes, but which is really more dangerous? If you think more about it, you will realize far fewer people go skiing each year than the number of people in danger of a lightning strike. When you think about it again, skiing is more dangerous than you might at first think when looking at the statistics. If we teenagers are to be left in this world, we had better be able to think critically, and form our own views, rather than be easily persuaded by another’s. To be warned is just to be prepared.
What’s the author’s attitude towards the growing trend of reporting only part of the
information?
Disapproving B. Positive C. Indifferent D. Dangerous
In the first paragraph, what does the writer suggest?
A. We are now living in a dangerous world.
B. We get a lot of false statistics from the media.
C. There are around us more and more murders diseases, ect.
D. Statistics alone without full background don’t give us an accurate picture of things.
What’s the purpose of the writer’s using the two examples in the second paragraph?
A. To argue that high school students are easily persuaded.
B. To prove what is necessary to us might be dangerous.
C. To show the danger of reporting only part of the information.
D. To warn us of the harmful substance around us.
Relative information is often left out because ___________________.
A. it is not important
B. the author is trying to show what he or she says is true
C. readers will consider other important information
D. readers are able to form an opinion with half-truths
What can we learn from the passage?
A. Some measures must be taken to protect our dangerous world.
B. The growing trend of reporting only half-truths is getting out of control.
C. Teenagers ought to improve their ability of telling right from wrong.
D. We should learn to think critically and look at problems from all sides.
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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
填空（共10小題；每小題1分，滿分l0分）
閱讀短文，根據所讀內容在表中的空格處填上適當的單詞或短語。注意：每空不超過3個單詞。
What causes traffic jams? Too many cars，right? No! Some Brits are now saying that trafficlights are to blame for much of the congestion.
They suggest that traffic lights be removed at busy roads．They believe people are a better judge of when it’s safe to go，not a traffic light programmed by an absent regulator．
A report from the Institute of Economic Affairs，a UK think tank（智囊團），argues that
abolishing traffic signals would decrease congestion，reduce exhaust（廢氣）emissions（排放）and improve safety．
The report said that removing lights should also prevent other bad behavior caused by signals．such、as speeding up to catch a green light It would also avoid the wasted time when drivers have to sit at a red light even if no one is using the green
The idea may sound strange，but it’s not new．Seven cities and regions in Europe are experimenting with no-lights roads．
Drachten in the Netherlands has gotten rid of 16 of its traffic light crossings and changed the other two to roundabouts under a“shared space”scheme．At crossings, cyclists dutifully raise their arm when they want to make a turn，and drivers follow a first．arrived，first．through approach and communicate by hand signs，nods and waving．The result? Typical journey time has been cut in half and accidents and congestion have mostly disappeared．
There have been small collisions but no problem，said Hans Monderman，creator of the scheme．“We want small accidents，in order to prevent serious ones．It works well because it’s dangerous．The driver has to be responsible for his or her own risk
“The many rules take away the ability to be considerate”Monderman added．“We’re losing our responsibility for socially responsible behavior．”
So far，Drachten’s locals have called the experiment a success．“I am used to it now，”said Helena Spaanstra．24．“You drive more slowly and carefully．but somehow you seem to get around town quicker．
Tony Ooostward，70，was equally enthusiastic．“I am a walker and now you are the boss at the crossroads，everyone waits for you．But at the same time walkers wait until there are a number of people wanting to cross at the same time．”
Owen Paterson，UK’s Shadow Transport Minister。visited Drachten．He said Britain should learn from the model．“The idea is to create space where there is mild anxiety among everyone so they all behave cautiously．No one drives fast along a busy street thinking that they have right of way．”
The model is being tested in London’s Kensington neighborhood．
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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
Last year my wife and I spent a most interesting month in Turkey. Before we left, we were reminded of the difficulties of driving in Turkey. We certainly did not find this to be the case and, except for a few places in faraway mountainous areas, the roads were wide, and well-paved (鋪). We drove for 12 days along the Western Coast of Turkey and had no problems at all. We found the Turkish drivers very polite and well-educated. We also found that eating lunch in the smaller towns was difficult so we picnicked almost every day.
The following day after our arrival was Turkey’s Children’s Day, started by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Ataturk loved children and he often said, “Children are a new beginning of tomorrow.” He even devoted the day 23rd of April to the children which today is celebrated as Children’s Day as well as the date when the Republic of Turkey was founded.
On that day certain children are picked to take over the places of the government, and a lucky kid will be the president of Turkey for a whole day. He can decide what’s going to happen and whether or not he is going to have the president next to him. There are a very large number of possibilities of things he can do but some shops aren’t open because they are celebrating the day as well.
All in all, it was a more enjoyable trip. I would recommend (推薦) a trip to Turkey to anyone with an adventurous spirit!
Before the author and his wife went on a trip to Turkey, they were told that ________.
A. it was difficult to travel in Turkey
B. it was not easy to drive in Turkey
C. the streets in Turkey were dangerous
D. there were many mountain roads
What do we know from the first paragraph?
A. Places in mountainous areas were difficult to reach.
B. It took the couple 12 days to drive to Turkey.
C. The Turkish drivers had good manners.
D. It was difficult to eat meals in Turkey.
The underlined word “He” in paragraph 3 refers to “________”.
A. everyone of us B. the government
C. the president of Turkey D. the lucky child
What can be inferred(推斷) from the passage?
A. The couple had little difficulty making their way in Turkey.
B. Turkey doesn’t celebrate International Children’s Day.
C. The author joined in celebrating Turkey’s Children’s Day.
D. On Turkey’s Children’s Day, everyone had holidays.
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