It s just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree．It has been there for the past 10 years or so．It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas—the commercial aspects of Christmas-overspending．Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to avoid the usual presents．The idea came in an unusual way．
Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended; and shortly before Christmas, there was a match against a team sponsored by a church．These youngsters, dressed in ragged clothes, presenting a sharp contrast to our boys in their beautiful dresses and shoes．As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler's ears．It was a luxury that the poor team obviously could not afford．Well, we ended up defeating them．Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, "I wish just one of them could have won," he said．"They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them．" That's when the idea for his present came．That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought wrestling headgear and shoes for the youngsters and sent them anonymously （匿名地） to the church．On Christmas Eve? I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me．His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in the following years．
For each Christmas, I followed the tradition．The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas．It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed expectation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to show its contents．As the children grew, they joined．
May we all remember the reason for Christmas, and the true Christmas spirit this year and always．God bless梡ass this along to your friends and loved ones．
【小题1】The author avoids usual Christmas presents because her husband _____．

The young boy and his father sat quietly watching the snow fall on a snowy Saturday afternoon.

“Dad, my friend told me that every snowflake is  36   . But they look all the same to me. How can we tell?” the child asked.

Dad felt it was his  37 to give a more satisfying answer. “Son, snowflakes are like people. We are each   38 in a very special way. We can test it right now,” he said.

The child stood up, put out his hands, and  39 as snowflakes landed on his gloves. “These snowflakes are all different on my gloves, but those in the yard look the same. Together they are even more_ 40 and striking. Then if people are like snowflakes, why don't they    41 ?”

“Choice,”Dad said. "Their choices  42  them what they are.”

“  43  choice is a bad thing?” the boy asked.

“Oh, no. Only when we choose the 44 things.”

“How do we tell right from wrong?" the child asked.

Dad was given the chance to build upon the foundation of his son's  45  . He reached down and began to  46  with the snow. He  47  the snow into two sides, three large snowballs on one side and several smaller ones on the other.

“Which side did the right thing?” he asked the boy.

The child looked at both sides but 48   answer. Then Dad placed the three larger snowballs on top of each other.

“It’ s a snowman! The side 49  made me snowman!” the boy replied with  50

Yes, all these people came together and recognized how special each of them was, so they joined in a(n) 51   to build up mankind,” Dad said.                    

The child then stood up and  52 an arm full of the smaller snowballs. One by one he began to throw them at the other small piles of snow. He said,”This is what happens when people can't work together. They have a(n)  53  .”

Dad was shocked. He stood up, lifted the boy and  54 him tightly, whispering to him, “I hope that your world will learn to work and live together. I hope you will make the right   55 

and learn to build the best snowman ever.”

1.                A．similar          B．different        C．freezing D．special

2.                A．challenge       B．trouble         C．responsibility  D．position

3.                A．private         B．associated       C．unique   D．isolated

4.                A．inspected       B．watched        C．glanced   D．glared

5.                A．beautiful        B．effective        C．comfortable   D．significant

6.                A．get along       B．take care        C．cheer up D．break up

7.                A．remain         B．appear         C．become  D．make

8.                A．Though         B．However        C．So   D．While

9.                A．exact          B．coincident       C．fortunate D．wrong

10.               A．interest        B．concern        C．worry D．faith

11.               A．communicate    B．work           C．mix   D．relate

12.               A．separated       B．divided         C．distinguished   D．parted

13.               A．couldn' t        B．shouldn' t       C．wouldn' t  D．needn' t

14.               A．that           B．what           C．how  D．when

15.               A．disappointment  B．frustration      C．enthusiasm D．humour

16.               A．power         B．effort          C．organization    D．attempt

17.               A．gathered       B．sorted         C．threw D．formed

18.               A．war           B．debate         C．agreement D．negotiation

19.               A．trembled       B．swung          C．pulled D．held

20.               A．steps          B．turns          C．choices   D．points

(B)
WHEN an NBA player is young he thinks he can win the championship by himself. It is only later when he has aged and been through many battles that he learns an important lesson: there is no "I" in "team".
There is no better example of the value of teamwork than the Boston Celtics. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett were all superstars on three different teams. Yet, none of them had any titles to show for it. Then, last season, they decided to sacrifice money and individual statistics to play together. Garnett and Allen joined Pierce on the Celtics and changed the NBA in the process.
It started in simple ways. Garnett and Allen are two of the most intense athletes in the world. They treat every second of every practice like it is the NBA championship. If you want to play alongside them then you will have to do the same. So, the young guys on the Celtics started giving their full effort too.
Pierce had been the star of the Celtics for many years. He used to shoot the ball many times a game. But with the addition of Allen and Garnett he shot less and focused on defense. His selflessness showed the young players that doing what made the team better was the only thing that mattered.
When the Celtics were winning and the game was almost over, Garnett, Pierce and Allen would come out of the game. But they wouldn’t just sit on the bench. Instead, they stood and cheered and screamed for their teammates. They wanted to support their friends and teammates.
Now, the guys who don't play know they can still affect the game by cheering so they scream and cheer when Garnett, Allen and Pierce are playing. The Celtics have developed a strong relationship. They are more than just teammates. They are brothers.
The result: the Boston Celtics won the 2008 NBA championship and are considered the favorites to win the Eastern Conference championship again this year.
There is a saying that goes, “A successful team beats with one heart.” If that is the case, the Celtics may have the biggest heart in the NBA.
66. What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. The stories of three famous basketball superstars.
B. The importance of teamwork among teammates.
C. A famous basketball team named the Boston Celtics.
D. Matches between the Boston Celtics and other teams.
67. From the passage, we can see that _______.
A. most mature NBA players believe they can win the championship by themselves
B. Pierce, Garnett and Allen had to give up personal glory for team success
C. Allen, Pierce, together with Garnett had been the stars of the Celtics for many years
D. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett had won NBA championships before they joined hands.
68. What does this sentence “there is no ‘I’ in ‘team’.” mean in Paragraph 1?
A. “I” will be missing once "I" am on the court.
B. “I” work so hard in a team that “I” will forget who “I” am.
C. The members of the team are more important than the individual.
D. Surrounded by other players, “I” don’t seem to exist.
69. Which of the following is NOT true about Pierce’s recent performance?
A. He became an even better shooter with others’ help.
B. He focused much more attention on defence.
C. He created more chances for teammates.
D. He stood and cheered for his teammates.
70. Which of the following didn’t contribute to the success of the Boston Celtics?
A. The whole team has become devoted to each and every stage of the game. 
B. The cooperation and teamwork among the teammates in the match.
C. The influence of Garnett, Allen, Pierce and other teammates’ cheering.     
D. The increasing frequency of team players on the bench.

IQUIQUE, Chile (Reuters) — Rescue workers at the San Jose gold and copper mine in northern Chile had reason to sing this week. A small hole drilled into the earth became a passage to freedom for 33 trapped miners, who spent 69 days underground. “Never have people been trapped for so long so deeply,” says a doctor at NASA, the American space agency, which helped in the rescue.

But the chief medical officer for the miners said most are in good enough health to leave the hospital within a day or so. The first three recovered and went home Thursday night.

For much of the day the miners relaxed with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera. The 32 Chileans and 1 Bolivian still wore special sunglasses to protect their eyes.

A partial mine collapse on 5th August trapped them more than half a kilometer underground. They had to stretch a two-day food supply. For two weeks no one knew if they were alive or dead. Later, they received supplies.

The first miner rescued on Wednesday was Florencio Avalos. The second was Mario Sepulveda, who talked about how the experience tested his faith. The last miner up was Luis Urzua, who was the shift leader when his crew became trapped.

Rescuers used a metal cage to pull the miners to safety in less than 24 hours — faster than expected. The rescue capsule was a half-meter wide and known as the Phoenix, an imaginary bird from ancient stories. It bursts into flames but is continually reborn and rises from the ashes.

Chile’s Navy built the capsule with advice from mining experts and NASA engineers. It worked like an elevator, traveling up and down on a cable through a shaft（竖井）drilled 622 meters into the rocks.

Millions of people around the world watched the rescue. More than one thousand journalists traveled to the mine in the Atacama Desert to report on the rescue. They joined family members of the miners and rescue crews housed in an area of tents known as Camp Hope.

What would be the best title for the passage?

   A. Rescued miners speak out

   B. Miners’ life deep underground

   C. A rebirth for 33 rescued miners in Chile

   D. Chilean president honors rescued miners

How many rescued miners are still in hospital?

   A. 3.                 B. 30.                     C. 33.             D. 69.

We can infer from the passage that ______.

   A. all the trapped miners are Chileans

   B. the Chileans rescued the miners alone

   C. the rescue caught the world’s attention

   D. the trapped miners lived easily underground

Which of the following is true of the Phoenix?

   A. It was a wooden cage like a capsule.

   B. It worked efficiently in the rescue.

   C. It was named after a real Chilean bird.

   D. It was built by NASA engineers.

The rescue is great for the reason that ______.

   A. 33 trapped miners were saved

   B. the American space agency took part

   C. Chilean President was on the rescuing spot

   D. it lasted so long and the miners were trapped so deep

IQUIQUE, Chile (Reuters) — Rescue workers at the San Jose gold and copper mine in northern Chile had reason to sing this week. A small hole drilled into the earth became a passage to freedom for 33 trapped miners, who spent 69 days underground. “Never have people been trapped for so long so deeply,” says a doctor at NASA, the American space agency, which helped in the rescue.

But the chief medical officer for the miners said most are in good enough health to leave the hospital within a day or so. The first three recovered and went home Thursday night.

For much of the day the miners relaxed with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera. The 32 Chileans and 1 Bolivian still wore special sunglasses to protect their eyes.

A partial mine collapse on 5th August trapped them more than half a kilometer underground. They had to stretch a two-day food supply. For two weeks no one knew if they were alive or dead. Later, they received supplies.

The first miner rescued on Wednesday was Florencio Avalos. The second was Mario Sepulveda, who talked about how the experience tested his faith. The last miner up was Luis Urzua, who was the shift leader when his crew became trapped.

Rescuers used a metal cage to pull the miners to safety in less than 24 hours — faster than expected. The rescue capsule was a half-meter wide and known as the Phoenix, an imaginary bird from ancient stories. It bursts into flames but is continually reborn and rises from the ashes.

Chile’s Navy built the capsule with advice from mining experts and NASA engineers. It worked like an elevator, traveling up and down on a cable through a shaft（竖井）drilled 622 meters into the rocks.

Millions of people around the world watched the rescue. More than one thousand journalists traveled to the mine in the Atacama Desert to report on the rescue. They joined family members of the miners and rescue crews housed in an area of tents known as Camp Hope.

1.What would be the best title for the passage?

   A. Rescued miners speak out              B. A rebirth for 33 rescued miners in Chile

   C. Miners’ life deep underground           D. Chilean president honors rescued miners

2. How many rescued miners are still in hospital?

   A. 3.            B. 33.              C. 30.         D. 69.

3. A. It was a wooden cage like a capsule.     B. It was named after a real Chilean bird.

   C. It worked efficiently in the rescue.       D. It was built by NASA engineers.

4. The rescue is great for the reason that ______.

   A. it lasted so long and the miners were trapped so deep

   B. the American space agency took part

   C. Chilean President was on the rescuing spot

   D. 33 trapped miners were saved