Since long ago,greeting cards have been considered a time-saver.More than 150 years ago,a busy Englishman,Sir Henry,asked a friend to design a card so that he didn't have to labour to write holiday letters to his friends at the end of the year.Those paper cards are now the tradition.

But time,like sunlight,is still in short supply for December.That's why the Internet is ready to make a change in holiday greeting customs.Already,those,who are always busy,like sending video greetings by e-mail.So,don't be surprised to find a lively card in your electronic mail box at the end of the year or at any time you should have one.

A recent survey by the Shared Greetings Company found 50 percent of all the Internet users will send online cards especially during the holiday seasons.“That is a lot easier,and it is lively,”said Carol,a New Yorker,who had stopped at the Shared Greetings Company demonstration() online.With her children's help,she sent her first e-card before Thanksgiving Day.“It was the first time I had done something like this;it's quite enjoyable,”she said.

“I will send online Christmas cards to my friends,”said Marcos,a 22-year-old student.“It costs so little and you can even send numbers of greetings at a time.”But he added “the e-card also has its limits,and I don't think it is ready to replace the paper card for the more formal or traditional occasions.For some people,I would rather buy paper cards and mail them traditionally.I believe it is more personal and respectful in that way,”he said.

Well,for those who are very busy but still prefer to do a lot of greetings to different receivers in the holiday season,the Internet may have another way.“Now you can use the Net to decide and send as many as 50 beautiful cards,which allows the buyer to choose the inside saying,as well as the ink colour and typeface,only costing about 30 minutes,”said Julie,vice-president of marketing for an electronic card company-Hallmark Company.“And if you are in less of a hurry,you can spend another 30 minutes sitting in your home or office to create a photo card,showing off your kids,your pets or even your new house-anything as your favorite design for your relatives and friends.”

How can we understand “But time,like sunlight,is still in short supply for December”in Paragraph 2?

A.December cannot supply enough time for people because the sunlight in this month is short.

B.People are always busy at the end of the year,so time is precious like the sunlight in winter.

C.Time is short at the end of the year,like the sunlight in December.

D.Time passes quickly like the sunlight in winter as December comes.

According to the 22-year-old student,he would probably mail e-cards to everyone except_________.

A.the members of his family

B.his girlfriend

C.the teachers who have taught him

D.his schoolmates

If you are quite busy,but having many greetings to send,which of the following is your best choice?

A.Ordering a lot of cards you like online and sending them from the post office.

B.Getting as many cards from your electronic mail box and mailing them on the Net.

C.Sitting and writing lots of beautiful cards at home and sending them just in a traditional way.

D.Choosing personalized cards in numbers and mailing them directly on the Net.

Since long ago,greeting cards have been considered a time-saver.More than 150 years ago,a busy Englishman,Sir Henry,asked a friend to design a card so that he didn't have to labour to write holiday letters to his friends at the end of the year.Those paper cards are now the tradition.
But time,like sunlight,is still in short supply for December.That's why the Internet is ready to make a change in holiday greeting customs.Already,those,who are always busy,like sending video greetings by e-mail.So,don't be surprised to find a lively card in your electronic mail box at the end of the year or at any time you should have one.
A recent survey by the Shared Greetings Company found 50 percent of all the Internet users will send online cards especially during the holiday seasons.“That is a lot easier,and it is lively,”said Carol,a New Yorker,who had stopped at the Shared Greetings Company demonstration() online.With her children's help,she sent her first e-card before Thanksgiving Day.“It was the first time I had done something like this;it's quite enjoyable,”she said.
“I will send online Christmas cards to my friends,”said Marcos,a 22-year-old student.“It costs so little and you can even send numbers of greetings at a time.”But he added “the e-card also has its limits,and I don't think it is ready to replace the paper card for the more formal or traditional occasions.For some people,I would rather buy paper cards and mail them traditionally.I believe it is more personal and respectful in that way,”he said.
Well,for those who are very busy but still prefer to do a lot of greetings to different receivers in the holiday season,the Internet may have another way.“Now you can use the Net to decide and send as many as 50 beautiful cards,which allows the buyer to choose the inside saying,as well as the ink colour and typeface,only costing about 30 minutes,”said Julie,vice-president of marketing for an electronic card company-Hallmark Company.“And if you are in less of a hurry,you can spend another 30 minutes sitting in your home or office to create a photo card,showing off your kids,your pets or even your new house-anything as your favorite design for your relatives and friends.”

1. 1.

   How can we understand “But time,like sunlight,is still in short supply for December”in Paragraph 2?

   1. A.
      December cannot supply enough time for people because the sunlight in this month is short.
   2. B.
      People are always busy at the end of the year,so time is precious like the sunlight in winter.
   3. C.
      Time is short at the end of the year,like the sunlight in December.
   4. D.
      Time passes quickly like the sunlight in winter as December comes.
2. 2.

   According to the 22-year-old student,he would probably mail e-cards to everyone except_________.

   1. A.
      the members of his family
   2. B.
      his girlfriend
   3. C.
      the teachers who have taught him
   4. D.
      his schoolmates
3. 3.

   If you are quite busy,but having many greetings to send,which of the following is your best choice?

   1. A.
      Ordering a lot of cards you like online and sending them from the post office.
   2. B.
      Getting as many cards from your electronic mail box and mailing them on the Net.
   3. C.
      Sitting and writing lots of beautiful cards at home and sending them just in a traditional way.
   4. D.
      Choosing personalized cards in numbers and mailing them directly on the Net.

完型填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上涂黑。

“Never say die'' was my mother's motto．No matter how tough the life was, she always had   36  in the face of struggle and change．

My mother , born in the late 1920s,   37  no education．Her mother, whom she loved dearly , died when she was 12 years old．Her father remarried,   38  he stepmother was   39   to her．As a result, my mother was always kept busy doing ail kinds of household   40  ,varying from feeding scores of tame birds to _41   her stepbrothers "Never say die" she   42 __say to herself．

After marrying my father , she   43   my grandparents as her own parents．It was a Lime when China was faced with a severe   44   of food and my family was no   45   ．There was a   46   in my family that the best food went to the old and she was always the last to have her meal．At one time , there wasn't a grain left at home, and the whole family got into a_47    "Never say die" said my mother, as she often did in such cases- She, together with my elder sisters—one 8 years old and the other 11, went begging until the   48    picked up．My father was once 49_ to drinking．My mother, on the one hand , tried hard to   50   him to quit drinking; on the other hand, every time my father was heavily drunk; she would feed two thermos bottles of boiled water to him ,using the mouth-to-mouth way．

Poor as my family was my parents   51   to send my sisters to school, which was absolutely   52   in my home village then．Now my sisters have both retired as primary school teachers．Then my mother devoted herfelf entirely to  53  her grandchildren, among whom are now two university students, a soldier, an engineer, a bank c’erk and a civil servant.

Devoted to the family, she is deeply respected and loved by her children and grandchildren. Every year a family get-together takes place on her birthday when the whole family  54  being blessed with such a great mother. “Never say die” is a  55  gift she left for her off springs.

1.A．energy       B．strength        C．power             D．force

2.A．received   B．accepted                 C．gave  D．took

3.A．and              B．or           C．but              D．so

4.A．cruel         B．strict           C．hard            D．particular

5.A．events        B．incidents   C．affairs              D．accidents

6.A．looking after  B．looking for    C．looking into   D．looking up

7.A．would            B．could       C．should           D．might

8.A．considered   B．regarded         C．took             D．treated

9.A．short        B．lacking            C．lack         D．lacked

10.A．reception     B．expectation      C．explosion    D．exception

11.A．tradition    B．habit         C．custom   D．practice

12.A．trouble      B．panic    C．puzzle                  D．pain

13.A．condition   B．situation          C．occasion       D．cii5e

14.A．addicted    B．devoted            C．accustomed           D．used

15.A．advise   B．suggest               C．talk             D．convince

16.A．succeeded    B．managed        C．tried             D．attempted

17.A．uneasy          B．unfit            C．unusual          D．universal

18.A．bringing up    B．raising C．supporting             D．feeding

19.A．understand  B．enjoy              C．imagine              D．appreciate

20.A．worthless    B．priceless       C．endless          D．penniless