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 (礼节) 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 elsewhere. Some companies now offer etiquette seminars for employees who may be able professionally but inexperienced socially.

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

    A. Family members need more time to relax.

    B. Busy schedules leave people no time for formality.

    C. People prefer to live a comfortable life.

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

68．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

69．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

70．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

    When you’re returning to Australia, be careful that you don’t bring in pests and diseases. Some items you might bring back from overseas can be pests and diseases that Australia doesn’t have. When you return, declare(申报)all food, meat, fruits, plants, seeds, wooden souvenirs, animal or plant materials.

    Australia has strict quarantine(检疫)laws and tough on-the-spot fines. Every piece of luggage is now screened or X-rayed. If you fail to declare any quarantine items, or if you make a false declaration, you will get caught. In addition to on-the-spot fines, you could be accused and fined more than $60, 000 and you may risk 10 years in prison. All international mail is also screened.

    Some products may require treatment to make them safe. Items that are restricted because of the risk of pests and diseases will be seized and destroyed by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service(AQIS).

    In many cases, the goods you declare will be returned to you after inspection. However, any item that presents a quarantine risk will be withheld(扣留). You will be given a range of options for each item depending on the quarantine risk: ·

    ·Treating the item to make it safe^*;

    ·Holding the item until an import permit is presented^*; ·

    ·Re-exporting the item^*；·

    ·Destroying the item.

    Those treatments with the sign “*” are subject to fees.

    Further information:

    For more detailed information about bringing in food, animals, plants, animal or plant materials, call the AQIS at 1800-020-504.

60. Which of the following don’t you need to declare when returning to Australia?

A. Tea.                                                   

B. Wooden combs.

C. Some bread.                                       

D. A pair of glasses.

61. If you make a false declaration, you would _______ .

A. be fined a lot of money

B. be forbidden to return to Australia

C. have to declare your items again

D. make yourself screened

62. Where can we most probably find this passage?

A. In an advertisement.

B. In a traveling guidebook.

C. At the police station.

D. In a hospital.

63. We can learn from the passage that _______ .

A. you can keep the item before an import permit is presented

B. all products must be treated according to the AQIS

C. not all treatments for your declared items are free

D. travelers can sell their declared items

Back in the fifteenth century in Nuremberg lived a family with eighteen children. They were so poor that two children, who wanted to pursue their talent for  26 knew their father would never be   27  able to send  either of them to Nuremberg to study at the Academy.
So they tossed (掷) a coin. Albrecht Durer, the younger, 28   the toss and went off to Nuremberg. Albert went down into the dangerous  29  and for the next four years, financed his brother, who did so well that his works were even better than those of most of his  30 . By the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn  31  fees by drawing for wealthy people. When the young artist returned home, at dinner he drank a  32 to his beloved brother for the years of  33 that had enabled him to fulfill his  34 .He said, “Albert, my blessed brother, now it is your 35 to go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care of you.”
With tears in his eyes, Albert held his hands close to his right cheek and said, “No, brother, I cannot go. Look... look what four years in the mines have done to my  36  !The bones in every finger have been  37 at least once. Lately I have been suffering from arthritis (关节炎) so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a  38  to return your toast, much less make delicate （细腻的）lines with a pen or a brush. No, brother..., for me it is too  39  .”
Deeply moved, Albrecht painstakingly drew his brother’s  40  hands with palms（手掌） together and thin fingers stretched skyward. He called his powerful drawing  41 “Hands”, to which the entire world  immediately opened their hearts and later they  42 it “ the Praying Hands”.                                  
The next time when you see a copy of that  43  creation, take a second look. Let it be your  44  , if you still need one, that no one ever makes it  45  !

When I was four years old，I broke my elbow. After many weeks in a cast (石膏) I returned to the hospital to finally have it removed. My mother found it strange that I was so enthusiastic about returning to the place where I had experienced so much pain. Yet she soon discovered my fas­cination with the healing process and how doctors helped to enhance it.
I was in fear as the doctor removed my cast and asked me to move my arm，and immediately became scared as the pain came shooting back through my elbow. After another series of X-rays and examinations my arm was put into a new cast I had begun to doubt the reliability of the doctor，and my mother thought I would be unwilling to return a second time.
When the day came to have my cast removed again，I was nervous. Yet I was optimistic enough to trust the doctor as he once again removed my cast and asked me to move my arm. And this time it was better! Nothing hurt!
On the way back home I released (松开) my mother's hand and ran ahead，and out of her sight. She was immedi­ately worried that I would come upon someone dangerous. At the age of four I was already known for liking to talk with strangers that I felt were potential friends. When she caught sight of me again， I was looking up into the face of an old broken-legged man，saying，“Don't worry，sir! The doctor will fix your leg. Look how he fixed my arm！” 
Since then I have continued to be fascinated with the human body and medicine. I also still love to help people，and never miss an opportunity to encourage someone. But most of all，I still believe that optimism and trust are the building blocks of happiness and success. Many things can change，but I am proud to say that these parts of me have always stayed the same.
56.The author was nervous when he returned to the hospi­tal the second time because      .
A. the hospital seemed like a more frightening place   B. the doctor there was unskilled
C. he was afraid of the pain         D. he was sure his elbow wouldn't recover
57.What did the mother fear when the author ran out of her sight on the way back home?
A. That he would break his elbow again.
B. That he would run down others and break their legs
C. That he would lose his way.
D. That he would come upon a dangerous stranger and get hurt.
58.What can we learn about the author from the passage?
A. He is optimistic and enthusiastic.     B. He was hard-working as a young boy.
C. He doesn't like making friends with strangers.
D. He could become anything but a doctor.
59.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. An Unforgettable Hospital Experience        B. Lessons of a Broken Bone
C. What Makes for Happiness and Success?      D. Broken Bones Take Long to Heal

"When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I survived at all． It was, of course, a miserable childhood． The happy childhood is hardly worth your while． "Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood． And worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood．" That was Frank McCourt reading the opening lines of his book Angela's Ashes, released in nineteen ninety-six．
This Irish American author best known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning autobiography Angela's Ashes that recorded his poor upbringing, died of cancer on Sunday, The New York Times reported． He was 78．
Born in New York City, he was the eldest of seven children born to Irish immigrant parents． Angela's Ashes was a memoir that captured an irresponsible, drunkard father with a gift for story-telling． When not drunk, his father was absent, turning his back on a family so poor, McCourt wrote, that they were reduced to burning the furniture in their rented hut to keep warm． His mother struggled to raise her many children after his father left the family．
Already struggling when the Great Depression hit, the family moved back to Limerick, where they slipped ever deeper into poverty in the  1930s．
Three of McCourt's siblings died of diseases worsened by hunger and the wretchedness of their surroundings． McCourt himself almost died of typhoid（伤寒的） fever as  a child．
In Angela's Ashes, he wrote of hunger, a home flooded with rainwater and the unbearable humiliation of seeking handouts from charities in the Irish city． But he told the story in a way that is expressive, warm and light-hearted．
Frank McCourt left Ireland at the age of nineteen to return to New York City where he was born． He earned a degree in- English education and taught creative writing for nearly thirty years． After retiring in nineteen eighty-seven, he decided to write about his childhood． "Angela's Ashes" became a huge success and brought McCourt a 1997 Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award and other honors． Millions of copies of the book were sold worldwide and it was adapted into a 1999 movie starring Emily Watson and Robert Carlyle．
【小题1】What's the text mainly about?