A primary school teacher who left a class of 25 pupils in tears after she told them Santa Claus did
not exist has been fired. When excited youngsters became rowdy as they talked about Santa, the supply
teacher said out suddenly, "It"s your parents who leave out presents on Christmas Day."
The class of sevenyearolds at Blackshaw Lane Primary School, Royton,Greater Manchester burst
into tears and told their parents when they arrived home. Mothers and fathers then complained about the
incident and were sent a letter by the school saying the teacher, who only worked at the school for one
day last week, has been disciplined.
The school has now said it will not hire her again.
One father said, "My son came home and said that his teacher had told the class that Santa doesn"t
exist and it"s their mum and dad that put out presents for them. Obviously, they were all talking about
Christmas and being a bit rowdy. She just came straight out with it."
"My son was in tears and so was everyone else in the class-especially as it was so close to
Christmas. I thought it was wrong. He was crazy about it. He"s only seven years old and it"s part of the
magic of Christmas to him."
"We told him that she did not believe in Father Christmas because of her religion and he"s fine now."
"The father described the incident as "shocking" and believed it was done with malicious
intent(恶意地). A lot of parents were angry and complained to the school.The teacher,who was
supplied by Rochdale and Oldham Supply Agency,is still listed and will work with other schools,"the
agency said.
However,t he head teacher in Angela McCormick refused to comment on the incident.
1. Who felt the angriest about the incident?
A. The teacher who was fired.
B. The pupils who were in tears.
C. The parents whose children cried.
D. Santa Claus the teacher talked about.
2. The sevenyearold children cried because of ________.
A. their teacher"s leaving
B. the letters by the school
C. something about Santa Claus
D. the presents left out by the parents
3. We can infer from the passage that ________.
A. the teacher was fired and couldn"t continue her career in teaching
B. the parents complained about the discipline of the school
C. the little pupils felt disappointed after hearing the news told by the teacher
D. in reality,Santa Claus exists and gives out presents once a year.
4. What"s the meaning of the underlined word"rowdy"?
A.Surprised.
B.Noisy.
C.Discouraged.
D.Annoyed.
Not size,of course.I"ve been in some of the grandest houses in America,and it"s clear that no one
lives there.Earlier this year,I had dinner in a mud hut in Ethiopia,where we sat on chairs next to the
hostess" bed-a home that had more warmth than any house I"ve been in since.
Now John Edwards is exploring what makes a house a home in his justreleased(发行)Home.The
Blueprints of Our Lives.There Edwards writes,"This isn"t a book about houses;it"s a book about
homes.About the values they rest on,the dreams they are filled with,and the people they have shaped
."Edwards writes,"The houses and circumstances are different,but much of what you find inside will
be familiar."
Whether you"re sitting in an airport right now,waiting to fly to your childhood home for Thanksgiving,
or in your own home waiting for the relatives to arrive,you know what he"s talking about.
We"ve lived in our townhouse for 21 years.It"s home now.The loose windows that shake in the wind.
The fireplace so shallow it holds only one log.The kitchen window that offers a view of the world passing
by.It"s where friends sit on the kitchen counter drinking wine while dinner is being fixed.I lived there for
only 18 years,but it will always be my true home.Even the lamp in the west living room window,which I
could see far down the road when driving home late at night,still shines.
While all this talk about childhood memories can be warm and comforting,home is whom you"re with,
not where you are.As Edwards writes,"Home is family.Home is safety.Home is faith."
Happy homecoming.
B.Feelings of warmth and comfort.
C.The houses and circumstances.
D.Drinking with friends on the kitchen counter.
B.it is mainly about houses
C.it helps us understand the concept(概念)of home
D.it was written by the author of the text
B.He missed the feeling of home.
C.He hated living there.
D.He missed his old friends too much.
B.every happy home is the same
C.the author has been living an unhappy life
D.the author and Edwards hold similar ideas
Shoppers who carefully plan their visit to the grocery store can save money on their grocery bills.
__1__
Shoppers should visit the grocery, store on a full stomach by scheduling their trip immediately
after a large meal.If that"s not possible, they should find something healthy to eat while preparing a
grocery list.__2__
Although having a list and sticking to it is the most important factor in saving money, shoppers must
prepare lists wisely in order to save.__3__ Many special buys are announced through the local
newspapers, so buying the"grocery issue"is worth the investment(投资). However, it"s important to
remember that many newer, more expensive products first offered through coupons may not produce
enough savings for shoppers to give up the product they usually buy.
__4__ Once at the store, the shopper who wants to save money should follow a few more rules.The
shopper should not stay longer than necessary, because bills go up each minute the shopper is in the
store.So, setting a time limit and a cost limit can hold down the bill.__5__ If the grocery list is a short
one, some shoppers choose to use the small handheld basket instead of the roomy grocery cart.
A. A carefully, planned list should include inseason produce and any items on sale or discounted
through coupons(优惠券).
B. Of course, the shopper should stick strictly to the shopping list and resist the temptation to buy
additional items.
C. People who are full are less tired and more likely to buy what they want.
D. Now that the shopper has completed the grocery list, it"s time to leave for the store.
E. You shouid keep your shopping list carefully in case you can exchange it for coupons.
F. Most shoppers are less persuaded to buy extra goods when they are not hungry.
G. Shopping when not hungry, sticking to a grocery list, and following a few simple rules will cut down
the grocery bill.
Every year, our school has a dance for all the students. It" s a little funny seeing friends in clean shoes
and trousers or colorful 1 , instead of the usual school uniform.
Most of us think the dance is great 2 —even the teachers enjoy being there. 3 ,two weeks
ago someone said that there would be no 4 band this year—only CDs.
"I don"t 5 it !" Amy cried out during the lunch break.
"Someone said the school couldn"t 6 a band, and they think it" s too noisy anyway,"added Daniel.
"Well, I don"t think it"s 7 enough without a band!"declared Angela, "and I"m going to see what
can be done."
Angela was as good as her 8 . In the afternoon she went to see the school headmaster who
agreed to give the 9 some more thought. And he suggested that one 10 for having a band was
to increase the price of each ticket from $5 to $10. Angela had to 11 out whether the students
would like to do that.
"I need all of you to help me," she 12 to our group before school the next day. "Mr. Berry
gave me a list of all the names, and suggested we ask each one their 13 about the band and the extra
cost."
14 the day we asked around as Angela suggested, and wrote down people" s feeling about the
band and the cost. We were amazed how much 15 there was for the band and everyone agreed to
pay the extra $5.
"I" m surprised," smiled Mr. Berry, when we gave him the 16 ."I really thought that only a few
people 17 their band and that the cost would be too high.OK, Angela, your next 18 is to find
a good band and line them up for the dance."
Angela was all smiles and 19 the news to Amy and Daniel. "You"re 20 ," smiled Daniel to
Angela as he thought how close they came to having a less than perfect dance.
( )1. A.shapes ( )2. A.fun ( )3. A.Besides ( )4. A.new ( )5. A.mean ( )6. A.lead ( )7. A.good ( )8. A.look ( )9. A.schedule ( )10.A.possibility ( )11.A.call ( )12.A.admitted ( )13.A.knowledge ( )14.A.On ( )15.A.trust ( )16.A.results ( )17.A.amusing ( )18.A.task ( )19.A.showed ( )20.A.welcomed | B.dresses B.work B.Otherwise B.live B.need B.serve B.clear B.behavior B.situation B.concern B.find B.replied B.instruction B.For B.money B.notices B.interesting B.business B.wrote B.wanted | C.flowers C.effort C.However C.foreign C.accept C.afford C.useful C.mind C.view C.decision C.carry C.apologized C.opinion C.By C.support C.questions C.exciting C.exercise C.broke C.defended | D.pictures D.progress D.Therefore D.marching D.believe D.form D.easy D.word D.action D.chance D.point D.announced D.information D.During D.care D.examples D.amazing D.duty D.read D.invited |
阅读理解。 Thirteen government officials have been punished and a man arrested for presenting false evidence to prove the highly endangered South China tiger existed in the wild. | |||
第一节语法填空 As some of these actors could not sing well enough, they had to rely on 1_____ musicians to help them. So during the broadcasts they just pretended to sing. Anyhow their performances were humorous 2______ to be copied by other groups. They were so popular 3______ their fans formed clubs in order to get 4_____ familiar with them. Each week on TV, the Monkees would play and sing songs 5(write)________ by other musicians. However, after a year or so in 6______ they became more serious about their work, the Monkees started to play and sing their 7____ songs like a real band. Then they produced their own records and 8(start)______ touring and playing their own music. In the USA they became even more popular 9_____ the Beatles and sold even more records. The band broke up about 1970, but happily they reunited in the mid-1980s. They produced a new record in 1996, 10____ which they celebrated their former time as a real band. |