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:
①    charity  n. 慈善，慈善團體
②    reindeer  n. 馴鹿
小題1:According to the passage, good Santas should be the ones that ________.
A．can offer the children some giftsB．help adults look after their children
C．have ability to make children happyD．should be perfect in the mind of children
小題2: The underlined words “big bucks” should refer to ________.
A．lots of moneyB．many giftsC．loves for childrenD．gifts from children
小題3: The Michigan school was founded by Charles Howard with the purpose to ________.
A．train the pet reindeer for the SantasB．earned money from its students
C．train perfect Santas for the worldD．show the world’s concern to the poor
小題4: According to Weir’s performance, we can conclude that ________.
A．Weir was short of experienceB．Weir was not fit for the job as a Santa
C．Weir did very badly in the gameD．Weir was not a good student in school

小題1:D
小題2:A
小題3:C
小題4:A

小題1:細節(jié)理解題。從文章的第一段第二句可知。
小題2:詞義猜測題。由該句前面的動詞“earn”和該句后面的“no pay for charities”可知。
小題3:推理判斷題。由文章的第三、四、五段可知，這所學(xué)校教給這些人有關(guān)圣誕老人的各種技能和知識，很明顯目的就是要使他們成為合格的圣誕老人。
小題4:推理判斷題。由文章的最后一段可知，Weir在處理突發(fā)事件時缺乏經(jīng)驗。
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Six Americans are working on a new highway. But this highway won't have any traffic．It's an "ice highway" to the South Pole.
The team has just finished a second year of work on the 1,020-mile highway. "The road is the greatest single footprint of activity we've seen in the Antarctic (南極洲)," said Alan Hemmings, an Australian environmentalist.
The highway will provide a new way for supplies to be trekked (拉, 搬) across the earth on tractor-pulled sleds (雪橇). This method will use a lot less fuel than an aircraft, the current (當(dāng)前的) way that scientists and supplies reach the Amundsen-Scott Base, a U.S. research station in the South Pole. The highway will also allow for equipment that is too big for planes to carry to be brought to Antarctica．Even with these benefits, there is one disadvantage—a round trip on the road will be 30 days, compared to a few hours by plane.
Making this 20-foot-wide road isn't easy, and it takes a lot of time. The crew (工作隊) has been working on the road for two summers, when it's warmer and easier to work with the ice. It probably won't be completed until 2006.
Crevasses (裂縫), or cracks, in the land often make the construction difficult. Crevasses are kind of like pot holes that form when surface ice is stretched．This can be very dangerous, especially when the crevasses are hidden under a layer (層) of snow and can't be seen.
"Last year it took us three months to go three miles across a crevasse field, full of dangerous, hidden crevasses," said the project's manager, John Wright. Each year, more crevasses appear and they have to be filled with snow and ice so the road is safe for travel. The road will also be lined with green flags so travelers know where the safe surface is.
小題1: It will probably take ______ years to complete the ice highway.
A．2B．4 C．6 D．8
小題2:When it is finished, the highway will not be used for ______.
A．giving supplies to the research station in the South Pole
B．taking scientists to the South Pole
C．taking travelers to a tour of Antarctic
D．bringing huge equipment to Antarctic
小題3:How many miles can be covered at most each day if you take the ice highway to the South
Pole?
A．30.B．34.C．68.D．88.
小題4:Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A．Other crevasses won’t appear if a crevasse has been filled.
B．Many new crevasses will form after a crevasse has been filled.
C．Travelers can drive their sleds on the ice highway freely.
D．There will be less danger if the crevasses are covered by snow.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Life in 2060
　　Let us suppose it is now about A.D. 2060. Let’s make believe (假裝；虛構(gòu)) it is about sixty years from now. Of course, things have changed and life is very different.
　　Voyages to the moon are being made every day. It is as easy to take a holiday on the moon today as it was for the people in 1960 to take a holiday in Europe. At a number of scenic spots on the moon, many hotels have been built. The hotels are air-conditioned, naturally. In order that everyone can enjoy the beautiful scenery on the moon, every room has at least one picture window. Everything imaginable is provided for entertainment (娛樂) of young and old.
　　What are people eating now? People are still eating food. They haven’t yet started to take on heir (繼承) supply of energy directly as electrical current or as nuclear power. They may some day. But many foods now come in pill form, and the food that goes into the pill continues to come mainly from green plants.
　　Since there are several times as many people in the world today as there were a hundred years ago, most of our planet’s surface has to be filled. The deserts are irrigated with water and crops are no longer destroyed by pests. The harvest is always good.
　　Farming, of course, is very highly developed. Very few people have to work on the farm. It is possible to run the farm by just pushing a few buttons now and then.
　　People are now largely vegetarians (素食者). You see, as the number of people increases, the number of animal decreases. Therefore, the people have to be vegetarians and we are healthier both in our bodies and in our minds, and we know the causes and cure of disease and pain, and it is possible to get rid of diseases. No one has to be ill any more.
　　Such would be our life in 2060.
　　
1. When was the passage written?
　　A. In about A.D. 2060.
　　B. In about 1960.
　　C. In about 2000.
　　D. In about 2004.
2. According to the passage, what will be on the moon in about A.D. 2060?
　　A. Many tourists.
　　B. Many other animals.
　　C. Many plants.
　　D. A sea.
3. What will people eat then according to the passage?
　　A. Biscuits in pill form.
　　B. Foods in pill form.
　　C. Foods in water form.
　　D. Foods in gas form.
4. The passage tells us that in 2060, ____ on the earth than now.
　　A. there are fewer population
　　B. there are more pests
　　C. there is less water
　　D. the crops are getting better
5. Why are people largely vegetarians in 2060?
　　A. Because they don’t eat meat.
　　B. Because doctors advise them not to eat meat.
　　C. Because the number of animals decreases.
　　D. Because all the animals have died of diseases.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

An annoying problem for humans, who like to boast (夸耀) about all the distant planets and moons we have explored, is that we've never taken a good look right under our noses. The inside of the earth is relatively close, but how can we get there?
The deepest oil well enters a mere six miles into the crust (地殼) (the center of the earth is about 4,000 miles deeper). Russian scientists dug the deepest hole in Siberia, but bottomed out at about 7.5 miles below the surface. The Mohole project, a U.S. plan in the 1950s, called for drilling a hole 25 miles down to the boundary between the hard rocks of the crust and the soft mantle (地幔). Sadly the project involved government supporting.
It gets harder and harder to drill deep into the earth because rocks get softer and softer. Hard but easily broken at the surface, rocks become plastic at depth, and the pressure caused by the weight of the overlaying crust ---  about 52,800 pounds per square inch at a depth of ten miles, makes further drilling impossible.
What little we know about the inside of the earth (like the fact that there's a crust, a mantle, and a core) comes from indirect evidence, such as the analysis of earthquakes.
So maybe it's time for a thorough new method to explore the earth's inside. Scientist David Stevenson says we should forget about drilling holes. Instead, we should open a crack (裂縫).
Stevenson suggests digging a crack about a half mile long, a yard wide, and a half mile deep (not with a shovel) but with an explosion on the scale of a nuclear bomb. Next, he'd pour a few hundred thousand tons of molten (熔化的) iron into the crack, along with a robot. The iron, thicker than the surrounding crust, would move downward at about 16 feet per second, carrying the robot with it and opening the crack deeper and deeper. The iron mass would drop for about a week and 2,000 miles to the outer edge of the earth core, the robot sending out data to the surface.
Stevenson compares his idea to space exploration. "We're going somewhere we haven't been before,"he says. "In all possibility, there will be surprises.”
This idea can probably be put in the drawer marked with Isn't Going To Happen. The robot would have to survive temperatures that would melt pretty much anything. But Stevenson's idea may inspire a new look at an old problem. Great things can come from what seems like impossible ideas.
小題1:Going inside the earth is _____ than going into space.
A．more interestingB．more possibleC．easierD．more challenging
小題2:How deep have we gone into the earth until now?
A．6 miles.B．4,000 miles.C．7.5 miles.D．25 miles.
小題3:Which of the following is TRUE about David Stevenson's idea?
A．It is an inspiring but not practical idea now.
B．It is a practical proposal that has come into use now.
C．It is a good proposal that will soon be put into practice.
D．It is a false theory that cannot be carried out at all.
小題4: What might be the most suitable title for the text?
A．An Annoying Problem for Humans
B．To the Center of the Earth
C．The Mohole Project
D．David Stevenson's Proposal

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Japanese scientists have taken the first photographs of one of the most mysterious creatures in the deep ocean — the giant squid①.
Until now the only information about the behavior of the creatures which measure up to 18 meters (59 feet) in length has been based on dead or dying squid washed up on shore or captured②in commercial fishing nets.
But Tsunemi Kubodera, of the National Science Museum, and Kyoichi Mori of the Ogasawara Whale Watching Association, both in Tokyo have captured the first images of Architeuthis attacking bait③900 meters below the surface in the cold, dark waters of the North Pacific. “We show the first wild images of a giant squid in its natural environment,” they said in a report in the journal Proceedings B of the Royal Society.
Little is known about the creatures because it has been so difficult to locate and study them alive. Large ships and specialist equipment, which is costly, are needed to study deep sea environments.
The Japanese scientists found the squid by following sperm whales, the most effective hunters of giant squid, as they gathered to feed between September and December in the deep waters off the coast of the Ogasawara Islands in the North Pacific. They used a remote long-line camera and depth logging system to capture the giant squid in the ocean depths.
The most dramatic character of giant squids is the pair of extremely long tentacles④, distinct from the eight shorter arms. The long tentacles make up to two-thirds of the length of the dead specimens⑤to date. The giant squid appear to be a much more active meat-eating animals than researchers had thought.
Notes:
① squid  n. 魷魚
② capture  vt. 捕獲
①    bait  n. 魚餌
②    tentacle  n. 觸角，觸須
③    specimen  n. 標本，樣本
小題1:The passage mainly tells us that ________.
A．Scientists captured a giant squid alive
B．Scientists captured a giant squid on camera
C．giant squids are special meat-eating animals
D．giant squids mainly live in the deep sea
小題2:According to the passage, we can infer that the word “Architeuthis” should refer to ________.
A．a(chǎn) scientistB．the sperm whaleC．a(chǎn) big shipD．the giant squid
小題3:Which of the following about giant squids is TRUE?
A．They like living the cold and deep waters.
B．They mainly feed on the dead fish.
C．They like playing, using their tentacles.
D．They have only eight arms around the mouth.
小題4:According to the passage, the scientists located the giant squid ________.
A．through a remote long-line camera
B．by using depth logging system
C．by following sperm whales
D．by using the bait to attract them

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

The storage of classified (分類的) research at all 24 labs run by the US Department of Energy was shut down this week after officials decided that the security (安全) problems recently found at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico might also exist elsewhere.
Several computer disks went missing at Los Alamos earlier this month, forcing Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham to stop all work at the lab until the problems are found out. As of 26 July, two missing disks had still not been found, and 15 employees had been suspended in connection with the disappearance.
Now all energy labs will stop doing classified research that involves(需要) removable storage devices --- such as computer disks ---  until all the devices are given explanation for and new procedures are in place for monitoring their handling by laboratory employees.
"While we have no evidence that the problems being investigated are present elsewhere, we have a responsibility to take all necessary action to prevent such problems, "Abraham said on 23 July.
The shut-down isn't quite as dramatic（驚人的）as it sounds, experts say. Only two labs will be seriously affected: Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in  California. Together with Los Alamos, these two labs conduct the most part of the country's nuclear weapon programmes. At Livermore, 876 employees will be suspended during the storage of some 12,000 items of classified removable material.
At other labs, far fewer people will be affected. "The impact (影響) should be the smallest," says Martha Krebs, former director of the energy department's science office.
小題1:Why was the storage of classified research at all 24 labs shut down?
A．Because the security problems might be present elsewhere.
B．Because the security problems existed elsewhere.
C．Because two missing computer disks had still not be found.
D．Because officials decided to stop doing such research.
小題2:How many labs conduct the country's nuclear weapon programmes according to the text?
A．About 24.B．Only 2.C．More than 2.D．Over 15.
小題3:The underlined word "suspended"in the second paragraph probably means "______”.
A．hung from aboveB．stopped from holding a positionC．doubtedD．fired
小題4: It can be inferred from the text that _____.
A．the computer disks must have been stolen by terrorists
B．the people living in the United States have little security
C．the United States is a country whose security is very bad
D．the missing of the computer disks caused great fear among Americans

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

When I opened my e-mail the other day, a pretty woman named Rachel appeared on my computer screen. She greeted me by name and started talking with great enthusiasm. Every now and then she stopped to smile at me or blow a kiss. She was reading to me an e-mail from my brother, and a lot of it was about his getting the phone company to give him a high-speed Internet connection. It was pretty cool.
Rache
l was there thanks to a new technology called Facemail. Facemail lets you send e-mail that gets ready to the receiver by an attractive male or female form or by a clown(小丑). The software, which is free, can be downloaded at www. Facemail.com.
Facemail faces are lifelike, and they simulate(模擬) emotions based on emotions that you put in your text. For example, type in-X, and Rachel blows a kiss.
LifeFX, the company that develops the Facemail, is sure there are broad business uses. The reason e-business is not popular, the company says, is that buying over the Internet lacks the human touch. But what if you went to the Nike website and Michael Jordan greeted you by name, waited on you and personally closed the sale? And it is talking with Whirl(惠而浦公司) about using the technology in a computer screen on a fridge. Then if Morn can't be home when the kids get back from school, she can leave a note with voice and image telling them what there is to eat.
Facemail could get hot fast. Personally, I'm a fan. But Facemail should be used with care. The clown looks lively and funny at first. But if you select the clown, put a few rude words in an e-mail and add some angry emotions, you've got a Psycho-mail(瘋?cè)诵碗娮余]件).
小題1:The pretty woman that appears on the writer's computer screen was ______.
A. a woman working on the Internet      B. his brother's girlfriend
C not a real person                    D. the picture of his pen-friend
小題2: The main advantage of Facemail is that ______.
A．you can hire a beautiful woman to read the e-mail to you
B．you can see the person who sends you the e-mail
C．yon can send an e-mail free of charge
D．e-mail can be attractive in a more lovely way
小題3:The writer mentioned Nike website and Michael Jordan to show that _______.
A．Famous people like Michael Jordan also like to use Facemail
B．Facemail can make shopping on the Internet more interesting
C．Nike website will increase its sales by Jordan
D．Michael Jordan will serve you himself on Nike website
小題4:What is the writer's attitude towards Facemail?
A．He thinks it needs further improvement.
B．He thinks it cool and funny.
C．He thinks it a danger to the Internet.
D．He thinks people should be careful with Facemail.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

People always say that the earlier one learns a language, the ___1___ it is to do so, in theory it is that, ___2___, in my opinion, that refers to spoken language. Capability(能力) to practise some essential(基本的) ___3___ of a language and read between the lines can only be trained through proper reading ways and hard work ___4___. So spending money to help ___5___ learn English may ___6___ with disappointment. It is likely that the more you ___7___, the more you are let down.
The daughter of one of my friends ___8___ English in primary school, ___9___ her foreign teacher’s blindness ___10___ psychology(心理學(xué)). She did not want to go on ___11___ English until middle school, ___12___ a college student studying in English slowly ___13___ her interest in the language.
It is better to have the child learn Chinese, than to have some difficulty ___14___ learning English for several years. Having been engaged in English education, ___15___ find that despite(不管) their excellent ___16___, many students have ___17___ command(掌握) of English words and phrases. So I suggest that children ___18___ classical Chinese prose(散文), rather than ___19___ them to learn English hurriedly. Otherwise, they may ___20___ the best time to improve the language ability of their mother tongue.
1.A.easy  B. difficult     C. easier  D. more difficult
2.A.but   B. however     C. though       D. yet
3. A. opinions B. regards       C. requests      D. expressions
4.A.directly    B. orally  C. properly     D. indirectly
5.A.people      B. girls    C. children     D. boys
6.A.begin       B. start    C. finish  D. end
7.A.pay   B. get      C. buy     D. take
8.A.loved       B. liked   C. disliked      D. learned
9.A.because of       B. because      C. instead of   D. instead
10.A.of   B. at       C. in       D. to
11.A.learning  B. to learn      C. with learning     D. for learning
12.A.while     B. where C. when  D. as
13.A.introduced     B. practised    C. explained   D. developed
14.A.in   B. to       C. at       D. of
15.A.He  B.I   C. She     D. They
16.A.pronunciation B. phrase C. language    D. writing
17.A.few B. less     C. little   D. fewer
18.A.write      B. do      C. remember   D. memorize
19.A.have       B. let      C. cause  D. make
20.A.get back B. let go  C. bring in      D. go away

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Jurassic Park could become a reality with dinosaurs making a comeback after a discovery last week. Scientists found remains of a dinosaur’s blood vessels（血管）and cells .In theory, DNA from these cells could be used to clone the longdead dinosaur.
A team from North Carolina State University found the remains in a fossil(化石)of the leg bone of a Tyrannosaurus rex（暴龍）in Montana, US.
The last dinosaurs on Earth died some 65 million years ago, but they left bits of themselves behind wherever they lived. Around the world ,dug-up bones and fossils have given scientists many ideas about what the animals were like.
Preserved by minerals, the newly discovered leg bone was hard. So the scientists used a liquid to dissolve（溶解）the minerals. A week later, the remaining material was soft and stretchy（有彈性的）,which surprised the researchers.
Some of the materials appeared to be a network of blood vessels. Out of these, the researchers were able to squeeze(擠出)tiny , round, dark-red and deep-brown structures that seemed to be ancient blood cells.
Scientists are overjoyed by this discovery because most fossils come from hard body parts, like bones and shells, which last a long time. Soft tissues, like skin, muscle, and organs are very hard to find because they tend to break down more quickly.
Scientists think that the new discovery will help them to better understand how fossils form. Future finds should also help flesh out how the dinosaurs lived.
They were also very excited by the possibility of having some dinosaur DNA.From that scientists could create a real life “Jurassic Park”.
In the Hollywood movie, scientists reproduced dinosaurs from the DNA they found in a mosquito fossil and disaster soon followed.
小題1:Scientists are excited _________________________ .
A．because they have got dinosaur DNA
B．a(chǎn)bout making a movie called “Jurassic Park”
C．because they found the liquid to dissolve fossils
D．because it,s very hard to find soft tissues in fossils
小題2: The latest discovery can tell us       .
A．what the animals were likeB．how fossils form
C．how the dinosaur livedD．how to get dinosaur DNA
小題3:What does the underlined phrase“flesh out”mean in the article?
A．a(chǎn)dd more details or information toB．take more photos of
C．make the public know more aboutD．find the answer to
小題4:Why is the latest discovery very important?
A．It could make it possible to make dinosaurs return to the former position.
B．It could throw light on how dinosaurs lived many years ago.
C．It could prove what dinosaurs were like.
D．It could explain why dinosaurs died some 65 million years ago.

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