Many people still remember the magic of Father Christmas from when they were children. As parents, they try to keep that magic alive for their children for as long as they can.
That is why Letters from Father Christmas could be the perfect book for those who regard Christmas as a special time of year. The man who wrote these letters is one of the most famous names in English literature — J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings. The letters were Tolkien’s way of keeping Father Christmas alive for his four children, over a period of more than twenty years.
Every Christmas, an envelope with a North Pole stamp arrived. It was addressed to Tolkien’s children. Who could it be from? The children must have been very excited as they opened it. Inside, they would find a handwritten letter from Father Christmas. The letters were also beautifully illustrated—each must have taken its true author, Tolkien, a long time to complete.
The letters told wonderful stories about Father Christmas’s life and adventures at the North Pole. A regular character in the letters was Polar Bear, who once climbed the North Pole (an actual pole in this case) and fell through the roof of Father Christmas’s house. In another letter, Father Christmas complained about how he could not stop his helpers playing games with the toys instead of wrapping them up. Interestingly, the letters did not contain the usual warnings to children that they might not receive their presents if they were not good. The letters did, however, change as Tolkien’s children got older：
...but if you find that not many of the things you asked for have come, and not perhaps quite as many as sometimes, remember that this Christmas all over the world here are a terrible number of poor and starving people.
Letters from Father Christmas tells us that as well as enjoying the adventures of Father Christmas, Polar Bear and other characters at the North Pole, we can all share the true spirit of giving at Christmas time. By expressing love for his children in such a special way, Tolkien may indeed have been the real Father Christmas.
【小题1】What is Tolkien famous for?| A．His novel The Lord of the Rings. | B．His letters to Father Christmas. |
| C．His fantasy childhood memories. | D．His introduction to Father Christmas. |
| A．They were sent from Father Christmas. | B．They were wrapped up in good boxes. |
| C．It was hard to write the different stories. | D．The beautiful pictures were hard to make. |
| A．Life will be easy if you work hard. | B．It’s no use complaining about life. |
| C．We should learn to give care to others. | D．Children love presents with pictures. |
| A．He addressed all his letters to Father Christmas. |
| B．He showed his love for his children in a special way. |
| C．He got others to know some people were starving. |
| D．He discovered the spirit of Father Christmas. |
When you do a great job for your customer or a bad job，people are going to talk about your business. Unfortunately，because we humans seem to feel negative emotions more intensively（强烈地） than positive ones，we're more likely to tell more of our friends about bad experiences with a business than positive ones. Understand this：Customers believe their own experience. You can't make them believe that your company is wonderful when they felt they were treated badly.
So，to get positive wordofmouth going for your business in this servicebased economy，you've got to do a really outstanding job for everyone，exactly.
And when you do，you build a great reputation (名声). That takes time. But it forms a close link with your customers in a way that no advertising and no promotional（促销的）coupon(优惠券) ever could.
The good news is that because there are so many different businesses chasing after（追赶）your customers' money，people want to know whom they can trust. So people are going to be talking about you create a free sales force for your business—— an army of delighted customers who tell everyone that they know how good your company is to do business with. That's a great antidote (解药) to nonconfidence.
【小题1】According to the passage，whether we go to a place or not depends on ________.
| A．business fames | B．associates' recommendation |
| C．particular recognition | D．media assistance |
| A．说明 | B．提及 | C．提供参考 | D．适用于 |
| A．they get some promotional coupons |
| B．the business chase after their money |
| C．they themselves are treated well |
| D．they see the advertisement is good enough |
| A．service imperfection | B．service advertisement |
| C．customers' protection | D．customers' distrust |
| A．A company can rely on its associates to survive. |
| B．A person should rely on his friends for business. |
| C．Advertising can make customers believe it's wonderful. |
| D．A good name will bring you money. |
Ms. Mota is one of the first teachers, especially art teachers, who have kept her word. A student was disruptive (制造混乱的) for many days. She actually got him out of the class. She’s not one of the teachers who are unfair saying “You’re going to get kicked out of my class if you keep up with this behavior”, and then don’t do anything about it. She makes sure if others want to be here, they are here without students who want to be disruptive.
She helps everyone at any time. I don’t know how she does it, but Ms. Mota will answer a student’s question at any time of the day. She never ignores any of her students. If we need help, Ms. Mota is always there.
We need paper, pencils, paints, clay, etc. in art classes, but the school doesn’t provide us with enough materials. Ms. Mota stands up for us. She wants her students to enjoy art, so she fights for materials. Of course not fighting with hands, but by using strong words. Besides, she brings so many materials for us. Any donations people give her, she brings in for her students. She wants us to know how to use these materials, and grow as artists. She wants us to grow as young adults who have fun with art but not to make art seem like a chore (讨厌的工作).
Ms. Mota is such an inspiration to me. I want to go into the field of teaching little kids art, and she helps bring that into my life more. I feel encouraged that I can learn more, and teach kindergarteners how to draw because Ms. Mota has taught me to this point.
【小题1】How does Ms. Mota deal with badly-behaved students?| A．She abuses them. | B．She ignores them. |
| C．She forgives them. | D．She punishes them. |
| A．She is active and creative. | B．She is strict but kind. |
| C．She is curious but impatient. | D．She is devoted and confident. |
| A．She asks the students to buy themselves. | B．She attracts people’s donations. |
| C．She appeals to the school for materials. | D．She fights against the school with hands. |
| A．A student. | B．An artist | C．A teacher. | D．A researcher. |
| A．To show his great love for art. | B．To express his admiration for Ms. Mota. |
| C．To offer encouragement to Ms. Mota. | D．To tell the stories of Ms. Mota. |
It has been several weeks since we took our daughter to college and she seems to be adjusting well after a short period of homesickness. For us, though, it’s another story. Like most parents, I love checking in on my children at night. But now she’s gone, and I find night times the hardest. I miss her most at night.
In my neighborhood, most of the parents whose kids are off to college are dealing with similar melancholy. My husband is filled with anxiety. One friend talked about getting this sick feeling in her stomach as she prepared for the college drop-off. We complained that many of us were too busy to truly enjoy being with our children while we had them.
For us moms, seeing Toy Story 3 only made the sadness worse as we watched the character Andy, who is the same age as our kids, say goodbye to his childhood as he prepares to leave for college. And it’s not just “first-time” parents like me. Two moms who have kids already well into college said the separation didn’t get any easier. “You feel like something has been taken away from inside you” said one of them.
I imagine things will get easier with time, especially as I see my daughter adjust to college life. Meanwhile, as I keep my cell phone close to me in bed and text my daughter goodnight and sweet dreams every night, I like to think that messages serve as a night light that keeps her safe.
【小题1】The writer was deeply impressed by the scene in Peter Pan because ________.
| A．the scene showed a mother’s deep love for her children |
| B．the scene was very exciting and interesting |
| C．the scene taught her and her daughter a good lesson |
| D．she watched the scene with her daughter |
| A．realized she hadn’t done enough for her daughter |
| B．often cried as she missed her daughter so much |
| C．didn’t get used to the change for a long time |
| D．failed to have a good sleep every night |
| A．Happiness. | B．Anger. |
| C．Excitement. | D．Sadness. |
| A．To call her daughter any time. |
| B．To wait for her daughter’s calls. |
| C．To wait for her daughter’s messages. |
| D．To say good night to her daughter. |
组卷网是一个信息分享及获取的平台，不能确保所有知识产权权属清晰，如您发现相关试题侵犯您的合法权益，请联系组卷网
