全新版大学英语学习大厅综合教程第五单元B卷

By day three, I was on a tear, thanking every grocery bagger and parent on the playground like I’d just won an Oscar and hanging post-it notes to remind myself of the next day’s thank-you targets: the mailman, my son’s math teacher. But soon, the full-on approach started to bum me out. Researchers call it the Pledge of Allegiance effect. “If you overdo gratitude, it loses its meaning or, worse, becomes a chore,” professor Emmons told me when I mentioned my slump. Be selective, he advised, and focus on thanking the unsung heroes in your life.

Then professor Emmons suggested a “gratitude visit.” Think of a person who has made a major difference in your life and whom you’ve never properly thanked. Compose a detailed letter to him or her that expresses your appreciation in concrete terms, then read it aloud, face-to-face.

I immediately flashed on Miss Riggi, my eighth-grade English teacher. She was the first one to open my eyes to Hemingway, Faulkner, and other literary giants. To this day, I am guided by her advice (“Never be boring”). I booked plane tickets to my hometown, Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Miss Riggi was shorter than I remember, though unmistakable with her still long, black hair and bright, intelligent eyes. After a slightly awkward hug and small talk, we settled in. I took a deep breath and read.

And whether it was Miss Riggi’s enormous smile when I finished the letter, or the way she held it close as we said goodbye, my feeling of peace and joy remained long after I returned home.

Since then, I have written several more gratitude letters, and my wife and I both summon our “training” when we feel saddled by life. The unpleasant matters are still there, but appreciation, I’ve learned, has an echo — and it’s loud enough to drown out the grumbling of one man emptying the dishwasher. 31.

According to the passage, what did professor Emmons propose to have a gratitude attitude? A) Making oneself appear to be grateful. B) Keeping an elaborate diary.

C) Thinking positively in a given time.

D) Recording everything appreciated for a certain time. 正确答案： D 32.

According to the context, “gratitude visit” in Para. 4 refers to ________. A) inviting someone out of appreciation

B) calling on someone with an appreciated letter C) seeing someone you are indebted to D) seeing someone in private 正确答案： C 33.

The author’s reunion with his English teacher, Miss Riggi, shows that __________. A) the author was desperate to see his teacher B) his teacher had a great influence on him

C) his teacher still had a deep impression of the author D) the author wanted to testify the professor’s proposal

正确答案： B 34.

The last paragraph shows that ________.

A) professor Emmons’ suggestions are effective to the author B) professor Emmons’ suggestions are unpractical to the author C) the author and his wife learn how to show gratitude to others

D) the author and his wife never feel bored and annoyed by life after taking professor Emmons’ advice

正确答案： A 35.

Which of the following can best serve as the main idea of the passage? A) Your life will be improved with a gratitude attitude. B) Calling on people to pay a gratitude visit. C) Everyone should pretend to be thankful. D) A happy life derives from positive thinking. 正确答案： A Passage Two

Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage.

Four weeks ago US children dressed as monsters and asked for sweets. That was Halloween. In a few weeks American houses will be red and green and filled with presents. For Christmas．

As if all this isn’t enough, on Thursday this week, America will enjoy another festival — Thanksgiving．

Children will have two days off school, shops will close and houses will be filled with families enjoying mountains of food．

Every year, in Gainesville, Florida, all entire class celebrate Thanksgiving together．The class dresses up and puts on plays for their families. After the plays the families share a feast of traditional Thanksgiving foods like turkey and pumpkin pie．

Dean Foster, an 11-year-old boy will take part in this celebration. He said: “I love Thanksgiving because it means time off school, lots of nice food and a happy family.”

His brother Ben, nine, said: “The best thing about Thanksgiving，is that when it is finished, it is time to start Christmas.”

But behind the food and the large amount of money spent there is another message. On Thursday evening, Dean and Ben’ s family will make a basket and put it on the table as they eat their evening meal．

Each of them will write a list of things that they are thankful for and place the paper in the basket. The family will read the pieces of paper and take time to thank God and each other for providing them with comfortable and happy lives．

Thanksgiving is a traditional festival that started in 1621, when the first pilgrims arrived in the US to start a new life. After a hard year, they had a big autumn harvest. They held a feast and invited the native American Indians along to thank God for giving them enough food．In time, other colonies began to celebrate a day of thanksgiving. But it took years before there was a national Thanksgiving Day. During the Civil War, Sarah Josepha Hale persuaded Abraham Lincoln to do

something about it. He proclaimed the last Thursday of November 1863 as a day of thanksgiving. Today, Americans celebrate this happy harvest festival on the fourth Thursday in November.

Many countries celebrate Thanksgiving. They often fall after the fields have been harvested and the crops collected for winter． 36.

On Halloween, children in the United States often dress up as ________. A) ghosts B) actors C) pilgrims D) tourists 正确答案： A 37.

Which of the following is NOT included in Thanksgiving celebration in America? A) Preparing a traditional dinner featuring roast turkey. B) There is a two-day holiday at school. C) Thanking God and each other.

D) The shops are open round-the-clock. 正确答案： D 38.

Thanksgiving is the time for the American people to thank God for ________. A) looking after them

B) providing them with comfortable and happy lives C) clothing them D) protecting them 正确答案： B 39.

Many children in the United States like Thanksgiving because ________. A) they can stay with their parents at home and eat a lot of nice food B) they can dress up like monsters C) they can put on plays

D) they can visit American Indians 正确答案： A 40.

The first pilgrims in the United States started the first Thanksgiving that is celebrated to ________.

A) thank the native for helping them

B) thank the US for offering an environment to exist C) thank God for bestowing food on them D) thank God for giving them life

正确答案： C

Part III Vocabulary and Structure ( 12 minutes )

Directions: There are a number of incomplete sentences in this part. For each sentence there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Choose the ONE that best completes the sentence. 41.

It is evident that the Opposition is trying to ________ our achievements. A) diminish B) magnify C) amplify D) exaggerate 正确答案： A 42.

One of the requirements for a fire is that the material ________ to its burning temperature. A) is heated

B) will be heated C) be heated

D) would be heated 正确答案： C 43.

Since the championship began in 1987, they have finished ______ in ninth, seventh and fifth position.

A) successively B) progressively C) successfully D) consequently 正确答案： A 44.

________ the flood, the ship would have reached its destination on time. A) In case of B) But for C) In spite of D) Because of 正确答案： B 45.

Living in a foreign country can mean you’re always ________ sea about what’s going on. A) on B) at C) in D) under