单选题Directions:There are 10 blanks in the following passage.
For each numbered blank, there are 4 choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the
best one and mark your answer on the ANSWER SHEET with a single
line through the center. Christmas is the
anniversary of the birth of Christ, generally celebrated on December 25. It is
one of the chief festivals of the Christian calendar and is {{U}} {{U}}
1 {{/U}} {{/U}}a social and family holiday. Christmas customs vary from
{{U}} {{U}} 2 {{/U}} {{/U}}and among groups of different
national {{U}} {{U}} 3 {{/U}} {{/U}}. In most areas, however,
homes and public places are {{U}} {{U}} 4 {{/U}} {{/U}}with
evergreens, Christmas trees, {{U}} {{U}} 5 {{/U}} {{/U}}lights,
and glittering ornaments. It is the busiest time of the year for merchants, and
shops are filled {{U}} {{U}} 6 {{/U}} {{/U}}lavish displays and
merchandise of all sorts. People send Christmas cards and buy gifts for their
families and friends. Children look forward to {{U}} {{U}} 7
{{/U}} {{/U}}Santa Claus. They {{U}} {{U}} 8 {{/U}}
{{/U}}their stockings on Christmas {{U}} {{U}} 9 {{/U}} {{/U}}and
on Christmas morning they discover the gifts that have been left for them during
the night. In the afternoon, families gather to {{U}} {{U}} 10
{{/U}} {{/U}}presents and to share the traditional Christmas dinner.
【答案解析】表示圣诞习俗各处不同，要说vary from place to place，不带冠词的普通名词重叠使用是一种常用表达法，通常有多次重复或延续的含义。类似的表达法还有from one place to another，但本题B、C、D三个选择项都是错的。
单选题
A. people
B. areas
C. origins
D. minorities
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】people和areas不能同national如此搭配使用，不同民族的人民可说people of different nationalities。C项和D项都可以被national修饰，但national minorities指少数民族。National origins意为“民族血统”，这里groups of different national origins指不同民族的后裔，是正确答案。
【答案解析】从语法角度看，color作为动词是“给……上色”的意思，所以要用其过去分词形式修饰lights，即colored lights“彩灯”，而不能用现在分词coloring。从文章内容判断，虽然color一词也可用作名词，但商店里装饰的不是灯的色彩(colors of lights)，更不是无色的灯(colorless lights)，所以C和D也不正确。