1. 高中进阶 (2303 期 20151222) 4-5 版 Xmas Is Not Xmas Without a Tree

2. Christmas is coming. Have you bought anything to celebrate this year’s Christmas? If so, what is it? Why did you choose it? Christmas is coming. Have you bought anything to celebrate this year’s Christmas? If so, what is it? Why did you choose it? Have you ever bought a Christmas tree? If so, how did you decorate it? Have you ever bought a Christmas tree? If so, how did you decorate it? 2 Pre-reading

3. Scan the article and decide in which paragraph (1-5) you can find the answer to the following questions. 3 1. Where is Easton? 2. Who is François? 3. What is Home Depot? 4. What can you do on nyctrees.com? 5. How many Christmas trees do Americans buy every year? SCAN AND ANSWER Pre-reading

4. 4 festive adj. 喜庆的，节日气氛的 Many homes can no longer make do with the festive cheer that only one tree brings. Bob Sedlatschek of Home Depot, a chain store which …, notes that some households are buying several. While reading make do 凑合，将就着用 household n. 家庭 WORD BANK chain store 连锁店

5. 5 Those who find sawing a sapling too exhausting and choosing one from a tree seller too time-consuming can turn to technology. WORD BANK saw v. 锯 exhausting adj. 使身心疲惫的 time-consuming adj. 耗费大量时间的 While reading turn to 求助于

6. 6 1. The classes begin and end at __________ times. (fixture) 2. Christmas is one of the main __________ in the West. (festive) 3. By the time they reached the top of the mountain, they were ____________. (exhausting) 4. When national income rises, so does _______________. (consume) 5. Choosing furniture is largely a matter of personal _____________. (prefer) Fill in the blanks with the proper form of the given words. fixed festivals exhausted consumption preference While reading VOCABULARY EXERCISES

7. 7 Translate the following sentences into English. 1. 这家工厂的工人按小时计酬。 (by) 2. 我只好将就着穿这件小外套了。 (make do) 3. 美国拥有数所历史悠久的大学。 (home) 4. 她不知道该找谁出主意。 (turn to) Workers of this factory are paid by hour. She didn’t know whom to turn to for advice. I have to make do with the small coat. The United States is home to several universities with long histories. VOCABULARY EXERCISES While reading

8. 8 1. Where do François’s trees come from? A. Quebec, Canada. B. Manhattan, New York. C. Easton, Connecticut. D. New Jersey. O While reading COMPREHENSION Choose the best answer.

9. 9 2. According to the article, what is the latest trend in buying Christmas trees in America? ① Buying more than one Christmas tree. ② Picking Christmas trees at tree farms. ③ Choosing Christmas trees online. ④ Buying artificial Christmas trees. A. ①② B. ③④ C. ①③ D. ②④ O While reading COMPREHENSION Choose the best answer.

10. 10 3. What is the main idea of the article? A. Tree sellers are finding new ways to make money at Christmas. B. More and more households in America are buying several Christmas trees this year. C. Artificial Christmas trees are less popular than real ones. D. American people are buying Christmas trees in different ways this year. COMPREHENSION O Choose the best answer. While reading

11. 11 True or False COMPREHENSION While reading 1. To have a big, good-quality Christmas tree from François, one has to pay $300 a week. 2. There are six tree farms in Easton, Connecticut. 3. When sawing trees at Maple Row, one must wear Santa hats. 4. On nyctrees.com, one can only buy trees grown in New Jersey. 5. Among all the Christmas trees sold in America every year, only about 30 percent are artificial trees.

12. Every second sees a car leave the area with a tree or two tied to its roof. ☞ 跟汉语类似，英语中也有拟人的修辞手法。这一句中的 see 就采用了这一修辞手法，表示 “ 见证 ” 的意思。其实，这个句子 也可以写成： Every second, there is a car that leaves the area with a tree or two tied to its roof. 但作者使用 every second 作句子的主 语，并使用拟人的修辞手法，使句子生动性和趣味性有了明显 的改善。 12 Language study GRAMMAR TIP

13. 13 YOUR TURN Improve the following sentences. 1. Captain Mike found that his ship was lost. Something ________________________________ ____________________. 2. Many changes took place in the 20 th Century. The 20 th Century ___________________________ ____________________. 3. The warm sunshine indicates that the Spring has arrived. The warm sunshine _________________________ ____________________. told Captain Mike that his ship told Captain Mike that his ship was lost saw/witnessed many changes saw/witnessed many changes announces the coming announces the coming of Spring Language study

14. Suppose you are the monitor of your class; what would you do to add some Christmas atmosphere to your class? Explain your decision. 14 Question for further discussion: Hints: After reading I think we can buy a Christmas tree. Everyone in the class can write his or her dreams and wishes on a Christmas card, and hang the card on the Christmas tree. Thus, the tree will not only be a Christmas tree, it will also stand for the dreams of our class. It will motivate us to make progress in studies and realize the dreams.