One of the traditions which is now a necessary part of Christmas is that of Fath

One of the traditions which is now anecessary part of Christmas is that of Father Christmas, or Santa Claus.According to the modern legend, he is a magical figure who visits all thechildren of the world during the night before Christmas Day, leaving presentswhich they find the next morning. He flies through the night sky in a sledgepulled by reindeer, and enters houses by climbing down chimneys. This strangelegend is based on the life of a man called Nicholas, but in fact we know verylittle about him. Historians think he was a Christian bishop(主教) in Turkey in about 285－350 A. D. One of the storiesabout him is that he helped three poor girls. No one would marry them becausethey were so poor. To provide them with money for their weddings, Nicholassecretly dropped some gold coins down the chimney of their house. AfterNicholas died, he was made a saint(圣人) by the church. (The name Santa Claus thus comes from St Nicholas.)His feast day was celebrated in December, and parents started giving theirchildren secret presents from St Nicholas. Over the years, this custom becamepart of our Christmas traditions.

Recently, a psychologist has claimed thatFather Christmas is “the perfect fantasy” for children. According to ProfessorAnthony Clare, children love the character of Father Christmas because he islike an ideal father: he loves children and gives them presents, but he nevercriticizes them, is never angry, and children do not even need to thank him forthe presents. Other writers, however, point out that Father Christmas can be afrightening character to some children. Jane Bidder says that some children areterrified of this fat, bearded old man. It can certainly confuse many children.As parents, we warn our children to be careful of strangers and never to letthem into the house, and yet we tell children that a strange man will come intotheir bedroom at night! Some children can become very worried about this ideaand fear that he is a kind of burglar.

Most children, however, understand fromtheir parents and from the media that Father Christmas is basically a benigncharacter, and look forward to his annual visit with joy and excitement.

46. The main point of the first paragraphis that ________.

A. Father Christmas is an important part ofChristmas 

B. the tradition of Father Christmas is amodern idea

C. Father Christmas is a magical figure whocan fly   

D. the legends about Father Christmas arenot true

47. The writer mentions details such asFather Christmas’s sledge, the reindeer and the way he climbs down chimneysbecause he/she ____________.

A. wants to make it clear that these thingsare impossible   

B. is describing the history of StNicholas   

C. wants everyone to believe that FatherChristmas is real

D. is explaining the modern legend ofFather Christmas

48. Why does the writer mention the storyabout St Nicholas helping three poor girls?

A. It shows us that historians know verylittle about him.

B. This story explains why parents givesecret presents to children.

C. It supports the writer’s main point thatFather Christmas is based on an untrue story.

D. This story explains why we celebrateChristmas in December.

49. In the last paragraph, the word“benign”means _________.

A.religious           B.friendly

C.frightening        D. unreal

50. The best title for this passage wouldbe __________.

A. Is Father ChristmasDangerous?       B. The True History of StNicholas

C. The Legend of SantaClaus       D. The Traditions ofChristmas  

试题答案

【答案】

 A

 D

 B

 B

 C

【解析】略