Passage 3：

In America Mother‘s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May. On that day we send our mothers a special Mother’s Day card， and perhaps some flowers or candy， to show our love and appreciation for all they have done for us. Although Mother‘s Day is a relatively new holiday in America， more and more other countries are also setting aside a day to honor their mothers.

I want to tell you today how the idea of having a special day for mothers began. It all started over a hundred years ago with a woman named Anna May Jarvis.

Anna was born on May 1， 1864， just before the end of the Civil War and the assassination of President Lincoln. She was the daughter of a “minister”， which in American English means a church leader. She was a quiet girl who liked to study in school， but she liked everyone and was liked by everyone as well.

After she became an adult， Anna worked for a life insurance company in Philadelphia， Pennsylvania-a city about halfway between New York City and Washington， D.C. then， in 1906， just two weeks after Anna‘s 42nd birthday， her mother died. It was the second Sunday in May.

In the months that followed， Anna began to change. No longer was she so gentle， so relaxed and easy-going. Instead she now had just one goal for her life-to have her mother and all other mothers honored throughout the whole world on the second Sunday of May.

After more than a year of careful planning， Anna arranged the first Mother‘s Day church service， on May 10， 1908， in Grafton， West Virginia. The next year Anna was able to get the city of Philadelphia， where she lived and worked， to proclaim the second Sunday of May as an official Mother’s Day-the first city to do so. After three more years， the state of West Virginia， where Anna‘s mother had lived， made Mother’s Day a statewide observance – not a holiday in the normal sense， but still a day to remember what mothers have done for their children and society.

11. Which answer is right about Mother‘s Day？

A） In America， Mother‘s Day is a holiday with a very long history.

B） More and more countries are put aside their tradition of celebrating Mother‘s Day.

C） In America， Mother‘s Day is on the second Sunday in May.

D） Throughout the world， Mother‘s Day is celebrated on the same day.

答案： D

解析： 细节题。根据段的内容可以知道A、B、C是正确的，C错在the same day和文章的意思不一样，仅仅是说其它的国家抽出一天但是没有说是在同一天。

12. Choose the right explanation of the word “observance” in the last paragraph

A） remark made by people

B） action in accordance with custom

C） performance of certain tradition

D） notice paid widely

答案： C

解析： C的含义是传统的履行，实际上是过节日。根据上下文的含义应该是庆祝母亲节选择C较合适。

13. How long in all had Anna spent to establish Mother‘s Day in West Virginia？

A） from May 10， 1908 to May 10， 1911

B） for more than four years

C） for more than three years

D） for about three years

答案： B

解析： 细节题。这题有一定的推算性，on May 10， 1908然后After three more years可以知道应该至少是四年。B是正确的答案。

14. Choose the right understanding of this passage.

A） Anna was born just before the assassination of President Lincoln which ended the Civil War.

B） Anna was a daughter of a minister which in English means a church worker.

C） Anna‘s mother’s death had done a little damage to him easy life.

D） The Mother‘s Day celebrated in West Virginia is not a normal holiday， but a day with special meaning.

答案： D

解析： 细节题。后一段的Mother's Day a statewide observance – not a holiday in the normal sense， but still a day to remember what mothers have done for their children and society.可以知道答案。

15. According to the passage， what most probably happened in the paragraph following？

A） The United States Congress proclaimed the Second in May as Mother‘s Day forever in the United States.

B） Mother‘s Day gradually became a conventional celebration.

C） Anna retired from her job with a fortune of over a hundred thousand dollars.

D） People stopped buying candy to their mothers.

答案： B

解析： 文义推论题。本文的作者主要是说母亲节的来历，到文章的后只是说明了这个节日的历史，但尚没有说出在以后的时间里渐渐成为一个conventional（惯常的、惯例的）节日。

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