Ⅰ. Complete the passage with the proper form of the words and expressions in the box.
treasure budget certain be known for couple
expensive when no exception a set of combs
The Gift of the Magi is a moving story centred around a young and poor 1. , Della and Jim, who live in New York City. Even though they are poor, each of them owns one prized 2. . Della has her beautiful long hair, and Jim has his gold watch—both of them are precious in their daily lives, representing their deepest love and hopes.
On Christmas Eve, Della 3. her savings carefully but realises she only has one and eighty-seven dollars, which is 4. not enough. To raise enough money, she sells her hair to buy a(n) 5. chain for Jim’s watch. However, 6. Jim comes home, he gives her a special gift—7. for her hair. Although their gifts are now “useless”, their love for each other is the greatest gift of all, making them the wisest of givers.
American writer O. Henry 8. the surprise endings in his stories, and one of his most famous works, The Gift of the Magi, is 9. .

1. couple 2. treasure 3. budgets 4. certainly 5. expensive 6. when
7. a set of combs 8. is known for 9. no exception

【分析】
首先通读全文，把握《麦琪的礼物》的故事语境，明确每个空的语义和语法要求；再结合方框内的词汇，从词性、句子时态、固定搭配等角度逐一匹配，选出合适的词。
【解析】
1. 空格前有“young and poor”，后接人物Della和Jim，指一对夫妇，故填名词couple；
2. 空格前有“one prized”，后接Della的头发和Jim的金表，是珍贵的物品，故填名词treasure；
3. 空格处作谓语，主语Della是第三人称单数，结合语境“仔细计算积蓄”，动词budget（做预算）用第三人称单数形式budgets；
4. 空格修饰“not enough”，需用副词，certain的副词形式是certainly，表“肯定地”；
5. 空格修饰名词chain，需用形容词，结合语境“买昂贵的表链”，填expensive；
6. 空格引导时间状语从句，表“当……时”，填when；
7. 空格对应Della头发的礼物，结合故事内容，填a set of combs（一套梳子）；
8. 主语是美国作家O. Henry，固定搭配be known for（因……闻名），主语是第三人称单数，一般现在时，故填is known for；
9. 空格表“也不例外”，固定短语no exception，符合语境。
【答案】
1. couple 2. treasure 3. budgets 4. certainly 5. expensive 6. when 7. a set of combs 8. is known for 9. no exception
【知识点】
英语选词填空、动词时态、名词词义辨析
【点评】
本题为英语选词填空题，考查词汇在语境中的综合运用，需结合故事背景分析每个空的语义和语法要求，难度适中，属于基础题型。
【难度系数】
0.5

Ⅱ. Read and answer the questions.
A recent study by a financial company in Ireland has found that adults have very different opinions about whether children should get pocket money.
The results showed that 54% of adults believe children should start getting pocket money by age nine. Nearly 20% think age ten is the best starting point. However, almost 10% adults believe children should not receive any pocket money at all. These people argue that children should only get money if they have worked for it.
Interestingly, adults aged 35 to 44 were the strongest supporters of the “earn it” method, with 12% expressing this view. Women were more likely than
men to support giving pocket money to younger children, with 16% of women preferring to start at age five, compared to 12% of men.
The study also found that the average(平均) age at which adults think children should begin receiving pocket money is just over eight and a half years old.
Barry McCutcheon from the company said, “Giving children pocket money can play an important role in teaching them about financial responsibility from an early age. Early financial skills can build good habits like saving and budgeting, giving children more confidence when they face bigger financial decisions later in life.” However, he also noted that there is no one-size-fits-all method and what matters most is finding what works for your family.
In short, no matter which way parents choose, the most important thing is to help children learn good money habits from a young age.
()1. What percentage of adults believe children should not get any pocket money?
A. 10%. B. 12%. C. 16%. D. 54%.
()2. Which group of adults supported the “earn it” method the most?
A. Men under 35.
B. Women aged over 44.
C. Adults aged 35 to 44.
D. Parents of primary school kids.
()3. What can we infer from the underlined sentence “there is no one-size-fits-all method”?
A. Most families follow the same way to give pocket money.
B. Parents need to find a suitable way for their own family.
C. Kids can hardly learn money skills without pocket money.
D. Families often use others’ ways of giving pocket money.
()4. What is the main purpose of this passage?
A. To compare pocket money among different countries.
B. To share opinions about giving children pocket money.
C. To discuss if all children should get money without work.
D. To tell parents how much pocket money is proper for children.

1. A 2. C 3. B 4. B

【分析】
1. 第1题：题干询问认为孩子不该拿零花钱的成年人占比，解题时需定位原文中关于“不接受零花钱”的百分比数据，匹配对应选项即可。
2. 第2题：题干询问支持“earn it”方法最多的群体，需定位原文中“strongest supporters of the ‘earn it’ method”的描述，找到对应群体。
3. 第3题：题干要求推断划线句含义，需结合划线句前后文语境，尤其是后文提到的“找到适合自己家庭的方法”来理解。
4. 第4题：题干询问文章主旨，需通读全文梳理核心内容，确定文章围绕的核心话题。
【解析】
1. 第1题：根据题干关键词“should not get any pocket money”，定位至原文第二段“almost 10% adults believe children should not receive any pocket money at all”，可知该比例为10%，对应选项A。
2. 第2题：根据题干关键词“strongest supporters of the “earn it” method”，定位至原文第三段“adults aged 35 to 44 were the strongest supporters of the “earn it” method”，可知该群体是35-44岁的成年人，对应选项C。
3. 第3题：划线句“there is no one-size-fits-all method”意为“没有通用的方法”，结合后文“what matters most is finding what works for your family”，可推断出父母需要找到适合自己家庭的方式，对应选项B。
4. 第4题：通读全文，文章围绕不同成年人对给孩子零花钱的观点展开，包括起始年龄、“earn it”方法等，主要目的是分享相关看法，对应选项B。
【答案】
1.A 2.C 3.B 4.B
【知识点】
英语阅读理解（细节理解、推理判断、主旨大意）
【点评】
本题为观点类阅读理解题，考查学生的信息定位、逻辑推理和主旨归纳能力，题型常规，难度适中，适合中等水平学生作答。
【难度系数】
0.5