On Christmas Eve everything is rush and bustle. Offices and public buildings close at one o’clock, but the shops stay open late. Most big cities, especially London, are decorated with colored lights across the streets and enormous Christmas trees. The main line stations, trains and buses are crowded with people traveling from all parts of the country to be at home for Christmas.
In the homes there is a great air of expectation. The children are also decorating the house with colored lights. Christmas cards – with the words “A Merry Christmas to You” or “Wishing You a Merry Christmas and Prosperous New Year”, or “With the Compliments of the Season”, etc. – are arranged on shelves, tables and sometimes hung round the walls.
Meanwhile the housewife is probably busy in the kitchen getting things ready for the next day’s dinner. The Christmas bird, nowadays usually a turkey, is being prepared, the pudding is inspected and the cake is got out of its tin.
- The shops close at one o’clock on Christmas Eve. __________________
- Colored lights are decorated across streets in big cities. __________________
- All the people are at home on Christmas Eve. __________________
- Trains and buses are almost empty on Christmas Eve. __________________
Read the passage again and choose the best answer.
- What is the closet meaning of the word “expectation”?
A. prosperity B. hope C. willingness D. perfection
- Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage?
A. All shops close at Christmas. B. Housewives are free at Christmas.
C. Everyone has to prepare a lot of things for Christmas. D. All are correct
