高三高考備考英語模擬測試題附答案

　　英語是當今世界上主要的國際通用語言之一，也是高考的必考科目。接下來，小編為你分享。

　　高三高考備考英語模擬測試題

　　第一卷***三部分，共85分***

　　第一部分聽力***共兩節，滿分20分***

　　做題時，先將答案標在試卷上。錄音內容結束後，你將有兩分鐘的時間將試卷上的答案轉塗到答題卡上。

　　第一節***共5小題:每小題1分，滿分5分***

　　聽下面5段對話每段對話後有一個小題，從題中所給的A、B、C三個選項巾選出最佳選項，並標在試卷的相應位置。昕完每段對話後，你都有10秒鐘的時間來囡答有關小題和閱讀下一小題。每段對話僅讀一遍。例：How much is the shirt?

　　A. £19. 15. B. £9. 15. C. £9. 18.

　　答案是B。

　　1. What does the woman suggest?

　　A. Setting off early. B. Not going by car. C. Going another day.

　　2. Where are the two speakers?

　　A. At home. B. In a restaurant. C. On the street.

　　3. What is the relationship between the two speakers?

　　A. Friends. B. Strangers. C. Husband and wife.

　　4. What is Frank planning to do?

　　A. To move to a big city.

　　B. To work in London.

　　C. To become a teacher.

　　5. When will Mr Smith see the man speaker?

　　A. In the morning. B. At noon. C. In the afternoon.

　　第二節***共15小題;每小題1分，滿分15分***

　　聽下面5段對話或獨白9每段對話或獨白後有幾個小題，從題巾所給的A、B、C 二個選項中選出最佳選項，汴標在試卷的相應位钂。聽每段對話或獨白前，你將有時間閱讀各個小題，每小題5秒鍾;聽完後•各小題將給出5秒鐘的作答時間。每段對話或獨A讀兩遍3 , 聽第6段材料，問答第6至8小題。

　　6. What is true about Dan?

　　A. He was once in New York.

　　B. This is the first time for him to be in New York.

　　C. He has just arrived in Shanghai from New York.

　　7. How did Dan sleep last night?

　　A. He was too excited to fall asleep.

　　B. He slept quite well.

　　C. FIe V/as too tired to sleep well.

　　8. What do we ^ iow about the woman?

　　A. It's difiiojir for her to adjust to time difference.

　　B. She is usec: to time difference.

　　C. She usually gets a good sleep after a long flight.

　　聽第7段材料，回答第9至11小題o

　　9. Where aie the two speakers talking?

　　A. In a teacher、office. B. In the school yard. C. In a car.

　　10. How long have the two speakers NOT seen each other?

　　A. Twelve years. B. Eleven years. C. Ten years.

　　11. Why did the man come to Yale?

　　A. To work as a teacher.

　　B. To visit the university.

　　C. To study in the university.

　　聽第8段紂料，回答第12至14小題。

　　12. Why does the man buy a necklace and a pair of earrings?

　　A. To give his girlfriend as a Christmas present.

　　B. To give his mother as a birthday present.

　　C. To give a friend as a Christmas present.

　　13. Which necklace does the man want to buy?

　　A. The necklace with a slightly irregular shape.

　　B. The pink necklace.

　　C. The pink necklace with a slightly irregular shape.

　　14. How much does the man pay?

　　A. $ 120. B. $ 130. C. $ 150.

　　聽第9段材料，問答第15-17小題。

　　15. What arc the two speakers doing?

　　A. They're on holiday.

　　B. They're going home.

　　C. They're talking on the phone.

　　16. Who can Tim and Joe most probably be?

　　A. Aunt Lily's children.

　　B. Aunt Lily's friends.

　　C. Aunt Lily's neighbours.

　　17. What do we know from the dialogue?

　　A. Michael and Anny will go to see Aunt Lily.

　　B. Aunt Lily will go to MichaeFs home.

　　C. Uncle Jimmy will go to iMichael's home.

　　聽第10段材料，回答第18至20小題。

　　18. Mow many kinds of schools are mentioned by the speaker?

　　A. Two. B. Three. C. Four.

　　19. Why are religious schools less expensive than private schools?

　　A. They receive support from public taxes.

　　B. They receive support from successful businessmen.

　　C. They are run by churches.

　　20. Why do some parents send their children to private schools?

　　A. Because of less expense.

　　B. Because of high quality.

　　C. Because of free education.

　　第二部分英語知識運用***共兩節，滿分35分***

　　第一節單項填空***共15小題;毎小題1分,滿分15分***

　　請認真閱讀下面各題，從題中所給的A、B、C、D四個選項中，選出最佳選項,並在答題卡該項塗黑。

　　例：It is generally considered unwise to give a child he or she wants.

　　A. however B. whatever C. whichever D. whenever

　　答案是B。

　　21. —Hi，Wang Xin! What attracts you so much in today's Jinling Evening News? —-I'm quite impressed by latest news that — senior citizens can

　　enjoy free fares.

　　A. a ; the B.不填;the C. the;不填 D. the ; the

　　22—Can I get out in the daytime?

　　—No. The school rules state that no child be allowed out during the

　　day, unless accompanied by an adult.

　　A. shall B. need C. will D. can

　　22. —What，s the common of dealing with youth crime in your area?

　　—Generally, education comes first.

　　A. process B. procedure C. performance D. practice

　　23. When comes to research into heart disease and the effects on the body,

　　we do not have adequate substitutes for the use of animals.

　　A. that B. it C. what D. this

　　25 . with a gradual rise of seawater, some nations in the Pacific are

　　considering moving in the near future.

　　A. Facing B. To face C. Faced D. Being faced

　　26. In Australia, surfing is a popular sport among young people they can

　　seek excitement and adventure.

　　A. that B. which C. where D. how

　　27. —They may be getting married soon. —How did you know it?

　　A. A little bird told me B. I have butterflies in my heart

　　C. It's a piece of cake D. Beauty lies in love’s eyes

　　28. —What's all that noise?

　　—Just in front of the bus an injured man, all covered with blood.

　　A. where lies B. lies C. does lie D. lying is

　　29. —Jack can't concentrate on his lessons recently.

　　—Yes，that might why he did so badly in the last test.

　　A. answer for B. apply for C. account for D. call for

　　30. —Come on，Kitty.

　　—Oh, good heavens! Both my legs are nearly to give out. I for hours

　　like a dog.

　　A. have been walking B. had walked

　　C. was walking D. walked

　　31. —How are you getting along with your project?

　　—I was about to give up when an idea occurred to me I could work with

　　my roommate Tim.

　　A. that B. how C. why D. whether

　　32. Look at the trouble we’re in. If only we our teacher’s advice !

　　A. took B. would take

　　C. would have taken D. had taken

　　33. With the country*s population reaching 1. 6 billion in the mid of this century, most of China's rivers, including the Yellow River, .

　　A. is drying up B. will be drying up

　　C. dry up D. have dried up •

　　34. Although ，the Acropolis is still handling serious problems such as

　　deliberate damage and stealing of stones.

　　A. conserving B. to be conserved

　　C. having conserved D. being conserved

　　35. ——How did you find the film Harry Potter and the Deathly HaLlows? .

　　________I can't think too highly of it.

　　A. It makes no sense B. It's really amazing

　　C. It's awful D. It's up to you

　　第二節完形填空***共20小題;每小題1分，滿分20分***

　　請認真閱讀下面短文，從短文後各題所給的A、B、C、D四個選項中，選出最佳選項,並在答題卡該項塗黑。

　　My life suffered a lot after my father^ death. I had to look after my sick mother and two younger brothers. As the eldest son，I had no choice but to ____36 school and work in a factory. A thread of hope flashed in those ____37__ days'suddenly. It was a rainy dusk when I put myself in the rain and walked in the street.

　　Suddenly the rain stopped ! _____38 , I raised my head, and found that "the sky，， was in fact a dark blue ____39 Then I heard a deep voice. "Why not run _____40 an umbrella?" a middle-aged man with one leg on crutch***柺杖***said to me，"If you run,

　　you would get_____41 .，I shook my head, but after a second I thought： Right,

　　_____42? His words shocked me deeply. Without my father's _____43 ’ could I only be a___44to the fate ***命運***?

　　While ______45 _ together in the rain，I knew that he was a promoter from the city, and he received an order and spent _______46 time on it. Looking at this guy, I had no sympathy but _____47 . I took the umbrella from his hand and he told me that he once had ______48_ _ of being a policeman, but an accident ________ 49 his dream. Though his

　　present work was ____50 and did not suit for his____51 .，every outing was a

　　wonderful start to him. He was glad that he didn’t____- 52 heart and still ‘ran，，on the road of life..

　　_____53 by the man’s remarks，I went to a city in the south and became an insurance representative. After two years‘running，I got _______54 and my family turned better gradually.

　　Everything is so simple： to run without an umbrella! When you ____55 the rainy season of your life, there will be bright sky ahead of you.

　　36 A. desert B. dismiss C. reject D. quit

　　37 A. dark B. bright C. white D. colorful

　　38 A. Interested B. Confused C. Excited D Disappointe

　　39 A. hat B. raincoat C. umbrella D. jacket

　　40 A. with B. without C. for D. to

　　41 A. drier B. warmer C. less wet D. less cold

　　42 A. why not B. or what C. so what D. who knows

　　43 A. praise B. protection C. comfort D. attention

　　44 A. slave B. master C. guest D. commander

　　45 A. running B. wandering C. jogging D. walking

　　46 A. much B. no C. little D. some

　　47 A. envy B. admiration C. love D. care

　　48 A. approved B. known C.spoken D. dreamed

　　49 A. defeated B. damaged C.ruined D. wiped

　　5p A. boring B. demanding C. rewarding D. tiring

　　51 A. hand B. foot C. arm D. leg

　　52 A. lose B. take C. change D. gather

　　53 A. Amused B. Terrified C. Encouraged D. Shocked

　　54 A. anywhere B. everywhere C. somewhere D. nowhere

　　55 A. ruji into B. run across C. run away with D. run out of

　　第三部分閱讀理解***共15小題;每小題2分，滿分30分***

　　請認真閱讀下列短文，從短文後各題所給的A、B、C、D四個選項中,選出最佳選項，並在答題卡該項塗黑。

　　Nineteen-year-old Christopher Paolini has always loved adventure books. In fact, he plotted out his first book, Eragon, when he was just fifteen! Eragon is selling more copies than most of the Harry Potter books. A reporter from WhoyS News talked to this young author about his books and how he ended up being one of the best-selling authors of all time !

　　Reporter ：

　　Christopher Paolini ***CP*** ： I love fantasy. I love the sense of awe and wonder that you always get at the end of a great book or movie. Eragon was an attempt to express that. When I was about twelve, I read a book called Jeremy Thatcher,

　　Dragon Hatcher. It's about a young boy who went into a mysterious shop and

　　bought a dragon egg that ends up hatching. It stuck in my head. Eragon was an attempt to see what I could do with the idea myself. Reporter ： Where else do you get your IdeascI

　　CP: I'm definitely influenced by authors who have a fairly inventive use of language, imaginative worlds and a sense of wonder—authors who write about things that other people don't.

　　Reporter ： What was the hardest thing about writing Eragon?

　　CP: Probably the editing because I wasn't used to it. It was a kind of shock doing it. But also I was having to learn a huge amount about grammar and commas and other things I’d never paid much attention to before. I'd say that editing and writing are pretty much equal in difficulty. My raw writing is a lot more professional now than it ever was before because of everything I learned through the editing process.

　　Reporter ： Hoxv do you avoid becoming frustrated with the writing process?

　　CP: Write about what you enjoy the most or what touches you the most; otherwise you'll never be able to survive a book-length project.

　　Reporter ： Anything else you’d like to share -with our readers?

　　CP: Before I wrote Eragon, I spent an entire month plotting out the entire story so I wasn't writing blindly. That helps. I really poured my heart and soul into it. It’s not just an adventure story ： it is about Eragon trying to work out who we are, why we are here and how we can live honorably.

　　56. The reporter、first question is most likely to be “ ____”.

　　A. What's the most interesting thing about Eragon?

　　B. What inspired you to write EragoncI

　　C. How has your writing improved after Eragon?

　　D. How long did it take you to write Eragon ?

　　57. What does the underlined word “that，，refer to in the third paragraph?

　　A. A story. B. The sense of awe and wonder.

　　C. An idea. D. A great book or movie.

　　58. What does Paolini find as difficult as writing?

　　A. Plotting out the story. B. Grammar and commas.

　　C. The editing process. D. The creative use of language.

　　59. Which of the following BEST indicates Paolini devoted himself completely to

　　writing Eragon?

　　A. ‘Write about what you enjoy the most or what touches you the most.”

　　B. uEragon was an attempt to see what I could do with the idea myself.”,

　　C. “I spent an entire month plotting out the entire story. ”

　　D. “I really poured my heart and soul into it. ”

　　One month into my French degree course at Nottingham University, I was eager to travel around, having just spent a year working as a teacher in Nepal. Two years later, my schedule reads more like a traveller's than a student's does , having spent 18 months abroad under university programmes.

　　I have seen many students abandon their studies, desiring to see the world before making any long-term decisions. My advice for would-be globe travellers is to choose a degree subject that you find truly interesting, and use the resources available to see as much of the world as possible. So no longer does the “travel or study" question need an either/or response ; with a little research and organization, it’s possible to combine the two. Two programmes that allow you to do this are "Erasmus" and "U21".

　　The Erasmus Programme aims to increase student mobility within the European Union and associated states. Participants under this programme get to spend a semester ***學期***at a foreign university, often receiving a grant***助學金***from the EU or their home department. By the start of the next academic year, more than one million students will have benefited under Erasmus. Not only do you get to sit through hours of lectures in the local language , you also gain cultural experience in the country. France, Germany and Spain are always popular, but the EU encourages applications to countries where less popular languages are spoken，such as Greece and Portugal. Theoretically» students of any subject can participate in the Erasmus Programme , although it depends on the involvement of your specific department in the project. The reality is that, in many universities, the programme-is most commonly intended for modern language students.

　　For a French student like me, Melbourne in Australia seems an unlikely- destination ,yet I was sent there in my second year. U21 is a multinational association of universities throughout the world, which have united to offer their students the opportunity to study abroad for a semester. The applicant's destination depends on the links between their department and the corresponding departments ofmember universities , which can be found in countries such as New Zealand , China , Singapore , Canada, Sweden and the United States.

　　60. What happened to many students who travelled while studying?

　　A. They chose a degree subject that they found truly interesting.

　　B. They abandoned their studies.

　　C. They used the resources available to see the world.

　　D. They responded to the “travel or study " question.

　　61. Who is most likely to be chosen by the Erasmus Programme?

　　A. A student from the EU.

　　B. A student who would be a global traveller.

　　C. A modern language student.

　　D. A student involved in a specific department.

　　62. Which of the following can be tl^e best title for the passage?

　　A. Seeing the World with University Students

　　B. Studying and Traveling in the European Union

　　C. Experiencing Foreign Cultures

　　D- Studying Abroad under University Programmes

　　Environmentalists said our planet was doomed to die. Now one man says they are wrong.

　　"Everyone knows the planet is in bad shape，，，thundered a magazine article last year. Species***物種***are being driven to die out at record rates, and the rivers are so poisonous that fish are floating on the surface , dead.

　　But there's a growing belief that what everyone takes for granted is wrong ： things are actually getting better. A new book is about to overturn our most basic assumptions about the world’s environment. Rivers , seas, rain and the atmosphere are all getting cleaner. The total amount of forests in the world is not declining. The Skeptical Environmentalist by Bjorn Lomborg ? professor of statistics at the University of Aarhus in Denmark, is an attack on the misleading claims of environ¬mental groups, and the ‘‘bad news" culture that makes people believe everything is getting worse.

　　Now the attacks are increasingly coming from left-wing environmentalists such as Lomborg, a former member of Greenpeace. The accusation is that, although the environment is improving, green groups — with profits of hundreds of millions of pounds a year — are using scare tactics ***謀略***to gain donations. Lomborg's bookdoesn't deny global warming—probably the biggest environmental threat—butdestroys almost every other environmental claim with many official statistics.

　　The Worldwatch Institute claims that "deforestation has been accelerating over the last 30 years”. But Lomborg says that is simply rubbish. Since the dawn of agriculture the world has lost about 20 per cent of its forest cover，but in recent decades the forest area's depleting has come to a stop. According to UN figures, the area of forests has remained almost steady, at about 30 per cent of total land area , since the 1940s. Forests in countries such as the US，UK and Canada have actually been expanding over the past 40 years. Despite all the warnings the Amazon rainfor¬est has only shrunk***縮小*** by about 15 per cent.

　　Nor are all our species dying out. Some campaigners claim that 50 per cent of all species will have died out within 50 years. But other studies show only 0. 08 per cent of species are dying out each year. Conservation efforts have been successful. Whales are no longer threatened and the bald eagle is off the endangered list.

　　Environmental groups claim that many of the improvements are the results of the success of their campaigns. Stephen Tindale，director of Greenpeace UK，said ： “There are important examples , such as acid rain and ozone，where things weren't as bad as predicted, and that*s because behaviour changed. ’，

　　63. In his book, The Skeptical Environmentalist, what is Lomborg's main argument?

　　A. Our planet is in bad shape.

　　B. The world's environment is improving.

　　C. The total amount of forests in the world is not declining.

　　D. Conservation efforts have been successful.

　　64. What is Lomborg's main accusation of environmentalists?

　　A. They scared people into making donations.

　　B. They overturned our basic assumptions about the world's environment.

　　C. They changed their behavior toward the environment.

　　D. They only told people bad news about the environment.

　　65. The underlined word “depleting” in Paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to “____ ”

　　A. reducing B. limiting C. expanding D. accelerating

　　66. According to the passage, which of the following statements indicates positive

　　aspects of the environment?

　　A. The total area of forests in the world has increased significantly.

　　. i

　　B. The effects of global warming are not as bad as first expected.

　　C. It appears that the bald eagle will now survive.

　　D. In the last 50 years the number of whales has increased.

　　When she was a girl of sixteen and before she began to work in the store , Alice had dated a young man. The young man, named Ned Currie, was older than Alice. He was employed on the local newspaper and for a long time he went to see Alice almost every evening. Together the two walked under the trees through the streets of the town and talked of what they would do with their lives. Alice was then a very pretty girl and one night Ned took her into his arms and kissed her. He became excited and said things he did not intend to say and Alice, betrayed by her desire to have something beautiful come into her narrow life, also grew excited. She also talked. The outer crust***殼***of her life , all of her natural shyness and reserve, was torn away and she gave herself over to the emotions of love.

　　When，late in the fall，Ned went away to Cleveland to try to get a place on a city newspaper and rise in the world , she wanted to go with him. With a trembling voice she told him what was in her mind. “I will work and you can work，，，she said. “I don't want to tie you to a needless expense that will stop you making progress. Don't marry me now. We'll get along without that and we can be together. Even though we live in the same house, no one will say anything. In the city we'll be unknown and people will pay no attention to us."

　　Ned was puzzled by his sweetheart's determination and was also deeply touched. He had wanted a girlfriend just to relieve the boredom of h.is life but had changed his mind. He now wanted to protect her and care for her. “You don't know what you're talking about，，，he said sharply; "I'll let you do no such thing. As soon as I get a good job , I'll come back. For the present you'll have to stay here. It's the only thing we can do.，，

　　On the evening before he left Winesburg, Ned went to call on Alice. They walked about through the streets for an hour and then went for a drive in the country. The moon came up and they found themselves unable to talk. They stopped at a place where a long meadow ran down to the bank of Wine Creek and there in the dim light he kissed her and promised he would love her forever. When they returned •to town, it did not seem to them that anything in the iuture could blot out ***拭去***the wonder and beauty of that evening. ‘‘Now we will have to stick to each other; whatever happens, we will have to do that，” Ned said as he left the girl at her father's door.

　　He did not succeed in getting a place on a Cleveland newspaper and went west to Chicago. For a time he was lonely and wrote to Alice almost every day. Then he was caught up by the life of the city ; he began to make friends and found new interests in life. In Chicago he boarded at a house where there were.several women. One of them attracted his attention and he forgot Alice in Winesburg. At the end of a year he had stopped writing letters, and only once in a long time , when he was lonely or when he went into one of the city parks and saw the moon shining on the grass as it had shone that night on the meadow by Wine Creek , did he think of her at all.

　　67. The general tone of this text is .

　　A. angry B. optimistic C. supportive D. sad

　　68. What can be inferred from the underlined phrase "With a trembling voice，，in Paragraph 2?

　　A. Alice was excited. B. Alice was regretful.

　　C. Alice was confident. D. Alice was uncertain.

　　69. Ned wrote to Alice almost every day because he .

　　A. loved her very much

　　B. hoped she would join him in Chicago

　　C. did not have anything better to do

　　D. had a lot of interesting things to tell her

　　70. Which of the following words can BEST describe Ned?

　　A. Protective. B. Changeable. C. Greedy. D. Faithful.

　　第四部分任務型閱讀***共10小題;每小題1分，滿分10分***

　　請認真閱讀下列短文，並根據所讀內容在文章後表格中的空格里填入最恰當的單詞。注意：每空格1個單詞。

　　On my first job as sports editor for Leader Enterprise, I didn't get a lot of fan mail，so I was attracted by a letter that was dropped on my desk one morning.

　　When I opened it, I read ： “A nice piece of writing on the Tigers. Keep up the good work.，，It was signed by Don Wolfe，the sports editor. Because I was a teenag¬er ,his words couldn't have been more inspiring. I kept the letter in my desk draw¬er. Whenever I doubted whether I had the talent to be a writer，I would reread Don's letter and feel confident again.

　　Later，when I got to know him, I learned that Don made a habit of writing a few quick , encouraging words to people in all walks of life. ‘When I make others feel good about themselves，，，he told me，‘I feel good too. ”

　　Over the years , I’ve tried to copy the example of Don，because I think they are on to something important. Such letters bring warmth. A few lines of praise have been known to turn around a day, even a life.

　　Why, then, are there few such letter writers? My guess is that they’re afraid they'll be misunderstood, and sound insincere. Also, writing takes time ; it’s far easier to pick up the phone. •

　　Even though letter writing may take longer, some pretty busy people do it,

　　including George Bush , who owes much of his success in politics to his ever-ready

　　pen. How? Throughout his career he has followed up every contact with a line of praise or thanks. His letters go not only to friends and colleagues, but to casual acquaintances and total strangers.

　　Even top managers have begun to learn the lesson, and earn the benefits of writing letters that lift people up. Former Ford chairman Donald Peterson, who is largely responsible for improving the business of the company in the 1980s, made it a practice to write positive messages to colleagues every day.

　　What does it take to write letters that lift spirits and warm hearts? The most successful people include what I call the four “S，s，，of letter writing.

　　They are sincere. No one wants false praise.

　　They are usually short. Say what you want to in three sentences.

　　They are specific. Praising a business colleague by telling him "good speech” is too vague ; “great story about Warren Buffet,s investment strategy，，is precise.

　　They are spontaneous ***自發的***.This gives them the freshness and enthusiasm that will stay in the reader's mind long afterward.

　　- The ,thought counts. Please keep paper, envelopes and stamps close at hand, even when you travel. Be generous with your praise. Even if your praise is a little ahead of reality, remember that expectations are often the parents of dreams fulfilled.

　　Today I got a warm letter from my old boss. His little letter to me was full of uplifting phrases , and it sent me to my computer to write a few overdue letters of my own. I don't know if they will make anybody else's day, but they made mine. As my friend Don Wolfe said, making others feel good about themselves makes me feel good too.

　　The Power of a Letter

　　Examples Advantages ,

　　Don Wolfe To encourage others and make them as well as 71. ___▲___ feeling good

　　George Bush To keep 72. ___▲___ with others to make his 73.___▲___ carceer successful

　　Donald Peterson To change the company for the 74. ___▲___

　　The writer's old 75. ___▲___ To warm the writer's heart and send him to write to others

　　76. ___▲___ can we write encouraging letters well?

　　Praise should be sincere , not 77. ___▲___.

　　Praise should be short, not long. Praise should be 78. ___▲___ ，not vague. Praise should be spontaneous , not unnatural. People should be 79. __▲___to praise others.

　　People should be well prepared by 80. ___▲___ paper, envelopes and stamps close at hand.

　　第五部分書面表達***滿分25分***

　　一年一度的寒假即將來臨，《中學生英語》雜誌準備出版專刊“快樂寒假”。因此，請你寫一篇英文稿件。你的敘述須包含下列話題：1.往年寒假難忘的一件事***過程及感想***;2.今年寒假的打算 ***至少3點，娛樂、學習、其他***;3.你的願望。

　　要求：1***可適當增加細節，使行文連貫。

　　2*** 詞數：150詞左右。短文開頭已為你寫好，不計入總詞數。

　　3*** 文中不得提及考生所在學校和本人姓名。

　　The winter holiday we are looking forward to is drawing near. The past holidays brought me many wonderful memories. _____________________________________________________________________________________________