A
Originally called Santa Fe, the town of Santa Claus, Indiana, selected its new name in the 1850s. The United States Postal Service refused to set up a post office there because another town in Indiana had the same name, which inspired the town people to change the name of the town to Santa Claus.
In the early 1940s, industrialist Louis J. Koch bought 260 acres of land there to create the world's first theme park as a retirement project. He was troubled that the tiny hamlet of Santa Claus was visited by children who would be disappointed when they discovered Santa was not there. Then Santa Claus Land opened in 1946, offering a toy shop, toy displays, a restaurant, themed rides designed just for children, and, of course, daily appearances of Santa himself.
The history of the park is the story of a family which has, for seven decades, dedicated itself to providing millions of guests with good, oldfashioned family fun. Over the decades, Santa Claus Land flourished. Children from across the country came to sit on the real Santa's knee and whisper their Christmas wishes. Guests included Ronald Reagan, who stopped by in 1955.
As the park grew, the Koch family knew Christmas was not the only theme possibility for the park. In 1984, Santa Claus Land expanded to also include Halloween and Fourth of July sections, and the park's name was changed to a more appropriate one, Holiday World. In 1993, Splashin' Safari Water Park was added. In 2006, the park introduced a new holiday. The Thanksgiving section included a recordbreaking new wooden roller coaster, The Voyage, which helped increase the park's seasonal attendance past the onemillion mark for the first time. In 2013, TIME magazine named The Voyage the nation's best wooden roller coaster.
Throughout its history, Holiday World has set high standards for the theme park industry, with steadfast adherence to the values established in the family.
( D )1．Why did a post office fail to be set up in Santa Fe?
A．To keep Santa Fe quiet.
B．To save money for the town.
C．To force the town to change its name.
D．To prevent people sending letters to a wrong address.
( C )2．Which of the following can replace the underlined word “hamlet” in Paragraph 2?
A．Play. B．Park.
C．Village. D．Post office.
( D )3．According to the passage, what do we know about Holiday World?
A．It is a state business.
B．It is popular with children.
C．It has changed little since its foundation.
D．It is mainly for celebrating holidays.
( C )4．What is the best title for the passage?
A．A Theme Park About Santa in America
B．The Records of Holiday World
C．How Has Holiday World Developed?
D．Why Do People Love to Visit Holiday World?
答案及解析：
【语篇解读】这是一篇记叙文。文章主要介绍了主题公园“假日世界”的发展历史，以及这个主题公园的一些特色和理念。
1．D 推理判断题。根据第一段中“The United States Postal Service refused to set up a post office there because another town in Indiana had the same name, which inspired the town people to change the name of the town to Santa Claus. (美国邮政管理局拒绝在那里设立邮局，因为印第安纳州的另一个小镇也有同样的名字，这促使小镇的人们把小镇的名字改为Santa Claus。)”可推知，没有在圣达菲设立邮局是为了防止人们把信寄错地址。故选D。
2．C 词义猜测题。根据画线词后“of Santa Claus was visited by children who would be disappointed when they discovered Santa was not there”可知，Louis J. Koch担心孩子们会来参观这个名叫“圣诞老人”的小村庄，结果却发现那里并没有圣诞老人，而感到失望。即画线词意思是“村庄”。故选C。
3．D 细节理解题。根据倒数第二段中“As the park grew, the Koch family knew Christmas was not the only theme possibility for the park. In 1984, Santa Claus Land expanded to also include Halloween and Fourth of July sections, and the park's name was changed to a more appropriate one, Holiday World. (随着公园的发展，Koch家族知道圣诞节并不是公园唯一的主题。1984年，圣诞老人乐园扩展到万圣节和独立日部分，公园的名字被改成了一个更合适的——假日世界。)”以及“The Thanksgiving section included a recordbreaking new wooden roller coaster, The Voyage, which helped increase the park's seasonal attendance past the onemillion mark for the first time.(感恩节部分包括一个打破纪录的新型木制过山车‘航行’，这帮助公园的季节性游客首次超过100万人次。)”可知，假日世界主要用于庆祝节日。故选D。
4．C 主旨大意题。根据最后一段“Throughout its history, Holiday World has set high standards for the theme park industry, with steadfast adherence to the values established in the family.”并结合文章主要介绍了主题公园“假日世界”的发展历史，以及这个主题公园的一些特色和理念可知，C选项“假日世界是如何发展起来的？”最适合作文章标题。故选C。
