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Two Christmas traditions have come under attack in recent years from environmentalists: Christmas
cards and Christmas trees.
Paper cards are seen as wasteful and, for some people, going card free is another way of going green. They also argue that in a world of e-mail, Skype, Facebook and Twitter, people are in touch all the time
anyway; they no longer need the yearly card that connects them with long lost friends. If you want to
send Christmas greetings, there are free e-cards, which get the job done with no postage or wasted
paper.
However, especially for people who didn't grow up with e-mail, there is something missing from a
Christmas e-mail. The first Christmas cards appeared in London in 1843 and were designed by the
same man who had introduced the world's first postage stamp three years earlier. His name was Sir
Henry Cole.
They rose in popularity throughout the 20th century. Many people sent cards that were sold for
charity.The most famous of these are the ones sold for UNICEF. In the UK this year, in the three
weeks before Christmas, the post office expects to handle 100 million cards every day. Environmental
awareness also means that nowadays many people recycle their cards; this helps raise money to plant
more trees, as well as recreating more paper.
When we think of trees at Christmas, there is one that immediately springs to mind-the evergreen tree
that people decorate with ornaments and place their presents under. The custom dates back almost a
thousand years to Germany, Nowadays 33 to 36 million Christmas trees are produced in America and
50 to 60 million in Europe each year. Some trees are sold live with roots and soil so people can plant
them later and reuse them next year.
Some people prefer artificial trees as they are reusable and much cheaper than their natural alternative. However, environmentalists point out that they are made from petroleum products and they have much
pollution.
1. What is the main idea of the article?
A. To analyze how two Christmas traditions grew in popularity.
B. To introduce the history of two typical Christmas traditions.
C. To point out the problems in some traditional ways of celebrating Christmas,
D. To explain the debate environmentalists and traditionalists about Christmas traditions.
2 Some people suggest getting rid of paper cards because ______.
a. they cannot be recycled and reused
b. they are not environmentally friendly
c. they are mostly sold for charity
d. free e-cards have many advantages over them
e. they are not as necessary as they used to be for people
A. a, b, d
B. a, c, d
C. b, d, e
D. b, c, e
3 What can we conclude from the article?
A. This year has seen a dramatic drop in Christmas card sales and products.
B. The first Christmas cards were designed three years earlier than the stamps.
C. Environmentalists advise people to buy cards that are sold for charity to help raise money
D. Growing environmental awareness is encouraging people to begin to recycle their cards.
4 Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?
A. Some people prefer to buy live trees that can be reused next year.
B. Artificial trees are much better than natural ones in all aspects.
C. The custom of decorating Christmas trees first appeared in Britain.
D. There is a wider Christmas tree market in America than in Europe.

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