We all know what it is like to be unable to turn your head because of a cold in the muscles of your neck, or because an unexpected twist has made your neck ache. The slightest move makes you jump with pain. Nothing could be worse than a pain in the neck.
That is why we use the phrase to describe some people who give you the same feeling. We have all met such people.
One is the man who always seems to be clapping his hands—often at the wrong time—during a performance in the theater. He keeps you from hearing the actors.
Even worse are those who can never arrive before the curtain goes up and the play begins. They come hurrying down to your row of seats. You are comfortably settled down, with your hat and heavy coat in your lap. You must stand up to let them pass. You are proud of yourself-control after they have settled into their seats…Well, what now…God, one of them is up again. He forgot to go to the men’s room, and once more you have to stand up, hanging on to your hat and coat to let him pass. Now, that is “a pain in the neck”.
Another, well—known to us all, is the person sitting behind you in the movies. His mouth is full of popcorn ; he is chewing loudly, or talking between bites to friends next to him. None of them remain still. Up and down, back and forth, they go—for another bag of popcorn, or something to drink.
Then, there is the man sitting next to you at lunch, smoking. He wants you to enjoy it too, and blows smoke across your food into your mouth.
We must not forget the man who comes into a bus or subway and sits down next to you, just as close as you will let him. You are reading the newspaper and he gets closer so that he can read the paper with you. He may even turn the paper to the next page before you are ready for it.
We also call such a person a “rubber neck”, always getting close to where it does not belong, like neighbors who watch all your visitors. They enjoy learning about your personal business. People have a strong dislike for “rubber necks”. They hate being watched secretly.
1.Where can you find this passage?
A．In a medicine dictionary. B． in a kids’ story book.
C．In a social science book. D．In a science textbook.
2.According to the passage, how do you feel when late comers walk back and forth in front of you in a cinema?
A．disturbed. B．bored. C．ignored. D．relaxed.
3.A “rubber neck” often __________________ .
A．says bad words behind people.
B．quarrels face to face with neighbors.
C．bargains with salespeople over the price
D．asks about other people’s business
4.Which of the following persons CANNOT be described as a “pain in the neck”?
A．Someone who often claps at the wrong time during a performance.
B．Someone who feels ache in his neck due to a cold in the muscles.
C．Someone who sits next to you smoking, which you never enjoy.
D．Someone who keeps eating or talking all through the movies.
5.What is the main purpose of the author?
A．To tell people what might be bad manners in public.
B．To criticize (批评) the people who might be a “pain in the neck”
C．To show anger to those who are described as a “pain in the neck”.
D．To tell people how to stop the pain in the neck.
When I was a little girl, I found love in a box all because of a class assignment. On a Friday night I 36 at the dinner table, “My teacher said we have to bring a box, a special box, for our valentines on Monday”.
Mother said, “We’ll see,” and she continued eating.
What did “We’ll see” mean? I had to have that box, 37 my second grade Valentine’s Day would be a disaster. Maybe they didn’t love me enough to help me with my 38 .
All Saturday I waited 39 and with Sunday arriving, my concern increased. However, I 40 that an enquiry about the box would 41 anger or loud voices, for in my house children only asked once. More than that 42 trouble.
Late Sunday afternoon, my father called me into the kitchen. The table was covered with different kinds of colorful 43 . A (n) 44 shoebox rested on top of it. 45 flooded through me when Daddy said, “Let’s get started 46 your project.”
In the next hour my father 47 the shoebox into an impressive valentine box. Colorful paper covered the ugly cardboard with red hearts 48 to what I considered all the right places. He sang while he worked. When he finished, he was so delighted that a 49 smile spread across his face. “What do you think of that?” he asked.
I answered him with a hug.
But inside, 50 danced all the way to my heart. It was the first time that my father had devoted so much 51 to me, for his world consisted only of work.
The holiday party arrived, and my classmates put cards and presents into the valentine boxes. Laughter filled our classroom until dismissal time 52 .
On the way home, I held out my valentine box for the world to 53 . The love that filled it meant more to me than all the valentines inside.
The valentine box became a symbol of his love that 54 through decades of other Valentine’s Days. My father gave me other gifts through the years, but none 55 compared with the love I felt within the limits of the old, empty shoebox.
1. A．announced B．appeared C．served D．sat
2. A．and B．but C．or D．so
3. A．design B．plan C．idea D．project
4. A．sadly B．anxiously C．disappointedly D．patiently
5. A．found B．realized C．knew D．imagined
6. A．start B．cause C．mark D．produce
7. A．invited B．took C．saved D．had
8. A．boxes B．gifts C．paper D．food
9. A．new B．big C．attractive D．empty
10. A．Relaxation B．Relief C．Cheer D．Calm
11. A．by B．at C．in D．on
12. A．folded B．packed C．changed D．pressed
13. A．joined B．attached C．linked D．connected
14. A．slight B．brief C．broad D．confident
15. A．joy B．fun C．interest D．amusement
16. A．money B．time C．support D．hope
17. A．reached B．set C．spent D．came
18. A．accept B．respect C．admire D．recognize
19. A．carried B．kept C．spread D．lasted
20. A．ever B．even C．yet D．still
---- Are your family ready for rafting?
----Yes, I really want my children to experience that they are young.
A．\ B．if C．unless D．while
----It’s thirty years since we last met．
----But I still remember the story, believe it or not, _____ we got lost on a rainy night．
A．which B．that C．what D．when
-----You’ve got a stomachache? But we ate at the same place. How come my stomach is fine?
------You have an iron stomach! Mine isn’t ___ strong.
A．as B．such C．much D．enough
German Chancellor Angela Markel says united Europe could fail if Eurozone (欧元区) over debt problems in Greece, Italy and other weaker economies.
A．pulls up B．pulls down C．breaks up D．breaks down
