In the United States, when one becomes rich, he wants people to know it. And even if he does not become very rich, he wants people to think that he is. That is what “keeping up with the Joneses” is about. It is the story of someone who tried to look as rich as his neighbours.
The expression was first used in 1913 by a young American called Arthur Momand. He told this story about himself. He began earning $ 125 a week at the age of 23. That was a lot of money in those days. He got married and moved with his wife to a very wealthy neighbourhood outside New York City. When he saw that rich people rode horses, Momand went horseback riding every day. When he saw that rich people had servants, Momand and his wife also hired a servant and gave big parties for their new neighbours.
It was like a race, but one could never finish his race because one was always trying to keep up. The race ended for Momand and his wife when they could no longer pay for their new way of life. They moved back to an apartment in New York City.
Momand looked around him and noticed that many people do things just to keep up with rich lifestyle of their neighbours. He saw the funny side of it and started to write a series of short stories. He called it “Keeping up with the Joneses” because “Jones” is a very common name in the United States. “Keeping up with the Joneses” came to mean keeping up with rich lifestyle of the people around you. Momand’s series appeared in different newspapers across the country for over 28 years.
People never seem to get tired of keeping up with the Joneses. And there are “Joneses” in every city of the world. But one must get tired of trying to keep up with the Joneses because no matter what one does, Mr. Jones always seems to be ahead.
1.Some people want to keep up with the Joneses because they ________.
A．want to be as rich as their neighbours
B．want others to know or to think that they are rich
C．don’t want others to know they are rich
D．want to be happy
2.It can be inferred (推断) from the story that rich people like to ________.
A．live outside New York City B．live in New York City
C．live in apartments D．have many neighbours
3.Arthur Momand used the name “Jones” in his series of short stories because “Jones” is ________.
A．an important name B．a popular name in the United States
C．his neighbour’s name D．not a good name
4.If a person who keeps up with the Joneses, he would _________.
A．do as the poor persons around him do
B．do everything he likes to do
C．do as his neighbours do
D．do as the rich people around him do
When we talk about stars, especially women stars, it seems that they are always young, pretty and own attractive body shapes. But recently a Britain’s Got Talent(英国达人) star Susan Boyle has changed our views completely.
Simon Cowell, one of the organizers of the talent show spoke of his surprise over Ms Boyle’s voice. “This lady came up, and I’m thinking, ‘This will take five seconds and I can go to have a cup of tea.’ That changed when she began to sing I Dreamed a Dream from Lea Miserables. She knew we were going to have that reaction(反应) and just to see that look of satisfaction on her face midway through — it was one of my favorite moments,” Cowell said.
The performance was posted online and before long, the 47-year-old Scottish woman has been famous all over the world.
Speaking from her home in Scotland, Ms Boyle said that she hadn’t thought of changing her appearance. She said that her friend helped her with make-up. “I mean, it’s meaningless.” She added.
Ms. Boyle also spoke of the reason she first began to explore her musical talents. “ I was kind of slow at school, so getting something like singing was a good way of hiding behind that and therefore it built my confidence.’’
1.Susan Boyle had a look of satisfaction on her face when she was singing because ________.
A．she was confident of her singing
B．she was satisfied with the organizers
C．she was pretty and in good shape
D．she sang the song I Dreamed a Dream from Lea Miserables
2.According to the passage, which is NOT true?
A．It was the musical talents that built Susan's confidence.
B．Susan Boyle was not good at her lessons when at school.
C．Susan Boyle became famous because of her appearance.
D．Simon Cowell didn't think Susan Boyle a good singer at the first sight.
3.What can we learn from Susan Boyle’s success?
A．It’s never too old to learn.
B．It’s easier to succeed at the age of 47.
C．If you have a dream, keep trying to make it come true!
D．If you are not able to study well, to be a singer instead.
It’s a long-awaited day for China. The navy now has its first aircraft carrier(航空母舰), Liaoning.
It’s a unique experience to get to know the life in the carrier. The carrier is just like a small city on the sea. It has all the functions for daily life. There are 4 words to sum up its characters: big, small, much and high. The carrier Liaoning is such a huge one that the total length of the whole corridor（过道）could reach over 20 kilometers. But the living space for the sailors（水手）is quite small. That’s because the carrier is designed for researching purposes, rather than comfortable living. Over 1,000 sailors, both men and women, are living onboard. They are arranged among over 3,000 tiny rooms below the deck. For visitors, it’s so easy to get lost. So the first thing the new sailors have to learn is their way around. The number of female sailors is much less than that of the males, taking about 5 percent of the total. But they play a key role in carrying out some special missions.
Also, you will be surprised by the high level of education of today’s sailors. The captain said that over 90 percent of the sailors are college graduates. Six hold Doctor’s Degrees and 45 have a Master’s. The whole team is young but vigorous（朝气蓬勃的）. The complex work on the carrier requires high management abilities for the commanders onboard(在船上).
1.Why do we visitors get lost easily inside the carrier?
A．Because they don’t have a map.
B．Because the living space is quite small.
C．Because there are too many corridors for rooms.
D．Because the corridor inside the carrier is too long.
2.What does the word “high” in Line 6 refer to（指代）？
A．The aircraft carrier is high since it is just like a small city.
B．Most of the soldiers received good education.
C．The expense（花费）to run a carrier is high.
D．The high-level of their training.
3.Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
A．Liaoning is our country’s first aircraft carrier.
B．Most of the sailors on the carrier are college graduates.
C．There are far fewer women sailors than men sailors on the carrier.
D．It is comfortable for the sailors to live in the carrier.
Mr Bean, who is silly, awkward (笨拙的) 1 always funny and enjoyable, is a world-famous comedy character on TV and in movies. He makes people 2 through a series of simple and funny acts 3 body languages. Rowan Atkinson is the 4 who plays Mr Bean. Mr Atkinson is quite 5 for playing Mr Bean.
Rowan was born on January 6, 1955, and 6 his early years on the family farm with his mother, three older brothers and his strict father, who did not believe 7 the value of television. For a time, he attended the same school as Tony Blair, who was two years older than him. At the age of 13, he 8 at Newcastle University where he had the highest marks in his year. At Oxford he got his Master’s degree (硕士学位) in electrical engineering. He was particularly 9 fast cars, of which he has a large collection.
Rowan’s career change from an electrical engineer to a famous comedian was partly 10 some speaking problems he had in his childhood.
While he was still at primary school, Rowan had already shown great talent in 11 . Although his teachers predicted (预言) a career in acting, Rowan was not confident 12 he met a group of talented people at university, and he realized this could be a career for him. Another important event 13 . One day in 1976, he was playing around and making faces 14 . He realized something. “I discovered my face,” he said later. John Lloyd, who worked for the BBC, says, “When I watched Mr Atkinson act for the first time, I was 15 that he would be more famous than Chaplin.”
1. A．and B．or C．but D．while
2. A．laugh B．sing C．cry D．dance
3. A．use B．using C．to use D．to using
4. A．doctor B．writer C．actor D．farmer
5. A．honest B．friendly ` C．helpful D．famous
6. A．cost B．took C．paid D．spent
7. A．in B．on C．at D．/
8. A．worked B．studied C．played D．helped
9. A．good at B．amazed at C．interested in D．worried about
10. A．because B．because of C．so D．since
11. A．swimming B．driving C．acting D．singing
12. A．until B．but C．after D．before
13. A．caused B．missed C．caught D．occurred
14. A．in the mirror B．in class C．on the wall D．in the playground
15. A．afraid B．sure C．worried D．surprised
--- Jack, you seem to be _______.
---Yes. It’s 8: 20now and my train leaves in ten minutes.
A．in a hurry B．in fear C．in safety D．in silence
So far, most of the work _______ by others, it’s your turn to do the rest of it.
A．has finished B．finished C．has been finished D．is finished
