Today we tell about the expression “down to earth”．Down to earth means being open and honest．It is easy to deal with someone who is down to earth．Such people could be important members of society, but they do not consider themselves to be better than others who are less important．They do not let their importance “go to their heads.” Someone who lets something go to his head feels he is better than others．He has a “big head.”
A person who is filled with his own importance and pride is said to have “his nose in the air．”Often the person who has a big head and his nose in the air has no reason to feel better than others．
Americans use another expression that is similar in some ways to down to earth---“both feet on the ground.” Someone with both feet on the ground is a person with a good understanding of reality．She has what is called “common sense.” She does not allow her dreams to block her understanding of what is real．
The opposite kind of person is one who has his “head in the clouds.” Someone with his head in the clouds is a person whose mind is not on what is happening in real life．Such a person may be called a “daydreamen.”
The person who is down to earth usually has both feet on the ground．But the opposite is not always true．Someone with both feet on the ground may not be as open and easy to deal with as someone who is down to earth．
When we have both our feet firmly on the ground，and when we are down to earth，we do not have our noses in the air．We act honestly and openly to others．And our lives are like the ground below up—solid and strong．
1.He who considers himself to be better and more important than others is likely to .
A. have his head in the clouds B. be easy to deal with
C. have a “common sense” D. have “a big head”
2.Which of the following expressions is similar to “down to earth”?
A. “his nose in the air” B. “go to his head”
C. “both feet on the ground” D. “daydreamer”
3.The passage is mainly about ．
A. some popular American expressions B. how to be down to earth
C. why to be honest and open D. how to deal with someone who is down to earth
Ed Viesturs grew up in Rockford, Illinois, where the tallest thing on the horizon was the water tower. But on Thursday, Viesturs became the only American to climb to the top of the world's 14 highest mountains.
His last hike was up Mount Annapurna, in Asia's snowcapped Himalayas. At 26,545 feet, its peak is the 10th highest in the world. It is the mountain that inspired him to start climbing.
"It tends to be the trickiest, the most dangerous," said Viesturs. "There's no simple way to climb it. There are threatening avalanches (雪崩) and ice falls that protect the mountain."
In high school, Viesturs read French climber Maurice Herzog's tale of climbing the icy Annapurna. Herzog's story was of frostbite (冻伤) and difficulty and near-death experiences. Viesturs was hooked right away.
Viesturs got his start on Washington's Mount Rainier in 1977, guiding hikes in the summer. Fifteen years ago, he set out to walk up to the world's highest peaks. Finally, he's done.
The pioneering climber talks about mountains as if they were living creatures that should be treated with respect. "You have to use all of your senses, all of your abilities to see if the mountain will let you climb it," said Viesturs. "If we have the patience and the respect, and if we're here at the right time, under the right circumstances, they allow us to go up, and allow us to come down."
What's next for a man who can't stop climbing? "I'm going to hug my wife and kids and kind of kick back and enjoy the summer," says Viesturs. But for a man who's climbed the world's 14 tallest mountains, he will probably soon set off on yet another adventure.
1.What record has Ed Viesturs set?
A. He has succeeded in climbing to the world’s 14th highest mountain.
B. He has been to the top of the world’s 14 highest mountains.
C. He has become the first to climb to the height of 26,545feet.
D. He has become the first man to climb to the top of 14 highest mountains in the world.
2.The underlined word “hooked” in Paragraph 4 can be replaced by “______”.
A. frightened B. discouraged C. interested D. upset
3.The author used Viestures’ words in Paragraph 6 to support a view that ______.
A. mountain climbing is a dangerous sport
B. mountains should be regarded as living creatures
C. mountain climbing needs more skills than physical energy
D. those who like mountain climbing won’t stop climbing
4.What’s the next probably plan of Viestures?
A. Stopping climbing and staying with his family.
B. Climbing to the top of the world’s 14 tallest mountains again.
C. Climbing another one of the highest mountains.
D. Writing down the experiences about his adventure.
I was sure that I was to be killed. I became terribly nervous. I fumbled (searched) in my pockets to see if there were any cigarettes, which 41 their search. I found 42 and because of my shaking hands, I could 43 get it to my lips. But I had no matches, they had taken those. I looked 44 the bars at my jailer（看守监狱的人）. He did not make eye contact with me. I 45 to him “Have you got a light?” He looked at me, shrugged and came over to light my cigarette. 46 he came close and lit the match, his eyes inadvertently（无意中）locked with mine. At that moment, I 47 . I don't know why I did that. Perhaps it was 48 , perhaps it was because, when you get very close, one to another, it is very 49 not to smile. In any case, I smiled. In that instant, it was 50 a spark jumped across the gap between our two hearts, our two human souls. I know he didn't want to, but my smile leaped through the bars and generated smile on his lips, too. He lit my cigarette but 51 , looking at me directly in the eyes and continuing to smile.
I 52 smiling at him, now aware of him as a(n) 53 and not just a jailer. And his looking at me seemed to have a new 54 too. “Do you have kids?” he asked. “Yes, here, here.” I took out my wallet and nervously fumbled for the 55 of my family. He, too, took out the pictures of his family and began to talk about his plans and hopes for them. My eyes filled with tears. I said that I feared that I'd never see my family again, never have the chance to see them grow up. Tears came to his eyes, too. 56 without another word, he 57 my cell (牢房) and silently led me out．Out of the jail，quietly and by back routes，out of the town. There, at the edge of town, he released me. And without another word, he turned back toward the town.
“My life was 58 by a smile.” Yes, the smile—the unaffected, unplanned, 59 connection between people. I really believe that if that part of you and that part of me could 60 each other, we wouldn't be enemies. We couldn't have hate or envy or fear.
1.A. had lost B. had given C. had escaped D. had reached
2.A. them B. it C. that D. one
3.A. barely B. quickly C. possibly D. 1ikely
4.A. on B. through C. at D. up
5.A. gave out B. let out C. called out D. screamed out
6.A. As B. before C. after D. until
7.A. cried B. shook C. refused D. smiled
8.A. anger B. nervousness C. bitterness D. sympathy
9.A. easy B. hard C. glad D. embarrassed
10.A. even though B. as well as C. as though D. as long as
11.A. went away B. dropped out C. stayed far D. stayed near
12.A. kept B. stopped C. began D. forgot
13.A. stranger B. enemy C. opponent D. person
14.A. dimension B. suggestion C. impression D. concept
15.A. cigarettes B. bags C. pictures D. wallet
16.A. Intentionally B. Unconsciously C. Unwillingly D. Suddenly
17.A. unfolded B. unlocked C. uncontrolled D. undefended
18.A. misled B. destroyed C. saved D. ignored
19.A. surprising B. natural C. different D. frequent
20.A. like B. expect C. notice D. recognize
---Lost and Found office. ________?
--- I wonder if you have a small black suitcase of mine.
A. What can I do for you B. Who’s that
C. What’s that D. How do you do
So far all cloned animals have suffered from some different serious disorders, _______ dying soon after birth.
A. many of which B. many of whom C. many of them D. many of that
When asked to explain ________ he does to make his students so fascinated with his lessons, the teacher paused and thought deeply.
A. what it is that B. that what it is
C. what is it that D. that what is that
