I attended a birthday party in 1991. My teacher was then 59 years old. But her fellow teacher said that we were celebrating her 39th birthday! We were all surprised and puzzled.
After the party I was told by the fellow teacher that American women have a special saying about birthdays. If a woman is over 40, or even if she is 80, her birthday is always the 39th. If she is in her thirties, her birthday will be the 29th. And in her twenties, it’s the 19th. They usually have their “real” birthday when they are below 20.
This shows that American women, especially elderly women, are very sensitive(敏感的) about their ages. But my teacher always says, “We want to be younger,” so about the age of Western women, my advice is that if you don’t know it, don’t ask about it; if you really know it, don’t mention it.
1. The writer felt the birthday party he attended was ___________.
A. very interesting B．very strange C．very common D．very sensitive
2.The writer must be from______________.
A．Western countries B．Eastern countries
C．China D．the United States
3.In order to please an old Western woman , you can say to her,“____________”
A．You are so old that you shouldn’t do that.
B．How old are you?
C．You look so young and beautiful.
D．Can I help you, granny?
4.The writer wants to tell us__________________.
A. that a Western woman always celebrates her 39th birthday
B. not to ask a Western woman’s age whether you know her well or not
C. to ask a Western woman’s age freely
D. not to attend an old Western woman’s birthday party
Edie was nine years old, and she was tinier than other children of her age. One day, she ran home crying loudly, because she was 36 by the three new girls of her school. They picked her as the object of their 37 and threatened to beat her up. Edie’s mother held her 38 and comforted (安慰)her. She 39 the next day that the girls had been troublemakers at several other schools and they were being given one more 40 at a new beginning.
Edie’s _41 said ,“Be kind to your enemies, Edie.”She _42 said, “When the girls 43 to threatened you next time ,tell them you want to be their friend.”“Are you 44 enough to do that?”Edie’s mother asked. The 45 girl answered, “Yes, Mom, I’ll try.”
Every day, the girls pushed Edie and called her names and 46 to get in a poke(戳) or two. Each time, Edie looked up at them and said, “ I’d really like to be your 47 . ”But it seemed that this wasn’t working.
Then one day the following week, Edie ran home as 48 as she could , shouting ,“Mom, guess what happened today ! Just like I 49 did, I said I’d really like to be their friend, and one of the 50 said ,‘Okay, Edie, we 51 and we’ll be your friends’”A short time later, Edie sat at a table with them and 52 their tutor (私人教师).
Towards the end of the school year, 53 Edie’s parents went to school for a parent-teacher conference, the teacher told 54 ,“Because of Edie’s kindness, those girls have completed 55 and are model students in the class.”
1. A. frightened B. encouraged C. cheated D. saved
2. A. shame B. surprise C. anger D. fear
3.A. suddenly B. unwillingly C. curiously D. softly
4.A. expressed B. admitted C. learned D. believed
5.A. time B. chance C. lesson D. trouble
6. A. sister B. father C. mother D. teacher
7.A. again B. also C. once D. just
8. A. start B. agree C. refuse D. forget
9.A. kind B. brave C. strong D. clever
10.A. weak B. foolish C. selfish D. tiny
11.A. chose B. promised C. volunteered D. tried
12. A. friend B. classmate C. enemy D. neighbor
13. A. fast B. carefully C. late D. safely
14. A. never B. seldom C. always D. often
15. A. boys B. students C. players D. girls
16. A. grow older B. give up C. set off D. become worse
17. A. became B. helped C. invited D. found
18.A. if B. when C. because D. before
19. A. her B. him C. us D. them
20.A. stayed up B. broken down C. turned around D. fallen behind
The new couple got ____of the long ______play, and they went out of the theatre.
A. tired; boring B．tired; bored C. tiring; boring D．tiring; bored
Progress ________very good so far and we are sure that the work will be finished on time.
A. was B. had been C. has been D. will be
Don’t be angry with him. He didn’t make the mistake _______.
A. in turn B. on purpose C. by accident D. in total
Much attention should be paid _________people’s living conditions.
A. in improving B. to improve C. improving D. to improving
