Getting rid of dirt, in the opinion of most people, is a good thing. However, there is nothing fixed about attitudes to dirt.
In the early 16th century, people thought that dirt on the skin was a means to block out disease, as medical opinion had it that washing off dirt with hot water could open up the skin and let ills in. A particular danger was thought to lie in public baths. By 1538, the French king had closed the bath houses in his kingdom. So did the king of England in 1546. Thus began a long time when the rich and the poor in Europe lived with dirt in a friendly way. Henry IV, King of France, was famously dirty. Upon learning that a nobleman had taken a bath, the king ordered that, to avoid the attack of disease, the nobleman should not go out.
Though the belief in the merit (优点) of dirt was long-lived, dirt has no longer been regarded as a nice neighbor ever since the 18th century. Scientifically speaking, cleaning away dirt is good to health. Clean water supply and hand washing are practical means of preventing disease. Yet, it seems that standards of cleanliness have moved beyond science since World War II. Advertisements repeatedly sell the idea: clothes need to be whiter than white, cloths ever softer, surfaces to shine. Has the hate for dirt, however, gone too far?
Attitudes to dirt still differ hugely nowadays. Many first-time parents nervously try to warn their children off touching dirt, which might be responsible for the spread of disease. On the contrary, Mary Ruebush, an American immunologist (免疫学家), encourages children to play in the dirt to build up a strong immune system. And the latter position is gaining some ground.
1.The kings of France and England in the 16th century closed bath houses because ________.
A. they lived healthily in a dirty environment.
B. they thought bath houses were too dirty to stay in
C. they believed disease could be spread in public baths
D. they considered bathing as the cause of skin disease
2.Which of the following best describes Henry IV's attitude to bathing?
A. Afraid. B. Curious. C. Approving. D. Uninterested.
3.How does the passage mainly develop?
A. By providing examples. B. By making comparisons (比较).
C. By following the order of time. D. By following the order of importance.
4.What is the author's purpose in writing the passage?
A. To stress the role of dirt.
B. To introduce the history of dirt.
C. To call attention to the danger of dirt.
D. To present the change of views on dirt.
If there is one thing I’m quite sure about, it is that in a hundred years from now we still be reading newspapers. Not those newspapers are a necessity. Even now some people get most of the news from the television or have the radio switched on in the background or in the car. Many buy a paper only on Saturday or Sunday. But for most people a newspaper has become a habit passed down from generation to generation.
The basic British character won’t change, and one of the characteristics of the British is that we don’t much like talking to each other when we get up. So what better way is there to keep yourself thinking in the morning than to wrap yourself in a newspaper?
Over the past couple of centuries, human beings have developed a close relationship with the newspaper. It has become as natural as breathing or enjoying the sun. And it is not just the British who love newspapers. On suburban trains in Calcutta, for instance, just one person in the whole car will buy a newspaper and read aloud the best bits to his fellow passengers, much to everybody’s enjoyment.
The nature of what is news may change. What essentially (本质上) makes news is what affects our lives and the big political stories, the coverage of the wars, earthquakes and other disasters, will continue much the same. I think there will be more coverage of scientific research, though. It’s already happening in areas that may directly affect our lives, like genetic engineering. In the future I think there will be more coverage of scientific explanations of why we feel as we do, whether it’s love or depression. We develop a better understanding of how the brain operates and what our feelings really are.
It’s quite possible that in the next century newspaper will be transmitted electronically from the national equivalents of Fleet Street (伦敦的舰队街，以报馆集中而著称) and printed out in our own homes. In fact, I’m pretty sure that that is how it will happen in future. You’ll be probably selecting from a menu, making up your own bespoke newspaper by picking out the things you want to read and say. You might even have an intelligent screening device (装置) to do the job for you.
I think people have got it wrong when they talk about the competition between the different media. They actually have a relationship, feeding off each other. It was once predicted that television would kill off newspapers, which hasn’t happened. What is read on the printed page is more enduring (持久的) than pictures on a flickering screen or sound lost in the sky. And as for the Internet, it’s never really satisfying to read something just on a screen.
1.The author of the passage is most probably from _______________.
A. Russia B. India C. Britain D. America
2.According to the passage, the future of newspapers ____________.
A. will be mainly connected with scientific research
B. will report more important political activities
C. will directly cover more on scientific research
D. will build a bridge between different people
3.The underlined part “bespoke newspaper” of the passage probably refers to _____________.
A. a newspaper which dares to report the truth
B. a newspaper edited to one’s own interest
C. a newspaper edited and published for the public
D. a newspaper which only covers the life of family members
4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. It was centuries ago that newspapers came into being .
B. Televisions have taken the place of newspapers .
C. The Internet will gradually take the place of newspapers.
D. The nature of news may remain the same over generations.
What will city life be like in the future? Some people think that life in the cities is going to be horrible. They say that cities will become more and more crowded. As the number of people increases, there will be less space for each person. This overcrowding will cause other problems — more crime, dirtier streets , and worse problems with traffic than we have now. How will people find enough drinking water, energy (such as gas and electricity ), and housing? Because life will be hard, people who live in cities will worry more, and they may become sick. For these reasons, some say that nobody will want to live in city areas.
How can we deal with such problems as overcrowding, crime, and traffic? In some cities, thousands of people are already sleeping in the streets because there is little suitable housing — and because houses are too expensive. The crime rate isn’t going down. Instead, it is increasing so fast that many people are afraid to go out at night. Traffic is also getting worse. More and more often, traffic jams are so bad that cars don’t move at all for several streets. These problems have been getting worse, not better, so many people see no hope for the future of the city.
Los Angeles, California, for example, has no subway system and buses are slow. Instead, many commuters (乘、开车上班族) drive many miles from their homes to work. Many of these drivers spend several hours each day on busy freeways. New York, however, has a big transit system — buses, commuter trains, and subways. Because the public transportation is crowded and dirty, many people drive private cars, and the traffic jams are worse than that in Los Angeles. A taxi driver complains, “I was driving home, but in forty-five minutes I moved only two miles! Finally, I turned off the engine and just sat there. A lot of people left their cars where they were in the middle of the street and went into a bar for a few beers!”
On the other hand, some cities have clean, fast and pleasant public transportation systems. In Paris, France, and Toronto, Canada, for example, anyone can use buses or subways to move quickly from one part of the city to another.
1.What do some people think is the main problem of the future city like?
A. Poor housing. B. Overcrowding.
C. Environmental pollution. D. Traffic jams.
2.The best way to work out the traffic problem in Los Angels might be _________________.
A. cutting down the number of private cars
B. providing more buses in the freeway
C. building a subway system
D. persuading people to live nearer to their workplaces
3.Which of the following sentences is NOT TRUE?
A. Thousands of people are already sleeping in the streets.
B. The crime rate isn’t going down.
C. The traffic jams are so bad that cars don’t move at all for several streets.
D. Many people have a positive attitude towards the future of the city.
It was the summer of 1965. DeLuca, then 17, visited Peter Buck, a family friend. Buck asked Deluca about his plans for the future. “I’m going to college, but I need a way to pay for it,” Deluca recalls saying. “Buck said, ‘you should open a sandwich shop.’ ”
That afternoon, they agreed to be partners. And they set a goal: to open 32 stores in ten years. After doing some research, Buck wrote a check for $ 1,000. DeLuca rented a storefront (店面) in Connecticut, and when they couldn’t cover their start-up costs, Buck kicked in another $1,000.
But business didn’t go smoothly as they expected. DeLuca says, “After six months, we were doing poorly, but we didn’t know how badly, because we didn’t have any financial controls.” All he and Buck knew was that their sales were lower than their costs.
DeLuca was managing the store and going to the University of Bridgeport at the same time. Buck was working at his day job as a nuclear physicist in New York. They’d meet Monday evenings and brainstorm ideas for keeping the business running. “We convinced ourselves to open a second store. We figured we could tell the public, ‘ We are so successful, we are opening a second store.’” And they did — in the spring of 1966. Still, it was a lot of learning by trial and error.
But the partners’ learn-as-you-go approach turned out to be their greatest strength. Every Friday, DeLuca would drive around and hand-deliver the checks to pay their suppliers. “It probably took me two and a half hours and it wasn’t necessary but as a result, the suppliers got to know me very well, and the personal relationships established really helped out,” DeLuca says.
And having a goal was also important. “There are so many problems that can get you down. You just have to keep working toward your goal,” DeLuca adds.
DeLuca ended up founding Subway Sandwich, the multi-million-dollar restaurant chain.
1.Deluca opened the first sandwich shop in order to _________________________.
A. support his family B. pay for his college education
C. help his partner expand business D. do some research
2.Which of the following is true of Buck?
A. He put money into the sandwich business.
B. He was a professor of business administration (管理).
C. He was studying at the University of Bridgeport.
D. He rented a storefront for DeLuca.
3.What can we learn about their first shop?
A. It stood at an unfavorable place.
B. It lowered the prices to promote sales.
C. It made no profits due to poor management.
D. It lacked control over the quality of sandwiches.
4.They decided to open a second store because they ______________________.
A. had enough money to do it
B. had succeeded in their business
C. wished to meet the increasing demand of customers
D. wanted to make believe that they were successful
5.What contributes most to their success according to the author?
A. Learning by trial and error. B. Making friends with suppliers.
C. Finding a good partner. D. Opening chain stores.
We have two daughters: Kristen is seven years old and Kelly is four. Last Sunday evening, we invited some people home for dinner. I dressed them nicely for the party, and told them that their job was to join Mommy in answering the door when the bell rang. Mommy would introduce them to the guests, and then they would take the guests’ coats upstairs and put them on the bed in the second bedroom.
The guests arrived. I introduced my two daughters to each of them. The adults were nice and kind and said how lucky we were to have such good kids.
Each of the guests made a particular fuss over Kelly, the younger one, admiring her dress, her hair and her smile. They said she was a remarkable girl to be carrying coats upstairs at her age.
I thought to myself that we adults usually make a big “to do” over the younger one because she’s the one who seems more easily hurt. We do it with the best of intentions.
But we seldom think of how it might affect the other child. I was a little worried that Kristen would feel she was being outshined. I was about to serve dinner when I realized that she had been missing for twenty minutes. I ran upstairs and found her in the bedroom, crying. I said, “What are you doing, my dear?”
She turned to me with a sad expression and said, “Mommy, why don’t people like me the way they like my sister? Is it because I’m not pretty? Is that why they don’t say nice things about me as much?”
I tried to explain to her, kissing and hugging her to make her feel better.
Now whenever I visit a friend’s home, I make it a point to speak to the elder child first.
1. The underlined expression “make a big ‘to do’ over” (paragraph 4) means ______________.
A. pay much attention to B. have a special effect on
C. list jobs to be done for D. do good things for
2.We can conclude from the passage that _______________________________.
A. parents should pay more attention to the elder children
B. the younger children are usually more easily hurt
C. people usually like the younger children more
D. adults should treat children equally
3.The guests praised Kelly for carrying coats upstairs because of her __________________.
A. beautiful hair B. pretty clothes C. lovely smile D. young age
4.Kristen felt sad and cried because ________________________.
A. the guests gave her more coats to carry
B. she didn’t look as pretty as Kelly
C. the guests praised her sister more than her
D. her mother didn’t introduce her
Standing on the side of the highway waiting to catch speeding drivers, a police officer saw a car moving slowly at 18 MPH. He _36_ to himself, “This driver is just as _37 as a speeder!” So __38 _ he turned on his lights and pulled the driver over. 39 the car, he noticed that 40 were five old ladies — two in the front seat and __41__three in the back, their eyes wide and faces white as ghosts. The driver, obviously 42_ , said to him, “Officer, I don’t understand. I was _43__ exactly the speed limit! _44__ seems to be the problem?” “Ma’am,” the officer replied, “You weren’t _45__, but you should know that driving _46__ than the speed limit can also be a(n) __47 to other drivers.” “Slower than the speed limit? No, sir, I was doing the speed limit exactly…Eighteen miles per hour!” The old woman said a bit __48_ . The police officer, trying to _49_ a laugh, explained to her that “18” was the route number, _ 50_ the speed limit. A bit embarrassed, the old woman smiled and thanked the officer for _51_ out her error. “But before I let you _52_ , Ma’am, I have to ask if everyone in this car is all right? These women seem very _53_ and they didn’t make a single sound the whole time.”The police officer asked. “Oh, they will be all right _54 a minute, officer. We just _55__ Route 128.”
1.A. turned B. thought C. came D. agreed
2.A. dangerous B. well C. silly D. soon
3.A. tightly B. immediately C. privately D. deadly
4.A. Suspecting B. Blaming C. Starting D. Approaching
5.A. those B. they C. there D. these
6.A. other B. more C. else D. another
7.A. confused B. worried C. delighted D. excited
8.A. increasing B. reaching C. lowering D. doing
9.A. How B. What C. When D. Where
10.A. running B. breaking C. speeding D. concentrating
11.A. slower B. safer C. faster D. higher
12.A. guide B. demand C. aid D. danger
13.A. nervously B. proudly C. roughly D. constantly
14.A. control B. give C. make D. show
15.A. or B. but C. not D. and
16.A. pointing B. speaking C. taking D. squeezing
17.A. drive B. go C. laugh D. run
18.A. united B. exhausted C. worried D. tolerated
19.A. in B. after C. for D. with
20.A. sped up B. left out C. broke down D. got off
