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 neighbors.
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 neighborhood. 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 neighbors.
It was like a race, but one could never finish this 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 had to move 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 neighbors. 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 neighbors
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 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. live with many neighbors
3.What's the author's attitude to keeping up with the Joneses?
A. Negative. B. Positive.
C. Supportive. D. Objective.
Tess was eight years old. Her little brother Andrew was very sick and their parents were completely out of money. She heard Daddy say to her tearful Mother, "Only a miracle can save him now."
Tess took her money and made her way six blocks to Rexall's Drug Store.
"And what do you want?" the chemist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. "I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't seen for ages."
"Well, I want to talk to you about my brother," Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. "He's really sick. He has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?"
"We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry but I can't help you," the chemist said, softening a little.
"Listen, I can help you." The chemist's brother was a well-dressed man. He asked Tess, "What kind of miracle does your brother need?"
"I don't know," Tess replied. "Mommy says he needs an operation. But my Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money."
"How much do you have?" asked the man from Chicago. "One dollar and eleven cents," Tess answered. "And it's all the money I have, but I can get some more, if I need to."
"Well，what a coincidence (巧合)," smiled the man. "A dollar and eleven cents － the exact price of a miracle for your little brother. Take me to where you live. Let's see if 1 have the kind of miracle you need."
That man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon in neurosurgery (神经外科). The operation was completed without charge and it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well．
Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost… one dollar and eleven cents… plus the faith of a little child.
1.What can we learn from the first paragraph?
A. Tess's brother would recover because there was a miracle.
B. Tess's brother would die because his family had no money to treat his illness.
C. Tess's family would look for a miracle to treat Andrew's illness.
D. Andrew should go to hospital for a miracle.
2.Why did the chemist get annoyed first？
A. Because he was a nervous man．
B. Because Tess didn't buy his medicine.
C. Because Tess had bothered him and his brother.
D. Because Tess was poorly dressed.
3.What can we learn about Dr. Carlton Armstrong?
A. He was a stone－hearted man.
B. He cared for only a little money.
C. He never helped others unless given a lot of money．
D. He was a kind gentleman and ready to help others.
4.What can be the best title？
A. A dying boy and her sister B. A miracle of $ 1.11
C. A kind doctor and his brother D. A poor girl and a doctor
We all love our children and we all know how competitive the world is these days. What’s it going to be like when our children leave school? Will they have the skills they need to stay ahead of the competition?
All children need two basic skills to succeed. They must be able to read and they must be able to write. And with so much information available to them these days, they must be able to read quickly and accurately. That’s why your children need to be able to speed-read.
It’s ironic (讽刺的) that at this time of space-age technology, we’ve gone back to one of the earliest forms of mass communication—the written word. The Internet has introduced a revival (重新流行) of writing, and if you can’t keep up, you’ll be left behind. You certainly don’t want your children to be left behind.
You can help to make sure that your children are excellent writers—you can help them to learn how to use their language. Better still, you can learn with them!
You and your children can spend time together in a worthwhile pursuit (事业)—learning how to write. Forget the theme parks, the computer games, the expensive movies and interesting sports. If you want your children to have treasured memories of time spent with you, learn together.
For less than you would pay for tickets to a theme park, you can invest in your children’s future—help them learn to write well with my six-part writing course.
Don’t stand by while your child is left further and further behind.
1.From the last two paragraphs, we can know the main purpose of the passage is_______
A. To encourage students to be better prepared for the future.
B. To list the qualities children must have for their future success.
C. To persuade parents to choose a writing course for their kids.
D. To explain the difficult situation children have to face at present.
2.In the author’s opinion, ______.
A. speed-reading is the first step in a child’s formal education
B. children today waste too much time on games, movies and sports
C. children’s success depends much on good skills in reading and writing
D. writing helps people communicate more effectively in modern society
3.What does the author think of writing as a form of communication now?
A. Important. B. Funny.
C. Informal. D. Old-fashioned.
4.What’s the advantage of children’s learning together with their parents?
A. They will learn more quickly and accurately.
B. They will not be affected by games and sports.
C. It will encourage them to work for a higher pursuit.
D. They will have good memories of time spent with parents.
Three years ago when I was still in the university, I also worked at a restaurant.
An old man named Mr. Candido Filio was one of our regular customers at the restaurant. He was one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever known.
Every Sunday the Philippine Star Newspaper had a special page for word puzzles and among his peers (同龄人), Mr. Filio held the record for solving all the puzzles in less than five minutes. He encouraged me to solve them too and for months and months, I did my best to beat him but failed.
Then one Sunday, I did it! I was able to complete them before anyone else. Everyone cheered for me. He came up to me with a smile and said, “No one has ever beaten me before. You’re the first. I’ll have a prize for you tomorrow.”
The next day, he gave me a special Scrabble (拼字游戏) set. I would have never been able to afford one like that by myself. Then he said to me, “Kate, what do you think is man’s final goal in life? Happiness, isn’t it? You are happy and that should be considered as a success. Many people spend a lifetime searching for that. Be thankful that you have found it.” I looked at him and knew that my life had changed, probably forever. He must have known that I always felt sad about not having much money.
He encouraged me to learn the game and love words. And true to his words, I was never able to beat him again.
1.We can learn from the text that Mr. Filio ______.
A. was generous to young people B. was good at word puzzles
C. lived quite near the restaurant D. won a prize from the Philippine Star Newspaper
2.The author got a gift because ______.
A. Mr. Filio was thankful for her help
B. Mr. Filio was satisfied with her service
C. she was the first person to beat Mr. Filio
D. she was the new record keeper in the restaurant
3.After she heard what Mr. Filio said, the author probably felt ______.
A. amazed B. excited
C. touched D. inspired
4.What would be the best title of the text?
A. Happiness is also a success B. Interest is the best teacher
C. Scrabble makes a difference D. His words change my life
近来，共享单车(shared bikes)成为中国时尚，它因方便、环保而广受好评，然而共享单车也出现了许多弊病，例如乱停放、人为破坏、非法占有等。假如你是光明中学的学生李华，请你将有关情况反映给政府相关部门并阐述你的看法。内容要点包括：
1. 共享单车的问题；
2. 出现问题的原因；
3. 解决问题的意见或建议。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Sir,
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Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。
文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（
删除：把多余的词用斜线（）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
The old saying, "The early bird catches the worm," show us the importance of planning, working hard and trying constant. To achieve outstanding results, most people must plan ahead and work diligently to overcome all kind of difficulties.
That has been my own experience, either. When I first started high school, I seldom passed my exams, so I never prepared well. Later, my teacher, Mr. Black, advised me plan everything in the advance. She asked me to study hard as well. After a year of putting his advice onto practice, I can now easily pass all my exams. There are no shortcuts to succeed.
