Some names have special meanings in popular American expressions. One day, an average Joe was walking down the street. An average Joe is a common person — either male or female. He did not know where he was going. So average Joe asked John Q. Public for directions to the nearest bank. John Q. Public is also a common person — male or female. “Jeez Louise,” said John Q. Public. This is an expression of surprise. “Don’t you know that all banks are closed today? It is Saturday.”
“For Pete’s sake.” said average Joe. This is also an expression used to show a feeling like surprise or disappointment. “I do not believe you,” said he. At that moment, Joe Blow was walking down the street with a woman. Joe Blow is also an expression for a common person. Now this Joe Blow was not walking next to a plain Jane. A plain Jane is a woman who is neither ugly nor pretty. The woman with Joe Blow was a real Sheila — a beautiful woman.
Average Joe asked the woman if all banks were closed on Saturday. “No way, Jose,” she answered. This is a way of saying “No.” “No way, Jose. Many banks are open on Saturdays.”
Average Joe did not know either of these two people from Adam. That is, he did not know them at all. But he followed their directions to the nearest bank.
When he arrived, he walked to the desk and said: “I am here to withdraw some money so I can pay my taxes to Uncle Sam”. This represents the United States government. The banker produced some papers and told him to sign his John Hancock at the bottom. A John Hancock is a person’s signed name — a signature. Historically, John Hancock was one of the signers of the United States Declaration of Independence. Hancock had a beautiful signature and signed his name larger than all the others.The main idea of this text is that ______.
| A．some popular American names have special stories |
| B．some popular American expressions have some special names |
| C．some popular American names have special meanings |
| D．some popular American expressions are interesting |
Which of the following refers to an ordinary-looking woman
?
| A．An average Joe | B．John Q. Public | C．Joe Blow | D．A plain Jane |
The name “Jeez Louise” is ______.
| A．an expression of surprise | B．a feeling like disappointment |
| C．an expression for a common man | D．a woman who is neither ugly nor pretty |
A friend of mine was in low spirits one day. He usually dealt with this state of mind by avoiding people until the mood passed. But on that day Fred had an important meeting with his boss, so he decided to put on a false front. During the meeting Fred smiled, joked and played the part of a happy, good-natured person. To his surprise, he soon discovered he was no longer depressed.
Without realizing it, Fred chanced to find an important new principle of psychological research: acting a part can help us feel the way we want to feel — more self-assured in a trying situation, more cheerful when things go wrong.
How can you put this principle to work in your own life? There’s more involved than simply mimicking a few expressions. You have to be systematic about it. Here’s how:
Smile to cheer yourself up.
Relax to reduce anxiety or fear.
Look your best to increase your self-confidence.
Keep cool in a crisis.
Using our bodies and actions to change the way we feel can be a useful tool in helping us through life’s difficult times. As novelist George Eliot wrote more than a century ago, “Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds.” People who remember that — and act upon it — can only be richer and happier for the experience.In paragraph 1 the underlined phrase “to put on a false front” means ______.
| A．to wear a wrong coat |
| B．to act a part unsuccessfully |
| C．to show a pretended happy appearance |
| D．to put on airs |
According to Paragraph 1, Fred ______before the meeting.
| A．had very few spirits |
| B．had many spirits |
| C．was in bad mood |
| D．was in good mood |
The underlined phrase “mimicking” in Paragraph 3 most probably means ______.
| A．learning quickly |
| B．making faces |
| C．behaving well |
| D．imitating others |
In the last paragraph, the quotation “Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds” may show that ______.
| A．actions speak louder than words |
| B．the more we do, the happier we are |
| C．our feeling cannot change our behavior |
| D．actions are very important for us to beat bad moods for good |
Sports can help you keep fit and get in touch with nature. However, whether you are on the mountains, in the waves, or on the grassland, you should be aware that your choice of sport might have great influence on the environment.
Some sports are resource-hungry. Golf, as you may know, eats up not only large areas of countryside, but also tons of water. Besides, all sorts of chemical and huge amounts of energy are used to keep its courses in good condition .This causes major environmental effects. For example, in the dry regions of Portugal and Spain, golf is often held responsible for serious water shortage in some local areas.
There are many environment-friendly sports．Power walking is one of them that you could take up today. You don’t need any special equipment except a good pair of shoes; and you don’t have to worry about resources and your purse. Simple and free, power walking can also keep you fit. If you walk regularly, it will be good for your heart and bones. Experts say that 20 minutes of power walking daily can make you feel less anxious, sleep well and have better weight control.
Whatever sport you take up, you can make it greener by using environment-friendly equipment and buying products made from recycled materials. But the final goal should be “green gyms”. They are better replacements for traditional health clubs and modern sports centers. Members of green gyms play sports outdoors, in the countryside or other open spaces. There is no special requirement for you to start your membership. And best of all, it’s free.What do we know about golf from the passage?
| A．It is not played in Portugal and Spain at all. |
| B．It causes water shortages around the world. |
| C．It pollutes the earth with chemicals and wastes. |
| D．It needs water and electricity to keep its courses green. |
The author uses power walking as an example mainly because ________.
| A．it is an outdoor sport |
| B．it improves our health |
| C．it uses fewer resources |
| D．it is recommended by experts |
The author writes the passage to ________
| A．show us the function of major sports |
| B．encourage us to go in for green sports |
| C．discuss the major influence of popular sports |
| D．introduce different types of environment-friendly sports |
When I learned that 71-year-old mother was playing Scrabble —a word game, I knew I had to do something. My husband suggests we give her a computer to play against herself. I wasn’t sure whether my mother was ready for it. After all, it had taken 15 years to persuade her to buy an electric cooker. Even so, we packed up our old computer and delivered it to my parents’ home. And so began my mother’s adventure in the world of the computers.It also marked the beginning of an unusual teaching task for me. I’ve taught people of all ages, but I never thought I would be teaching my mother how to do anything.She has been the one teaching me all my life: to cook and sew; to enjoy the good times and put up with the bad. Now it was my turn to give something back. It wasn’t easy at the beginning. There was so much to explain and to introduce. Slowly but surely, my mother caught on, making notes in a little notebook. After a few months of Scrabble and other games, I decided it was time to introduce her to word processing. This proved to be a bigger challenge to her, so I gave her some homework. I asked her to write me a letter, using different letter types, colors and spaces.“Are you this demanding with your kindergarten pupils?” she asked.“No, of course not,” I said.”They already know how to use a computer.”My mother isn’t the only one experiencing a fast personal growth period. Thanks to the computer, my father has finally got over his phone allergy(过敏). For as long as I can remember, any time I called, my mother would answer. Dad and I have had more phone conversations in the last two months than we’ve had in the past 20 years.What does the author do?
| A．She is a cooker |
| B．She is a teacher |
| C．She is a housewife |
| D．She is a computer engineer |
The author decided to give her mother a computer _____.
| A．to let her have more chances to write letters |
| B．to support to her in doing her homework |
| C．to help her through the bad times |
| D．to make her life more enjoyable |
The author asked her mother to write her a letter _____.
| A．because her mother had stopped using the telephone |
| B．because she wanted to keep in touch with her mother |
| C．so that her mother could practice what she had learned |
| D．so that her mother could be free from the housework |
Nickname: Hawaii’s Island of Adventure
Size: 4,028 square miles
Population: 148,677． The most heavily populated areas are Hilo on the east side and Kailua-Kona on the west．
Temperature: Averages between 71℉and 77℉ year around （expect the mercury（水银柱） to drop at higher heights）．
Beaches: 47 Golf Courts: 20 Highest Peak: Mauna Kea, 13,796 feet．
Agriculture: The bulk of Hawaii’s farming products are grown and processed on the Big Island, including coffee, macadamia nuts and papaya．
Lodging: 9,655 rooms total; nightly rates range from $35—$5,000．
Airports: Hilo International Airport on the east side and Kona International Airport on the west side．
Rental Cars: All of the nationally known rental car companies have locations at Hilo International and Kona International Airports as well as many resorts． In addition, Hilo, Kona and the major resort areas are serviced by taxis．
Resources: Call （800） 648-2441 to order a video, poster, brochures and maps from the Big Island Visitors Bureau． See www．bigisland．org for updated information．
Shopping: The largest shopping centers are in Hilo, Kona, Waimea and the Kona Coast．_________ are mostly interested in reading the passage．
| A．Students | B．Businessmen | C．Tourists | D．Immigrants |
The average population per square mile on the island is about _________．
| A．28 | B．32 | C．37 | D．44 |
__________ are not mentioned as a traffic means to get around the Big Island．
| A．Trains | B．Planes | C．Rental cars | D．Taxis |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．You can see www．bigisland．org for updated information． |
| B．You can call （800） 648-2441 to order some food． |
| C．You can find some courts to play tennis on the island． |
| D．You may pay a high price for spending one night on the island． |
Earlier, in the old days, women used to sit at home separated from the outside world. They used to manage the home and look after children. They were free of the responsibility of earning money to support the family, which was left to men.
With the coming of industrialization (工业化) and technological development, the lifestyles of human beings started to change. The needs of human beings started to grow. In this process, women slowly started to move outside the home. Women received the same education as men. Gradually, women slowly started to think independently and participated equally with men in all fields of life, including politics, sports and even military.
With changing environments, the role of women has become more important in society. To match today’s standard of living, it is necessary for both men and women to support the family.
Today, women have been given bigger roles to play in society. They are even taking more responsibility than men. At first, men disagreed with women pursuing (追求) their careers outside the home. However, with growing needs and a shortage of money, they had no other way but to accept the reality.
The financial contributions from women to their families have increased, but in some places, the home is still managed only by women as in the past. It is a challenging task for women to manage both. Women are bearing the stress and suffering mental difficulties with both managing the home and pursuing their careers.The best title for the passage would be _________.
| A．Women's Responsibility in Society | B．The Changing Social Environments |
| C．The Changing Role of Women in Society | D．Women's Financial Contributions |
Earlier in the old days, women used to do the following EXCEPT _________.
| A．wash clothes | B．prepare dinners |
| C．look after children | D．make money for the family |
We can infer from the last paragraph that ______.
| A．women don't need to manage the home today |
| B．women are taking more responsibility than before |
| C．men still disagree with women pursuing their careers |
| D．men have begun to do more housework than women |