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.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 |
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 |
What's the author's attitude to keeping up with the Joneses?
| A．Negative. | B．Positive. |
| C．Supportive. | D．Objective. |
阅读下面短文,根据所读内容在表格中的空白处填人最恰当的单词。 注意：每个空格只填一个单词。
A debate is a discussion about a subject on which people have different views. It’s a nice way of gaining a lot of knowledge and views on a topic, or situation that we aren’t either aware of, or haven’t really looked into in detail. It makes you more able to think critically and more confident in speaking. In addition, it helps in appreciating tolerance of others’ opinion and improves your listening skills.
A debate requires one to know how to use words and intelligence to overcome his or her opposing team members. To give great arguments during a debate, first you need to get your facts right. To make what you have in material for a debate contain facts, don’t just depend on the Internet, especially avoid just referring to one website for all your information. You are also required to refer to books, and make sure they’re authors of a high degree, since their materials have reference notes and extensive research projects done on what they are covering.
Second, you should be full of confidence. You need to show that you’re sure of what you’re saying , and point out how flawed their comeback arguments were. The only way to do this is to thoroughly know your material before heading on out to a debate session. Know your statistics, know your history and above all know names, dates and places. Make key notes to refer to. Don’t stammer (口吃), and also don’t level your gaze with your opponent or the rest of them. All this will help you keep confident.
At last, by no means should you lose your calmness, but keep your voice firm and raised enough to sound calm. A good team member should know how to keep his emotions in control as well as keep others under control in his/ her team.
| Title |
Debate |
|
| A discussion about a subject on which people have different views. |
||
| ◇Help understand a topic or situation more deeply. ◇Improve your ◇ ◇Help appreciate tolerance of others’ opinion. ◇Make you better at speaking. |
||
Tips |
Get your facts right |
◇Don’t just be ◇Refer to books |
| Be |
◇Show your ◇Point out the flaw of others’ comeback arguments. ◇Thoroughly know your material before attending a debate. ◇Make key notes to refer to. ◇Avoid stammering and |
|
| Keep cool |
◇Speak ◇Control your emotions. |
"If I rest, I rust"——would be an excellent motto for those who are troubled by the slightest bit of idleness．Even the most hard-working person might adopt it with advantage to serve as a reminder that, if one allows his abilities to rest, like the iron in the unused key, they will soon show signs of rust and, eventually, cannot do the work required of them．
Those who would attain the heights reached and kept by great men must- keep their ability polished by constant use, so that they may unlock the doors of knowledge, the gate that guard the entrances to the professions, to science, art, literature, agriculture—every department of human endeavor．
Industry keeps the key bright that opens the treasury of achievement．If Hugh Miller, after toiling all day in a quarry, had devoted his evenings to rest and recreation, he would never have become a famous geologist．The celebrated mathematician, Edmund Stone, would never have published a mathematical dictionary, never have found the key to science of mathematics, if he had given his spare moments to idleness, had the little Scotch lad, Ferguson, allowed the busy brain to go to sleep while he tended sheep on the hillside instead of calculating the position of the stars by a string of beads, he would never have become a famous astronomer．
Labor defeats all—not inconstant, or ill-directed labor; but faithful, persistent, daily effort toward a well-directed purpose．So industry is the price of noble and enduring success．What may be the meaning of the underlined word "rust" in the 1st paragraph?
| A．生锈 | B．成长 | C．进步 | D．快乐 |
Why does a hardworking person even use the motto? Because ______．
| A．he wants to remind himself that he is a hardworking man． |
| B．he wants to remind himself to rest from time to time |
| C．he is afraid that he may idle |
| D．he feels he can do the work required of them． |
By saying "Those who would attain the heights reached and kept by great men must keep their ability polished by constant use", the author means_______．
| A．great men keep their ability polished |
| B．those who use their ability constantly would attain the great height |
| C．those who want to get great achievements must practice their ability constantly |
| D．great men polish their ability to reach their height |
The main point of the 3rd paragraph is that ______
| A．industry is more important than agriculture． |
| B．giving some examples of how industry works in achieving great success． |
| C．what industry really means here |
| D．industry can keep the keys bright |
There is a new type of small advertisement becoming increasingly common in newspaper classified columns．It is sometimes placed among “situations vacant”, although it does not offer anyone a job, and sometimes it appears among “situations wanted”, although it is not placed by someone looking for a job, either．What it does is to offer help in applying for a job．
“Contact us before writing your application”, or “Make use of our long experience in preparing your curriculum vitae or job history”, is how it is usually expressed．The growth and apparent success of such a specialized service is, of course, a reflection on the current high levels of unemployment．It is also an indication of the growing importance of the CV, with the suggestion that it may now qualify as an art form in its own right．
There was a time when job seekers simply wrote letters of application．“Just put down your name, address, age and whether you have passed any exams”, was about the average level of advice offered to young people applying for their first jobs when I left school．The letter was really just for openers, it was explained, everything else could and should be saved for the interview．And in those days of full employment the technique worked．The letter proved that you could write and were available for work．Your eager face and intelligent replies did the rest．
There is no doubt, however, that it is increasing number of applicants with university education at all points in the process of engaging staff that has led to the greater importance of the CV．The new type of advertisement which is appearing in newspaper column．
| A．informs job hunters of the opportunities available |
| B．informs employers of the people available for work |
| C．divides available jobs into various types |
| D．promises to offer useful advice to those looking for employment |
Nowadays a demand for this specialized type of service has been created because .
| A．there are so many people out of work |
| B．there are so many toplevel jobs available |
| C．there is a lack of jobs available for artistic people |
| D．the CV is considered to be a work of art |
In the past it was expected that first job hunters would．
| A．write an initial letter giving their life history |
| B．keep any detailed information until they obtained an interview |
| C．have no qualifications other than being able to read and write |
| D．pass some exams before applying for a job |
The CV has become such an important document because．
| A．there has been an increase in the number of applicants with degrees |
| B．there has been an increase in the number of jobs advertised |
| C．jobs are becoming much more complicated nowadays |
| D．the other processes of applying for jobs are more difficult to do |
Researchers have announced the result of two studies on the health effects of the drug aspirin．One study shows aspirin can sharply reduce the chance that a healthy, older man will suffer from a heart attack．
The study offered two new results from earlier findings, It said taking one aspirin pili every other day helped only healthy men over the age of fifty．It also said aspirin gave the greatest protection against heart attacks to men with low blood cholesterol（胆固醇）levels．
Earlier in the United States began a major aspirin study in the early 1980s．It included 22,000 healthy men doctors．Ail were between the ages of forty and eighty-four．More than 11,000 of the doctors took a harmless pill that contained no drug．The men did not know which kind of pill they were taking．
The doctors who took aspirin suffered 44% fewer heart attacks than those taking the harmless pill．139 men who took aspirin suffered from heart attacks．Ten of them died．239 men who did not take aspirin suffered from heart attacks．Twenty-six of them died．
The researchers said the doctors' study provides clear proof that taking aspirin can prevent a first heart attack in healthy, older men．They said, however, the result does not mean every man over the mage of fifty should take aspirin．They said aspirin couldn't help men who do not eat healthy foods, who smoke cigarettes and who are fat．The researchers said men who think they wou3d be helped by taking aspirin should talk with their doctors first．We may learn that the new use of aspirin is ______．
| A．to treat heart disease |
| B．to reduce the chance of a heart attack in old men |
| C．to protect old men |
| D．to reduce the blood cholesterol levels |
Aspirin can help those who ______．
| A．are older and healthy |
| B．know how to keep fit |
| C．are fat and smoke cigarettes |
| D．are suffering from heart attack |
At last the researchers advised us to take aspirin _____.
| A．as we like | B．with care | C．every day | D．if we are over fifty |
From the experiment we can conclude that about ______ of people who suffered from heart attacks without aspirin died．
| A．7% | B．19% | C．11% | D．44% |
China has a growing love affair with the cars．This is clear at the Beijing Asian Games Village Automobile Exchange, where more and more people come to look and increasingly to buy．
Alice Wu is an editor at a Chinese Internet publication．She takes the subway to work, but she is certain she can cut her commute time if she drives herself．Wu says it takes her three hours to get to work now．If she had a car, she says, the same trip would only take her two hours．
The Asian Games Village Automobile Exchange is the biggest car dealership in Beijing．General manager Guo Yong says the business sells more than two thousand cars each week．Guo says it is much easier for Chinese consumers to buy a car now．In the past, it would take them several years to earn enough money to buy a new car．Now, he says, many people only need to save for one year．Also, the emergence of less expensive domestic brands like Chery and BYD means more Chinese can afford cars．
For decades, most Chinese city residents got about by bicycle or public buses and trains．Now, in many areas, the number of new cars is growing faster than the road system, leaving city streets jammed with traffic．Guo Liang has wanted to buy a car for a decade, and he will be the first in his family to own one．He is not deterred by Beijing's traffic jams．Guo says if the traffic is too bad, he will use the car for leisure or holidays with his family．Another customer, Zhang Menxin, works in Beijing, but is from Xi'an, more than 900 kilometers away．Zhang says it is very difficult to get a train ticket to return home for Chinese New Year．She adds that train is not convenient．If she had her own car, she says, she could go anytime she wanted to．
World Bank transportation specialist Shomik Mendhiratta says, “Getting a car makes people feel like they have arrived to the middle class, and it's got a huge status associated with it．It's a fantastic thing to have．”The underlined word "deterred" in the 4th paragraph probably means.
| A．encouraged | B．attracted | C．astonished | D．discouraged |
The reason why Zhang Menxin wants to buy a car is that.
| A．it is hard and inconvenient for her to go home in Xi'an by train． |
| B． she doesn't like to go to work by subway． |
| C．she wants to use the car for leisure or holidays with her family |
| D．the place where she works is far from her house |
The best title for the passage should be " "
| A．Cars made China a country on wheels |
| B．More Chinese Hitting the road in their own cars． |
| C．More cars sold by the Beijing Asian Games Village Automobile Exchange |
| D．China is developing rapidly in the past few years． |
According to what Shomik Mendhiratta in the last paragraph, the car is ____ for the person who owns it．
| A．of little value | B．a means of transportation |
| C．a status symbol | D．a heavy burden |