The expression “keeping up with the Joneses” was first used in 1913 by a young American 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. Young Momand was very proud of his riches. He got married and moved with his wife to Long Island, outside New York City.
But just moving there was not enough. For when Momand and his wife saw that their neighbors belonged to a country club they too joined a club. And when he saw that rich people were expected to ride horses, Momand went horseback riding every day. Momand and his wife also hired a servant and gave grand 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. Momand and his wife could not do that.
The race ended for them when they could no longer pay for their new way of life. They moved back to an inexpensive New York City apartment.
Momand later said that his experience had been a cruel awakening for him. However, he was able to see the funny side of it. He looked around him and noticed that many people do things just to keep up with their neighbors.
He decided that this would make good stories for many papers across the country. He called it “Keeping up with the Joneses”, because “Jones” is a very common American name. “Keeping up with the Joneses” came to mean keeping up with the people around you. Momand’s stories appeared in different newspapers for over 28 years.
People never seem to tire of keeping up with the Joneses. That is one reason why they read the “right” books, go to the “right” universities and eat in the “right” restaurants. But no matter what one does, Mr. Jones always seems to be ahead.The writer of this passage means to tell us ___________.
A.what Arthur Momand did to keep up with his neighbors |
B.how the expression “keep up with the Joneses” came into being |
C.what we should do to keep up with our neighbors |
D.how we can live differently from others |
The reason Momand moved to Long Island is that ___________.
A.he wanted to live in a rich neighborhood |
B.there was a country club for him to join |
C.it was outside the city and good for horseback riding |
D.his wife came from that area |
By saying “It was like a race”(in Para 3), the writer means ____________.
A.it was just a suitable place for the horse race |
B.Momand and his wife kept themselves busy |
C.Momand’s neighbors also gave parties one after another |
D.Momand tried to compete with their neighbors in his way of life |
The funny side Momand saw in his experience was _________.
A.he moved back to a cheap place |
B.he was not alone in keeping up with his neighbors |
C.he made a mistake in following other people’s examples |
D.he cared too much about what others thought of him |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A.Momand earned a lot of money when he got married |
B.Momand was always very interested in riding horses |
C.Momand found there was something wrong with his way of life |
D.Momand wrote stories for newspapers about himself and his neighbors |
The fourth round of heavy smog to hit Beijing in four weeks has sent more people to the hospital with respiratory(呼吸的) illnesses and led to calls for laws to control the pollution.
Pan Shiyi, a celebrity real estate developer said he is planning to propose (提案) a Clean Air Act to the local government. As a representative to the Beijing Municipal People's Congress, he started an online survey at 9:20 a.m. Within three hours, more than 25,000 web users, or 99 percent of total respondents(应答者), welcomed his proposal on Sina Weibo, China's Twitter.
They have good reasons to stand alongside Pan. The latest round of haze(雾霾)reduced visibility to under 500 meters in many parts of the city. The smog has also led to a great increase in respiratory illnesses, particularly among children and the elderly. Anxious parents and doctors almost all blame the smoggy air for the illnesses. Though most schoolchildren are home for the winter holidays, the bad air can easily move indoors. Besides, ordinary medical masks fail to provide adequate protection, so some people have turned to gas masks and respirators(呼吸器).
The causes of the scary smog are rather mysterious, though experts blame excessive emissions and the mountains around Beijing that trap pollution in winter, unless there is adequate wind to clear it away. Some critics have pointed fingers at China’s top two oil firms, China National Petroleum Corp and China Petrochemical Corporation, saying the companies’ outdated production technologies produce large quantities of substandard, high-polluting gas fuel.
Meanwhile, concerned Beijingers have moved their brainstorming sessions to cyberspace. If Pan’s proposal for a Clean Air Act is adopted, netizens say the new law should include items providing for “car-free days” in times of smog, higher standards for vehicle fuel, stricter restrictions on industrial and exhaust gas emissions, and more effective protection for the public.
Beijing is not the only city that has ever lost the blue sky. Five days of thick fog caused thousands of deaths in Britain in December 1952, urging the government to pass the first Clean Air Act in 1956, which introduced smokeless zones and cleaner fuels to reduce pollution. That may provide some experience for Beijing to refer to.What can we learn from the passage?
A.People are clear about the causes of the smoggy weather. |
B.Children staying indoors will not get respiratory illnesses. |
C.Smog is worse for people with lower resistance to diseases. |
D.Masks can give people protection against the smoggy weather. |
Britain is mentioned in the last paragraph to ______.
A.suggest Beijing should learn from other countries |
B.let people know many places have this problem |
C.tell people the situation in Britain is worse |
D.call on the government to pass Britain’s Clean Air Act |
What’s the best title for this passage?
A.The Use of Gas masks and Respirators |
B.Beijingers Call for Clean Air Act |
C.Effective Protection for Blue Sky |
D.The Mysterious Causes of the Scary Smog |
The booking notes of the play "the Age of Innocence":
Price: $10
BOOKING
There are four easy ways to book seats for performance:
------ in person
The Box Office is open Monday to Saturday, 10 a. m. -8 p. m.
-----by telephone
Ring 01324976 to reserve your tickets or to pay by credit card(Visa, MasterCard and Amex
accepted)
------ by post
Simply complete the booking form and return it to Global Theatre Box Office.
------on line
Complete the on-line booking form at www. Satanfiedtheatre. com
DISCOUNTS:
Saver: $2 off any seat booked any time in advance for performances from Monday to Thursday.
Savers are available for children up to 16 years old, over 60s and full-time students.
Supersaver: half-price seats are available for people with disabilities and one companion. It is advisable to book in advance. There is a maximum of eight wheelchair spaces available and one wheelchair space will be held until an hour before the show.
Standby: best available seats are on sale for $6 from one hour before the performance for people eligible(suitable)for Saver and Supersaver discounts and thirty minutes before for all other customers.
Group Bookings: there is a ten percent discount for parties of twelve or more.
School: school parties of ten or more can book $6 standby tickets in advance and will get every tenth ticket free.
Please note: we are unable to exchange tickets or refund money unless a performance is cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.If you want to book a ticket, you CANNOT ________.
A.use the Internet. |
B.ring the booking number and pay for the tickets by credit card. |
C.go to the Box Office on Sundays. |
D.complete a booking form and post it to the Box Office. |
According to the notes, who can get $2 off?
A.A 20-year-old full-time college student. |
B.A 55-year-old woman. |
C.An 18-year-old teenager. |
D.The people who book the tickets on Fridays. |
If you make a group booking for a group of 14 adults, how much should you pay?
A.$120 | B.$126 |
C.$140 | D.$150 |
From the passage we can know all the following information except that ________.
A.There are only 8 wheelchair spaces in the theatre. |
B.The audience can't refund money if the performance is on show. |
C.A group of 12 persons can get 10 percent discount. |
D.A school party of 15 students should pay $90 for the standby tickets. |
A brand is a name, word, sign, symbol, design, or a combination of these, intended to identify the goods or services of a company or a group of companies. Another purpose of a brand is to contrast one company from another. The most important skill of professional marketers is the ability to create, maintain, protect, and enhance the brands of their products and services. Branding has become so important that today hardly any company or product is without one. Therefore, brand management is an increasingly important element in marketing.
Brand power refers to the relative strength of a company’s brand in the minds of consumers, and can influence consumers’ choice of products. Brands are powerful to the extent that they give high brand loyalty and strong brand associations, name recognition, perceived quality and other assets to a company. A strong brand can be one of a company’s most important assets.
High brand power provides a company with many competitive advantages. A powerful brand enjoys a high level of consumer brand awareness and loyalty. Because consumers expect stores to carry the brand, the company has more bargaining power when negotiating with retailers (零售商). And because the brand name brings high credibility, a company with a strong brand can more easily launch new products with the same brand name.
Many companies use the advantage of a strong brand power strategically to expand their business. When a company introduces an additional item with a new flavour, form, colour or package size in a given product category and under the same brand name, it is called a line extension. Another strategy is called brand extension. This involves the use of a successful brand name to launch new or modified products in a new category, thereby employing brand recognition in order to increase sales of new products.
Brand recognition is certainly important. Because consumers often hold long-standing perceptions about brands, high brand power ensure a company continued sales of its products.What does the word “assets” in the 2nd paragraph mean?
A.points | B.advantages | C.aspects | D.elements |
All of the following statements are the advantages of a high brand power EXCEPT that______.
A.a high brand wins the loyalty of consumers |
B.a high brand usually sets a much higher price |
C.it’s easy for a high brand company to launch new products |
D.a high brand company is more competitive when doing business with retailers |
A brand extension ______.
A.happens when the company is developing a new product |
B.means the expansion of a company’s business in its established field |
C.takes place when the company introduces a similar item but with a new colour |
D.refers to the use of an established brand name to promote a new product in a new category |
What might be the best title of this passage?
A.Brand Power | B.Famous Brands |
C.Company Brands | D.Brand Products |
Watson entered Mr. Smith's office. The boss was a hard man. He fired people who didn't do well without giving them a second chance.
"Watson," said Mr. Smith, "this past year your department hasn't earned money. We're going to drop that department. It's finished. I’m sorry, —but you'll have to go." "But, sir — if I just had a little more time. For the moment I need the job to keep my son at Riverside School."
"What's that!" said the boss. "Riverside! I didn't know you had a boy there. That's an expensive school for a man with your salary."
"I know, sir. But he likes it there so much! He's a star athlete and the best boxer in the school. The boys call him Champ there."
The boss sat perfectly still for a long time — a faraway (恍惚的) look in his eyes. Then, suddenly, he said, "We've got to close your department, Watson. But you'll take over a new job in another department. It means longer hours—maybe more pay. Now get out. You're here for life."
Watson got out, with surprise on his face. Then the boss took a letter from the top drawer of his desk. It was Herbie's last letter from Riverside School —written a few days before he died. He had read it over and over again with sick pain. The letter read:
I can’t say the boys here are any nicer to me than the others were. I guess it's the same everywhere when you're a cripple (跛脚的人). But don't worry about me, Dad. They've got a good chemistry department here. And there’s one boy here who is really great. He's a track star and boxing champ (冠军) and just tops in chemistry. The boys call him Champ. He made them stop throwing my books around. And he knocked a boy down who hit me. He is the best friend I ever had. Dad, when I grow up, 1 want to do something for Champ. Something big — that he won’ t even know about.
Your son,
HerbieMr. Smith wanted to fire Watson because _____.
A.Watson would take over a new job in another department |
B.Watson had his son study in Riverside School |
C.Watson's son knocked a boy down who hit Herbie |
D.Watson's department didn't earn money that year |
We can learn from the text that _____.
A.Mr. Smith didn't know that Champ was Watson's son at first |
B.Mr. Smith was told not to fire Watson by Herbie |
C.Mr. Smith decided to give Watson another chance in no time |
D.Mr. Smith wanted to realize Champ's dream |
According to the text, which words can best describe Mr. Smith?
A.Selfish and greedy. |
B.Sympathetic and grateful. |
C.Hardworking and strict. |
D.Easy-going and optimistic. |
The author wrote the text in order to _____.
A.share a moving story with us |
B.make our children enjoy life |
C.provide us with tips on work |
D.help us to deal with our boss |
A new study has found that it may be possible to train people to be more intelligent, increasing the brainpower they had at birth.
Until now,it has been widely assumed that the kind of mental ability that allows us to solve new problems without having any relevant previous experience—what psychologists call fluid intelligence—is innate and cannot be taught(though people can raise their grades on tests of it by practicing).
But in the new study,researchers describe a method for improving this skill,along with experiments to prove it works.
The key, researchers found, was carefully structured training in working memory—the kind that allows memorization of a telephone number just long enough to dial it.This type of memory is closely related to fluid intelligence,so the researchers reasoned that improving it might lead to improvements in fluid intelligence.
First they measured fluid intelligence of volunteers using standard tests.Then they trained each in a complicated memory task—the child’s card game,in which they had to recall a card they saw and heard.During the course, they needed to ignore irrelevant items, monitor ongoing performance,manage two tasks at the same time and connect related items to one another in space and time.
The four groups experienced a half-hour of training daily for 8, 12, 17 and 19 days, respectively.To make sure they were not just improving their test-taking skills,the researchers compared them with control groups that took the tests without the training.
The results, published Monday in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,were striking.Improvement in the trained groups was a lot greater.Moreover,the longer they trained, the higher their scores were.All performers,from the weakest to the strongest,showed significant improvement.
“Our results show you can increase your intelligence with proper training.” said Dr Jaeggi, a co-author of the paper.“No one knows how long the gains will last after training stops,” he added, “and the experiment’s design did not allow the researchers to determine whether more training would continue to produce further gains.By writing the article,the writer intends to ______________.
A.inform the readers of a new study |
B.call on people to be trained to increase intelligence |
C.prove one’s born brainpower can be improved |
D.tell people the improved intelligence will last forever |
The researchers thought the key to improving the intelligence was ______________.
A.memorizing telephone numbers |
B.improving working memory |
C.training in concentration |
D.recalling a card |
The following aspects of the training help increase intelligence EXCEPT___________.
A.ignoring irrelevant items |
B.monitoring ongoing performance |
C.managing two tasks at the same time |
D.using previous experience |
When the experiment was conducted, the researchers______________.
A.trained the four groups for the same period of time |
B.only made comparisons between the four groups |
C.compared the four groups with control groups |
D.trained the four groups together |