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 outside New York City. 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 his 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 moved 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．have many neighbors |
Arthur Momand used the name “Jones” in his series of short stories because “Jones” is _____.
| A．an important name | B．a popular name in the United States |
| C．his neighbor’s name | D．not a good name |
The trend in everyday conversation is to use grandiose(夸大的) words. “Outstanding”is new “good,” “amazing” is the new “OK,” and “huge” is the new “big”.
I was in a restaurant in Washington D．C．last weekend and every question I asked was answered with exaggeration．
Me：How is the salmon?
Sever：Fantastic!
Me：Does it come with rice?
Sever：Absolutely!
Would a “good” and a “Yes” have been enough? Of course!
My father is an average-sized man．He hasn’t gained weight or height for the past 30 years. Therefore, his size remains the same．However，in the same amount of time，his T-shirt size has gone from small to medium to large to extra large．
The reason for the exaggerated word is clear：we are bored with our lives．We want the next—next thing now．Immediately!
And we also want others to think that we still care，that we can still be delighted，that we know that everything is just great．Even when deep inside we know it can’t be．Everything can’t be great．
I’m not a scientist，so many methods of proof leave little to be desired，or a lot to be desired，or an immensity(无限)．
Listen to the voices around you．Listen to your own voices．There is nothing on the radio that is good or bad，weather is either beautiful or horrible．
Listen，the next time when someone asks you something and you agree，because when you could simply say “yes”, instead you will say “absolutely’’or “without doubt”or “Oh，yeah，unquestionably---absolutely without doubt. ”
Have people forgotten what it is like to be OK? Simply OK with what they have and who they are?If everything is outstanding，if everything is the most amazing thing ever，is anything ever amazing at all?
1. By telling his experience in the restaurant，the author intends to __________.
A. show his interest in exaggerated words
B. prove that exaggerated words are widely used
C. blame the restaurant for using exaggerated words
D. tell us the food in the restaurant is extremely good
2. What do we know about the author’s father?
A. He has gained height and is now a tall man．
B. He likes following the fashion in clothing．
C. His weight is getting greater and greater．
D. The size of his T-shirt is described in exaggerated words．
3. So many people like using exaggerated words because __________.
A. they are not satisfied with being normal
B. they don’t want to be looked down upon by others
C. they want to be different from others
D. they are brave in telling their true feelings
4. According to the passage，if you approve of something，you’d better say “ _______”.
A. fantastic B. perfect C. OK D. absolutely
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑.
Many children first learn the value of money by receiving an allowance (pocket money). The purpose is to let children learn from experiences at an age when financial mistakes are not very costly．
The amount of money that parents give to their children to spend as they wish differs from family to family. Timing is another consideration．Some children get a weekly allowance．Others get a monthly allowance．
In any case, parents should make clear what，if anything, the child is expected to pay for with the money．At first, young children may spend all of their allowance soon after they receive it. If they do this，they will learn the hard way that spending must be done within a budget．Parents are usually advised not to offer more money until the next allowance．
The object is to show young people that a budget demands a choice between spending and saving．Older children may be responsible enough to save money for larger costs，like clothing or electronics．Many people who have written on the subject of allowances say it is not a good idea to pay your child for work around the home．These jobs are a normal part of family life．
Paying children to do extra work around the house，however，can be useful．It can even provide an understanding of how a business works．
Allowances give children a chance to experience the three things they can do with money．They can share it in the form of gifts or giving to a good cause. They can spend it by buying things they want．Or they can save it.
Saving helps children understand that costly goals require sacrifice．You have to cut costs and plan for the future．Requiring children to save part of their allowances can also open the door to future saving and investing．Many banks offer services to help children and teenagers learn about personal finance.
A saving account is an excellent way to learn about the power of compound interest.
Compouding works by paying interest on interest．So，for example，one dollar invested at two percent interest for two years will earn two cents in the first year. The second years，the money will earn two percent of one dollar and two cents，and so on. That may not seem like a lot．But over time it adds up．
1. Giving an allowance, parents should consider all the following EXCEPT ______.
A. how much the child should get each time
B. whether the child has made a budget
C. where the money really goes
D. how often a child can get it
2. The author of the passage holds the opinion that _________.
A. what children learn by handling allowances may be beneficial in the future
B. children can learn to set up their own business with their allowances
C. keeping allowances in the bank is the best choice for children
D. it is not a good idea to pay children for housework at home
3. The underlined words “compound interest” in the passage probably mean ________.
A. increasing curiosity to learn how to make more money
B. stronger power to hold one’s attention to saving money
C. money paid by the bank on your original money and the gain from it
D. the sum of money that you earn from keeping your money in the bank
4. What is the best title for the passage?
A. Be Generous to Pay Your Children．
B. Be Wise to Avoid Financical Mistakes．
C. Saving Allowances Does Good to Children．
D. Allowances Help Children Learn about Money．
Vicki Larrieux, a 22-year-old student from Portsmouth, says she is unable to keep a healthy diet because she is frightened of vegetables. She survives on a diet of meat, potatoes, cereals（谷类食品）and apples but refuses even a single slice of carrot on her plate. She suffers from sweating and panics at the slightest sight of a carrot or a pea.
“I have always had a fear of vegetables. Even as a child I used to freak out if some carrots or a few peas were on my plate.” She said. “But as it continued into adult life, I started to think it might not just be a dislike for vegetables but an actual phobia（恐惧症）. Every time I see vegetables, not just on my plate, but anywhere, I would get feelings of panic and my heart would beat faster.”
Miss Larrieux’s condition makes trips to the supermarket or eating out at a restaurant with her boyfriend a major problem. It is an unpleasant experience for her to go to the supermarket. Luckily, her boyfriend is very understanding and does his best to comfort her.
A spokesman for phobia charity Anxiety UK says that around 13 percent of British people suffer a phobia of some form, there are treatment available（有效的）including medication and self-help groups for all manner of phobias.
1. Larrieux eats the following as a daily diet EXCEPT______.
A. meat B. potatoes C. peas D. cereals
2. The underlined part “freak out” in Paragraph 2 means “_________”.
A. feel scared B. get interested
C. feel relaxed D. get sad
3. According to the passage, Larrieux’s fear for vegetables _____.
A. was found out recently B. is a kind of phobia
C. makes her famous D. makes her hard to get along with
4. What do we know from the passage?
A. Only a few people around the world suffer from phobias
B. Larrieux is not confident about her future
C. Larrieux’s boyfriend doesn’t like meat
D. Phobia can be treated.
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was born in Hartford in 1907. The Hepburns made sure to educate their children about important political and social subjects and sports. She rode horses, swam and played golf and tennis.
Katharine graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 1928. She soon started appearing in small roles in plays. After a few successful plays, Hollywood filmmakers became interested in her. She later signed with RKO Pictures. Her first movie came out in 1932.
The next year she acted in the film Morning Glory. This gave her the chance to let her acting skills shine. This movie earned Hepburn her first Academy Award for Best Actress.
During the 1930s, critics(评论家) either loved or hated Katharine Hepburn. But Hepburn wanted to face the movie industry in her own way. She did not want to be like other actresses. She did not wear make-up on her face. She would not let photographers take sexy pictures of her.
By the late 1930s, she had become unpopular with the public. But Hepburn was not raised to quit easily. She starred in The Philadelphia Story in 1940. For this movie, Hepburn received another Academy Award nomination(提名) for Best Actress. She had taken control of her career once again.
In 1967, she starred in her last movie with Spencer Tracy. For this movie, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, she won her second Academy Award. She won her third Academy Award the next year for A Lion in Winter. And, in her mid-seventies she won her last Academy Award for On Golden Pond.
Even into her eighties, she kept working. She also wrote several books. In 2003, Katharine Hepburn died.
As part of her last wishes, she helped create the Katharine Houghton Hepburn Center to help support the things that were important to her: film and theater, women’s right, and civic(国民的) responsibility.
1. What do we learn about Katharine Hepburn from the passage?
A. As a little girl, she showed a gift for acting.
B. She was well educated when she was young.
C. She stopped working in her mid-seventies.
D. Her small roles in plays were not good for her movie career.
2. The following movies all won Katharine Hepburn an Academy Award for Best Actress EXCEPT_______.
A. Morning Glory B. A Lion in Winter
C. The Philadelphia Story D. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
3. Which of the following words can best describe Katharine Hepburn?
A. Humorous but mean. B. Independent and successful.
C. Beautiful but unpopular. D. Strict and inexperienced.
4. The passage is developed by______.
A. space orderB. comparison C. time orderD. listening examples
Public transportation is a great method of decreasing(减少)pollution and traffic within an urban setting. However, as with any public setting, it is important to take safety measures to avoid any unpleasant situations.
Tips for staying safe on the bus, train or subway:
Report any unusual activities.
Report any broken or missing equipment.
Report any strange noises or smells.
If you see an unattended(无人看管的)package, do not touch it, and immediately report it to the nearest employee.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. This will decrease your chance of getting sick or spreading germs(细菌).
While on public transportation the most important safety measure to take is simply paying attention to your surroundings. By taking these steps you can have a better and more enjoyable experience while using the public bus, train or subway.
Safety measures and regulations(规章制度)
Sometimes stories of tragic public transportation are released(发布) through the media（媒体）. When this happens it is natural to question the safety of using public transportation. When the driving itself is out of your control, it is important to know what measures and regulations are put into place to keep you safe.
One of the greatest concerns for public transportation safety is the lack of safety belts. While accidents involving buses or trains is not common, when they do occur they are highly dangerous due to the lack of safety belts. Passengers are likely to be injured simply from being hit by another passenger.
Good drivers make safe passengers
With hundreds of thousands of public bus passengers every day, it is important that the drivers of these vehicles(车辆)are trained and experienced enough to manage the dangerous situations that can happen on the road. Bus and train drivers must meet the standards set by their state.
1. One advantage of public transportation is that __________________________.
A. it’s cheaper B. it saves more time
C. it has more safety measures D. it helps protect the environment
2. To keep safe on public transportation, you are advised to _____________.
A. repair any broken equipment if necessary
B. cover your nose with your hand to keep germs away
C. pay attention to any unusual activities and report them in time
D. take the package which nobody takes care of to the employee
3. We can know from the passage that ___________________________.
A. few reports are about public transportation accidents
B. passengers seldom get hurt in public transportation accidents
C. safety belts are useless for passengers on public transportation
D. it is important to know some safety measures for public transportation
4. What is important to make a good public transportation drivers?
A. Skills at handling traffic accidents
B. Higher standards and shorter working hours.
C. Polite service and clean working environment.
D. Proper training and rich driving experience.