Mr and Mrs Smith have just opened a small restaurant. In order to attract customers, they put a notice in front of the restaurant, which said: "Meals on the house for three days."
A foreign student who didn't know much English passed by the restaurant on the second day. It was lunchtime and he felt hungry. "Well, here is a restaurant. I'm going to have something to eat," he said.
He saw the notice when he walked towards the restaurant. "American people are really strange. They even eat dinners on the house! But how can I get onto the top of the house?" he asked himself
He looked around and found a ladder(梯子)against a tree nearby. He was very glad. But as he reached the top, he heard someone shouting at him, "Hey, what are you doing up there?" Mr Smith was looking at him angrily. Beside him was a policeman.
‘Doesn't your notice say 'Meals on the house for three days'? Is it just a joke?" the foreign student answered.
On hearing this, both Mr Smith and the policeman burst into laughter.
Do you know the meaning of on the house"?The Smiths have____.
A.opened a restaurant | B.built a house |
C.climbed onto the top | D.been policemen |
Why do Mr and Mrs Smith put up the notice?
A.Because they wanted to attract policemen |
B.Because they wanted people to eat on the roof |
C.Because they wanted to attract more customers |
D.Because they liked to play jokes |
The student walked past the restaurant .
A.when the Smiths started their business |
B.when the Smiths put on the notice |
C.when the policeman came to the restaurant |
D.when it was time to have lunch |
The student so Mr Smith shouted at him.
A.was very hungry | B.knew little about English |
C.climbed onto the top of the house | D.took away the ladder |
"On the house" may mean that the meal
A.is taken on the house | B.is paid on the house . |
C.is made on the house | D.is free for the customers; |
A Beautiful Moment
When I was in high school.I worked part﹣time helping Dad sell fruits and vegetables at a market. One day,as I was preparing the fruits,a little boy came by with his mom and sister. He was about eight years old,and the girl,five or six. They were looking the fruits in front of me. I heard the kids say to their mom in French,"They're good!" I knew it was French,because I can speak and understand it.
Then I noticed how the mom was picking the fruits.At first I thought she was really looking at the fruits because she was facing them. But then I noticed how much she had to feel and smell each one as she picked them out. And she often asked her son if it looked okay, but looked way above where his face was. Putting what I saw together,I was sure she was blind.
Both of the kids continued to help their mom pick out the fruits.The son made sure the fruits were not obviously bad, and the daughter handed them to her mom. The woman then felt each one and smiled, and the daughter would put them into their basket.The kids were smiling while helping their mom pick the fruits out.
Their smile and gentle manner moved me in a way that never happened before.It was so beautiful to see such young kids so willingly help. Most kids that age would be picking out candies or toys in a store for themselves, instead of helping their mom pick out fruits as the two kids did.
It was great to witness the moment, but not so great because I didn't tell the mom how beautiful her children were in their language.this is what I regret to this day.
(1)The woman and her kids came to the market to buy .
A. fruits
B. vegetables
C. candies
D. toys
(2)According to what he saw, the writer was sure the mother couldn't .
A. speak
B. see
C. smell
D. hear
(3)The writer was moved because .
A. the mother was brave to face her problems
B. the kids were polite and kind to each other
C. the mother was careful in picking out things
D. the kids were so willing to help their mother
Roger:Hi,there!It was my 15th birthday last Saturday.Some of my friends and Alan.my cousin,came to celebrate it. Everyone brought me a gift,we played games,sang songs and had a big birthday cake. It was really a wonderful day! Did you do anything special last week?
Jessica:Yes,My class were on a school field trip last week.First,We went to the University of North Carolina to learn about the history of its basketball team. Many basketball stars were students there. Then we visited a museum. We learned about how the plane was invented and took many pictures there.
Sara:Well, I was lucky enough to go to a conference(会议) on charity(慈善) last Wednesday. I was so excited to meet a lot of kind people there. One of them was a boy named Richard. He spoke at the conference about the charity work that he had done in the past few years.
Martin:It was a different week than usual,Last Thursday, my school band(乐队) went to Atlanta to perform in a competition.I played the violin and we won a prize! On Friday we went to the Georgia Aquarium and got to see different kinds of sea life from over the world. It was really cool!
(1)When did Roger have his birthday party?
A.Last Wednesday.
B. Last thursday.
C.Last Friday.
D.Last Saturday.
(2)Who went on a school field trip last week?
A.Alan.
B.Jessica.
C.Sara.
D.Richard.
(3)Martin went to Atlanta to .
A.speak at a conference
B.organize a party
C.perform in a competition
D.visit a university
What's in a Name?
Many American names come from England.But where did most English names come from?
Centuries ago,most people in England had only one name﹣﹣their first name.In the 11th century,five
or six of the 50 people in a village might be named William,and it was easy to get confused.But in the Middle Ages,people found a way to describe each person exactly.If there were four Williams in one village,one might be referred to as William the son of John.A second might be called William from the hill.A third,William the blacksmith(铁匠).And a fourth,William the brown haired.In conversation,people might refer to the four Williams as William John's son,William hill,William smith,and William brown.
It was 300 or 400 years before the extra ( 附加的) names gradually developed into last names,or
surnames.They were passed on from generation to generation.By the 1300s,Robert,the son of William
smith,had the name Robert smith,even if he was not a blacksmith like his father.As the last name became widely accepted,the first letter was capitalized,as in Robert Smith.By the 15th century,most people of the upper and middle classes had surnames.
Many surnames were based on father﹣son relations.The"son of"part was added to the father's first
name,like Johnson,meaning John's son.Sometimes it was shortened to just"s",as in Jones or Evans.
Surnames like Hill described the place where a person lived.They are the most common type of surname.A third kind of surname was based on a person's job.Forester was someone who looked after the forest.
In the Middle Ages,occupation names such as Baker,Carpenter,and Miller became common.The fourth kind of surname was nickname(绰号).A man whose surname was Bear might be as fierce as a bear.
Have you ever wondered why some surnames are so common?The most common surname in the
English language is Smith.Being able to make metals(金属)into tools was an important skill in the Middle Ages,and many people were trained as blacksmiths.The most common American surnames are Smith,Johnson,William and Brown.
61.Where do many American names come from?
62.When did people find a way to describe each person exactly?
63.How long did it take for extra names to develop into last names?
64.What is the fourth paragraph mainly about?
65.Why were many people trained blacksmith in the Middle Ages?
From the Other Side
Lara and Tara are twins.(1) but they are very different in
everything else.For example,hot food is Lara's favorite,and Tara has a sweet choice.
However,this isn't the problem with the twin girls.They always argued that the opposite one was wrong. (2) ,while Tara insisted that mornings were fresh and it was difficult to stay up till midnight.
(3) .To put an end to their fights,their parents decided to create a small drama.They wanted the girls to understand that they were both correct from their own point of view.Their parents covered the girls'eyes with black ribbons,and brought them to the dining room.(4) Lara was asked to stand on one side of the board and Tara on the other.They couldn't see the other side of it.When the ribbons were taken away,they were surprised to see a huge board between them.
Now,their father asked Lara,"What's the color of the board?"She replied,"It's black!"(5) .She replied,"It's white!"The two girls began to argue again.While Lara was confident it was black,Tara was sure it was white.Then,they were asked to exchange(交换)their places.They couldn't believe their eyes.Tara,who insisted it was a white board,saw a black one.Similarly,Lara,who argued the board was black,was shocked to see a white one.They understood that each of them was right in her own view.Most of us are like Lara and Tara.We are right most times,but insist that others are wrong!
A.They look like each other
B.For years,their arguments continued
C.Their mother asked Tara the same question
D.In the room,a big board was placed in the middle
E.Lara thought it was terrible to get up early in the morning.
Say you're sitting around with some friends playing video games and someone mentions a game that happens to be one of your favorites."Oh,that game's easy.So not worth the time,"one of your friends says.The others agree.Although you enjoy the game quite a lot,not wanting to argue with them,you go along with the crowd.
You have just experienced what is commonly referred to as peer pressure(同伴压力),also called peer
influence.You will adopt a certain type of behavior,dress,or attitude in order to be accepted as part of a group of your"peers".As a teen,you are likely to have experienced the effect of peer pressure in a number of different areas.
We are all influenced by our peers at any age.For teens,as school and other activities take you away
from home,you may spend more time with your friends than with your family.As you become more
independent,your peers naturally play a greater role in your life.
According to Dr.Casey from Cornell University,teens are very quick and accurate in making decisions
on their own and in situations where they have time to think.However,when they make decisions in the
heat of the momentor in social situations,their decisions are often influenced by factors like peers.In a
recent study,teen volunteers played a video driving game,either alone or with friends watching.The
researchers discovered that the number of risks teens took more than doubled when their friends were
watching,compared with when they played alone.This shows that teens may find it more difficult to control risky behavior when their friends are around,or in situations where they are extremely angry.
Just as people can influence us to make unwise choices,they can also influence us to make good ones.A teen might join in a volunteer project because his or her friends are doing it,or get good grades because his or her friends think getting good grades is important.In fact,friends often encourage each other to study,or try out for sports.
While we are always influenced by those around us,the decision to act or not is up to us.So when it
comes to decision making,the choice is up to you.
52.According to the passage,Dr.Casey probably agrees that teens .
A.like to play driving games with their friends
B.prefer situations where they have time to think
C.may take more risks when their friends are around
D.are slow in making decisions when they are on their own
53.The words" in the heat of the moment"in Paragraph 4 probably mean" ".
A.when teens avoid possible risks
B.when teens trust their judgment
C.when teens lose control over their anger
D.when teens give consideration to situations
54.What can we learn from the passage?
A.Teens are eager to be different from their peers.
B.Peer pressure has effects on both teens and adults.
C.Peer pressure does more harm than good to teens.
D.Tees think it challenging to get good grades at school.
55.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.Peer Pressure:Is It Necessary to Deal with It?
B.Peer Pressure:Is It Possible to Get Away from It?
C.Peer Pressure:Its Benefits to Teens and Friend Making
D.Peer Pressure:Its Influence on Teens and Decision Making.