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 withthe 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(仆人) 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 make themselves happy |
It can be inferred(推断)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 |
According to the writer, it is_______ to keep up with the Joneses.
A.correct | B.interesting |
C.impossible | D.good |
1. The above material may probably be .
A: a survey
B: a map of Moorefields
C: an advertisement
D: an introduction to London
2. Eye to Eye activity will take place .
A: on 28 February
B: on Sunday 13 March
C: around the London Eye
D: in Moorfields Eye Hospital
3. Moorfields Eye Charity is a(n) .
A: company
B: hospital
C: eye center
D: walking club
4. It's clear that .
A: you can sign up by telephone or on the website
B: many people in the UK go blind every 15 minutes
C: it's 4 miles between the Eye Hospital and the London Eye
D: the purpose of the activity is to help people tell direction
5. The material has something to do with .
A: eye donating
B: walk racing
C: sight research
D: London trip
Nicole Kelly a 23﹣year﹣old girl,was born without her left forearm,①____that didn't stop her ②____ becoming Miss Iowa after a three﹣day competition in Davenport.
Kellly will go to Atlantic City to compete for Miss America and she will give a talk about the importance of overcoming (克服)disabilities.
"A year ago,I certainly didn't think I would have something to do with the beauty③/kwi:n/______,"Kelly wrote on her"Meet Miss Iowa"page."But now I know that being Miss Iowa is perfect and speaking out on the stage is very important for me.⑤Ifeel so thankful for those who have encouraged me at every step of the way."
"As I grew older,I learned to ④/ək'sept/______the strange eyes from others…with an outgoing character that would not give in,"she wrote."This meant that I would try everything!⑥从游泳到舞蹈,没有我不愿意尝试的事情.Now I stand on the stage and find it very suitable for me."
Kelly said that being a star was a good way to show herself,and more importantly,it helped her walk out of the sadness of being disabled.
(1)在文中的1处和2处分别填入一个合适的词,使句子通顺连贯.① ②
(2)根据提示,在文中的3处和4处分别填入一个合适的单词.③ ④
(3)将⑤句译成汉语.
(4)将⑥句译成英语.
(5)What's the topic of the talk Kelly will give? .
An eight﹣year﹣old child heard her parents talking about her little brother.All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money.Only a very expensive operation could save him now and there was no one to lend them the money.
When she heard her daddy say to her tearful mother."Only a miracle(奇迹) can save him now,"the little girl went to her bedroom and pulled her money from its hiding place and counted it carefully.
She hurried to a drugstore (药店) with the money in her hand.
"And what do you want?"asked the salesman."It's for my little brother,"the girl answered."He's really; really sick and I want to buy a miracle.""Pardon?"said the salesman.
"My brother Andrew has something bad growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him.So how much does a miracle cost""We don't sell a miracle here,child.I'm sorry,"the salesman said with a smile.
"Listen,if it isn't enough,I can try and get some more.Just tell me how much it costs."
A well﹣dressed man heard it and asked,"What kind of a miracle does your brother need?"
"I don't know,"she answered with her eyes full of tears."He's really sick and mum says he needs an operation.But my daddy can't pay for it,so I have brought all my money."
"How much do you have"asked the man.""1.11dollars,but I can try and get some more,"she answered.
"Well,what luck,"smiled the man."1.11dollars,the price of a miracle for your little brother."
He took up the girl's hand and said,"Take me to where you live.I want to see your brother and meet your parents.Let's see if I have the kind of miracle you need."
That well﹣dressed man was Dr.Carlton Armstrong,a famous doctor.The operation was successful and it wasn't long before Andrew was home again.
How much did the miracle cost?
62.What was the trouble in the little girl's family?
A.Her brother was seriously ill.
B.They had no money.
C.Nothing could save her brother.
D.Both A and B.
63.In the eyes of the little girl,a miracle might be .
A.something interesting
B.something beautiful
C.some wonderful medicine
D.some good food
64.What made the miracle happen?
A.The girl's love for her brother.
B.The medicine from the drugstore.
C.The girl's money.
D.Nobody can tell.
65.From the passage we can infer (推断) that .
A.The doctor didn't ask for any pay
B.A miracle is sure to happen if you keep on
C.The little girl is lovely but not so clever
D.Andrew was in fact not so sick as they had thought.
Years ago,I lived in a building in a large city.The building next door was only a few feet away from mine.There was a woman who lived there,whom I had never met,yet I could see her seated by her window each afternoon,sewing or reading.
After several months had gone by,I began to notice that her window was dirty.Everything was unclear through the dirty window.I would say to myself,"I wonder why that woman doesn't wash her window.It really looks terrible."
One bright morning I decided to clean my flat,including washing the window on the inside.
Late in the afternoon when I finished the cleaning,I sat down by the window with a cup of coffee for a rest.What a surprise!Across the way,the woman sitting by her window was clearly seen.Her window was clean!
Then I began to understand it.I had been criticizing (批评) her dirty window,but all the time I was watching hers through my own dirty window.
That was quite an important lesson for me.How often had I looked at and criticized others through the dirty window of my heart,through my own shortcomings(缺点)?
From then on,whenever I wanted to judge (判断) someone,I asked myself first,"Am I looking at him through my own dirty window?"Then I try to clean the window of my own world so that I may see others'world more clearly.
59.The writer couldn't see everything clearly through the window because .
A.the woman's window was dirty
B.the writer's window was dirty
C.the woman lived nearby
D.the writer was nearsighted(近视的)
60.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Both the woman and the writer lived in a small town.
B.The writer often cleaned the window
C.Both the woman and the writer worked as cleaners.
D.The writer never met the woman
61.From the passage,we can learn that .
A.one shouldn't criticize others very often
B.one should often keep his window clean
C.one should judge himself before he judges others
D.one should look at others through his dirty window.
Money can make you happy,only if you spend it in a clever way.
Buying a new car makes you happy.However,you will forget this happy feeling when the car gets old.But if you spend a week traveling.It's more possible that you'll remember the great experience,and you'll remember the feeling for a long time.A new study has found that spending money on experiences makes people happier than on material things.
For material things,it's possible that you'll care about every little things.If you buy a nice pen,and someone else buys one with less money,it is possible that you may be unhappy because you spend more money.When it comes to experiences like trips,you won't think like that.If the experience is generally good,you will be happy with the price.
Material things can be compared more easily.If you buy an MP3 and then see a more suitable one,you may regret buying the first one.However,if you have a nice dinner at one restaurant,and then learn about another better restaurant,you'll not regret the first meal.
Material things can cause jealousy(嫉妒).For example,if you buy a new toy and find that your friend has a better toy,you will feel unhappy.Instead,if you travel to a beautiful place,then no matter where your friends have gone,it won't make the memory of your trip less happy.
(1)The underlined word"material"means in Chinese.
A.物质的
B.精神的
C.便宜的
D.高贵的
(2)According to the passage.if you buy a watch and then see a better one in a magazine,you may .
A.buy a better one
B.ask for your money back
C.throw the frist one away
D.regret buying the first one
(3)Which of the following is WRONG according to the passage?
A.Spending money in a clever way makes people happy.
B.People like traveling more than buying material things.
C.Material things may cause jealousy
D.People care about more things when they buy material things.