DearMr.Smith,Icurrentlyrent(租)-优题课

Betty and Harold have been married for years. But one thing still puzzles (困扰) old Harold. How is it that he can leave Betty and her friend Joan sitting on the sofa, talking, go out to a ballgame, come back three and a half hours later, and they're still sitting on the sofa? Talking?
What in the world, Harold wonders, do they have to talk about?
Betty shrugs. Talk? We're friends.
Researching this matter called friendship, Psychologist Lillian Rubin spent two
years interviewing more than two hundred women and men. No matter what their age, their job, their sex, the results were completely clear: women have more friendships than men, and the difference in the content and the quality of those friendships is“marked and unmistakable”.
More than two hirds of the single men Rubin interviewed could not name a best friend. Those who could were likely to name a woman. Yet threequarters of the single women had no problem naming a best friend, and almost always it was a woman. More married men than women named their wife／husband as a best friend, most trusted person, or the one they would turn to in time of emotional distress (感情危机).“Most women,” says Rubin,“identified (认定) at least one, usually more, trusted friends to whom they could turn in a troubled moment, and they spoke openly about the importance of these relationships in their lives.”
“In general,” writes Rubin in her new book,“women's friendships with each other rest on shared emotions and support, but men's relationships are marked by shared activities.” For the most part, Rubin says, interactions (交往) between men are emotionally controlled—a good fit with the social requirements of “manly behavior”.
“Even when a man is said to be a best friend,”Rubin writes,“the two share little about their innermost feelings. Whereas a woman's closest female friend might be the first to tell her to leave a failing marriage, it wasn't unusual to hear a man say he didn't know his friend's marriage was in serious trouble until he appeared one night asking if he could sleep on the sofa.”
1.What old Harold cannot understand or explain is the fact that________.
A. he is treated as an outsider rather than a husband
B. women have so much to share
C. women show little interest in ballgames
D. he finds his wife difficult to talk to
2.Rubin's study shows that for emotional support a married woman is more likely to turn to_________.
A. a male friend B. a female friend C. her parents D. her husband
3.According to the text, which type of behavior is NOT expected of a man by society?
A. Ending his marriage without good reason.
B. Spending too much time with his friends.
C. Complaining about his marriage trouble.
D. Going out to ballgames too often.
4.Which of the following statements is best supported by the last paragraph?
A. Men keep their innermost feelings to themselves.
B. Women are more serious than men about marriage.
C. Men often take sudden action to end their marriage.
D. Women depend on others in making decisions.
5.The research done by psychologist Rubin centers around_________.
A. happy and successful marriages
B. friendships of men and women
C. emotional problems in marriage
D. interactions between men and women

New York, 10 November—5:27pm,yesterday. Biggest power failure in the city's
history.
 Thousands of people got stuck in lifts. Martin Saltzman spent three hours between the 21st and 22nd floors of the Empire State Building. “There were twelve of us. But no one panicked. We passed the time telling stories and playing word games. One man wanted to smoke but we didn't let him. Firemen finally got us out.”
“It was the best night we've ever had,”said Angela Carraro,who runs an Italian restaurant on 42nd Street.“We had lots of candles on the tables and the waiters were carrying candles on their trays. The place was full—and all night, in fact, for after we had closed, we let the people stay on and spend the night here.”
The zoos had their problems like everyone else. Keepers worked through the night. They used blankets to keep flying squirrels and small monkeys warm. While zoos had problems keeping warm, supermarkets had problems keeping cool.“All of our ice cream and frozen foods melted,” said the manager of a store in downtown Manhattan.“They were worth $50,000.”
 The big electric clock in the lobby(大厅)of the WaldorfAstoria Hotel in downtown Manhattan started ticking(滴答) again at 5:25 this morning. It was almost
on time.
1.Throughout the period of darkness, Martin Saltzman and the eleven others were ________ .
A. nervous B. excited C. calm D. frightened
2.In what way was the night of November 9 the best night for Angela Carraro?
A. She had a taste of adventure.
B. Burning candles brightened the place.
C. Business was better than usual.
D. Many people stayed the night in her restaurant.
3.How long did the power failure last?
A. Nearly 12 hours. B. More than 12 hours.
C. Nearly 24 hours. D. More than 24 hours.

A characteristic of American culture that has become almost a tradition is to respect the self made man—the man who has risen to the top through his own efforts,usually beginning by working with his hands.While the leader in business or industry or the college professor occupies a higher social position and commands greater respect in the community than the common labourer or even the skilled factory worker,he may take pains to point out that his father started life in America as a farmer or labourer of some sort.
This attitude toward manual(体力的) labour is now still seen in many aspects of American life.One is invited to dinner at a home that is not only comfortably but even luxuriously(豪华地)furnished and in which there is every evidence of the fact that the family has been able to afford foreign travel,expensive hobbies,and college education for the children;yet the hostess probably will cook the dinner herself,will serve it herself and will wash dishes afterward,furthermore the dinner will not consist merely of something quickly and easily assembled from contents of various cans and a cake or a pie bought at the nearby bakery.On the contrary,the hostess usually takes pride in careful preparation of special dishes.A professional man may talk about washing the car,digging in his flowerbeds,painting the house.His wife may even help with these things,just as he often helps her with the dishwashing.The son who is away at college may wait on table and wash dishes for his living,or during the summer he may work with a construction gang on a highway in order to pay for his education.
1.From paragraph 1,we can know that in America_________.
A.people tend to have a high opinion of the selfmade man
B.people can always rise to the top through their own efforts
C.college professors win great respect from common workers
D.people feel painful to mention their fathers as labourers
According to the passage,the hostess cooks dinner herself mainly because_________.
A.servants in America are hard to get
B.she takes pride in what she can do herself
C.she can hardly afford servants
D.it is easy to prepare a meal with canned food
3.The expression“wait on table” in the second paragraph means“_________”.
A.work in a furniture shop
B.keep accounts for a bar
C.wait to lay the table
D.serve customers in a restaurant
4.Which of the following may serve as the best title of the passage?
A.A Respectable Self made Family B.American Attitude toward Manual Labour
C.Characteristics of American Culture D.The Development of Manual Labour

Britain's oldest man made his first visit to London yesterday at the age of 110. Mr John Evans had never found the time or the money—to make the trip from his home near Swansea. But, when British Rail offered him an all expenses paid birthday trip to the capital, he just could not refuse.
Until yesterday he had never been far from home, except for one trip to Aberdeen. Mr Evans, who spent 60 years working as a miner in South Wales, almost made the journey to London once before, at the turn of the century.“There was a trip to the White City but it was ten shillings (1 shilling="1/20" pound) return from Swansea—too much I thought. All my money went to the family then，” he said.
During the next two days Mr Evans will be taken on a whistle stop tour of London to see the sights. Top of his list is a visit to the Houses of Parliament(国会).
The only arrangement he does not care for is the wheelchair provided to move
him about if he gets tired.“I don't like the chair business—people will so think I am getting old，” he said.
His secret for a long and healthy life has been well publicized—no alcohol, no cigarette and no anger. Before setting off from Swansea with his 76-year-old son, Amwel, he quipped, “I'm glad to see they've given me a return ticket.”
1.It was reported that Mr Evans's healthy long life was to a certain extent due to his________ .
A. wine drinking B. proper smoking
C. mild temper D. sense of humor
2.Which of the following statements is true?
A.A single trip from Mr Evans's home to the White City used to be ten shillings.
B.The first place for Mr Evans to visit is the Houses of Parliament.
C.He appreciated people's arrangement of a wheelchair during his visit.
D.Mr Evans once made the journey to London at the turn of the century.
3.The word “quip” in the last sentence most probably means ________.
A. to make a witty remarkB. to express a happy message
C. to make a wish D. to tell a joke
4.What might be the best title for this passage?
A. 110-Year-Old Tourist B. Secret for Long and Healthy Life
C. Free Return Ticket D. Sightseeing in London

There is one foreign product the Japanese are buying faster than others, and its popularity has caused an uneasy feeling among many Japanese.
That product is foreign words.
Gairaigo—words that come from outside— have been part of the Japanese language for centuries. Mostly borrowed from English and Chinese, these terms are often changed into forms no longer understood by native speakers.
But in the last few years the trickle (涓涓流水) of foreign words has become a flood, and people fear the increasing use of foreign words is making it hard for
the Japanese to understand each other and could lead to many people forgetting the good qualities of traditional (传统的) Japanese.
“The popularity of foreign words is part of the Japanese interest in anything new,” says university lecturer and writer Takashi Saito. “By using a foreign word you can make a subject seem new, which makes it easier for the media(媒体) to pick up."
“Experts (专家) often study abroad and use English terms when they speak with people in their own fields. Those terms are then included in government white papers," said Muturo Kai, president of the National Language Research Institute.
“Foreign words find their way easily into announcements made to the general public, when they should really be explained in Japanese."
Against the flow of new words, many Japanese are turning back to the study of their own language. Saito's Japanese to Be Read Aloud is one of many language books that are now flying off booksellers' shelves.
“We were expecting to sell the books to young people," said the writer, “but it turns out they are more popular with the older generation, who seem uneasy about the future of Japanese.”
1.What advantages do foreign words have over traditional Japanese terms?
A.The ideas expressed in foreign words sound new.
B. Foreign words are best suited for announcements.
C. Foreign words make new subjects easier to understand.
D. The use of foreign words makes the media more popular.
2.In the opinion of Takashi Saito, Japanese people ________.
A. are good at learning foreign languages
B. are willing to learn about new things
C. trust the media
D. respect experts
3.Which of the following plays an important part in the spread of foreign words?
A.The media and government papers.
B.Best selling Japanese textbooks.
C.The interest of young Japanese.
D.Foreign products and experts.
4.The book Japanese to Be Read Aloud ________.
A.sells very well in Japan
B. is supported by the government
C. is questioned by the old generation
D. causes misunderstanding among the readers

A．a student	B．an exterminator
C．a housekeeper	D．a BBB official

A．A bit confused	B．Quite frightened
C．Really excited	D．Very disappointed