Whether you’re eating at a fancy restaurant or dining in someone’s home,proper table manners are likely to help you make a good impression.According to a US expert,Emily Post,“All rules of table manners are made to avoid ugliness.”
While Henry Hitchings of the Los Angeles Times admits that good manners can reduce social conflict,he points out that mostly their purpose is protective – they turn our natural warrior like selves into more elegant ones.
So where did table manners come from?
In medieval England,a writer named Petrus Alfonsi took the lead to urge people not to speak with their mouths full.And King David I of Scotland also proposed that any of his people who learned to eat more neatly be given a tax deduction (减除).
Disappointingly,that idea never caught on.It was during the Renaissance,when there were real technical developments,opinions of correct behavior changed for good.“None of these was more significant than the introduction of the table fork,” wrote Hitchings.“Gradually,as forks became popular,they brought the new way of eating,making it possible,for instance,to consume berries without making one’s fingers dirty.”
Forks were introduced to Britain in 1608 and 25 years later,the first table fork reached America.Yet while most of the essentials (基本要素) are the same on both sides of the Atlantic,there are a few clear differences between what’s normal in the US and what holds true in the UK.For example,in the US,when food needs cutting with a knife,people generally cut a bite,then lay aside the knife and switch the fork to their right hand.Then they pick up one bite at a time.By contrast,Britons keep the fork in the left hand and don’t lay the knife down.
Though globalization has developed a new,simpler international standard of table manners,some people still stick with the American cut and switch method.The Los Angeles Times noted,“They are hanging on to a form of behavior that favors manners above efficiency.”
What does the story mainly talk about?
| A.The importance of proper table manners. |
| B.The development of table manners in Western countries. |
| C.Some unwritten rules of table manners in the US and UK. |
| D.Differences between American and British table manners. |
The underlined phrase “caught on” in the passage probably means ______.
| A.worked in practice |
| B.became popular |
| C.drew attention |
| D.had a positive effect |
Which of the following events influenced people’s table manners most according to the article?
| A.The introduction of forks. |
| B.The tax deduction policy. |
| C.The rise of the Renaissance. |
| D.Petrus Alfonsi’s efforts in promoting table manners. |
What can we conclude from the article?
| A.British and American table manners are completely different from each other. |
| B.American people pay more attention to their table manners than British people do. |
| C.With globalization,the American cut and switch method has been abandoned in the US. |
| D.British people’s way of using a knife and fork may be more efficient than American people’s. |
Do you know what the White House is? Perhaps some of you do,while others don't.
The White House is a house in Washington. The president of the U.S.A. lives in it. It's really white. But do you know why the White House is white? The story happened in 1812. That year England was at war with America. The British army got to Washington and set the president's house on fire. In 1814,in order to hide the marks of the fire,the stone walls of the president's house were painted white and it has been the "White House” ever since.White House is a house for ___________.
A. the American people.
B. the soldiers of U.S.A.
C. the presidents of U.S.A.
D. the patients of U.S.A.England fought with America in ____________.
| A.1810 | B.1812 | C.1814 | D.1916 |
The house is called "White House" because ____________.
| A.it's covered with snow |
| B.the house is very clean |
| C.the stone walls of the house were painted white |
| D.they like white colour |
The White House was painted white because ____________.
| A.the house is old |
| B.the house is new |
| C.it was once on fire and was with marks |
| D.they have enough paint |
"ever since" means ___________.
| A.never | B.once | C.from then on | D.Before |
Jack is a twenty-year-old young man. Two years ago, when he finished middle school, he found work in a shop. Usually he works until ten o'clock in the evening. He is very tired when he gets home. After a quick supper he goes to bed and soon falls asleep. His grandma who lives downstairs is satisfied with (满意) him.
One day, on his way home, he met Mary. They were both happy. He asked the girl to his house, she agreed happily. He bought some fruit and drinks for her. And they talked about their school, teachers, classmates and their future (未来). They talked for a long time.
"Have a look at your watch, please," said the girl. "What time is it now?"
"Sorry, something is wrong with my watch," said Jack. "Where's yours?"
"I left it at home."
Jack thought for a moment and found a way. He began to stamp his foot on the floor, "Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The sound woke his grandma up. The old woman shouted downstairs, "It's twelve o'clock in the night, Jack. Why are you still jumping upstairs?"Jack was ________ when he finished middle school.
| A.sixteen | B.eighteen | C.twenty | D.fifteen |
The old woman is satisfied with Jack because ________.
| A.he's her grandson | B.he's clever |
| C.he can keep quiet | D.he gets home on time |
From the story, we can know that Mary is Jack's ________.
| A.classmate | B.colleague (同事) | C.aunt | D.wife |
The word "stamp" in the story means ______ in Chinese.
| A.盖印 | B.跺 | C.贴邮票 | D.承认 |
Jack stamped his foot on the floor in order (为了) ________.
| A.to wake his grandma up |
| B.to make his grandma angry |
| C.that his grandma was going to tell him the time |
| D.that his grandma was going to buy him a watch |
After a serious earthquake happened, a father left his wife safely at home and rushed to his son's school, only to find that the building where his son studied had collapsed and looked like a pancake.
He was shocked. He didn't know what he should do for a while, then he remembered the words he had said to his son, "No matter what happens, I'll always be there for you! "And tears began to fill his eyes. He started digging through the ruins (废墟).
As he was digging, other helpless parents and the firemen arrived and tried to pull him off the ruins, saying, "It's too late! They're all dead! There's nothing you can do! " To them he replied with one line, "Are you going to help me now? " And then he kept on digging.
No one helped, however. He went on alone because he needed to know for himself: "Is my boy alive or is he dead? " He dug for eight hours. . . 12 hours. . . 24 hours. . . 36 hours. . . then, in the 39th hour, he pulled back a rock and heard his son's words. He shouted his son's name, "ARMAND! " He heard back, "Dad!?! It's me, Dad! I told the other kids not to worry. I told them that if you were alive, you'd save me and when you saved me, they'd be saved. You promised, 'No matter what happens, I'll always be there for you!' You did it, Dad! "
"What's going on in there? How is it? " the father asked.
"There are 14 of us left out of 33, Dad. We're frightened, hungry, thirsty and thankful you're here. When t he building fell down, it made a triangle (三角) , and it saved us. "
"Come out, boy! "
"No, Dad! Let the other kids out first, because I know you'll get me! No matter what happens, I know you'll always be there for me! "The underlined word "collapsed" probably means " ".
| A.break down | B.shake away | C.stand by | D.fall into |
Who came to help the father when he was digging?
| A.His wife. | B.Other parents. | C.The firemen. | D.No one. |
Other parents and the firemen wanted to pull him off the ruins because they thought .
| A.he was mad |
| B.all the children had died in the earthquake |
| C.he was too dangerous to others |
| D.it was not his job to dig |
How many students were already dead when the father found them in the ruins?
| A.Fourteen. | B.Thirty-three. | C.Forty-seven. | D.Nineteen. |
We can learn from the passage that .
| A.it took the father one day to find his son and other students |
| B.his wife died in the earthquake |
| C.his son was the last one to come out of the ruins |
| D.the son didn't believe his father would come to save him |
Idioms are phrases and sentences that do not mean exactly what they say. Even if you know the meaning of each word you see or hear, you may not understand the idiom because you don't understand the culture behind it.
For example, if an American boy asks his mother what's for dinner tomorrow, she may say "I'll play it by ear", that means she doesn't have plans for dinner and she will decide later. "Play by ear" used to mean playing music using the sheet music, but now people often use it when they're not talking about music.
There're many idioms in English. If you learn to use them, your English will be more vivid and colorful. English idioms are more common in spoken English. They can be difficult to remember sometimes. Next time when you hear somebody saying to you, "Give me a hand", you don't necessarily stretch out your hand to him/her, but you do need to be helpful. And when the situation is out of hand, you usually can do very little to manage all that. What about a green hand? It's not about the color of your hand! You're a green hand when you are very new at your work and don't have much experience. If you and your partner always work together hand in glove, you two definitely work together very well.
Can you guess the meanings of some common English idioms to do with parts of your body?An idiom is _______.
| A.a phrase or a sentence that means exactly what the words say |
| B.a phrase or a sentence that doesn't mean exactly what every word says |
| C.so difficult that nobody can understand |
| D.something to do with parts of your body |
If a mother says "I'll play it by ear" to talk about the dinner, she means _______.
| A.she will cook dinner while listening to music at the same time |
| B.she doesn't hear what others are talking about. |
| C.she will play music using the sheet music instead of cooking dinner |
| D.She doesn't have plans for dinner and will decide later |
When one says "Can you give me a hand?", he means _______.
| A.he needs to hold your hand. |
| B.he works well with you |
| C.he needs your help |
| D.he is a new comer and can't help with the situation |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A.People use English idioms more in spoken English than in written English. |
| B.To understand the culture behind an idiom is important in understanding the idiom. |
| C.Idioms make your English more vivid and colorful so they are easy to remember. |
| D.You may not understand an idiom even though you know the meaning of each word. |
Here are 4 common English idioms to do with parts of your body and their meanings. Can you match them?
1) to learn something by heart a. to depend on oneself
2) to have sticky fingers b. to know something very well
3) to stand on one's own feet c. to do something secretly
4) to go behind someone's back d. to have the habit of stealing
| A.badc | B.bdac | C.cbad | D.cdba |
America’s love of cars and being on the open road has led to the creation of the modern travel or camping trailer (露营旅行车). Some trailers are so well equipped that people can comfortably live in them full time.
Almost all campers (露营车) are considered as recreational vehicles (RV’s). RV’s include motor homes, trailers, house trailers and truck campers. The smaller trailers usually have just enough room for two people to sleep and store a few personal travel items. Some of the larger motor homes include a kitchen, a bathroom, an eating area and even a bedroom.
While tent camping is always an adventure, campers are a fun way to take a long trip, or to spend some more comfortable time in a beautiful setting, like a lakeside campground. So many camper trailers have been designed for people to live in the trailer long term. Some people choose to park their trailers in trailer parks and live in their trailers full time. In America many retired adults choose to spend their time traveling across the country on the open road and bring their trailers with them. Full time use of trailers for these travelers is considered to be a recreational (休闲的) activity.
Camper trailers can also be rented and used for a shorter period of time, such as a camping trip or a road trip. A camper trailer can be a comfortable alternativeto sleeping in a tent if you are camping. If you like traveling at your own pace, a camper trailer is a good choice.What can we know about camper trailers?
| A.They are suitable for both long and short trips. |
| B.They have to be parked in a trailer park. |
| C.They are widely used by young people. |
| D.They are becoming more and more popular all over the world. |
What does the underlined word “alternative” mean?
| A.Impression. | B.Decision. | C.Solution. | D.Replacement. |
What’s the writer’s purpose of writing the text?
| A.To introduce the camper trailer. |
| B.To explain how to use a camper trailer. |
| C.To encourage people to use camper trailers. |
| D.To show the popularity of camper trailers. |
We can learn from the text that smaller trailers ______.
| A.usually use less petrol |
| B.are easier to drive |
| C.usually have room for no more than two people |
| D.run faster than bigger ones |