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 neighbourhood 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 neighbours.
It was like a race, but one could never finish this 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 neighbours. 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 ‘Jonses’ 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.
1.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
2.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
3.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
4.According to the writer, it is _____ to keep up with the Joneses.
A. correct B. interesting
C. impossible D. good
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Some parents said that they had difficulty in getting along with their children. I heard many parents complaining that their teenage children are rebelling. I wish it were so. At your age you ought to be growing away from your parents. You should be learning to stand on your own two feet. But take a good look at the present rebellion. It seems that teenagers are taking the same way of showing that they disagree with their parents. Instead of striking out boldly on their own, most of them are holding firmly at one another’s hands for reassurance.
They claim they want to dress as they please. But they all wear the same clothes. They set off in new directions in music. But somehow they all end up crowded round listening to the same record. Their reason for thinking or actin g in thus-and-such a way is that the crowd is doing it. They have come out of their cocoon (蚕茧) into a larger cocoon.
It has become harder and harder for a teenager to stand up against the popularity wave and to go his or her own way. Industry has firmly carved out a teenage market. These days every teenager can learn from the advertisements what a teenager should have and be. And many of today’s parents have come to award high marks for the popularity of their children. All this adds up to a great barrier for the teenager who wants to find his or her own path.
But the barrier is worth climbing over. The path is worth following. You may want to listen to classical music instead of going to a party. You may want to collect rocks when everyone else is collecting records. You may have some thoughts that you don’t care to share at once with your classmates. Well, go to it. Find yourself. Be yourself. Popularity will come — with the people who respect you for who you are. That is the only kind of popularity that really counts.
1.In this passage, the author wants to tell .
A. teenagers to try to decide things for themselves
B. readers to try to be popular with people around
C. parents to try to control and guide their children
D. people to try to understand and respect each other
2.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. There is no popularity that really counts.
B. It is not good for a teenager to disagree with his or her classmates.
C. What many parents are doing is helping their children to go on their own ways.
D. Most teenagers claim to do whatever they want, but they are actually doing the same.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
India now leads the world in smartphone growth. It saw a 55% increase in the number of smartphone in 2014. The number of Web users increased by 37%. Smartphones were the source of 65% of its Internet traffic and 41 % of its e-commerce, according to a report by the analyst Mary Meeker, titled “Internet Trends 2015”.
India’s Internet boom has started. Within three or four years, almost every adult in India will own a smartphone. They will be used to order goods, read news, monitor crop growth and so on.
Indian adults will be very interested in these devices just as young Americans are. 87 % of Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 who own smartphones say they never separate from these: “My smartphone never leaves my side.” Four out of five say that the first thing they do on waking is to reach for their smartphones. And three fifths believe that in the next five years everything will be done on mobile devices.
In the business world, the rise of mobile platforms is dramatically transforming many industries all over the world. What Indian software developers have to do is to start thinking about solutions to old problems by using all the features of these new devices. They need to take advantage of the unique properties of smartphones and tablets. As Indian software developers and enterprises master the smartphone, they will be able to export their solutions to the rest of the world.
This will make possible a new tech revolution that is greater than what created India’s IT industry in the 1980s and 1990s. We can expect the rapid transformation of India when a billion people become connected and have equal access to information and services.
1.Loads of numbers are used in Paragraph 1 to show _____________.
A. India has the most advanced IT industry in the world
B. India’s smartphones increase most rapidly in the world
C. India will be a superpower pretty soon
D. India will export new smartphones to the rest of the world
2.What will most young Americans do first the moment they wake up?
A. Get their smartphones. B. Shop online.
C. Read news. D. Check e-mails.
3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. India is the largest mobile maker in the world.
B. Indian farmers will use smartphones to monitor crop growth..
C. Indian software developers have made great profits by selling their products abroad.
D. India saw a great boom in IT industry some 30 years ago.
4.Which can be the best title of the text?
A. More people, more smartphones B. No dream, every Indian owns a smartphone
C. A small smartphone, a big use D. At hand, India’s next tech revolution
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Taking good notes is a time-saving skill that will help you to become a batter student in several ways. 1. Second, your notes are excellent materials to refer to when you are studying for a test. Third, note-taking offers variety to your study time and helps you to hold your interest.
You will want to take notes during classroom discussions and while reading a textbook or doing research for a report. 2. Whenever or however you take notes, keep in mind that note-taking is a selective process. 3.
The following methods may work best for you.
● Read the text quickly to find the main facts and ideas in it.
● Carefully read the text and watch for words that can show main points and supporting facts.
● Write your notes in your own words.
● 4.
● Note any questions or ideas you may have about what was said or written.
As you take notes, you may want to use your own shorthand(速记). When you do, be sure that you understand your symbols and that you use them all the time. 5.
A. Use words not complete sentences.
B. There are three practical note-taking methods.
C. You must write your notes on separate paper.
D. Otherwise, you may not be able to read your notes later.
E. you will also want to develop your own method for taking notes.
F. That means you must first decide what is important enough to include in your notes.
G. First, the simple act of writing something down makes it easier for you to understand and remember it.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Where did the woman go?
A. The office. B. The doctor's. C. The railway station.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
What does the man suggest doing?
A. Repairing the car. B. Going to the gas station.
C. Getting a ride with somebody.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
What does the man mean?
A. Baseball is the most boring sport.
B. Baseball is more interesting than any other sport.
C. Baseball is his favorite sport.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
What does the man do?
A. A waiter. B. A teacher. C. A salesman.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
Who has the stapler?
A. The woman. B. The man. C. Somebody else.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.How long has the man been in China?
A. One week. B. Two months. C. Two years.
2.When will the speakers have dinner together?
A. On Friday. B. On Saturday. C. On Sunday.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Who will come to the airport to meet the woman?
A. The Managing Director. B. Her doctor. C. The secretary.
2.What is the most probable relationship between the speakers?
A. Friends. B. Boss and secretary. C. Husband and wife.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What topic do the speakers discuss?
A. Learning a foreign language. B. The learning material.
C. The pronunciation.
2.What does the woman think of the Spanish course?
A. Easy. B. Difficult. C. Just so-so.
3.What advice does the man give to the woman?
A. To catch the speaker's every word. B. To find out the key words.
C. To ask for repetition.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Why does the woman come to see the man?
A. To return a book. B. To invite the man for dinner.
C. To ask for help.
2.How is the book according to the woman?
A. Boring. B. Interesting. C. Just so-so.
3.Where does the conversation take place probably?
A. In the library. B. At the door. C. In the shop.
4.What will the woman do next?
A. Talk with the man. B. Give the man a lift. C. Buy some food.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What did Susan Sontag write in her books?
A. Poetry. B. Essays. C. Dramas.
2.How many languages have Susan Sontag's works been translated into?
A. 17. B. 20. C. 32.
3.Why was Susan Sontag different from other social critics?
A. She has never appeared on TV.
B. She appeared in films.
C. She wrote many love stories.
4.What do we know about Susan Sontag?
A. She was considered one of the most influential liberal thinkers.
B. She was a common social worker.
C. She set up 15,000 schools.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
My name is Cathy, an ordinary woman in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I used to give a lot of money to the homeless, feeling________for them. But as time passed, I became a mom with no home, a huge________， and hardly any income. As a result, I________giving money to the people on the side of the road and became very________.
Things started to change for me________. I had a home, a backyard for my daughter, and plenty of food, and I started to ________ myself out of debt. One day we saw a homeless person with the________， “Will work for food.” I ________. My daughter commented. “Mommy, you used to always give money to those people in________.” I replied, “Honey, they just use that money for________， or other bad things.” She didn’t respond.________when I said that, I didn’t feel right.
Three days later, I was driving to ________my daughter from school. A man was standing on the corner, and something deep ________me said, “Just help the guy.” So I________ down my window, and he ran over excitedly. He said, “God bless you, I only need 77 cents.” I________ into my pocket and strangely enough, there________ three quarters and two pennies.
I picked them up and gave them to him. He ________ with joy and tears in his eyes. “Wow, you just made it________ for me to see my mom for Christmas! Thank you so much；the ________ that had this great sale is leaving in 20 minutes！” It was a moment I'll ________forever. I think that man won’t forget it, either, but I was the one who got the best gift in life—GIVING.
1.A. angry B. grateful C. strange D. sorry
2.A. debt B. burden C. disease D. problem
3.A. continued B. stopped C. hated D. appreciated
4.A. rich B. relaxed C. bitter D. pleased
5.A. immediately B. slowly C. quickly D. greatly
6.A. pull B. push C. run D. feed
7.A. determination B. child C. sign D. advertisement
8.A. ran away B. turned back C. sped up D. passed by
9.A. danger B. love C. need D. sadness
10.A. life B. smoking C. food D. book
11.A. And B. But C. So D. Even
12.A. pick up B. carry out C. bring up D. take out
13.A. on B. over C. behind D. inside
14.A. rolled B. pushed C. blew D. took
15.A. knocked B. went C. reached D. shouted
16.A. hid B. stood C. slept D. sat
17.A. turned up B. burst out C. set out D. stood up
18.A. wonderful B. meaningful C. possible D. interesting
19.A. bus B. man C. woman D. plane
20.A. thank B. hold C. respect D. remember
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Tom was shocked to realize that the two-month summer vacation 1.(pass) before he knew it. He wondered 2. he had been doing during the summer holidays. Then he remembered the days and nights he enjoyed himself by 3.(talk) with his friends and surfing the internet nonstop. He 4.(real) regretted having wasted so much5.(value) time doing so many meaningless 6.(thing),and was determined to work hard 7. his lessons to make up for the lost time. But the moment he 8.(sit) in front of his computer, he forgot all about his decision.
9.is easy to make a decision but hard to stick to it. If you want 10. (success), it is no use talking too much without actually doing anything at all.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
1.As you know, he____________(不喜欢) reciting English words.
2.The car accident caused 9 deaths, including three _________(德国人).
3.Having __________ (遭受) huge losses, the company will have a hard time.
4.We are looking for someone who is __________ (可靠) and hard-working.
5.I was so tired that I went _________ (直接) to bed.
6.It is said that he will make an _____________(官方)visit to Tokyo in October.
7._______ (逐渐), I began to understand what he said.
8.After ____________(毕业) from TsingHua University, he went abroad for further study.
9.She has adopted a more responsible __________ (态度) to life.
10.No one was __________(说服) by his arguments.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
文中一共有10处语言错误, 每句最多有两处。 错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加:在此处加一个漏词符号(∧)，并在下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线(﹨)划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一个横线，并在其下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1.每处错误及修改均仅限一词。
2.只允许修改10 处，多者 (从十一处起)不记分。
Recently the students in our class have had heated discussion on whether people should keep pets at home in cities. We have two different opinion.
Some students thought it’s a good idea to keep pets because many old people who live alone at home can get some comfort from them. Besides, get along well with animals will make our life interested. But, others are against the idea. In our opinion, if too many people keep pets at home, it will do damage to the environment. What is worse, pets may make too many noise and even attack people.
As for me, I’m in the favor of the former. I don’t think it’s bad for us to keep pets at home. But we must take some measures to prevent them from serious polluting our environment.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假如你是高一新生吴东，写信给你的朋友李明，描绘你进入新华高中以后的生活，请用英语写一篇100—120个词的一封信，就学校、学习、交友等方面进行简单介绍。
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难度: 中等查看答案及解析