The expression “keeping up with the Joneses” was first used in 1913 by a young American 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. Young Momand was very proud of his riches. He got married and moved with his wife to Long Island, outside New York City.
But just moving there was not enough. For when Momand and his wife saw that their neighbors belonged to a country club they too joined a club. And when he saw that rich people were expected to ride horses, Momand went horseback riding every day. Momand and his wife also hired a servant and gave grand parties for their new neighbors.
It was like a race, but one could never finish this race because one was always trying to keep up. Momand and his wife could not do that.
The race ended for them when they could no longer pay for their new way of life. They moved back to an inexpensive New York City apartment.
Momand later said that his experience had been a cruel awakening for him. However, he was able to see the funny side of it. He looked around him and noticed that many people do things just to keep up with their neighbors.
He decided that this would make good stories for many papers across the country. He called it “Keeping up with the Joneses”, because “Jones” is a very common American name. “Keeping up with the Joneses” came to mean keeping up with the people around you. Momand’s stories appeared in different newspapers for over 28 years.
People never seem to tire of keeping up with the Joneses. That is one reason why they read the “right” books, go to the “right” universities and eat in the “right” restaurants. But no matter what one does, Mr. Jones always seems to be ahead.The writer of this passage means to tell us ___________.
| A．what Arthur Momand did to keep up with his neighbors |
| B．how the expression “keep up with the Joneses” came into being |
| C．what we should do to keep up with our neighbors |
| D．how we can live differently from others |
The reason Momand moved to Long Island is that ___________.
| A．he wanted to live in a rich neighborhood |
| B．there was a country club for him to join |
| C．it was outside the city and good for horseback riding |
| D．his wife came from that area |
By saying “It was like a race”(in Para 3), the writer means ____________.
| A．it was just a suitable place for the horse race |
| B．Momand and his wife kept themselves busy |
| C．Momand’s neighbors also gave parties one after another |
| D．Momand tried to compete with their neighbors in his way of life |
The funny side Momand saw in his experience was _________.
| A．he moved back to a cheap place |
| B．he was not alone in keeping up with his neighbors |
| C．he made a mistake in following other people’s examples |
| D．he cared too much about what others thought of him |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Momand earned a lot of money when he got married |
| B．Momand was always very interested in riding horses |
| C．Momand found there was something wrong with his way of life |
| D．Momand wrote stories for newspapers about himself and his neighbors |
A brother and sister have been reunited after more than 60 years, thanks to a letter in the Welwyn and Hatfield Times.
For years John Hannant Kept a photograph of his long-lost sister, hoping they would meet again. Margery, the eldest of the three children, had signed up to the Royal Air Force as part of the war effort, when John was still a baby. The family lost touch and as the decade s passed only a single letter gave a clue to her whereabouts. The clue was enough for a WHT reader to recognize Margery and put the family back in touch..
John, 67, had been searching for a long time and a friend suggested writing to the paper.
“That’s the one that made it, the letter to the paper a few months age,” he said. “It’s like a dream come true. The last time we ever heard from Margery was in 1953 after the floods. She wrote home to know if we were all right. My sister Dorothy wrote back, But Margery had moved again and never got the letter.”
Having retired from his job as a gardener at Park House, Mr. Hannat decided to take action once and for all. He and his wife Doreen, travelled to Margery’s home in Chelwood Avenue, Hatfield , which she shares with her husband Jack Cooke.
Now 88, she was recovering after several months in hospital, but immediately recognized her brother. John said, “It’s something that I never thought was going to happen, but I always hoped it would.” As well as finding his sister, John has also discovered he now has a nephew, niece and six grandnieces and grandnephews.Margery left her family because______
there was a flood in her hometown
she signed up to serve the army
she wanted to get her husband back
a war broken out in her hometownWhen she wrote to John last time ,Margery was ______
| A．34 years old | B．40 years old |
| C．44years old | D．54 years old |
What do we know about Jack Cooke’s family?
| A．Jack now has a son and a daughter. |
| B．Jack and his wife live with their children now |
| C．Jack’s wife is in good health all the time. |
| D．Jack lost touch with his family a long time ago. |
It can be inferred from the passage that______
| A．since 1953 Margery has come back home only once. |
| B．Margery received only one letter from John. |
| C．Margery does not care about her family. |
| D．WHT refers to a newspaper. |
One of the qualities that most people admire in others is the willingness to admit one’s mistakes. It is extremely hard sometimes to say a simple thing like “I was wrong about that ,”and it is even harder to say, “I was wrong ,and you were right about that.” I had an experience recently with someone admitting to me that he had made a mistake fifteen years ago .He told me he had been the manager of a cartons (纸箱).Then he talk of an incident and I began to remember the incident he was describing.
I was about eight years old at the time , and I had gone into the store with my mother to do the weekly grocery shopping. On that particular day, I must have found my way to the food department where the incident took place.
There must have been a special sale on eggs that day because there was a big show of eggs in dozen and half-dozen cartons. The cartons were put three or four feet high. I must have stopped in front of them to admire the show. Just then a woman came by pushing her grocery cart and knocked off the pile of cartons. For some reason, I decided it was up to me to put the cartons back together, so I went to work.
The manager heard the noise and came rushing over to see what had happened. When he appeared, I was on my knees checking some of the cartons to if any of the eggs were broken, but to him it looked as if I was the person who was to blame .He scolded me loudly and wanted me to pay for those broken eggs. My face turned red and I tried to explain, but it did no good. Even though I quickly forgot the incident, but the manager did not.How old was the author when he wrote this article?
A About 8years old B About 18 years old
C About 23 years old D About 15 years old Who was to blame for knocking off the pile of cartons?
A The author B The manager
C A woman D The author’s mother Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A The woman who knocked off the pile of cartons was seriously scolded by the manager.
B The author was loudly scolded by the manager.
C A woman was loudly scolded by the manager.
D It was the author who put the cartons back together.The tone of the article expresses the author’s______
A admiration for the manager’s willingness to admit mistakes
B anger to the manager for his wrong
C dissatisfaction with the woman who knocked off the pile cartons
D regret for the mistake he made in the store
When I was about 12, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings.
Week by week her list grew: I was very thin; I wasn’t a good student; I talked too much; I was too proud and so on.. I tried to bear all these all these things as long as I could. At last, I became very angry. I ran to my father with tears in my eyes.
He listened to me quietly, then he asked, “Are the things she said true or not? Janet, didn’t you ever wonder what you are really like? Well, you now have the girl’s opinion. Go and make a list of everything she said mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to other things she said.”
I did as he told me. To my great surprise, I discovered that about half of the things were true.
some of them I couldn’t change (like being very thin), but a good number I could and suddenly I wanted to change. For the first time I got a fairly clear picture of myself.
I brought the list back to Daddy. He refused to take it, “That’s just for you,” he said. “ You know better than anyone else, the truth about yourself. But you have to learn to listen, not just closing your ears anger and feeling hurt . When something said about you is true, you’ll find it will be of help to you. Don’t shut your ears. Listen to other people’s opinions, but hear the truth and do you know is right thing to do.”
Daddy’s advice returned to me at many important moments. IN my life, I’ve never had a better piece of advice.Which do you think would be the best title for this passage?
A Not an Enemy, but a Best Friend
B The Best Advice I’ve Ever Had
C My Father
D My ChildhoodWhat does “ week by week her list grew” mean?
A Week by Week, my shortcomings grew more serious.
B She had made a list of shortcomings and kept on adding new ones to it so that it was growing longer and longer.
C I was having more and more shortcomings as time went on.
D Week by week she discovered more shortcomings of mine and point them out.Why did her father listen to her quietly?
A Because he believed that what her daughter’s enemy said was mostly true.
B Because he had been so angry with his daughter’s shortcomings that he wanted to show this by keeping silent for a while.
C Because he knew that his daughter would not listen to him at that moment.
D Because he wasn’t quite sure which girl was telling the truth. What did the father do after he heard his daughter’s complaint?
A He told her not pay any attention to what her “enemy” said
B He criticized her and told her to overcome her shortcomings.
C He told her to write down all that her “enemy” had said about her and pay attention only to the things that were true.
D He refused to take the list and have a look at it.
Our “Mommy and Me” time began two years ago. My next-door neighbor and fellow mother, Christie, and I were out in our front yards, watching seven children of age 6 and under ride their bikes up and down. “I wish I could take one of my children out alone,” said Christie.
Then we worked out a plan: When Christie takes one of her children out, I’ll watch her other three. And when she watches two of mine, I’ll take someone out.
The children were extremely quick to accept the idea of “Mommy and Me” time. Christie’s daughter, McKenzie, went first. When she returned, the other children showered her with tons of questions. McKenzie was smiling broadly. Christie looked refreshed and happy. “She’s like a different child when there’s no one else around,” Christie shared with me quickly. With her mother all to herself, McKenzie didn’t have to make an effort to gain attention.
Just as Christie had noticed changes in McKenzie, I also discovered something different in each of my children during our alone times. For example, I am always surprised when my daughter, who is seldom close to me, holds my hand frequently. My stuttering（口吃的）son, Tom, doesn’t stutter once during our activities since he doesn’t have to struggle for a chance to speak. And the other son, Sam, who’s always a follower when around other children shines as a leader during our times together.
The “Mommy and Me” time allows us to be simply alone and away with each child ---talking, sharing, and laughing, which has been the biggest gain. Every child deserves（应得到）to be an only child at least once in a while. What is the text mainly about?
| A．The experience of the only child being with mother. |
| B．The advantage of spending time with one child at a time. |
| C．The happy life of two families. |
| D．The basic needs of children. |
Right after McKenzie came back, the other children were _____________.
| A．happy | B．curious | C．regretful | D．friendly |
What is one of the changes the author finds in her children?
| A．The daughter acts like a leader. | B．Sam holds her hand more often. |
| C．The boys become better followers. | D．Tom has less difficulty in speaking. |
The author seems to believe that ___________.
| A．having brothers and sisters is fun | B．it’s tiring to look after three children |
| C．every child needs parents’ full attention | D．parents should watch others’ children |
Early people had very little effect on the environment. They lived in caves in very small “clan” groups. They collected or killed only enough for the clan’s survival. Early clans were nomadic, which mean that they didn’t stay in one place. Instead, they moved around, following the animals that were their main food source and seeking areas where seasonal plants grew wild. Moving around seasonally helped to protect the environment. The land had time to recover and animals had time to breed (繁殖)before the clan returned for the next season..
As time went by, these small family clans joined with others to form larger groups for protection. Joining with other clans gave them more hunters and more women to help cut up the meat and share it between families. Eventually, people tamed(驯养)wild animals such as dogs and horses. People settled around rivers and fertile plains to share responsibilities and duties. Then, people began to plant crops instead of moving to areas where the plants grew. This development changed the environment.
Traditional forms of work also changed. Some people were better at performing a particular task than other clan members, so then began to specialize in things they were good at doing. This also meant that they began to exchange their goods for things that others produced.
People began to communicate with distant tribes. Land was cleared for roads. Foreign plants and animals were transported to places where they had not existed before. Specialization also give people more free time. So art ,dance and music became important ways of expressing feelings and thoughts. This was how many great civilizations started.
Compared to the past, modern civilization has experienced many changes to become the highly developed society that exists today. Populations have increased rapidly. Forests have been cleared for farms. Inventions and technology have made work easier.
However, pollution and other serious problems have also resulted from human progress. As concerned citizens, it is up to us to learn from past mistakes and to help maintain and improve our environment.Early tribes didn’t have much effect on animal population because_____
A .they kept animals for themselves B they ate only vegetables
C they loved animals D they killed only enough for foodThe main purpose for small clans to join together was_____
A to hurt animals B to seek safety
C to share caves D to protect environmentAccording to the passage ,we can learn that_____
A early people moved to new places looking for new sources of food
B modern civilization began when people started to live together in big groups
C modern advancements are always good for the environment
D people began to exchange goods because they didn’t have enough money It can be concluded from the passage that_____
A human progress has brought civilization to the society
B civilization has improved traditional forms of work
C early people understood environmental protection
D our environment has been affected by human progress
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