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. |
Paul, the oracle octopus (神算章鱼), was given a replica (复制品) of the World Cup as a reward for his perfect eight-for-eight record in predicting the results of matches.
The two-year-old octopus with possible supernatural powers turned into a worldwide celebrity for accurately predicting the German team’s five World Cup wins as well as their two defeats. Paul also tipped Spain to beat Netherlands in the final.
“We have had a lot of offers for Paul but he will definitely be staying with us and returning to his usual job-making children smile,” Sea Life spokeswoman Tanja Munzig in Oberhausen said after presenting Pual with the World Cup replica.
There’s no rational(合理的)reasons why Paul always got it right. Bettors around the world made small fortunes based on Paul’s guess, said Graham Sharpe, media relations director at William Hill in London. “I’ve seen a lot of things in my lifetime but this is the first time I’ve ever seen people making their picks based on what an octopus tells them. We had people coming in saying they didn’t know how to place a bet but heard about this German octopus and wanted to bet with him. It’s funny. But he kept getting it right.” said Sharpe.
Sharpe said that anyone who had placed a 10-pound accumulator bet(累计下注)on Paul’s prediction from the start of the World Cup would have won 3,000 pounds($4,500)by the end of the tournament.
Paul’s home at Sea Life aquarium(水族馆)in Oberhausen has been crowded with visitors and media from across Europe. Many networks broadcast his predicting live. Many networks broadcast his picks live. Hundreds were on hand to watch the World Cup replica lowered into his tank on Monday, 12 July, 2010. Paul was rewarded a replica of the Word Cup because he .
| A．will celebrate his birthday soon |
| B．predicted the results of matches accurately |
| C．helped beat Netherlands in the final |
| D．helped many fans earn much money |
If a fan had placed a 200-pound accumulator bet on Paul’s prediction, he would have won
during the tournament.
| A．$30,000 | B．$45,000 | C．$60,000 | D．$90,000 |
The underlined word “tipped” in the 2nd paragraph probably means .
| A．ordered | B．announced | C．predicted | D．helped |
From what Sharpe said we can learn that .
| A．it’s amazing for Paul to make more exact prediction than people |
| B．octopus like Paul may all have the ability to predict exactly |
| C．it’s common for people to believe in sea life for prediction |
| D．we’d better not bet with animals when we have trouble making our picks |
We can learn from this passage that .
| A．Paul used to be children’s favorite sea life |
| B．it’s useless to bet with the oracle octopus |
| C．Paul was born with the ability to predict World Cup results |
| D．Germany will never be beaten if Paul stays with them |
A newly-published study has shown that loneliness can spread from one person to another, like a disease.
Researchers used information from the Framingham Study, which began in 1948. The Framingham Study gathers information about physical and mental health, personal behavior and diet. At first, the study involved about 5,000 people in the American state of Massachusetts. Now, more than 12,000 individuals are taking part.
Information from the Framingham Study showed earlier that happiness can spread from person to person. So can behaviors like littering and the ability to stop smoking.
University of Chicago psychologist John Cacioppo led the recent study. He and other researchers attempted to show how often people felt lonely. They found that the feeling of loneliness spread through social groups.
Having a social connection with a lonely person increased the chances that another individual would feel lonely. In fact, a friend of a lonely person was 52% more likely to develop feelings of loneliness. A friend of that person was 25% more likely. The researchers say this shows that a person could indirectly be affected by someone’s loneliness.
The effect was strongest among friends. Neighbors were the second most affected group. The effect was weaker on husbands and wives, and brothers and sisters. The researchers also found that loneliness spread more easily among women than men.
The New York Times newspaper reports that, on average, people experience feelings of loneliness about 48 days a year. It also found that every additional friend can decrease loneliness by about five percent, or two and a half fewer lonely days.
Loneliness has been linked to health problems like depression and sleeping difficulties. The researchers believe that knowing the causes of loneliness could help in reducing it.
The study suggests that people can take steps to stop the spread of loneliness. They can do this by helping individuals they know who may be experiencing loneliness. The result can be helpful to the whole social group. What is true about the Framingham Study?
| A．It was only conducted in 1948. | B．It involves more than 12,000 participants. |
| C．It was led by John Cacioppo | D．It showed that any behavior could spread. |
From the passage, we can learn that .
| A．the habit of littering doesn’t spread |
| B．a lonely person won’t have friends |
| C．everyone may be affected by others’ loneliness |
| D．lonely people don’t know the cause of their loneliness |
Which statement about the spread of loneliness is true?
| A．The spreading effect was the second strongest among friends. |
| B．No spreading effect was found on husbands and wives. |
| C．Women are more likely to be affected than men. |
| D．Brothers are more easily affected than neighbors. |
If you make 10 more friends in a year, the days of your feeling loneliness will be reduced by .
| A．48 days | B．25 days | C．20 days | D．15 days |
What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Actions should be taken to help lonely people. B
. People feel lonely for many reasons.
C. Ways to fight against loneliness. D. Lonely people can affect others.
When a dirty and untidy orange cat showed up in the prison yard，I was one of the first to go out there and pet it．I hadn’t touched a cat or a dog in over 20 years．I spent at least 20 minutes，knelt down behind the kitchen as the cat rolled around，relaxed．What he was expressing outwardly, I was feeling inwardly．It was an amazing bit of grace to feel him under my hand and note that I was reaching a life or another creature with something as simple as my care．
Over the next few days，there were other prisoners responding to the cat．Every yard period，a group of prisoners gathered there．They stood around talking and taking turns petting the cat．These were guys you wouldn’t usually find talking to each other．Several times I saw an officer in the group，not chasing people away, but just watching and seeming to enjoy along with the prisoners．Bowls of 
milk and water ap
peared along with bread, wisely placed under the edge of the dustbin to keep the birds from getting it．
The cat was obviously homeless and in pretty bad shape．People said that the cat came to the right place．He's getting treated like a king．This was true．but as I watched I was also thinking about what the cat was doing for us．There was a lot of talk about what's wrong with prisons in America．We need more programs．We need more psychologists or treatment of various kinds．Some may even talk about making prisons more kind．But I think what we really need is a chance to practise our own kindness．Not receive it，but give it．After more than two decades here，I know kindness is not a value that's encouraged．It's often seen as a weakness．
Instead，the culture encourages keeping your head down，minding your own business，and never letting yourself be weak．
The cat did my heart good to see the effect he had on me and the men here．By simply saying，”I need some help here”，he did something important for us．He needed us．And we needed to be needed．I believe we all do．From the passage，we can learn that the author was ．
| A．an animal protector | B．the cat owner | C．a prison officer | D．a prisoner |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．The cat was dirty because it was kept in prison． |
| B．The officer in the prison enjoyed petting the cat． |
| C．The prisoners prepared food for both the cat and birds． |
| D．The author realized the importance of practising kindness． |
We can infer from the third paragraph that ．
| A．showing love to others can make prisoners strong |
| B．the American prison culture will be improved |
| C．the author is not content with the prison culture |
| D．caring for others is encouraged in American prisons |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Caring Makes Us Human． | B．Prison Culture is Important． |
| C．Animals Need Care． | D．Everyone Needs to be Cared for． |
In Paragraph 2，the author mentioned that “Several times I saw an officer in the group，not chasing people away, but just watching and seeming to enjoy along with the prisoners．”to ．
| A．show us the officer and prisoners get along well with each other |
| B．show us the American prison culture does need improvement |
| C．show us the officer and prisoners all like cat |
| D．show us the American prison culture is great |
Thousands of dead red-winged blackbirds fell from the sky in an Arkansas town on New Year’s Eve after massive injuries, tests by Arkansas offici
als concluded on Monday. Some 5,000 birds mysteriously fe
ll from the sky in Beebe, Arkansas after dark on New Year’s Eve. “The birds suffered from acute physical injuries leading to internal hemorrhage（大量出血） and death. There was no sign of infectious disease,” the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission said in a statement. The birds were otherwise healthy, it said.
One theory is that birds were frightened by New Year's fireworks and flew into buildings or other objects. “Loud noises were reported shortly before the birds began to fall from the sky,” the statement said, adding that blackbirds have poor night vision and seldom fly at night.
Another theory was that severe weather such as lightning accounted for the loud noises but this was discounted because the violent weather had already left the area. “We’re leaning more toward a stress event," said Arkansas Game and Fish Commission spokesman Keith Stephens.
The commission also is trying to determine what
caused the deaths of up to 100,000 fish over a 20-mile stretch of the Arkansas River near a dam in Ozark, 125 miles west of Beebe. The fish were discovered on December 30. Stephens said the commission expected results on the fish tests in probably a month. Since almost all the fish were one species -- bottom-feeding drum, Stephens said, the test was very important. Stephens also said: “The events do not appear related.” Both that section of the river and the air at the site of the bird deaths were tested for toxins(毒素). Beebe is a town of about 4,500 people located 30 miles northeast of the state capital. What is NOT the probable reason why the dead red-winged blackbirds fell from the sky?
| A．Internal hemorrhage | B．Fireworks |
| C．Lightning weather | D．Murder |
In the third paragraph, the underlined word discounted probably mean________.
| A．not to reduce cost | B．not to believe |
| C．to make up a part | D．to explain mystery |
According to Stephens, we can infer the probable cause of the dead fish is _________.[来
| A．cold weather | B．poor management |
| C．disease | D．lack of food |
The passage is mainly developed by __________.
| A．analyzing causes | B．making comparisons |
| C．examining differences | D．following the time order |
Perhaps a parent’s most important contribution toward raising a trustful child is to develop a relationship founded on trust. A child of any age will feel proud and grown-up if parents frequently show their trust. In court a defendant(被告) is innocent until proved guilty. But in the family, a teenager “defendant” is too often assumed guilty.
Even when the child is caught in a complete lie, this should not be the end of trust. A parent can tell a child that a single lie is forgivable. Yet it should be clear that if lies continue, the child, like the boy who cried wolf, will suffer loss of trust.
When my wife and I discovered that our son Tom, then 13, had lied about throwing a party while we were away, we grounded him for a month. We also told Tom that we could no longer trust him, and we could not allow him to stay alone overnight again. This loss of freedom was an important lesson; he learned how hard it is to live with people when they don’t trust him. As a result, now more than three years later we can again trust Tom to stay alone overnight.
Parents must always remember there is no easy answer to this universal problem of lying. We can set a good example, allow for privacy, monitor friendship, develop trust and punish wrong doing, but still we discover our child has lied to us. Finally that’s why there is a need for trust on both sides of a parent-child relationship. Lying destroys closeness and friendship. For that reason, parents should always try to give a child the feeling that they can be trusted with the truth. Parents may start with a child’s trust, but as the child grows older, parents must earn it.When the writer and his wife discovered that their son had lied, they _________.
| A．took all his freedom from him |
| B．decided never to trust him again |
C．forbade hi m to stay alone overnight |
| D．arranged him to stay at home. |
We can infer from the passage that very often ________.
| A．parents don’t trust their child as they should |
| B．defendants are usually proved not guilty in court |
| C．parents have too much trust in their child |
| D．some children are founded guilty in court |
According to the passage, the writer believes that _____________.
| A．parents shouldn’t punish their children even if they lie |
| B．it is not easy to deal with the problem of lying as parents |
| C．there are effective ways to prevent children from lying |
| D．children will stop telling lies as they grow up |
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