In the United States, when you become rich you want people to know about it. And even if you do
not become very rich you want people to think that you are. 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 neighborhood 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
neighbors.
     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 the rich
lifestyle of their neighbors. 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 the rich lifestyle of the people around you. Momand's series appeared in different newspapers across the country for over 28 years.
     People never seemed to get tired of keeping up with the Joneses. And there are "Joneses" 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 from the story that rich people like to _______.
A. live outside New York City
B. live in New York City
C. live in apartmentsD. 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. The best title for this passage probably is _______.
A. The secret lives of the rich
B. How New Yorkers behave
C. Why being rich is never enough
D. The funny side of being rich

     When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor, Dr. Gibbs. He didn't look
like any doctor I'd ever known. He never invited us to play in his yard, but
he was a very kind person.
     When Dr. Gibbs wasn't saving lives, he was planting trees. He owned a
large field and wanted to make it a forest.
     The good doctor had some interesting ideas about planting trees. He never
watered his new trees. Once I asked why. He said that watering plants spoiled
them, and that if you watered them, each baby tree would grow weaker and
weaker, so you had to make things difficult for them and pick out the weaker
trees early on.
     He talked about how watering trees made for shallow roots, and how trees
that weren't watered had to grow deep roots in search of water under the earth
by themselves. Deep roots were very important.
     So he never watered his trees. He'd planted an oak and, instead of watering
it every morning, he beat it with a rolled-up newspaper. I asked him why he
did that, and he said it was to get the tree's attention.
     Dr. Gibbs died several years after I left home. Every now and then, I
walked by his house and looked at the trees that I watched him plant about
twenty-five years ago. They're very big and strong now. I planted some trees a
few years back and carried water to them for a whole summer. After two years
of caring too much, whenever a cold wind blows in, they shake a lot.
     Every night before I go to bed, I check on my two sons. Mostly I pray (祈禱)
that their lives will be easy. But lately I've been thinking that it's time to change my prayer. I know my children are going to face difficulties. There's always a
cold wind blowing somewhere, so what we need to do is to pray for roots that
reach deep into the brave heart, so when the rains fall and the winds blow, they
could face it strongly and won't be beaten down.

1. What does the underlined word "shallow" in the fourth paragraph probably
mean?

A. Near to the surface of the earth.
B. Short.
C. Thin.
D. Weak.

2. The writer's trees shake a lot whenever a cold wind blows because ______.

A. he has never beaten his trees with a rolled-up newspaper
B. he didn't often water his trees
C. his trees are younger than Dr. Gibbs'
D. he has done too many things for his trees

3. The writer wants to change his prayer, hoping that his sons will ______.

A. not catch a cold in the rain easily
B. be strong enough in the cold wind in winter
C. be better at planting trees
D. be stronger in their lives

4. Which can be the best title of the passage?

A. Watering Trees
B. Growing Roots
C. How to Be a Father
D. How to Plant Trees

     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(應(yīng)得到)to be an only child at least once in a while.

1. 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.

2. Right after McKenzie came back, the other children were _____________.

A. happy
B. curious
C. regretful
D. friendly

3. 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.

4. 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

     A small man with a fat stomach got on the train at the last station before the frontier (邊境). He
carried a paper bag. And four feet of ducks could be seen under the cover. The man found an empty
seat, put the bag in the middle of the floor, took out a newspaper and began to read. Then a policeman
came in. Of course he saw the bag with ducks' legs at once and said, "Whose is that bag?" Nobody
answered. The policeman repeated the question, and said, "I'll have to take it away from the owner.
Food mustn't be taken out of the country." "Well, then," said the small man with a fat stomach. "Hurry
up and take it. We want to go home." The policeman took the bag and went on to the next carriage.
      At the next station, when they were safely across the frontier, the small man got up, smiled at the
other passengers and said, "I hope they'll enjoy the ducks' feet. The rest in the bag was nothing but
rubbish." Then he opened his coat and pointed to another bag he was carrying under it. It was tied
tightly (緊緊地) over the stomach, which was not really fat. "The rest of the ducks is here," he said
with a smile on his face. With these words, he got off the train. But while he was happily walking to
the exit with the bag in his hands, a policeman came up to him, saying, "Hey, man! Foreign food
mustn't be brought in."

1. Where did the man put his paper bag after he got on the train?

A. In an empty seat.
B. Near his newspaper.
C. In the middle of the floor.
D. He gave it to the policeman.

2. The first policeman took the paper bag away because _____________.

A. he wanted to find the owner of the bag
B. he enjoyed the ducks feet in the bag
C. the bag was put in a wrong place in the carriage
D. food can't be taken abroad

3. How many ducks did the man take with him when he got on the train?

A. 1.
B. 2.
C. 3.
D. 4.

4. In the end the small man ____________.

A. failed to take his food home
B. crossed the frontier with two paper bags
C. took the ducks safely home
D. hid his ducks under his coat again

                                                                         A Trip to the Forest
     One day Bob took two of his friends into the mountains. They put up their tents and then rode off to a
forest to see how the trees were growing.
     In the afternoon when they were about ten kilometres from their camp (營(yíng)地), it started to snow. More
  and more snow fell. Soon Bob could hardly see his hands before his face. He could not find the road.
 Bob knew there were two roads. One road went to the camp, and the other went to his house. But all
 was white snow. Everything was the same. How could he take his friends back to the camp?
     Bob had an idea. The horses! Let the horses take them back! But what would happen if the horses
 took the road to his house? That would be a trip of thirty-five kilometres in such cold weather!
     It was getting late. They rode on and on. At last the horses stopped. Where were they?  
     None of them could tell. John looked around. What was that under the tree? It was one of their tents!

1. John and his two friends went to the forest to _____.

    A. build their camp
    B. find their way home 
    C. enjoy the mountains in the snow 
    D. watch the trees in the forest

2. They could not find their way back because _____.

    A. there was only one road to their camp 
    B. they couldn't decide which of the two roads led to their tents 
    C. there were no roads in the mountains at all 
    D. everything was covered by the white snow

3. It is clear that they wanted the horses to take them to _____.

    A. John's house 
    B. the camp 
    C. the forest 
    D. the mountains

4. The horses stopped because _____.

    A. it was getting late 
    B. they were tired after running for a long way 
    C. they knew that they had got to the camp 
    D. they had seen John's house   

5. The story happened _____.

    A. on a cold winter day 
    B. on a dark snowy evening 
    C. in a cold camp far from villages 
    D. at night when nothing could be seen

根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，判斷正（T）誤（F）。

(     )1.James was a writer from England.
(     )2.James would like to take a taxi at six thirty.
(     )3.When he turned on the radio he heard the speaker saying that he missed the plane.
(     )4.The plane crashed while flying towards London.
(     )5.Sometimes bad things can change into good ones.