In the United States, when one became 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 neighbours.
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.
小題1:Some people want to keep up with the Joneses because they ______.

A．want to be as rich as their neighbours

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

小題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 apartments	D．have many neighbours

小題3:The underlined word “neighbourhood” in the second paragraph means ________.

A．a(chǎn) person who lives near another	B．people living in an area
C．a(chǎn)n area near the place referred to	D．a(chǎn)n area in another town or city

小題4:Arthur Momand used the name ‘Jones’ in his series of short stories because’ Jones’ is ________.

A．a(chǎn)n important name	B．a(chǎn) popular name in the United States
C．his neighbour’s name	D．not a good name

小題5:According to the writer, keeping up with the Joneses is ________.

A．correct

B．interesting

C．impossible

D．good

Dr. Julie Coulton, a British psychologist, focuses her research on the extraordinary function of the play in the physical and spiritual development of children and Martti Bergson from the University of Helsinki shows that playing outside, in the open air, contributes to a better development of the brain.
Thus parents must encourage their children to spend as much time as possible in the open air, and at the same time, to ask schools and kindergartens to assure the small a playground outside. Recent statistics (數(shù)據(jù)) and studies show an alarming increase of the number of hours spent by children in front of the TV and the computer and a decrease of the time spent outside.
As a consequence more and more children suffer from eye problems and have to wear glasses. Also the problem of fatness among children concerns many parents who don't know what to do anymore to make their children eat healthy and balanced.
Children need a space where to develop their creativity mid parents should encourage them all the time. Too many rules hold back the child's personality and creativity and prevent them to develop the desire to know, to find out, to learn.
If you tell your child so many times: "Don't do that, don't mess the room, don't go there ...", he will lose the desire to do something, anything. Parents must watch their children without suffocating (窒息) them. Should you consider they mustn't do that or this, you have to logically explain them your reasons and they will understand.
Through playing a child learns how to communicate, how to take decisions. Playing is connected to the intellectual, emotional and social progress of the child. Playing lets your children learn how to express his feelings.
小題1:What is worrying the scientists is that ______.

A．most parents pay no attention to their children's playing

B．most schools and kindergartens have no playgrounds

C．most parents encourage their children to watch TV or go surfing

D．most children spend more time on TV or tile Internet than on playing outside

小題2:Children who watch TV or surf the Internet too much may suffer all the following EXCEPT .

A．eye problems	B．weight problems
C．lack of creativity	D．lack of interest in their lessons

小題3:The author advises us ______.

A．to allow children to do whatever we want them to do

B．never to forbid children to do anything they want to do

C．to explain why when you don't let children do something

D．to watch children playing anytime to ensure their safety

小題4:Which would be a best title for this passage?

A．How to develop the brain of your children better

B．Playing is good for your children in many aspects

C．Teaching your children what and how to play

D．Don't forbid your children to do anything

In today’s world, English is the most wildly used language. It is our duty to learn English in the new situation of the reform and opening (改革開放) to the outside world. How can we master the English language ? I’d like to give you some good advice.
First, get interested in it. I enjoy listening to foreign friends talking when I was a child. At the same time I watched the English programme Follow Me on TV. From then on, I kept on learning English. The more I learned, the more progress I made.
Second, practice makes perfect. Many people study English very hard, but they are very shy to speak it in public, for they are afraid of making mistakes. Remember you have to make a mistake before you can correct it. A native English speaker makes mistakes sometimes, too.
Third, the beginners should be encouraged to pay attention to idioms. The English language has many idioms. For example, you should say “ He is as strong as a cow.”
小題1:The writer wants to tell us ____________. 

A．the importance of learning English

B．the new situation of the reform and opening to the outside world

C．some good ideas on how to master English

D．the wide use of the English language

小題2:If we want to learn English, we must first __________.

A．show interest in it	B．enjoy listening to it
C．watch English programmes on TV	D．practice speaking it

小題3:When we are learning English, ____________.

A．remember the mistakes and correct them	B．try not to make any mistakes
C．a(chǎn)void mistakes before making them	D．don’t be afraid of making mistakes

小題4:The underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 means “_______________.”

A．Remember to make a mistake before you can correct it

B．You are sure to make a mistake before you can correct it

C．Remember you have to make a mistake and then correct it

D．You’ll make a mistake after you can correct it

A student is learning to speak British English. He wonders: Can I communicate with Americans? Can they understand me? Learners of English often ask: What are the differences between British and American English? How important are these differences?
Certainly, there are some differences between British and American English. There are a few differences in grammar. For example, speakers of British English say “in hospital” and "Have you a pen?” , Americans say “in the hospital” and ‘Do you have a pen?’.Pronunciation is sometimes different. Americans usually sound theirs in words like “bird” and “hurt”. Speakers of British English do not sound theirs in these words. There are differences between British and American English in spelling and vocabulary. For example, “colour” and “honour” are British, “color” and “honor” are American.
These differences in grammar, pronunciation, spelling and vocabulary are not important, however. For the most part, British and American English are the same language.
小題1:According to this passage, a student who is learning to speak American English might be afraid that __________.

A．British people cannot understand him	B．American people cannot understand him
C．the grammar is too hard for him	D．the spelling is too hard for him

小題2: American English and British English are different in __________.

A．spelling

B．pronunciation

C．grammar

D．a(chǎn)ll of the above

小題3:What is NOT mentioned(提及) in the passage?

A．Whether there are differences between British English and American English.

B．Whether British English and American English are one language or two.

C．How the differences between British English and American English came about.

D．How important the differences are.

小題4:Most __________ say “Do you have a watch?”

A．British people

B．Americans

C．children

D．teachers

小題5:According to this passage, British people and Americans have __________ difficulty in understanding each other.

A．little

B．much

C．some

D．great

When the TV viewer turns on his set, what sort of programs does he have to choose from? You might think there would be more programs devoted to entertainment than to anything else, but that’s not the case. In most countries, fewer than 20% of broadcasting hours are devoted to entertainment. U.S. figures are high----34.8% , and the unloving Canadians are even higher with 44%. Except Canada and Italy, all countries give more broadcasting time to education than to either information (news , documentaries and so on) or entertainment programs. Of course, few educational broadcasts take place during peak viewing times. In Japan though , more than 60%of broadcasting time is taken up with education of one kind of anther----just another example of the businesslike Japanese philosophy. In the U.K., the figure is 56.4% . the Italians have fewer educational programs than anyone else. They don’t go in for entertainment either. Only about ten percent of viewing time is devoted to dramas and serials, quiz shows, music, sports etc. You will find more news information programs on Italian TV than anything else. That’s understandable in a country experiencing social and political changes. Italians rely on TV to tell them what’s going on---and events are happening almost too fast to follow. The percentage of time the U.S. devoted to news and documentary programs is much smaller. After education, most TV time is given to entertainment. Many of these programs are shown around the world.
小題1:Based on this passage, the greatest percentage of TV broadcasting hours to educational is in __.

A．Japan

B．Italy

C．Canada

D．the United States

小題2:More news information programs are broadcast on Italian TV than anywhere else because the Italians ___.

A．a(chǎn)re interested in what is happening in the world.

B．Like to follow the changes that are going on in their social life

C．Prefer to learn news information on TV rather than in newspapers

D．Expect TV to tell them the latest news about what is going on in their country

小題3: So far as the broadcasting hours devoted to entertainment , which of the following is true?

A．The Japanese figure is the highest in the world.

B．The U.S. figure is smaller than the U. K. figure

C．The U.K. figure is second to the Japanese figure

D．The Canadian figure is higher than that of any other country.

小題4:In the United States, ____.

A．TV programs are shown for world audience to watch

B．Most of TV broadcasting hours are give to entertainment

C．Educational programs are shown during peak viewing times

D．TV broadcasting hours devoted to education are more than those devoted to entertainment

A Shelter for the Homeless
Last summer I was a volunteer (志愿者) at a shelter for the homeless, a place for homeless people to sleep at night. I wasn’t working that summer and was  36  only two classes in summer school, so I had some  37  time.
Three nights a week, I  38  in the kitchen of the shelter along with four other volunteers. We planned and  39  for 45 people hot meals  40  vegetables, chicken, fish and fruit. The homeless people  41  this good food because many of them usually didn’t eat well.
I  42  this volunteer work, making  43  with the four volunteers in the kitchen. One was a very nice elderly housewife, one a movie actor, another a young teacher, and the other a college student,   44  me.
I talked to a lot of the homeless people at the shelter. Their life stories  45  me with sympathy (同情). Some of them had  46  with alcohol (酒) or drugs while others only had bad  47 . One woman worked for almost 30 years for a small company, and  48  she lost her job. She looked for a  49  job,but couldn’t find one, for she was too  50  . She could do nothing but sell her furniture — sofas, chairs, and tables  51  she could pay for her food.The woman  52  on job hunting, but she 53 couldn’t find one.She had no money for her  54  and had to sleep in her car. Then she had to sell her car. Alone,   55  , and homeless, she finally came to the shelter.

小題1:	A．studying B．planning C．holding D．taking

小題2:	A．full B．free C．extra D．long

小題3:	A．helped B．waited C．a(chǎn)ppeared D．washed

小題4:	A．ordered B．bought C．cooked D．finished

小題5:	A．with B．from C．by D．in

小題6:	A．demanded B．needed C．collected D．requested

小題7:	A．wanted B．had C．owned D．enjoyed

小題8:	A．decisions B．wishes C．friends D．changes

小題9:	A．a(chǎn)s B．like C．except D．besides

小題10:

A．struck B．filled C．seized D．provided

小題11:

A．habits B．worries C．difficulties D．problems

小題12:

A．luck B．pain C．experience D．loss

小題13:

A．so B．a(chǎn)gain C．then D．thus

小題14:

A．good B．fresh C．skilled D．new

小題15:

A．old B．poor C．sick D．dull

小題16:

A．if B．because C．so that D．in case

小題17:

A．went B．moved C．came D．worked

小題18:

A．a(chǎn)lso B．still C．a(chǎn)lmost D．even

小題19:

A．block B．cottage C．building D．flat

小題20:

A．a(chǎn)fraid B．shy C．shocked D．mad

As the world watched the twin towers of the World Trade Center come under attack, a common phrase was repeated:” It looks like a movie.”
But this time there was no superman to save the people or the famous building. The attack destroyed one of the world's highest skyscrapers and left 5,000 people dead or missing.
　　Movie fans have become used to such events after years of Hollywood films showing disasters, terrorism and danger. The Empire State Building, the White House, New York City and even the American president himself have all been threatened(威脅) by terrorist attacks in these exciting films. The film” True Lies”, released in 1994, is considered to be a good example of this kind of movie. The special effects, including explosions and missiles, make the action look like a real thing.
　“Independence Day” in 1996 took this type of movie one step further by blowing up the White House. This science fiction(科幻) movie is about a war between human beings and aliens from another planet. In the movie, the World Trade Center towers are destroyed.
　　Violence has become a major part of Hollywood movies. And this is what people enjoy. Soon after the attacks, many famous film companies stopped the planned releases of some of their new movies, especially if their films showed terrorist attacks or plane crashes. “Swordfish” was top of the American box office in June. But the movie's story was frighteningly similar to the Sept. 11 disaster. The film would have been stopped in American and British cinemas after the attack. But it's unlikely that Hollywood will stay quiet for long. It is already waiting for the feeling in America to calm down.
小題1:What is the main subject of the newspaper article?

A．The relationship between the Sept. 11 attack and Hollywood films.

B．The effect of the Sept. 11 attack and Hollywood films.

C．The response Hollywood made to the Sept. 11 attack.

D．The result of Hollywood films showing violence and disasters.

小題2:Which of the following is TRUE?

A．Hollywood made a lot of money out of the film “Swordfish” in June.

B．Hollywood stopped making films showing terrorism and disasters after the Sept. 11 attack.

C．“Swordfish” was not allowed to be shown after the Sept. 11 attack.

D．The World Trade Center was destroyed because no superman came to save I t.

小題3:From this article we know that _____.

A．Hollywood is a film making center making films of violence and disasters.

B．too many Hollywood films showing terrorism and disasters resulted in the Sept. 11 attack.

C．people who were used to the Hollywood films were not shocked at the Sept. 11 attack.

D．in fact, the Sept. 11 attack had nothing to do with Hollywood films.

When you are in England, you must be very careful in the streets because the traffic drives on the left.
Before you cross a street, you must look to the right first and then the left.
If the traffic lights are red, the traffic must stop. Then the people on foot When you are in England, you must be very careful in the streets because the traffic drives on the left.
can cross the road.
If the traffic lights are green the traffic can go. People on foot mustn’t cross.
In the morning and in the evening when people go to or come from work the streets are very busy. Traffic is most dangerous then.
When you go by bus in England, you have to be careful, too. Always remember the traffic moves on the left. So you must be careful. Have a look first or you will go the wrong way.
In many English cities, there are big buses with two floors. You can sit on the second floor. From there you can see the city very well. It’s very interesting.
小題1:In China, before you cross a street, you must look to             first and then         .

A．the left, the right	B．the right, the left
C．the front, the back	D．the back, the front

小題2:You must be careful when you go by bus in England because           .

A．there are too many buses there	B．the traffic lights are different
C．crossing the street is dangerous	D．you may go the wrong way

小題3:In England, it is very interesting to          .

A．cross the streets	B．look at the traffic lights
C．sit on the second floor of a big bus and see the beautiful city
D．look at the busy streets in the morning

小題4:Which is the best title?

A．Buses in England

B．Traffic in England

C．Traveling in England

D．Traffic Lights in England

Although English is not as old as Chinese , it is spoken by many people around the world every day. English speakers are always creating new words and we are often able to know where most words come from.
Sometimes, however, no one may really know where a word comes from.  Did you ever think about why hamburgers are called hamburgers, especially when they are not made with ham?  About a hundred years ago, some men went to America from Europe.  They came from a big city in Germany called Hamburg.  They didn’t speak good English, but they ate good food.  When some Americans saw them eating round piece of beef, they asked the Germans what it was.  The Germans didn’t understand the question and answered, “We come from Hamburg.”  One of these Americans owned a restaurant, and had an idea.  He cooked some round piece of bread and started selling them.  Such bread came to be called “hamburgers”.  Today, “hamburgers” are sold in many countries around the world.
Whether this story is true or not, it certainly is interesting.  Knowing why any word has a certain meaning is interesting, too.  This reason, for most English words, can be found in any large English dictionary.
小題1:Hamburg is ____________

A．a(chǎn) kind of food	B．a(chǎn) round piece of beef
C．the name of a village	D．a(chǎn) city in Germany

小題2:According to the passage, ___________.

A．few Americans like hamburgers

B．hamburgers are made with beef

C．hamburgers are made with ham

D．hamburgers were first sold about a century ago

小題3:According to the writer, which of the following can often be found in any large English dictionary?

A．Where all the new words come from.

B．Where those Germans came from.

C．The reason why a word has a certain meaning.

D．The reason why English is spoken around the world.

小題4:From the story, we can know that the word “hamburger” comes from ___________.

A．China because it has a long history

B．English because Germans don’t speak good English

C．The round piece of beef which those people from Hamburg were eating

D．English speakers because they always create new words

If you ask most Americans, they would say their favorite season of the year is summer. The weather is warm. They do not have to wear heavy clothes to keep warm. Young people do not have to go to school. They can do many activities outside, like playing sports and swimming at the beach or the pool. They like the sunshine during the day and the warm summer nights. People have written and recorded hundreds of songs about summer. These are some of our favorites.
One of the most famous songs about summer is from George Gershwin’s opera “Porgy and Bess”. He wrote the music in nineteen thirty-five. The opera takes place in the southern United States. It opens with these words: “Summertime and the living’ is easy. Fish are jumping’ and the cotton is high.” Leontyne Price sings the song.
The nineteen fifties and sixties produced many songs about teenagers enjoying their summer vacation from school. The songs are about having fun, swimming in the ocean, driving in cars. However, for some teenagers, summer vacation was not all fun and games. Some of them had to work to earn money.
小題1:Why did people write and record so many songs about summer?

A．Summer is warm.

B．They do not have to wear heavy clothes to keep warm.

C．They can do many activities outside.

D．They like summer.

小題2:Which of following statements is NOT true?

A．There are 1950s or 1960s songs about teenagers enjoying their summer vacation from school.

B．Many songs are about teenagers having fun in summer.

C．Teenagers have not only fun and games but other things in summer.

D．Some teenagers have to work to earn money in summer

小題3:Please choose an appropriate title for the passage.

A．Summer.

B．Children in Summer.

C．Summer and Children.

D．Songs about Summer.