题目内容
A proverb(谚语) is a short 、well-known saying that expresses a common truth or belief. Proverbs are popular around the world. Many proverbs give advice on how to live. Some proverbs are hundreds of years old, but they are still used today.
For example, my son is just like his father in many ways. We often say the two of them prove the proverb that the apple does not fall far from the tree.
My daughter is very short. She would like to be taller. But I tell her that good things come in small packages. Some valuable things are very small, like diamonds and other jewels. But I also tell my children that all that glitters is not gold. Something may look valuable, but may not really be valuable. Also, I tell them do not judge a book by its cover. You should not judge something only by its appearance.
Sometimes I tell my children to cooperate to solve a problem. After all, two heads are better than one. But another proverb says too many cooks spoil （弄坏） the soup. If too many people try to do something, then the job will not be done well.
I also tell my children that two wrongs do not make a right. You should not do something bad just because someone did the same to you.
Some people are pessimists while other people are optimists（乐观派）. Pessimists always think about how bad things are or will be; optimists might say that every cloud has a silver lining（衬里） and they always look on the bright side. Other people are both pessimists and optimists. They hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
Some people often worry about what they will do in a situation that might happen in the future. We could tell them do not cross that bridge until you come to it.
It is usually much better to prevent a problem from happening than to find ways to solve it. So we say an ounce（盎司） of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
1. The author often comforts（安慰） her daughter with the proverb that ____.
A. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
B. Good things come in small packages
C. Too many cooks spoil the soup
D. Two heads are better than one
2. If someone says “two heads are better than one”, he means____.
A. jobs will be done better if two work together
B. a problem will be solved easily by many people
C. jobs won’t be done well if there are too many people
D. you can’t do something bad even if someone else does it
3. The underlined word “pessimists” in the sixth paragraph refers to those people_____.
A. who always look on the bright side
B. who always expect bad things to happen
C. who are always full of hope for the future
D. who always make preparations for the worst
4. Which of the following are optimists likely to say?
A. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
B. We hope for the best and prepare for the worst
C. Don’t cross the bridge until you come to it.
D. Every cloud has a silver lining
【小题1】B
【小题2】A
【小题3】B
【小题4】D
I recall my mother’s voice which called me to order, and often ended with some strong proverb to express the gravity of the wrong done. It was common practice for my mother to send me off soul-searching with a proverb.
Of the many interactions I had with my mother those many years ago, one stands out with clarity. I remember the occasion when Mother sent me to the main road, about twenty yards away from the farmhouse, to invite a passing group of seasonal work-seekers home for a meal. She instructed me to take a container along and collect dry cow dung (牛粪) for making a fire. I was then to prepare the meal for the group of work-seekers.
The thought of making an open fire outside at midday, cooking in a large three-legged pot in that high heat, was enough to upset even an angel. I did not manage to hide my feelings from my mother, and after serving the group, she called me to the balcony, where she usually sat to attend to her sewing (缝纫).
Looking straight into my eyes, she said, “Tsholofelo, why were you so unhappy when I requested you to prepare a meal for those poor people?” Despite my attempt to deny her allegation (断言), and using the heat of the fire and the sun as an excuse for my alleged behavior, Mother, giving me a firm look, said, “A foot has no nose.” It means, “You can’t detect what trouble may lie ahead of you.” Had I denied the group of people a meal, it may have happened that, in my travels some time in the future, I found myself at the mercy of those very individuals. As if that was not enough to shame me, Mother continued, “A person is a person because of another person.”
【小题1】We learn from the passage that Tsholofelo’s mother often _____.
| A．quoted proverbs when she was talking with others |
| B．asked Tsholofelo to read more proverbs |
| C．collected proverbs in her spare time |
| D．used proverbs to teach Tsholofelo |
| A．Unwilling. | B．Interested. | C．Critical. | D．Unconcerned. |
| A．very strange | B．a bit tense | C．quite lively | D．pretty relaxed |
| A．flexible and creative | B．sincere and honest |
| C．active and confident | D．sympathetic and helpful |
American society is not nap (午睡)friendly . In fact , says David Dings , sleep specialist at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine , “There’s even a prohibition (禁止) against admitting we need sleep”. Nobody wants to be caught napping or found asleep at work . To quote a proverb : “Some sleep five hours , nature requires seven , laziness nine and wickedness(淘气的) eleven.”
The way not to fall asleep at work is to take naps when you need them . “We have to totally change our attitude toward napping ,” says Dr. William Dement of Stanford University , the godfather of sleep research .
Last year a national commission led by Dement identified(发现) an “American sleep debt” which one member said was as important as the national debt . The commission was concerned about the dangers of sleepiness : people causing industrial accidents or falling asleep while driving . This may be why we have a new sleep policy in the White House . According to recent reports , President Clinton is trying to take a half---hour snooze (瞌睡) every afternoon .
About 60 percent of American adults nap when given the opportunity . We seem to have “a mid afternoon quiet phase ,” also called “a secondary sleep gate .” Sleeping 15 minutes to two hours in the early afternoon can reduce stress and make us refreshed . Clearly , we were born to nap .
We superstars of snooze don’t nap to replace lost shut--eye or to prepare for a night shift . Rather , we “snack” on sleep ,whenever , wherever and at whatever time we feel like it . I myself have napped in buses , cars , planes and on boats ; on floors and beds ;and in libraries , offices and museums .
【小题1】The research done by the Dement Commission shows that Americans .
| A．don’t like to take naps |
| B．are terribly worried about their national debt |
| C．think that lack of enough sleep causes many accidents |
| D．have caused many industrial and traffic accidents |
- warn us of the wickedness of napping
C. discuss the side effects of napping
D. convince the reader of the necessity of napping
【小题3】The “American sleep debt”(Line 1 , Para .3) is the result of .
- the traditional misconception the Americans have about sleep
- the new sleep policy of the Clinton Administration
- the rapid development of American industry
- the Americans’ worry about the danger of sleepiness
- preferable to have a sound sleep before a night shift
- good practice to eat something light before we go to bed
- essential (基本的) to make up for lost sleep
- natural to take a nap whenever we feel the need for it
Molly was a peasant girl. Her parents did not have much money and Molly did not have many nice clothes.
One day Molly’s father said to her, “Molly, take this pot of milk to market and sell it. You may keep the money.”
Molly was very happy. She put the pot of milk on her head and started her journey to market. While she was walking alone she began to think. “I will get quite a lot of money for this milk,” she thought. “What will I do with the money? I will buy a lot of eggs. I will take the eggs home with me. One of our hens will sit on them. Then there will be lots of little chickens. I will not sell the chickens. They will grow into hens. Then there will be more eggs. And these eggs will give me still more chickens. Soon I will have hundreds of hens. Then I will sell them all. They will bring me a lot of money. I will be rich. I will buy lots of new clothes. I will always wear nice clothes. Then a rich man will marry me. We will have a beautiful house, a big car and nice children...”
Molly was very happy. She jumped into the air. The pot of milk fell from her head onto the road. And that was the end of all her dreams.
In English there is a proverb. It says: Do not count your chickens before they are hatched(孵化).
1.Molly was happy to go to market because ________.
|
A．she liked to go there |
B．she wanted to buy nice clothes |
|
C．she could have the money of her own |
D．she wanted to buy some eggs |
2.On her way to market, Molly began to________.
|
A．count her eggs |
B．have a happy dream |
|
C．think of her happy family life |
D．think how to sell the milk |
3.What was the end of all Molly’s dreams?
|
A．She jumped up and fell onto the ground. |
B．She was happy about her house. |
|
C．She woke and found the milk on the road. |
D．She married a rich man. |
4.The proverb: “Do not count your chicken before they are hatched.” means ____.
|
A．one must count his chicken after they are hatched |
|
B．it is foolish to make plans |
|
C．one must depend more on what is in real life |
|
D．one must make plans before they begin to work |