题目内容

Early one morning, more than a hundred years ago, an American inventor called Elias Howe finally fell asleep. He had been working all night on the design of a sewing machine but he had run into a very difficult problem: It seemed impossible to get the thread to run around the needle without any problems.

Though he was tired, Howe slept badly. He turned and turned. Then he had a dream. He dreamt that he had been caught by terrible savages whose king wanted to kill him and eat him unless he could build a perfect sewing machine. When he tried to do so, Howe ran into the same problem as before. The thread kept getting caught around the needle. The king flew into the cage and ordered his soldiers to kill Howe. They came up towards him with their spears raised. But suddenly the inventor noticed something. There was a hole in the tip of each spear. The inventor awoke from the dream, realizing that he had just found the answer to the problem. Instead of trying to get the thread to run around the needle, he should make it run through a small hole in the center of the needle. This was the simple idea that finally made Howe design and build the first really practised sewing machine.

Elias Howe was not the only one in finding the answer to his problem in this way. Thomas Edison, the inventor of the electric light, said his best ideas came into him in dreams. So did the great physicist Albert Einstein. Charlotte Bronte also drew in her dreams in writing Jane Eyre.

To know the value of dreams, you have to understand what happens when you are asleep. Even then, a part of your mind is still working. This unconscious(无意识的), but still active part understands your experiences and goes to work on the problems you have had during the day. It stores all sorts of information that you may have forgotten or never have really noticed. It is only when you fall asleep that this part of the brain can send messages to the part you use when you are awake. However, the unconscious part acts in a special way. It uses strange images which the conscious part may not understand at first. This is why dreams are sometimes called “secret messages to ourselves”.

1.The problem Howe was trying to solve was________.

A. what kind of thread to use

B. how to design a needle which would not break

C. where to put the needle

D. how to stop the thread from getting caught around the needle

2.Thomas Edison is spoken of because________.

A. he also tried to invent a sewing machine

B. he got some of his ideas from dreams

C. he was one of Howe’s best friends

D. he also had difficulty in falling asleep

3.Dreams are sometimes called “secret messages to ourselves” because ________.

A. strange images are used to communicate ideas

B. images which have no meaning are used

C. we can never understand the real meaning

D. only specially trained people can understand them

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The English have a difficult and, generally speaking, dysfunctional (不协调的) relationship with clothes. Their main problem is dial they have a desperate need for rules, and are unable to get along without them. Tins helps to explain why they have an international reputation for dressing in general very badly, but with specific areas of excellence, such as high-class men’s suits, ceremonial costume, and innovative (革新的) street fashion. In other words, we English dress best when we are “in uniform”.

You may be surprised that I am including “innovative street fashion” in the category of uniform. Surely the parrot-haired punks (朋克摇滚乐迷) or the Victorian vampire Goths are being original, not following rules? It’s true that they all look different and eccentric(奇特的) but in fact they all look eccentric in exactly the same way. They are wearing a uniform. The only truly eccentric dresser in this country is the Queen, who pays no attention to fashion and continues to wear what she likes, a kind of 1950s fashion, with no regard for anyone else’s opinion. However, it is true that the styles invented by young English people are much more eccentric than any other nation’s street fashion. We may not be individually eccentric, apart from the Queen, but we have a sort of collective eccentricity, and we appreciate originality in dress even if we do not individually have it.

Another “rule” of behavior I had discovered was that it is very important for the English not to take themselves too seriously, to be able to laugh at themselves. However, it is well known that most teenagers tend to take themselves a bit too seriously.

The Goths, in their scaring black costumes, certainly look as if they are taking themselves seriously. But when I got into conversation with them, I discovered that they too had a sense of humor. I was once chatting to a Goth in the full vampire costume—with a white face, deep purple lipstick, and black parrot-hair. I saw he was also wearing a T-shirt with “Goth”. “Why are you wearing that?” I asked. “It’s in case you don’t realize I’m a Goth,” he answered, pretending to be serious. We both burst out laughing.

1.What can we know about the English people?

A. They need rules to dress well. B. They are in need of uniforms.

C. They are creative in general. D. They lead the world trend.

2.Who is individually eccentric in dressing?

A. A high-class man. B. A parrot-haired punk.

C. The Queen. D. The fashion innovator.

3.Which of the following can best describe the Goths?

A. They dress badly.

B. They dress in an amusing way.

C. They are unable to laugh at the way they dress.

D. They are less fashionable than the other English people.

4.What may be the best title for the text?

A. How the English Dress

B. How the English Admire Fashion

C. Why the English Like Uniforms

D. Why the English Are Eccentric in Dress

How to Improve Vocabulary Fast

Your vocabulary refers to the words in a language you are familiar with. We should learn some ways to expand it.

Read every day. 1. Choose reading material that is slightly above your level and keep a dictionary with you to look up words you do not know.

2.If you do not meet with an unfamiliar word in your daily reading, use your dictionary to search for one.

Learn the correct definition and pronunciation for each new word. Pronunciation is as important as definition because in order to add a word to your active vocabulary, you must be able to use it in speech.

Elaborate(阐释)on the meaning of the word. Use imagery and personal relevance. If you have just learned that the word “stubborn” , think about the neighbor who will not lend you his car. 3.

Use your new word in speech and in writing. E-mail your sister about how your cat is stubborn about sleeping on your pillow.  4.But the more you use it, the more fluent you will become in its use. Soon it will be a regular part of your active vocabulary.

Tell everyone you are trying to increase your vocabulary. Encourage them to ask you what your latest word is 5..The more you explain the meaning of a word to someone, the more likely you are to remember it.

A. Or let them ask for the definition of a new word you have used.

B. Your vocabulary contains the words you understand.

C. The vocabulary can be increased.

D. Imagine him shaking his head, and think of him as “stubborn in his refusal”.

E. The first time you use a new word in speech it may seem strange.

F. Find a new word every day.

G. The more often you read, the faster your vocabulary can grow.

Do you know of anyone who uses the truth to deceive (欺骗) ? When someone tells you something that is true, but leaves out important information that should be included, he can give you a false picture.

For example , some might say, "I just won a hundred dollars on the lottery (彩票) . It was great. I took that dollar ticket back to the store and turned it in for one hundred dollars! "

This guy's a winner, right?  Maybe, maybe not. We then discover that he bought $200 worth of tickets, and only one was a winner. He's really a big loser!

He didn't say anything that was false, but he left out important information on purpose. That's called a half-truth. Half-truths are not technically lies, but they are just as dishonest.

Some politicians often use this trick. Let's say that during Governor Smith's last term, her state lost one million jobs and gained three million jobs. Then she seeks another term. One of her opponents says, "During Governor Smith's term, the state lost one million jobs!" That's true. However, an honest statement would have been , " During Governor Smith's term , the state had a net gain of two million jobs. "

Advertisers will sometimes use half-truths. It's against the law to make false statements so they try to mislead you with the truth. An advertisement might say, "Nine out of ten doctors advised their patients to take Yucky Pills to cure toothache. " It fails to mention that they only asked ten doctors and nine of them work for the Yucky Company.

This kind of deception happens too often. It's a sad fact of life: Lies are lies , and sometimes the truth can lie as well.

1.How much did the lottery winner lose?

A. One hundred dollars. B. Two hundred dollars.

C. Three hundred dollars. D. Four hundred dollars.

2.We may infer that the author believes people should___________.

A. buy lottery tickets B. make use of half-truths

C. not take anything at face value D. not trust the Yucky Company

3.What do the underlined words " net gain" in Paragraph 5 mean?

A. final increase. B. big advantage.

C. large share. D. total saving.

4.What can we know from the example of the Yucky Pill advertisement?

A. False statements are easy to see through.

B. Half-truths are often used to mislead people.

C. Doctors like to act in advertisement.

D. Advertisements are based on facts.

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