American parents generally can choose any name they want for their children. They may choose a name because it honors a family member. Or they may choose a name just because they like it.

A website called Baby Center lists some unusual names given to American babies born last year. Some were named for characters in old stories, such as Hero, Thor and Ulysses. Other people named their babies after kinds of food, like actress Gwyneth Paltrow. She named her daughter Apple. Other people named their babies Banana, Pumpkin and Cookie.

Still some babies were named for places. These included Brazil, India and Rome. Some parents used names of famous people from history such as Newton and Hannibal. Other parents named their babies after flowers or the weather. These babies were named Buttercup, Iris, Sunshine and Thunder.

Recording artists and movie actors influence some parents’ choices of names. Babies were named Beyonce, Charlize, Reda, Pierce, Shajira and Whitney. Movie actors themselves often give their babies unusual names. For example, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt named their baby daughter Shiloh. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes named their little girl Suri.

Some American parents do not want unusual names. They want their baby’s name to honor their religious faith. Such names include Abraham for boys or Sarah for girls. And many people give their babies the same name as a family member or good friend.

The United States Social Security Administration once published a list of the most popular names for American girls and boys born. Many of the top ten boys, names are from the Jewish and Christian Bibles.

1.How did American parents usually name their children?

A. In a way they please. B. In a scientific way.

C. In a careless way. D. In a common way

2.From the second paragraph, we can infer that _______.

A. Ulysses is a main person in an old story book.

B. the meaning of Gwyneth Paltrow is a kind of fruit

C. American parents expect their children to be a hero.

D. a girl was named Apple because she liked eating apples.

3.What can we know from American children’s name?

A. American children’s names express American history.

B. A foreign place may become a name of an American child.

C. American parents’ favorite names are those of famous actors.

D. American parents expect their children to be different from others.

4.If a girl is named Sarah, the name reflects her parents’ _______.

A. love B. career C. expectation D. religion

A supermarket checkout operator was praised for striking a blow for modern manners and a return to the age of politeness after refusing to serve a shopper who was talking on her mobile phone.

The supermarket manager was forced to apologize to the customer who complained she was told her goods would not be scanned unless she hung up her phone. Jo Clark, 46, said, “I don't know what she was playing at. I couldn’t believe how rude she was. When did she have the right to give me a lecture on checkout manners? I won’t be shopping there again!”

But users of social media sites and Internet forums(论坛) were very angry that store gave in and the public appeared to be supporting the angry checkout worker. “Perhaps this is a turning point for mobile phone users everywhere. When chatting, keep your eyes on people around you. That includes people trying to serve you, other road users and especially people behind you in the stairs,” said a typical post.

“It’s time checkout staff fought back against these people constantly chatting on their phones. They can drive anyone crazy. It’s rude and annoying. I often want to grab someone’s phone and throw it as far as I can, even though I am not a checkout girl, just a passer-by,” said another.

Siobhan Freegard, founder of parenting site www. Netmums.com said, “While this checkout operator doesn’t have the authority to order customers to switch off their phones, you can see clearly how frustrated and angry she felt. No matter how busy you are, life is nicer when you and those around you have good manners.”

1.According to Jo Clark, the checkout operator_____________.

A.lacked the knowledge of checkout manners

B.played with a mobile phone while at work

C.had no right to forbid her from using her mobile phone

D.deserved praise for her modern manners

2.The third and fourth paragraphs imply that the public_________.

A.are used to chatting on their mobile phones

B.are driven crazy by constant mobile calls

C.ignore the existence of mobile phone users

D.seem to support the checkout operator

3.The attitude of Siobhan Freegard towards the checkout operator was________.

A.disapproving B.supportive

C.neutral(中立的) D.indifferent

4.The passage is mainly about _________.

A.whether we should talk on our phones while being served

B.why we can talk on mobile phones while shopping

C.what good manners checkout operators should have

D.how we can develop good manners for mobile phone users

The Great Gatsby was not well received when it was published in 1926. F. Scott Fitzgerald appeared to destroy the American Dream, where in anyone, with enough hard work, could get rich and have whatever they wanted from life. He exposed the truth about such myths in this classic book. Basically, the plot could be described as follows:

Poor boy goes East in search of wealth, bored and dissatisfied with inactive Mid West country life.

He meets the super-rich there, attends parties and makes friends with one man in particular, a lonely millionaire of uncertain origins, Jay Gatsby.

He becomes involved with these rich but immoral people, the worst of whom are his own cousin Daisy Buchanan, and her husband Tom.

He observes, with dawning recognition, the corruption in their lives, how lacking in human values or ethical beliefs they seem to be.

He watches tragedy unfold, brought about by the handlings of the wealthy, and visited on the poorer characters.

He remains the only friend of Gatsby, arranging his funeral and mourning his death, and possibly the death of his own American Dream.

He wakes up to the reality of what is important in life, and decides to choose what is of value to him.

He returns to his origins, having recognized the worth of his up-bringing and the moral values it instilled. He sees that money is not everything.

But let us look at this in a little more depth, because the novel is much more complicated than those simple outlines above suggest.

The young man, Nick Caraway, aged 29, lived in a cottage on Long Island. He was an apprentice (学徒) Wall Street trader, and in 1920s, when the novel is set, this job represented a way to get rich, the core value of the American Dream.

Gatsby was a millionaire, who chased a dream too, one of rekindling love with Daisy, Nick’s cousin, a bored, rich, totally unfeeling and spoilt woman. Her rich husband, Tom Buchanan, a businessman, was also less than moral, flattering his mistress, Myrtle Wilson, the wife of a garage owner. It was George Wilson’s love for Myrtle that brought about the tragedy contained in the Gatsby plot.

Gatsby wanted to recapture his dream of love. So he began an affair with Daisy; she was flattered and bored. This action helped to erode Nick’s illusions, and show what wealth can do to people. Gatsby suffered from the realization that Daisy was not the wonderful person he dreamed of, but a shallow and materialistic person.

Eventually, Tom Buchanan suspected what was happening between Gatsby and Daisy, and confronted Gatsby. It was soon after this that Daisy ran Myrtle Wilson down, while driving Gatsby’s yellow automobile.

The tragedy was begun, when Tom Buchanan put the idea into head of George Wilson, that Gatsby had killed Myrtle. In fact, Daisy was secure in the belief that superior status and wealth made her immune, and also, her character was such that she cared little for another human being. Tom Buchanan was the catalyst (催化剂) that sent the emotionally disturbed George to shoot Gatsby for killing Myrtle, then committing suicide. Two dreams turned to dust:George’s of love and the chance to pursue the dream of capitalist endeavor and success, Gatsby’s of recapturing romantic love and the more innocent past, when, in his mind, Daisy was golden and true.

The complete destruction was symbolically expressed when none of Gatsby’s rich “friends” were touched by his death. It was left to Nick, a relative stranger, to make the funeral arrangements. This highlighted the total shallowness of that wealthy, corrupt society, and showed what a worthless person Daisy herself was.

At the end, Nick returned to the beliefs of his Mid Western upbringing. After one last meeting with Tom Buchanan, one last look at Gatsby’s mansion, having buried his friend, he left for home. As Gatsby lost his dream and his life, Fitzgerald drew a portrait of the death of the American Dream.

1.According to the author, that The Great Gatsby was not being popular in 1926 was probably because it__________.

A. informed readers of American value

B. destroyed American dream of that time

C. described the life of American upper class

D. had complicated relationships of the roles

2.The following statements about Nick are true EXCEPT that he_______.

A. is Daisy Buchannan’s cousin

B. betrays his only friend—Gatsby

C. was an apprentice Wall Street trader

D. is dissatisfied with Mid West country life

3.We can infer from the passage that_______.

A. Gatsby was wrongly killed for Daisy setting him a trap

B. it was actually Tom Buchanon that killed Myrtle Wilson

C. George Wilson’s love for Daisy was sure to turn to dust at last

D. Gatsby died because of his appetite for unrealistic romantic love

4.The author writes the passage mainly to_______.

A. teach readers how to appreciate a tragic love novel

B. inform us that wealth is more important than morality

C. convince us to look at the American Dream another way

D. persuade us to read the famous American writer’s novel

阅读理解

阅读下列四篇短文,从每小题后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。

Previously, I heard a story about a mother who had two daughters. She loved them very much, but two girls would fight with each other from their earliest years. As they grew older, they became total strangers. They had no contact with each other when they were adults.

This caused the mother great pain. Then, later, she had an idea. She decided to write a letter to them. In this letter, she told them how much she loved them, and how she wanted them to love each other in this way. She also gave them news of herself, and some guidance on how they might live happier lives.

When the letter was ready, she wrote out one copy for each daughter, but these copies were special. Each copy contained only every second sentence of the original letter. The copy for one daughter had only the even(偶数的) sentences, and the other daughter’s copy contained only the odd sentences. Neither copy made sense on its own. Neither contained the fullness of the mother’s message.

When the two daughters received their letters, they were puzzled. If they really wanted to know what the letters said, they would have to put the two letters together, and read them as one. That meant they must approach one another again in mutual(彼此的) love and respect.

For a long time, the mother waited in vain. Both daughters tried to understand the half-letter, but they each blamed the other for not helping them. Each daughter thought she knew her mother better.

Then one day, when the mother had almost given up hope, there was a knock at the door. There they stood, together. “We’ve come home,” they said at the same time. “We’ve finally put our letters together, and we’ve come to say how much we love you, Mum.” Then she hugged them both, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks, and welcomed them back home.

1. Why did the mother give her daughters incomplete letters?

A. She wanted to tell them her good news and bad news.

B. She hoped they would ask her for more information.

C. She hoped they would approach each other and make up.

D. She thought she could change their attitude towards her.

2. It can be inferred from the passage that _____.

A. love can neither be bought nor sold

B. faults are thick when love is thin

C. without respect, love can’t go far

D. love can help enemies become friends

3.What is the best title for this passage?

A. An Unusual Letter

B. A Mother’s Endless Love

C. Special Daughters

D. Deep Love from Daughters

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