In Europe people hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right throughout the meal, a system that is generally agreed to be more efficient than the American zigzag(曲折的)method. Americans hold both the fork and the knife in their right hands throughout the meal, so they continually change their forks to the left hand when they have to cut their meat. It seems to be funny for the Europeans to see Americans busy changing their dinner sets, making a lot of noises. A few explanations for this American style are as follows:

(1)Americans are practical and efficient. Since most of us are right-handed, it is reasonable to keep our working tools at all times in the right hand that can use them most efficiently.

   (2)Americans, the master of the New World are rebels(判逆者).. They use the zigzag method to break the rules in the Old World and in this way they are thumbing their nose at Mother England. Americans are a restless kind. They do not like to sit in one spot for very long when dining.

(3)Forced to do so, they respond by “playing” with the silver.

Whatever the reason for the practice, it is now certainly as American as apple pie. Europeans recognize this and are quick to attack it as evidence of American innocence of form. Arguments against the zigzag method rest not only on grounds of efficiency but also on those of tradition. In Old World Dining, the knife is held in the right hand continually because it can serve as an instant defense against the uninvited intruders. However, such alertness(警觉)is out of place in the New World, as every American believes that this is the home of the brave. Americans juggle their silverware, perhaps, to show that they are not afraid and that one of them holding a fork is worth any number of them holding blades(刀).

41.Americans use _______ to hold their fork to pick up the salad.

       A.the right hand  B.the left hand   C.both hands          D.either of the two hands

42.As the masters of the New World, Americans use a different cutting method from that in the Old World to_____ .

       A.show their independence of Mother England

    B.show their disrespect to Mother England

       C.add a new tradition to those in Mother England

       D.show off their creativeness to Mother England

43.In the sentence, the word “juggle” probably means           .

       A.hold                   B.play with             C.pick up               D.lay down

44.Also in the last sentence, the two “them” refer to          .

       A.Americans                                          B.Europeans

       C.Americans and Europeans separately      D.Europeans and Americans separately

45.What could be the best title of the text?

A. Old World Dining                   B. zigzag method

C. New World Dining                  D. Juggling fork and knife

阅读下面短文,从短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。

       Recently I gave my adult students homework.It was to "go to someone you love and tell them you love them.It has to be someone you have   25   said those words to before or at least haven't   26   those words with for a long time."

       Since most of the men were over 35 and were raised in the   27   of men that were taught    28   feelings is not "manly", this was very   29   homework for some.

       In our next   30   , I asked if someone wanted to share his story with us.I fully   31  one of the women to volunteer, as was   32   the case, but on this evening one of the men raised his hand.As he   33   out of his chair (all 1.85 metres of him), he began by saying, "Dennis, I was quite   34   with you last week when you gave us this homework.   35   were you to tell me to do something that personal? But as I began driving home my heart started talking to me, telling me that I knew   36   who I needed to say 'I love you' to."

       "My father and I had a severe   37   five years ago, and since then we had  38  seeing each other unless we had to at Christmas.But even then, we hardly   39   to each other.So last Tuesday I drove to my parents' house after work and said, "Dad, I just    40  to tell you that I love you. '"

       "Dad reached out and    41    me and said, 'I love you too, son, but I've never been able to say it.' Two days after my visit, my dad had a heart attack and I don't know if he will  42    it.So, I'm here to tell all of you that my    43    in this is: Don't wait to do the things    44    it is too late.Take the time to do what you need to do and do it now!"

A.ever       B.always      C.never D.even

A.said       B.shared      C.talked       D.discussed

A.year       B.occasion   C.period      D.generation

A.explaining     B.hurting     C.devoting   D.expressing

A.interesting     B.threatening       C.inspiring   D.exciting

A.class      B.term  C.holiday     D.week

A.asked     B.disliked    C.advised     D.expected

A.usually   B.probably   C.not    D.seldom

A.sat  B.rose   C.stood D.struggle

A.bored   B.amused     C.curious     D.angry

A.How    B.Why  C.Who  D.What

A.exactly B.fully  C.directly     D.simply

A.condition     B.discussion C.disagreement   D.experiment

A.hated   B.avoided    C.reduced    D.continued

A.spoke   B.smiled      C.looked      D.turned

A.dropped inB.ran across    C.came over D.came across

A.touched       B.tested       C.inspired    D.hugged

A.get       B.make C.deserve     D.overcome

A.sense    B.point C.thought     D.message

A.until    B.when C.before      D.as

Recently I gave my adult students homework. It was “go to someone you love and tell them you love them.” It has to be someone you have never said those words to before or at least haven’t shared those words with for a long time.

It sounds like very tough homework since most of the men were over 35 and were raised in the generation of men that were taught expressing emotions is not “macho (阳刚之气).” Showing feelings or crying was just not done. So this was very threatening homework for some.

At the beginning of our next class, I asked if someone wanted to share what happened when they told someone they loved them. I fully expected one of the women to volunteer, as was usually the case, but on this evening one of the men raised his hand, quite moved and a bit shaken.

As he unfolded out of his chair (all 1.85 meters of him), he began by saying, “Dennis, I was quite angry with you last week when you gave us this homework. Who were you to tell me to do something that personal?”

“But as I began driving home my conscience (良心)started telling me that I knew exactly who I needed to say ‘I love you’ to.”

“Five years ago, my father and I had a severe disagreement and really never settled it since then. We avoided seeing each other unless we absolutely had to at Christmas or other family gatherings. But even then, we hardly spoke to each other.”

“So last Tuesday by the time I got home I had convinced myself. I was going to tell my father I loved him. It’s strange, but just making that decision seemed to lift a heavy load off my chest.

The homework is threatening for some students because_________.

A. they are middle-aged people  B. they are not macho enough

C. they were taught to hide their emotions  D. they didn’t know how to show feelings

From the passage we know that_________.

A. the adult students have classes in the day time only

B. not all the adult students in the writer’s class are male

C. the man refused to meet his father after their quarrel

D. the man quickly decided to say “I love you” to his father

The underlined phrase “unfolded out of his chair” in Para 4 is closest in meaning to_________.

A. stood on his chair straight  B. sat quietly in the chair

C. bent himself over his chair  D. raised himself slowly from the chair

What does the man imply by saying the underlined sentence in the last paragraph?

A. He felt it too strange to say “I love you” to his father.

B. He felt relaxed just thinking of saying “I love you” to his father.

C. He felt very relaxed after saying “I love you” to his father.

D. He had to lift a heavy load off his chest before saying “I love you”.

In Europe people hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right throughout the meal, a system that is generally agreed to be more efficient than the American zigzag(曲折的)method. Americans hold both the fork and the knife in their right hands throughout the meal, so they continually change their forks to the left hand when they have to cut their meat. It seems to be funny for the Europeans to see Americans busy changing their dinner sets, making a lot of noises. A few explanations for this American style are as follows:
(1)Americans are practical and efficient. Since most of us are right-handed, it is reasonable to keep our working tools at all times in the right hand that can use them most efficiently.?
(2)Americans, the master of the New World are rebels(叛逆者).They use the zigzag method to break the rules in the Old World and in this way they are thumbing their nose at Mother England. Americans are a restless kind. They do not like to sit in one spot for very long when dining.
(3)Forced to do so, they respond by “playing” with the silver.?
Whatever the reason for the practice, it is now certainly as American as apple pie. Europeans recognize this and are quick to attack it as evidence of American innocence(无知)of form. Arguments against the zigzag method rest not only on grounds of efficiency but also on those of tradition. In Old World dining, the knife is held in the right hand continually because it can serve as an instant defense against the uninvited intruders(入侵者).However, such alertness(警觉) is out of place in the New World, as every American believes that this is the home of the brave. Americans juggle their silverware, perhaps, to show that they are not afraid and that one of them holding a fork is worth any number of them holding blades(刀).?
【小题1】Americans use _______ to hold their fork to pick up the salad.?

A.the right handB.the left hand?
C.both handsD.either of the two hands?
【小题2】As the masters of the New World, Americans use a different cutting method from that in the Old World to _______.?
A.show their independence of Mother England?
B.show their disrespect to Mother England?
C.add a new tradition to those in Mother England?
D.show off their creativeness to Mother England?
【小题3】In the sentence, the word “juggle” probably means _______.?
A.holdB.play withC.pick upD.lay down??
【小题4】Which of the following statements is NOT true? ?
A.European people hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right hand.
B.The zigzag eating method is related to American characteristics.?
C.The zigzag eating method has become an American feature.?
D.European people will use the American method because of its efficiency.

A new study shows one of the largest glaciers(冰川) in Greenland is becoming smaller and speeding to the sea faster than scientists expected. If it continues, Greenland itself could become much smaller during this century and global seas could rise as much as 3 feet.

The rates of change that we’re noticing are much higher than expected. If these rates continue, it is not likely that Greenland could shrink by several tens of percent this century. However, it’s not known how quickly this coastal response of the Greenland ice sheet melting will have an effect on the vast inland ice.

Greenland is the world’s largest island, covering area more than three times the size of Texas. Some 81 percent of it is covered by ice, and there are many glaciers. Glaciers are like slow-moving rivers of ice. Where a glacier meets the sea, its weight keeps it firmly resting on the bottom. A glacier’s front is the point where the water is deep enough that the glacier floats.

Since the 1970s, the front of Helheim stayed in the same place. Then it began melting rapidly, moving back 4.5 miles from 2001 through this past summer. It has also grown thinner, from top to bottom, by more than 130 feet since 2001. And over these past years, its trip to the sea has sped up from about 70 feet per day to nearly 110.

The melting is driven by a warmer climate. Temperatures in Greenland have risen more than five degrees Fahrenheit(华氏温度) in the last ten years. Since most of Greenland’s ice is on land, seas will rise as the ice melts. If all Greenland’s ice sheet melted, oceans would be 15-20 feet higher. Nobody expects that to happen any time soon.

1.What can we know about the glaciers according to the passage?

A.Glaciers only lie in Greenland.

B.Water in glaciers is more than sea water.

C.Glaciers sometimes float on the water.

D.Glaciers can increase the water level of lakes.

2.According to the passage, we know that Greenland ___________.

A.belongs to Canada

B.is the largest island in North America

C.is all covered with glaciers

D.is sinking under the sea level

3.Which of the following may be the result of the disappearing of Greenland glaciers?

A.The climate of the world will be warmer.

B.The glaciers in other areas will be bigger.

C.It will be easy for explorers to visit the island.

D.Some coastal cities may be under the sea.

 

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