题目内容

“How’s it going? ” I ask the barista(服务生). “How’s your day been?”

“Ah, not too busy. What are you up to?”

“Not much. Just readin. ”

This,small talk, is one of the key rituals(规矩)of American life. It has taken me only a decade to master.

I immigrated to the United States in 2001, for college. I brought only my Indian experience in dealing with shopkeepers and tea sellers. In Delhi, where I grew up, when doing business, people don't ask each other how the other's day has been. They might not even smile. The customer doesn't tremble before complaining about how cold his food is. Each side believes the other will cheat him.

“God, Mahajan, you’re so rude to waiters!” Tom, an American friend, said, laughing, after he watched me ordering food at a restaurant, in the West Village, years ago. Considering myself a mild and friendly person, I was surprised. Tom always asked servers how they were doing or praised their shirts or made jokes about the menu. At that time, this seemed dishonest to me. Did he really like what they were wearing?

American life is based on a principle that we like one another but won’t violate one another’s privacies. This makes it a land of small talk. Two people greet each other happily, with friendliness, but might know each other for years before asking basic questions about each other’s backgrounds. The opposite is true of Indians. At least three people I’ve sat next to on planes to and from India have asked me, within minutes, how much I earn as a writer (only to turn away in disappointment when I tell them).

Living in Brooklyn and then in Austin, Texas. I made coffee shops the places of my movements. Meeting the same baristas day after day produced context, and I got practice. I was beginning to fit in. It felt good and didn’t seem fake anymore.

1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The author takes pride in everything of his homeland.

B. The author still thinks the American way of treating strangers is not sincere.

C. The author finally got used to small talk after a lot of practice in America.

D. It only took the author a short time to learn the real ritual of American life.

2.What do people in the US tend to do in a restaurant?

A. They have friendly small talk with the servers.

B. They ask if the servers are satisfied with their pay.

C. They complain about the food and service straightforwardly.

D. They make objective comments on the servers’ clothing.

3.What do we know about Indians according to Paragraph 7?

A. Indians don’t like each other.

B. Indians live in a land of small talk.

C. Indians show little respect for others; privacy.

D. Indians know little about their friends’ backgrounds.

4.What might be the best title of this passage?

A. A Rude Indian in America

B. Small Talk and Great Friendship

C. My Struggle with American Small Talk

D. Cultural Differences between Countries

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根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

If anyone had told me three years ago that I would be spending most of my weekends camping. I would have laughed heartily. Campers, in my eyes, were people who enjoyed insects bites, ill-cooked meals, and uncomfortable sleeping bags. They had nothing in common with me. The friends who introduced me to camping thought that it meant to be a pioneer.

We sleep in a tent, cooked over an open fire, and walked a long distance to take the shower and use the bathroom. This brief visit with Mother Nature cost me two days off from work, recovering from a bad case of sunburn and the doctor`s bill for my son`s food poisoning.

I was, nevertheless, talked into going on another fun-filled holiday in the wilderness. Instead, we had a pop-up camper with comfortable beds and an air conditioner. My nature-loving friends had remembered to bring all the necessities of life.

We have done a lot of it since. Recently, we bought a twenty-eight-foot travel trailer complete with a bathroom and a built-in TV set. There is a separate bedroom, a modern kitchen with a refrigerator. The trailer even has matching carpet and curtains.

It must be true that sooner or later, everyone finds his or her way back to nature. I recommend that you find your way in style.

A.This time there was no tent.

B.Things are going to be improved.

C.The trip they took me on was a rough one.

D.I was to learn a lot about camping since then, however.

E.I must say that I have certainly come to enjoy camping.

F. After the trip, my family became quite interested in camping.

G. There was no shade as the trees were no more than 3 feet tall.

It is unavoidable that you have one of those days when nothing seems to go right. Although you try to keep a __ attitude towards the day, you find yourself getting worn down and starting to ___about the way things are going. And then __ walks up to you, gives you a smile and asks if you would like to have a cup of coffee with them. The small act of ___brings a smile to your face as you tell them you would love to.

It does not take much ___to perform an act of kindness. The effort is in learning ___it is needed the most and bringing yourself to do it. __ if you had been the person mentioned above who saw you __ throughout your day, you might not have felt so inclined(倾向于……的) to be____More than likely, you would have wanted to keep your distance and be critical of that complaining. But that person ___that you needed that act of kindness to brighten your day. In being ___to have understanding and compassion for others you will find it __ to show kindness to them.

Criticizing others not only makes them defensive against you, but it also __ you from getting what you need or want from someone. __, try to understand why people do what they do. After all they do have their __ for their words and actions. In understanding their motivations, you are breeding tolerance, sympathy and kindness, and the other person will ___his or her defenses.

Dale Carnegie wrote, “ Perhaps you will____tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime.” In showing them kindness, they are more likely to be more productive at work as well as at home, and your act of kindness will make a lasting____on them. They are more likely to do nearly anything for you that you ask____they have more trust in you. It is finding the good in people instead of the bad that __ us to motivate them through our kind ways and receive their kindness in return

1.A. doubtful B. neutral C. depressing D. positive

2.A. argue B. complain C. talk D. think

3.A. someone B. everyone C. he D. anyone

4.A. patience B. trust C. kindness D. funniness

5.A. money B. effort C. time D. energy

6.A. where B. how C. what D. when

7.A. In short B. For example C. As a result D. After all

8.A. working B. talking C. worrying D. complaining

9.A. careful B. annoyed C. kind D. disappointed

10.A. understood B. accepted C. promised D. agreed

11.A. able B. certain C. eager D. afraid

12.A. hard B. polite C. easy D. important

13.A. makes B. stops C. allows D. reduces

14.A. Meanwhile B. Then C. Besides D. Instead

15.A. reasons B. decisions C. choices D. rules

16.A. build up B. come to C. let down D. turn down

17.A. explain B. forget C. recall D. recognize

18.A. choice B. decision C. Impression D. comparison

19.A. although B. unless C. once D. since

20.A. turns B. warns C. allows D. introduces

In the United States, when one becomes 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 neighbors.

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 neighborhood 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 neighbors.

It was like a race, but one could never finish his 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 neighbors. 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 “Joneses” 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.

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

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

3.Arthur used the name “Jones” in his series of short stories because it is .

A. an important name B. a popular name in the United States

C. his neighbour’s name D. not a good name

4.According to the writer, it is to keep up with the Joneses.

A. correct B. interesting

C. impossible D. good

My best friend, Marcie, is an amazing person who I treasure. From the first day we met we have been the best friends. It all _______ when I was sitting alone at a _______job where I didn't know anyone—it was noon and she asked if I wanted to have _______ with her. That was in September of 2009.

Marcie is _______ with kindness and _______ someone with it every day. She often helps others and has never let me _______ any difficulties alone, from common childhood illnesses of my children to financial difficulties which we often have. She has helped me and my family through the recent _______ of my father, including helping me to find and _______ his urn(骨灰盒).

Marcie has _______ asked us to repay her, although we ________ to do it when we can. She never has made us ________she was giving us pity, only love.

Recently I celebrated my 37th birthday and, as usual, she made it ________. She gave me an ornament(装饰品) to hang on our ________ this Christmas. It says “Merry Christmas from heaven” with my dad’s ________ on the back. She knew, although I didn’t tell her, that the holidays were so ________ for our family. That gift was just what I needed to ________me that my dad was ________ around us, just in another way, and that the kids need to ________ this Christmas as much as ever. I hope that everyone has a ________ like mine—you can know that a friend like Marcie will always make you smile ________you do.

1.A. ended B. began C. stayed D. continued

2.A. good B. daily C. new D. difficult

3.A. food B. lunch C. supper D. drinks

4.A. satisfied B. compared C. covered D. filled

5.A. touches B. carries C. offers D. introduces

6.A. move B. keep C. face D. send

7.A. illness B. trouble C. work D. death

8.A. pay for B. pay back C. put back D. take care of

9.A. also B. almost C. sometimes D. never

10.A. manage B. refuse C. try D. stop

11.A. feel like B. feel free C. look like D. feel sure

12.A. expensive B. special C. funny D. popular

13.A. roof B. ear C. house D. tree

14.A. record B. name C. address D. voice

15.A. great B. wonderful C. hard D. successful

16.A. teach B. encourage C. warn D. remind

17.A. even B. therefore C. still D. often

18.A. enjoy B. remember C. change D. prepare

19.A. friend B. job C. family D. father

20.A. though B. if C. unless D. while

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