The sun shone in through the dining room window,lighting up the hardwood floor. We had been talking there for nearly two hours.The phone of the“Nightline”rang yet again and Morrie asked his helper.Connie,to get it .She had been taking down the callers’names in Morrie’s small black appointment book .It was clear 1 was not the only one interested in visiting my old professor—the“Nightline”appearance had made him something of a big figure—but I was impressed with.perhaps even a bit envious of,all the friends that Morrie seemed to have
“You know.Mitch,now that I'm dying,I've become much more interesting to people.I’m on the last great journey here——and people want me to tell them what to pack.”
The phone rang again.
“Morrie,can you talk?”Connie asked .
“I’m visiting with my old friend now,”he announced.“Let them call back.”
I cannot tell you why he received me so warmly.I was hardly the promising student who had left him sixteen years earlier.Had it not been for“Nightline,”Morrie might have died without ever seeing me again.
What happened to me?
The eighties happened .The nineties happened.Death and sickness and getting fat and going bald happened.I traded lots of dreams for a bigger paycheck,and I never even realized I was doing it .Yet here was Morrie talking with the wonder of our college years,as if I'd simply been on a long vacation
“Have you found someone to share your heart with?” he asked .
“Are you at peace with yourself?”
“Are you trying to be as human as you can be?”
I felt ashamed,wanting to show I had been trying hard to work out such questions.What
happened to me? I once promised myself I would never work for money,that I would join the
Peace Corps,and that 1 would w*w^w.k&s#5@u.c~o*mlive in beautiful,inspirational places.
Instead, I had been in Detroit for ten years,at the same workplace,using the same bank,visiting the same barber .I was thirty-seven,more mature than in college,tied to computers and modems and cell phones.I was no longer young,nor did I walk around in gray sweatshirts with unlit cigarettes in my mouth.I did not have long discussions over egg salad sandwiches about the meaning of life.
My days were full,yet I remained,much of the time,unsatisfied .
What happened to me?
56.When did the author graduate from Morrie’s college?
A.In the eighties.                             B.In the nineties.
C.When he was sixteen                          D.When he was twenty-one.
57.What do we know about the“Nightline”?
A.Morrie started it by himself          B.It helped Morrie earn a fame.
C.The author helped Morrie start it.           D.It was only operated at night.
58.What can we infer from the passage?
A.Both the author and Morrie liked travelling.
B.Morrie liked helping people pack things for their journeys.
C.The author envied Morrie’s friends the help they got from him.
D.The author earned a lot of money at the cost of his dreams.
59.What’s the author’s feeling when he writes this passage?
A.Regretful.      B.Enthusiastic.      C.Sympathetic.       D.Humorous.

There are a lot of differences in life in the US that you can only learn by living here. However, we will try to introduce you to some of the more important cultural differences.
Personal Space
When two people are talking to each other, they tend to stand a distance apart. Each person has an invisible boundary (界限) around their body into which other people may not come.
Interestingly,the average personal distance varies from culture to culture. Americans tend to require more personal space than in other cultures. So if you try to get too close to an American during your conversation, he or she will feel that you are “in their face” and will try to back away.
Try to avoid physical contact while you are speaking, since this may also lead to discomfort.
Tipping(小费)
Restaurants do not include a service charge in the bill, so you should tip the waiter 15% of the total bill. If service is slow or particular bad, some Americans will tip only 10%. If service is particularly good, it is appropriate to tip 20%. If service is so bad that you will never eat in the restaurant again, leave two cents. It tells the waiter that you haven’t forgotten to leave a tip. Tipping is only appropriate in restaurants which offer table service. You do not tip the cashier in a fast food restaurant.
Gestures
To wave goodbye or hello to someone, raise your hand and wave it from side to side, not front to back. Wave the whole hand, not just the fingers. Waving the hand front to back or the fingers up and down means “no”, “stop”, or “go away’. Holding your hand up with the palm facing forward but no movement means “stop”.
If you want to point at an object, extend the index finger and use it to point at the object. It is not polite to point at people.
Although showing your fist with the thumb up or your open hand with the tips of the thumb and index finger together forming an “O” means “OK”, these are stereotypes (老套). Americans understand these gestures, but they are mainly used by actors in movies, not in real life.
【小题1】 If an American to whom you are speaking backs away a little, you’d better __________.

A.not try to close the gapB.stop talking with him or her
C.back away tooD.ask him or her what happened
【小题2】Which of the following statements is TRUE when you eat out in the US?
A.The tip always ranges from 10% to 20% of the total bill.
B.You needn’t leave a tip if you will never eat in the restaurant.
C.It’s unnecessary to tip the waiter in a restaurant.
D.Tipping is not necessary in fast food restaurants.
【小题3】Which of the following gestures is not used in Americans’ daily life?
A               B.             C.               D.
.         
【小题4】We can learn from the passage that in the US ___________________.
A.it’s natural to touch each other in a conversation.
B.it’s polite to leave a tip though the service is bad.
C.there is only one gesture meaning “stop”.
D.Americans use the same gesture to point at people and objects.

The night was dark, though sometimes the moving clouds allowed a star or two to be seen in the sky.The poor men held on to any bit of ____ they could find. They called to the Marie for ? ? ? but she was far ? ? ? the reach of the human voice. At one o’clock in the morning suddenly some ? ? ? were seen in the distance: another ship! The shouts of the ? ? ? were heard on board, and willing hands pulled them out of the water. The ? ? ? of the ship that had arrived at the scene ? ? ? to save their lives was Ellen. What had ? ? ? her to the exact spot ? ? ? the darkness and the pathless sea? Her captain had known ? ? ? of the wreck and had, indeed,? ? ? to sail away from it. But let him speak for himself.

? I was forced by the wind to change my course, a small bird flew across the ship once or twice and then flew at my face. I ? of this until exactly the same thing happened a second time, ? caused me to think it rather ? . While I was this ? , the same bird, for the third time, made its appearance and flew ? in the same way as before. I was then ? to change my course back to the original one. I had not gone far ? I heard a strange voice; and when I tried to ? where they came from, I found I was in the middle of people who had been shipwrecked. I immediately did my best to save them.”

1.A. land????????????? B. grass????????????? C. hope????????????? D. wood

2.A. food????????????? B. help????????????? C. rest????????????? D. stop

3.A. off????????????? B. out????????????? C. beyond????????????? ????????????? D. from

4.A. people????????????? B. lights????????????? C. ships????????????? D. houses

5.A. sailors????????????? B. captains????????????? C. rescuers????????????? ????????????? D. swimmers

6.A. name????????????? B. owner????????????? C. captain????????????? ????????????? D. finder

7.A. ahead of time????????????? B. at times????????????? C. on time????????????? D. in time

8.A. brought????????????? B. carried????????????? C. kept????????????? D. caused

9.A. in ????????????? B. on ????????????? C. through????????????? ????????????? D. around

10.A. everything B. nothing????????????? C. something????????????? D. Anything

11.A. attempted B. managed????????????? C. allowed????????????? ????????????? D. demanded

12.A. Just as????????????? B. In case????????????? C. Only because????????????? D. Even though

13.A. paid no attention? B. took good care??? C. took no notice????????????? D. kept close watch

14.A. which????????????? B. what????????????? C. that????????????? D. this

15.A. Interesting? B. funny????????????? C. friendly????????????? D. unusual

16.A. searching????????????? B. expecting????????????? C. considering????????????? D. studying

17.A. back????????????? B. about????????????? C. up????????????? D. down

18.A. forced????????????? B. decided????????????? C. persuaded????????????? D. forbidden

19.A. when????????????? B. until????????????? C. then????????????? D. while

20.A. listen to ????????????? B. search for????????????? C. make sure????????????? ????????????? D. look out

 

Everybody has one of those days when everything goes wrong. This is what happened to Harry.

He got up one morning very late because he had forgotten to wind up his alarm clock. He tried to shave(刮脸)quickly and cut himself. When he got dressed he got blood all over his clean shirt, so he had to find another one. The only other shirt that was clean needed ironing(熨), so he ironed it. While he was ironing it, there was a knock at the door. It was the man to read the electricity meter(表). He showed him where the meter was, said good-bye and found that the iron had burnt a hole in his shirt. So he had to wear the one with the blood on it after all. By this time it was very late, so he decided he couldn’t go to work by bus. He telephoned for a taxi to take him to work. The taxi arrived and Harry got in and began to read the newspaper.

In another part of the town, a man had killed a woman with a knife and was seen to run away in a taxi. When Harry’s taxi stopped outside his office, a policeman happened to be standing there. He saw the blood on Harry’s shirt, and took him to the police station. He was kept till 3 o’clock in the afternoon before the police were sure that he was not the man they wanted. When he finally arrived at the office at about four, his boss took a look at him and told him to go away and find another job.

1.Harry had__________________________.

A.a lucky day

B.an unlucky day

C.a busy day

D.a good day

2.Put the following sentences into correct order according to the passage.

a. The man who read the electricity meter came.

b. Harry ironed his shirt.

c. Harry got blood all over his clean shirt.

d. There was a knock at the door.

e. Harry wore the shirt with blood on it.

A.a, b, c, d, e

B.b, a, d, c, e

C.b, a, c, d, e

D.c, b, d, a, e

3.Why did Harry wear the shirt with blood on it?

A.The iron had burnt a hole in his clean shirt.

B.The only other needed ironing.

C.He had only one shirt.

D.He cut himself and got blood all over his shirt.

4.Harry was taken to the police station because         .

A.his taxi stopped outside his office and a policeman happened to be there

B.there was blood on his shirt and he was in a taxi

C.a man killed a woman with a knife

D.the murderer was seen to run away in a taxi

5.His boss told him to go away and find another job because           .

A.he had been kept by the police

B.there was blood on his shirt

C.he was late for work

D.he had killed a woman

 

Usually, when your teacher asks a question, there is only one correct answer. But there is one question that has millions of correct answers. That question is “What’s your name?” Everyone gives a different answer, but everyone is correct.

Have you ever wondered about people’s names? Where do they come from? What do they mean?

People’s first names, or given names, are chosen by their parents. Sometimes the name of a grandparent or other member of the family is used. Some parents choose the name of a well-known person. A boy could be named George Washington Smith; a girl could be named Helen Keller Jones.

Some people give their children names that mean good things. Clara means “bright”; Beatrice means “one who gives happiness”; Donald means “world ruler”; Leonard means “as brave as a lion”.

The earliest last names, or surnames, were taken from place names. A family with the name Brook or Brooks probably lived near a brook (小溪); someone who was called Longstreet probably lived on a long, paved road. The Greenwood family lived in or near a leafy forest.

Other early surnames came from people’s occupations. The most common occupational name is Smith, which means a person who makes things with iron or other metals. In the past, smiths were very important workers in every town and village. Some other occupational names are: Carter—a person who owned or drove a cart; Potter—a person who made pots and pans.

The ancestors of the Baker family probably baked bread for their neighbors in their native village. The Carpenter’s great-great-great-grandfather probably built houses and furniture.

Sometimes people were known for the color of their hair or skin, or their size, or their special abilities. When there were two men who were named John in the same village, the John with gray hair probably became John Gray. Or the John who was very tall could call himself John Tallman. John Fish was probably an excellent swimmer and John Lightfoot was probably a fast runner or a good dancer.

Some family names were made by adding something to the father’s name. English-speaking people added –s or –son. The Johnsons are descendants of John; the Roberts family’s ancestor was Robert. Irish and Scottish people added Mac or Mc or O. Perhaps all of the MacDonnells and the O’Donnells are descendants of the same Donnell.

1.Which of the following aspects do the surnames in the passage NOT cover?

A.Places where people lived.

B.People’s characters.

C.Talents that people possessed.

D.People’s occupations.

2.According to the passage, the ancestors of the Potter family most probably _______.

A.owned or drove a cart

B.made things with metals

C.made kitchen tools or containers.

D.built houses and furniture.

3.Suppose an English couple whose ancestors lived near a leafy forest wanted their new-born son to become a world leader, the baby might be named ________.

A.Beatrice Smith

B.Leonard Carter

C.George Longstreet

D.Donald Greenwood

 

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