D

The thing is, my luck’s always been ruined. Just look at my name: Jean. Not Jean Marie, or Jeanine, or Jeanette, or even Jeanne. Just Jean. Did you know in France, they name boys Jean? It’s French for John. And okay, I don’t live in France. But still, I’m basically a girl named John. If I lived in France, anyway.

This is the kind of luck I’ve had since before Mom even filled out my birth certificate. So it wasn’t any big surprise to me when the cab driver didn’t help me with my suitcase. I’d already had to tolerate arriving at the airport to find no one there to greet me, and then got no answer to my many phone calls, asking where my aunt and uncle were. Did they not want me after all? Had they changed their minds? Had they heard about my bad luck—all the way from Iowa—and decided they didn’t want any of it to rub off on them?

So when the cab driver, instead of getting out and helping me with my bags, just pushed a little button so that the trunk (汽车后备箱) popped open a few inches, it wasn’t the worst thing that had ever happened to me. It wasn’t even the worst thing that had happened to me that day.

According to my mom, most brownstones in New York City were originally single-family homes when they were built way back in the 1800s. But now they’ve been divided up into apartments, so that there’s one—or sometimes even two or more families—per floor.

Not Mom’s sister Evelyn’s brownstone, though. Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Ted Gardiner own all four floors of their brownstone. That’s practically one floor per person, since Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Ted only have three kids, my cousins Tory, Teddy, and Alice.

Back home, we just have two floors, but there are seven people living on them. And only one bathroom. Not that I’m complaining. Still, ever since my sister Courtney discovered blow-outs, it’s been pretty frightful at home.

But as tall as my aunt and uncle’s house was, it was really narrow—just three windows across. Still, it was a very pretty townhouse, painted gray. The door was a bright, cheerful yellow. There were yellow flower boxes along the base of each window, flower boxes from which bright red—and obviously newly planted, since it was only the middle of April, and not quite warm enough for them.

It was nice to know that, even in a sophisticated (世故的) city like New York, people still realized how homey and welcoming a box of flowers could be. The sight of those flowers cheered me up a little.

Like maybe Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Ted just forgot I was arriving today, and hadn’t deliberately failed to meet me at the airport because they’d changed their minds about letting me come to stay.

Like everything was going to be all right, after all.

Yeah. With my luck, probably not.

I started up the steps to the front door of 326 East Sixty-Ninth Street, then realized I couldn’t make it with both bags and my violin. Leaving one bag on the sidewalk, I dragged the other up the steps with me. Maybe I took the steps a little too fast, since I nearly tripped and fell flat on my face on the sidewalk. I managed to catch myself at the last moment by grabbing some of the fence the gardeners had put up…

67. Why did the author go to New York?

A. She intended to go sightseeing there.

B. She meant to stay with her aunt’s family.

C. She was homeless and adopted by her aunt.

D. She wanted to try her luck and find a job there.

68. According to the author, some facts account for her bad luck EXCEPT that ________.

A. she was given a boy’s name in French

B. the cab driver didn’t help her with her bags

C. her sister Courtney discovered blow-outs  

D. nobody had come to meet her at the airport

69. The underlined phrase “rub off on” in Paragraph 3 probably means _________.

A. have an effect on    B. play tricks on     C. put pressure on       D. throw doubt on

70. From the passage, we can know that _________.

A. the author left home without informing her mother

B. the author arrived in New York in a very warm season

C. her aunt’s family lived a much better life than her own

D. her aunt and uncle were likely to forget about her arrival

London--A morning train rides away, across the channel. English kids discuss the Liverpool's football team in a Paris pub.
Some Parisians have started to travel to work in London.
In the 19th century, Charles Dickens compared the two cities, London and Paris, in A Tale of Two Cities. These days, it might be A tale of One City.
As there are few jobs at home over recent years, perhaps 250,000 Frenchmen moved across the channel. With an undersea tunnel, they could travel between cities in three hours. The European Union freed them from immigration and customs.
Paris, rich in beauty, is more stylish. But London feels more full of life, and more fun until the pubs shut down.
“For me, the difference is that London is real, alive,” said Trevor Wheeler, a financial expert.
Chantal Jaouen, a professional designer, agrees. “I am French, but I’ll stay in London,” she said.
There is, of course, the other view. Julie Lenoux is a student who moved to London two years ago. “I think people laugh more in Paris,” she said.
“Both cities have changed beyond recognition,” said Larry Collins, an author and sometimes a Londoner. Like most people who know both cities well, he finds the two now fit together comfortably. “I first fell in love with Paris in the 1950s. Things are so much more ordered, and life is better.”
But certainly not cheaper. In some parts of London, rents can be twice those on Avenue Foch in Paris.
Deciding between London and Paris requires a lifestyle choice. Like Daphne Benoit, a French journalism student with perfect English, many young people are happy to be close enough so they don’t have to choose. “I love Paris, my little neighborhood, the way I can walk around a centre, but life is too organized,” she said. “In London, you can be whoever you want. No one cares.”
【小题1】It can be inferred that ___________.

London--A morning train rides away, across the channel．English kids discuss the Liverpool's football team in a Paris pub．

Some Parisians have started to travel to work in London．

In the 19th century, Charles Dickens compared the two cities, London and Paris, in A Tale of Two Cities．These days, it might be A tale of One City．

As there are few jobs at home over recent years, perhaps 250,000 Frenchmen moved across the channel．With an undersea tunnel, they could travel between cities in three hours．The European Union freed them from immigration and customs．

Paris, rich in beauty, is more stylish．But London feels more full of life, and more fun until the pubs shut down．

“For me, the difference is that London is real, alive,” said Trevor Wheeler, a financial expert．

Chantal Jaouen, a professional designer, agrees．“I am French, but I’ll stay in London,” she said．

There is, of course, the other view．Julie Lenoux is a student who moved to London two years ago．“I think people laugh more in Paris,” she said．

“Both cities have changed beyond recognition,” said Larry Collins, an author and sometimes a Londoner．Like most people who know both cities well, he finds the two now fit together comfortably．“I first fell in love with Paris in the 1950s．Things are so much more ordered, and life is better．”

But certainly not cheaper．In some parts of London, rents can be twice those on Avenue Foch in Paris．

Deciding between London and Paris requires a lifestyle choice．Like Daphne Benoit, a French journalism student with perfect English, many young people are happy to be close enough so they don’t have to choose．“I love Paris, my little neighborhood, the way I can walk around a centre, but life is too organized,” she said．“In London, you can be whoever you want．No one cares．”

1．It can be inferred that ___________．

       A．Paris and London are the two biggest cities in the world

       B．In the 19th century, Dickens told his stories in the two cities

       C．London and Paris used to be separated

       D．Liverpool is a big city in France

2．According to this passage, which of the following is TRUE?

       A．People feel it difficult to find a job in Paris．

       B．People can't travel to London without a passport．

       C．Living in France is more expensive than in London．

       D．People can find any job in London．

3．The underlined phrase in Para9 most probably means “_____________”

       A．beyond one’s imagination    

       B．so much that people don’t know them well again

       C．so little that people still know them well

       D．to people’s satisfaction

4．What’s the meaning of the last two sentences?

       A．People can do everything in London．

       B．People will feel lonely in London．

       C．People in London enjoy living in different ways．

       D．People in London enjoy a lawless life．

London--A morning train rides away, across the channel．English kids discuss the Liverpool's football team in a Paris pub．

Some Parisians have started to travel to work in London．

In the 19th century, Charles Dickens compared the two cities, London and Paris, in A Tale of Two Cities． These days, it might be A tale of One City．

As there are few jobs at home over recent years, perhaps 250,000 Frenchmen moved across the channel．With an undersea tunnel, they could travel between cities in three hours．The European Union freed them from immigration and customs．

Paris, rich in beauty, is more stylish． But London feels more full of life, and more fun until the pubs shut down．

"For me, the difference is that London is real, alive," said Trevor Wheeler, a financial expert．

Chantal Jaouen, a professional designer, agrees．"I am French, but I'll stay in London,'' she said．

There is, of course, the other view． Julie Lenoux is a student who moved to London two years ago． "I think people laugh more in Paris," she said．

"Both cities have changed beyond recognition," said Larry Collins, an author and sometimes a Londoner．

Like most people who know both cities well, he finds the two now fit together comfortably．

"I first fell in love with Paris in the 1950s．Things are so much more ordered, and life is better．"

But certainly not cheaper．

In some parts of London, rents can be twice those on Avenue Foch in Paris．

Deciding between London and Paris requires a lifestyle choice．

Like Daphne Benoit, a French journalism student with perfect English, many young people are happy to be close enough so they don't have to choose．

"I love Paris, my little neighbourhood, the way I can walk around a centre, but life is too organized , "she said． "In London, you can be whoever you want． No one cares．"

1．It can be inferred that ___________．

A．Paris and London are the two biggest cities in the world

B．in the 19th century, Dickens told his stories in the two cities

C．London and Paris used to be separated   

D．Liverpool is a big city in France

2．According to this passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A．People feel it difficult to find a job in Paris．

B．People can't travel to London without a passport．

C．People can travel to London without a passport．

D．People can find any job in London．

3．According to this passage we know that _________．

A．Parisians enjoy English food more than their own

B．Londoners seldom travel to Paris on holidays

C．both cities have their advantages  

D．young people prefer to live in London

4．Which city is better to live in according to the passage?

A．Paris．        B．London．         C．Both cities．     D．It just depends．

5．What's the meaning of the last sentence?

A．People can do everything in London．

B．People will feel lonely in London．

C．People in London enjoy living in different ways．

D．People in London enjoy a lawless life．

London--A morning train rides away, across the channel. English kids discuss the Liverpool's football team in a Paris pub.

Some Parisians have started to travel to work in London.

In the 19th century, Charles Dickens compared the two cities, London and Paris, in A Tale of Two Cities. These days, it might be A tale of One City.

As there are few jobs at home over recent years, perhaps 250,000 Frenchmen moved across the channel. With an undersea tunnel, they could travel between cities in three hours. The European Union freed them from immigration and customs.

Paris, rich in beauty, is more stylish. But London feels more full of life, and more fun until the pubs shut down.

"For me, the difference is that London is real, alive," said Trevor Wheeler, a financial expert.

Chantal Jaouen, a professional designer, agrees. "I am French, but I'll stay in London,'' she said.

There is, of course, the other view. Julie Lenoux is a student who moved to London two years ago. "I think people laugh more in Paris," she said.

"Both cities have changed beyond recognition," said Larry Collins, an author and sometimes a Londoner.

Like most people who know both cities well, he finds the two now fit together comfortably.

"I first fell in love with Paris in the 1950s. Things are so much more ordered, and life is better."

But certainly not cheaper.

In some parts of London, rents can be twice those on Avenue Foch in Paris.

Deciding between London and Paris requires a lifestyle choice.

Like Daphne Benoit, a French journalism student with perfect English, many young people are happy to be close enough so they don't have to choose.

"I love Paris, my little neighbourhood, the way I can walk around a centre, but life is too organized , "she said. "In London, you can be whoever you want. No one cares."

1. It can be inferred that ___________.

A. Paris and London are the two biggest cities in the world

B. in the 19th century, Dickens told his stories in the two cities

C. London and Paris used to be separated

D. Liverpool is a big city in France

2. According to this passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A. People feel it difficult to find a job in Paris.

B. People can't travel to London without a passport.

C. People can travel to London without a passport.

D. People can find any job in London.

3. According to this passage we know that _________.

A. Parisians enjoy English food more than their own

B. Londoners seldom travel to Paris on holidays

C. both cities have their advantages

D. young people prefer to live in London

4. Which city is better to live in according to the passage?

A. Paris.　　　　　 B. London.　　　 　C. Both cities.　　 D. It just depends.

5. What's the meaning of the last sentence?

A. People can do everything in London.

B. People will feel lonely in London.

C. People in London enjoy living in different ways.

D. People in London enjoy a lawless life.