A young man who lived in London was in love with a beautiful girl. Soon she became his fiancée. The man was very poor while the girl was rich. The young man wanted to make her a present on her birthday. He wanted to buy something beautiful for her, but he had no idea how to do it, as he had very little money.
The next morning he went to a shop. There were many fine things there: gold watches, diamond… but all these things were too expensive. There was one thing he could not take his eyes off. It was a beautiful vase. That was a suitable present for his fiancée. He had been looking at the vase for half an hour when the manager of the shop noticed him. The young man looked so pale, sad and unhappy that the manager asked what had happened to him.
The young man told him everything. The manager felt sorry for him and decided to help him. A bright idea struck him. The manager pointed to the corner of the shop. To his great surprise the young man saw a vase broken into many pieces. The manager said: “When the servant enters the room, he will drop it.”
On the birthday of his fiancée the young man was very excited. Everything happened as had been planned. The servant brought in the vase, and as he entered the room, he dropped it. There was horror on everybody's face. When the box was opened, the guests saw that each piece was packed separately(分离地).
【小题1】The story took place ______.

A young man who lived in London was in love with a beautiful girl. Soon she became his fiancée. The man was very poor while the girl was rich. The young man wanted to make her a present on her birthday. He wanted to buy something beautiful for her, but he had no idea how to do it, as he had very little money.

The next morning he went to a shop. There were many fine things there: gold watches, diamond… but all these things were too expensive. There was one thing he could not take his eyes off. It was a beautiful vase. That was a suitable present for his fiancée. He had been looking at the vase for half an hour when the manager of the shop noticed him. The young man looked so pale, sad and unhappy that the manager asked what had happened to him.

The young man told him everything. The manager felt sorry for him and decided to help him. A bright idea struck him. The manager pointed to the corner of the shop. To his great surprise the young man saw a vase broken into many pieces. The manager said: “When the servant enters the room, he will drop it.”

On the birthday of his fiancée the young man was very excited. Everything happened as had been planned. The servant brought in the vase, and as he entered the room, he dropped it. There was horror on everybody's face. When the box was opened, the guests saw that each piece was packed separately(分离地).

1.The story took place ______.

A．France           B．England           C．Germany          D．the US

2.Which of the following is true?

A．The young man's family was poor while the beautiful girl is rich.

B．A rich young man fell in love with a beautiful girl.

C．The young man loved the girl but the girl didn't love him.

D．The young man had enough money to buy a beautiful vase.

3.Why did the young man want to buy a present for the girl?

A．He wanted to give her a Christmas present.

B．He fell in love with her.

C．Her birthday was coming soon.

D．They were going to get married.

4.Why did the shop manager come to talk to the young man?

A．He looked very excited.

B．He looked pale and sad.

C．He was poorly dressed.

D．He said he wanted to buy a beautiful vase.

5.What do you think happened at the end of the story?

A．The manager had cheated the young man.

B．His fiancee must be thankful to him for the present.

C．The guests would be angry because the servant had broken the vase.

D．What the careful servant had done gave the trick away.

A young man who lived in London was in love with a beautiful girl. Soon she became his fiancée. The man was very poor while the girl was rich. The young man wanted to make her a present on her birthday. He wanted to buy something beautiful for her, but he had no idea how to do it, as he had very little money.
The next morning he went to a shop. There were many fine things there: gold watches, diamond… but all these things were too expensive. There was one thing he could not take his eyes off. It was a beautiful vase. That was a suitable present for his fiancée. He had been looking at the vase for half an hour when the manager of the shop noticed him. The young man looked so pale, sad and unhappy that the manager asked what had happened to him.
The young man told him everything. The manager felt sorry for him and decided to help him. A bright idea struck him. The manager pointed to the corner of the shop. To his great surprise the young man saw a vase broken into many pieces. The manager said: “When the servant enters the room, he will drop it.”
On the birthday of his fiancée the young man was very excited. Everything happened as had been planned. The servant brought in the vase, and as he entered the room, he dropped it. There was horror on everybody's face. When the box was opened, the guests saw that each piece was packed separately(分离地)

1. 1.

   The story took place ______

   1. A.
      France
   2. B.
      England
   3. C.
      Germany
   4. D.
      the US
2. 2.

   Which of the following is true?

   1. A.
      The young man's family was poor while the beautiful girl is rich
   2. B.
      A rich young man fell in love with a beautiful girl
   3. C.
      The young man loved the girl but the girl didn't love him
   4. D.
      The young man had enough money to buy a beautiful vase
3. 3.

   Why did the young man want to buy a present for the girl?

   1. A.
      He wanted to give her a Christmas present
   2. B.
      He fell in love with her
   3. C.
      Her birthday was coming soon
   4. D.
      They were going to get married
4. 4.

   Why did the shop manager come to talk to the young man?

   1. A.
      He looked very excited
   2. B.
      He looked pale and sad
   3. C.
      He was poorly dressed
   4. D.
      He said he wanted to buy a beautiful vase
5. 5.

   What do you think happened at the end of the story?

   1. A.
      The manager had cheated the young man
   2. B.
      His fiancee must be thankful to him for the present
   3. C.
      The guests would be angry because the servant had broken the vase
   4. D.
      What the careful servant had done gave the trick away

What is the basis of 'sick' humor? Whether we find a joke funny or not largely depends on where we have been brought up. The sense of humor is mysteriously connected with national characteristics. A Frenchman, for instance, might find it hard to laugh at a Russian joke. In the same way, a Russian might fail to see anything amusing in a joke which would make an Englishman laugh to tears.

 Most funny stories are based on comic situations. In spite of national differences, certain funny situations have a universal appeal. No matter where you live, you would find it difficult not to laugh at, say, Chaplin's early films. However, a new type of humor, which comes largely from US, has recently come into fashion. It is called 'sick humor'. Comedians base their jokes on tragic situations like violent death or serious accidents. Many people find this sort of joke distasteful. The following example of 'sick humor' will enable you to judge for yourself.

A man who had broken his right leg was taken to hospital a few weeks before Christmas. From the moment he arrived there, he kept on begging his doctor to tell him when he would be able to go home. He was afraid of having to spend Christmas in hospital and missing the fun. Though the doctor did his best, the patient's recovery was slow. On Christmas day, the man still had his right leg in plaster. He spent a miserable day in bed sadly. The following day, however, the doctor comforted him by telling him that his chances of being able to leave hospital in time for New Year celebrations were good.

The man took heart and sure enough, on New Year's Eve he was able to hobble（蹒跚）along to a party. In order to make up for his unpleasant experiences in hospital, the man drank a little more than was good for him. In the process, he enjoyed himself thoroughly and kept telling everybody how much he hated hospitals. He was still mumbling something about hospitals at the end of the party when he slipped on a piece of ice and broke his left leg.

The man spent Christmas day feeling miserable because ________.

A. he thought he would miss the New Year’s Eve celebration

B. the doctor had failed to cure him

C. he hated the hospital and his roommates

D. being unable to walk, he could not enjoy himself.

The point of the joke taken to explain “sick humor” is that________.

   A. the man should have said how much he hated hospitals

   B. the man had not got a leg to stand on

C. no sooner had the man been out of hospital than he had to go back in again

D. being unable to walk, he did not enjoy the celebration

What can you learn about the man from the story?

A. The man got well soon because the doctor took good care of him.

B. He had to go to hospital again though he hated it.

C. On New Year’s Eve, the man was able to walk properly to the party.

D. At the party, he enjoyed himself but only drank a little.  

Things have changed. For everybody, England meant gentlemen, fair play, and good man­ners. The fair play is going, unfortunately, and so are the gentlemanly attitudes and good man­ners—people shut doors heavily in your face and politeness is disappearing.

I regret that there are so few comfortable meeting places. You’re forced to live indoors. In Paris I go out much more, to restaurants and nightclubs. To meet friends here it usually has to be in a pub, and it can be difficult to go there alone as a woman. The cafes are not terribly nice.

As a woman, I feel unsafe here. I spend a bomb on taxis because I will not take public trans­port after 10 p. m. I used to use it, but now I’m afraid.

The idea of family seems to be more or less non-existent in England. My family is well united and that’s typically French. In Middlesex I had a neighbour who is 82 now. His family only lived two miles away, but I took him to France for Christmas once because he was always alone.

60. The writer doesn’t like London because she ______.

A. has lived there for seventeen years

   B. prefers to live in an old-fashioned house

 C. is not used to the life there now

D. has to be polite to everyone she meets there

61. Where do people usually meet their friends in England?

A. In a cafe.    B. In a pub.    C. In a restaurant.                D. In a nightclub.

62. The writer took her neighbour to France for Christmas because he ______.

A. had never been to France        B. was from a typical French family

C. didn't like the British idea of family       D. felt lonely in England