Mr. and Mrs. Smith have just opened a small restaurant. In order to attract customers, they put a notice in front of the restaurant, which said: “Meals on the house for three days.”

A foreign student who didn’t know much English passed by the restaurant on the second day. It was lunchtime and he felt hungry. “Well, here is a restaurant. I’m going to have something to eat,” he said.

He saw the notice when he walked towards the restaurant. “American people are really strange. They even eat dinners on the house! But how can I get onto the top of the house?” he asked himself.

He looked around and found a ladder(梯子)against a tree nearby. He was very glad. But as he reached the top, he heard someone shouting at him: “Hey, what are you doing up there?” Mr Smith was looking at him angrily. Beside him was a policeman.

“Doesn’t your notice say ‘Meals on the house for three days’? Is it just a joke?” the foreign student answered.

On hearing this, both Mr Smith and the policeman burst into laughter(开怀大笑). “Do you know what On The House means?”

Do you know the meaning of On The House?

1.The Smiths have ____________.

A. opened a restaurant B. built a house

C. climbed onto the top D. been policemen

2.The student walked past the restaurant ___________.

A. when the Smiths started their business

B. when the Smiths put on the notice

C. when the policeman came to the restaurant

D. when it was time to have lunch

3.The student ____________ so Mr Smith shouted at him.

A. was very hungry

B. knew little about English

C. climbed onto the top of the house

D. took away the ladder

4.“On the house” may mean that the meal _____________.

A. is had on the house B. is paid on the house

C. is made on the house D. is free for the customers

If you have a brother or sister, you already know you are different from each other. You live together in the same house and have the same parents, but you have different personalities.

Why is this? One possible reason is the way your parents treat you. First-born children receive all the attention from their parents. Most families have twice as many photos of a first-born than any other child. Parents usually give first-born more responsibility and depend on them to take care of younger brothers and sisters. As a result, first-borns are often responsible, hard-working, andjealous. They often want to do well at school and work. There are more first-born American Presidents, for example, George Bush, George Washington, and Lyndon Baines Johnson-than second or last-born children.

When a second child arrives, parents are more relaxed. The second child has to compete with the first-born for the parents’ attention and love. Their children often choose different sports and hobbies to do well at school and work, but have to be creative to get their family’s attention. They are often friendly and cool. Many famous talk-show hosts were born last.

1.The writer thinks that the second children are often ______.

A. outgoing and jealous B. cool and friendly

C. hard-working and serious D. creative and responsible

2.The underlined word “jealous” means______ in the passage.

A. 友好的 B. 冷静的 C. 快乐的 D. 嫉妒的

3.______is usually the happiest in the family according to the passage.

A. The eldest child. B. The second child.

C. The youngest child. D. The father.

4.We can learn from the passage that .

A. the second child is very similar to the first-born child

B. brothers and sisters usually have the same personalities

C. it’s easy for the second child to get his or her parents’ attention

D. there are more first-born successful people than second or last-born people

5.The passage is mainly about ______.

A. birth order and personalities

B. the personalities of the second child in a family

C. the personalities of the eldest child in a family

D. the personalities of the youngest child in a family

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