Mrs. Smith asks some friends to her house for dinner. She wants to cook a good dinner of meat and soup.

She has five daughters. They are busy all day. Mrs. Smith is cleaning the house. Her hands are dirty. Suddenly(突然) she thinks of the soup. She forgets to put any salt(盐)into it.So she calls one of her daughters to help her.

“Mary, ”she says, “please put some salt into the soup. My hands are very dirty now.”

“ I can’t, Mom. I’m washing my hair,” Mary says.

“Jane, go and put some salt into the soup.” “Sorry, Mom,” Jane answers. “I’m washing my dress.”

Mrs. Smith asks the other girls, but gets the same answer. So she washes her hands and puts some salt into the soup. Then she begins to clean the house again.

Now Mary thinks that she should help her mother, so she goes quietly into the kitchen and puts some salt into the soup. Then Jane begins to feel sorry, too. So she goes to put some salt into the soup, too. One by one, the other three girls do the same thing.

When the friends come and sit at the table, the soup smells(闻起来) good. But when the friends have a little soup, their faces look strange. They put down the spoons(汤匙) and drink a lot of water. Nobody says a word. They just look at each other. “Why…?”

1.Mrs. Smith can’t put any salt into the soup because .

A. her hands are dirty B. she is talking to her friends

C. she wants to test her daughters D. she knows her daughters can do it

2.The underlined word “strange” means “ ” in Chinese.

A. 平静的 B. 奇怪的 C. 快乐的 D. 激动的

3. put(s) some salt into the soup.

A. Mrs. Smith B. Nobody C. Five daughters D. Six people

4.Which of the following is TRUE?

A. The soup smells good and tastes good.

B. The soup smells bad and tastes good.

C. The soup smells bad but tastes good.

D. The soup smells good but tastes bad.

Many of us have feelings of loneliness as we grow up. As a teenager, just eating alone in the dining hall can’t be acceptable, and girls even go to the restrooms hand in hand. They fear being called a “loner”.

In these cases, we might use the word “loner” in a disapproving (不赞成的) way. However, it can actually have a positive meaning as well.

It all depends on our attitude toward being alone. If we see being alone as something not very good, we will be against it. But if we understand that it’s an everyday part of life, we’ll be able to “hug the beauty of our solo (单独的) journey”, as best-selling US writer Mandy Hale wrote in her book The Single Woman.

In some countries, more young people are choosing to be loners. In South Korea, “honjok” has become a growing lifestyle. The word comes from Korean “hon” (alone) and “jok” (group).These people eat alone, travel alone, and enjoy being by themselves. “I hope it grows into a self-supporting culture of happiness.” said Jang Jae Young, a South Korean who runs a website about this solo lifestyle called www.honjok.me.

In Japan, people have developed a strong “loner culture” and even a “loner economy (经济).” There are many solo KTVs and solo coffee bars. Noodle restaurants for solo customers are especially popular. There are boards which separate each seat. Customers fill out a form to make an order, and then press a button to call the waiter. They don’t see the faces of other customers or waiters.

People are becoming more experienced in and comfortable about being alone. This doesn’t mean we should totally keep ourselves away from the outside world, of course. But it doesn’t hurt to have some “me time” once in a while.

1.From the passage we know that “honjok” ________.

A.means a group of loners B.is a culture which brings people closer

C.is a website run by a Korean D.will be a popular lifestyle in North Korea

2.The underlined word “separate” in Para. 5 means “________”.

A.合并 B.隔开 C.监控 D.固定

3.If we put the passage into three parts, which of the following is the best?

(①=Para.1 ②=Para.2 ③=Para.3 ④=Para. 4 ⑤=Para.5 ⑥=Para.6)

A.①; ②③; ④⑤⑥ B.①; ②③④; ⑤⑥

C.①②; ③④⑤; ⑥ D.①②③; ④⑤; ⑥

4.The best title of this passage is ________.

A.Ways to Deal with Aloneness B.A Tradition of Aloneness in Asian Countries

C.Aloneness—A Common Lifestyle D.Advantages and Disadvantages of Aloneness

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