The host poured the tea into the cup and placed it on the small table in front of his guests, who were a father and daughter, and put the cover on the cup. Apparently thinking of something, he hurried into the inner room, leaving the thermos (热水瓶) on the table. His two guests heard a cupboard opening.
They remained sitting in the sitting room, the ten-year-old daughter looking at the flowers outside the window, the father just about to take his cup, when the crash came, right there in the sitting room. Something was hopelessly broken.
It was the thermos, which had fallen to the floor. The girl looked over her shoulder, shocked, staring. It was mysterious. Neither of them had touched it, not even a bit. True, it hadn't stood steadily when their host placed it on the table, but it hadn't fallen then.
The explosion caused the host to rush back. Gawking at the steaming floor, the host said "It doesn't matter! It doesn't matter!"
The father started to say something. Then he said softly, "Sorry, I touched it and it fell."
"It doesn't matter," the host said.
When they left the house, the daughter said, "Daddy, did you touch it?"
"No. But it stood so close to me. "
"But you didn't touch it. I saw your reflection in the window glass. "
The father laughed. "What then would you give as the cause of its fall?"
"The thermos fell by itself. The floor is not smooth. Daddy, why did you say that you …"
"That won't do, girl. It sounds more acceptable when I say I knocked it down. There are things which people accept less the more you defend them. The truer the story you tell, the less true it sounds. "
The daughter was lost in silence for a while. Then she said, "Can you explain it only in this way?"
"Only in this way," her father said.
56. Which statement is a possible theme of this story?
A. People rarely tell the truth.
B. You can't always make people believe the truth.
C. If you defend yourself, people will believe you.
D. People should take the blame for what they didn't do.
57. It can be inferred from the story that the father _______.
A. didn't know the host well                    B. felt satisfied that he didn't tell the truth
C. was sorry that he told the truth                        D. didn't think the host would believe the truth
58. From the story we know that the daughter ________.
A. thought her father should tell the truth         B. didn't know why the thermos fell
C. knocked over the thermos                  D. strongly objected to her father's explanation
59. The underlined "gawking at" probably means _______.
A. staring at with anger                  B. looking at curiously
C. glancing at hopelessly                 D. looking at in a dull way

The 1____ picked up the thermos and poured some hot water into the tea-cup and placed it on the small table in front of his 2____, who were a father and daughter, and put the lid on the cup with a clink. Obviously 3_____ of something, he hurried into the inner room, leaving the 4 _____ on the table. His two guests heard a box of drawers opening and a rustling(飒飒地响).

They 5 _____ sitting in the living-room, the 10-year-old daughter, looking at the flowers outside the window. The father was just about to take his cup when the 6 ____ came, right there in the living room. Something was hopelessly broken.

It was the thermos, which had fallen to the floor. The girl looked 7 ____ her shoulder at once, startled(吓一跳), 8_____. It was 9 _____.Neither of them had touched it, not even a little bit. The sound caused the host to rush back from the inner room. He looked at the 10_____ floor and blurted out（脱口而出）, “It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter!”

The father started to say something. Then he muttered（嘀咕）, “ Sorry, I 11_____ it and it fell.”

“It doesn’t matter,” the host said.

Later, when they left the house the daughter said, “Daddy, I saw your 12 ____ in the windowpane(玻璃窗). You were sitting perfectly13____. Why did you say…?”

The father 14____, “What then would you 15____ as the cause of its fall?”

“It fell by itself. The floor is uneven(不平). It wasn’t steady when Mr Li put it there.”

“It won’t 16_____, girl. It sounds more 17_____ when I say I knocked it down. There are things people accept less the more you 18_____them. The truer your story is, the less true it sounds.”

The daughter was 19_____ in silence for a while. Then she said, “Can you 20____ it only this way?”

“Only this way,” the father said.

A.owner          B. host          C. guest         D. master

A.friends         B. neighbors     C. children       D. guests

A.knowing        B. remembering  C. hearing        D. thinking

A.thermos        B. cup          C. lid           D. tea

A.enjoyed         B. remained     C. imagined      D. hated

A.stranger        B. host          C. crash         D. noise

A.around         B. at           C. behind         D. over

A.staring          B. watching     C. shouting        D. crying

A.helpless         B. exciting      C. strange         D. terrible

A.broken         B. streaming    C. dirty           D. flooded

A.touched        B. used         C. hit            D. moved

A.faced          B. shadow       C. reflection      D. action

A.calm          B. still          C. silent          D. straight

A.shouted        B. murmured     C. laughed       D. repeated

A. tell           B. make         C. accept         D. give

A.do            B. help          C. go            D. fit

A.comfortable    B. friendly       C. acceptable      D. agreeable

A.defend        B. support        C. discuss         D. argue

A.kept          B. shut           C. worried         D. lost

A.do            B. explain        C. make           D. manage

The issue of privacy versus openness is a paradox, particularly when it comes to the American home. “Lots” or “yards” (gardens) can be large and many are not enclosed by the walls, fences or hedges so popular in other cultures. Similarly, “window treatments” frame the window. but the use of European-style net curtains to screen out nosy neighbors is rare. In the same style, first-time visitors to an American home may be proudly given the full tour; even walk-in closets and en suite bathrooms are not considered off-limits. They may also be encouraged to help themselves to a soda from the fridge. All this gives an impression of openness.

    Yet Americans do value their personal space and privacy. A Brazilian expatriate (侨民) who dropped in on her usually friendly Connecticut neighbors unannounced got the clear impression she should have called first. Similarly while a typical suburban home features large, shared areas, such as an open-plan kitchen and family room or “den”, ample private space is also allowed in the floor plan. A visit to a family home in the evening would likely find the family members dispersed, each independently watching TV, on the phone, surfing the Internet, or otherwise recharging batteries in the privacy of their own bedroom.

    American individualism, expansiveness, and abundance are expressed in lifestyle. Despite the fact that the average household size has declined over the past thirty years from3.1 people to 2.6 people per household, the average size of a new family home increased during the same period from 1,500 to 2,200 square feet.

    A common observation is just how outsized everything is. The beds are king-sized, the TVs have giant screens, the burgers are “whoppers (庞然大物),” appliances are “industrial” size. The largest popcorn or soda at the movies can be “supersized.” Closets are “walk in,” and some cars are the size of a military vehicle.

1.The passage suggests that Americans__________.

A. are rich enough to afford large size houses and luxurious electricity appliances

B. are very shy when talking about keeping their privacy and their personal space

C. would like to express their lifestyles in public to show them off

D. enjoy openness as well as individualism although they seem to contradict each other

2.Why can we say that American individualism, expansiveness, and abundance are expressed in their lifestyle?

A. Because the average size of a new house has increased during the past thirty years.

B. Because Americans often use European-style net curtains to screen out nosy neighbors.

C. Because many houses are equipped with walk-in closets.

D. Because the house size, outsized household furniture and independent living habits have proved it.

3.The underlined phrase in the passage means________.

A. filling a battery with electrical power

B. recovering your strength and energy by resting for a while

C. changing your batteries again

D. obtaining new batteries because old ones are running out

4.According to the passage, if you drop in on an American family which is usually friendly to you in the evening, you________.

A. will be deeply impressed by their family get-together scene

B. will be invited to a party which is well-prepared

C. will find family members scattered, and enjoying themselves individually

D. will be warmly welcomed even if they don’t get informed of your visit earlier

The host poured the tea into the cup and placed it on the small table in front of his guests, who were a father and daughter, and put the cover on the cup. Apparently thinking of something, he hurried into the inner room, leaving the thermos (热水瓶) on the table. His two guests heard a cupboard opening.

They remained sitting in the sitting room, the ten-year-old daughter looking at the flowers outside the window, the father just about to take his cup, when the crash came, right there in the sitting room. Something was hopelessly broken.

It was the thermos, which had fallen to the floor. The girl looked over her shoulder, shocked, staring. It was mysterious. Neither of them had touched it, not even a bit. True, it hadn't stood steadily when their host placed it on the table, but it hadn't fallen then.

The explosion caused the host to rush back. Gawking at the steaming floor, the host said "It doesn't matter! It doesn't matter!"

The father started to say something. Then he said softly, "Sorry, I touched it and it fell."

"It doesn't matter," the host said.

When they left the house, the daughter said, "Daddy, did you touch it?"

"No. But it stood so close to me. "

"But you didn't touch it. I saw your reflection in the window glass. "

The father laughed. "What then would you give as the cause of its fall?"

"The thermos fell by itself. The floor is not smooth. Daddy, why did you say that you …"

"That won't do, girl. It sounds more acceptable when I say I knocked it down. There are things which people accept less the more you defend them. The truer the story you tell, the less true it sounds. "

The daughter was lost in silence for a while. Then she said, "Can you explain it only in this way?"

"Only in this way," her father said.

56. Which statement is a possible theme of this story?

A. People rarely tell the truth.

B. You can't always make people believe the truth.

C. If you defend yourself, people will believe you.

D. People should take the blame for what they didn't do.

57. It can be inferred from the story that the father _______.

A. didn't know the host well                    B. felt satisfied that he didn't tell the truth

C. was sorry that he told the truth                        D. didn't think the host would believe the truth

58. From the story we know that the daughter ________.

A. thought her father should tell the truth         B. didn't know why the thermos fell

C. knocked over the thermos                  D. strongly objected to her father's explanation

59. The underlined "gawking at" probably means _______.

A. staring at with anger                  B. looking at curiously

C. glancing at hopelessly                 D. looking at in a dull way

When I decided to get married, my father decided to share some wisdom. “Lori, it is just as easy to love a rich man as it is to love a poor man, “ he said. My boyfriend didn’t have much money, but I loved him. “What?” I cried. “ How can you say that? I want to marry for love, NOT for money.” “ But why not marry someone you love who has money?” he asked. “Rich men are materialistic（物质主义的）. I’d rather marry a poor man who loves me,” I said and he gave in.

And as we went on, with my family growing, I learned why my father put such importance on money. We had to cover the rent, car, electricity, food, and medical bills. We were under lot of pressure. The worries over whether we would be asked to move out or if we had the money to wash our clothes at the Laundromat this week made me question if I did the right thing by marrying a “poor” man.

I realized that I had entered the ranks of the poor. Not that I’d ever been rich. Most of my life, I considered us in the lower middle-class rank. We had a house of our own, food on the table, cars, clothes, and money for college. But now, as I listened to an apartment neighbour talk about her monthly “Mother’s Day” gift, I realized she was talking about her welfare check（政府发放的救济金）. And another young mother tried to “help” me out by connecting me with a friend who stole baby clothes from a department store. “ For a small cut,” she said, “ I could return my ‘purchase’(购买的东西）for cash.” It made me sick. How poor was I?

I had a college education but wasn’t using it. I insisted on not missing a minute of our children’s childhood and it came at a price. My husband was working as hard as he could and it wasn’t enough. But somehow we made it.

The kids grew. Today, we look back and see the great values gained by going through those hard years. My children are not materialistic. They never thought they were poor growing up because we always managed to give a little bit of food, money, or clothes to the “poor”. They were satisfied with the simple things in life that come free such as a beach day or a horse back ride from their dad.

We had our worries, but we still treasured our very favorite part of the day when we’d nest (栖息地）under the covers and talked about our future, the kids and how much we loved each other. Sure our financial(财政的) troubles caused a lot of fights, but we didn’t leave each other. We began to live a better life. We moved to a better community(社区）with good schools for the kids. And soon, we’ll face a new challenge with wealth. But we’ll never give up.

My father died three years ago. Before he died, he knew I made the right choice. I’m proud of my decision.

1..The writer argued with her father because _________________.

2..After getting married, the writer questioned if she had done the right thing to marry her husband because___________.

3..After their children were born, the writer_______________.

4.. Why didn’t the writer’s children think they were poor growing up?

5..What do you think is the theme(主题）of the story?