In the United States, when one becomes rich, he wants people to know it. And even if he does not become ver...

题型：阅读选择题类：模拟题难易度：普通

    In the United States, when one becomes rich, he wants people to know it. And even if he does not become very rich, he wants people to think that he is. That is what "keeping up withthe Joneses" is about. It is the story of someone who tried to look as rich as his neighbors.
    The expression was first used in 1913 by a young American called Arthur Momand. He told this story about himself. He began earning $ 125 a week at the age of 23. That was a lot of money in those days. He got married and moved with his wife to a very wealthy neighborhood outside New York City. When he saw that rich people rode horses, Momand went horseback riding every day. When he saw that rich people had servants, Momand and his wife also hired a servant(仆人) and gave big parties for their new neighbors.
    It was like a race, but one could never finish his race because one was always trying to keep up. The race ended for Momand and his wife when they could no longer pay for their new way of life. They moved back to an apartment in New York City.
    Momand looked around him and noticed that many people do things just to keep up with rich lifestyle of their neighbors. He saw the funny side of it and started to write a series of short stories. He called it "Keeping up with the Joneses" because "Jones" is a very common name in the United States. "Keeping up with the Joneses" came to mean keeping up with rich lifestyle of the people around you. Momand's series appeared in different newspapers across the country for over 28 years.
    People never seem to get tired of keeping up with the Joneses. And there are “Joneses” in every city of the world. But one must get tired of trying to keep up with the Joneses because no matter what one does, Mr. Jones always seems to be ahead.

（1）、Some people want to keep up with the Joneses because they _______.

A、want to be as rich as their neighbors B、want others to know or to think that they are rich C、don't want others to know they are rich D、want to make themselves happy

（2）、It can be inferred（推断）from the story that rich people like to_______.

A、live outside New York City B、live in New York city C、live in apartments D、have many neighbors

（3）、According to the writer, it is_______ to keep up with the Joneses.

A、correct B、interesting C、impossible D、good

举一反三

“Mind your own business．” we're told．“Don't talk about others behind their backs．”The problem with this advice is that，not only is it unrealistic，it's also counterproductive(起反作用的)．
Common sense holds that gossip(流言蜚语)hurts people's feelings and damages relationships．But recent research shows the opposite—that strong communities and relationships between people would be impossible without gossip．
Gossip is a way for people to let you know the limits of social behavior．“If you move into a community and your neighbor tells you how the former homeowner never dealt with his rubbish properly，his gossip is letting you in on something，”says Dr．Ralph Rosnow of Temple University．“Gossip says：these are the boundaries and you are crossing them．You're not abiding by the rules and you'd better get back in line．” Seen this way，gossip is a way to communicate criticism(批评)without conflict(冲突)，giving you a chance to change your behavior without losing face．
On the other hand，what about ill-willed gossip，the kind that puts other people down? Gossip is hearing something we like about someone we don't and，in nearly every country in the world，gossip magazines have huge numbers of readers．According to researchers，however，this kind of gossip also has a good side because it helps us put our own problems in perspective(正确地)．“If we read bad news about well-known people，or get the frightful details of our neighbors' bad situation over a cup of coffee，our own problems begin to pale in comparison(对比)，”says Dr．Jack Levin of Northeastern University．
However，that doesn't mean that gossip is necessarily a good thing，either．Researchers found that people who gossip a lot tend to feel like they're under a lot of stress．This might be because while they're busy talking about other people，they're also busy thinking what other people are saying about them．

阅读下面短文, 从A、B、C三个选项中选择最佳答案回答问题或完成句子

Are you free on the weekend? Why not go to the cinema and watch the movie Big Hero 6? I'm sure you will love Baymax.

Baymax is a white robot. He is tall and big. His two small eyes make him look so cute. Baymax is a friendly robot. He is kind to everyone. When you see his sweet smile（微笑）, you will feel warm and happy.

Baymax is also a medical robot. He can help people with all health problems. If people don't feel well, they can go and see them. He will help them and make them feel better.

Baymax is a great robot, too. When he puts on the red clothes, he can fly high and fight.

阅读下列短文，然后从各题所给的A、B、C和D项中选出最佳选项

Doing housework is a key part of family life. It helps improve the relationship among family members. However, lots of Chinese parents are unaware of the importance of doing housework and they think it is a waste of time.

In order to know how often middle school students do housework at home, we did a survey among 1,200 students from Grade 7 to Grade 9 in a middle school. The following bar chart shows the result of our survey.

From the bar chart, we find that only a small number of students usually do housework. Nearly half of the students in Grade 9 never do housework. The result makes us worried.

After all, doing housework is good for students. It can teach students many important skills, like planning, timing, solving problems and so on. Doing housework can also teach students what responsibility is. Everyone should do something for the family. What's more, doing housework can help students relax themselves and keep a balance between study and life.

Therefore, we suggest that parents should encourage their children to do housework. They must learn one or two life skills every year so that they can be better prepared for an independent life in the future.

阅读理解

Can a piece of paper be changed into a fine work of art？If you have the chance to enjoy Liang Chunlan's paper﹣cuts，you will be surprised at her skills.

Liang Chunlan，56，is a member of the Chinese Folk Literature and Art Association.She began learning how to make paper﹣cuts when she was a little girl."Influenced by both my mother and grandmother，"says Liang Chunlan.

Liang Chunlan has been making paper﹣cuts for more than 30 years.She has already won many prizes for her paper﹣cuts.By drawing ideas from life and Shanxi's traditional culture，she has created a special artistic style.

In recent years，she has put a lot of effort（hard work） into spreading this art.She likes teaching others to make paper﹣cuts.Sometimes，she folds napkins（餐巾） and cuts paper to show her friends how to make paper﹣cuts.

"What I did was not enough."said Liang Chunlan.To encourage young people to learn the craft﹣making skills，she has provided training courses for school students to teach them how to make paper﹣cuts.She has also spoken to university students in Australia and other countries to introduce this traditional art.

Liang has written several books to help Chinese understand the beauty of the paper﹣cuts.Some art schools have used her works as teaching materials.She will continue to try to do something meaningful to spread our country's traditional art.

阅读理解

When Claire Vlases of Montana was in Grade 7，she learned about plans to modernize（使现代化） her middle school.Claire asked the school board（董事会）（太阳电池板） to the project because，she believed

The board liked the idea but said it could offer just ＄25，000.It was only one—fifth of the cost of the solar panels.So Claire organized a group of kids and grown—ups to try to get the rest.They sold their second—hand books，put on talent shows and asked for donations（捐赠），the group paid for the solar panels，which now provide one—fourth of the school's electricity needs—saving thousands of dollars for the neighborhood.

"My favorite part about this project was that one person could start something small and then the project could grow and have a big influence on the community（社群），"Claire said. "There are always going to be hard parts.But never forget why you set off.Make a determined effort to stick to your goal.When there's a challenge in front of you，you can learn from it and use it as chance to improve yourself."

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的 A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。

As a new student in a school, you will give a talk and introduce yourself in a class. Do you know how to introduce yourself?

Here are some ways to make sure you can let others know about you quickly:

●Start with a smile and be friendly. This will make your classmates more interested in what you say.

●Tell others about your name, age, class, hometown, hobbies, and interests. Talking about your family is also a good idea.

●Speak slowly and clearly, and makeeve contact with your classmates.

●Let others know what you are good at. This may help you make new friends quickly.

●Practice beforehand(预先). If you do so, you will feel better when you introduce yourself.

Hope you can have a great life in a new school.

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