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 with the 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 (挣得) $ 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 (佣人), Momand and his wife also hired a servant and gave big parties for their new neighbours.
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 neighbours
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 be 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.If a person who keeps up with the Joneses, he would _________.
A. do as the poor persons around him do
B. do everything he likes to do
C. do as his neighbours do
D. do as the rich people around him do
4.Arthur Momand used the name “Jones” in his series of short stories because “Jones” is ________.
A. an important nam
B. a popular name in the United States
C. his neighbor’s name
D. not a good name
Mr. Brown worked in a factory of a small town. He had been there for twenty years before one day he was sent to the capital for important business. He was quite excited because he had never been there before. Before he set off, he asked his wife and three daughters if they wanted him to buy something for them in London. Mrs. Brown began to think it over and then she said she wished her husband would be able to buy a nice umbrella for her, and so did their three daughters. As he was afraid he would forget it, he drew an umbrella on his hand. To his regret, he lost it at the station.
On the train Mr. Brown sat opposite to an old woman. The woman’s umbrella was so nice that he carefully looked at it and said to himself not to forget to buy a few umbrellas like it. When the train arrived at the station in London, he said good-bye to the old woman, took his bag and her umbrella and was going to get off.
“Wait a minute, sir,” shouted the old woman. “That’s my umbrella!”
Now Mr. Brown noticed that he had taken her umbrella. His face turned red at once and said in a hurry, “Oh, I’m very sorry, Madam! I didn’t mean it!”
Seven days later Mr. Brown left the capital. To his surprise, he met the old woman and sat opposite to her again. Looking at the four umbrellas, the old woman was satisfied with herself. “It seems that I had a better result than the other four women.” She thought.
1.The underlined word “it” in the first paragraph refers to ______.
A. his ticket B. his bag
C. his drawing D. his umbrella
2.Why did Mr. Brown take the woman’s umbrella?
A. Because he was lost in thought.
B. Because it was much like his own umbrella.
C. Because he thought the woman would not notice it.
D. Because the woman placed it beside Mr. Brown by mistake.
3.When looking at Mr. Brown with four umbrellas, the woman felt ______.
A. surprised B. angry C. lucky D. sad
4.How did Mr. Brown get the four umbrellas?
A. He picked them on the train.
B. He brought them from his small town.
C. He bought them in London.
D. He stole them from four women.
A SPECIAL EVENTS THIS WEEKEND Captain Good Fellow Do your children enjoy interesting stories, funny games, and exciting dances? Captain Good Fellow will be ready to teach all these things to children of all ages at the City Theatre on Saturday morning at 10:00, Free. Walking Tour of the Town Forget your worries on Saturday morning. Take a beautiful walk and learn about local history. Meet at the front entrance of City Hall at 9:30. Wear comfortable shoes! Films at the Museum Two European films will be shown Saturday afternoon at the Museum Theatre. See Broken Window at 1:30. The workers will be at 3:45. For further information, call 4987898. International Picnic Are you tired of eating the same food every day? Come to Central Park on Saturday and enjoy food from all over the world. Delicious and not expensive. Noon to 5:00 pm. Take Me out to the Ballgame It’s October, and tonight is your last chance to see the Redbirds this year. Get your tickets at the gate. It might be cold; don’t forget sweaters and jackets. Do You Want to Hear “The Zoo” “The Zoo”, a popular rock group from Australia, will give their first US concert tomorrow night at 8:00 at Rose Hall, City College. |
1.You can probably eat Chinese, Italian, and Arab food_____________.
A. at the front entrance of City Hall
B. at the Ballgame
C. at 5:00 pm
D. at Central Park on Saturday
2.The Redbirds ballgame____________.
A. is in the afternoon B. is outside
C. is at the gate D. might be cold
3.“The Zoo” is ______________.
A. a park with lots of animals
B. US concert
C. a music group
D. going to give the concert at 8:00 am
完形填空
One summer evening as I was cooking dinner, there was a knock at the door. I _______ it and saw an old man. But his voice was pleasant as he said, “Good evening. I come to see if you have a _______ for just one night. I came for a(n) _______ this morning from the eastern part. And there’s no bus till next morning.” He told me he’d been _______ for a room but with no success. “I guess it’s my face … I know it looks terrible, but my doctor says with a few more treatments…” he said. I told him we would _______ him a bed, but to rest on the porch（走廊）. I went inside and prepared dinner. When we were _______ , I asked him if he would like to _______ us. “No, thank you. I have plenty.”
When I had finished the dinner, I went out to talk with _______ . It didn’t take a long time to see that this old man had an oversized heart crowded into that tiny body. He told me he fished for a living to _______ his daughter, her five children, and her husband, who was hopelessly disabled. At bedtime, we _______ a bed in the children’s room for him.
On his next trip, _______ a gift, he brought a big fish I had never seen. In the years he came to stay overnight with us, and there was _______ a time he did not _______ us some fish or vegetables from his garden.
I knew our family will always be _______ to have known him. From him we learned what it was to accept the _______ without a complaint (抱怨) and the good with thanks.
1.A. felt B. opened C. repaired D. painted
2.A. room B. book C. bus D. castle
3.A. interview B. meeting C. show D. treatment
4.A. crying B. hunting C. studying D. choosing
5.A. offer B. borrow C. send D. sell
6.A. happy B. free C. busy D. ready
7.A. call B. visit C. join D. invite
8.A. her B. him C. them D. it
9.A. expect B. save C. support D. serve
10.A. put B. planted C. covered D. discovered
11.A. at B. in C. for D. as
12.A. always B. never C. ever D. even
13.A. bring B. water C. desert D. buy
14.A. beautiful B. thankful C. special D. silent
15.A. poor B. wounded C. ill D. bad
— My sister has achieved her goal after years of hard work.
— Great! ________
A. A friend in need is a friend indeed.
B. Many hands make light work.
C. Where there is a will, there is a way.
D. One tree can’t make a forest.
— Mum, can you give me some advice on how to behave myself at the table?
— Well, I do have some advice. ________, please keep quiet while eating.
A. In all B. Of all
C. At all D. Above all
