Jeans are trousers made of a kind of clothe called denim. For many people, blue jeans represent American culture.
The history of blue jeans usually begins with a man named Levi Strauss. Although he did not invent the jeans, he is considered the first person to produce and sell this kind of clothing in large amounts.
Levi Strauss was born in Bavaria, Germany. In 1847, he and his family moved to the US. He opened a store, first in New York, and then in San Francisco, California. Among the products he sold were jeans. These trousers were especially useful for miners in California who needed clothing made of a strong material.
Levi Strauss partnered with a clothing maker named Jacob Davis, who had invented a process for making rivets(铆钉) for jeans. These metal things helped strengthen the blue jean cloth to make the trousers stronger. In 1873, Strauss and Davis received a patent to officially own this invention. They began producing “ copper-riveted waist overalls(工装裤)”. In 1928 the Levi Strauss company used the word “Levi’s” as the trademark for their products.
The 19th-century workers would probably be surprised to know that their trousers would one day become a fashion object. Today, jeans are worn by people of all ages, incomes and lifestyles. Jeans come in many colors other than blue and in many styles and at many prices.
A national museum in Washington, D.C. has one of the oldest known pairs of Levi’s jeans in its collection. Jeans have come to express different ideas about American culture based on the people who wear them. These include the heroes of the Wild West and famous Hollywood actors like James Dean and Marlon Brando in the 1950s. Writer James Sullivan published a book called Jean: A Cultural History of an American Icon. In the book, he says jeans serve as a sign for two American values, creativity and rebellion (叛逆).
1.This passage is mainly about _______.
A. the life story of Levi Strauss B. jeans and American culture
C. why jeans are popular. D. the history of jeans
2.We know from the passage that Levi Strauss _________.
A. was the first person who wore jeans. B. moved to the US from Germany alone.
C. not only sold jeans at first in his store D. helped Jacob Davis invent a kind of rivet
3.Which of the following statements is TRUE about jeans?
A. Strauss and Davis owned the invention of using rivets on jeans.
B. In California, Levi’s was the only jeans seller in 1928.
C. Jeans were called copper-riveted waist overalls at first.
D. Jeans were originally made for heroes of the Wild West.
4.According to the last but one paragraph,jeans should be best described as _________.
A. strong B. cultural C. popular D. unique
My mother-in-law, Dorothy, is showing me the red notebook that’s almost as precious to her as my husband’s baby pictures. Inside the notebook is a list of the books she has read since 2007. For some people waking up in the middle of the night is a terrible thing. But for my mother-in-law, that time is a gift. At 87, she is getting the education she never had by working her way through great literature. She has now read close to 100 books, including every single novel by Anthony Trollope, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Edith Wharton, Henry James and Thomas Mann.
My mother-in-law discusses her passion with the enthusiasm of a young girl, although she can also be a very tough critic, writing “VG’ for “ very good” in the margins next to her favorites. So far, only a handful of books have received the top prize.
Born in Ridgefield, Conn, Dorothy was the youngest daughter of an Italian gardener. She taught herself English by reading The New York Times. Eager to come to Manhattan, she became a nurse, married a dentist and spent the next several decades keeping the house and raising a family. In her later years, she put her nursing skills to good use by taking care of my father-in-law, who had lung cancer. There were many trips to the emergency room in the middle of the night and then a long hospital stay. She stayed awake to watch over him for 15 hours a day. Always a light sleeper, she developed sleeplessness as a result of the stress.
It worsened after he died. Deeply sad and lonely for the first time in her life, she began waking up around 2am. Julian and Sylvia, the elderly couple next door suggest she read literature. And so Julian, a great lover of literature, became her “professor”, providing books from his large library. Suddenly the terrifying hole turned onto a world of amazing characters.
1.Why is Dorothy considered a tough critic?
A. Because no books are inspiring enough in her eyes.
B. Because only a few books are thought highly of by her.
C. Because she only reads books by famous writers.
D. Because she finds fault with every book she reads.
2. It can be inferred from the passage that _____.
A. the books Dorothy has read were bought by her husband.
B. the couple next door are college professors.
C. the author loves literature too.
D. Dorothy was a great wife.
3.The underlined part “the terrifying hole” in the last paragraph refers to _____.
A. the frightening death
B. Dorothy’s lack of education
C. waking up in the middle of the night
D. a hole in a book that Dorothy read
4. What helped Dorothy get over the sadness and loneliness of losing her husband?
A. Living with her son.
B. Reading literature.
C. Seeing her son’s baby pictures.
D. Talking with neighbors.
完形填空 （共20小题；每小题1.5分， 满分30分）
I just came home from visiting my 90-year-old grandpa after his heart surgery. We talked and laughed and before I left he __36__me, told me that he loved me and told me not to be_37_ if he died because he had loved his life.
When my mom was in hospital due to breast cancer, I went to _38_ her. She wasn’t in her _39_. When I headed for the Nurses Station to _40_ her, I saw her coming down the hall. “ Mom, why are you out of bed? Where have you been?” She _41_ and said she’d been to the nursery floor to visit the babies.
My lifelong friend almost lost her 50-year-old husband to cancer._42_, she did her full-time job at the hospital and two other jobs to _43_ losing their house. She continued to laugh, love and find_44_ every single day in life.
And on and on---------
Maybe that’s part of why I have a positive _45_. I’m really lucky to know so many _46_ people. I’ve known so many people in my life who have _47_ the difficulties and the horrors of life with grace, humor and _48_.
When you say life isn’t worth _49_, when you say you want to die, when _50_ you know has used you, abused you, _51_ you, hated you, it’s you, your _52_ that have created a life for yourself that you don’t feel is worth living and a life no one else wants to live with you. I don’t feel_53_ for you. I don’t care about you. You’re a coward(懦夫). _54_, you should try to change things, move _55_ and learn something from the things you have experienced. Then maybe someone will really care about you.
1.A. drew B. pulled C. hugged D. showed
2.A. frightened B. sad C. nervous D. astonished
3.A. support B. visit C. encourage D. invite
4.A. bed B. office C. house D. chair
5.A. hold B. remind C. scold D. find
6.A. sighed B. smiled C. nodded D. cried
7.A. Fortunately B.Gradually C. Unbelievably D. Actually
8.A. avoid B. stop C. risk D. forget
9.A. work B. advice C. surprise D. joy
10.A. attitude B. reply C. demand D. belief
11.A. romantic B. humorous C. optimistic D. careful
12.A. lived for B. shown off C. looked for D. gone through
13.A. strength B. courage C. feelings D. spirits
14.A. living B. fighting C. losing D. noticing
15.A. someone B. nobody C. everyone D. everything
16.A. left B. envied C. educated D. appreciated
17.A. selfishness B. bravery C. behavior D. honesty
18.A. proud B. sorry C. excited D. happy
19.A. Otherwise B. Besides C. However D. Instead
20.A. downward B. backward C. leftward D. forward
– Do you know William failed the exam, Jenny?
-- _____? As far as I know, he is always working hard.
A. So what B. How come C. Why not D. What for
When you communicate with people, it is not unusual to find yourself in a situation ____ you have to politely decline an offer.
A. where B. which C. what D. why
Not until Betty got to the airport _____ she had lost her tickets.
A. that she realized B. did she realize C. where she realized D. she realized
