We can make mistakes at any age. Some mistakes we make are about money. But most mistakes are about people. “Did Jerry really care when I broke up(分开) with Helen?” “When I got that great job, did Jim, as a friend, really feel good about it?” “And was Paul friendly just because I had a car?” When we look back, these thoughts can make us feel bad. But when we look back, it is too late.
Why do we go wrong with our friends, or our enemies? Sometimes what people say hides their real meanings. And if we do not really listen, we miss the feeling behind the words. When someone tells you, “You’re a lucky dog!” Is he really on your side? If he says, “You’re a lucky guy!” That is being friendly. But “a lucky dog”? There is a bit of envy (嫉妒) in those words. What he may be saying is that he does not think you deserve (应得) your luck.
“Just think of all the things you have to be thankful for” is another phrase（短语） that says one thing and means another. It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem. But this phrase contains the thought that your problem is not at all important.
How can you tell the real meaning behind someone’s words? One way is to take a good look at the person talking. Do his words fit the way he looks? Is what he says shown by the tone of voice? The look in his eyes? Stop and think. The minute you spend thinking about the real meaning of what people say to you may save your another mistake.
1.When the writer thinks of some of the things that happened between him and his friends, he .
A．feels happy, thinking how nice his friends are to him
B．feels he might not have understood his friend’s true feelings
C．thinks it a mistake to have broken up with his girl friend
D．is sorry that his friends let him down
2.When the writer talks about the saying, “You’re a lucky dog!”, he is saying that .
A．the speaker is just friendly
B．this sentence suggests the same as “You’re a lucky guy!”
C．the word “dog” should not be used to apply to（运用到） people.
D．sometimes the words show that the speaker is a bit envious.
3.This passage tries to tell you how to .
A．avoid mistakes about money and friends
B．get an idea of friendly people
C．avoid mistakes in understanding what people tell you
D．keep people friendly without trusting them
4.The writer suggests that should be trusted.
A．everybody B．nobody C．all the people D．not all the people
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 $ 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 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 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.Arthur Momand used the name “Jones” in his series of short stories because “Jones” is _____.
A．an important name B．a popular name in the United States
C．his neighbor’s name D．not a good name
4.According to the writer, it is ________ to keep up with the Joneses.
A．correct B．interesting C．impossible D．good
The other day, I happened to meet someone I hadn’t seen for many years. I couldn’t believe the change in him. In fact, he didn’t even seem like the 36 person.
When I first knew Bill , back in 37 , he was one of the most carefree（无忧无虑）people I had ever 38 . He was always ready to have a party. He thought 39 of going out for beer at three o’clock in the morning or driving 15 miles to see an old 40 he really liked. Bill and I were in the same class in college, and 41 was never dull when he was 42 . With him there was one wild 43 after another. Sometimes I wonder how we 44 to study for our exams.
Last week I was in Houston on business and I ran into Bill in the bar at the hotel. 45 , I wasn’t even sure it was 46 . Was this short-haired businessman really the same person? I wasn’t really sure until I came near him but it indeed was Bill. Now he works for a bank. He 47 most of the evening about his job, his new car and his house. How he had changed! Back when we were in college, the 48 thing Bill cared about were possessions(财富). Now they seemed to be his main 49 . Although I have changed quite a bit myself, somehow I never 50 Bill changing so much. My image of him 51 the one I had formed 52 the time when we were college students together.
I suppose it’s 53 to expect people to remain the same, especially 54 I have changed so much myself. But I must say that I enjoyed the old Bill much more than the new Bill. Maybe he 55 the same way about me.
1. A．proper B．usual C．same D．right
2. A．childhood B．the army C．his thirties D．college
3. A．considered B．met C．supposed D．expected
4. A．most B．much C．nothing D．none
5. A．movie B．hospital C．man D．country
6. A．learning B．life C．work D．fun
7. A．in B．out C．around D．away
8. A．joke B．mistake C．chance D．adventure
9. A．managed B．continued C．decided D．hoped
10. A．First of all B．At first C．Now and then D．All the time
11. A．that B．he C．there D．us
12. A．thought B．spent C．argued D．talked
13. A．first B．next C．last D．only
14. A．interest B．event C．subject D．problem
15. A．forgot B．minded C．imagined D．liked
16. A．remained B．reminded C．suggested D．became
17. A．since B．from C．at D．till
18. A．unnecessary B．foolish C．common D．unusually
19. A．because B．that C．how D．when
20. A．discovered B．acted C．looked D．felt
It was a pity that the great writer died ______ his work unfinished.
A．for B．with C．from D．of
At first he refused to admit his guilt but when he was shown the evidence he ______ and confessed (坦白).
A．broke down B．lay down C．got down D．put down
________with the help you gave the blind man, mine is not worthy of being mentioned at all.
A．Compare B．To compare C．Comparing D．Compared
