Visitors to Britain may find the best place to enjoy local culture is in a traditional pub. A team of1. (research) have discovered some of the unknown culture of British pubs---starting with the difficulty of 2.(get)a drink. His may sound in convenient, but there is3.hidden meaning.
Pub culture4.(form) to improve sociability in a society that is known for its coldness. Standing at the bar for service 5.(allow) you to chat with others who are waiting to be served. The bar counter is6.(possible) the only place in Britain where a 7. (friend) talk with strangers is considered to be entirely proper and really quite normal behavior. 8., if you do not follow the local rules, the experience may fall flat. For example, if you are in a big group,9.is best for one or two people to go to buy the drinks. Nothing makes the regular customers and bar staff angry 10.(much) than a group of strangers blocking all passages to the bar while they chat and hesitate about what to order.
My 14-year-old son, John, and I spotted the coat at the same time at a second-hand clothing store. It had a black collar, delightful tailoring, a Fifth Avenue label(标签) and a (an) _______price of $28.
We looked at _______, saying nothing, _______ John’s eyes shone. Dark, woolen topcoats were popular just then with_______, but could _______several hundred dollars now.
John_______the coat. He turned from side to side, eyeing himself in the mirror with a serious, studied_______that soon changed into a smile. The_______was perfect. John wore the coat to school the next day and came home_______ a big smile. “How did the kids like your coat?” I asked. “They love it.” He said,________folding it over the chair and smoothing it flat.
Over the next few weeks, the________came over John. Quiet, reasoned discussion was ________argument. He became more thoughtful and eager to________. “Good dinner, Mum,” he would say every evening. Once day when I suggested that he might start on homework before dinner, John said, “You are ________, and I guess I will.”
When I asked one of his teachers ________caused the changes, she said with laughter, “It must be his coat!” at the library, we ________ to meet a friend who had not seen our children for a long time. “________this be John?” he asked, looking up to John’s new height, assessing the cut of his coat, and extending his hand, one________to another.
John and I both knew we should never________a person’s clothes for the real person within them. As is known, what is on the inside should be ________ with what is on the outside.
1.A. unbelievable B. special C. reasonable D. average
2.A. the other B. others C. one another D. each other
3.A. therefore B. however C. thus D. but
4.A. teenagers B. people C. parents D. adults
5.A. spend B. cost C. pay D. take
6.A. touched B. held C. buttoned D. obtained
7.A. gesture B. expression C. attitude D. feeling
8.A. color B. fit C. price D. style
9.A. having B. showing C. behaving D. wearing
10.A. carefully B. carelessly C. patiently D. hurriedly
11.A. change B. satisfaction C. happiness D. generosity
12.A. because of B. aware of C. instead of D. apologize
13.A. regret B. please C. complain D. apologize
14.A. troublesome B. true C. right D. wrong
15.A. what B. how C. when D. that
16.A. decided B. came C. intended D. happened
17.A. Could B. Would C. Must D. Should
18.A. friend B. teacher C. gentleman D. fellow
19.A. watch B. mistake C. consider D. judge
20.A. compared B. connected C. combined D. matched
Most cars have seat belts as part of their equipment. Seat belts protect drivers and passengers in case of accidents. They also reduce the effect of a crash on the body.
1.Worldwide, the devices have protected up to a million people. America first recognized the invention of an automobile seat belt in 1849. The government gave a patent to an engineer named Edward Claghorn of New York City so that others would not copy his invention of a safety device. 2.This early version of safety belt was said to include hooks and other attachments for securing the person to a fixed object.
Other inventors followed with different versions of the seat belt. 3. It resulted from the work of a Swedish engineer, Nils Bohlin. His three-point, lap and shoulder seat belt first appeared on cars in Europe 50 years ago.
Nils Bohlin recognized that both the upper and lower body needed to be held securely in place. His invention contained a cloth strap(带子) that was placed across the chest and another strap across his hips(臀部).4.
Volvo was the first company to offer the modern seat belt to its cars. This company also provided use of Nils Bohlin's design to other car-makers.
5.He received a gold medal from the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences in 1995. He died in Sweden in 2002.
A. Claghorn called his invention a safety belt
B. The design joined the straps next to the hip.
C. The Swedish engineer won many honors for his seat belt.
D. Safety experts say that seat belts save thousands of lives a year in America alone.
E. There are many companies adopting Nils Bohlin's invention of the belt.
F. Claghorn was a promising young engineer with many honors all his life.
G. But more than 100 years passed before the current seat belt was developed.
Forget about the “post-1995 generation”. Young people born in 1995 or later have another name in English—Generation Z.
Now entering adulthood and soon to join the workforce, Generation Z grew up in a special period of time—a time in which technology developed fast, social changes happened every day, the internet became universal and, sadly, so did global terrorism.
It is believed that Generation Z is the generation that is going to shape our future, which is why policy makers, sociologists and company leaders are trying their best to understand these young people.
So, what are Gen Z-ers really like?
Most people agree that the single biggest difference between Gen Z and other generations is how connected they are. This is a group of people who have been familiar with social media as soon as they were born. Social media has changed the way Gen Z-ers communicate with each other and how they get and understand information.
“We are the first true digital natives. I can almost create a document, edit it, post a photo on Instagram and talk on the phone, all at the same time,” said Hannah Payne, an 18-year-old student at UCLA, according to The New York Times. “Generation Z takes in information very fast and loses interest just as fast.”
It may be true that Generation Z-ers have a shorter attention span (注意力持续时间) than a goldfish, but since they grew up among social changes, they are more active in politics. According to the British Election Study, 58 percent of 18-to-24-year-old voted in the 2015 general election in the UK, a big jump from 38 percent in 2005.
Generation Z-ers are also culture creators. “Growing up with the internet has freed this generation from traditional cultural expression.” Wrote Grace Masback, a Huffington Post blogger and a Gen Z-er herself. According to Masback, these young people are no longer willing to let their creativity be limited by their parents of traditional rules. They watch videos and read news online instead of on TV, and they share their experiences on social media.
“We decide what kind of content we want to experience and choose how we experience it,” wrote Masback.
1.Which is TRUE about Gen Z-ers, according to the article?
A. Face-to-face communication is challenging for them.
B. Often doing many things at the same time affects their efficiency.
C. They don’t bother to think about the information they take in carefully.
D. They show more interest in politics than in other fields.
2.What can we infer from the last two paragraphs?
A. Gen Z-ers enjoy great freedom to express themselves.
B. Gen Z-ers enjoy teaching their parents about new cultural trends.
C. Gen Z-ers are against traditional culture.
D. Gen Z-ers are unwilling to obey their parents.
3.Which word can best describe the author’s attitude towards Generation Z?
A. Worried B. Critical C. Appreciative D. Neutral(中立的)
Shyness is the cause of much unhappiness for a great many people. Shy people are anxious and self-conscious; that is, they are concerned with their own appearance and actions too much. Negative thoughts are constantly occurring in their minds: What kind of impression am I making? Do they like me? Do I sound stupid? Am I wearing unattractive clothes?
It is obvious that such uncomfortable feelings must affect people unfavorably. A person's self-concept is reflected in the way he or she behaves and the way a person behaves affects other people's reactions. In general, the way people think about themselves has a deep effect on all areas of their lives.
Shy people, who have low respect, are likely to be passive and easily influenced by others. They need faith that they are doing "the right thing". Shy people are very sensitive to criticism. It makes them feel inferior(自卑). They also find it difficult to be pleased by praises because they believe they are unworthy of praise. A shy person may respond to a praise with a statement like this one: "You're just saying that to make me feel good, I know it's not true.” It is clear that, while self-awareness is a healthy quality, overdoing it is harmful.
Can shyness be completely got rid of, or at least reduced? Fortunately, people can overcome shyness with determination since shyness goes hand in hand with lack of self-respect. It is important for people to accept their weakness as well as their strengths. Each one of us has his or her own characteristics. We are interested in our own personal ways. The better we understand ourselves, the easier it becomes to live up to our chances for a rich and successful life.
1.The first paragraph is mainly about ________.
A. the effect of shyness on people B. the cause of shyness
C. the feelings of shy people D. the questions in the minds of shy people
2.According to the writer, self-awareness is ________.
A. harmful to people B. a healthy quality
C. the cause of unhappiness D. a weak point of shy people
3.The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 3 refers to ________.
A. shyness B. criticism C. sensibility D. praise
4.We can learn from the passage that shyness can ________.
A. have nothing to do with lack of self-respect
B. help us to live up to our full development
C. enable us to understand ourselves better
D. be overcome with determination
The world is filled with smart, talented, educated and gifted people. We meet them every day. A few days ago, my car was not running well. I pulled it into a garage and the young mechanic had it fixed in just a few minutes. He knew what was wrong by simply listening to the engine. I was amazed. The sad truth is, great talent is not enough.
I am constantly shocked at how little talented people earn. I heard the other day that less than 5 percent of Americans earn more than $100, 000 a year. A business consultant who specializes in the medical trade was telling me how many doctors and dentists struggle financially. It was this business consultant who gave me the phrase, "They are one skill away from great wealth."
There is an old saying that goes, "Job means "just over broke (破产)" ". And unfortunately, I would say that the saying applies to millions of people. Because school does not think financial intelligence is intelligence, most workers "live within their means". They work and they pay the bills. Instead I recommend to young people to seek work for what they will learn, more than what they will earn.
When I ask the classes I teach, "How many of you can cook a better hamburger than McDonald’s?” almost all the students raise their hands. I then ask, "So if most of you can cook a better hamburger, how come McDonald’s makes more money than you?" The answer is obvious: McDonald’s is excellent at business systems. The reason so many talented people are poor is because they focus on bui1ding a better hamburger and know little or nothing about business systems. The world is filled with talented poor people. They focus on perfecting their skills at building a better hamburger rather than the skills of selling and delivering the hamburger.
1.The author mentions the mechanic in the first paragraph to show that ________.
A. he has a sharp sense of hearing B. he is ready to help others
C. he is just one of the talented people D. he knows little about car repairing
2.The underlined part in the third paragraph can be best replaced by “________”.
A. spend more than they can afford B. do in their own way
C. live in their own circle D. live within what they earn
3.Why do talented people earn so little according to the author?
A. They lack financial intelligence.
B. They don’t work hard enough.
C. They don’t make full use of their talents.
D. They have no specialized skills.
4.The main purpose of the author is to tell us ________.
A. how young people can find a satisfactory job
B. what schools should teach students
C. how McDonald’s makes much money
D. why so many talented people are poor
