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.
【小题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 |
| A．live outside New York City | B．live in New York city |
| C．live in apartments | D．have many neighbors |
| A．correct | B．interesting |
| C．impossible | D．good |
【小题1】B
【小题2】A
【小题3】C
解析试题分析：短文大意：文章介绍了美国的一个熟语：keeping up with the Joneses。在美国，当一个人变得富有，他希望人们知道他。即使他不会变得很富有，他想让人们认为他是。
【小题1】细节理解题。根据第一段1,2行when one became rich, he wants people to know it. And even if he does not become very rich, he wants people to think that he is说明B正确。
【小题2】推理判断题。根据第二段第三行He got married and moved with his wife to a very wealthy neighbourhood outside New York City.他们是搬到了纽约郊外的富人区，说明富人喜欢住在郊外。故A正确。
【小题3】推理判断题。根据文章最后一句话. 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.说明Mr Jones总是在前面，所以要想追上Jones是不可能的。故C正确。
考点：社会现象类阅读。
名校课堂系列答案科目：初中英语 来源： 题型：完型填空
Foreign visitors are often puzzled in Japan because most streets there don’t have names. In Japan, people use landmarks instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is just across the bus stop.”
In the Midwest of America, usually there are not many landmarks. So people will tell you directions(方向) and distance. In Kansas(堪萨斯州), for example, people will say, “Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.”
People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map. They measure(测量) distance by telling time. “How far away is the post office?” you ask. “Oh,” they answer, “it’s about five minutes from here.” You say, “Yes, but how many miles away is it?” They don’t know.
People in Greece(希腊) sometimes do not even try to give directions because few visitors understand the Greek language. Instead of giving you the direction, a Greek will often say, “Follow me.” Then he’ll lead you through the streets of the city to the post office.
Sometimes a person doesn’t know the answer to your question. A New Yorker might say, “Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico(墨西哥), no one answers “I don’t know.” People in Yucatan think “I don’t know” is not polite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A visitor can get very, very lost in Yucatan!
One thing will help you everywhere. You might not understand a person’s words, but maybe you can understand his body language. He or she will usually turn and then point in the correct direction. Go on in that direction, and you may find the post office!
【小题1】What do you think of the word “landmarks” mean?
| A．Names of streets or roads in a place. |
| B．Hotels, markets and bus stops in a city. |
| C．Buildings or places which are easily seen. |
| D．Building or places with great importance. |
| A．Four. | B．Five. |
| C．Seven. | D．Eight. |
| A．The Japanese often use landmarks when they give directions. |
| B．People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance. |
| C．People in Yucatan think “I don’t know” is not polite. |
| D．People in Greece often give wrong directions. |
| A．There are not many landmarks in the Midwest of America. |
| B．We needn’t carry a map when we travel around the world. |
| C．People give directions in the same way in different parts of the world. |
| D．There are different ways to give directions in different parts of the world. |
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科目：初中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Teens want structure in their lives, which means they want their lives well-planned. To begin building structure, teens need love and trust. They need to know their parents arc there to give them needed love and support (支持).Teens want to be sure that nothing can prevent parents from shouldering their responsibility for them — not their growing maturity (成熟),misbehavior, nor anger at something they have done. Teens want parents to keep control while allowing them to make some decisions.
There are some ways you can help your teens create reasonable structure and remain close. One way is to spend time together. Parents often mistake their teens’ increased interest in friends for a disinterest in the family.
Teens would like to spend more time doing things with their parents, but watching TV is not counted as spending time together. As your teens mature, it is important for you and your teens spend time alone together, one to one. Your teens need time to talk to you alone without any other family member present.
Talk with your teens about their interests and concerns. Make sure you really show interest in what is happening. When talking with your teens, give full attention and do not stop them.
The way to help your teens become adults is to let your teens into your world. Sharing your emotions and concerns with your teens is important. Avoid causing needless worry.
Trust your teens. Don't expect the worst. Hope for the best. Telling your teens you don’t like their friends will cause the teens not to bring their friends home. If something should go wrong, believe that your teens didn’t do it on purpose.
It is very important that you treat your teens with respect. Teens need the same respect adults show for total strangers. Don’t talk down to your teens.
You need to be supportive o f your teens. What may be a small problem to you may be troubling to your teens. Teens don't have the experiences that adults have had. Let the teens know that you understand how much it hurts when something happens that is upsetting or hurtful to them. As they mature, they can look back at some problems they had and laugh at having been upset by something that now seems unimportant.
The most important things to remember are: talk with your teens, listen to their worries and offer suggestions when needed. This will help your teens to live a well-organized life.
【小题1】According to Paragraph 1, teens ______________.
| A．can control themselves. |
| B．expect direction and freedom. |
| C．don’t know how to make decision |
| D．don’t have responsibility for the family |
| A．compared with | B．used as |
| C．connected with | D．regarded as |
| A．invite their teens’ friends home. |
| B．leave their teens’ problems alone. |
| C．share their feelings with their teens. |
| D．pay little attention to their teens’ daily lives. |
| A．Training Teens to Become Responsible Adults. |
| B．Helping Teens to Build Reasonable Structure. |
| C．Improving the Relationship with Your Teens. |
| D．Stepping into Your Teens’ Secret Word. |
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科目：初中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Millions of British people have ditched the traditional “thank you” and took the place of it with the less formal “cheers”, according to a survey.
Although the common person will say “thank you” nearly 5,000 times a year, one in three are more likely to add a “cheers” or “ta” where it’s needed to show they are fashionable.
One in twenty now say “nice one” instead, while the younger are more likely to offer a “cool” than a “thank you”.
“Merci”, “fab” and even “gracias” were also listed as common phrases to use, as “much appreciated(感激)”.
One in twenty who took part in the survey of 2,000 people by the Food Network UK for Thank You Day, which is marked on November 24, 2011, said a formal “thank you” was now not often needed in everyday conversation. More than one in ten adults said they regularly won’t say thank you if they are in a bad mood. Most people stated that saying thank you was something that their parents trained them. A huge 70 percent of those questioned will say thank you to a person’s face without even meaning it, while one fifth avoid(避免)saying it when they know they should.
It seems our friends and family get the stress of our bad manners. Half of them admit (承认) they’re not good at thanking those closest to them. Many of them explain that they don’t say thank you because their family “already know I’m grateful”.
When spoken words won’t do, it falls to a nice text to do the job for most people.
One third will still send a handwritten thank-you note---but 45 percent admit it’s been more than six months since they tried to send one.
A quarter of British people say “thank you” with food, with 23 percent cooking a meal to show their appreciation to someone. Another 15 percent bake a cake.
It follows that 85 percent of people will be angry because of not getting the gratitude (感激)
they feel they should receive.
【小题1】Most of the people who took part in the survey say that they say “thank you” _______.
| A．when they are in good mood | B．completely out of habit |
| C．when they feel truly grateful | D．purely out of politeness |
| A．gave up | B．used | C．shared | D．knew |
| A．different ways of expressing gratitude are all fashionable |
| B．people should avoid saying “thank you” nowadays |
| C．a thank-you note is still appreciated by most people |
| D．people in a bad mood never say “thank you” |
| A．Most people express their gratitude to others by buying food for them. |
| B．About fifty percent of people try not to say thank you when they should. |
| C．Most people may feel natural when they fail to receive others’ gratitude. |
| D．Many people think it unnecessary to say thanks to their family members. |
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科目：初中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
If you ask your parents: “Did you buy salt recently?” They might either say: “Yes, we bought more salt than usual”, or “No, we couldn’t find any in the market.”
This is because of the recent craze(狂热) of salt buying in China. In big cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, salt almost sold out in only one night.
After the big earthquake in Japan on March 11, there was a nuclear leak(核泄漏). And rumors(传言) about whether it will affect our daily life appeared: first, iodized(含碘的) salt can keep us from the dangers of radiation(辐射)；second, there will be less sea-salt in the ocean because of the nuclear pollution.
Both the government and experts said the rumors were not true, but people still bought as much salt as possible. Why? Many salt-buyers didn’t really care or know what experts or the government were saying. That was the real reason behind the craze of salt buying.
On March 20, the government said the salt market is back to normal. And most of China’s salt is from lakes, not the ocean.
Now, many people want to return the salt they bought. “There is no reason why those people should get their money back,” an article in Xinhua Daily Telegraph said. “They made the craze in the first place.”
Perhaps people should learn a lesson from the salt: don’t believe everything you hear.
【小题1】The recent craze of salt buying in China happened because of ________.
A. the earthquake
B. the rumors
C. the shortage(缺乏) of salt
【小题2】When did the rumors start?
A. On March 11.
B. After March 11.
C. On March 20.
【小题3】According to the passage most of China’s salt is from ________.
A. lakes B. the ocean C. rivers
【小题4】Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. People believed what the government and experts said first.
B. People could return the salt and got back their money later.
C. Salt almost sold out in only one night because of the rumors.
【小题5】The passage tells us that ________.
A. we can’t believe everything we hear
B. there must be a nuclear leak after an earthquake
C. only iodized salt can keep us from the dangers of radiation
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科目：初中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
In a book called Magnificent Obsession, by Lloyd C. Douglas, a description is given of people helping others but doing it secretly. When difficult problems worried a person, friends nearby would meet to discuss possible solution without the person knowing their actions. When a solution was agreed upon, one or two of the friends would carry out the plan and solve the problem secretly, to the great delight of the worried person. The helpers would stand by privately, content with their success. No reward was given to the problem solvers, not even a sincere “thank you”, because they were never known.
This idea is popular today but in a different way. The phrase “pay it forward” is now used when one person helps another. However, the person helped may not be able to repay the person or group that helped them. So rather than return the favor to their helpers, they are supposed to help someone else in the future, which means they pay it forward. It is a sense of responsibility(责任) which makes us want to give back in equal measure to the one who has helped us. But, in this case, the responsibility turns to helping someone in the future.
Suppose your elderly grandmother pays part of your schooling. She may tell you there is no need to repay her because it is a gift from someone who loves you very much. Nothing would please her more than to have you use her money to get a good education.
You may never be able to repay her for such a gift. However, she not only gave you some money, but she provided you with an example that you should also help other people who need it.
People with serious needs are everywhere. Many are children who need better clothes, more books and even better schools. Some are elderly people who can’t afford their medicine or a doctor’s care. Consider how you can “pay it forward” rather than pay money back to your grandmother.
【小题1】The helpers in the book “Magnificent Obsession” were not rewarded because ______________.
| A．they hadn’t solved the problems thoroughly |
| B．they had solved the problems secretly |
| C．they were friends of the worried individual |
| D．they expected to be paid back in the future |
| A．to repay someone who has helped you |
| B．to pay someone else who needs help |
| C．to help someone who has helped you |
| D．to help someone else who needs help |
| A．We should learn to respect our grandparents. |
| B．We should work hard to get a good education. |
| C．We should also lend a hand to other people in need of help. |
| D．We should never forget to repay people for their help. |
| A．everybody needs help |
| B．more children need help than elderly people |
| C．it costs a lot of money to “pay it forward” |
| D．nowadays many people help others without being repaid |
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科目：初中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
What is the hottest English word of 2013? It’s “selfie”, according to Oxford dictionaries. Selfie is a photo that one takes of oneself, according to the Oxford online dictionary. People usually take selfies with a smartphone(智能手机) and send them to a social media website.
The word was first used in 2002. In the past 12 months, its frequency (出现频率) in the English language has increased by 17,000 percent, said Oxford dictionaries. Now, almost everybody knows it.
“Almost every day, I take a photo of myself at school, and save it in my Qzone (QQ空间),” said Huang Xu, 13, from Hunan. These photos record her happy and sad moments.
Pop stars also take a lot of selfies. Li Chunping, 14, from Harbin, is a big fan of Yang Mi. “She has used many selfies to tell us what’s going on in her personal life,” said Li.
What makes people love selfies? Some people say it’s narcissism (自恋). “The rise of the selfie is a perfect symbol for our narcissistic culture. We’re crying out: Look at me!” said US psychiatrist(精神科医生) Carole Lieberman.
Young people are using selfies to make friends online, Jonathan Freedland wrote in The Guardian. “The usual purpose of taking a selfie is to share online. They express a human need to connect with others,” wrote Freedland.
Huang Xu agrees with that. “During summer vacation, my classmates and I shared many selfies online. Hair or clothes were not our interests. Through these photos, we got to know each other’s holidays and feelings,” said Huang Xu.
【小题1】According to the story, a “selfie” is _____.
| A．a person with a smartphone | B．a smartphone which can take photos |
| C．a photo taken by oneself | D．an English dictionary |
| A．More than ten years ago | B．In 2013 |
| C．When smartphones appeared | D．Nobody knows |
| A．only famous people enjoy taking selfies |
| B．all people love selfies because of narcissism |
| C．people love to share selfies online |
| D．US psychiatrist Carole Lieberman hates selfies |
| A．Paragraph 4 | B．Paragraph 5 | C．Paragraph 6 | D．Paragraph 7 |
| A．Selfies and narcissism | B．Selfies and sharing |
| C．Selfies and smartphones | D．Selfies, the hottest word in 2013 |
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科目：初中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
As we know, some children live in the countryside, and some live in the city. Their lives are a little different, but they also have many of the same dreams.
| | In the countryside | In the city |
| Ways of going to school | On foot or by bike | By bus or car |
| Teaching tools | Recorders(录音机) and radios | DVD, TVs, recorders, radios, loud-speakers, CAI |
| Eyesight | Less than 45% are near-sighted(近视) | About 75% are near-sighted |
| After-class activities | Playing with balls | English corners and other school clubs |
| Homework | Homework can usually be finished at school | Homework never ends |
| Chores(杂事) to do | Washing, cleaning, farming, looking after younger sisters or brothers, cooking | Usually no chores |
| Family | Big families | Small families |
| Dream jobs | Teachers, drivers, scientists, nurses… | Scientists, doctors, computer programmers, managers … |
| A．parents | B．students | C．teachers | D．drivers |
| A．cooking | B．cleaning | C．washing | D．no housework |
| A．55%; 25% | B．45%; 25% | C．45%; 75% | D．55%; 75% |
| A．Homework. | B．Subjects. | C．Dream jobs. | D．After-class activities. |
| A．A classroom in the countryside often has TV sets. |
| B．Children in the countryside often join the school clubs. |
| C．Children in the city often have much homework to do. |
| D．Children in the city often have big families. |
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