Americans: Restless? Illiterate(文盲)？
Americans are queer people; they can’t rest. They have more time, more leisure, shorter work hours, more holidays, and more vacations than any other people in the world. But they can’t rest. They rush up and down across their continent as tourists; they move about in great herds to conventions(大会); they search the wilderness; they flood the mountains; they keep the hotels full. But they can’t rest. The scenery rushes past them. They learn it, but they don’t see it. Battles and monuments are announced to them on a tour bus. They hear them, but they don’t get them. They never stop moving; they rush up and down as Shriners, Masons, Old Graduates, Bankers—they are a new thing each day, always rushing to a reunion or something. So they go on rushing about till eventually the undertaker(殡葬工)gather them to a last convention.
Americans are queer people; they can’t read. They have more schools, and better schools and spend more money on schools and colleges than all Europe. But they can’t read. They print more books in a year than the French print in ten. But they can’t read. They cover their country with one hundred thousand tons of Sunday newspapers every week. But they don’t read them. They’re too busy. They use them for fires and to make more paper with. They buy eagerly thousands of new novels at two dollars each. But they read only page one. Their streets are full of huge signs. They won’t look at them. Their streetcars are filled with advertising; they turn their eyes away. Transparent colors, cart wheels, and mechanical flares whirl and flicker in the crowded streets at night. No one sees them. Tons of letters pour into the mail boxes, through the houses, and down the garbage cans. No one reads them.
1. The underlined word“queer”mean _________________.| A．strange | B．difficult | C．forgetful | D．friendly |
| A．When they are not allowed to. |
| B．When they feel tired and sleepy. |
| C．When they stop breathing eventually. |
| D．When they are seriously ill in bed. |
| A．by driving there in person |
| B．when they are on the tour bus |
| C．from books and magazines |
| D．from their friends and co-workers |
| A．To tell people the Americans are illiterate. |
| B．To prove the Americans to be a queer nation. |
| C．To make fun of the American way of life. |
| D．To give the readers information about USA. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】I’m sitting at my computer and getting on with my work, when suddenly an unseen hand takes over. It stops my work and starts an update, which I can not stop, never asked for and not want, from Windows 7 to Windows 10. Red alert (警报)! Where is my work? What is happening to my computer?
“Your computer?” says Clayden jokingly, and he is right. I’m sitting in my home, at my desk, using a computer that I think belongs to me. but it doesn’t. It seems to belong to Microsoft, because they’re in charge of it. They’ve gone into my living room, stopped me working, damaged my printer deliberately, which was specially set up to match, Windows 7 and stopped the sound on iPlayer, while I wasted my time trying to find files and sorting out how this new system works. They’ve given me a fright and ruined my day, and possibly my life, because I think I’ve lost most of my documents.
An annoying little notice appears in the comer of my screen. “I’m Cortana.” It says. “Ask me anything.” Here’s a machine telling me what to do, and I’m falling for it. Because I just wrote: “It says.” No, it doesn’t. It can’t speak. It’s a machine taking over.
“Are you sure you haven’t turned yours off?” Clayden asks. No, it’s on. I can see the little lights glimmering (闪烁) but there’s just no sound or sense to it.
How dare Microsoft disturb my private life like this? What a bloody cheek! And I am not alone. They’ve been doing these updates since July last year, although they claim they don’t install (安装) them without users’ permission (允许). Whatever is going on, they need to fix it like they promised. Because it’s still happening. So I’m stuck here, waiting for them to come and fix it.
1. How does the author feel while telling the story?| A．Frightened. | B．Surprised. | C．Humorous. | D．Angry. |
| A．addicted to using | B．having doubt about |
| C．fooled into believing | D．feeling tired of |
| A．The author’s computer is of bad quality. |
| B．Automatic update may cause trouble to the users. |
| C．Microsoft users benefit a lot from its free service. |
| D．The author has a privilege (特权) to update his computer system. |
| A．Wait for help. | B．Complain to Microsoft. |
| C．Take apart the computer. | D．Buy a new computer. |
【推荐2】Just one in five workers use their lunch break to actually eat every day-with most using the time to catch up on personal things and play social media instead. A study of 2,000 UK professionals found 79% will have their food as they work, so they can use their “lunch” to do other things. Watching YouTube videos, walking the dog and playing with apps on their phones are also among some of the ways people spend their lunch break.
The study, conducted by Samsung KX, is designed to inspire people to reclaim their lunch breaks. “We all need to make time for ourselves and our research has shown how few really are,”said Tanya Weller, director of Samsung Showcase KX. “It’s easy to get caught up in a piece of work, but people aren’t even giving themselves a moment to eat—let alone do anything else.”
According to the study, approximately 40% of respondents would like more time to pursue hobbies and interests during their lunch break, as they feel work has completely taken over. But 67% will frequently skip their meal altogether, with the average person only managing to take a proper break from their work three days a week.
But 37% said they don’t know what to do with their time, so they just don’t bother to take a lunch break. It also showed that 43% will usually spend their allocated break time at their desk, with just a fifth stepping away to rest on the sofa. As a result, around 70% confessed to checking work emails or taking calls during their lunch time, rather than enjoying themselves. Participants said they would prefer to spend their downtime watching episodes of their favourite TV shows, playing computer games or even getting creative by painting, drawing or making music on a device.
1. What will most of people during their work do ?| A．Eat food. | B．Watch videos. |
| C．Check the email. | D．Download some apps. |
| A．Make fun of. | B．Make use of. |
| C．Come up with. | D．Keep up with. |
| A．They feel their life is fully occupied. |
| B．They find their good jobs in their free time. |
| C．They expect to have no more time to have lunch. |
| D．They think their work is too tiring to go out to play. |
| A．They have fun. | B．They’re fond of working. |
| C．They send emails. | D．They don’t know what to do. |
【推荐3】Crossing your legs is an extremely common habit; most people don’t even notice that they’re doing it when they sit down. While you may find it comfortable to sit with one knee crossed over the other, it might be causing health problems that you are not aware of.
A study published in Blood pressure Monitoring stated that sitting with your legs crossed can increase your blood pressure. The reason for this is that the blood in your legs has to work against gravity to be pumped back to your heart and that crossing one leg over the other increases resistance, making it even harder for the blood to circulate. This causes your body to increase your blood pressure to push the blood back to the heart. You won’t feel any immediate effects, but repeated, drawn-out increases in blood pressure can cause long-term health issues. So, planning to sit for a long period of time? Don’t keep your legs crossed.
Crossing your legs at the knee can also cause pressure on the major nerve in your leg that passes just below your knee and along the outside of your leg, explains Richard Graves, a medical expert. This pressure can cause numbness and temporary paralysis（麻痹）of some of the muscles in your foot and leg, preventing you from being able to raise your ankle—what we know as that “pins and needles” sensation. While the feeling of discomfort may only last a minute or two, repeatedly crossing your leg until they feel numb can cause permanent nerve damage.
So next time you sit down, try to get yourself in the habit of sitting with both of your feet on the floor. Not only will it help your posture and stability, but it will also save your health in the long run.
1. According to the study, sitting with your legs crossed can ______.| A．affect your blood pressure |
| B．resist gravity effectively |
| C．lead to heart attacks easily |
| D．improve the function of legs |
| A．It is a very bad social habit. |
| B．It is usually practiced deliberately |
| C．It can do harm to people’s health. |
| D．It can make others feel uncomfortable. |
| A．slight sharp pains | B．being a little nervous |
| C．serious muscle injuries | D．being highly flexible |
| A．To compare common habits. |
| B．To give readers some advice. |
| C．To evaluate effects of an experiment. |
| D．To introduce research methods. |
If you look at a map of Europe, you’ll see a group of islands--one larger island off the northwest coast, one smaller and many tiny ones. These make up what is called the British Isles. The largest island of the British Isles is Britain. It is also called Great Britain. The smaller island is Ireland.
Britain is divided into three parts: Scotland, Wales and England. But sometimes the word “England” is used instead of “Britain”. Why so?
In ancient times, what is Britain now used to be three different countries. People in these different countries spoke different languages. Over many years the three countries became one. England is the largest and richest of the three and it has the most people. So the English people take it for granted that their own name stands for the whole island.
There’s another thing that confuses people: sometimes you may hear people say “the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”. That is the official name of the country. Northern Ireland is only one sixth of the island of Ireland. The rest of the island is an independent state, called the Republic of Ireland. So we have the names of “England”, “Britain”, “Great Britain”, and “the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”. Now do you know what each of them means?
1. English was first spoken in ____.
| A．Britain | B．England | C．Great Britain | D．Ireland |
| A．Wales is the richest of the three. |
| B．Scotland is the largest of the three. |
| C．Sometimes England is used instead of Britain. |
| D．Britain is the only name of the largest island of British Isles. |
| A．part of Britain |
| B．part of British Isles |
| C．the official name of the whole country |
| D．the largest country of all mentioned in the passage |
| A．Students of English |
| B．Different Names of England |
| C．Different Languages Spoken in England |
| D．The Republic of Ireland |
【推荐2】America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real, yet disappear soon if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while, then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendships between us flower more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending(延伸) sometimes deeply into both families.
Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality(好客) easily.
Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they include us warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don't show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time. This is usually the opposite of the practice in our country where we may be generous with our time. Sometimes, we, as hosts, will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends. The Americans, however, express their welcome usually at homes, but truly can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their routine. They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. And they expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real. We will find ourselves treated hospitably.
For the Americans, it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to go to restaurants, except for purely business matters. So accept their hospitality at home.
1. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?| A．Friendships between Americans usually extend deeply into their families. |
| B．Friendships between Americans usually last for all their lives. |
| C．Americans always show their warmth even if they are very busy. |
| D．Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break. |
| A．warmly welcomed at the airport |
| B．treated hospitably at his home |
| C．offered a ride to his home |
| D．treated to dinner in a restaurant |
| A．willing to spend time | B．serious with time |
| C．careful with time | D．strict with time |
| A．Friendships Between Chinese |
| B．Friendships Between Americans |
| C．Americans' and Chinese's Views of Friendships |
| D．Americans' Hospitality |
【推荐3】China has passed its peak of the COVID-19 outbreak, with new cases trickling down to single digits and overall epidemic（流行病）situation improving. The order of life and production is being restored at an increasing pace.
However, it gets worse abroad. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S surged to 13,350 on Sunday and 188 Americans have died. The economy is taking a hit, such as the New York Stock Exchange and airline business. "We started seeing very sharp declines," Gary Kelly, the CEO of Southwest Airlines, said on CNBC weeks ago, "It has a 9/11-like feel."
In China, to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. China has launched a people's war against the epidemic, adopting the strictest and most thorough measures. Foreign countries are also joining in China's efforts to combat the epidemic.
Whereas, the USA president Trump previously said at the start of a business roundtable in New Delhi, "a problem that's going to go away." He also heaped praise on Chinese President Xi Jinping in dealing with the pneumonia（肺炎）-like disease. Director of Harvard Global Health Institute Ashish Jha warned that the epidemic is the most possible cause that can accidentally kill millions of Americans, but also the one that sees the least preparation.
Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom Liu Xiaoming said that since the outbreak of the coronavirus, China has donated masks and supplies, for example to Iran and Italy, Japan and South Korea. It has engaged in global cooperation and shared information in a timely manner with the world, including the USA, on the genetic sequence of the virus and on vaccine development. United Nations Secretary- General Antonio Guterres on Monday praised China's contribution, noting that Chinese people are making efforts for all of humanity. Liu said, "We have been open, transparent and responsible in tackling the virus because we believe in a community with a shared future for mankind."
1. Why did Gary Kelly said "It has a 9/11-like feel" in the second paragraph?| A．Both the two events are related to flights. |
| B．People don't dare to take planes during the outbreak. |
| C．The outbreak of novel coronavirus has caused huge losses. |
| D．The terror caused by novel coronavirus hangs over the USA. |
| A．Trump comforted China that the disease would soon be killed. |
| B．America defeated the disease with ease at the early stage. |
| C．Trump made reasonable remarks on China's efforts against the virus. |
| D．America didn't previously intend to get ready for the infectious disease. |
| A．being cooperative with other countries |
| B．being humanitarian to the whole world |
| C．being quick-minded with effective measures |
| D．being generous in sharing medical treatments |
【推荐1】Cities usually have a good reason for being where they are, like a nearby port or river. People settle in these places because they are easy to get to and naturally suited to communications and trade. New York City, for example, is near a large harbour at the mouth of the Hudson River. Over 300 years its population grew gradually from 8 million. But not all cities develop slowly over a long period of time. Boom towns grow from nothing almost overnight. In 1896, Dawson, Canada, was unmapped wilderness(荒野). But gold was discovered there in 1897, and two years later, it was one of the largest cities in the West, with a population of 30,000.
Dawson did not have any of the natural conveniences of cities like London or Paris. People went there for gold. They travelled over snow-covered mountains and sailed hundreds of miles up icy rivers. The path to Dawson was covered with thirty feet of wet snow that could fall without warming. An avalanche(雪崩) once closed the path, killing 63 people. For many who made it to Dawson, however, the rewards were worth the difficult trip. Of the first 20, 000 people who dug for gold, 4, 000 got rich. About 100 of these stayed rich men for the rest of their lives.
But no matter how rich they were, Dawson was never comfortable. Necessities like food and wood were very expensive. But soon, the gold that Dawson depended on had all been found. The city was crowded with disappointed people with no interest in settling down, and when they heard there were new gold discoveries in Alaska, they left Dawson City as quickly as they had come. Today, people still come and go — to see where the Canadian gold rush happened. Tourism is now the chief industry of Dawson City — its present population is 762.
1. What attracted the early settlers to New York City？| A．Its business culture. | B．Its small population. |
| C．Its geographical position. | D．Its favourable climate. |
| A．Two-thirds of them stayed there. | B．One out of five people got rich. |
| C．Almost everyone gave up. | D．Half of them died. |
| A．The rise and fall of a city. | B．The gold rush in Canada. |
| C．Journeys into the wilderness. | D．Tourism in Dawson. |
【推荐2】From early times, man has been interested in art. People have often worked together to collect and save the world's art treasures. Fine art treasures from many countries are kept in an art museum called the Louvre in Paris, France. The works of art have been collected by the people of France over many centuries. It is one of the biggest art museums in the world.
The Louvre has not always been a museum. The first building was a fort (堡垒). In 1190, it was the king's castle with high walls and a round tower. It had a moat (护城河) to keep out the enemies. Over the years, the number of buildings around the castle grew. By 1350, the castle no longer needed a fort. The Louvre became a palace home for French kings and queens.
During the time of peace, new treasures were brought in. During the days of war, many treasures were stolen, and the buildings were damaged.
When Francis I became the King of France in 1515, he brought in many artists from other countries. One of the artists was Leonardo da Vinci from Italy. Da Vinci's Mona Lisa is the best known painting in the museum today.
In 1793, the Louvre became a public museum. It is a place where art treasures are kept for everyone to enjoy. Every year millions of people from all over the world come to the Louvre to see the masterpieces.
1. Most of works of art in the Louvre have been collected probably by________.| A．the French people |
| B．Francis I |
| C．Leonardo da Vinci |
| D．people of the world |
| A．The works of art will not be stolen. |
| B．The works of art will not be damaged. |
| C．Artists can study the works of art. |
| D．Everyone has a chance to enjoy the works of art. |
| A．The Louvre is always a museum since it was built. |
| B．All the art treasures in the Louvre have been destroyed in the war. |
| C．The Louvre was once the king's castle in history. |
| D．There is still a fort near the Louvre now. |
【推荐3】Just as John Lubbock said, we may sit in a library and yet be in all quarters of the earth. Here are some of the coolest libraries of the world.
Stuttgart City Library
Despite a classic white-on-white color, Stuttgart City Library is one of the most visually appealing modern libraries. The amazing modern and simple look is the product of the Korean architect Yi Eun-young. The German library opened in 2011, and cost nearly 80 million euros to construct.
Kanazawa Umimirai Library
Architects from the Coelacanth K&H Architects studio designed the Kanazawa Umimirai Library lo create the best reading environment. Healed floors, an outpouring of natural light, and other features were specifically included lo achieve this goal. The wall, which consists of thousands of tiny openings, allows natural lighting into the building, improving the overall feel of the space. This Japanese library was opened in 2011, and reflects the appearance of many modern and simple spaces.
Library of Congress
In 1800, Congress set up the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.. Fifteen years later, Thomas Jefferson offered his personal library to replace books that were lost when the British set the building on fire in 1814. His books, which took nearly 50 years to collect, varied from texts on science, literature and philosophy, to books in a variety of foreign languages. These days, the Library of Congress offers more than 155 million items and the largest rare book collection in North America.
State Library of Victoria
The Slate Library of Victoria, located in Melbourne, Australia, is one of the largest exhibiting libraries in the world. Though it opened in 1856, major repairs took place between 1990 and 2004. The La Trobe Reading Room is one of the library’s main attractions due to its visually amazing architecture. The lawn at the library’s front attracts hundreds of city folk each day, who gather for lunch or to enjoy the statues there. The library currently contains over two million books, as well as armor (盔甲) of Ned Kelly, a folk hero against the ruling class.
1. Which library has the longest history?| A．Stuttgart City Library. | B．Kanazawa Umimirai Library. |
| C．Library of Congress. | D．State Library of Victoria. |
| A．It has great architecture. |
| B．It has a folk hero’s statue in it. |
| C．It is the world’s largest exhibiting library. |
| D．It serves as a meeting place for the citizens. |
| A．They are constructed in the modern style. |
| B．They cost a large amount of money. |
| C．They are designed by Korean architects. |
| D．They feature providing readers with natural light. |
【推荐1】
Cold weather can be hard on pets, just like it can be hard on people. Sometimes owners forget that their cats are just as used to the warm shelter (住所) as they are. Some owners will leave their animals outside for a long period of time, thinking that all animals are used to living outdoors. This can put their pets in danger of serious illness. There are things you can do to keep your animal warm and safe.
Keep your pets inside as much as you can when the weather is bad. If you have to take them out, stay outside with them. When you're cold enough to go inside, they probably are too. If you must leave them outside for a long time, make sure they have a warm, solid shelter against the wind, thick bedding, and plenty of nonfrozen water.
If left alone outside, dogs and cats can be very smart in their search for warm shelter. They can dig into snow banks or hide somewhere. Watch them closely when they are left outdoors, and provide them with shelter of good quality. Keep an eye on your pet's water. Sometimes owners don't realize that a water bowl has frozen and their pet can't get anything to drink. Animals that don't have clean and unfrozen water may drink dirty water outside, which may contain something unhealthy for them.
1. What do we learn about pets from Paragraph 1?| A．They are often forgotten by their owners. |
| B．They are used to living outdoors. |
| C．They like to stay in warm places. |
| D．They build their won shelters. |
| A．To keep them company. |
| B．To keep them from eating bad food. |
| C．To help them find shelters. |
| D．To know when to bring them inside. |
| A．To solve a problem. |
| B．To give practical advice. |
| C．To tell an interesting story. |
| D．To present a research result. |
【推荐2】When an earthquake hit the Los Angeles area on Monday morning at 6:25 am, the Los Angeles Times had their story published in about three minutes. It was the first media to report on the breaking news. How?
It used a robot. Ken Schwencke, a journalist and programmer for the LA Times said that an algorithm (算法) he created called Quakebot was behind the story. It’s the latest example of robot journalism, a developing practice that has interested many news organizations as it could change the game of breaking news.
Schwencke said that when he was woken by the earthquake on Monday morning, he simply got out of bed, opened his computer, and found the story already finished in the system. All he had to do was click “publish”.
The algorithms used by Schwencke and his team can produce news stories on earthquakes and crime in the city, and it is then the job of the paper’s staff to determine which stories should be developed further. For this reason, Schwencke disagrees with the guess that robot-journalism could replace human writers. “It saves people a lot of time, and for certain types of stories, it gets the information out there in usually about as good a way as anybody else would. It doesn’t remove anybody’s job as much as it makes everybody’s job more interesting,” he said.
Check out the robot’s original report below: An earthquake measuring 4.7 was reported five miles from Westwood, California on Monday morning, according to the US Geological Survey. The quake happened at 6:25 am Pacific time at a depth of 5.0 miles. In the past ten days, there have been no earthquakes measuring 3.0 and greater centered nearby.
This information came from the USGS Earthquake Notification Service and this post was created by an algorithm written by the author.
1. How did the LA Times react to the earthquake compared with other media?| A．It acted more quickly. |
| B．It wrote more reports. |
| C．It was more optimistic. |
| D．It took the matter more seriously. |
| A．It makes printing much easier. |
| B．It writes news reports by itself. |
| C．It collects information from Ken. |
| D．It reduces the number of staff sharply. |
| A．Confusing. | B．Meaningful. |
| C．Independent. | D．Disappointing. |
| A．How a Robot Journalist Does Its Work |
| B．Programs Created for Predicting Earthquakes |
| C．LA Hit by an Earthquake on Monday Morning |
| D．A Robot Writes an Earthquake Breaking News Article |
【推荐3】The first set of Chinese stories presented in English scripts (剧本), titled Stories of China: Performed in English, was officially published by Foreign Languages Press. Planned by the New Channel International Education Group with the participation of playwrights (剧作者) from China, the United Kingdom and the United States, the book provides a new way for young people to learn English while inheriting (传承) and spreading Chinese culture.
The book contains 20 English scripts in novel formats covering a wide range of subjects. Unlike the most common English scripts for young readers on the market which are based on adaptations of European and American stories, those presented in this book are unique for being based on classic Chinese stories, readapted and written in English. The book is divided into first to third grades in terms of grammar and vocabulary difficulty, making it suitable for young English learners from primary school to junior and high school.
All the scripts in the book are written by top playwrights with elegant, pure and vivid language. The scripts are provided with a summary of the story in both Chinese and English, so that readers can fully understand the plot as well as the history and culture behind it. Readers can not only improve their English skills through immersive (沉浸式) reading and performance but also appreciate Chinese culture.
Hu Min, English education expert and founder of the New. Channel, said the combination of traditional culture and English teaching has become a trend, guiding young people to bring their own wisdom and deep cultural heritage to tell Chinese stories to the world. New Channel will offer special courses on Stories of China: Performed in English in its many schools across the country, and cooperate with primary and secondary schools in Beijing, Shanghai to offer English drama courses on a trial basis. Hu believes the courses will set off a new wave of enthusiastic learning among young people.
1. Why was Stories of China: Performed in English published?| A．To offer English drama courses on a trial basis. |
| B．To make foreign students enjoy Chinese culture. |
| C．To advertise some of the top playwrights in China. |
| D．To improve English learning and culture heritage. |
| A．It’s been published by a foreign press. |
| B．It stands out for its unique writing style. |
| C．It introduces classic Chinese stories. |
| D．It’s been popular in various schools. |
| A．Expectant. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Objective. | D．Conservative. |
| A．Business. | B．Lifestyle. |
| C．Culture. | D．Politics. |
