The expression "keeping up with the Joneses" was first used in 1913 by a young American 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. Young Momand was very proud of his riches. He got married and moved with his wife to Long Island, outside New York City. But just moving there was not enough. For when Momand and his wife saw that their neighbors belonged to a country club they too joined a club. And when he saw that rich people were expected to ride horses, Momand went horseback riding every day. Momand and his wife also hired a servant and gave grand parties for their new neighbors. It was like a race, but one could never finish this race because one was always trying to keep up. Momand and his wife could not do that. The race ended for them when they could no longer pay for their new way of life. They moved back to an inexpensive New York City apartment. Momand later said that his experience had been a cruel awakening for him. However, he was able to see the funny side of it. He looked around him and noticed that many people do things just to keep up with their neighbors. He decided that this would make good stories for many papers across the country. He called it "Keeping up with the Joneses", because "Jones" is a very common American name. "Keeping up with the Joneses" came to mean keeping up with the people around you. Momand's stories appeared in different newspapers for over 28 years. People never seem to tire of keeping up with the Joneses. That is one reason why they read the "right" books, go to the "right" universities and eat in the "right" restaurants. But no matter what one does, Mr. Jones always seems to be ahead. By saying "It was like a race"(in Para 3), the writer means _ . A) it was just a suitable place for the horse race B) Momand and his wife kept themselves busy C) Momand's neighbors also gave parties one after another D) Momand tried to compete with their neighbors in his way of life
D
(Question)
Almost everyone stood when the bride walked down the aisle in her white dress,but not the wedding conductor,because she was fixed on her chair. The wedding was led by "IFairy",a 1.5meter tall seated robot with flashing eyes and plastic hair. Sunday's wedding was the first time a marriage had been led by a robot,according to manufacturer,Kokoro Co. "Please lift the bride's veil ," the robot said in a tinny voice,waving its arms in the air as the newlymarried couple kissed in front of about 50 guests. The wedding took place at a restaurant in Hibiya Park in central Tokyo,where the IFairy wore flowers and directed a rooftop ceremony. Wires led out from beneath it to a black curtain a few feet away,where a man clicked commands into a computer. Japan has one of the most advanced robotics industries in the world,with the government actively supporting the field for future growth. Industrial models in factories are now standard,but recently Japanese companies have been making a push to inject robots into everyday life. Honda makes a walking childshaped robot,and other firms have developed robots to entertain the elderly or play baseball. Kokoro,whose corporate goal is to "touch the hearts of the people",also makes giant dinosaur robots for exhibitions and lifelike Android models that can smile and laugh. The company is a subcompany of Sanrio Co.,which owns the rights to Hello Kitty and other Japanese characters. "This was a lot of fun. I think that Japanese people have a strong sense that robots are our friends. Those in the robot industry mostly understand this,but people mainly want robots near them to serve some purpose," said the bride,Satoko Inoue,36,who works at Kokoro. The IFairy sells for about 6.3 million yen ($68,000) and three are in use in Singapore,the US and Japan,according to company spokeswoman,Kayako Kido. The conductor of the wedding _ . A) was controlled by Android system B) was seated in a chair C) can give an order herself D) was the only IFairy in use
(Answer)
B
Ques: Have you ever been sad because of failure? Please remember, for often, achieving what you set out to do is not the most important thing. A boy decided to dig a deep hole behind his house. As he was working, a couple of older boys stopped by to watch. "What are you doing?" asked one of the visitors. "I want to dig a hole all the way through the earth!" the boy answered excitedly. The older boys began to laugh, telling him that digging a hole all the way through the earth was impossible. After a while, the boy picked up a jar. He showed it to the visitors. It was full of all kinds of stones and insects. Then he said calmly and confidently, "Maybe I can't finish digging all the way through the earth, but look at what I've found during this period!" The boy's goal was far too difficult, but it did cause him to go on. And that is what a goal is for -- to cause us to move in the direction we have chosen, in other words, to cause us to keep working! Not every goal will be fully achieved. Not every job will end up with a success. Not every dream will come true. But when you fall short of your aim, maybe you can say, "Yes, but look what I've found along the way! There are so many wonderful things having come into my life because I tried to do something!" It is in the digging that life is lived. It is the unexpected joy on the journey that really makes sense. The older boys laughed at the boy because he was thought to be _ . A) brave B) impolite C) foolish D) warm-hearted
Ans: C
Question: Big Ben, one of London's best-known landmarks, which is famous for its accuracy and chimes ,stopped ticking for 90 minutes, an engineer said Saturday. Officials do not know why the 147-year-old clock on the banks of the River Thames stopped at 10:07 p.m. Friday. It continued keeping time, but stopped again at 10:20 p.m. and remained still for about 90 minutes before starting up again, a spokeswoman for the House of Commons said. A recent period of hot weather may have been to blame. Temperatures in London reached 90 Saturday, and forecasters called it England's hottest day in May in the past fifty three years, since 1953. Big Ben, which is operated by the Palace of Westminster, survived attack by German Luftwaffe bombers during World WarII,continued to mark the time within11/2 seconds of Greenwich Mean Time. However, the clock has experienced occasional problems. In 1962, snow caused the clock to ring in the New Year 10 minutes late. In 1976, the clock stopped when a piece of its machinery broke. Big Ben also stopped on April 30, 1997, and once more three weeks later. Big Ben is actually the clock's 13-ton bell, which was named after Sir Benjamin Hall, the British commissioner of works at the time the clock was built. The official name for the Gothic tower holding Big Ben is St. Stephen's Tower. Standing 315 feet tall, it was completed in 1859 after an 1834 fire destroyed most of the Palace of Westminster. How many times has Big Ben gone wrong up to now? A) Three. B) Five. C) Six. D) Eight.
Answer:
C