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. The writer of this passage means to tell us _ . A) what Arthur Momand did to keep up with his neighbors B) how the expression "keep up with the Joneses" came into being C) what we should do to keep up with our neighbors D) how we can live differently from others
B
Most people report that they do not usually feel confident. But exciting things can happen when we actually believe in ourselves. Here is a man who believed in his own ability even as a boy, and that confidence helped shape his adult life. At the turn of the last century, a young boy quit school to help with the family expenses. When he was fifteen, he became interested in automobiles and worked in a garage. He subscribed to a correspondence home study course on automobiles and, after a long day in the garage, studied at the kitchen table by lamplight. When he felt ready, he walked into the Frayer-Miller Automobile Company of Columbus, Ohio. When Mr. Frayer noticed him, he asked, "Well, what do you want?" "I just thought I'd tell you I'm coming to work here tomorrow morning," the boy replied. "Oh! Who hired you?" "Nobody yet, but I'll be on the job in the morning. If I'm not worth anything, you can fire me." Early the next morning the young man returned to the plant. Noticing the floor was thick with metal shavings and accumulated dirt, the boy got a broom and set out to clean the place. Because of his self-confidence and work ethic, the boy's future was predictable. He went on to stand out in many fields, including automobile racing, piloting World War I planes and founding what was to become one of America's largest airline companies -- Eastern Airlines. People who become more confident habitually encourage themselves. Without confidence, we are not likely to move far in the direction of our dreams. But become our own best friend and almost anything will be possible. It is important that we always believe in ourselves. In order to reach victory, we must believe in ourselves even when we make mistakes and fall short. We can learn from the boy's words that _ . A) he believed in himself B) he looked down upon others C) he was very generous D) he wanted to show off his competence
A
Q: Bill Gates and the president of General Motors have met for lunch, and Bill is going on and on about computer technology. "If automotive technology had kept pace with computer technology over the past few decades, you would now be driving a V-32 instead of a V-8, and it would have a top speed of 10,000 miles per hour," says Gates. "Or you could have an economy car that weighs 30 pounds and gets a thousand miles to a gallon of gas. In either case, the sticker price of a new car would be less than $ 50. Why haven't you guys kept up?" The president of GM smiles and says, "Because the federal government won't let us build cars that crash four times a day." Why is that funny (or not funny, as the ease may be)? Human beings love to laugh, and the average adult laughs 17 times a day. Humans love to laugh so much that there are actually industries built around laughter. Jokes, siteoms and comedies are all designed to get us laughing, because laughing feels good. For us it seems so natural, but the funny thing is that humans are the only species that laughs. Laughter is actually a complex response that involves many of the same skills used in solving problems. Laughter is a great thing--that's why we've all heard the saying, "Laughter is the best medicine." There is strong evidence that laughter can actually improve health and help fight disease. When we look at laughter--what it is, what happens in our brains when we laugh, what makes us laugh and how it can make us healthier and happier, there's a huge amount about it that no one understands yet. The best title of the passage is _ . A) Joke B) Laughter C) Fun D) Humor
A: B
(Question)
(The Daily Mail) David Thomas failed all his maths exams and left school with no qualifications, yet this 30 - year - old fire - fighter has just gone into the Guinness Book of Records by reciting from memory 22,500 digits of the mathematical constant, pi(p). After five months of training, in which he spent ten hours a day memorizing a quarter of a million digits, David Thomas took part in a 16 - hour mental battle.Witnesses watched in awe as Thomas set a new European record, earning the title 'Most Powerful Memory in the Western Hemisphere'. David says, "When I was at school I was hopeless.I could' t remember anything, but now I can remember more facts than anyone in Europe." So how does Thomas do it? "One night I was watching a TV programme about an interview with a man called Dominic O'Brien, who had been the world memory champion five times.He used to be a gambler, and he wasn't particularly successful until he developed his own mnemonics, or mental memory aid, for each card in order to remember which cards had already been dealt and which ones hadn't." Thomas became fascinated by O'Brien's theory that anyone can improve their memory by using specialized techniques.These techniques involve linking everything to familiar people or objects. "If you want to remember a phone number for example, you have to give the numbers life.Sometimes I associate a number with a person.Number 10 for me is always the Prime Minister (who lives at number 10 Downing Street) ," explained David.If David is trying to remember facts he also links them to an image."For instance, if I was trying to memorize the name 'Tom Cruise' , I would think of his film Top Cun, and that leads me to images of guns and cruise missiles." is soon going to appear on TV's Record Breakers, and this week he is teaching memory training and speed - writing at Huddersfield University.His fees are PS600 a day.He is sure that the future holds a lot more for him than a job as a fire - fighter. We learn that before setting a new European record, Thomas A) liked playing cards B) trained hard in memory C) believed he could succeed D) received a good school education
(Answer)
B