Why People Get Tattoos

Jack lay, quiet and unmoving, for thirty minutes while a stranger repeatedly stabbed （刺） him with sharp needles, causing blood to pour steadily out of his leg．Jack was getting a tattoo．His friend Tony had recently gotten a tattoo, and Jack was so impressed by it that he decided to get one too．Peer pressure, media influence, and personal expression are some of the common reasons for wearing tattoos today．

       The desire to be accepted by one’s friends or peers can have a great influence on what a person does．Sometimes, wearing a tattoo can be a sign that you belong to a certain group．Gangs often use special clothes and tattoos to identify their particular group．Some of these groups wear only brand – name clothes．Others wear tattoos．When a person’s friends are all doing something, that person is more likely to do the same thing．

       The media is another big influence behind the popularity of tattoos in North America．A wide variety of media images show tattoos－people appearing in commercials selling expensive cars, famous sports heroes with tattoos in magazines, fashion models wearing designer clothes that show their bodies tattooed with detailed and colorful patterns．These media images link tattoos to ideas of wealth, success, and status．As a result, many people decide to get a tattoo for its fashion and status value．

       Many people decide to wear tattoos in order to express their artistic nature, their beliefs, or their feelings－in other words, to show their individuality（个性）．A musician in a rock band may get a tattoo of a guitar on the arm．Some environmentalists may tattoo pictures of endangered animals on their shoulders．A tattoo can be a public sign to show what is important in a person's life．

       As you can see, there are many reasons why young North Americans get tattoos．A tattoo can be part of a group's uniform, a sign of fashion, or an expression of individuality．The decision to get a tattoo is most often a result of the influence of friends or media or the desire to express oneself．For Jack, it was a mixture of all three．

Jack has got tattoos in order to           ．

       A．show his great bravery         B．gain a special experience

       C．make himself more healthy     D．be different from others

According to the passage, media images are linked to         ．

       A．traditional lifestyle  B．social position

       C．cultural background D．public interest

We can infer from the passage that          ．

       A．some people get tattoos out of pressure  B．tattoo is related to religious belief

       C．getting tattoos costs a lot of money D．most people with tattoos are artists

Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?

CP: Central Point     P: Point      SP: Sub-Point     C: Conclusion

阅读下面短文，根据以下要求：1)汉语提示；2)首字母提示；3）语境提示，在每个空格内填入一个英语单词，并将该词完整地写在右边相对应的横线上。所填单词要求意义准确、拼写正确。

Some people take it for granted that some lucky numbers can bring them good

luck. For instance, the so-called lucky numbers like 6 or 8 are  w _____（广泛地）_______

used because they have the similar pronunciation _______ the Chinese characters______

which mean “good luck”. So some young couples choose a date in _________________

there is a 6 or an 8 to h _______ their wedding; many shops choose such dates t______

_______________（庆祝）their opening. Yet many others don’t think so. They_______

think that numbers have _______ to do with luck. They regard numbers simply _______

as a mathematic symbol for counting. W ____ our own contribution, good luck _______

won’t fall on us automatically. I’m in f______________ of the latter opinion. I      _______

think our society is very modern now. Whether we can have good luck d_____       ______

on _____________（我们自己）. If we work hard, good luck will come to us.      _______

His radio is a very old one. It sometimes works and sometimes it_______

A. seldom does         B. does hardly           C. never does       D. doesn't

-----Excuse me. Can you spare me a few minutes ?

------??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????________?       

  A. What’s on     B. What’s up 

C. What’s more   D. What’s wrong

Don’t expect too much of them．They are suffering from a _________ of money themselves．

       A．possibility        B．poverty    

       C．similarity         D．property

“If,” he added at the meeting, “________ enough time, we would certainly have done it better.”

A. given  B. to be given       C. give                D. giving

Time should be made full use of _________ ourselves.

   A. improving      B. to improve       C. for improving   D. improve

---How did you find the albums ' Music Voyager' and 'Heaven' by JJ Lam?

--- Wonderful. It's ____ worth ________.

A. very, listening              B. well, listening

C. very, listening to            D. well, listening to

Mary was given a huge pay rise as a       for her great efforts in improving sales.

A. reward       B. result          C. price           D. title

He __________ to go abroad for his further study.

  A. is hoped               B. is dying                           C. is wanting                       D. dies