One day an American friend invited me to a party． It wasn’t a real party, it was some kind of informal get-together． Since it was summer time, he had a cookout where most of his American friends and relatives were known to me, but there were others I had never met before．

       It was the most embarrassing （令人尴尬） party for me when I noticed that everybody was wearing jeans and simple T-shirts for the day, while I arrived in proper dress with my shoes and my hair all fixed for a fancy party．It was hard to explain my embarrassment to other guests．When one of them turned around and said, “What nice clothes! What’s the occasion?” I felt my face burning hot with embarrassment． I did not answer at all． If she knew how bad I already felt, she wouldn’t have come near me．But she did． Maybe she didn’t ask intentionally to make me feel bad or uncomfortable, but my reaction had to do with the way I already felt．I could have told her I had to go to another party afterwards, but I did not want to continue the conversation．

       Many times I thought about going home and changing, but I knew that they would notice．It would be even worse for me, because I knew they would quickly think that I felt out of place．So I wanted to pretend that I was okay…

       I had already realized their customs were different from mine; but after I talked to my friend, I was more convinced that people here are more casual （休闲的，随意的）．They care less about formality, unless it is a special occasion, like a wedding or a very formal invitation．

       In contrast, my culture is totally the opposite．For instance, in Cape Verdean culture, if a friend invited me to his house on a special day, even if it is not a real party, one should appear well dressed or otherwise the host will be annoyed thinking you are disrespectful to him or the other guests．We do dress casually for going on picnic or on ordinary days, but not normally to go over to a friend’s when invited, especially if other people will be there．

       After all, I think that my problem at the party wasn’t that I wasn’t accepted by the Americans; but my feeling was so bad that I couldn’t fit in the group even if nobody noticed, because I was the one who discovered the difference in the first place．It doesn’t matter if people dress differently, but I was the only one different in the group．I felt I was the one who should adjust to their customs．After that, I decided to learn more about American culture, so now I don’t have as many problems as I’ve had in the past．

1．Which of these statements describes the cookout in the story?

       A．It was very formal．                 B．People wore casual clothing．

C．It took place in a restaurant．        D．People care more about formality．

2．This story is mainly about _________．

       A．culture differences                        B．living in the United States

C．what to do at a cookout                 D．how to get prepared for a cookout

3．It can be inferred from the story that the author _________．

       A．left the cookout early                    B．probably didn’t enjoy the cookout

C．never wears blue jeans                  D．will never go to a cookout

4．Which of the following can replace the underlined word “intentionally” in the second paragraph?

       A．Patiently．            B．Willingly．              C．Carefully．           D．On purpose．

When someone says “well, I guess I’ll have to face the music”, it doesn’t mean that he is planning to go to hear a singer. It is something far less happy, as you are called in by your leader to explain why you did this and did that or why you did not do this or that.
At some time or another, every one of us has to “face the music”, especially as children. We can all remember father’s angry word “I wasn’t to talk to you”  and only because we did not listen to him. What a bad thing it was !
In the middle or at the end of every term, we students have to “face the music”. The result of the exam will decide whether we will face the music or not. If …that means parents’ cold faces and the contempt of the teachers and classmates.
“To face the music” is well known to every American, younger or old. It is at least 100 years old. It really means that you have to do something, no matter how terrible the whole thing might be, because you know you have no choice.
【小题1】“To face the music” means “to ____________”

A．do something we don’t like to	B．go to the theater
C．go to the music show	D．do something that we want to

【小题2】If you didn’t listen to your father’s words, you would “face the music” ，or ____________.

A．do something to please him	B．do something to make him angry
C．be punished by him	D．be pleased with him

【小题3】Before the exam, we’ll have to “face the music”. That’s why ____________.

A．we like to take the exam	B．we are afraid of taking the exam
C．the exam is very important	D．we are afraid to pass the exam

【小题4】In the third paragraph. “If...” really means “If _______________”.

A．we got a “D” in the exam

B．we got an “A” in the exam

C．the exam is easy

D．the exam is difficult

When someone says “well, I guess I’ll have to face the music”, it doesn’t mean that he is planning to go to hear a singer. It is something far less happy, as you are called in by your leader to explain why you did this and did that or why you did not do this or that.

At some time or another, every one of us has to “face the music”, especially as children. We can all remember father’s angry word “I wasn’t to talk to you”  and only because we did not listen to him. What a bad thing it was !

In the middle or at the end of every term, we students have to “face the music”. The result of the exam will decide whether we will face the music or not. If …that means parents’ cold faces and the contempt of the teachers and classmates.

“To face the music” is well known to every American, younger or old. It is at least 100 years old. It really means that you have to do something, no matter how terrible the whole thing might be, because you know you have no choice.

1.“To face the music” means “to ____________”

A．do something we don’t like to             B．go to the theater

C．go to the music show                     D．do something that we want to

2.If you didn’t listen to your father’s words, you would “face the music” ，or ____________.

A．do something to please him               B．do something to make him angry

C．be punished by him                      D．be pleased with him

3.Before the exam, we’ll have to “face the music”. That’s why ____________.

A．we like to take the exam                  B．we are afraid of taking the exam

C．the exam is very important                D．we are afraid to pass the exam

4.In the third paragraph. “If...” really means “If _______________”.

A．we got a “D” in the exam

B．we got an “A” in the exam

C．the exam is easy

D．the exam is difficult

 

Uh­oh, the new year's just begun and already you're finding it hard to keep those resolutions to junk the junk food，get off the couch or kick smoking. There's a biological reason why a lot of our bad habits are so hard to break—they get deep­rooted in our brains.

That's not an excuse to give up. Understanding how unhealthy behaviors become deep­rooted has scientists learning some tricks that may help good habits replace the bad.“Why are bad habits stronger? You're fighting against the power of an immediate reward. We all as creatures give greater value to an immediate reward than something that's delayed，” says Dr Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Just how that bit of happiness turns into a habit involves a pleasure­sensing chemical named dopamine(多巴胺). It trains the brain to want that reward again and again—increasing the connection each time—especially when it gets the right cue(暗示) from your environment.

People tend to overestimate their ability to resist temptations around them, thus destroying attempts to get rid of bad habits. Even scientists who recognize it find it hard to resist.“I don't like popcorn. But every time I go to the cinema, I have to eat it，” Volkow says.“It's fascinating.”

A movement to pay people for behavior changes may make use of that connection, as some companies offer employees immediate payments for adopting better habits. However paying for behavior turns out, researchers say there are some steps that may help counter your brain's hold on bad habits: repeat，repeat，repeat the new behavior—the same routine at the same time of day. Determined to exercise？Doing it at the same time of the morning makes the brain recognize the habit eventually. If you don't do it, you feel awful. Exercise itself raises dopamine levels, so eventually your brain will get a feel­good hit even if your muscles protest. Reward yourself with something you really desire, Volkow stresses. You exercised all week? Stuck to your diet? Buy a book, a great pair of jeans, or try a fancy restaurant.

20．What's the subjective reason for being hard to break bad behaviors?

A．Some behaviors get deep­rooted in our brains.

B．We prefer an immediate reward.

C．We value delayed gifts.

D．We are all creatures of nature.

21．What does the underlined word “connection” in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Pleasure and behavior.  　B．Brain and reward.

C．Happiness and dopamine.  　D．Cue and environment.

22．It can be inferred that the higher the dopamine level is，________．

A．the harder it is for you to break the bad habit

B．the less pleasure you will get

C．the stronger bad habits will become

D．the more you'll want to get a reward

23．Why does Volkow eat popcorn even though he doesn't like it?

A．Because he recognizes the importance of him.

B．Because it is needed for normal growth of the body.

C．Because he can't resist the temptation of it.

D．Because it makes him relaxed to eat popcorn while seeing films.