Five years ago, David Smith wore an expensive suit to work every day. “I was a clothes addict,” he jokes. “I used to carry a fresh suit to work with me so I could change if my clothes got wrinkled.” Today David wears casual clothes---khaki pants and sports shirt---to the office. He hardly ever wears a necktie. “I’m working harder than ever,” David says, “and I need to feel comfortable.”

More and more companies are allowing their office workers to wear casual clothes to work in the United States. The change from formal to casual office wear has been gradual. In the early 1990s, many companies allowed their employees to wear casual clothes on Friday(but only on Friday). This became known as “dress-down Friday” of “casual Friday”. “What started out as an extra one-day-a-week benefit for employees has really become an everyday thing.” said business consultant Maisly Jones.

Why have so many companies started allowing their employees to wear casual clothes? One reason is that it’s easier for a company to attract new employees if it has a casual dress code. “A lot of young people don’t want to dress up for work,” says the owner of a software company, “so it’s hard to hire people if you have a conservative dress code.” Another reason is that people seem happier and more productive when they are wearing comfortable clothes. In a study conducted by Levi Strauss and Company, 85 percent of employers said that they believe that casual dress improves employee morale. Only 4 percent of employers said that casual dress has a negative impact on productivity. Supporters of casual office wear also argue that a casual dress code helps them save money. “Suits are expensive, if you have to wear one every day,” one person said. “For the same amount of money, you can buy a lot more casual clothes.”

1. David Smith refers to himself as having been “a clothes addict,” because _______.

A. he often wore khaki pants and a sports shirt

B. he couldn’t stand a clean appearance

C. he wanted his clothes to look neat all the time

D. he didn’t want to spend much money on clothes

2. David Smith wears casual clothes now, because _______.

A. they make him feel at ease when working

B. he cannot afford to buy expensive clothes

C. he looks handsome in casual clothes

D. he no longer works for any company

3.According to this passage, which of the following statements is false?

A. Many employees don’t like a conservative dress code.

B. Comfortable clothes make employees more productive.

C. A casual clothes code is welcomed by young employees.

D. All the employers in the U. S. are for casual office wear.

4.According to this passage, which of the following statements is true?

A. Company workers started to dress down about twenty years ago.

B. Dress-down has become an everyday phenomenon since the early 1990s.

C. “Dress-down Friday” was first given as a favor from employers.

D. Many workers want to wear casual clothes to impress people.

5. In this passage, the following advantages of casual office wear are mentioned in the passage except _______.

A. saving employees’ money

B. making employees more attractive

C. improving employees’ motivation

D. making employees happier

 

　　Daphne asked Jim, a friend of Walter's, for some extra help on her political science homework. On Friday, they agreed to meet at his dormitory study room at 8 Sunday night. It was 8∶05 when Jim arrived. He wasn't on time as he usually is, because he had been out enjoying the spring weather after eating at McDonald's. But he wasn't worried, because he knew from Walter that Daphne was usually late. When Daphne hadn't arrived by 8∶25, Jim was a little surprised. He decided to go to the dorm lounge(休息室) and watch his favorite Sunday night TV show. It started at 8∶30, so he had to hurry. When he got to the lounge, Walter was just leaving. “Hey, Jim, your favorite TV show just finished. Where were you? It was fantastic!”

　　“What do you mean, Walter? It's 8∶30, so I'm just in time to watch it!” Jim replied, looking a little confused.

　　 “Didn't you change your watch last night?” Walter asked. Then he explained, “Last night you were supposed to move your watch ahead one hour. We do this every year on the last Sunday in April. Then, on the last Sunday in October, everyone moves clock back an hour. We say‘spring ahead, fall back ’to help us remember which way to change our clocks.” Walter stopped to see if Jim had understood his explanation. “You don't do that in Indiana, I guess.”

　　“No, we don't,” Jim said, shaking his head. “In that case, I was over an hour late for my appointment with Daphne, not only five minutes late. Wow! She'll never let me forget this!”

1．What is the important idea of this story?

[　　]

A．Daphne is usually late.

B．there are no time changes in Indiana.

C．Jim likes his favorite Sunday night TV show.

D．Jim was late because he didn't know about the time changes.

2．Why did Jim look confused when he learned the TV show had just finished?

[　　]

A．Because he missed the fantastic TV show.

B．Because he thought he was just in time to watch his favorite TV show.

C．Because he was late for the show.

D．Because he forgot the time of the show.

3． All the citizens in the United States are supposed to move their watches ahead in spring and back in fall.

[　　]

A．Certainly they are.

B．No, they are not.

C．No, those who live in Indiana do not do that.

D．Certainly they are besides those living in Indiana.

4． How did Jim feel after Walter told him about the time changes?

[　　]

A．He felt very upset that he hadn't kept his appointment with Daphne.

B．He looked confused about the time changes.

C．He was surprised that Daphne was over an hour late.

D．He felt very glad that he didn't miss his favorite TV show.

5．Imagine you are going to a party at 2 p.m. of the last Sunday in April. If you forget about the time change, what time will you arrive?

[　　]

On the day of a big event, many people came to Big Bend Mountain to watch. John Henry and the salesman stood side by side. Even early in the day, the sun was burning hot.

The competition began. John Henry kissed his hammer and started working. At first, the steam-powered drill worked two times faster than he did. Then, he started working with a hammer in each hand. He worked faster and faster. In the mountain, the heat and dust were so thick that most men would have had trouble breathing. The crowd shouted as clouds of dust came from inside the mountain.

The salesman was afraid when he heard what sounded like the mountain breaking. However, it was only the sound of John Henry at work. Polly Ann and her son cheered when the machine was pulled from the tunnel of the mountain. It had broken down. Polly Ann urged John Henry to come out. But he kept working, faster and faster. He dug deep into the darkness, hitting the steel so hard that his body began to fail him. He became weak, and his heart burst.

John Henry fell to the ground. There was a terrible silence. Polly Ann did not move because she knew what had happened. John Henry’s blood spilled over the ground. But he still held one of the hammers. “I beat them,” he said. His wife cried out, “Don’t go, John Henry.”“Bring me a cool drink of water,”he said. Then he took his last breath.

His friends carried his body from the mountain. They buried him near the house where he was born. Crowds went there after they heard about John Henry’s death.

Soon, the steam drill and other machines replaced the steel-drivers. Many laborers left their families to look for work. They took the only jobs they could find. As they worked, some sang about John Henry.

1.What does the big event mentioned in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A．John Henry’s work on a machine.

B．A competition between John Henry and a salesman.

C．John Henry’s work with his hammer and the steel.

D．A competition between John Henry and a drill.

2.The underlined word “tunnel ”in Paragraph 3 probably means “          ”.

A．flat ground

B．big rock

C．underground passage

D．hard metal

3. What happened to John Henry when he fell to the ground?

A．He was tired and had to have a rest.

B．He had heart trouble and was dying.

C．He was thirsty and wanted to drink some water.

D．He was injured slightly and was bleeding.

4.What do we know about John Henry?

A．He won the competition finally.	B．He was buried under the mountain.
C．He loved his work very much.	D．He said nothing before his death.

5.What can we infer from the passage?

A．Humans can never beat machines.	B．John Henry was regarded as a hero.
C．Laborers hated machines very much.	D．It was easy for laborers to find work.

 

There was once a blind man, who did a lot of traveling alone. He was making his first trip to Texas and happened to be seated next to a Texan on the flight.

The Texan spent a lot of time telling him how everything was bigger and better in Texas. After the blind man reached his destination, a large resort (度假) hotel, he was very excited about being in Texas.

The long trip had worn him out a little so he decided to stop at the bar for a small soda and a light snack before going up to his room to sleep.

When the waitress set down his drink, it was in a huge cup. “Wow, I had heard everything in Texas is bigger,” he told her.

“That’s right,” she replied. The blind man ate his snack and finished his drink. After drinking such a large amount, it was natural that his next stop was to be the restroom. He asked the waitress for directions. She told him to turn left at the corner, and then take the second door on the right.

He reached the first door and continued. A few steps later he stumbled (绊倒) slightly and missed the second door and ended up going through the third door instead. Not realizing he had entered the swimming area he walked forward and immediately fell into the swimming pool.

Remembering that everything was bigger in Texas, he had his head above water and started shouting “Don’t flush(冲洗)! Don’t flush!”

1.Why was the blind man excited about being in Texas?

A．It was the first time that he had travelled abroad.

B．People from Texas were very friendly than he expected.

C．He heard that everything was bigger and better in Texas.

D．The service staff in the large resort hotel was very humorous.

2. Why did the blind man enter the swimming area?

A．He wanted to go swimming.

B．He wanted to have a bath.

C．He stumbled and missed the restroom door.

D．The waitress gave him wrong directions.

3. Why did the blind man go to the bar?

A．To go through it on his way to his room.

B．To have a short rest after a long walk.

C．To have something to eat there.

D．To ask a waitress for directions.

4. Why did the blind man shout out “Don’t flush! Don’t flush!”?

A．He thought he was caught in a big toilet and someone was cleaning it.

B．He didn’t want anyone to clean the toilet at that time.

C．He didn’t want anyone to clean the swimming pool at that time.

D．He thought it was such a big swimming pool that making it clean was no use.

5.If the passage is taken from a website, which part of the website does it belong to?

A．Travel services.

B．Hotel services.

C．Funny stories.

D．Health problems.

 

If a person tells you that something is “the real McCoy”，he is telling you it is the real thing，not a copy or replacement．There is nothing false about “the real McCoy”．It is the best that can be found．

    There are different ideas on how the expression came into common use．Perhaps the most popular story is about a famous boxer，Charles Kid McCoy，a one-time world famous welter-weigh champion．One day，McCoy was having a drink in a bar with a lady friend．A man came up and began to talk to her．He was not a nice man．

    McCoy wanted no trouble．He asked the man to leave．He said．“I'm Kid McCoy．”McCoy thought his name was so well-known that he didn’t need to say more．But the man did not believe him．“Oh，yeah?” he said．“Well，if you are Kid McCoy，then I am George Washington!” And he continued to speak to the prize-fighter’s friend in all unpleasant way．

    McCoy hit the man with a fist－not hard－actually it was really a light touch．But the man fell to the ground，unconscious．Ten minutes later，when he came to sense，he called out. “That was the real McCoy!” And so，as told by kid McCoy，that was how the expression “the real McCoy” got started．

    There are other versions，however．One is that the expression goes back to the days of prohibition（禁止）when it was illegal in the United States to sell whiskey．Although whiskey was against the law，many sold it．And many sold bad whiskey．They were not afraid to do so，because there was so little that anybody could do about it．Buying whiskey，good or had，was as illegal as selling it．

    But there was one whiskey dealer who was honest．His name was McCoy．He refused to sell bad whiskey．He sold  only the best imported whiskey．His product became recognized as the best．It was called “the real McCoy”．

    The expression survived prohibition days and soon became a general term．One way or another，no matter how the expression began，“the real McCoy” is an expression that everyone understands．It means the one and only—the best one．They are indeed words of special praise．

1.What is the main idea of the first paragraph?

    A．It is about the exact meaning of the version．

    B．It tells how a person gets his name．

    C．It shows how to tell the real from the false．

    D．It explains how to find the best．

2.In the third paragraph，“the prize-fighter” refers to______．

    A．a champion                   B．George Washington

    C．a fellow                     D．McCoy

3.Which of the following is TRUE about the days prohibition?

    A．A national law forbade the sale of alcoholic drinks．

    B．Bad whiskey was not allowed to sell．

    C．People at that time preferred nothing but whiskey．

    D．The days of prohibition resulted in MeCoy’s selling wine．

4.What is the main idea of the whole passage?

    A．The story of a famous boxer．

    B．The general use of the version．

    C．The expression and its story．

    D．The friendship between an athlete and a seller．