Train-spotting

Many people around the world have seen Danny Boyle’s movie Train spotting starring Ewan McGregor, but how many of us really know what train-spotting is all about? Now this is not considered cool in town and the word “train-spotter” in Britain is related to “geek” or “nerd” (someone who seems very ridiculous). But is this reputation really deserved?

First of all, let’s see what train-spotting is. It is said that there are some 100,000 train spotters in the UK. Exactly as the title suggests, they spot trains, that is, they stand in train stations, look at the number of each train that leaves and arrives and write it down. The eventual aim is to have seen every train in the country.

    Being crazy about railways and trains is not modern and it dates back to 1804. As the number of trains grew and they got faster and faster, so did the interest in them grow? Is this any stranger than people who love cars?

    So, what do you need to be a train-spotter? Well, all you really need is a pen or pencil and a notebook to write down the train numbers. Other equipment(装备) includes hot tea in a thermos, a camera and some sandwiches for those long afternoons spent on train platforms when you don’t want to risk the delights of railway station food.

    It’s interesting to note that despite the “bad name” of train-spotting, there have been famous railway lovers in history, such as Alfred Hitchcock, who filmed them regularly, especially The 39 Steps. There is evidence, too, that being a train-spotter is not necessarily a strange phenomenon（现象）in Britain.

    One glance at the US train stations should be enough to convince you that train-spotters there are alive and well. In America, they try to call rail lovers “train-fans” and talk of “train-fanning”. Don’t let this fool you—these people are train spotters and there are a lot of them. Each month, two million pages are visited on the website TrainWeb.org.                      

340words

1.What is train-spotting according to the passage?

A. A kind of hobby.             B. A type of sport.

C. A strange phenomenon.        D. A special job.

2.Which of the following about train-spotters is true according to the passage?

A. They number each train they see.

B. They keep a careful path of every train.

C. They count the trains passing in front of them.

D. They produce films about trains with video cameras.

3.The writer writes the passage to        .

A. introduce some famous train-spotters

B. encourage readers to do more train-spotting

C. try to present a true picture of train-spotting

D. describe the necessary equipment in train-spotting

4. What do we learn from the passage?

A. Train-spotters in the UK want to fool people.

B. Train-spotting is more acceptable in America.

C. Train-spotters are much stranger than car lovers.

D. Train-spotting relates to（与…有关）a dangerous lifestyle.

 

Train-spotting
Many people around the world have seen Danny Boyle’s movie Train spotting starring Ewan McGregor, but how many of us really know what train-spotting is all about? Now this is not considered cool in town and the word “train-spotter” in Britain is related to “geek” or “nerd” (someone who seems very ridiculous). But is this reputation really deserved?
First of all, let’s see what train-spotting is. It is said that there are some 100,000 train spotters in the UK. Exactly as the title suggests, they spot trains, that is, they stand in train stations, look at the number of each train that leaves and arrives and write it down. The eventual aim is to have seen every train in the country.
Being crazy about railways and trains is not modern and it dates back to 1804. As the number of trains grew and they got faster and faster, so did the interest in them grow? Is this any stranger than people who love cars?
So, what do you need to be a train-spotter? Well, all you really need is a pen or pencil and a notebook to write down the train numbers. Other equipment(装备) includes hot tea in a thermos, a camera and some sandwiches for those long afternoons spent on train platforms when you don’t want to risk the delights of railway station food.
It’s interesting to note that despite the “bad name” of train-spotting, there have been famous railway lovers in history, such as Alfred Hitchcock, who filmed them regularly, especially The 39 Steps. There is evidence, too, that being a train-spotter is not necessarily a strange phenomenon（现象）in Britain.
One glance at the US train stations should be enough to convince you that train-spotters there are alive and well. In America, they try to call rail lovers “train-fans” and talk of “train-fanning”. Don’t let this fool you—these people are train spotters and there are a lot of them. Each month, two million pages are visited on the website TrainWeb.org.                     
340words
【小题1】What is train-spotting according to the passage?

A．A kind of hobby.	B．A type of sport.
C．A strange phenomenon.	D．A special job.

【小题2】Which of the following about train-spotters is true according to the passage?

A．They number each train they see.

B．They keep a careful path of every train.

C．They count the trains passing in front of them.

D．They produce films about trains with video cameras.

【小题3】The writer writes the passage to        .

A．introduce some famous train-spotters

B．encourage readers to do more train-spotting

C．try to present a true picture of train-spotting

D．describe the necessary equipment in train-spotting

【小题4】 What do we learn from the passage?

A．Train-spotters in the UK want to fool people.

B．Train-spotting is more acceptable in America.

C．Train-spotters are much stranger than car lovers.

D．Train-spotting relates to（与…有关）a dangerous lifestyle.

Train-spotting
Many people around the world have seen Danny Boyle’s movie Train spotting starring Ewan McGregor, but how many of us really know what train-spotting is all about? Now this is not considered cool in town and the word “train-spotter” in Britain is related to “geek” or “nerd” (someone who seems very ridiculous). But is this reputation really deserved?
First of all, let’s see what train-spotting is. It is said that there are some 100,000 train spotters in the UK. Exactly as the title suggests, they spot trains, that is, they stand in train stations, look at the number of each train that leaves and arrives and write it down. The eventual aim is to have seen every train in the country.
Being crazy about railways and trains is not modern and it dates back to 1804. As the number of trains grew and they got faster and faster, so did the interest in them grow? Is this any stranger than people who love cars?
So, what do you need to be a train-spotter? Well, all you really need is a pen or pencil and a notebook to write down the train numbers. Other equipment(装备) includes hot tea in a thermos, a camera and some sandwiches for those long afternoons spent on train platforms when you don’t want to risk the delights of railway station food.
It’s interesting to note that despite the “bad name” of train-spotting, there have been famous railway lovers in history, such as Alfred Hitchcock, who filmed them regularly, especially The 39 Steps. There is evidence, too, that being a train-spotter is not necessarily a strange phenomenon（现象）in Britain.
One glance at the US train stations should be enough to convince you that train-spotters there are alive and well. In America, they try to call rail lovers “train-fans” and talk of “train-fanning”. Don’t let this fool you—these people are train spotters and there are a lot of them. Each month, two million pages are visited on the website TrainWeb.org.                     
340words
【小题1】What is train-spotting according to the passage?

A．A kind of hobby.	B．A type of sport.
C．A strange phenomenon.	D．A special job.

【小题2】Which of the following about train-spotters is true according to the passage?

A．They number each train they see.

B．They keep a careful path of every train.

C．They count the trains passing in front of them.

D．They produce films about trains with video cameras.

【小题3】The writer writes the passage to        .

A．introduce some famous train-spotters

B．encourage readers to do more train-spotting

C．try to present a true picture of train-spotting

D．describe the necessary equipment in train-spotting

【小题4】 What do we learn from the passage?

A．Train-spotters in the UK want to fool people.

B．Train-spotting is more acceptable in America.

C．Train-spotters are much stranger than car lovers.

D．Train-spotting relates to（与…有关）a dangerous lifestyle.

house, smile, keep, happy, listen, money, all, look, ill, friend, travel, be

How can you get happiness? You may say that happiness requires nice comforts like a   71   , a car, big bank balance, a high paying job.

Here in India where I live, I have    72    through villages where people seemed to earn just enough to make ends meet. I have seen happiness there. I have seen     73     faces and smiling eyes that readily gave me directions. They were very     74   and made my journey easier.

I have also worked for 3 years on Wall Street, in a big Investment Bank. I have seen some people with a lot of     75   but still unhappy. I am not saying that all rich are unhappy (or the poor, happy). But the fact that there    76   some rich people who look angry or listless (无精打采的) and there are some poor people who     77    happy, points out that there must be something else to     78   , than just money, luxury (奢侈品) and comfort.

Happiness, it seems, is not a factor of how much you have. You can feel happy  79     to a good song, you can feel happy watching a beautiful sunrise, you can feel happy in any number of ways that don’t require any possessions at     80  . .

71.___ 72. ____ 73. ____ 74. ____ 75. _____ 76. ____77. _____78. ____79. _____80.______ 

   

IX.补全对话（5个小题，每小题1分，共5分）

根据对话内容，从方框内所给的选项中选出最佳选项，将其答案的序号写在方框下面的横线上,选项中有两项为多余项。

A: You must be really excited about leaving for America tomorrow, Li Ping!

B: Yeah. （81）______

A: Nervous about what?

B: I don’t know many of the customs and manners in the USA. （82）______

A: Sure.

B: （83）______

A: Well, it’s important to be on time when you’re invited for dinner. （84）______ Americans expect their guests to be on time.

B: Then how long may I stay there?

A: （85）______ Or you seem to have come only for the meal. When your friends seem to be getting tired and running out of things, it’s time to leave. The next day, call or write a thank-you note to say how much you enjoyed the evening.

A. It’s good to stay at home for you. B. After the meal, don’t leave at once. C. Could you give me a hand? D. What rules do they have in America? E. But I’m a bit nervous. F. You’re supposed to leave before the meal. G. It’s impolite to arrive late.