It seems that every week someone becomes “the first” or “the youngest” or even “the first married couple” to do something that doesn’t seem to be very useful to the rest of us.

Why do they do it? Don’t they have better things to do with their time and money? And why should I be interested anyway? Human beings have already climbed the highest mountains, sailed across the oceans and flown around the world. Many of these things were done a long, long time ago. There just isn’t anything left to explore nowadays. I suppose there’s still a lot of the universe left, and the bottom of the ocean is still a bit of a mystery, but you need a lot of technology to explore areas like that. So, those people who feel the need for adventure can only do things that have been done before.

In May of this year a British man became the first person to walk alone from Canada to the North Pole. Personally, if I wanted to visit the Arctic, I’d rather go as a tourist on a cruise ship, with a helicopter trip to the North Pole included in the price. But OK, this man decided that he wanted to walk. The problem was that he went in the spring when the ice begins to melt and break up. So he got stuck on a longely piece of ice and a plane had to be sent in to rescue him.

These sorts of rescues are making many Australians angry with these record breakers. People trying to break sailing or rowing records get into trouble in the seas. So the Australian navy has to send ships to save them and this costs the government millions of dollars. I suppose we can’t just leave them to drown but we should give the bill to the people who are rescued.

According to the author, the so-called record breakers           .

    A．do not benefit other people at all

    B．inspire people to continue exploring

    C．are boring and should be stopped

    D．are usually not wealthy enough

We can infer from the second paragraph that           .

    A．there are no high mountains for people to climb

    B．nothing is left for people to explore in the universe

    C．it’s beyond ordinary people to explore the unknown

    D．human beings could fly around the world long ago

Many Australians are angry because the record breakers         .

    A．often get into trouble

    B．never use a cruise ship or a helicopter

    C．never pay their own costs

    D．satisfy their needs at the cost of others’ interest

What is the writer’s attitude towards the record breakers?

    A．Positive.            B．Negative.

    C．Uninterested.            D．Neutral（中立的）.

It seems that every week someone becomes “the first” or “the youngest” or even “the first married couple” to do something that doesn’t seem to be very useful to the rest of us.
Why do they do it? Don’t they have better things to do with their time and money? And why should I be interested anyway? Human beings have already climbed the highest mountains, sailed across the oceans and flown around the world. Many of these things were done a long, long time ago. There just isn’t anything left to explore nowadays. I suppose there’s still a lot of the universe left, and the bottom of the ocean is still a bit of a mystery, but you need a lot of technology to explore areas like that. So, those people who feel the need for adventure can only do things that have been done before.
In May of this year a British man became the first person to walk alone from Canada to the North Pole. Personally, if I wanted to visit the Arctic, I’d rather go as a tourist on a cruise ship, with a helicopter trip to the North Pole included in the price. But OK, this man decided that he wanted to walk. The problem was that he went in the spring when the ice begins to melt and break up. So he got stuck on a longely piece of ice and a plane had to be sent in to rescue him.
These sorts of rescues are making many Australians angry with these record breakers. People trying to break sailing or rowing records get into trouble in the seas. So the Australian navy has to send ships to save them and this costs the government millions of dollars. I suppose we can’t just leave them to drown but we should give the bill to the people who are rescued.
【小题1】According to the author, the so-called record breakers          .

A．do not benefit other people at all

B．inspire people to continue exploring

C．are boring and should be stopped

D．are usually not wealthy enough

【小题2】We can infer from the second paragraph that          .

A．there are no high mountains for people to climb

B．nothing is left for people to explore in the universe

C．it’s beyond ordinary people to explore the unknown

D．human beings could fly around the world long ago

【小题3】Many Australians are angry because the record breakers        .

A．often get into trouble

B．never use a cruise ship or a helicopter

C．never pay their own costs

D．satisfy their needs at the cost of others’ interest

【小题4】What is the writer’s attitude towards the record breakers?

A．Positive.	B．Negative.
C．Uninterested.	D．Neutral（中立的）.

Have you ever considered all the English expressions that include words about clothes? Let’s have a look．
People wear pants to cover the lower part of their bodies．We sometimes say that people who are nervous have ants in their pants．Sometimes，people may get caught with their pants down．They are found doing something they should not be doing．And，in every family，one person takes contro1．Sometimes a wife tells her husband what to do．Then we say she wears the pants in the family.
Pants usually have pockets to hold things．Money that is likely to be spent quickly can bum a hole in your pocket．Sometimes you need a belt to hold up your pants．If you have less money than usual，you may have to tighten your belt.
I always praise people who can save their money and not spend too much. l really take my hat off to them. Yet, when it comes to my own money, I spend it at the drop of a hat, which means I immediately spend it.
Boots are a heavy or strong kind of shoes. People who are too big for their boots think they are more important than they really are. I dislike such people.
My father is an important person. He runs a big company. He wears a suit and tie, and a shirt with sleeves that cover his arms. Some people who do not know him will think he is too serious and never shows his feelings openly. But I know that my father wears his heart on his sleeve.
【小题1】What is this passage mainly about?  

A．What pants mean in English.	B．Some special English expressions.
C．Some funny English expressions.	D．Some expressions related to clothes.

【小题2】Which of the following expressions can show someone is nervous?

A．Get caught with one's pants down.	B．Have ants in one's pants.
C．Wear the pants in the family.	D．Bum a hole in one's pocket.

【小题3】If we say someone has to tighten his belt, we probably mean he        

A．has done something wrong	B．used to live a rich life
C．has put on the wrong pants	D．doesn’t have enough money

【小题4】Someone who spends his money at the drop of a hat most probably_           

A．doesn’t save money	B．earns much money
C．never wastes his money	D．spends more than he earns

It was January lst, the first day of the year and a holiday for me．I went to the bank to get the bank work out of the way. The bank clerk nodded and I sat in front of him．  He was busy filling up entries in his register．

I put my form and booklet in front of him．After waiting for a few more minutes, in which I showed all signs of being impatient, I asked him if my work was done． He shouted, "Nothing is done, and it will take time ! "

Just then I saw his morning cup of tea, which had been lying there for the last ten minutes, untoucheD.The tea had turned almost cold while he was doing his work．Suddenly I felt what this man must be feeling  when customers like me come always in a hurry to get their work done． We do not even feel the need to thank them for being there．

So I told him, "Sir, please have your teA.I am not in a hurry． " This man suddenly looked up at me and for the first time we had eye contact．I saw a different person there, who was as hard-pressed for time as I always am．

I saw both of us sailing in the same boat. I felt that he was also missing the small things in life like a hot cup of tea or lying in a warm bed for a few more minutes like me．He gave me a rare smile and said, "It is an everyday affair with me; you are not in a hurry but somebody else will be．

He really touched my heart with his wise words． I felt that all this time I thought of him as someone who was there for my convenience, but today I suddenly felt a strange communion with him. I vowed(郑重宣布) to be friendly with people who help me with my work and be thankful that they are there for me．

1.Which of the following is NOT true of the writer?

A．He works in the bank as a clerk, too．

B．He went to the bank to do some business．

C．He was touched by the untouched cup of tea．

D．He got annoyed after waiting a few minutes．

2.What can we learn about the bank clerk?

A．He hated to work on a holiday .

B.He didn't like his work in the bank.

C．He was under great work pressure．

D．He communicated well with his customers．

3.What can you learn from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 5?

A．He was sometimes in the similar situation．

B．They once sailed in the same boat．

C．They expected to sail in the same boat．

D．He's too busy to sail in a boat, too．

4.The writer's attitude towards the bank clerk might be that of     .

A.tolerance   B.gratitude  C.sympathy  D.satisfaction

5.What does the text try to tell us?

A.To be patient with your customers

B．Helping others is helping yourself

C.To be thankful to those who help you.

D.It is our duty to do things for others

 

Have you ever considered all the English expressions that include words about clothes? Let’s have a look．

People wear pants to cover the lower part of their bodies．We sometimes say that people who are nervous have ants in their pants．Sometimes，people may get caught with their pants down．They are found doing something they should not be doing．And，in every family，one person takes contro1．Sometimes a wife tells her husband what to do．Then we say she wears the pants in the family.

Pants usually have pockets to hold things．Money that is likely to be spent quickly can bum a hole in your pocket．Sometimes you need a belt to hold up your pants．If you have less money than usual，you may have to tighten your belt.

I always praise people who can save their money and not spend too much. l really take my hat off to them. Yet, when it comes to my own money, I spend it at the drop of a hat, which means I immediately spend it.

Boots are a heavy or strong kind of shoes. People who are too big for their boots think they are more important than they really are. I dislike such people.

My father is an important person. He runs a big company. He wears a suit and tie, and a shirt with sleeves that cover his arms. Some people who do not know him will think he is too serious and never shows his feelings openly. But I know that my father wears his heart on his sleeve.

1.What is this passage mainly about?  

A．What pants mean in English.               B．Some special English expressions.

C．Some funny English expressions.            D．Some expressions related to clothes.

2.Which of the following expressions can show someone is nervous?

A．Get caught with one's pants down.          B．Have ants in one's pants.

C．Wear the pants in the family.               D．Bum a hole in one's pocket.

3.If we say someone has to tighten his belt, we probably mean he        

A．has done something wrong                B．used to live a rich life

C．has put on the wrong pants                D．doesn’t have enough money

4.Someone who spends his money at the drop of a hat most probably_           

A．doesn’t save money                    B．earns much money

C．never wastes his money                  D．spends more than he earns