In the United States, when one becomes rich, he wants people to know it. And even if he does not become very rich, he wants people to think that he is. That is what “keeping up with the Joneses” is about. It is the story of someone who tried to look as rich as his neighbours.

The expression was first used in 1913 by a young American called Arthur Momand. He told this story about himself. He began earning $ 125 a week at the age of 23. That was a lot of money in those days. He got married and moved with his wife to a very wealthy neighbourhood outside New York City. When he saw that rich people rode horses, Momand went horseback riding every day. When he saw that rich people had servants, Momand and his wife also hired a servant and gave big parties for their new neighbours.

It was like a race, but one could never finish his race because one was always trying to keep up. The race ended for Momand and his wife when they could no longer pay for their new way of life. They moved back to an apartment in New York City.

Momand looked around him and noticed that many people do things just to keep up with rich lifestyle of their neighbours. He saw the funny side of it and started to write a series of short stories. He called it “Keeping up with the Joneses” because “Jones” is a very common name in the United States. “Keeping up with the Joneses” came to mean keeping up with rich lifestyle of the people around you. Momand’s series appeared in different newspapers across the country for over 28 years.

People never seem to get tired of keeping up with the Joneses. And there are “Joneses” in every city of the world. But one must get tired of trying to keep up with the Joneses because no matter what one does, Mr. Jones always seems to be ahead.

1.Some people want to keep up with the Joneses because they ________.

A．want to be as rich as their neighbours

B．want others to know or to think that they are rich

C．don’t want others to know they are rich

D．want to be happy

2.It can be inferred (推断) from the story that rich people like to ________.

A．live outside New York City                 B．live in New York City

C．live in apartments                       D．have many neighbours

3.Arthur Momand used the name “Jones” in his series of short stories because “Jones” is ________.

A．an important name                      B．a popular name in the United States

C．his neighbour’s name                   D．not a good name

4.If a person who keeps up with the Joneses, he would _________.

A．do as the poor persons around him do

B．do everything he likes to do

C．do as his neighbours do

D．do as the rich people around him do

    Mrs. Wilson，the wife of a rich man，invited some of her friends to lunch．She was trying a new way to cook fish and she was very pleased with herself when the fish was ready．As the fish was very hot．she put it near the open window to cool for a few minutes．Five minutes later，when she came back for it，she was surprised to find the neighbor’s cat ate the fish．She was in time to stop the eat before it was too late．That afternoon everyone enjoyed the fish．They talked and laughed until four o’clock．

    After the guests left，Mrs. Wilson felt very happy．She was sitting alone in a chair near the window when she saw the neighbor’s cat dead in her garden．She was sure the fish was bad．What would happen to her friends? She at once telephoned the family doctor for help．The doctor wanted each guest to meet him．Once again Mrs. Wilson was alone in her chair still tired but no longer happy．Just then the telephone rang．It was her neighbor．“Oh，Mrs. Wilson，”he cried，“My cat is dead．She was killed by someone in a car and put in your garden．”

1．Mrs. Wilson felt very pleased with herself because           ．

    A．many friends came to her house         B．her husband was rich

    C．the fish was very hot                               D．the fish was wonderfully prepared

2．Her friends left her house            

    A．in the morning                                  B．in the afternoon

    C．in the evening                                     D．1ate at night

3．The cat didn’t eat up the fish because         ．

    A．she didn’t like it                                B．the fish was bad

    C．she was stopped in time                       D．the fish was hot

4．At first Mrs. Wilson thought the cat had been killed by         ．

    A．someone in a car                              B．her neighbor

    C．one of her friends                               D．the bad fish

5．From the words“still tired but no longer happy”，we know that           

    A．she was still worried about the matter

    B．the danger was over

    C．some of her friends had died that afternoon

    D．all the guests had become ill

Monty Roberts was the son of a poor family．He liked horses．He had a dream to own a horse ranch ever since he was a little child．

    One day when he was at high school, he was asked to write a paper．It was about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up．He worked hard on it，and wrote a seven-page paper．In the paper he described his dream of owning a big horse ranch someday．

    The next day he handed it in to his teacher．Two days later he received his paper back．On the front page was a large red F(fail)with a note that read，“See me after class．”

    He went to see the teacher after class and asked，“Why did I receive an F?”

    The teacher answered．“This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you．You come from a poor family．You have no money．Owning a horse ranch needs a lot of money．You have to buy the land．There’s no way you could ever do it．”Then he added，“Write this paper again．If you write it with a realistic plan，you may receive a better grade．”

    After sitting with it for a week，he turned in the same paper，making no changes at all．He said to the teacher，“You can keep the F and I’ll keep my dream．”

    Monty kept his dream and worked very hard．Today he owns a large horse ranch with a big house on it，and he keeps that school paper he wrote on the wall of his sitting room．

    Last summer the same school teacher came to visit him．When the teacher was leaving，he said，“Look，Monty，when I was your teacher，I was something of a dream stealer．During those years I stole a lot of children’s dreams．It was lucky that you hadn’t given up yours．”

    Don’t let anyone steal your dream．Follow your dream，no matter what．

1．What was Monty Roberts’ dream when he was very young?

  A．To write a seven—page paper．

  B．To learn to ride a horse．

  C．To own a horse ranch．

  D．To receive a better grade．

2．The underlined sentence“There’s no way you could ever do it．”means“______”

  A．Your dream can never come true．

  B．You should find a way to let your dream come true．

  C．You have to work hard or you’ll lose your dream．

  D．I’ll show you a way to help your dream come true．

3．After Monty heard his teacher’s advice，he __________．

  A．changed his dream                        B．received a better grade

  C．turned in a different paper                D．turned in the same paper

4．Why does Monty Roberts keep that school paper on the wall of his sitting room?

  A．To show he was a good student．

  B．To tell himself never to give up a dream．

  C．To make his sitting room more beautiful．

  D．To show people he is a successful person．

More than anything else in the world, Lion liked being King of the jungle.  He walked around, showing off his power and pride.
Each day Lion took a long lazy sleep under the shade of his favourite tree.  He always dreamed of weaker animals bowing(鞠躬) before him.
One day Mouse ran through the jungle and tripped over Lion’s huge paws.  Lion woke up with a start.  “How dare you wake me up! ”  he shouted angrily.  Lion grabbed Mouse with one paw.  “On the second thought, I’m in the mood for the snack, and you’ll make a delicious meal.”, he said.
Mouse cried out, “King Lion, please spare（饶恕） me! If you let me live, I’ll always remember your kindness.  And, some day, I might be able to help you.”
“ How could such a powerless little mouse ever help me?” That thought made Lion laugh so much that he decided to let Mouse go.  A week later, Lion was walking through the jungle on the way to his favourite tree when he stepped onto a hunter’s net.  The net scooped him up. No matter how he twisted and turned, he couldn’t escape.
When Mouse heard Lion’s frightened shouts, he raced to help. Mouse quickly chewed（咬）through the ropes to make a hole in the net.  Soon, Lion moved out and was free. Lion looked down at the little mouse. “Thank you for saving my life,” said Lion, smiling his widest smile.  “I was mistaken.  You are not a powerless little mouse.  You are a great friend!”
【小题1】 What did Lion do each day?