Today we tell about the expression “down to earth”．Down to earth means being ope

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Today we tell about the expression “down to earth”．Down to earth means being open and honest．It is easy to deal with someone who is down to earth．Such people could be important members of society, but they do not consider themselves to be better than others who are less important．They do not let their importance “go to their heads.” Someone who lets something go to his head feels he is better than others．He has a “big head.”
A person who is filled with his own importance and pride is said to have “his nose in the air．”Often the person who has a big head and his nose in the air has no reason to feel better than others．
Americans use another expression that is similar in some ways to down to earth---“both feet on the ground.” Someone with both feet on the ground is a person with a good understanding of reality．She has what is called “common sense.” She does not allow her dreams to block her understanding of what is real．
The opposite kind of person is one who has his “head in the clouds.” Someone with his head in the clouds is a person whose mind is not on what is happening in real life．Such a person may be called a “daydreamen.”
The person who is down to earth usually has both feet on the ground．But the opposite is not always true．Someone with both feet on the ground may not be as open and easy to deal with as someone who is down to earth．
When we have both our feet firmly on the ground，and when we are down to earth，we do not have our noses in the air．We act honestly and openly to others．And our lives are like the ground below up—solid and strong．
小题1:He who considers himself to be better and more important than others is likely to .

A．have his head in the clouds	B．be easy to deal with
C．have a “common sense”	D．have “a big head”

小题2:Which of the following expressions is similar to “down to earth”?

A．“his nose in the air”	B．“go to his head”
C．“both feet on the ground”	D．“daydreamer”

小题3:The passage is mainly about ．

A．some popular American expressions	B．how to be down to earth
C．why to be honest and open	D．how to deal with someone who is down to earth

答案

小题1:D
小题1:C
小题1:A

解析

小题1:细节题：从第一段的句子：Someone who lets something go to his head feels he is better than others．He has a “big head.”可知选 D
小题1:细节题：从倒数第二段的句子：The person who is down to earth usually has both feet on the ground．可知down to earth和has both feet on the ground．意思相近，选C
小题1:文章介绍了一些美国很流行的习语。选A

举一反三

It is hardly surprising that clothing manufacturers (生产商)follow certain uniform standards for various features(特征)of clothes．What seems strange，however，is that the standard adopted for women is the opposite of the one for men．Take a look at the way your clothes button．Men’s clothes tend to button from the right, and women’s from the left．Considering most of the world’s population—men and women — are right-handed，the men’s standard would appear to make more sense for women．So why do women’s clothes button from the left?
History really seems to matter here．Buttons first appeared only on the clothes of the rich in the l7th century，when rich women were dressed by servants．For the mostly right-handed servants，having women’s shirts button from the left would be easier．On the other hand，having men’s shirts button from the fight made sense，too．Most men dressed themselves，and a sword drawn from the left with the right hand would be less likely to get caught in the shirt．
Today women are seldom dressed by servants，but buttoning from the left is still the standard for them．Is it interesting? Actually，a standard，once set，resists change．At a time when all women’s shirts buttoned from the left，it would have been risky for any single manufacturer to offer women’s shirts that buttoned from the right．After all，women had grown so used to shirts which buttoned from the left and would have to develop new habits and skills to switch．Besides，some women might have found it socially awkward to appear in public wearing shirts that buttoned from the fight，since anyone who noticed that would believe they were wearing men’s shirts．
小题1:What is surprising about the standard of the clothing industry?

A．It has been followed by the industry for over 400 years．

B．It is different for men’s clothing and women’s．

C．It works better with men than with women.

D．It fails to consider right-handed people．

小题2:What do we know about the rich men in the 17th century?

A．They tended to wear clothes without buttons．	B．They were interested in historical matters．
C．They were mostly dressed by servants．	D．They drew their swords from the left．

小题3:Women’s clothes still button from the left today because _______.

A．adopting men’s style is improper for women	B．manufacturers should follow standards
C．modern women dress themselves	D．customs are hard to change

小题4: The passage is mainly developed by ________．

A．analyzing causes	B．making comparisons
C．examining differences	D．following the time order

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Americans eat breakfast and lunch quickly unless it is a social business or family occasion. The evening meal is usually longer and a time for families to gather together. Rushing through daytime meals is part of the fast pace in America. Another reason for rushing through daytime meals is that many people eat in restaurant that are usually crowded with people waiting for a place so that they can be served and return to work at the proper time. So each one hurried to make room for the next person. As there are busy people everywhere, there is a real difference with meals that are eaten in a hurry and those that can be enjoyed slowly with friends.
小题1:What is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A．What time Americans eat dinner.

B．Where Americans eat.

C．Why Americans eat in a hurry.

D．Which do meat Americans eat the most slowly.

小题2:Americans hurry at meals because

A．they want to eat dinner slowly.	B．they don’t like eating in restaurants.
C．they are very busy.	D．they don’t like to eat.

小题3:According to the passage, the least busy time to eat in a restaurant would probably be .

A．during the busy time	B．at lunch
C．at dinner	D．at either breakfast or lunch

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First Frenchman: I once heard someone shout, "Look out," I put my head out of a window and a basin of water fell on me. It seems that "Look out" may mean "don‘t look out."
　　Second Frenchman: Once I was on a ship and heard the captain shout, "All hands on deck," I put my hands on the deck and someone walked on them.
　　Third Frenchman: I once visited an English friend early in the morning and the maid who came to the door and said, "He’s not up yet. Come back in half an hour," When I went again for him, she said, "He‘s not down yet."
　　"If he’s not up and he’s not down, where is he?" I asked.
　　She said, "He’s still in bed. When I say ‘He’s not up ’ I mean ‘he has not yet got up’. When I say ‘He’s not down ’ I mean ‘he has not yet come downstairs,’"
小题1:"All hands on deck" means “ _______ ”.

A．All the sailors gather on deck	B．Give your hands to me
C．Put your right hand and left hand on deck	D．Shake your hands with me

小题2:When the maid said, “He’s not up yet.” She meant that _______ .

A．he has not grown up yet	B．he has not yet got up
C．he has not woke up yet	D．he has not yet come upstairs

小题3:When the third Frenchman went back, the English friend _______ .

A．was washing his face	B．was having his breakfast
C．was still in an upstairs room	D．was reading a newspaper

小题4:Which do you think is the best title for this article?

A．Three Frenchmen and their English Friends

B．The English Language

C．Three French Stories

D．What a Language!

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In every country there are times to celebrate, weddings, birthdays, religious festivals. Although the U.S.A is a multi-cultural society, where different groups celebrate their own traditional   21  , Christmas is the most popular holiday in the U.S.A. Some of the   22   of Christmas time are old and others are newer.
Already in the late 18^th and the 19^th centuries, people felt sentimental (眷恋的) about Christmases of the past. The American   23  , Washington Irving, wrote in 1819 about the old-fashioned Christmas he experienced in England. He was taken in a stagecoach (驿站马车) full of happy people, food and presents, to an old house in the   24  . There, he found a crowd of happy farmers, lots of food and drinks, snow, games and ghosts.
The first Christmas card, which was printed in England, showed people eating and drinking   25  . It was sent in 1846, but Christmas cards did not become really   26   until the 1860s, when color printing became possible.
By this time, stagecoaches had   27   running, replaced by the railroad. More and more families   28   the country and were living in towns and cities, but the dream of the   29   Christmas remained. The loaded stagecoach driving along the country road through the snow still   30   on many Christmas cards today.

小题1:

A．left

B．preferred

C．admired

D．reached

小题2:

A．amazing

B．new

C．merry

D．old-fashioned

小题3:

A．turns

B．appears

C．puts

D．gets

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Singapore Flyer was launched in 2008 and states to hold the current title for the world’s biggest observation wheel, full 30 meters taller than the London Eye observation wheel in London! Soaring 165 meters, Singapore Flyer offers a whole view of Singapore’s important tourist attractions including the scenic Marina Bay.
Singapore Flyer is also popular for providing an attractive range of shopping and dining choices. Among its greatest dining choices is the Singapore Flyer Sky Dining, one of the most exciting dining experiences you will ever come across.
Singapore Flyer Sky Dining is the first ever in the world to offer a full service in the sky. To top it all you are presented with best menus created by award-winning cooks from all over the world.
The sky dining doesn’t stop from there. You will gain fast boarding flights, in other words, no more waiting in line to board an observation capsule (机舱). You can enjoy the service of an in-flight host along with a nice three-course fine dining menu.
Be ready to enjoy yourself in the air-conditioned glass capsule where you will be served a welcome drink, an appetizer (开胃品) along with the main course. From the capsule you will see the night skyline of Marina Bay, Merlion Park, Raffles Place, Empress Place and Padang, bathed in exciting colors. And not just once but you will get to see these very interesting sights twice, during your almost one hour long special dining experience.
Up to five couples can book a small room and there are even choices to book an entire room for you and your partner. The sky dining experience begins from the VIP waiting room where you will be served with tasty desserts and drinks of your choice. You can see the Singapore Flyer conveniently from one of the top hotels in Singapore like M Hotel Singapore.

小题1:At Singapore Flyer, tourists can ___________.

A．do some shopping and have dinner

B．enjoy some interesting sights just once

C．enjoy a wonderful 30-minute dining experience

D．get a whole view of all the Singapore’s tourist attractions

小题2:Which of the following statements is TRUE about Singapore Flyer?

A．It is the second biggest observation wheel in the world.

B．The menus are created by native cooks.

C．It provides fast boarding service.

D．There are no special rooms for couples.

小题3:The underlined phrase in the third paragraph probably means “___________”.

A．What’s more	B．At the top of it
C．What’s worse	D．From top to bottom

小题4:The three-course dining menu at Singapore Flyer usually includes the following EXCEPT___________.

A．a welcome drink	B．the main course
C．an appetizer	D．tasty desserts

小题5:Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?

A．Virtual Tourism	B．A Guide to Singapore Flyer
C．Eating at Singapore Flyer	D．The future of Singapore Flyer

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