2024年云南省成人高考高起点《英语》备考习题兼答案（20）

Questions 81 to 85 are based on the following passage:

In the United States many have been told that anyone can become rich and successful if he works hard and has some good luck.

Yet,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 tries to look as rich and as successful as his neighbors.

The expression was first used in 1913 by a young American by the name of 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.Young Momand was very proud of his riches.He got married and moved with his wife to a very wealthy neighborhood outside New Your City.But just moving there was not enough.When he saw that rich people rode horses,Momand went horse riding every day.When he saw that rich people had servants,Momand and his wife also hired(雇)a servant and gave big parties for their new neighbors.

It was like a race,but one could never finish this race because one was always trying to keep up.Momand and his wife could not do that.

The race ended for them when they could no longer pay for their new way of life.They left their wealthy neighborhood and 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 their neighbors.He saw the funny side of it and started to write a series(系列)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 the people around you.Momand's series appeared in different newspapers across the country for over 28 years.

Every city has an area where people want to live because others will think better of them if they do.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(在前面).

81.The writer of the selection believes ______.

A.anyone in the United States can become rich

B.anyone in the United States can become rich if he works hard and has some good luck

C.he can become rich in the future

D.many people in the United States think anyone can become rich if he works hard and has some good luck

82.Some people want to keep up with the Joneses because ______.

A.they want to be as rich as their neighbors

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

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

D.they want to be happy

83.It can be inferred from the story that rich people ______.

A.like to live outside New York City

B.like to live in New York City

C.like to live in apartments

D.like to have many neighbors

84.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 neighbor's name

D.not a good name

85.According to the writer,it is ______.

A.correct to keep up with the Joneses

B.interesting to keep up with the Joneses

C.impossible to keep up with the Joneses

D.good to keep up with the Joneses

81.答案：D。

解析：本题为情境题。文章第一段第一句中的“众所周知，在美国，任何人只要努力工作，加上有好运气，就一定会又有钱又成功”。故选D。

82.答案：B。

解析：本题为情境题。根据文章第二段最后一句“故事讲的是一个人，他总是想让别人认为他象邻居那样又有钱又成功”。故选B。

83.答案：A。

解析：本题为推断题。根据文章第三段：阿瑟25岁时挣125美元周薪，这在当时是较高的收入。于是他结了婚，把家安到纽约郊外的富有区。根据文章第五段：当他入不敷出之后，把家又搬回纽约市内。由此可知，有钱人喜欢住在郊外。故选A。

84.答案：B。

解析：本题为情境题。根据文章第六段第三句“阿瑟用‘赶上琼斯一家’作为他的连载故事的名字，是因为琼斯是美国人常用的名字”。故选B。

85.答案：C。

解析：本题为主旨题。本文主题即最后一句告诉读者，不管你多么努力去赶上琼斯一家的生活水平，琼斯先生却总是领先一步。故选C。