周瑞蓮　姜紅偉

(A)

The Meanings of Fashions

時尚的含義

For most people, the word “FASHION” means “clothes”. But people may ask the question, “What clothes are in fashion?” And they use the adjective(形容詞) “fashionable” in the same way.“She is wearing a fashionable coat.” and “His shirt is really in a fashionable color.”

But of course, there are fashions in many ways, not only in clothes. There are fashions in holidays, in restaurants, in films and books. There are even fashions in school subjects, jobs and in languages.

Fashions change as time goes. If you look at the pictures of people or things from the past, you will see that fashions have always changed. An English house of 1750 was different from one of 1650. A fashionable man in 1780 looked very different from his grandson in 1860.

Today fashions change very quickly. Some of these are natural. We hear about new things much more quickly than in the past. Newspapers, radios, telephones and televisions send information from one country to another in a few seconds.

New fashions mean that people will buy new things, so you see THERE IS MONEY IN FASHION.

1. From this passage we know that “fashion” means ____.

A. clothes B. many things

C. most of the popular things D. everything

2. Which of the following things is fashionable today? ____.

A. Surfing the Internet

B. Having a family dinner on New Years Day

C. Doing morning exercises at school

D. Learning to sing songs on the radio

3. Today fashions change very quickly because ____.

A. people read newspapers every day

B. radios send information from one country to another

C. new things that people like are often shown on TV

D. people quickly learn what is happening in the world

4. “THERE IS MONEY IN FASHION” means “____”.

A. clothes are expensive

B. money comes from fashion

C. people like new things

D. there are no fashions without money

(B)

The Night of Edisons Wedding Ceremony

愛迪生的新婚之夜

At Christmas, 1871, Edison, the famous American scientist, got married to Mary. Lots of their friends came to their wedding ceremony (婚禮). At about two in the afternoon, Edison suddenly thought out a good way to solve the problem on automatic(自動的) telegraph after the wedding. So he said to the bride(新娘), “Ill have to go to the factory because I have something important to do. Then Ill come back to have dinner with you.” The bride had no way but to agree.

At the night of the wedding, other families were full of joy while the bride alone stayed in the house, just looking out of window. How lonely she was.

Now a worker went into the lab, and said as soon as he saw Edison, “My goodness!I have never seen a bridegroom(新郎) like you. I didnt know you were here. Its already twelve now!” Edison was great surprised.“Twelve? Too bad!I said I would have supper with Mary,” he said as heran downstairs.

Thats how hard Edison worked. He gave all his life to the inventions of lights, films, telephones and over one thousand other things. A new invention came into being (問世) every fifteen days.

1. Edison ____ at Christmas of 1871 in America.

A. asked lots of his friends to come to his birthday party

B. became a famous scientist

C. got married to Mary

D. stayed at home with his bride most of the time

2. After the wedding, Edison hurried to go to the factory, because ____.

A. he forgot his wedding ceremony

B. he had something to do with the bride

C. he thought out a way to solve the problem on automatic telegraph

D. he could make out a new automatic telegraph

3. Edison put his heart into his inventions, so ____.

A. he forgot his bride B. he forgot his supper

C. he forgot his festival D. all of the three above

4. It took Edison ____ to work in his factory.

A. two hours B. ten hours

C. twelve hours D. eight hours

5. In all Edisons life, ____ new inventions came into being.

A. fifteen thousand B. one thousand

C. two thousand D. over one thousand

Key(1)